Chapter 245. A Horrifying Battle Pt. 5
Lee Jun-Kyeong looked at the ground he was currently standing on and the surroundings around him.
Ttukseom Amusement Park, where the station was, had still been intact when he arrived. But now, it was no different from anywhere else.
Whoosh.
A breeze blew by, fueled by the mana in the air, as dust and debris flew everywhere. This place was also in ruins now.
“It’s not our fault,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said.
It was true that they had contributed to the destruction of the Ttukseom Amusement Park, which had still preserved its ties to civilization, but that was because of their enemies, not themselves.
“Well, it’s not like we did this trying to point fingers about right or wrong,” Zeus said while shrugging. He smoothed out his long white hair that had become matted from battle.
“It won’t be too long,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said, taking a step forward. “Until this place returns to what it used to be.”
When this battle was over, this would all end, one way or another. If they won, then the world would return to the way it had been before.
Lee Jun-Kyeong stood in front of the Han River. As Merlin looked over at him, he nodded.
Crack!!
“Let’s cross.”
The Han River began to freeze over with every rippling wave as the party moved, following Lee Jun-Kyeong in the lead.
***
“Gasp…”
THUD!
Contrary to the heavy breathing, the sound of the greatsword swinging cut through the air nonstop. The greatsword wreaked havoc wherever it swung. The enemies in its path were cloven in half and cut down before they were able to let out a scream.
“Gasp…”
Jeong In-Chang took a shuddering breath as he swung his arm.
Zzt.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
An explosive stream of energy emanated from the greatsword and blew up everything in a straight line. It was the mana stream, the skill he had learned from Lee Jun-Kyeong.
Jeong In-Chang wasn’t as strong as Zeus or Merlin, but when it came to his ability to handle mana, he was more than on par with them.
“Gasp…”
Jeong In-Chang swung his greatsword once more.
Zeus and Merlin’s ability to manipulate mana was on par with those who were among the apex of the world. The only difference was the sheer amount of mana they had. However, Jeong In-Chang had found a way to bridge that gap.
Squelch!
Jeong In-Chang plunged his greatsword into the loose dirt.
“GRAM!!”
The ground began to crack, splitting apart around Gram. The enemies that Jeong In-Chang and his companions had defeated fell through the cracked ground.
“Ha-a-eup!”
When he exhaled once again and drew Gram, the split earth fused back together again.
“Ah, I feel alive again.”
Jeong In-Chang's face, which had looked exhausted, regained its color as he absorbed the remnant mana held within the corpses of his enemies. That was his method of restoring mana and his way of increasing the extent of his mana reserves.
He stood and looked around. That lasted only for a moment as he suddenly swung his greatsword in an instant and struck something.
BANG!
There was an intense pounding sound, followed by a screech, as the Hunters who had rushed toward Jeong In-Chang had been killed without being able to make a proper effort.
BOOM!
When he turned back again, a massive rupture sounded in his ears as fragments of what appeared to be humans scattered before him. In the epicenter of the impact, a cute little princess stood, looking over at him.
“Are you okay, In-Chang?”
Unlike before, she no longer looked like an ogre. She now had a human-like appearance that was a little taller than Jeong In-Chang. However, looking at the blood flowing from her fist, it seemed as though her change in appearance hadn’t affected her strength whatsoever.
“I’m fine,” Jeong In-Chang said with a bitter smile. He looked around again.
“Agh!!!!”
“R-run away!”
“Don’t get pushed back, you bastards!”Hunters were shouting and screaming everywhere. In the end, they were acting the same as the ordinary people they had taken hostage.
Flicker!
Even if they wanted to flee from this havoc, the flames surrounding them still hadn’t died down.
BANG!
Cornered and trapped like rats, they were slowly being wiped out.
“Are we done fighting?” the princess asked Jeong In-Chang, who stowed away his greatsword.
Ssss.
As Jeong In-Chang nodded, the princess’ figure shifted as she returned to her doll-like appearance.
Tap, tap, tap!
The princess jumped into Jeong In-Chang’s arms with the tiniest of steps. There was a strong smell of blood, but he couldn’t tell if it was coming from him or the princess. Even if he could, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Swish!
At that time, Jeong In-Chang lowered his head at the sound of small impacts ringing. It was clearly a sound that had come from something hitting him, but there was no pain.
“Thank you.”
Instead, Jeong In-Chang expressed his gratitude. Looking at him standing with the princess, covered in blood, Won-Hwa approached.
“It was nothing.”
He had thrown some of his silver needles and restored Jeong In-Chang’s natural state somewhat.
“Let’s get some rest,” Won-Hwa said with a tired expression.
Jeong In-Chang sat down in place without saying a word. Although it was possible for him to replenish his mana through battle, the consumption of his stamina and mental strength was unavoidable.
Their enemies were many, while they themselves were few.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Won-Hwa also sat down next to him. The serenity around them was so bizarre that it felt strange to say that there was a battle raging around them.
“It will be over soon.”
The reason they were able to do so was because of the white wolf that was running around.
–Howl!!!!
***
“I think everything’s been roughly sorted out, right?” Jeong In-Chang said while looking around.
The land around them had become completely desolate as piles of corpses were scattered everywhere. Every corpse was the body of a Hunter.
Although Lee Jun-Kyeong had reduced their numbers significantly before he had left, the number of enemies that had remained after had still been considerable. And, all of those enemies had finally been slain.
“…”
Jeong In-Chang turned away for a moment.
No matter how much they were said to be enemies.
No matter how great of sinners they were.
“...”
It was still a terrible sight.
In the past, before the advent of Hunters, there had been many wars in which people killed people. He wondered how different those horrors could have been from what he saw right now.
‘No, this must be even crueler.’
Thinking that, he laughed to himself bitterly.
“Whew… I feel like I’m going to die,” said Heracles, who possessed immense stamina, as he stretched his arms.
The enemies were strong and numerous. If it weren’t for Fenrir and Sangun, the battle would have probably still been underway at this moment.
“Let’s rest for a while,” Jeong In-Chang said.
Now that Lee Jun-Kyeong and the other leaders had left, Jeong In-Chang had taken command.
‘Everyone, please follow Jeong In-Chang’s instructions.’
It had been Lee Jun-Kyeong’s request, so no one could refuse.
“Okay, let’s rest a little.”
Moreover, everyone followed as they all acknowledged Jeong In-Chang’s strength.
Heracles and Odysseus took their seats as the giants, Liu Bei, and his two brothers collapsed on the spot, sighing from exhaustion.Woosh!
Won-Hwa went around, treating each person.
A blue wave of energy descended from the sky and boosted their stamina. It was Ungnyeo’s influence, as she had been a part of the battle as well.
While she healed the Hunters and giants with Won-Hwa, Jeong In-Chang exhaled and stood up.
“Whew…”
He seemed to be covered entirely in Won-Hwa’s needles. Although he looked extremely exhausted, he had no injuries as he was getting used to controlling his Immortality Authority.
‘It’s not over yet.’
They had taken care of the Hunters they had been assigned, and the flames that Lee Jun-Kyeong had created were fading away.
But it wasn’t the end.
“It’s what happens now that is the problem.”
They all knew that things had begun for real. There was work left for them.
“You should get plenty of rest,” he said to everyone as those who were sitting shifted into laying down, taking deep breaths.
What remained for them was a journey.
“We will be heading to Yeouido.”
There should still be ordinary humans that were still alive.
“We have to save the rest of the ordinary humans.”
Lee Jun-Kyeong and the others had gone to Gangnam, where the Association was located.
Moreover, in either place, there was the possibility that the Demon King might be there. Even if there was no Demon King, there had to have been someone there, guarding the ordinary humans.
“It looks like we might die…” Jeong In-Chang muttered to himself while performing maintenance on his equipment.
***
“Do you think that the Demon King is in the Association?” Zeus asked.
Currently, their forces were divided. No matter what anyone said, it was easy to see that their party was filled with their elite, while Jeong In-Chang and his group were somewhat lacking in comparison.
That weaker group was supposed to be heading toward Yeouido and at the end of the path they were on, if…
“If the Demon King is in Yeouido, they might be completely annihilated,” Zeus said worriedly.
Jeong In-Chang’s party wasn’t weak. However, it was still a foregone conclusion that if they met with the Demon King, they would still be annihilated.
“If you have anything that you haven’t said yet, please tell us.”
Zeus was basically requesting Lee Jun-Kyeong to let them know if he had confirmed where the Demon King was.
However, Lee Jun-Kyeong’s answer was different from expected.
“It’s highly likely that the Demon King is within the Association, but I’m not certain about it.”
Still, his location might not have been meaningful.
“Even if he’s in Yeouido…”
Lee Jun-Kyeong’s voice was firm.
“Jeong In-Chang and his group won’t be annihilated.”
“Is there something you’ve hidden or something?”
Lee Jun-Kyeong laughed, as whenever he thought about that brat, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Fenrir. Even if the opponent is the Demon King, he should be able to buy some time.”
“The wolf? He’s definitely strong, but to consider him to that extent, well…”
Although Zeus asked curiously, Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t answer, rather moving forward with confidence in his gaze.
“I can’t feel the aura of the small fry anymore.”
“Most likely, the rest of them were sent to Yeouido.”
“Then that means…”
Lee Jun-Kyeong nodded. “It means that there is a high probability of us facing someone here.”
The forest of skyscrapers they stood in blocked the sunlight. It had been a while since they had come to Gangnam. Then, someone approached once again.
“They’re coming.”
“The real thing has appeared.”
It was someone completely different from the small fry they had dealt with so far. As the aura approached, Lee Jun-Kyeong’s face hardened.
“...”
“T-that’s not possible.”
Then, something that sounded like Athena’s screams rang out.