Chapter 123

Episode 7: Tidal Wave of Monsters / Chapter 123: Alien Troops from Earth (8)

TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk

{TL/N: Choi Hyuk’s Imprint adds stats when he makes a slashing attack. It should be fixed for previous chapters as well. Sorry guys.}

The monsters covered Dragonic. The sky swayed like stirred milk, and the ground trembled due to the onrushing monsters. The plants and animals that had endured Dragonic’s previous extinction, became utterly extinct this time around. After every step the monsters took, the plants and animals would be shredded, mangled and infected, turning black. A rotten smell permeated everywhere.

Dragonic was being covered in death. However, there was a line which separated this death from the living. From afar, one could see that one-fourth of Dragonic was still green. That line was the line of defense, splattered with the red blood of humans and the black blood of monsters.

Just then, inverted trees rose up between the fields the monsters were charging through.

Rumble, crack!

Enormous roots erupted through the ground.

Like giant dragon tails, the roots swung around, mangling the monsters. The tree roots, which sprouted from the ground, held onto mountains and fields and eventually pulled out the inverted branches.

The trees rose from the ground.

The enormous leaves, which were seeing the sky for the first time in thousands of years, scattered. The leaves, which were similar to flexible metal when underground, became hard and sharp the moment they saw the sky.

Swooosh!

Slaaash!

The scattering leaves became enormous swords, chopping up the monsters in the sky and on the ground with swooshing sounds.

Bvrroooo!

The sounds of the El Tribes’ horns rang, and the El Tribe warriors leaped out. The earthlings, who were maintaining their line of defense, matched their timing and charged forward as well. The monsters that were at the front were surrounded and killed mercilessly. This was the first time the earthlings were able to push their front lines forward since the war began.

“Maintain this spirit! We recover the El Tribes’ sanctum!”

Richard took command. Although the El Tribes’ trees rose up, this wasn’t even one-third of the El Tribes’ population. Only the trees that were within the human’s defensive line or not too far away had risen. The El Tribes that were located in regions the monsters had a firm control over weren’t able to rise yet.

For that, they needed the El Tribes’ sanctum, which was located somewhere between the humans’ territory and the monster portals.

‘There is an extremely strong power hibernating within our sanctum. It was passed down that it should be used to completely recover this land once the monsters left Dragonic… But since there won’t be a next time, I guess it’s okay to change the order of things.’

This was what the great elder had said. Even while he made an excuse, saying that he wasn’t clear on what it was, since this information had been passed down a long time ago, he confidently said that as long as they could recover the sanctum, there would be a way to have the El Tribes, who were isolated amidst the monsters, participate in the war as well.

Although it was vague, Richard trusted him as, even after he said those words, his eyes showed the great elder as ‘someone to keep alive’.

If they wanted to recover the sanctum, they would have to push their front lines forward, even if it meant overexerting themselves.

It was a tactic that would inevitably result in enormous losses.

However, they didn’t have anything to fear as the only thing the humans and the El Tribe members had left was resolve.

**

<<Keuaaak!>>

The pinky finger of the hand holding onto Mack was deeply sliced into. Even though Narci had been fine after receiving the Steel Battleship and the high-ranked warriors’ attacks, it couldn’t help but be injured when facing Choi Hyuk’s attack, which focused on one of its weakest points. If he didn’t have his Sword of Vow, even this would have been impossible.

Doong!

The moment Narci’s grip loosened, ‘Mack’s Desire’ blazed brilliantly. As if it was smashed by an enormous hammer, Narci’s head swung to the side, and she shook off its grip.

“Thanks, Choi Hyuk.”

Mack, who had regained her senses in an instant, expressed her thanks.

{Good! We’ll provide cover so quickly return, Choi Hyuk!}

The vice-captain urgently shouted.

However, Choi Hyuk looked at Mack’s frost-covered face and said,

“Commander. Just once. Save me just once.”

He, instead, kicked the air and charged forward.

“Hey! You crazy!”

Mack stretched her hand out to stop Choi Hyuk, but he was a step quicker than her.

“Keuu…”

Hesitant, Mack glanced behind her and distanced herself a little from Narci. However, as if she was aware of Choi Hyuk’s request, she didn’t back away completely.

{Mack! At least you come back!}

Only the vice-captain’s shout rang out, falling on deaf ears.

Choi Hyuk felt Narci’s malice, which seemed to tighten around him, wanting to rip him apart.

Brrdddk!

Everything froze around him. His body froze. Even his thumping Karma Heart, which had been protecting him, slowed down.

It felt like even time was freezing.

Everything besides Choi Hyuk and Narci moved slowly, seeming paused. Finally, Mack, who was a slight distance away, began to gradually freeze as well, following suit to the slowing time. Besides them, everything was slow. The sounds heard from outside were wonky as if they were played from stretched audio tapes. They heard the vice-captain’s shout, which had become low and impossible to make out, and they clearly and slowly watched as the warriors of the Steel Battleship readied their karma in desperation.

The only ones who could move properly within this slowed time were Choi Hyuk, Mack, and Narci. Ah, of course, Choi Hyuk and Mack’s bodies were frozen so they couldn’t move properly.

Clang!

Narci shattered the back of Choi Hyuk’s right foot. Although he didn’t know how it did it, when his frozen foot shattered, he felt a pain that seemed as though even his soul was being ripped apart.

<<…>>

Narci didn’t say anything and was completely expressionless. Only, it glared at Choi Hyuk with its white eyes as it mechanically destroyed Choi Hyuk’s body, torturing him. It didn’t pay any heed to Mack, who was frozen only a slight distance away.

Clang! Clang! As if it wanted to utterly erase Choi Hyuk’s existence, it meticulously shattered Choi Hyuk’s body and turned him into dust.

Although a pain so intense that he could faint swept his entire body, Choi Hyuk didn’t even blink. He looked at it until the end. Instead, Choi Hyuk was actually feeling joy in this moment.

‘Good! It’s not killing me right away. On top of that, it’s even attacking my foot.’

This amount of pain wasn’t much to him. The sweetness of victory would be more than enough to make up for all this pain and more.

Narci was expressionless, but Choi Hyuk could tell that it was completely enraged right now. A bright red light that seemed to want to blind him was emitted from its body. A simple, yet intense, killing intent dyed the horizon, an artificial sunset of Dark City.

Because Narci was so angry, it didn’t kill Choi Hyuk right away. It wanted to kill him by thoroughly grinding up his body, starting from his feet. It even started with his feet and not his hands. Although he wasn’t sure whether it wanted him to possess a sense of false hope by allowing him to keep a hold of his weapon, because of this, Choi Hyuk could overcome the part he was most worried about.

‘If you take after us, then you must also take after our emotions.’

Due to its anger, Narci’s judgment had narrowed. It only focused on grinding Choi Hyuk from his feet up.

Choi Hyuk was confident that Narci wouldn’t kill him immediately, but he didn’t know where it would destroy him first. Although he was prepared to fight him with his sword in his mouth if it destroyed his arms, for it to focus on his legs… There was no outcome better than this.

‘Now I just need to overcome one last obstacle.’

Choi Hyuk waited. Within this slowed time, even a second seemed too long. Narci crushed Choi Hyuk, savoring it as though it was eating a snack. Still, before even 5 seconds had passed in normal time, Choi Hyuk’s lower body had turned into powder.

During this time, Choi Hyuk’s eyes didn’t waver in the slightest. While unable to wriggle his fingers, his eyes still glared at Narci. Seeing this, Narci’s face distorted.

Blaze!

Red light (killing intent) exploded.

Looking at this light, Choi Hyuk realized.

‘Now!’

He didn’t even take notice of Narci’s downpour of attacks on his body.

It looked like he was prepared to die.

This was Choi Hyuk’s resolve.

Normally, he wasn’t someone who should be allowed to die as it would be impossible to take revenge if he did.

Even if he had to pitifully crawl on the ground, he had to live.

But the world wasn’t so easy that it would give someone crawling on the ground a chance to take revenge. This sort of thought didn’t match Choi Hyuk’s personality either.

The universe was too large for a lowly earthling to imagine.

‘To try to preserve my life when dreaming of getting revenge against something like that?’

It was a foolish thought.

Choi Hyuk dreamt of the impossible. What he needed to accomplish the impossible wasn’t only ability.

Only after throwing his life away and still surviving multiple times could he place the impossible within his reach.

He didn’t only need ability, he needed luck as well.

No, he needed fate.

Bang!

Choi Hyuk’s karma blazed. His weak and tattered karma became string-like and weaved together.

Fate, Choi Hyuk realized what it was.

He had artificially obtained the fate, {Battle Addict}, through the alliance, but it wasn’t that. What was known as the {Battle Addict} might have been a tutorial meant to help others realize how to become high-ranked warriors more easily.

Currently, Choi Hyuk needed a real fate, something that exceeded those artificial fates by leaps and bounds.

A sword that wouldn’t break under the pressing malice surrounding it. A terrifying blade that could slice apart anything in its path.

Never lose. Slash without fail.

Choi Hyuk made this his fate.

‘I will even slice death.’

Choi Hyuk’s karma had now, at the very least, perfectly matched the quality of high-ranked warriors’. As it straightened out, Choi Hyuk’s karma added a new fate to the universe.

Due to the sudden burst of power, Choi Hyuk’s frozen body returned to its normal state. Strength was firmly applied to his hand gripping his sword.

‘He’s still only a proficient middle-ranked warrior, but he’s emitting the energy of a high-ranked warrior? I’ve never heard of this!’

Even as she saw this, Mack couldn’t believe her eyes.

Choi Hyuk felt Narci’s oncoming power. Unlike his own karma, which had only just awakened, its karma was already complete and more enormous than his. A ‘death’ that was more than enough to break his newly awakened ‘never losing’ fate rushed towards him like a tidal wave, attempting to swallow him up.

That moment, Mack fulfilled Choi Hyuk’s request.

Thud!

Narci’s attack faltered for a split second.

‘Mack’s Desire’ went beyond just heating up. It was to the point that it emitted a white light and inflated in size so much that it looked like it would break. Commander Mack’s yearning for her declining species’ revival was directed at Choi Hyuk at this moment.

“You think you’ll lose?! You son of a bitch!!!”

Crude swears erupted from her mouth as a formless power pushed forward like a landslide. Narci’s hand, which was approaching Choi Hyuk, stopped as though it was grabbed by a giant.

However, it was only for a moment.

With an annoyed expression, Narci lightly brushed off Mack’s power and, with an attitude of ‘these pests are annoying me’, swung its other hand.

However, that momentary opening was everything Choi Hyuk had hoped for.

The reason why he risked his life and tested his fate.

His Sword of Vow blazed. Bearing Choi Hyuk’s will, which was directed towards never losing and slashing without fail, his Sword of Vow drew out its power endlessly. The potential of his Sword of Vow, which added at least 300 karma points to a slashing attack, fully bloomed at this moment. 1,000 points, 5,000 points… Led by the enormous karma it emitted, the fate of the universe swayed towards his sword.

Choi Hyuk’s strike, containing a power that exceeded the high-ranked and reached the level of highest-ranked warriors, slashed Narci.

Slice.

Narci’s left hand, which was stretching towards Choi Hyuk, was sliced off. It spun in the air.

<<Huh?>>

Confusion burst from Narci’s mouth.

It reflexively raised its remaining right arm and covered its face.

Slice.

But it too was sliced off with no resistance.

Splaaash!

‘Choi Hyuk’s Imprint’ pushed forward and chillingly swept across Narci’s shoulder and stomach. Black blood gushed from Narci’s body. Its sliced intestines were cast into the air and squirmed like worms.

<<Huh? Huh?>>

Narci tried to heal itself, but for some reason, it couldn’t. Its power was suppressed by the karma contained in Choi Hyuk’s Sword of Vow. If it wasn’t under the Steel Battleship’s debuff, it could have endured it somehow, but it couldn’t right now.

Narci lost all the composure it had possessed until now.

‘Since you take after us… You must also take after our arrogance.’

Choi Hyuk revealed a bloody smile.

“Also… You probably take after our fear as well, right?”

After he said those words, Choi Hyuk lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

<<Ahhh… Ahh…>>

However, Narci didn’t have the energy to become enraged from being ridiculed by Choi Hyuk, who it had considered a bug. Its sliced body, sliced intestines, and its wounds which didn’t heal. Looking up with its white eyes, Narci was engulfed in fear.

The vice-captain, who watched this vacantly, jolted to his senses and shouted.

{This is an opportunity! All attack!!}

The Steel Battleship and the high-ranked warriors began to launch their attacks simultaneously.

<<Hiiik! Hiik!>>

Narci died, writhing under the barrage of attacks landing on its body.

The hellhounds that had followed it were completely slaughtered as well.

The progression of the war, in which they were constantly being pushed back, had instantly reversed.