The Dominance of Beasts
- The sweet scent of blood excites Ripper. Awakened instinct turns you into a slaughterer specialized in killing, if only for a moment.
The red blood sprayed by the beasts awakened Ripper.
How many beasts had he hunted? Once the count passed fifty, Hyun-jun stopped keeping track.
"Heal!"
From behind him, So-jin shouted sharply. At the same time, pure white light burst forth in every direction. White mana settled into the wounds of the injured hunters. Thanks to her, not a single death had occurred since they reached the area near the raid gate. But even that had its limit. So-jin's mana was not infinite.
"Executive Director. How much farther do we have to go?"
Right after wiping out a pack of beasts made up of a single dragon-armored soldier and more than twenty living armors, Hyun-jun seized a rare breath of room and threw the question at Tae-min.
"It isn't far in a straight line, but according to the observation report, there seems to be a large number of beasts forming a defensive line around the gate."
"What about the other teams?"
Because he was the guild master exercising exclusive claim over the raid, he had to keep checking on the other teams' situations as well.
"They're all doing well. Since all the aggro has been pulled onto us and the beasts are concentrating here... defense is going relatively smoothly. There was one crisis, but I'm told Ace deployed Mobility Team 2 at just the right time."
Tae-min reported.
"Glad it's not hell everywhere else, at least."
Hyun-jun finished speaking and raised his sword. At the far end of the path ahead, a pack of beasts came into view. He couldn't make out the exact number, but there were at least twenty of them. It wasn't a huge force, yet as the distance between them shrank, Hyun-jun could not help but tense.
"There are more than ten A-Class beasts, dragon-armored soldiers, just in sight alone."
Deeper in, where the raid gate lay, not only did stronger beasts appear one after another, but their resistance grew fiercer as well. There was even a faint trace of fear in Tae-min's voice. Hyun-jun turned his head and looked around. Tae-min was still in decent shape. The other B-Class hunters looked almost completely drained of fighting spirit.
A-Class beasts were on a completely different level from anything B-Class or below. They were objects of terror, and while he could understand the B-Class hunters' reactions, he still needed to steady them. A soldier trembling with fear could not fight properly in war.
"Are you afraid?"
No answer came. But when he shifted his gaze, he saw So-jin smiling gently and shaking her head.
"I'm not afraid."
This time it was Tae-min. Hyun-jun grinned and nodded.
"Don't worry too much."
Aura gathered around the sword and shield he had raised.
"Because I'm going to wipe them all out."
Hyun-jun's eyes flashed sharply.
"No one is dying here today."
As he finished speaking, he drew up his mana and called Romanov. His memories were awakening, and with them, he had learned a new way to use the blessing.
His voice was low and quiet, yet it carried weight.
Romanov's overwhelming majesty suppresses the surroundings. In the name of the great emperor, you promised victory. The sacred vow drives away fear.
As the blessing manifested, something irresistible flowed out from Hyun-jun's body. A faint golden tide washed across the hunters' bodies, and the emotion called fear melted away as though it had never been there.
"Charge!"
Hyun-jun shouted and ran out first, with the hunters following behind him. A brutal battle began against the beast pack, dragon-armored soldiers included.
Boom!
A dragon-armored soldier struck by a shield bash had its entire body shattered so thoroughly that bone fragments sprayed everywhere.
Clack-clack! Clack!
With the sound of bones colliding, two dragon-armored soldiers rushed him from the left and right. Hyun-jun twisted nimbly, blocking their attacks with sword and shield. Dodging the blade thrust by a living armor charging from the front, he took two steps back and swung his sword.
The two dragon-armored soldiers defended with spear and sword respectively, but the living armor could not block the Aura Blade and was split cleanly in two. But the counterattack that followed from the dragon-armored soldiers left a deep wound in his leg.
"Heal!"
So-jin, who had been watching not only the other hunters but Hyun-jun in particular, extended her hand and unleashed white light. Mana settled into the wound and it recovered at rapid speed. Regaining his mobility, Hyun-jun immediately counterattacked. The sword, wrapped in a blue Aura Blade, flickered dozens of times in an instant.
It was imperfect, and yet it was still the swordsmanship of a sword saint. A dragon-armored soldier that was nothing more than an A-Class beast could not possibly defend against it perfectly.
"The guild master has finished off the dragon-armored soldiers!"
As Tae-min roared out in a booming voice, the other hunters drew strength as well and began dealing with the living armors. By the time Hyun-jun had taken a breath and raised his sword again to support them, the living armors were already dealt with.
"How much farther to the gate?"
"Not much left. Turn right at the intersection ahead, then go another hundred meters and you'll find the gate."
"Keep moving."
"But we've fallen behind Team 2."
Tae-min said cautiously. The main force, Team 2, which had been close behind until moments ago, had been pushed back after being attacked by the airship. Without their support, there would inevitably be dangers in the gate assault, but Hyun-jun had to make a decision now.
"We have to destroy the gate before the next wave starts."
At raid gates, large numbers of beasts burst out at fixed intervals. That was called a wave. Enough time had passed since the previous wave's beasts were summoned, so the next wave would begin soon. Hyun-jun believed they had to destroy the gate before then.
"But everyone is exhausted."
At Tae-min's words, Hyun-jun turned and looked over the hunters. Having fought without rest all the way here, they were all close to their limits.
"Can't be helped. I'll destroy the gate alone. Executive Director, wait with the other hunters for Team 2."
"I can't do that. I'll go with you."
"I'll go too."
The other hunters were at their limits, but Tae-min and So-jin still had some strength left. Tae-min was a veteran with plenty of real combat experience, so he knew how to reduce stamina consumption in battle, and So-jin was still above her limit because she was an A-Class hunter.
"Fine. Follow me."
Hyun-jun hesitated for a moment, but even by his own judgment it was madness to go destroy a top-tier A-Class raid gate alone, so he decided to bring the two of them.
So-jin was an A-Class healer who had gained the power of a paladin through her second awakening, and Tae-min, though only B-Class, had excellent combat power thanks to his practical experience. They would be useful.
"Let's go."
He ran at full speed. Tae-min and So-jin followed. Before long, they reached the place where the raid gate stood.
"There are a lot of them."
Tae-min said.
As he said, there were beasts gathered around the gate in numbers that couldn't even compare to what they had seen so far. And at the center of them stood someone who looked like a draconic being. His face was covered in scales, and he held a trident.
"There aren't many dragon-armored soldiers. It seems the force we just sent in was the last mobile unit."
"That's something, at least."
Hyun-jun replied to Tae-min, then subtly turned his head to check on So-jin. Unexpectedly, she was calm.
"Executive Director. I have an important task for you."
He raised his sword and shield.
"No matter what happens, protect So-jin noona."
"I will protect her, no matter what."
As Tae-min answered in a strong voice, Hyun-jun nodded with satisfaction. So-jin was precious to him, but she was also an A-Class healer hunter who had to be protected in a prolonged battle. Moreover, if she survived, he could draw on Dantzig's blessing as well, which meant she was someone who absolutely could not fall in this fight.
"Carthago."
- Carthago's righteous shield protects you. So long as the great protection remains with you, nothing can threaten you.
Aura settled into the shield. Hyun-jun opened his mouth again, determined to invoke the names of other past lives.
"Sidenmiller."
- Sidenmiller's valiant sword stands with you. So long as righteous courage does not break, the blade shall not shatter.
Once again, an Aura Blade settled over the sword. Hyun-jun's eyes also gleamed sharply. The air sank heavy. The living armors advanced slowly, leveling their swords and spears. At this hair-trigger moment, Hyun-jun kicked off the ground and hurled himself at them.
The living armors collapsed helplessly under the sweeps of his sword. But he could not deal with all of the beasts. Some evaded his blade and rushed toward Tae-min.
"Come on!"
Tae-min shouted boldly and swung his dagger. They were beasts of the same rank, but the living armors could not avoid the thrusts of his dagger, sharpened by rich combat experience, and their cores were destroyed in a single blow.
"Holy Spear!"
So-jin was not idle either. Though it lacked the recovery power, her second awakening had greatly strengthened her meager combat ability. Spears filled with white mana pierced through the living armors in succession. It was just as Hyun-jun broke through the living-armored formation and reached the area where more than ten dragon-armored soldiers stood. Red mana poured down from the sky like rain.
"Tch!"
For a moment, he thought it might be an attack spell and raised his shield, but the red mana did no harm to Hyun-jun. Instead, it settled into the bodies of the living armors closing in on the dragon-armored soldiers and Tae-min.
Graaah!
The living armors' bodies twisted violently. There was no sign of casting from the draconic being behind them, so he wondered if it was magical support from someone else, but he had to discard that thought almost immediately.
It's enhancement magic!
So-jin shouted. Not only the dragon-armored soldiers, but even the living armors, saw the mana within their bodies explode upward in intensity.
"Damn it..."
A curse escaped him. The dragon-armored soldiers had begun their pincer attack, and Hyun-jun, who had reached right in front of the gate, was pushed back little by little as he defended against the attacks.
"Kuhk!"
A scream burst from behind him. It was Tae-min's voice. He had been hit by the five living armors enhanced by magic. A spear had pierced through his abdomen, and blood was gushing like a fountain from the deep gash across his chest. But he did not fall. Instead, he grabbed the spear that had pierced his abdomen and snatched a greatsword from another living armor, then swung it.
"Come on! You won't get me before I die!"
He was fighting as though he intended to carry out Guild Master Kang Hyun-jun's order to protect So-jin until his last breath. He was receiving So-jin's heals, but the pain must have been tremendous, and yet his willpower was remarkable.
Who in the world is providing enhancement magic...?
There were no beasts nearby left that could use magic.
"Kuhk!"
While he was distracted for just a moment, the dragon-armored soldiers' swords and spears sliced through his thigh and pierced his abdomen. He took two of them down, but there were still many dragon-armored soldiers left, and the enhancement magic was powerful.
They've gotten almost twice as strong. Just who the hell...
He could not block all the blades that came swinging wildly at him, and his neck was slashed. He narrowly avoided instant death, but it was still a fatal wound. Blood spurted like a fountain, and his mind grew hazy.
- Protect them no matter what!
A brilliant light fell from the sky.
- Dantzig's will takes root within you. So long as there is someone you must protect, you will not fall.
His mind sharpened again. Hyun-jun swung his sword once more. But he could not hold out for long. After the dragon-armored soldiers switched weapons to spears, they thrust from every direction, and before long he was pinned in place, his entire body skewered through by spears.
"G-Guild Master... I will definitely pro... tect..."
Tae-min also collapsed. The pool of blood he had shed was so large it looked like a pond, but he had not lost consciousness. Even while fallen, he reached out to grab the dagger that had dropped away. But a living armor saw it and drove a spear through the back of his hand.
"M-must... protect... the Guild Master's... order..."
So-jin swung her sword and resisted, but it looked as though she would not last long against the living armors enhanced by magic.
"Want me to help?"
A voice that sounded sweet, almost seductive. But the moment he heard it, revulsion rose inside him. He could not lift his head, but Hyun-jun remembered the owner of that voice.
"Joo Hye-ri..."
The vice guild master of the Great Demon Guild.
"Beg me to save you now. I'll help you."
As if to prove she wasn't lying, he could sense several hunters, at least A-Class, around her floating figure.
"This mana... I thought it felt familiar. It was you?"
"That's pretty rude, isn't it?"
"I asked if it was you..."
Hyun-jun forced out the words. He didn't need the answer anyway; he was already certain. Why? Because these damned beasts weren't attacking that woman, as if they were under the control of the red mana.
"You know something? Sometimes, when people reach a certain level, they awaken a special ability."
He had heard of that before. But Hyun-jun said nothing.
"What do you think mine is?"
"Obvious..."
Hyun-jun struggled to lift his head. Hye-ri was grinning with her teeth bared.
"Beast domination."
At that moment, every restraint holding back his rage shattered.
"Durendal!"
He pulled out the hidden card he had been saving, the one he had received after judging Andersen's slaughter.
"Kya-ha-ha! Looks like you've finally gone completely insane?"
"Ha-ha! Seems that way!"
"The vice guild master has won!"
While everyone was mocking him.
Durendal extends a hand to help you. Do you accept?
Durendal answered.
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