Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Jimun Seo-saeng (2)
It was the time when the sun rose highest in the sky.
The rain had just stopped, and everything visible was soaked.
I watched over a camp where about 100 troops were stationed.
The terrorists were preparing for a newly begun day.
'There is no tomorrow for you.'
I gave orders to So Iryeon and Cheong Ak-sal, who were beside me.
"Annihilate them."
We scattered in three directions and raided the camp.
I drew my Energy to its extreme and ran toward the center of the camp.
Kwang! Kwang!
I burst the heads of those standing guard and entered the largest tent in the center.
The pupils of those who had been conversing with relaxed expressions widened as if about to burst.
They instinctively shielded the person sitting in front of the table. Because he was the commander of this place.
They didn't know it was useless protection.
'Wind Dragon Palm.'
All those inside the tent scattered into pools of blood, and the tent also completely collapsed, pushed away by the Wind Dragon Palm.
Tang!
A gunshot rang out.
Starting with the first shot, screams and gunfire spread throughout the entire camp.
Deureureuк!
The watchtower's machine gun aimed at me.
Tudududuк.
The bullets were more powerful than rifles, but they couldn't pierce my River of Energy.
Those who saw this looked at me with disbelieving eyes.
'Dragon Spring.'
I leaped up to the watchtower. After dealing with the machine gun, I jumped high and drove the Falling Dragon Fist into the soldiers gathered below.
The gunfire quickly subsided.
When about 10 people remained, the terrorists dragged hostages out to the open ground.
The bastards who held children and women hostage boldly positioned themselves in the center.
I went before them. They were shouting something, but I couldn't understand it.
"Ridiculous."
I hooked four fingers to my thumb. Then I pulled my thumb and flicked the other fingers.
Energy waves flew like bullets and pierced holes in the necks of 8 people.
When the remaining 2 tried to move, So Iryeon and Cheong Ak-sal appeared behind them.
They collapsed without even realizing it.
"Clean up."
At So Iryeon and Cheong Ak-sal's direction, the hostages themselves moved to gather all the weapons and provisions in the center of the open ground.
There were two trucks, but one was destroyed by So Iryeon, and instead there were quite a few motorcycles.
"If we want to save more people, we can no longer take care of you. Find a way to survive with these weapons and provisions."
This was said for it to reach Baria's ears.
"Move out."
Leaving them behind, we moved to another location.
For three days, we raided five places, even using lightness techniques.
On the fifth day.
Three people each raided camps where 100 people were stationed.
Eight places in five days.
The terrorists killed by our hands alone reached a thousand.
One-tenth of their forces had disappeared.
"It's time to make a big show."
On the fifth day, the enemy responded quite well. This meant they were preparing countermeasures.
For two days, we stopped the raids. Meanwhile, we revealed ourselves to the enemy.
To give them an opportunity.
"Large-scale forces have been discovered."
Finally, forces composed of a thousand troops appeared.
When we went to the location Cheong Ak-sal mentioned, we could see large-scale forces approaching on a wide dirt road.
Jeeps equipped with recoilless rifles were visible, along with even old-model armored vehicles.
"So Iryeon, join after 3 minutes, and Cheong Ak-sal, join after 5 minutes and only deal with the outer forces."
There was no telling what would happen if the firearms started spewing fire. For safety, I decided to go in first.
Although the Protectors would normally object, given the situation, they simply accepted it.
'Dragon Spring.'
Aiming for the center of the enemy forces, I leaped into the sky. Then I consecutively deployed the Falling Dragon Fist five times.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
All five jeeps equipped with heavy firearms were smashed. And I also fell into the center of the enemy formation.
The trucks stopped in unison, and gun barrels pointed at me.
Soaring Dragon Kick.
The two trucks standing side by side were torn like paper by the energy wave of the Soaring Dragon Kick.
Pat!
I leaped up again, kicked off the truck in front, and jumped once more.
An old-model armored vehicle was visible below.
The Falling Dragon Fist unfolded once more, and a large hole appeared in the center of the armored vehicle.
I went inside that hole and caught my breath for a moment.
The sound of bullets hitting the armored vehicle began to be heard. Their attack had started.
'Five more.'
Five jeeps equipped with recoilless rifles still remained. And there were two trucks loaded with armored vehicles, anti-tank guns, and other powerful firearms.
If I dealt with just those, So Iryeon could move freely too.
A grenade came into the armored vehicle through the hole in the ceiling. Without needing to respond, I vigorously leaped up.
Leaving behind the grenade that exploded inside, I ran again toward the heavy firearms.
Several bullets fired wildly touched my body, but they couldn't pierce my River of Energy.
All the trucks had already stopped, and all forces had jumped out, aiming at me alone.
Now I no longer leaped into the air.
As long as I was in the middle of the enemy formation, the enemy couldn't properly shoot their guns.
Kwang! Kwang!
I slaughtered all those blocking my way and ran toward the rear of the enemy formation. Meanwhile, I dealt with all the heavy firearms visible to my eyes.
The enemy couldn't properly aim at me as I even deployed lightness techniques.
Eventually, I dealt with the trucks loaded with recoilless rifles and heavy firearms.
Finally, I headed for the jeep at the very rear.
'Got you.'
It was the jeep where the commander was.
Just before 3 minutes passed.
I completely crushed the commander along with the jeep.
Kwang!
A roar was heard from far ahead.
So Iryeon had joined.
She enjoyed the battlefield like a beast and destroyed everything.
"Her fans should see this."
Tang!
While I briefly observed So Iryeon, hundreds of bullets touched my body. This is what happens when you stop.
And a shell spewing smoke flew toward me.
I thought I had dealt with them all, but they picked up weapons that had fallen on the ground and launched an attack again.
I detonated the shell in midair with the Wind Dragon Palm and descended into the area where the enemy was most concentrated.
When I suddenly appeared, the soldiers' faces turned ashen.
'The real thing starts now.'
The 4th Form of Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Heavenly Dragon Force.
I compressed the internal energy in my two Danjeon to the extreme and then released it through the three meridians.
Kwang!
Energy waves exploded outward with a roar.
A hundred people were engulfed in the explosion and scattered into pools of blood. Screams were rampant, and chunks of flesh and blood splattered.
At the same time, my internal energy was rapidly consumed, giving me an empty feeling. This was the aftereffect of consecutively deploying the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
But when I saw the corpses torn to shreds as if a bomb had exploded, my lips unknowingly curved upward.
Thump.
My heart beat and my entire body heated up. As my cold heart began to run wild, it felt like lava was flowing through my energy meridians.
What I had only remembered returned as sensation.
The demon had awakened.
Reason fell asleep, and instinct raised its head.
'Kill.'
Destruction and slaughter.
I destroyed everything visible to my eyes, and I didn't allow anyone to breathe before me.
I saw eyes stained with fear.
From some point on, I no longer saw any proper counterattack. Those who dropped their guns and ran away began to appear.
My appearance, covered in blood, tore apart even their faith. There were no more who faced me head-on.
"Ah, demon!"
I understood those words. Because it was easy English.
I acknowledge it.
I became a demon in this moment.
That said, the bastards dying by my hand aren't angels.
Those who install bombs on girls' bodies have no right to say such words.
'A fight between demons and demons.'
In the end, the stronger demon wins. There's no reason for guilt to intervene.
The one-sided massacre continued.
The screams disappeared, and only cries remained. They, too, began to realize how meaningless resistance was.
But there was no forgiveness. The slaughter continued until I dealt with the last remaining person.
Kwang! Kwang!
I burst the heads of two people and looked around. There was no one alive and moving.
Total annihilation.
Those who had fled all died at Cheong Ak-sal's hands.
The corpses of a thousand people, exploded and torn, turned the surroundings into a sea of blood, and the flowing blood dyed the dirt road red.
The only people standing on it were me, So Iryeon, and Cheong Ak-sal.
"We go straight to where Jimun Seo-saeng is."
We left that place.
It was a village called Torad.
Although it was a village where about 200 households lived together, Baria occupied it and made it their base.
Baria's leader, Hamad.
If Drica's information was correct, he was a Returner in his late thirties.
"He's a wizard. Be careful."
Drica said he had never seen his magic directly. Judging from the rumors, he appeared to be a quite powerful wizard.
—He is being called the Messiah.
Under the name of God's spokesperson, he created an organization, and before his followers, he burned mountains and caused earthquakes.
'So he's been pulling a scam...'
Those who aren't Returners wouldn't know about the existence of magic.
Using this, he made them believe he was the Messiah, and now he receives absolute support.
"There's never been a proper guy among those types."
"Don't let your guard down. He's a wizard anyway."
"It doesn't even seem like he's here, though."
About 200 troops were stationed in Torad. According to Drica, usually 500 troops were stationed there.
The rest either followed the leader Hamad or joined the expedition that attacked us.
"What should we do?"
"Let's move at night. I need to meet Jimun Seo-saeng first."
There was no choice but to be cautious. I chose a safer method.
Late at night.
Through covert movement, we approached the building Drica had mentioned.
Leaving the guards at the entrance alone, we climbed up the side of the building and descended onto the rooftop.
The rooftop door was locked. I created a strong fist and cut out the lock, then opened the door.
"Cheong Ak-sal, quietly bring him."
"It seems like it will take some time."
I sent Cheong Ak-sal first so as not to cause a commotion. Time was needed to check all the rooms in the building.
Since it was a cautious operation, I waited without rushing.
The building was 4 floors in total.
I waited in that spot for about 20 minutes. During that time, I didn't hear any sounds.
I was planning to go down immediately if even the slightest problem occurred.
Shortly after.
Cheong Ak-sal appeared in front of the stairs leading up to the rooftop. And there was one person following behind.
A Westerner in his late thirties.
A man with a gaunt physique and deep eyes came before me.
His clothes were clean but so worn that holes appeared here and there, and the skin exposed on the outside was full of old scars.
There were traces that showed exactly what he had been put through.
"I've been waiting."
Contrary to his outward appearance, his tone was relaxed.
Hearing that tone, I was certain of who he was.
"I'm a bit late."
"The Cult Leader has never been late. This time is no different."
"Nagging me as soon as we meet?"
"Did you miss me?"
He smiled.
His smile had the power to make people comfortable. It was like that in my previous life, and in this life, that smile remained the same.
"I'm glad you're alive."
I watched him die.
Unlike others who died on the battlefield, he slowly died while all the Protectors watched. That's why it remained more painful.
"Reincarnation is a gift. Seeing you, I'm certain of it."
"I'm sorry I couldn't serve you until the end in my previous life."
I met him alive again, the one I had painfully sent off. Wavelike tremors shook my heart, but I held it in.
"After you died, those guys cried a lot."
So Iryeon and Cheong Ak-sal slightly averted their eyes.
The Jimun Seo-saeng, who had become a blue-eyed white man.
"I greet the Cult Leader."
He knelt and bowed.