A Hollow Death
"...Mm..."
A tickling sensation in his nose made him turn his head. Namgung Ryun was clinging to him, sleeping so deeply that no one would guess she was being carried. She hugged his chest tightly, like a lover in love, wrapped only in a thin bedsheet without a stitch of clothing otherwise. It was hard to believe this was the same stern, icy Namgung Ryun—her baby-like slumber made him stare for a moment.
He could hear her steady breathing. Exhaustion etched dark circles under her eyes, and fatigue marked her body in undeniable traces. Finally, the scar on her face—like a dragon had grazed past—was slowly shrinking in size.
"......"
Complex emotions swirled within him. Choi Siwoo halted his unconsciously extended hand.
In the end, all this was just a fleeting memory, gone forever. A momentary daydream, a relic trapped in a broken clock.
'......'
He gently brushed Namgung Ryun's forehead. She murmured like a child, weakly grasping his hand.
"...Don't go."
"......"
Was it sleep-talk? Her mumbled words, lacking a proper subject, flowed quietly into his ears. He wiped the tears gathered at her eyes with his fingertip.
He rose from the bed, draped the clothes prepared on the table over his body, and changed as carefully as possible to avoid waking her. Finally, he pulled out the gear from a case labeled Commander Exclusive.
A PD coat designed for anti-demon use, wearable only by a select few. And a longsword packed with anti-royal material developed by ROGUE Inc. It was humanity's finest preparation—and final stand—on the path to extinction. A masterpiece and hope forged purely by human technology.
He'd heard the scientist who handed it over had left a suicide note and hanged himself the next day.
'...He was such a cheerful guy.'
The man who laughed it off, insisting he'd outlive everyone, teasing him to have a kid before dying... In the end, even he couldn't withstand the world's tragedy.
Geared up, Choi Siwoo glanced back at Namgung Ryun once more before stepping forward. A stifled sob came from behind.
Yet he didn't stop. Space rippled.
He quietly closed his eyes. Now familiar, he felt time accelerating across his skin. One second, two... past five, up to the final ten.
▶Master. It's time.
"Yeah."
A completely ruined cityscape came into view. Right beside it stood the wreckage of Prunel Academy, its sign half-collapsed. No trace of its former glory remained—just utter devastation.
Crimson lightning streaked through the thunderclouds overhead, raining mana so potent that a normal person would die on contact. The air was unbreathable without a purifier, and the earth brimmed with death, barren of life.
As he silently gazed at the sky, a booming voice rang in his ears.
"I always say it—this is the best feeling. Don't you think, Ye Dongtak?"
"...Agreed. The thought of tearing those vermin apart makes my heart race."
The two fully armed men, plus Ryu Chae-hwa with a submachine gun at her hip, stood side by side, resolve etched on their faces.
"Ryu Chae-hwa. Report."
At Choi Siwoo's command, she pulled an electronic tablet from her pocket.
"From Wien's investigation. A reaction from the Six Demon Reverse Heavens No. 4 at the designated location."
"The main body?"
She shook her head. "Looks like a familiar. But the signal's strong... probably a close aide."
"......"
He paused at those words. Close aide brought a man to mind.
"Moon Him-chan and Ye Dongtak take point. Ryu Chae-hwa, backup. If anything happens, don't engage—call me. Operation starts now."
""""Yes!""""
* * *
A grotesque howl filled the city. The source: civilians in plain clothes, seemingly ordinary at a glance—but closer inspection revealed otherwise.
"GAAAAA!"
Grayish skin. Eyes dyed blood-red. Unnatural movements paired with the stench of rotting flesh. Fully infected humans, reduced to mindless meat puppets by the Six Demon Reverse Heavens No. 4's power—corpse ghosts.
"Muahaha! Zombie scum! As long as this Moon Him-chan's here, you're done for!"
Moon Him-chan charged first, drawing two rods from his coat.
Clank!
A massive two-handed axe materialized in his grip. He swung it like a windmill, shredding enemies with every flash of the blade.
"Moon Him-chan! Don't waste energy on trash mobs! They're just buying time! Useless without taking the close aide!"
"Hahaha! Ye Dongtak, ease up! It's been ages since I hunted!"
The fight dragged on, time accelerating. The corpse ghosts swiftly morphed into bipedal bat-winged monsters—lesser vampires, dubbed "low-grade."
Ryu Chae-hwa at the center unleashed a hail of bullets, her gunplay seemingly enhanced by a special ability, sweeping foes like autumn leaves.
Choi Siwoo swung his sword silently, felling maximum enemies with minimal effort.
Then—
Thud!
"Grrrk...!"
A colossal shadow emerged from behind a burning skyscraper. Near nine stories tall. Muscles bulging purple. A bloody mist aura cloaking it. Its roar decayed the area around it—not your average foe.
"...Fuck! An elder too! If that's here, the familiar's right around the corner!"
"So that's an S-rank legion commander specimen. A ridiculous monster indeed."
"Commander Choi Siwoo."
He turned. Pale-faced Ryu Chae-hwa gripped his shoulder, shaking her head as if to say don't push it.
"Requesting reinforcements now. Fall back for now, safer—"
"No. We go now. You three wait here."
"Pardon? W-Wait! Commander! Sir!"
Ignoring her cries, he dashed forward. His body felt light, wings on every limb. Faster than his legs could push off the ground—defying physics.
A nostalgic sensation from his prime.
'My body at its peak.'
Trained to extremes, modified beyond human with enhancements and procedures. Alien organs pumped massive mana. High-elasticity superalloys fused to bones granted explosive durability.
And above all, his transcendent realm felt palpable. So he was cautious—lest he get drunk on power and forget this was a dream.
'...Feels like just a day passed, but...'
Memories blurred. His ego frayed, yearning to melt into his past life's Choi Siwoo. Hope of survivors in a dying world, basking in undue love and shallow rewards.
'Hurry.'
An inexplicable certainty screamed from within: something to end his nightmare waited ahead.
"Hoo..."
One breath, and his body glowed pure blue, then shifted purple, exuding dense mana. Each step warped space, repelling everything around him—like a mental image realm.
He crushed the elder's blood mist instantly, eroding its body.
"Gr...grk!"
The giant cowered like a pup, eyes trembling in terror.
"Kraaaararara!!"
It roared denial, fists slamming down. He placed a hand on his sword hilt as the strike approached. Purple mana faded to faint black.
He drew.
No sound, no trace. Ultimate technique fully embodied through enlightenment—no wasted motion or time.
Thick sword qi, visible to the naked eye, coiled along the blade—sword qi into gang, possible only at mature Mystic Realm.
But it didn't end there. Dozens of qi strands swirled at the tip, forming mini-blades orbiting the sword.
Boom!
He stomped the ground. And slashed.
A simple act, completed in 0.01 seconds.
"...Gr...k?"
A whimper escaped the elder. It couldn't comprehend why the worm-like human's sword pierced it, why the blade so close wouldn't connect.
That was it.
The elder's body shattered into tens, hundreds, thousands of pieces. Nearby buildings sliced finely. Hundreds of lesser minions—hidden remnants, lurking vampires and corpse ghosts—exploded in instant death.
Including the elder, a force that could've razed the city in an hour crumbled to one man's hand.
All that remained: pools of blood proving they existed.
"...Hoo."
Choi Siwoo exhaled, vibrating his sword to shake off debris and gore before sheathing it.
"...Let's go."
A monster's prowess. Yet he berated himself—lost in nostalgia and power, he'd wasted needless mana.
▶Master. That's just 2%. No need to berate yourself over such minor mana loss.
'2%? Better safe. Hit me with a mana cubic syringe.'
▶Understood.
As Choi Siwoo advanced, excited voices erupted behind. Childlike glee lit Moon Him-chan and Ye Dongtak's beaming faces.
"Whoa, fuck. Boss, we knew you were strong, but a total monster. What was that? Did you even swing? I saw nothing."
"That at the sword's tip—mutated sword orbs, right? I can barely manage sword qi. Respect."
Questions and praise poured. As it grew noisy, Ryu Chae-hwa dragged them away.
"Enough! Don't bother the commander more. He's on another level from normies like us."
"Hey, Ryu Chae-hwa... pampering your future hubby, huh."
"Totally."
"W-What?! Y-You guys, what the hell suddenly?!"
Her face flushed crimson. Glancing nervously at Choi Siwoo, who ignored it all and pressed on.
Whispers followed. Her cheeks deepened as they "advised" her.
Soon, she sidled up shyly.
"...Commander."
"What, Ryu Chae-hwa? Something to say?"
"...I heard once this mission ends, we get leave for a bit."
"Yeah. About a month, probably..."
"Th-Then..."
Fidgeting, she pulled out paper couple tickets for an underground theater—rare since the world's fall.
"Th-They say a movie from ten years ago's screening special. Got the film somehow... If you're free, wanna go with me?"
He paused, turning. Her face burned like a ripe persimmon. Pure, innocent infatuation from a woman barely mid-20s.
Low chuckles from the men.
It looked like pondering a sudden date invite, but his mind was elsewhere—not sweet dilemmas.
'Around now...'
That's when it happened. Something horrific.
Instantly, a deafening mental alarm blared. He yanked Ryu Chae-hwa close.
Her confused face. Then the background split in two.
Ku-ku-kuwa-!!!
"......"
He waved away the dust. It was severed. Simply that—but the target mattered.
'Space...'
Straight-line bisected space revealed darkness. Intricate magic circles—dozens twisted like braids—formed its structure. A spatial spell only a 9th-circle archmage could cast.
No warning for such power proved the foe's absurdity.
"Ryu Chae-hwa! Take them and fall back now—"
He couldn't finish. Her vacant stare puzzled her.
"—...Commander?"
Then, a line cracked across her throat. Blood fountained, staining his face red.
Thud.
Roll, roll.
Her head tumbled like a soccer ball across the filthy dirt.
Ryu Chae-hwa died without hearing her crush's answer.