Those Who Walk Upon the Ashes (5)
“......”
The standoff with the high-level magical beast.
Chiron stared ahead.
What filled his vision was a black figure a full head taller than himself. Crimson light glowed from within the sealed helm adorned with horns.
It was Han Seongjin.
An indescribable aura radiated from him. Looking at the man, Chiron felt it.
‘...A monster.’
A truly overwhelming pressure. Even within the kingdom, those this strong were exceedingly rare. At best, perhaps only the captain of the royal guard could compare.
After leaving the kingdom and wandering, he had faced countless opponents—enough to form a mountain. Among them were many stronger than himself.
Yet no matter how powerful the foe, there had always been a way through. Weaknesses existed, vulnerable points, and even if none were obvious, he could at least imagine his own victory.
But the man before him was different.
He could not even force himself to picture defeating him.
It had always been this way, but now? The man’s aura had explosively intensified at some point, proving that Chiron could never reach him.
Chiron gritted his teeth. It was humiliating, but he had to admit it.
Han Seongjin. This man was stronger than him.
Even with his pride, he could not deny it.
“!”
Seongjin’s figure vanished from sight in an instant. Chiron’s gaze snapped sideways to find Seongjin already before the beast, with Ricardo rushing after him. Chiron gripped his trident and launched himself forward as well.
[KRRRAAAAAARGH!!!]
The high-level magical beast roared. The deafening sound made his ears ring.
No matter how many grand titles it carried or how sturdy its body, it was still just a magical beast. Intelligence did not exist within it.
Its earlier wide-area attack had been nothing more than a rage-fueled thrashing. Its eyes held only the instinct to destroy whatever lay before it.
Such a beast could never defeat them.
That was what he believed.
***
—BOOOOOM!
Using the explosive propulsion of Radiant Blaze, now lasting ten minutes at level 2, Seongjin shot forward first and swung his blade-tentacles.
They lashed like living whips, raining indiscriminate strikes upon the beast’s face.
Combined with the elixir, each blow struck like artillery shells.
[KRRRAAAGH!!]
Chunks of torn flesh splattered from the blade-tentacles. The beast roared and swung its forelimb.
Seongjin leapt aside and rolled, then continued the motion to smash the tentacles into its flank.
With a wet shraaak, deep gashes opened.
Chiron charged beneath the beast and thrust his trident upward. The three-pronged spear grazed the underside of its neck, sending black blood spraying in all directions.
—BOOM!
At the same time, Ricardo slammed his entire body into the beast’s ankle. The unexpected impact made it stagger briefly.
It tried to crush him with its hind leg, but Ricardo quickly retreated.
The beast spun, its claws sweeping toward Ricardo.
Thud.
Ricardo thrust both hands forward. The golden spheres gathered in his palms blazed brilliantly.
The beast’s claws stopped a hand’s breadth from the spheres, as though repelled by like poles of a magnet.
“Kgh! It’s strong, but this much...”
Ricardo shouted through cold sweat.
“It won’t break through!!”
With those words, the spheres expanded then contracted—
—BOOOOOM!!!
The beast was hurled backward.
—Thud! Thud! Crash!
Its body rolled several times, smashing through the surroundings before it dug its forelimbs into the ground to stop. Deep claw marks gouged the earth.
Seongjin, who had already closed the distance, aimed his tentacles.
His target: the eyes.
The blade-tentacles shot forward at high speed, piercing one of the beast’s eyes and twisting to gouge it out.
[KIIAAAAARGH!!!]
The beast screamed in agony and thrashed wildly, swinging its claws in every direction without aim.
-Tap!
Chiron leapt onto the beast’s swinging arm, grabbed a protruding shoulder spike, and climbed onto its bucking body like a rodeo rider.
“Hup!”
Grabbing the purple mucus, Chiron drove his trident into its neck with all his strength. The weapon pierced through the mucus and embedded itself in the beast’s throat.
[KRRRAAAGH!!]
The beast’s thrashing flung Chiron off. It swung its arm as a follow-up.
Chiron’s body was sent flying and crashed into a boulder.
The beast frantically clawed at the trident lodged in its neck until it came free and fell to the ground.
—Fwoosh!
Tentacles erupted from the ground, coiling around the beast’s limbs and torso. Seongjin had bound it from a distance.
It began biting at the tentacles in panic.
And now—
Atop the hill where Beowulf, Ju Won, and Ryan stood—
A blinding white light, as if it would swallow the world, finally bloomed.
“Receive the Goddess’s judgment!!!”
Ryan’s frenzied cry, veins bulging in his neck. The strongest strike he had condensed by squeezing out every drop of mana and life force over several minutes was finally unleashed.
—Shhhhhhhiiiiing!!!
With a thunderous roar, a colossal beam of white light slammed into the heart of the volcano.
Whether by instinct or not, the beast tore at the tentacles and whipped its head around—but it was too late.
—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!
[KIIAAAAAAAARGH!!!]
The thick beam of light engulfed the beast’s entire body. The tremendous destructive force tore through both the tentacles and the beast’s flesh in multiple places.
The aftermath did not end with the beast. The terrain of the massive basin twisted and warped wherever the beam passed. Towering rock formations collapsed like dominoes, kicking up enormous clouds of dust. Lava erupted skyward from the impact before raining back down.
A ferocious flash that blinded the eyes and an earth-shaking explosion assaulted everything.
The subjugation team watched in shock.
“...Truly divine punishment.”
“What incredible power.”
“......”
Even Seongjin clicked his tongue at the overwhelming firepower.
It far surpassed what he had witnessed in the auditorium. The accumulated power of the Goddess’s Grace over several days was immense.
As the light show gradually faded after several seconds—
“R-Ryan!”
“Kuhk! The rear... I leave it to you...”
Ryan coughed blood and collapsed. Ju Won caught him.
Seongjin spoke into the communicator.
“Ju Won, please watch over the injured. Just bring me the bag with the cross.”
“Hmm, this monk would like to join the battle as well, but... it cannot be helped. Understood.”
“Thank you.”
-Beep
Ending the call, he looked forward.
-Whoooosh
A momentary silence fell over the battlefield.
The acrid dust cloud that had filled the view slowly cleared, revealing the beast’s form.
[Krrk... Krrrk.]
Its appearance was utterly ruined. More than half its massive body was charred, flesh torn away in places. The bloated purple mucus that had covered it from back to head had all evaporated, leaving only spikes and black smoke rising from the remnants.
“It worked! All-out attack!!”
Seongjin shouted.
The beast had not died instantly, but that was fine. It had taken massive damage.
They would press the advantage and finish it.
[KRRAAAAARGH!!]
The mangled beast roared, its half-burned face contorted. It raised an arm and swung it like a whip in all directions.
Each swing carved away the ground.
Seongjin twisted his torso, dodging the sweeping claws by a hair’s breadth. At the same time, he extracted five tentacles from his right arm.
The twisted tentacles from his right arm formed a massive spear. He thrust it forward.
—CRUNCH!!
The spear pulverized the beast’s abdomen as it passed. Its belly hide tore away, exposing black-blood-soaked ribs. Chunks that appeared to be internal organs spilled onto the ground.
“Ricardo! Draw its attention!”
“Understood!”
Seongjin retreated and vanished. Ricardo stepped forward to face the beast.
—Whoosh!
He ducked to avoid the forelimb and sent spheres flying behind him.
Two spheres merged into one massive orb. A golden beam erupted from it.
—BOOM!
It struck the beast’s torso, sending thick smoke billowing upward.
—Shraaak!
“Kahk!”
Ricardo was struck by the beast’s sweeping claws and sent flying, blood spraying.
The time Ricardo had bought. The beast’s fixed gaze.
-Shuuk!
“Eat this.”
Seongjin burst through the smoke from above, holding the Holy Stake. The massive cross, as large as his body, glowed white.
The beast’s neck. The wound where the trident had been embedded.
He drove the cross into it.
—CRUNCH!!
[KIIAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!]
A grinding sensation of bones shattering traveled through the cross into his hands and up his arms.
—Kududududuk! Crunch!!
The cross completely pierced the beast’s neck. Black blood sprayed in all directions. The tip emerged from the other side.
[KIIAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!]
Even with its neck bones broken and pierced, it did not die. Its vitality was grotesque.
Seongjin leapt away, leaving the cross embedded. He gathered his tentacles into a mace-like form, spun his body, and brought it down from above.
—BOOOOM!!
The beast’s head was driven into the ground by the mace. Seongjin landed in front of it and clenched his fist.
“Huu...”
Seongjin drew a breath and pulled his arm back.
His fist, charged with power, seemed to draw the air around it inward.
[Krr... Krrrk...]
The beast, head buried in the ground, lifted its gaze. Its remaining eye glared upward.
Their eyes met.
[......]
The beast stared at him with wide eyes.
“...?”
It was only for an instant before he struck, but that gaze burned itself into Seongjin’s mind.
Was it his imagination?
For some reason, it looked... surprised.
Seongjin ignored it.
He drove his full-powered fist into its head.
—CRACK!!!
With the sensation of its skull shattering, the beast’s body was sent flying.
—BOOOOM!! Crash! BOOM!!
The beast’s body slammed into a rocky mountain. The impact caused the mountain to collapse, debris raining down.
—Thud! Thud! Thud!
Countless rocks poured from the mountain, completely burying the beast’s body beneath the rubble.
“...Huu.”
Seongjin retrieved his fist and slowly exhaled.
***
“Are you worried about them?”
“...Yes, a little.”
“Contractor, I told you that lies show plainly on your face.”
“Mm... Actually, I’m quite worried. I wonder if everyone is safe...”
“Worrying will change nothing. Use that time to prepare your resolve for what comes next.”
“Ugh. How can you say something so shameless? You heartless spirit.”
“Spirits do not bleed or shed tears to begin with.”
“I know. It’s just an expression!”
“Anyway. We do not know when the portal will open, so stay alert and prepared.”
“......”
Ahead, I gazed at the rubble burying the beast.
Then I opened the status window.
■□□□□□□□□□ (11.8%)
The Demon Body experience had not increased, meaning the beast was not dead yet. It survived even that attack? Its vitality was absurd.
‘In the end, I’ll have to finish it myself.’
Just as I thought that—
-Rustle.
Heavy footsteps approached from behind.
Turning, I saw Ju Won walking over, carrying the battered Beowulf on one shoulder and the unconscious Ryan on the other.
He had handed me the bag earlier and stayed back to watch.
“As expected of Han Seongjin... To actually pull this off.”
“Aagh! My whole body’s burning like I’m dying... At this rate, retirement’s gonna fail.”
Beowulf screamed. At least he could still talk, so he was probably fine.
“Huff, huff...”
Behind them, Chiron limped forward from where he had been thrown. He was supporting Ricardo on his shoulder.
I had been worried after seeing how hard he got hit, but he was alive. His durability seemed pretty solid.
And Ricardo...
“Ricardo. Are you alright? You’re bleeding quite a bit.”
“Huff... I’m fine... would be a lie. Yes. I feel like I’m dying.”
“...Sorry. It looks like you got hurt because of me.”
“No. There is no need to apologize. It was my choice.”
Ricardo laughed as he said it.
I looked around.
Ricardo, Beowulf, Ryan, Chiron—even Ju Won, who had participated less directly, had been hit by too many fragments to be considered unscathed.
Everyone was in terrible shape. All of them had poured everything they had into this single moment.
I patted Ricardo’s shoulder and spoke calmly to the team.
“Everyone, rest here. The beast isn’t dead yet. I’ll finish it, so get the portal generator ready. We’re leaving right after I kill it.”
My comrades nodded at my instructions.
“Huu...”
I let out a breath.
Name: Han Seongjin
Species: [Error] Memory? Main?
Age: 25
Abilities: [Super Sense], [Demon Body lv.4]
Traits: [Advanced Martial Arts lv.2], [Advanced Dagger Arts lv.1], [Intermediate Marksmanship lv.3], [Silent Steps lv.3], [Colony-Type Tentacles lv.6], [Radiant Blaze lv.2] (Unavailable - Cooldown: 23:51:58), [Weakness Detection lv.1], [Variable Bio-Carapace lv.2]
From the cooldown, Radiant Blaze had about two minutes left. I had to hurry. It would be best to finish the beast before the effect completely wore off.
Just as I was about to step forward—
-Rumble.
The ground beneath my feet trembled unpleasantly.
‘...No way.’
The rubble pile.
The moment I looked, the remnants of the rocky mountain covering the beast were flung in all directions.
[Krrk...... Kuuu...]
Thud.
Shoving aside the boulders, the massive body slowly—very slowly—began to rise.
It planted its feet on the ground and laboriously lifted its upper body. I took in its appearance without the purple mucus in detail.
Sharp teeth. Horns atop its head. Rocky skin embedded with stones in places. And multiple spikes along its back.
The cross I had driven into its neck remained embedded.
‘Huh.’
It could still move in that state.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. It was astonishing.
What on earth was keeping it going in this condition?
I recalled the eyes that had stared at me so intently just before I threw the punch.
“......”
I shook my head.
I did not know if a magical beast had some kind of circumstances, but that was no reason to spare it.
It was a magical beast to begin with. It possessed neither the intelligence nor the reason for such consideration.
That was what I thought.
“Hm? That’s...”
Beowulf, who had been behind me, tilted his head upon seeing the beast.
“Reolebarge? That monster went extinct ten years ago. Was that the high-level magical beast? But that’s a monster, isn’t it?”
“Ah. It is a magical beast, but a bit unusual. It’s a monster that underwent magical beast transformation. I’ll explain later.”
Come to think of it, they did not know about monsters that had undergone magical beast transformation. There was no time now, so I kept it brief.
Explaining could wait until later.
Just as I briefly turned my back—
[Kuaaak! Kuhk! Kuweeeek!!]
“......”
A grotesque sound came from ahead. It sounded like something being vomited.
There was only one thing in front of us that could produce such a sound.
I slowly turned my head.
[Kuhak! Kuhk!]
“......”
The beast was vomiting blood. Black blood poured from its mouth and body like a waterfall.
A suffocating silence fell. Everyone froze at the ominous atmosphere.
With everyone silent, only the sound of the beast vomiting blood echoed through the space.
[Krrk... Kihik, Kaelok!!]
The brows of everyone watching furrowed simultaneously.
What was this sensation?
Discomfort?
I could not define it precisely, but it was a feeling infinitely close to that.
A strong sense that something was wrong washed over me. I narrowed my eyes and observed the beast’s every movement.
[Huuuk, Krrk, Heo-eok...]
It gasped for breath.
The beast’s massive shoulders heaved. Was it hyperventilating?
And then—
It stood up.
Vomiting black blood like a waterfall,
very slowly.
“......!”
The beast’s presence changed.
At the same time, my senses screamed. A thrilling shiver ran down my spine. My intuition roared a single warning to every cell in my body.
That was dangerous.
I immediately assumed a combat stance. My comrades’ faces also turned pale as they sensed the anomaly.
-Kuguguk, Crack
Finally fully upright, the beast raised its head toward the sky and opened its mouth.
[■■■■■■■■■■■————!!!!!!!!]
A roar that seemed to tear space apart. The beast’s howl filled the surroundings.
It was merely the reverberation of sound, yet why did my body refuse to obey?
It far exceeded the category of sounds a living being could produce. Cannon fire? Thunder? No descriptor could fully capture this overwhelming blast. It even felt as though space itself was cracking.
Like a scream hurled at the world.
My body trembled without my realizing it.
“Kgh!”
“Aagh! My ears...!”
“My eardrums are going to burst...!”
My comrades clutched their ears. Blood streamed from Ryan’s ears, which he had failed to cover in time.
—Rumble rumble rumble!
As if the beast’s roar had been the fuse, the earth began to quake violently.
But that was nothing. Because something unbelievable happened next.
—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!
Kargas Volcano erupted.
A colossal pillar of fire and black smoke hundreds of meters high surged into the sky beyond the crater.
Lightning flashed through gaps in the volcanic ash cloud that filled the heavens. Accompanied by a pungent sulfur stench, red lava rained down from the sky in all directions. A scene of apocalyptic catastrophe.
—BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Amid the chaos of lava and rock raining destruction, the beast slowly lowered its head.
And shifted its gaze toward someone.
[......]
It was looking at me.
Those were not the eyes that had rampaged indiscriminately at the start.
It was staring precisely at me.
The beast’s single remaining eye bored into me.
What filled that gaze was...
“...!”
Hatred.
A cold, seething hatred.