13. Bahamut (1)
Choi Yu-na's promised day was drawing near for every survivor camp in Gyeongju. Uni, having seized and commandeered pseudo-cults, had heavily promoted that fateful day, and the buzz from her efforts had spread far and wide. The number of survivors turning out to witness the event had swelled dramatically.
Most onlookers were scouts dispatched by local camps to gather intel on Yu-na or the zombies, or information brokers aiming to sell details to outlying cities or foreign buyers. Of course, the survivors Yu-na had personally persuaded now stood on rooftops with grim expressions, fixated solely on her promise as the hour approached.
Each harbored different motives—some anticipating her declaration, others mocking it outright. As the appointed time arrived, Yu-na slowly revealed herself.
"Is she really going to keep her word? This is dangerous."
"Suicide. That's what it is."
Reactions varied wildly upon seeing Yu-na step onto the empty plain. Those pitying her reckless fulfillment of the outrageous promise at least cared for her safety. From a high rooftop, the Lee Hyun-ah and Lee Su-ah sisters watched with worried eyes as Yu-na exposed herself to keep her vow.
"Whoa, Brother Jo Sun-do, check that out. A suicide hopeful just showed up."
"Shame. She looks good enough to eat."
"You were planning to?"
"Young, but everything's there, right?"
Others admired her ethereal beauty through binoculars or leered with lust. Regretting that she'd kept her promise, they spewed vulgarities, treating the spectacle as long-overdue entertainment and jeering at Yu-na's folly.
"Is this really possible? Does she have the power to break through this mess?"
A small minority clung to hope, wondering if Yu-na's bold promise might actually hold. Her confidence suggested she had some hidden ace up her sleeve—a vague but tantalizing expectation.
Jeong Dong-gun, riding high on recent momentum in Gyeongju, secretly pinned hopes on her too, observing through binoculars from a rooftop.
"I can feel the eyes on me. Perfect. No need to overdo it from the start."
Stepping onto the proving ground, Yu-na flashed a bright smile and murmured her satisfaction. What mattered most was demonstrating not her own power, but that of the god she served. With so many spectators, this was the ideal stage to proclaim her deity to every survivor in Gyeongju.
Sensing the weight of all those gazes, Yu-na slowly raised her hand toward the sky.
Taunt Fire
Flames erupted in her hand—a fire spell. Launched skyward like fireworks, it burst with a resounding boom! visible to everyone in Gyeongju.
The sudden display drew heads skyward, from spectators to everyday survivors. Brilliant fireworks swirled overhead, the noise lifting every zombie head in the city.
"Grraaaaaargh!!"
"Grrwe!! Grrweeeaaargh!!"
Zombies that spotted the blaze charged without hesitation toward the launch site. Those unable to run walked; the immobile crawled desperately. Devoid of reason even before, they now frenzy-raged at the light and sound, trampling fallen comrades, shattering against obstacles or stumbling fatally—it was all par for the course.
"What the hell?! What's happening!?"
Terror gripped survivors at the zombies' sudden surge, but...
"They're heading to where the fire came from?"
They quickly realized the direction. Ignoring nearby camps—even with survivors present—the zombies fixated solely on the flare site. It was as if a command to charge the flames had been brutally imprinted on every undead mind in Gyeongju.
"Groooaaargh!"
"Kraaaaaagh!!"
Even variant zombies, regaining some intellect, and Awakened zombies mirrored the horde. Variants led their packs with hateful glares, surging fiercer than the rest. This revelation spread fast among watchful camps: the flare lured even intelligent variants.
"...Used right, that's insanely dangerous, huh?"
"Zombie aggro spell, looks like. Lucky she triggered it outside the city—all the internals are pouring out."
"Handy, if you ask me."
Mastered properly, it could wipe rival camps via roadkill hordes. For now, Yu-na's external cast had emptied the city, but flipped, it summoned swarms to zombie-free zones—a double-edged weapon. Range unknown, but with the whole city's undead converging, it had to be vast.
"Here's hoping they mutual-destruct or both take heavy losses."
"You want Choi Yu-na dead?"
"Even if she survives, big damage would be nice. We scoop up her leftovers."
Ambitious types coveted her power but eyed her downfall—mutual annihilation let them claim her hard-won peace; Pyrrhic victory left scraps for fishermen like them. A free lunch or easy pickings, essentially. Their aides nodded along.
"No way she solos that army alone."
"Right. Even Awakened have limits."
Her display was impressive, but the horde defied imagination. Every zombie in Gyeongju converged—tens of thousands strong. Exaggerate a bit, and it was a 100,000-man army. Ant-like specks blanketed the plain, advancing as one toward Yu-na.
"So many zombies in our city?"
"If they turn back after this..."
The sheer mass crushed unaffiliated stragglers into despair. Scraping by daily was life-or-death already; this horde meant extinction if it returned. Quick math: they couldn't handle those numbers.
"No, I believe! I believe in her! She's gone this far—gotta have something!"
Yet some burned with desperate hope, clutching at the girl like a frayed rope. Grasping at straws amid horde-despair, they yearned most for her victory—they'd be first snacks otherwise. Praying for a grand show to justify their faith, they tracked her every move.
"Now, it's time for our god. Please... show these people your mighty form."
[......Yes.]
Yu-na declared it time for her god. Offering all her mana as tribute, she aimed to summon the great dragon slumbering(?) in the temple here. To showcase its valor to every Gyeongju survivor, she conjured a summoning array in the sky.
And from that array...
"Eh?"
A colossal light plummeted. The spectacle blinded onlookers. Instinctively shielding eyes or bowing heads, survivors reeled as a thunderous roar shook the city. Earsplitting, it shredded focus—even zombie-hunting Awakened barely recovered to assess...
"What the fuck!"
The beam from the sky array slammed down like judgment on the approaching horde. Where it struck: nothing. Nothingness. Awakened doubted eyes and scopes alike. In that flash, the vanguard horde vanished, leaving a massive crater.
"No, it's not over yet."
"Yeah, just opened with her ultimate."
Not the whole horde—just a chunk. No big deal; they'd expected as much. Soloing that number? Doubtful. Otherwise, all their schemes crumbled.
"What... is that?"
But staring skyward, survivors gaped slack-jawed. Meteors rained endlessly from the array. Shooting stars in a cloudless black night—but no stars; those were the same blinding beams.
"What is this!?"
"What's that noise!?"
"Aah! The end times!"
Falling beams—no, meteors—grew massive, blazing as they neared ground, pulverizing zombie clusters. Serial impacts unleashed deafening blasts and quakes rattling Gyeongju, drawing even hidden survivors' attention.
"Mage! Analyze that now!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Those already invested mobilized camp experts for breakdown. Had it stopped there, they'd chalk it up to Yu-na's trump card—explaining her bold claims to camps and stragglers.
But what followed crushed laughter from her mockers.
"What the hell?"
"What what!?"
"It's coming at us!?"
Finally visible past the beams: the colossal array cloaking the sky. Forming fully, it summoned storm clouds to the clear night. Fear gripped survivors—would beams target them next? Camps ordered mages to analyze...
"Ah. Ahahahaha!"
"Wh-what!?"
"It's like staring at the sun! Just looking blinds you! It hurts! Hurts! Ahahahahaha!!"
"Snap out of it!"
The array's immense mana overwhelmed mages; fresh Awakened barely months in, they rejected analysis outright. Its power forbade thought, let alone resistance.
"Ahahaha! The cult was right—the apocalypse is here! No fighting that! We're all dead!"
"You lost it for real!?"
Camp mages, once braggarts, universally quit, proclaiming resistance futile. Leaders stifled their mad cackles in bewilderment, but the words lingered, undermining faith in their key weapons.
"This is insane."
Soon, they understood why.
The array hit critical mass—thunderous roars like lightning cracked citywide. Flashing wildly, it churned. Beams incoming? Terror peaked.
"Eh?"
No beams. Instead, something pierced the array like a meteor, arcing groundward. Spreading vast wings, it slowed...
...and landed lightly near Choi Yu-na amid colossal noise. Survivors identified the massive form at last.
"A dragon?"
Yes. That object was none other than a colossal dragon.