Pohang Recapture (2)
A colossal magic circle suddenly blanketed the skies over Pohang. No one knew when it had appeared. Without any warning, it engulfed the entire city and began to pulse with energy.
"Come, my Dragon God."
Naturally, it was Yu-na who had conjured the formation overhead. Using her summoning magic, she called forth the great Dragon God revered by the Balhut Cult.
At her words, the circle thrummed violently. Vast mana converged, thunder cracking across the heavens as something enormous burst from its center. The formation shattered like fractured glass into fragments, and the massive object—like a plummeting meteor—hurtled toward the ground.
Pohang's citizens watched in terror, fearing an asteroid strike on their city. But to the Balhut Cult, it was the signal that the conquest was complete. They erupted in wild cheers, their soldiers rejoicing at the Dragon God's arrival. Before his body could crash into the earth, he unfurled his enormous wings, braking his descent and settling gently onto the land.
"In response to my contractor's call, I have come to Pohang."
Even landing as gently as possible, like slamming on the brakes, the impact shook the earth with a thunderous boom. Kuwoong. The resounding noise and vibrations etched the Dragon God's presence indelibly into the minds of Pohang's people. He slowly scooped up Yu-na, who had summoned him.
What happened next went without saying. Bahamut, retrieved by Yu-na, turned his gaze toward the zombie horde charging in response to her provocation spell, pondering how to deal with them.
"Behold! This is the god of the Balhut Cult—the valiant and benevolent Dragon God, Bahamut!"
Only Yu-na, perched on his shoulder, used amplification magic to introduce him as the cult's deity. Her voice, magnified by the spell, reached every citizen in Pohang, letting them see Bahamut clearly. They also witnessed the countless zombies surging toward him.
It was a clash straight out of a fantasy novel: dragon versus zombies.
"…Those mutant spider zombies definitely have intelligence. The moment I appeared, even under your provocation spell, they bolted like cowards."
"But they can't escape Bahamut, can they?"
"Of course not."
The foolish zombies, ignorant of the dragon's power, charged mindlessly, throwing away their lives even after the Dragon God's arrival. The mutant spider zombies were different. The instant Bahamut appeared, they fled into the city depths as if terrified by his overwhelming might—defying Yu-na's provocation through sheer survival instinct. They collided with trailing zombies or slaughtered any in their path.
Despite their fierce will to live, it went unrewarded.
Fire Wall
With the mutant spider zombies turning tail toward the inner city, Bahamut—back to the lagoon—activated a spell to block their escape. Naming it Fire Wall, flames erupted from his position, racing along every path into the city and village. They formed a seamless wall, encircling and trapping the zombies.
"Kieeeek?!"
Not all deemed burning in flames preferable to facing the dragon head-on. Some mutant spider zombies bravely plunged into the blaze, but the inferno's heat overwhelmed them. They incinerated instantly, reduced to black ash.
Even those still provoked toward the lagoon met the same fate as the fleeing ones—entering the flames and turning to white powder.
"Fewer mutant spider zombies than expected. There must still be zombies deep in Pohang."
Despite the overwhelming flames, Bahamut noted the horde seemed smaller than anticipated. The zombies blackened the earth in vast numbers, yet his experience told him it matched or fell short of Gyeongju's scale. Detection magic confirmed survivors in the city proper.
"Probably more intelligent mutants. Since there was a spider variant, others we haven't detected could exist."
"True enough."
Yu-na mentioned other intelligent variants, noting the tactic hadn't fully worked on the spiders. Bahamut nodded in agreement.
"This method's served its purpose."
"No, it might be perfect. To grow our cult's awakeners, we need to control zombie numbers appropriately."
"Right!"
"Zombies terrify because of their endless waves that outstrip bullets. If I thin them out first, they're far less frightening for our forces."
He reassured the self-deprecating Yu-na: for the cult's growth, this was ideal. Zombies scared through sheer volume; managed numbers turned mutants into experience fodder for Balhut awakeners. Clearing city-filling hordes was a challenge, but trivial for Bahamut.
"Then let's make it spectacular."
This was his debut in Pohang. To captivate the locals, a flashy, grandiose assault was best.
"Spectacular, you say?"
"Ultimate Flame… No, too powerful."
He first considered his strongest spell but scrapped it as overkill.
Dragon's Breath
He settled on the classic dragon staple from fantasy tales. With the fire wall sealing escape routes, Bahamut ascended into the sky with Yu-na, intent on annihilating the trapped zone.
High enough for the horde to shrink to dots, he targeted them and opened his vast maw.
"Perfect! This is perfect! Bahamut's Dragon's Breath upon those vile zombies! People of Pohang, witness this strike!"
Blue energy gathered at his jaws—mana crystallized into light. Yu-na, on his shoulder, laughed wildly, urging the citizens to watch.
The mana coalesced into a sphere, radiating like a blue sun over Pohang. Onlookers felt their blood boil before the sheer power, awe and terror mingling.
"Haat!"
With Bahamut's shout, the orb slammed into the earth. BOOM. The massive explosion's roar deafened awakeners and civilians alike, but they saw clearly: zombies trapped by the fire wall vanished without trace in that single blow.
The black sea of undead evaporated instantly, leaving a blue-burning cratered wasteland and the fading fire wall.
"Clean work."
"Indeed."
A vast crater marked the impact. Crops and zombies alike evaporated without ash. Blue flames danced on barren soil; rocks bubbled like lava.
As Bahamut landed softly in the void,
"Now's the time to reclaim Pohang. Balhut Cult! The hour of holy war is upon us! Bahamut watches—righteousness is ours!"
The cult's pontiff and Dragon Priestess bellowed the call. Her amplified voice rang clear to all.
"Ooooh!"
Already emboldened by Bahamut's descent, the soldiers charged without hesitation.
With countless zombies erased by his hand, only remnants remained. Moreover,
"Fear not, warriors. The mana bestowed upon my priestess remains ample. While I stand here, I shall grant you mighty bodies and unbreakable shields."
Bahamut lingered, vowing to empower the cult. The mana saved for his summoning endured even after Dragon's Breath.
No need for him to fight further; he'd use the rest on his followers.
"Fear no more, Balhut Cult. No matter what befalls us… with Bahamut, no enemies can touch us."
"Hm."
Yu-na declared it across Pohang after the buffs. Bahamut shivered inexplicably.
'It's not wrong, but why…'
He felt oddly like the villain.