Gate Rampage (2)
The gate, when it appeared in a confined space, devoured the surrounding buildings in an instant and swelled in size.
The real problem was that no one could predict when or where a gate would manifest.
“In all my years, I never thought I’d see a gate open right in front of the Management Department building.”
Ju Tae-jin puffed on his pipe as he stared up at the gate.
“Uwaaaah… that was my favorite gukbap place…”
Yoo Na-ra was in despair over the disappearance of her regular soup restaurant.
“M-measurement… impossible.”
A Management Department employee, face drained of all color, stared at the measuring device.
“How many people were sucked inside?”
“Two department staff—Jo Seung-min and Baek Ji-tae—plus roughly five civilians.”
Ju Tae-jin crushed the cigarette between his fingers while gazing at the ominously flickering purple gate.
This doesn’t feel good.
Something was happening inside there.
It felt like something on the same level—or worse—than the Living Armor legion that had emerged before.
The only personnel currently on site were the Management Department staff, Ju Tae-jin, and Yoo Na-ra.
It would take at least twenty minutes for the hunters to arrive.
“Haa… Na-ra. Get ready.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yoo Na-ra drew the two daggers she kept hidden against her calves.
Kurrrrung—!!
Thunder roared as rain began to pour.
The civilians had long since been evacuated. Only those who had once been hunters remained.
“Director.”
“Yeah… I’ve never seen anything like this either.”
A legion of Living Armors had appeared from somewhere and was marching straight toward them.
In the middle of a city, not even a no-man’s-land, without a gate…?
It matched exactly what Nam Jin-cheol had described.
The armors, radiating an ominous violet energy, stood in perfect formation and moved like a disciplined army.
“Looks like the Living Armor boss didn’t actually die.”
“Seems that way.”
“And this portal is probably connected to their homeland.”
Otherwise, there would have been no reason for them to reveal themselves again after nearly being killed by that red-eyed woman.
“Th-then… I-I’ll take care of that side.”
A tremor ran through Yoo Na-ra’s voice.
But it wasn’t from fear. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
“Aah… it reminds me of that war…”
A madwoman forged by war and the field commander of the Special Hunter Crime Department—Yoo Na-ra was an A-class hunter recognized by the Association as being close to S-class.
Ju Tae-jin pulled a long smoking pipe from his coat and placed it between his lips.
“Not the best weather for spreading smoke, but when have we ever fought under ideal conditions?”
He inhaled deeply. Blue smoke billowed from his mouth.
“I’ll cast the buffs. Go wild.”
“Yes… hee…”
The moment Yoo Na-ra dashed forward, lightning struck.
In that instant, two human-shaped figures shot toward the portal at incredible speed.
No one noticed because of the Living Armor legion.
***
Ardenia Continent.
“How fascinating… a real portal has opened?”
The 2nd Legion Commander of the Demon King’s Army, the Headless Knight Dullahan Nephilia, stared at the portal that had suddenly appeared.
“But why… of all places, right in front of my castle?”
She had already learned through her subordinates that an unidentified portal had manifested. She even knew that humans in strange clothing would emerge, then re-enter and cause it to close.
Yet even she had no idea why this particular portal had opened.
It’s still not enough.
Like Romanoff, she lacked a proper army compared to the past Demon King’s forces.
The title of legion commander felt hollow; she commanded only two thousand spectral knights and five hundred spectral steeds.
If she clashed with Romanoff’s five hundred Living Armors and his subordinates, she would inevitably lose.
Romanoff created his troops from the armor of skilled knights, making them elite soldiers.
He could even share his power to repair the Living Armors.
Nevertheless, Nephilia had defeated Romanoff and claimed the position of 2nd Legion Commander through sheer overwhelming strength.
Unlike the 1st Legion Commander, the King of the Legion Quil, who had the misfortune of encountering the White Dragon Rhea and having his very existence erased.
Nephilia had met the Hero.
I was the one who drove him into a corner.
She had bound his comrades with tens of thousands of spectral knights and challenged him to an honorable duel befitting a knight.
The result was Nephilia’s victory. The problem was that the damned Holy Sword had injured her, preventing her from taking the Hero’s life.
By the time that bitch Rhea arrived with the Dragon Legion’s breath attack, she had no choice but to flee after losing countless subordinates.
“I should have cut off the Hero’s head back then.”
If she had, the Demon King might not have died, and she could have torn apart that cursed White Dragon and dyed her crimson.
The Holy Sword.
That blade, which sealed the rapid healing ability inherent to the demon race and shattered any defensive barrier, was the root of every problem.
Without it, even these spectral armors forged from countless human souls could never have been pierced.
“Should I just leave it alone?”
She had brought out every spectral knight and steed just in case something emerged, but the portal only continued to hum.
While she was lost in thought, several humans tumbled out of the portal.
What a stroke of luck—prey falling right in front of her.
“Th-that’s… a spectral knight…?”
“Kyaaaaah!! Look over there!!”
“It’s a Dullahan!!”
Just as the screaming began to irritate her, two particular humans caught her eye.
“E-everyone, please calm down. I’m from the Hunter Management Department.”
“First, move behind us!”
The two humans stepped forward to pacify the others.
This… smell…
Though she had no nose, Nephilia could still detect scents.
And from those two, she caught the faint trace of the Hero’s scent.
“The Hero… so he really was in another dimension…”
Nephilia leaped forward immediately.
She landed in front of the two humans and thrust out the katana she carried.
“You two will have to stay with me.”
“What…?”
“Kill the rest.”
“N-no!!”
The moment they heard the order to kill, the two humans charged at Nephilia.
But black hands burst from the ground, seizing their limbs and dragging them down.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!!”
“Save us!!”
All they could do was watch helplessly as the others were slaughtered.
“No… you can’t…”
“Now then, shall we have a little chat…”
The instant Nephilia prepared to torture them for information on the Hero—
She noticed the portal rippling again.
“Quite impatient, aren’t you, Hero.”
A suffocating pressure spread across the battlefield.
***
Using Romanoff as a distraction to slip into the gate had been a success.
Please allow me to command the troops!!
Romanoff had even swallowed his pride, complaining that working alone was too lonely and exhausting.
I usually limited him to five bodies, but this time I ordered him to create as many as he wanted.
I left Rhea, Jeok So-ye, and Luna behind at the mansion.
So-ye has gained some enlightenment and grown a little, but she’s still just a student.
Entering this dangerous gate was something only Jeok Hwa-ryeon and I should do.
The familiar grass crunched beneath my feet.
When I lifted my head, I saw a familiar sky and a massive black castle.
That’s right.
This was none other than the Ardenia Continent.
I never thought I’d return here.
And right in front of me stood a being radiating murderous demonic energy.
“It’s been a while, Nephilia.”
“Hero… where is that damned white lizard? Instead you’ve brought some red-haired bitch.”
Nephilia was an opponent I couldn’t defeat even after awakening, and the only legion commander of the Demon King’s Army who had managed to preserve her full strength and escape.
Most of the others, like Romanoff, had lost their peak power or returned to nothingness.
In Murim terms, she was at the peak of Transcendent Realm.
She herself was that strong, and even her subordinates were at least first-rate.
This was a bad situation.
I never dreamed I would run into Nephilia of all people.
“Hwa-ryeon… my sword.”
Hwa-ryeon sliced through space and pulled out a blue-glowing heavy sword.
It was none other than the Dark Iron Heavy Sword from the Namgung Clan that I had used in the past.
As expected, Hwa-ryeon had kept it.
“Honey.”
As she handed me the heavy sword, Hwa-ryeon spoke.
“I’m really sorry, but I’ll take this one.”
“Huh…?”
“No~ just looking at him, he seems strong. It’ll be fun.”
Hwa-ryeon’s eyes burned with competitive spirit as she gripped the Blood Demon Sword.
It had always been like this.
No matter the situation, she never lost herself. Even after marrying me, her passion for martial arts had never faded.
I loved that about her.
“Alright, Hwa-ryeon. He’s all yours.”
At a glance, Nephilia seemed even stronger than before.
Her army had shrunk to less than half, but she had clearly poured that power into herself.
Nephilia raised her katana and declared,
“Since the Hero has arrived, I suppose I don’t need this anymore.”
Beneath her lay a pile of human corpses.
There was nothing that could be done for those already dead. This was a disaster, after all.
The problem was that Ok Jun-woo and Jo Seung-min were kneeling at the tip of her blade.
I stepped forward.
An oppressive domain spread out, crushing everything around us.
I moved swiftly within that domain and struck her katana aside.
“Kk!”
The problem was that the simple act of deflecting it sent my body flying several meters through the air.
“Still… I saved them…”
While flying, I managed to grab Ok Jun-woo and Jo Seung-min by the scruffs of their necks.
“Min-su…?”
“Min-su?! How are you here…”
“I don’t have time to explain, so get on your feet.”
They were coming.
A massive undead legion.
I gripped the heavy sword tightly.
“Because we have to survive against those things.”