Chapter 365
Chapter 365
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 365
Chapter Title: Racial War (4)
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Shatolm exploded in a massive burst of light.
It was like a nuclear bomb had gone off.
Amid the unbelievable aftermath of the explosion that no report could capture, Han Shin vanished into the fog.
"……!"
"Wh-what the hell was that? A suicide attack?"
"Han Shin! Where's Han Shin?!"
Screams of shock erupted everywhere—Earth's plazas, homes, control rooms, without exception.
Even those who had been fiercely debating Gremlin's predicament moments ago forgot it all in this instant, holding their breath as they stared at the invisible space on the screens.
It was as if time itself had stopped.
No one could tell if seconds or minutes had passed.
The only things filling the space were the black fog on the screens and the ragged breathing of the Earthlings watching it.
"System! Why isn't the system message popping up?!"
"Results! Give us the results!"
"He's alive, right?"
"Didn't it say no draws?"
"Does that mean both lost?"
Someone's despairing speculation spread through the crowd.
'If the time limit is exceeded, both sides are ruled defeated.'
'There are no draws.'
The system's cold rules flashed through people's minds once more.
If even Han Shin had been caught in that massive explosion and rendered combat-ineffective, humanity's first match could end in the absolute worst possible outcome.
It was the Gremlin race warrior's water ghost strategy.
But amid everyone's worried gazes...
The smoke cleared, and one man walked out.
"Ah!"
"H-he's alive!"
"We won!"
The people cheered.
Surviving meant victory in the first battle.
"But..."
A man who had been shouting in triumph lowered his voice and looked up at the sky.
"What... what is that?"
The person next to him rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
The joy was short-lived.
The thick fog finally cleared completely.
Once the hero who had secured humanity's first victory, Han Shin, came into sharp focus, the people were stunned speechless once again.
He was definitely alive.
But his condition was utterly wretched.
His sturdy armor was shredded and melted beyond recognition, and his exposed skin was covered in dark red blood and soot.
His massive shield was more than half-destroyed, leaving only a skeletal frame barely supporting his body, and blood dripped continuously from his mouth with every labored breath.
Shatolm's final desperate suicide attack had clearly inflicted fatal wounds.
But what shocked the Earthlings even more wasn't just his injuries.
"Th-that... black energy... what is it?"
"His shoulder... and arm...!"
Through the gaps in his torn armor from the explosion's aftermath, his right shoulder and part of his arm were dyed an inhuman dark red, writhing unnaturally.
It was as if living darkness pulsed beneath his skin, an ominous and powerful aura seeping out.
The contract with Demon God Belial.
In the extreme situation, to survive and overpower his foe, he had instinctively tapped into a portion of that power.
Along with that...
His half-demon nature granted exceptional regeneration, making him look less than human.
Severed blood vessels reconnected, melted muscles and skin regrew flesh, repairing in real time.
It wasn't healing or recovery—it defied such words.
Like rewinding time or molding clay, Han Shin's horrific wounds were "regenerating" right before their eyes.
Not fresh skin sprouting over charred and torn flesh, but something alien reconstructing his body in a grotesque manner.
Especially his right shoulder and arm—they deformed and healed at an even more hideous speed.
The writhing darkness devoured his wounds like a living creature, reshaping them into new forms.
"...Can a human even do that?"
Every Earthling witnessing this—whether in front of plaza screens or home TVs—was utterly aghast.
But that was it.
Han Shin returned to his previous form.
'What a pathetic sight.'
Han Shin looked down at his tattered armor.
He had won, but the cost was far from small.
The backlash from instinctively drawing on the demon god's power to survive was crushing his entire body.
His regeneration had mostly healed the external wounds, but the internal damage and mental exhaustion were severe.
He hadn't anticipated the fight turning this brutal.
"Han Shin, you okay?"
Lee Hyuk-soo approached him first.
Han Shin shook his head and forced his mouth open.
"......So this is what 'don't let your guard down' means."
He said, looking at Adora.
Don't judge based solely on the battlefield situation.
Anything could happen, anytime, anywhere—and it had played out exactly like that.
Adora nodded.
"Rest for now."
Lee Hyuk-soo urged him to take a break.
Then everyone's eyes turned back to the system message floating in the air.
"Flame Hell... Flame resistance fixed at 0? That's basically telling them to burn to death."
Adrianna scowled as deeply as she could.
"Continuous flame damage means a prolonged fight is absolutely disadvantageous. We'll need overwhelming firepower to take out the opponent as quickly as possible."
Ling-Ling analyzed calmly.
Her hand was already drifting toward the dagger at her waist.
Aurum shook her head.
"But with flame resistance at 0, even getting close is a burden. We need to intercept from range."
"Do we have anyone skilled in ranged attacks here?"
As Ling-Ling said, they were all warriors strong in close combat.
The time limit pressed down on their shoulders once more.
Lee Hyuk-soo scanned his teammates.
They had to carry the momentum from the first victory.
In war, momentum was everything.
Once you lost it, recovery was impossible.
They needed an overwhelming win to crush the enemies' morale.
"...Adora. I'm counting on you."
"Got it."
Adora stepped forward without a moment's hesitation.
Her red eyes were already fixed on the Gremlin tribe that would be her next opponent.
In her hand was one of Park Chan-woo's pieces of equipment, the Staff of the Beast Zodiac.
The team members watched Adora with complicated gazes.
Lee Hyuk-soo, Aurum, and Yoo Jin-seo—who had some inkling of her true nature and power—trusted her, but the extreme condition of 'flame resistance 0' made even them tense.
"...We must win this one."
"Our strongest warrior, Grulrku. Bring us victory."
From the Gremlin lines, another gaunt shadow stepped forward.
This Gremlin looked even more ragged than Shatolm.
The mechanical devices grafted all over his body glowed red-hot, as if overloaded, and his eyes held not a thirst for survival, but pure madness for destruction and mutual demise.
The first warrior's brutal defeat seemed to have burned away their last shreds of reason.
Shoooo—
Kwaaaa!
The space beneath Adora and the second Gremlin warrior warped and transformed in an instant.
The black marble floor of the vast battlefield melted away into red lava.
Burning sulfur rain poured from the sky.
Every direction was engulfed in roaring flames and black smoke, bringing searing pain deep into the lungs with every breath.
Flame Hell.
A literal hellscape, true to its name.
"Grulrku... our last hope."
An elderly Gremlin muttered in a trembling voice.
Tears welled in his eyes, but so did unwavering faith in Grulrku.
"Yes, Grulrku is different! He's our tribe's ultimate decisive weapon, forged with our finest technology and every last resource for battling superior races!"
Another Gremlin clenched his fist and shouted.
Desperation laced his voice, but so did a thread of pride.
"That puny Flame Hell? Grulrku only gets stronger in such environments! Flame resistance 0? It's a blessing for our Grulrku!"
As they said, Grulrku showed no fear amid the blazing flames.
On the contrary, the mechanical devices plastered on his body seemed to absorb the lava's heat, glowing even more intensely and writhing unstably.
His eyes were locked solely on Adora.
"Surrender, human. No need for inferior races to kill each other."
"......"
Adora silently regarded Grulrku.
Lava flowed at her feet, lapping at her ankles, but she didn't flinch.
"My level exceeds 130. I'm on par with superior race warriors. Dying pointlessly just dooms your human race's future even more."
With his victory assured, there was no need for a fight to the death.
Exceeding level 130 carried immense weight.
Though grotesque in appearance, Grulrku brimmed with the pride of being the Gremlin tribe's strongest warrior.
The heat and madness emanating from him made the surrounding lava boil even fiercer.
"......"
Yet Adora still gave no reply.
Her red eyes merely observed Grulrku's mad gaze and the unstably rampaging mechanical devices.
Soon after.
"……!!!"
Grulrk's eyes shook wildly upon seeing Adora's level.