Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Metatron
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1-5. Rise in Fury, O Thou
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Right now, mana stones worth a total of 15 billion were shining before my eyes.
Just looking at them was ecstatic.
Mana stones were larger and more beautiful than any gem in the world.
They didn't just reflect light—they glowed on their own, putting on a truly fantastical display.
That was why quite a few wealthy people in the West bought them as collectibles. From the perspective of someone wandering the hunting grounds, it sounded absurd, but monsters didn't appear much over there, so their sensibilities were bound to differ.
The world's hottest issue right now—monsters—was concentrated in Seoul, North Korea, and Manchuria. Other places with relatively high appearances were China and Russia, maybe. Of course, monsters popped up everywhere on Earth, causing problems, but they were relatively weak and few in number. Europe, America, Africa—they'd all dealt with monster outbreaks too, but compared to Korea, it was child's play. The monsters that appeared weren't all that high-level either. That was why countless countries had no angels.
It wasn't for nothing that Ansan had risen as the mecca for processing monster byproducts.
The reason Seraphim-level angels flocked to Korea was the swarms of high-rank monsters from Seoul through North Korea and into Manchuria.
From what I'd heard, China and Russia combined had only three Archangels in the top ranks. Meanwhile, twelve top Archangels had gathered in South Korea alone.
Their basic plan was to reclaim Seoul and push back the former North Korean puppet regime's territory.
Because of that, Korea was the protagonist in humanity's war against monsters, the biggest victim, and the center of the world's attention in every way. In the early days, major powers had tried meddling left and right for that reason, but a roar from the furious Archangels sent them all packing, and there'd been no such interference since. So South Korea supported the Archangels while throwing itself into the monster business. The government recognized that a half-collapsed nation had only this lifeline and was putting in maximum effort.
Thanks to all this, Korea was on a trend of national recovery.
In Ansan's Banwol Industrial Complex and Siheung Industrial Complex, factories ran 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, exporting monster-processed goods worldwide. And Ansan teemed with companies, merchants, and investors from around the world handling monster byproducts.
Ansan hadn't become an international city of 15 million people for no reason.
These days, Ansan was practically as glamorous as New York. Plus, while angels and monsters were everyday life for Koreans, to foreigners, they were pure fantasy.
Even knowing they probably wouldn't meet one, they clawed their way into Korea just to catch a glimpse of an angel's feather. Well, the tourism companies were laughing all the way to the bank.
Swish, swish.
I carefully wiped the blood off the mana stones with a cloth and tossed them into my subspace pocket. With 15 billion worth, I could do a lot at the angel's shop. Not just summoning magic items from the world the angels originally came from—I could buy new skills and more. I could even summon a lovely elf servant.
"Hmm..."
A well-behaved elf servant, huh. Tempting.
Anyway, harvesting the mana stones was great, but it only mattered if I could get back.
If I had to loop again after getting caught, it'd be a bust.
Plus, this time loop had a limited number of uses, which was real pressure.
I could die at any moment, and that'd be the end.
So, let's do this right.
I steeled myself and scanned ahead with my binoculars.
What I was watching was the parking lot of Dongjak District Office. More precisely, the Lord-class monster's corpse sprawled on top of it.
I'd already been caught in three explosions there.
I had no desire to get close again.
Besides, this was Metatron's carefully laid trap. So I decided to observe the situation.
Who would fall into the trap.
How Metatron would act.
"Hmm..."
Just waiting was boring.
Surprisingly, nothing happened at the time we'd detonated the bombs.
Our team's intervention must have changed things back then.
Now, Metatron and the enemy she was targeting might just be staring each other down.
In the end, the day passed without incident.
"Ugh..."
I'd spent the night in the building and was pretty exhausted.
Not because the bedding was uncomfortable.
I'd dozed fitfully, waking every time in fear of an attack.
Hunting grounds were freeing when alone, but sleeping was a hassle. Even the savviest hyena couldn't keep it up forever.
Tweet, tweet.
Even in this messed-up world, birds chirped as always.
The early winter morning sun felt nice.
Water was cold, so I sipped a little and chewed on dried rations.
I desperately wanted a hot cup of coffee, but that was too risky.
Hunting grounds were full of all sorts of dangers. If something felt off, better not to do it.
Then.
Thud, thud. Heavy footsteps echoed.
I hurriedly swallowed my rations and pressed against the window. Something big and bulky was approaching nearby.
No doubt about it—a big one.
My heart pounded from tension. After waiting like that for about five minutes.
A massive monster emerged from between building shadows.
About 3.5 meters tall.
Navy-blue skin with vivid yellow horns that stood out.
Four horns in total, sparking uniquely to form a crown-like shape.
It also dragged a wide, enormous sword.
Not sure if you could even call it a sword.
The blade was over 50 centimeters wide, looking more like a club for smashing than slicing—brutish in every way.
No trace of a sword's elegant image.
The tip was bluntly angled, and the hilt was crudely wrapped in cloth.
That cloth was stained with blood.
Thanks to my binoculars, I observed it all clearly.
Terrified the monster might turn and spot me any second.
"It's a Lord-class."
No question.
That guy was a Lord-class monster.
Probably the one Metatron was targeting.
Lord-class monsters went after other Lord-class monsters' mana stones to grow stronger.
The corpse of the fallen comrade must have been tempting.
Not sure "comrade" was the right word for Lord-class monsters.
Grrr!
It glanced around once, then headed straight for the dead body.
Yes.
Smash the corpse.
Then the trap would trigger.
I'd fallen for it so many times myself—seeing someone else do it was thrilling.
"Here it comes, here it comes."
I muttered under my breath, glued to the scene.
The approaching Lord-class monster raised its greatsword.
My eyes widened at the same time.
Strike it! Just like that!
Whether my silent cheer helped, it swung the greatsword down at the corpse's chest.
KABOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted.
The shock triggered Metatron's trap.
Even from this distance, the flash and heat forced me to turn my head.
No wonder our team got wiped—falling into that vicious trap. My survival was the real miracle.
I touched the Solar Deity Shield with newfound awe, then looked back ahead.
That thing's still alive. Tough bastard.
The trapped Lord-class monster lay spread-eagled, flames engulfing its body. But it shook its head and rose.
It looked badly hurt, but not fatally. It brushed off the fire with its massive hands, extinguishing it.
ROOOAR!
Its bellow showed it was furious at the unexpected trap.
The area around it was an inferno.
Just as I thought Metatron should appear, a whirlwind of flames surged before the Lord-class monster.
From its center emerged a stunning angel with six black wings.
Her frail form didn't match her reputation at all. But the overwhelming pressure she exuded clearly marked her as the top angel in rank.
Crackle!
The moment Metatron appeared, the Lord-class monster attacked with lightning.
Sparks from its crown-like horns shot out.
But Metatron deployed a barrier and blocked it effortlessly.
BOOM!
The blast scattered sparks everywhere.
The electricity spread circularly across her gray barrier.
Metatron drew a blazing flame sword and counterattacked fiercely.
"Ooh!"
I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration—it was an incredible fight.
The battle between Metatron, said to possess the highest combat power among angels, and the Lord-class monster surpassed all imagination in scale.
KABOOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out, and the half-ruined Dongjak District Office vanished completely.
Metatron utterly dominated the fight.
"Yes! Beat it down!"
I got excited just watching.
Isn't spectating fights always fun? And this was a monster showdown beyond mortal senses.
I remembered once seeing two high-rank hunters in a hunting ground get into a dispute and settle it with a formal duel.
Amusingly, they asked me, the hyena, to witness it. Said my rep as a hyena meant I'd be a reliable witness or something.
Anyway, those two fought like they weren't human—I acted calm on the outside but nearly pissed myself.
Compared to today's fight, that was just kids squabbling.
KABOOOM!
Metatron thrust her hand out, triggering an explosion, and the muscle-bound Lord-class monster flew back, crashing into building rubble.
It looked like Metatron's victory was sealed.
Now, victory didn't matter—I pondered what to say when meeting Metatron.
My goal was vague and distant.
I needed to meet Metatron. And 99% of my death probability was tied to that meeting. Hadn't I died three times in her trap?
No need to overthink that part.
But how to explain it all.
If I just walked up and said, "Getting involved with you means a 99% chance I die, so let's overcome it together," she'd probably stab my heart with that sword.
Lost in those worries, I looked ahead and jolted in surprise.
My vantage point let me see the battlefield from afar, wide view.
Thanks to that, I spotted three more entities slinking toward the fight.
"What the!"
I zoomed in with binoculars.
Incredibly, two were Lord-class monsters. The last one was even bulkier and stronger-looking.
What is this... something above Lord-class had appeared.
Is that the king I'd only heard of conceptually?
Still, it didn't quite have the kingly aura.
It looked clearly strong, but not overwhelmingly dominating the other Lord-class ones.
So I classified that new one as Grand Lord-class for now.
The two Lord-class and one Grand Lord-class moved between buildings, tightening the encirclement.
The situation looked like Metatron had fallen into the enemy's trap, contrary to her plan.
"Worst-case scenario."
I hurriedly gathered my gear. Metatron was an outsider, but she was definitely fighting for humanity.
I couldn't just let her die in the enemy's trap.
I had no idea what I could do against those powerhouses, but I couldn't sit idle.
By the way, Sui-El.
Doesn't that 1% survival chance seem generous now?
That 1% probably assumed I'd draw the Solar Deity Shield.