Chapter 221
Chapter 221
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Reunion (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Th-This is insane! What is that?”
Ha-eun cursed as she stared at the demonic beasts flooding in, so numerous they completely blotted out the pure white snowfield.
The number of beasts she had faced when trapped in the Demon Realm before had been considerable.
But this was on a completely different level.
“Don’t tell me every single beast around the First Fissure has gathered here?”
Even if their attempt to enter the Demon Realm had been detected, did this even make sense?
To use a military analogy, it was like the entire four-hundred-thousand-strong army rushing to a single fallen fence post on the border.
“I-I’ve never seen anything like this either.”
Xiaolin’s voice was filled with disbelief as she cleanly sliced off the head of an approaching beast with a swing of her sword.
No matter how dangerous it was to travel to and from the Demon Realm through the First Fissure, it was never supposed to be like this.
There were even a few Awakeners, like the Heavenly Fist Star, who had made their homes in the Demon Realm. How could anyone survive if they had to face such a massive army of beasts every time they passed through?
“Even if we were detected, I was told only the hordes within a one- to two-hundred-meter radius would swarm us.”
“This looks like a lot more than one or two hundred meters.”
The horde of beasts, surging forward like a black tide, filled not just a couple hundred meters, but several kilometers of the surrounding area.
“And something’s…”
Ha-eun narrowed her eyes, observing the beasts that covered the snowfield.
“It doesn’t look like they’re all coming for us.”
The beasts nearby were certainly shrieking and charging at them.
But the ones far off, closer to the fissure, were starting to line up in formation as if they couldn’t care less about them.
A procession of demonic beasts stretched out long on either side.
Like subjects awaiting the arrival of their king, the beasts lowered their heads and prostrated themselves on the ground.
“…What are they doing?”
Ha-eun stared at the lined-up horde, completely dumbfounded.
“Don’t tell me… the Snake is crossing over to this side?”
Just then, she heard Allen mutter beside her.
“Th-The Snake is crossing over? What do you mean by that?”
Ha-eun threw a fireball at the incoming horde and turned her head toward Allen.
“I once heard from the Heavenly Fist Star elder. The only time the beasts near the First Fissure gather like this is when the ‘Snake’ itself is about to leave the Demon Realm.”
“So the Queen of Ophiuchus is in there?”
“No, that’s…”
Allen frowned, a look of confusion on his face.
“I received a report just this morning that the Queen of Ophiuchus is currently in South America.”
“…In South America?”
“Yes. It’s a region firmly under the control of the Musca faction.”
“Then what in the world is this?”
If the Queen of Ophiuchus was in South America right now…
Then who were these beasts waiting for?
“I don’t know. There is very little information on the Ophiuchus faction.”
It hadn’t been long since the existence of the Black Star Organization was recognized as a global threat, so detailed information about them was still scarce.
“In any case, it’s too dangerous to break through like this. We should come back later…”
“No.”
Isabella shook her head, her expression resolute.
“Every second counts. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”
Even now, the wounded Oh-jin might be taking his last, shallow breaths, dying.
“But.”
“If you must, I’ll go alone.”
“……”
Allen watched Isabella’s back as she gripped her scythe with both hands and walked forward.
As if to say there was no room for compromise.
Her steps were unwavering as she advanced toward the horde of beasts.
“Haa.”
With a short sigh, Allen followed after her.
“You don’t have to come with me.”
“I was asked by Deneb himself. I can’t just leave you two behind. And besides…”
His voice was low and heavy.
“I know all too well… how painful it is to watch someone you care about die.”
Allen gripped his sword with a bitter expression.
A shadow of undeniable regret flickered in his eyes as they wandered through the air, as if reminiscing about the past.
“…Thank you.”
Isabella replied in a small voice.
Allen continued speaking as he effortlessly cut down two winged beasts that flew at him.
“Even with their numbers, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get inside the fissure itself.”
Although a staggering number of beasts covered the snowfield…
The party gathered here to rescue Oh-jin consisted of superhumans who could easily wipe a country or two off the map if they so chose.
No matter how full a container of water is, it can’t stop a needle from piercing through, can it?
Defending would be one thing, but simply breaking through wouldn’t be difficult.
“The problem is we need to break through quickly before the encirclement tightens.”
“Leave that to me.”
Ha-eun pulled a cigarette from its pack.
“So you’re saying I need to blast a hole through these bastards to kick things off, right?”
“…That’s the gist of it, yes.”
“Then buy me some time. I need a moment to prepare.”
*Fssshhhk.*
The tip of the cigarette glowed red.
Ha-eun took off the eyepatch covering her left eye and put it in her pocket.
“*Hoooo.*”
She took a slow breath, staring at the cigarette between her fingers.
She pictured an image of fire.
A dragon’s breath, blazing fiercely, hot enough to swallow everything around it.
“Ugh…!”
A sharp pain, like a needle piercing her left eyeball, shot through her.
The grotesque veins that covered her left eye socket spread down to her neck.
‘I can do this.’
*Thump, thump.*
Inside her heart, which was pounding wildly…
She awakened the Dragon’s Heart sleeping within.
The Dragon’s Heart, which had been curled up tightly like an adolescent boy, cutting off all communication with the outside world, began to rampage.
*Fwoosh! Fwoosh!*
A massive flame erupted around Ha-eun’s body before being sucked back into her, over and over again.
“O, Eltanin, Constellation of Draco.”
As she uttered the constellation’s name, the Stigma engraved on the left side of her chest flared brightly in response.
“Not that you can hear me anyway, since you’re probably fast asleep.”
*FWOOOOSH!*
Nine fire dragons emerged from the Stigma, coiled around each other, and converged at the tip of her cigarette.
“Just grant me a really fucking strong and powerful flame.”
*Flick!*
She flicked the cigarette with her fingertip.
Like tossing a butt onto gasoline-soaked ground, the entire area was instantly engulfed in a firestorm.
“Die, you bastards.”
*KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA!!!*
The nine intertwined fire dragons opened their maws.
A torrent of dragon’s breath shot out in a straight line, sweeping through the demonic beasts.
“…Is that really how a Stigma’s incantation is supposed to work?”
Xiaolan stared, dumbfounded, at the straight path that had been blasted through the beasts’ encirclement.
It was common for Awakeners to use a constellation’s name like an incantation to draw out the full power of their Stigma, but she had never heard one so absurd.
“We’re breaking through!”
Allen kicked off the ground and shot forward.
“Ah, ugh.”
Having unleashed a powerful breath, Ha-eun clutched her Dragon’s Eye and let out a groan.
She had used too much magic at once, and it felt like her consciousness was about to slip away.
“Get on my back, unni.”
Isabella crouched in front of Ha-eun, offering her back.
“I-I’m fine, I can still move…”
“You’ll be surrounded by beasts if you fall behind. Hurry!”
“O-Okay.”
Staggering as she held her Dragon’s Eye, Ha-eun climbed onto Isabella’s back.
With Ha-eun on her back, Isabella chased after Allen, who was charging ahead.
‘Oh-jin, please just wait a little longer.’
Isabella bit her lip and pushed off the ground.
After the fierce battle in the Demon Realm, she was once again tormented by a terrible thirst for blood.
But more than the bloodlust gnawing at her mind…
More than the thirst parching her throat…
Right now, she missed his warm presence so much it ached.
‘I… I will definitely.’
*Splaaash!*
Tendrils of red blood tore through the bodies of the charging beasts.
“This way!”
Allen swung his sword, perfectly navigating through the horde of beasts swarming from all directions.
*CRACK!*
With every swing of his frost-covered sword, the charging beasts shattered into pieces of ice.
“A big one is coming from the left!”
Hearing Xiaolin’s shout, Allen turned his head.
“KUUUOOOOOOOOH!”
A demonic beast exuding a tremendous aura was slithering toward them at high speed, letting out a ferocious roar.
“I’ll take care of that one.”
The aura the beast was emitting was too menacing to simply ignore.
Allen raised his sword and stood in the path of the charging beast.
It was about fifty meters long.
A monster with a long, serpentine body covered in green scales and four pairs of ominously glowing red eyes.
“…A basilisk.”
A powerful monster, a single one of which could destroy a decent-sized city.
“Hup!”
Gripping his frost-covered sword, Allen charged toward the basilisk.
“Ugh! There are too many of these damn beasts!”
Xiaoran, who was fending off the beasts surging from the right, shouted with a frown.
Though not on the level of the basilisk, notoriously powerful monsters were pouring in like a flood.
“Let me down.”
Ha-eun, still on Isabella’s back, tapped her on the shoulder.
“…But.”
“You can’t fight properly with me on your back, can you?”
“……”
Isabella nodded and gently lowered Ha-eun to the ground.
“I’ll block the ones coming from the right. You break through the front, unni.”
“Got it.”
Allen and Xiaolin were on the left.
Isabella and Xiaoran were on the right.
Because the horde of beasts was lined up on both sides, the number of enemies directly in front, where the fissure was, was relatively small.
“Kerrrreuk!”
“KIEEEEEEEEK!”
The beasts shrieked madly as they charged.
“Get out of the way, you punks!”
Ha-eun incinerated the head of an oncoming beast with fire and ran forward.
‘Oh-jin.’
As she stared at the approaching fissure…
She bit her lip gently.
‘Your nunna is coming to save you now.’
Please, please, please.
“Just be alive… Oh-jin.”
After leaving Oh-jin behind in the Demon Realm and returning…
The tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her cheeks.
She had confidently told others that Oh-jin would be fine.
But in a corner of her heart, the fear that she might never see him again remained, refusing to be erased.
What if I never see him again?
What if I can never be in his arms again?
Every time she had such thoughts, she was consumed by an anxiety that felt like it would drive her mad.
“Oh-jin, Oh-jin, Oh-jiiiiin!”
Ha-eun cried out his name desperately as she ran toward the black fissure.
The remaining distance was about twenty meters.
Just a few more steps, and she could enter the Demon Realm where he was trapped.
“Your nunna will definitely save you!”
The emotions she had suppressed until now burst forth, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Please… please, just be alive, Oh-jin…”
Perhaps her sorrowful voice reached him.
Just before she leaped into the black fissure…
The fissure rippled, and a giant demonic beast walked out from within.
A hideous monster with the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and the tail of a snake.
And.
“Oh, Oh-jin! Oh-ji… huh?”
Ha-eun’s expression twisted violently when she saw Oh-jin, sprawled on the beast’s back, leisurely munching on potato chips like an unemployed, middle-aged bum.
“What the fuck.”
Why the hell is he just sitting there like that?