Apocalyptor (2)

Major Japanese media outlets published editorials supporting Prime Minister Kenji’s wise decision. [In a moment of crisis, Prime Minister Kenji’s decisive choice saved Japan.] [An inevitable choice made amidst the threat of national extinction; we support his decision.] [The courage of Prime Minister Kenji in the face of the worst and greatest crisis in Japanese history.] [Prime Minister Kenji’s approval rating skyrockets to 70%, praise for his decisive leadership in times of crisis.] [Poll results show 90% of citizens agree with Prime Minister Kenji’s decision to use nuclear weapons, calling it an inevitable choice.] [Support for Prime Minister Kenji’s decision to overcome national crisis, review of full-scale support for South Korea underway.]

Prime Minister Kenji smiled with satisfaction as he watched the newspapers and television channels plastered with talk about him. His gamble had paid off. He had protected Japan from the Apocalyptor, and as a result, he had gained the support of the people. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nakamura, who was sitting in front of him, asked cautiously.

“Um, Prime Minister. Do you truly intend to provide support to South Korea?”

Prime Minister Kenji stood up from his seat and grew stern.

“What kind of nonsense is that? Why would we support South Korea? I have no intention of providing any support whatsoever, so cut off all contact coming from them. Do you understand?”

“Ah, yes, I understand.”

“I’m actually at the point where I’d like to watch them fall.”

“But the media…”

Prime Minister Kenji said with a sneer.

“Are you naive, or just stupid? That’s just a show for the public. They wouldn’t want it either. Helping South Korea, that is. So, we just keep going with the narrative that ‘we are doing our best to help.’ Whether it’s to South Korea or the media. Do you get it?”

Nakamura nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes, I understand, Prime Minister.”

At his answer, a smile began to spread across Prime Minister Kenji’s lips.

While the worst emergency breaking news coming from televisions and smartphones chilled the citizens to the bone, Team Leader Park Hae-soo and Cheon Yooshin were having a conversation at the Hunter Management Department.

“Yooshin, you can refuse,” Park Hae-soo said to Yooshin with a serious expression.

“Refuse? Is that even possible? I thought hunters belonging to the Hunter Management Department had a duty.”

To clear gates as a top priority and protect the Republic of Korea. It was the noble cause and duty that the Hunter Management Department held up as its banner. Of course, it probably sounded like old-fashioned nonsense to Yooshin.

If one didn’t have the ability, the only way was to hand it over to a private guild, but in the current situation, there wasn’t a single guild that would accept it even if they tried to hand it over.

“It is a duty, yes. But this is the Apocalyptor. The Apocalyptor that effectively turned Dokdo into a wasteland. So, for this time, it’s best to throw that duty away and run.”

“Then who is going to fight that thing?”

At Yooshin’s words, Park Hae-soo closed his mouth. He was right. There was no countermeasure. Even at this very moment, the government’s only plan was to build positions on the east coast. But how on earth were they supposed to defeat something that could withstand a nuclear blast?

“I’ll stop it,” Yooshin said, stretching his neck and rising from his seat.

“Are you really going to do it? Your opponent is the Apocalyptor. No one would blame you even if you avoided it.”

Deep down, Park Hae-soo hoped he would find fault as always and avoid this raid. B-rank is classified as a natural disaster level. So, people who looked far into the situation actually hoped Cheon Yooshin would avoid this raid. But Cheon Yooshin’s thoughts were different from theirs.

“There’s no one else, is there? Someone to face that thing. They say this country has hunters who struggle even with C-rank gate raids, so what do you expect? If I don’t stop it, the country will be devastated.”

This wasn’t like a Sudden Gate that would disappear if you just stalled for time. You had to eliminate the thing to end this situation. Now was not the time to avoid it.

‘Besides, I can never grow if I just keep avoiding things.’

Yooshin’s level had been stagnant lately anyway. His level was stuck at 36.

‘Maybe this could be an opportunity.’

He had been thinking about it. Raiding the B-rank monster that was on Dokdo. It was just annoying. He didn’t have the slightest thought that he would lose to it. And Yooshin was quite pissed off at Japan’s toss. It was an opportunity, but at the same time, it felt unpleasant to be played according to Japan’s intentions. This was a matter directly linked to his pride.

Being dragged around didn’t suit his temperament. Besides, if he thought about the plane bombing incident, the country of Japan really didn’t seem to suit him. Well, anyway.

“So, where is it expected to reach?”

“Predicting from the path so far, we expect it to be Uljin.”

“Haa… Uljin?”

How long did it take from Seoul to Uljin? Was it 5 hours? There was something scarier than facing the Apocalyptor. It was rush hour. Cheon Yooshin was also just a normal person in front of a jammed traffic jam.

That was when.

“I’ve prepared a helicopter. Let’s move quickly.”

“…What? You already prepared it?”

That was directly contradictory to the stance he had taken just a moment ago. Didn’t he clearly tell him to avoid it?

Park Hae-soo nodded as if it were natural.

“It’s a virtue that a public servant should naturally possess. Always having a best, second-best, and third-best plan.”

Yooshin was momentarily speechless at Park Hae-soo’s confident words. The public servants I know aren’t like that.

Yooshin, who looked down at the Uljin coastline from the sky in a helicopter, let ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out an exclamation.

“Wow, it’s like a movie. A movie.”

It was a spectacle even for Yooshin, who had had countless experiences. In the sky, countless helicopters were flying busily like a swarm of bees. Occasionally, the sound of fighter jets breaking the sound barrier and cutting through the clouds rang in his ears. In the sea, massive warships were waiting. The giant naval guns of the warships were already aimed toward the horizon. So that if the order was given, if the thing showed its appearance above the water, they could aim and fire at any moment.

When he turned his gaze to the land, tanks that looked like a massive steel wall were lined up along the coastline. Their gun barrels were also aimed toward the sea. And around them, soldiers in combat uniforms were moving busily, performing final checks.

Park Hae-soo said in a heavy voice to Yooshin, who was looking down at them.

“This is our final defensive line created by the cooperation of the land, sea, and air. If we can’t stop it here, it’s straight to the city center. So we must stop it here no matter what.”

Yooshin nodded silently. Then he opened his mouth.

“Tell them to pull all the troops out.”

“…What? Pull them out?”

When they were in a situation where they needed to concentrate more troops? It was the best measure decided by the President of South Korea and the generals with stars on their shoulders putting their heads together.

“They’ll just be a hindrance. You don’t think you can defeat something that can withstand a nuclear blast with those things, do you?”

When he and that thing clashed, electronic equipment would be paralyzed by the shockwave. Then they would be nothing more than heavy, cumbersome lumps of scrap metal. Rather, they would have no choice but to act passively to avoid causing damage to them instead of focusing on the battle. It would be better to withdraw them all.

“Is it really possible to handle it alone? Even with rear support…”

The Apocalyptor he saw on TV was something with a physique larger than most buildings. It was as if something like Godzilla he saw in movies had popped out into reality. If he could have defeated something like that with artillery shells, it wouldn’t have been able to come here in the first place.

“Do you think those things can help me? Those things must weigh quite a bit, so what are you going to do about the damage if that thing grabs ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tanks and throws them? So stop talking nonsense and withdraw them all!”

With those words, Yooshin boldly flung open the helicopter door. Then, a powerful wind instantly swirled inside the helicopter.

“W-what are you doing!?”

Yooshin grinned.

“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m on my way to the battlefield. I’ll be heading down first!”

He threw his body out of the helicopter without hesitation.

“Y-Yooshin!”

Park Hae-soo, startled, tried to grab his arm, but it was already too late. Yooshin’s body, falling toward the earth at tremendous speed, began to glide slowly.

Yooshin, who landed on the coastline, stared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠intently at the horizon. There was no energy felt yet. In the meantime, whether his intentions had been conveyed to the military, the tanks with heavy weight were turning their gun barrels backward and slowly rolling their tracks, leaving the coastline. The Aegis destroyers that had been on the sea also began to withdraw, creating ripples and forming a formation. In the sky as well, fighter jets made a low-altitude flight along the coastline once before disappearing into the clouds. However, perhaps to broadcast this situation, 5 helicopters were flying in the distance, making propeller noises.

How long had he waited? Yooshin, who had been looking at the horizon, took out his phone.

“Team Leader? It’s coming here, right? If it was this much, it should have already arrived, shouldn’t it?”

The situation was 30 minutes later than the expected arrival time. For some reason, his gut feeling wasn’t good.

-Let’s wait a little longer. It’s moving under the water, so it’s a difficult situation to track it.

The call ended with Park Hae-soo’s answer. About 30 minutes after that.

‘Do I have to keep waiting like this?’

It had already been an hour since he had been standing here. He was starting to get annoyed.

That was when. The phone rang loudly. Just as Yooshin, tired of waiting, was about to vent his complaints, Park Hae-soo’s voice came through the receiver into Yooshin’s ears first.

-B-big trouble! The location…, the location has changed!

“What? What does that mean? What changed?”

Yooshin’s face had hardened before he knew it.

-It wasn’t Uljin. It was Haeundae in Busan. Haeundae! The military troops nearby are barely holding on right now, but at this rate, they’ll be breached soon. So I’ll send a helicopter right now. So you have to get there as fast as possible! Hurry!

The high-rise buildings that had covered the sky of Haeundae had turned into collapsed debris. People could no longer be found on the beach that had once been full of people.

“Kuaaaaaah!”

And in the middle of the ruins, the monster Apocalyptor, well over 20 meters tall, was letting out a ferocious roar and mercilessly destroying buildings. Even the sturdy and massive structures built of reinforced concrete were no different from sandcastles in front of the Apocalyptor’s monstrous strength. The thing seemed to regard the place where people had lived for a long time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as its own playground.

Unfortunately, the thing was advancing endlessly. While destroying everything that blocked its path.

Kwaaaaaang!

At that moment, several shells fired by K1 tanks from far away hit the center of the Apocalyptor’s back accurately. In the sky, Cobra helicopters that had appeared out of nowhere poured missiles intensively onto the thing. But the Apocalyptor’s skin didn’t have a single scratch. It was just that its body had jolted for a moment due to the force of the missiles and shells. The thing didn’t seem to feel the impact itself.

“W-weapons aren’t working!”

The trembling voice of Captain Kim, the pilot of the Cobra helicopter, was conveyed through the radio. Then, a heavy man’s voice was heard from across the radio.

-You must stop it no matter what! If we are pushed back, 4 million citizens will be in danger!

The identity of the person shouting so loudly that his voice cracked at the end was the battalion commander.

That was when.

“W-what?!”

Captain Kim’s piercing scream rang out inside the helicopter. The Apocalyptor had suddenly bent its knees slightly and leaped into the sky in an instant. Its massive body, over 20 meters tall, was soaring higher and higher, as if ignoring gravity.

Then a scream erupted from the radio.

-Evasive! Evasive maneuver immediately!

But it was already too late. The Apocalyptor, which had leaped, or rather literally flown, reached out its hand and grabbed the Cobra helicopter Captain Kim was riding like a toy.

Along with the sound of the propeller blades breaking, Captain Kim screamed.

“N-no! Save…!”

At that moment, the Apocalyptor’s maw opened wide, and Captain Kim, along with the helicopter, was sucked into the thing’s mouth just like that. Voices searching for him were heard on the radio, but Captain Kim could no longer answer.