Apocalyptor (3)
The waters off the coast of Busan churned violently as the Republic of Korea Navy’s Sejong the Great-class destroyers arrived. The destroyers’ gun ports opened in unison.
“All ships, focus fire on the Apocalyptor!”
With the captain’s command, flames erupted from the naval guns. A barrage of shells rained down toward the Apocalyptor. High above, fighter jets designated as F-35A Lightning IIs tore through the sound barrier.
“Alpha 1, target locked. Air-to-ground missiles, fire!”
Following the squadron leader’s shout, missiles detached from the jets, slicing through the sky toward the monster. On land, the K2 Black Panther tank battalions held their formation, waiting for the order.
“Platoons 1, 2, and 3, fire at will!”
Flashes of light erupted from the 120mm electromagnetic cannons, and thick smoke blanketed the area.
BOOOOOOM!
The combined firepower of the army, navy, and air force engulfed the Apocalyptor. A massive explosion, seemingly tearing the sky apart, sent giant flames soaring upward, and smoke obscured the monster’s body.
Every soldier, regardless of their branch, felt a surge of certainty—a level of firepower they hadn't even experienced in training. We got it! Everyone’s eyes were glued to the smoke.
However.
“C-crazy!”
“It survived that?”
As the wind blew the smoke away, the Apocalyptor’s body was revealed, completely unscathed. Despair washed over everyone’s faces.
KROOOOOOOAR!
With a roar so loud it seemed to vent its fury, the Apocalyptor began to move. As it sprinted toward the sea, the ground shook. Reaching the water in an instant, the beast didn't hesitate; it grabbed a ten-thousand-ton Sejong the Great-class destroyer made of steel and lifted it as if it were nothing. It began swinging the ship like a legendary Excalibur. Nearby ships were wrecked by this simple yet lethal attack.
The K2 Black Panther tanks on land fired desperately, but it was as if they were signaling the beast to attack them. The monster charged toward the tanks in one go, and with ruthless kicks, the multi-ton tanks were sent flying through the air like crumpled tin cans.
The fighter jets in the sky also dropped missiles incessantly to provide fire support. But the Apocalyptor didn't even flinch—in fact, it looked annoyed.
That was when it happened. The Apocalyptor’s mouth opened, and a red glow shimmered deep within its throat. Before anyone could even realize what it was, an unbelievable sight unfolded. Like the dragon’s breath of legend, flames erupted from its maw, turning the sky into a sea of fire. The state-of-the-art stealth fighters in the sky burned up like paper airplanes.
The Republic of Korea’s army, navy, and air force, armed with cutting-edge weapons and immense firepower, were being thoroughly annihilated.
Hidden amidst the thick black smoke filling the Haeundae sky, young people holding cameras were crouching. Their eyes held more excitement than fear. They were YouTubers who hunted for unique content. Even though an evacuation order had been issued to the citizens, these YouTubers were all standing at a distance, broadcasting the Apocalyptor live with high-precision cameras.
“Hello, everyone! To satisfy your curiosity, I am currently standing not far from the Apocalyptor!” shouted Yoo Moon-young, a YouTuber with one million subscribers, as he looked into the camera.
“Wow, thank you all so much for tuning in! The concurrent viewer count has just surpassed three million! To all the viewers watching right now, please hit that like and subscribe button!!!”
After finishing his intro, Yoo Moon-young pointed his finger toward where the soldiers and the Apocalyptor were.
“Wow. This is a truly unbelievable scene. The soldiers are being helpless against it. Are we dreaming right now? And is it the worst nightmare possible?”
In the YouTuber’s eyes, he could see the soldiers retreating at high speed to get away from the Apocalyptor.
“The soldiers who were holding that thing back are pulling out. Ah… who on earth could stop that monster? It seems the military has already given up.”
No sooner had he finished his sentence than the chat window began to explode.
That was when it happened.
As a YouTuber, Yoo Moon-young had to reassure his subscribers who were worried about him.
“Hahaha, don’t worry. This is a high-precision camera, so it looks close, but in reality, the distance is huge. So, don’t worry about me…,”
Before he could even finish his sentence, the chat window began to scroll at a speed unlike anything before.
“What? What are you talking about?” Yoo Moon-young tilted his head while looking at the chat window. Look behind? No, why?
At that moment, a subtle vibration of the ground traveled up to the tips of Yoo Moon-young’s toes. What is it? He turned around instinctively, and his eyes widened in an instant.
“Ah, f*ck!?”
Yoo Moon-young cursed without realizing it during the broadcast. But that wasn't what was important right now. The Apocalyptor, a monster too terrifying even for nightmares, was running toward him. He didn't know if it was chasing him or if he just happened to be in its path. Either way, it was charging right at him.
I, I have to run. He forced his trembling legs to move and began to run. However, he was a true professional. Even in that situation, he kept the camera angle fixed on his own face and the Apocalyptor charging behind him.
The viewers were all hoping for Yoo Moon-young’s survival with one heart and one mind. Before a monster that defied resistance, all humans were on the same side. However, the Apocalyptor, with its massive body over 20 meters tall, approached in an instant, and its giant foot rose above Yoo Moon-young’s head.
He’s going to be stepped on.
“Ah, f*ck!”
Am I going to die like this? A YouTuber with a million subscribers? But there was no way out. The moment the giant shadow cast by the monster’s foot completely covered Yoo Moon-young’s body, he squeezed his eyes shut.
This is the end. He thought. If there were no miracle, his life would end here. And he thought of the money he had saved in his bank account. F*ck, I was so stingy with it, and now it’s all for nothing.
As he squeezed his eyes shut, he heard a young man’s shout.
“Uaaaaaaah!”
He opened his eyes and glanced at the sky; a man was falling from above. He heard someone’s shout from high up in the sky. Yoo Moon-young’s eyes widened. A man was falling from the sky. No, to be precise, he was flying toward the Apocalyptor.
Instinctively, he pointed the camera toward the man. At the same time, the man flew toward the Apocalyptor’s face like a rocket and slammed his fist into it.
KWA-ANG!
With a tremendous impact, the Apocalyptor, which hadn't budged until now, fell backward.
“Huk!”
In just one hit? The man landed in front of the gasping Yoo Moon-young.
“Are you okay there?”
“H-huk, it’s, it’s Cheon Yu-shin.”
“Huh? You know me?”
Cheon Yu-shin looked at him. Yoo Moon-young nodded his head frantically up and down. Is there anyone who doesn’t know you…?
Cheon Yu-shin grinned as if that were convenient. “Then this will be quick. Don’t get in the way and find a place to hide.”
Yoo Moon-young nodded blankly. Who was the person in front of him? It was none other than Cheon Yu-shin. The fact that he had spoken to him already guaranteed him millions of views. Furthermore, the camera in his hand was still broadcasting this entire situation live.
The chat window exploded.
Just as someone said, the Apocalyptor was slowly getting back up. The monster shook its head left and right, perhaps because the impact to its face was quite significant. Yu-shin grinned.
“So it’s B-rank, huh?”
He struck the center of its face with a fist infused with Magi. It was a force that would have been enough to cave in even the toughest armor. Yet, there wasn't a single scratch on its face. The Apocalyptor just looked like it had taken a heavy hit. Yu-shin, no matter how much his power had weakened, started to feel his pride being pricked.
The monster quickly regained its senses. KUOOOOOOOR! It beat its chest with both hands. Feeling its overwhelming presence, Yu-shin muttered.
“Is this an orangutan?”
That was when it happened. Like a flamethrower, a torrent of fire poured from the Apocalyptor’s mouth. The target was, obviously, Cheon Yu-shin.
“Uaaaaaaah!”
A scream echoed through the air. The protagonist of the scream was… the YouTuber Yoo Moon-young.
“Geez, how annoying.”
Cheon Yu-shin shook his head. This is why you shouldn't have people around. The Apocalyptor’s flame attack was extremely simple. That meant if you dodged it, it was over. But if he dodged, that man would die.
In an instant, Magi shot out from Cheon Yu-shin’s hand as if it were exploding. In mid-air, Yu-shin’s Magi and the Apocalyptor’s flames collided head-on. At the point where the two energies met, a tremendous roar and intense light erupted. The two forces struggled to push each other back.
“Pretty strong, huh?”
The power of the flames was stronger than he had expected. As the Apocalyptor saw its flames being blocked by the Magi, it spewed out even more fire. Then, the intensity of the flames increased and began to push back the Magi.
“Oh, look at this?”
How dare you resist my energy? At the same time, the intensity of the Magi extending from Yu-shin’s hand increased explosively. The Magi that had been pushed back by the monster’s flames overwhelmed them in an instant. Now, the Magi, which had grown larger than the flames, swallowed the fire whole and surged back toward the Apocalyptor’s face.
KWA-ANG!
The Magi struck the Apocalyptor’s face head-on. Its massive body slowly fell backward. It was the same pattern as before. But this time, it was different. Because the Apocalyptor’s face, which had been falling backward, had vanished.
The Apocalyptor, the ultimate terror that had turned Dokdo into a wasteland, had fallen far too easily. And as clear evidence of its death, notifications that his level had risen echoed one after another.
The battlefield fell into a sudden silence, as if the noise from just a moment ago had been a lie.
Gulp. Yoo Moon-young swallowed hard, but he didn't turn the camera away. This is huge!
The chat window was truly exploding. It was scrolling at such a speed that it was impossible to read the text, and since there were foreigners present, other languages besides Korean were also being written.
That was when it happened. Cheon Yu-shin turned his body and looked at Yoo Moon-young.
“Are you broadcasting right now?”
“…What? Ah! Yes. I’m doing a YouTube live broadcast…”
Yoo Moon-young cowered, wondering if he would get in trouble. If someone else had asked, he would have argued that it was a violation of the public’s right to know. But the Cheon Yu-shin in front of him was different. Wasn't he famous for doing whatever he wanted?
To the blank-faced YouTuber, Yu-shin said,
“Film me.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Actually, I’m already filming.
“Hello. I’m Cheon Yu-shin.”
Watching Cheon Yu-shin bow his head, the chat window became noisy.
Yoo Moon-young smiled without realizing it while glancing at the chat window. This is good. The number of likes was skyrocketing, to say nothing of the views.
“Alright. Now that I’ve said hello, I’ll get straight to the point. You see that?”
Yu-shin pointed his finger at the Apocalyptor’s corpse. The Apocalyptor, its head gone. Yet, its overwhelming presence, as if it might rise again at any moment, remained.
“I’m selling that. Price is open to offers, no haggling. I can give a small discount for a quick deal. So, make your offers.”