The Living Catastrophe
Rio was not the kind of man who should have died like this.
He was the most crucial figure in the hunt for Dayton.
His sniping ability from long range was absolute, so even Neo Seoul's mayor had handed him over after much deliberation. Yet they had lost him before the real battle even began.
Jang Yong-beom glared at Dayton.
Dayton stood in the middle of the desert, laughing.
There wasn't a single trace of damage from the bullet anywhere on his body.
Not even a custom anti-Awakener round enhanced with magic had scratched him.
"Yes! Now that's more like it. Makes the hunt worthwhile."
Besides his own party, seven more had joined the fray.
All of them were experts at hunting fellow Awakeners.
There were no S-rank strategic weapons among them, but plenty of A- and B-rank Awakeners.
Neo Seoul and the slums teemed with Awakener parties like these.
They scouted out dungeons threatening the city and cleared them. But some specialized in hunting other Awakeners instead of monsters—it was far easier to make a killing that way.
They generally avoided tangling with each other.
They knew each other too well. The only reason they'd banded together for this job was the massive payout.
It was more than enough justification that the request came straight from Neo Seoul's top authority, the mayor himself.
"We'll take him down."
"Finally, time to claim the head of the Butcher. Heh heh!"
The Awakeners in the other buggies burned with battle lust.
They'd heard countless legends about Dayton.
The Butcher.
The Desert Madman.
The Living Catastrophe.
Words to describe him were endless.
The problem was, they were all negative.
Yet these hunters weren't intimidated—they were thrilled.
This was their golden chance to bag the legendary Dayton.
The one who killed him would claim all the glory and forge a new legend.
"We gotta get there first. Floor it!"
"Can't let the others steal it."
The buggies carrying the Awakeners raced ahead competitively.
"Those fucking idiots!"
Jang Yong-beom scowled at them.
Even united, they might barely stand a chance—starting off like scattered minnows was a disaster.
The omens were bad.
Aiden spoke up.
"Boss, let's hang back a bit."
"Shit!"
"We need to stay cool-headed."
It was Aiden speaking—the brains of Jang Yong-beom's party.
He was the one who'd tracked Dayton down in this vast desert. Without him, they'd still be wandering aimlessly.
Jang Yong-beom nodded.
"Okay! Drop to the rear."
"Got it!"
Aiden eased off the throttle. The other buggies surged past them in a flash.
They closed the distance to Dayton in seconds.
"Old man! Time to die!"
An Awakener from the lead buggy launched himself at Dayton.
A massive axe gleamed in his hands, wreathed in intense aura.
He swung, unleashing an axe-shaped aura blade straight at Dayton.
He was confident this one strike would deal serious damage.
Dayton was unarmed.
Blocking his skill without a weapon was impossible.
Then Dayton swung his bare fist.
Bam!
The aura from the axe vanished in an instant.
"What the—?"
The charging Awakener's eyes bulged.
Dayton, who had nullified his aura, had vanished from sight.
He reappeared right in front of him—like he'd blinked across the space in the blink of an eye.
Crunch!
Dayton's massive hand engulfed the Awakener's face.
"Guh!"
The Awakener tried to swing his axe at Dayton's torso, but Dayton crushed down first.
Snap!
The Awakener's head shattered like a cookie as he swung.
Blood and brains oozed between Dayton's fingers.
"Heh heh! Sent by Jin Geum-ho, are ya?"
Jin Geum-ho was Neo Seoul's mayor.
A living giant like Dayton, who'd survived the turbulent era.
He'd built modern Neo Seoul and crowned himself mayor.
The pinnacle of power in the city.
Once Dayton's comrade, a brother-in-arms on the same path.
But a century had driven them apart, turning them into worse than enemies.
"Shut your trap, monster!"
"All-out assault!"
The Awakeners leaped from their buggies and unleashed everything.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Their skills churned up the desert sands.
But by the time they hit, Dayton was gone.
He reappeared in the middle of the pack.
Crush!
One punch exploded a B-rank Awakener's head.
The next victim was a female mage.
Her prized Flame Wind never got off the ground.
The last thing she saw was the madness in Dayton's eyes.
"N-no..."
Splat!
Her torso burst apart.
"Arghhh!"
"D-don't panic..."
"Agh!"
Screams and shocked cries echoed across the desert sky.
This can't go on!
The one who stepped up was an Awakener named No Ji-gwang.
"Flame Lance."
Fiery spears materialized in the air.
With a gesture, they hurtled toward Dayton.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Explosions engulfed Dayton in flames.
The others seized the opening, martial artists charging with blazing auras, mages bombarding from afar.
Flames and sand blanketed the desert.
Someone gulped dryly and muttered,
"That should do it, right?"
Then—
Whiiiiiish!
A chilling whoosh pierced the air.
They whipped around. A massive greatsword was flying from afar.
Dayton's Clayon.
It spun viciously, sweeping through the Awakeners.
Slash slash slash!
"Argh!"
"Mercy!"
Everything it touched was shredded.
Awakeners, weapons—ranks meant nothing.
A-rank, B-rank, C-rank—all carved equally.
Half the raid party was gone in seconds.
"My God!"
"That's the... Butcher?"
The survivors' faces drained of color.
Clayon returned to Dayton's hand.
Despite their all-out assault, he was unscathed.
"Heh heh heh!"
His mad laughter sent chills down their spines.
Now they understood why he was called the Living Catastrophe, the Butcher.
Dayton was strong.
Not just strong—terrifyingly so.
Ranks were meaningless against him.
Only now did they realize why no S-rank was in the raid.
Even an S-rank couldn't guarantee survival against him.
The mayor must have figured the raid was more likely to fail.
"Then why send us?"
"Fuck that mayor bastard!"
They cursed Jin Geum-ho, who had commissioned the job.
Dayton ignored the disorganized mob like chaff.
"See that?"
"Just 'cause you call me a retard doesn't make your eyes retarded too, bitchin'."
The curt reply came from Zeon.
"Those are all big shots in Neo Seoul, y'know."
"So?"
"With your skills, you'd get treated like that there too."
"So?"
"This is your last chance to go back to Neo Seoul, bitchin'!"
"So?"
"Follow me now, and you can never go back to a normal life. So if you wanna head to Neo Seoul, go now. Last chance."
"A normal life?"
"Yeah! Same as everyone else."
"Fuck! You kidding me?"
"What?"
"You think I can just live normally now? You're talking bullshit, you dog-ass old man!"
From the moment he'd met Dayton—no, from the instant he'd awakened as the Sand Mage—normalcy no longer fit Zeon.
His heart burned with the desire to grow stronger. How could he follow those fools back to Neo Seoul?
Returning would just make him a tool for the powerful or a lab rat for dissection.
To him, going back to Neo Seoul was just another word for death.
Dayton laughed.
"Heh heh! The bitchin's finally lost his damn mind too. Congrats on becoming a true bitchin'."
"Thanks a fucking bunch."
Zeon flipped Dayton the bird.
"Heh heh!"
Dayton burst into laughter and charged into the Awakeners.
They couldn't stop him barehanded—now with Clayon, it was hopeless.
He was a lion among sheep.
Crunch!
Every swing of Clayon snapped, tore, and crushed Awakeners.
The desert sands turned red with their blood in moments.
"Fuck! How is that even human?"
"We should pull back. Before we become his next target."
Jang Yong-beom's party, wisely hanging back, escaped the slaughter.
Mountain's massive frame and brute strength had never feared anything—now his face was ghost-white. Aiden and Giselle looked no better.
Jang Yong-beom stared in disbelief.
"Hunt that? The mayor's lost his mind."
He'd heard tales of Dayton, but this was his first sight.
An A-rank himself, he feared no one in Neo Seoul.
An S-rank might make him wary, but he'd fight if he had to—bet his life and scrap.
But Dayton massacring from afar? No chance in hell.
Even at this distance, goosebumps crawled up his arms.
A first for him.
Giselle said,
"Boss, we'll end up as Butcher bait at this rate. Let's bail, okay!"
Urgency filled her face.
A kilometer from Dayton.
Far for most, meaningless for his caliber.
If he wanted, he'd be here in a blink.
Jang Yong-beom said,
"Back to Neo Seoul. And no more jobs tied to the mayor."
"Understood."
"Let's go."
Aiden whipped the buggy around.
It sped away from Dayton. But Jang Yong-beom couldn't tear his eyes from the battlefield.
His gaze drifted to the robed figure behind Dayton.
Too far, hood pulled low—no face visible.
Who is that? If they're with Dayton, sure as hell not some ordinary human.