Bound by the Chains of War
When Ganon opened his eyes, it was not the present world.
"Urgh..."
A desert swept by red sand winds. But the sky was pitch black, without moon or stars.
"Wh-where... is this...?"
The top-tier ma-in, Ganon.
He had used the True Key of the Apocalypse to summon an Apocalypse Knight. He clearly remembered completing the summoning ritual on a remote island.
"Kugh!"
Ganon tried to clutch his head, but his arms were gone. His legs too.
His headache made his memories hazy.
Right, at the last moment... the magic circle's incantation went haywire and exploded.
Crunch.
It was that damned Blue Dragon's fault. The bastard must have tampered with the incantation. Simple, but devastatingly effective.
The summoning had succeeded, but it was unclear if he'd gained control.
Tzzzzzt...
Ganon formed arms and legs from magi. Using them as prosthetic limbs, he tried to stand.
Clatter, clank.
"Tch, what's this now?"
Chains extended from Ganon's heart, firmly anchored to the ground.
"These pathetic chains..."
He tried to sever them with magi, but not even a scratch appeared. Their hardness was unnatural.
No magical enchantments on the chains. There was no way he couldn't break them.
Boom!
But no matter how hard he tried, the chains held firm. Ganon's brow furrowed.
...It's not the chains that are strong. I'm bound by the contract.
Only then did Ganon look up.
An endless red sand desert stretched out. Hazy shapes were rising one by one from the ground.
They were souls.
Countless souls floated from the earth toward the sky. It was a wondrous sight, but Ganon's face only twisted further.
Not the present world.
Not the demon realm either.
Then...
Whoosh.
A gust of wind kicked up red sand, which began to take shape.
A red horse with solid muscles appeared, and atop it, a warrior revealed himself.
A giant clad in red robes over armor. His eyes gleamed sharply from within the hood. With a greatsword slung on his back, he looked down at Ganon.
"Th-the Apocalypse Knight..."
Ganon raised the True Key of the Apocalypse with his trembling prosthetic arm. If the summoning had worked properly, he should be able to control it.
Ganon was a top-tier demon. His accumulated magi rivaled a demon lord's—enough to dominate a world.
However.
"......"
As the Apocalypse Knight spoke, the True Key of the Apocalypse slipped from Ganon's hand.
His mere words made the earth rumble and the air quake. Countless souls writhed as they ascended.
Ganon felt pain as if his soul were tearing from his body. He couldn't breathe. His body felt crushed.
"Gahak—!"
Ganon spat roughly, glaring up at the Apocalypse Knight with bloodshot eyes.
Only then did he realize.
This was a unique domain.
The Apocalypse Knight's world.
The chains wouldn't break because the Apocalypse Knight didn't want them to.
Further struggle was pointless. The arms and legs he'd formed from magi scattered.
Protection...
The Apocalypse Knight spoke again. The words were indistinct. Amid the agony shaking his body, Ganon barely caught a few.
"Protection...? You're protecting me?"
The intent was clear.
From the System's proxy.
From Mumyeong.
The Apocalypse Knight sought to protect Ganon.
Ganon's eyes narrowed.
"Hah... I don't need it. This kind of protection..."
It is necessary.
Those words alone made Ganon spew black-red blood. The Apocalypse Knight grasped the chains.
The System would punish Ganon again this time.
Not just limbs, but his life.
That would sever the summoning link.
The Apocalypse Knight didn't want that.
Behold, ruin needs no other words. The end will come without facing Mumyeong.
The red horse's rider, 'War', gripped the chains and the reins. The horse neighed and soared into the sky.
Dragged without resistance, Ganon let out a hollow laugh.
'Even the Apocalypse Knight refuses to face Mumyeong directly?'
A human.
Just a mere human,
Feared even by an Apocalypse Knight?
But he couldn't ask further.
Ganon feared the Apocalypse Knight.
"So cute."
Gabriel ruffled Fierce Flame's head wildly.
"Let go! Don't treat me like a child!"
Fierce Flame struggled and broke free from Gabriel. As a Myth+ apostle, she escaped relatively easily.
"But I'm your big sis."
"......"
"And my constellation rank is higher."
"Hm......"
Fierce Flame fell silent, then approached Gabriel again.
"If it means getting along with the heavenly constellations, this much is fine. Rabbits stroke those higher in the pecking order, right? If I think of it that way..."
Lucifer, who had been watching intently, questioned her like an interrogator.
"So, besides getting petted, what's your specialty?"
"Basically similar to Blue Dragon. I specialize in fire."
With one more apostle, their options expanded.
Couldn't forget she was Myth+ rank.
'Each rank up changes an apostle's power on a whole other level.'
He'd check combat prowess later.
For now, more pressing matters.
"So, what's the plan to stop the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"
"Just a moment, please. Due to info restrictions... It'll be quick."
As Fierce Flame said, after a short wait, new system messages appeared.
Your region is Asia.
Battlefield
Enter the battlefield and acquire points.
The continent with the fewest points will perish.
Simple, yet chilling messages.
Fierce Flame crossed her arms and began explaining.
"And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come!' Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword."
"A Bible verse?"
"Correct. It refers to the Red Horseman."
Fierce Flame conjured a flame at her fingertip. It shaped into a knight on horseback.
"Until now, the System has been somewhat merciful. Clear the threats in front of you, and everyone survives."
Gates vanish when cleared.
World bosses and death waves too.
No event had directly pitted humanity against itself.
"But the Red Horseman is different. The mission itself incites conflict."
The lowest-scoring continent perishes without mercy. A massive blade will cleave it apart.
— Even if the world ends, Master will be fine.
That was Lucifer's point.
As long as he was here, South Korea wouldn't fall.
But other countries, other continents would plunge into ruin mercilessly. No salvation in sight.
"But no need for despair. I investigated thoroughly as a constellation before descending. Huh?"
At that moment, Blue Dragon arrived from the blood-red sky, landing lightly on the terrace.
"Fierce Flame, nice to see you again here."
"Ah, yeah... Nice."
Fierce Flame's response felt awkward. Avoiding eye contact, almost deliberately.
"What's up? Weren't you two close?"
"Were we?"
"D-don't mind it."
Fierce Flame hurriedly changed the subject and looked at him.
"Anyway! To stop the Apocalypse Knights, we head to the battlefield."
Special Gate: Battlefield.
The lowest-scoring continent there is done for.
No choice but to go.
He could gauge it then.
...
Couldn't just sit this out.
The entire world was in turmoil. Not just civilians, but hunters and heads of state too.
"If we don't get enough points, it's over just like that?"
"...To survive, we have to kill off other continents."
"Not monsters, but fighting among ourselves?"
"We must ban hunters from entering the battlefield."
"You think that's possible?"
"Gates to the battlefield can be opened by individual hunters."
Couldn't block entry to the battlefield.
No way to monitor all hunters. Nations had to find survival strategies too.
"Restrict them so they can't enter..."
"Only mutual agreements."
"Somehow control that country's hunters..."
Humanity was powerless before the System's tyranny.
Truth be told, always had been. Humanity never held the upper hand.
They just cleared the gates it provided, using the byproducts.
Only one conclusion.
"We have no choice but to rack up high scores in the battlefield first."
Scores were climbing even now.
Countless hunters entered the battlefield. Among them, China's top guild 'Zhonghua' moved fastest.
Eastern Battlefield: Verdant Zone
"Asia's safe anyway. With Mumyeong there."
"If we have to sacrifice a continent... at least we survive, right?"
You have entered the battlefield for the first time.
You cannot lose your life in the battlefield.
"Can't lose our lives?"
The Chinese hunters furrowed their brows.
You can purchase benefits with acquired points.
• EXP Boost
• Stat Increase
• Level Cap Removal
• Monster Summon
• Item Summon
The hunters' eyes widened at the following messages.
"This is huge!"
"Survive, and we profit big time."
"Wait, but..."
One hunter pointed at the system window.
Point acquisition methods:
• Monster Hunting
• Awakened Being Kill
Killing an Awakened Being grants all points they possessed.
"This is basically setting up a fight fest."
No loss of life.
That condition eased their consciences. They'd commit murders they'd never consider normally.
And that condition vanishes at the end.
The problem: Lowest-continent hunters lose reason then.
They lash out to avoid ruin, forcing others to kill them.
Humanity's forces dwindle regardless.
But for China's hunters now, that wasn't the priority.
"Look, other continents' scores are rising."
"Fall behind, and we lose out."
China's hunters began hunting. Once someone starts, others follow like sheep. That was the structure.
Monsters weren't too strong.
"Stronger ones deeper in, probably."
"Push inside and hunt."
As China's hunters cleared an orc village hidden in the forest.
"Hm?"
"What?"
"What's that?"
One hunter pointed deeper into the forest.
A streak of fire fell from the sky like a meteor, crashing into the ground with a massive explosion.
Kaboom—!
Crimson flames burst brightly, hot winds sweeping the forest. Trees and earth charred black in the powerful blast.
"Urgh, what?!"
"Why such a huge explosion out of nowhere?"
"What the..."
The Chinese hunters' jaws dropped.
And the next moment.
Asia's score is rising.
Score rising at abnormal speed.
Asia's score skyrocketed.
Only one who could do this.
Mumyeong.
Him and his apostles.
Boom—!
Kabooooom—!
At the same time, similar explosions rocked the western, northern, and southern zones.
Gabriel, Lucifer, and Blue Dragon hunted monsters at full power.
A few constellations are satisfied with your bold decision.
A few constellations express deep concern over your choice.
Mumyeong impassively viewed the constellation messages pouring in, then shifted to the wildly climbing points.
'As Fierce Flame said... this should prevent ruin.'
These points could buy benefits. What Mumyeong targeted was clear.
Summons monsters proportional to points spent.
With luck, he could even lure an Apocalypse Knight here.