Chapter 159: United Kingdom (3)
Chapter 159: United Kingdom (3)
By the time the British government and the Association realized Dover Station had been seized, it was already too late.
They knew an attack was coming, but they hadn't expected it to be so swift and preemptive.
A significant number of Demonic Humans had already slipped into the UK in secret, making it impossible to prevent the sudden fall of Dover Station.
Before the UK could mount a proper response, the French Demonic Humans moved with terrifying speed.
They pushed straight toward London, launching indiscriminate attacks on civilians and turning the city into a scene of utter carnage.
As a densely populated area, the casualties were staggering.
Having embraced their roles as Demonic Humans, they reveled in the slaughter, intoxicated by violence. The civilians caught in their path were systematically massacred.
Boom!
"Aaaagh! Help me!"
As the capital, London was home to many Awakeners and soldiers tasked with its defense, but the suddenness of the ambush and the ensuing urban warfare left them unable to respond effectively.
Furthermore, these Demonic Humans were former Awakeners who had grown even more powerful by accepting the strength of demons.
The UK’s Large Clans were scattered across the country, each maintaining their own territories. With only two Large Clans stationed in London, they were hopelessly outnumbered by the ten French Large Clans spearheading the assault.
Normally, guns and explosives provided enough stopping power against Awakeners to make regular soldiers a meaningful defensive force.
But against the Demonic Humans, they were useless.
The invaders were completely unfazed by gunfire; only direct hits from explosives seemed to cause any damage at all.
Their bodies, reinforced by Dark Mana, had turned them into powerful monsters. Consequently, the soldiers defending London were of little help.
The Queen and the rest of the Royal Family were evacuated as an emergency measure, and troops were rapidly deployed to form a defensive line, but halting the onslaught proved nearly impossible.
An emergency command center was hastily established, comprised of government officials, military officers, and Awakeners from the Association and Large Clans.
"We can't establish a defense line. They're breaking through every position we set up."
"Can't we use artillery to stop them?"
"The civilian evacuation isn't complete yet. Using artillery in this situation would be..."
With civilians still caught in the crossfire, the leadership hesitated, fearing the public outcry that would follow indiscriminate shelling.
While they wavered, the situation on the battlefield showed no signs of improvement.
It was only after two-thirds of London had been lost that they finally managed to establish a defensive perimeter centered around Wembley.
In truth, it was more that the Demonic Humans had secured enough territory and halted their advance to begin constructing their own defenses...
Regardless, the British side was finally able to catch its breath.
The attack by the French Demonic Humans was not something that could be hidden.
Because the victims were civilians and the setting was the heart of London, videos and reports were being uploaded to the internet in real-time.
The fact that London was under such a massive assault was shocking, even in a world already destabilized by the recent demon incursions.
The shock was particularly profound in countries that had managed to resolve their own crises without significant damage.
Han Shin and his party, currently on a flight to London, were watching the events unfold on the cabin's TV.
"They've attacked already..."
Han Shin muttered, his brow furrowed in a grim expression.
The news anchor's voice droned on, stating that it was currently impossible to accurately estimate the civilian casualties.
The screen showed aerial footage of London's destruction, likely captured by a drone.
Smoke billowed from various fires, and the sight of collapsed buildings turned the city into a grotesque landscape.
"How much longer until we arrive?"
"About six hours. They said they're moving as fast as possible, but..."
There were physical limits to how much they could shorten the travel time.
"I hope nothing catastrophic happens in the meantime..."
"We just have to hope the British hold out," Kang Yujin added.
Han Shin nodded. After a moment of thought, he decided they needed to plan their movements for the moment they touched down.
"What should our first move be once we get there?"
Grace and Laysia, who had been silent until then, began to share the plans they had been formulating.
With Kang Yujin joining in, the four of them began an in-depth discussion on how to act the moment they reached London.
★ ★ ★
The Demonic Humans, having seized two-thirds of London, were satisfied with the smooth progress of their plan.
Using the corpses of the slaughtered civilians, they used Dark Magic to create zombies and scattered them throughout the city, while also planting Dark Magic booby traps everywhere.
Knowing full well that the British government and Awakeners could eventually resort to artillery, they didn't bother building high walls. Instead, they erected barriers using Dark Magic.
They deployed the Arrow Curse Barrier, which extremely decelerated any incoming projectiles. The materials used to fuel it were the citizens of London.
In the early stages of the assault, the French Demonic Humans had slaughtered indiscriminately to spread terror and satisfy their bloodlust. Afterward, however, they began capturing citizens alive specifically to use them as "materials."
The citizens were herded like livestock to be slaughtered by the Demonic Humans. It was a living hell.
Meanwhile, at Big Ben, they began the work to achieve their true objective.
Unlike in Aokigahara, Japan, the demons couldn't simply transport a Black Spire through a dungeon and build it instantly.
It would take a week for the demons inside the portals to emerge, which was far too long for their current needs.
However, they had found a solution.
The demons of Nippur, having been contacted by Mammon's demons through the portals in France, transmitted pre-prepared purple portals to London.
The coordinates were chosen for their suitability in weakening the dimensional barrier while being easy to defend. Coincidentally, that location was Big Ben.
The Demonic Humans acting under the orders of Mammon's demons entered the purple portals and brought out artifacts crafted with Dark Magic—the materials needed to build a Black Spire.
Since Earth's Awakeners who had become Demonic Humans could freely enter and exit dungeons, they were able to construct the Black Spire with incredible speed.
The demons of Nippur were also putting forth their full effort. Soon, Big Ben was being encased in rock that looked like black obsidian, transforming into a Black Spire.
This sight was captured by the British soldiers who were constantly monitoring the area.
"A Black Spire? Isn't that what was built in Japan?"
"Yes, sir. They say it makes it easier for demons to cross over to Earth."
Wolyeong had already explained this to the Association, and the information had been shared with Awakeners worldwide.
It had even been broadcast to civilians through special programs and the internet. The transformation of Big Ben into a Black Spire was immediately picked up by news stations and broadcast to the world.
"Can't we destroy it with shelling?"
"We've already attempted several airstrikes and long-range artillery barrages, but they all failed..." the Minister of Defense said, his voice dejected.
He felt a sense of professional shame as a soldier, seeing his troops prove utterly useless in this battle.
The power of the Arrow Curse Barrier was too great.
Even with airstrikes and artillery, the moment a projectile entered the barrier, its velocity was drastically reduced, making it easy to intercept.
The Demonic Humans simply used Dark Magic and bows to shoot down every incoming threat, preventing any meaningful damage.
To have any effect, one needed supernatural abilities capable of resisting Dark Magic to neutralize the barrier's power, but Earth lacked such capabilities.
While the appearance of portals had created Awakeners with supernatural abilities and provided many artifacts, they lacked the ability to produce such specialized counters themselves.
"When are the Awakeners from other regions expected to arrive?"
"They are organizing their forces and moving as quickly as possible, but it will be at least another hour before they all arrive."
Since the military was useless, the situation had to be resolved by Awakeners, but they had suffered heavy losses during the initial defense of London.
With most of the local Awakeners incapacitated, the London command center was struggling just to maintain their current defense and desperately needed reinforcements.
They had already checked the status of the Wolyeong party.
Fortunately, they had departed by plane before the incident broke out, but there was nothing they could do about the six hours remaining until their arrival.
"Dammit...!"
The gap between the French Demonic Humans' lightning-fast execution and the UK's ability to respond was simply too wide.
The Large Clans spread across the country were providing support as quickly as they could, but to those facing the enemy on the front lines, their arrival felt agonizingly slow.