Chapter 166: United Kingdom (10)
Chapter 166: United Kingdom (10)
‘I can’t cross the river.’
The Demonic Humans already had control over the bridges spanning the River Thames, and they were prepared to blow them up at a moment's notice.
Furthermore, there wasn't a single boat or any kind of vessel along the riverbank in front of Han Shin. There wasn't even any floating debris he could use as a stepping stone to cross.
One didn't need to think deeply to realize the gravity of the situation.
In the midst of this, Han Shin devised a way to destroy the Black Spire.
As his silver aura flared powerfully, Han Shin entered his Juggernaut state. In this form, the Demonic Humans were powerless to stop him.
With the silver aura vividly shimmering around him, most attacks simply crumbled against him, while the spear he swung was unstoppable.
The swords raised to block Han Shin’s spear snapped like dry stalks, and shields shattered like glass.
In an instant, the Demonic Humans surrounding Han Shin were all cut down.
Soon, more would come, trampling over the corpses of their fallen comrades to swarm him.
It was a fleeting window of time, but Han Shin seized the opportunity.
The white aura billowing from his body suddenly seemed to be sucked back into him all at once.
Han Shin hadn't been satisfied with merely drawing out the Power of the Dragon to shroud his body in the Juggernaut state; he had been constantly researching how to better utilize this power.
As a result, he had learned how to compress the Power of the Dragon.
The draconic power that had been enveloping his body now gathered into his silver spear.
Having grown significantly stronger, Han Shin’s capacity to handle the Power of the Dragon had increased. He had slaughtered countless Demonic Humans today, including Albert, a swordsman who had once been a powerful high-rank Awakener.
Even after all that, a vast amount of the Power of the Dragon remained.
The silver spear glowed brilliantly, saturated with the aura.
Taking a throwing stance, the knight in silver armor hurled the spear toward the Black Spire.
Phut!
It was a simple throw, yet it produced a sound like the atmosphere itself was being torn asunder.
A shockwave erupted, sent stone fragments and debris scattered around Han Shin flying in every direction.
Even in broad daylight, a vivid streak of silver light carved through the air.
K-Boom!!!
The Demonic Humans couldn't even react.
It was as if Han Shin existed in a different flow of time within the same space; he threw the spear in the blink of an eye before the surrounding enemies could even move.
The process was so perfect and his form so clean that even the nearby Demonic Humans were struck with awe.
There was no time to track the silver spear after it left Han Shin’s hand. The moment it vanished from his grip, it was already embedded in the Black Spire.
The thunderous roar of the impact followed a split second later.
To the Demonic Humans, it was an incomprehensible, surreal sight.
This was because the Arrow Curse Barrier was currently active over their territory.
The fact that Han Shin’s party had been able to drop directly from the sky over London was only because they were living beings, not projectiles, and thus were not targeted by the barrier.
However, the spear Han Shin had just thrown was undeniably a projectile that should have been caught by the Arrow Curse Barrier.
Crack… Cra-crack!
An incredibly ominous sound echoed from the Black Spire to the ears of the Demonic Humans.
The structure was saturated with dark mana.
This obsidian-like rock was the materialization of dark mana, possessing a hardness that surpassed most metals.
The fact that it was cracking was a shock even to the Ego Artifacts standing guard beneath the spire.
[H-How…?]
If they had possessed physical bodies, their jaws would surely have dropped in disbelief and panic.
Even though they were communicating through their Ego Artifact forms, their sheer bewilderment was palpable.
Stone dust cascaded down from the Black Spire.
The cracks, which had started where Han Shin’s spear struck, were already racing toward the very top of the structure.
Creeeeeak!
The Power of the Dragon compressed within Han Shin’s silver spear was rapidly dismantling the Black Spire, which was composed of dark mana.
As the compressed power released through the tip of the spear, it acted like venom coursing through veins, following the spire’s mana structure and devouring the dark mana from within.
Because of this, the Black Spire disintegrated rapidly, losing the integrity required to maintain its form.
Rumble—Crash!!
Reaching its limit, the Black Spire erupted along the cracks as if a bomb had gone off inside, collapsing into a heap of rubble.
“Argh! Get back!”
“Aaaaah!”
“Gah!”
Except for the Awakeners who had noticed the signs and started retreating early, those who hadn't expected the spire to fall from a single spear throw were buried under the debris.
A few who desperately scrambled away managed to escape with their lives, but a vast number of Demonic Humans were crushed to death by the remains of the fallen spire.
Some tried to hold their ground by deploying protective shields, but they couldn't withstand the sheer weight of the cascading fragments.
A massive cloud of dust billowed up, accompanied by the thunderous roar of the collapse and the screams of the dying. It was enough to bring every Demonic Human to a halt—both those nearby and those across the River Thames.
They knew all too well that the objective of this battle was to protect the Black Spire.
And now, that objective had been destroyed.
Having lost their purpose for fighting, the leadership—the French Large Clan leaders—were in chaos. Some of those wielding Ego Artifacts had been crushed under the rubble, while others were preoccupied with fleeing or trying to calm the panic.
Even Mammon’s demons hadn't anticipated this.
They knew Han Shin had destroyed a Black Spire before, but that was by striking it at close range with a warhammer.
Even that had been considered an impossible, shocking feat.
That was why they had been wary of the Knight and had taken special care to prevent him from getting close.
And yet, this was the result.
He had thrown a spear from across the river, from a considerable distance.
It was an attack method they hadn't worried about at all, assuming the Arrow Curse Barrier would render long-range attacks ineffective.
They hadn't even been able to react, and immediately after the spear struck the spire, they were more bewildered than alarmed.
But those thoughts were completely shattered along with the Black Spire.
“You bastard!”
“Die!!”
The Demonic Humans near Han Shin, seeing him now empty-handed, vented their rage and lunged to kill him.
Han Shin immediately pulled a sword and shield from his subspace.
He was extremely exhausted after pouring most of his Power of the Dragon into that single throw, but he still had enough strength to deal with ordinary Demonic Humans.
The problem was those who had been top-tier Awakeners before falling into depravity.
Possessing power far greater than the average Demonic Human, they were a significant threat to the current Han Shin.
They were consumed by the singular thought that they had to kill Han Shin.
It was an almost impulsive conviction; they were certain that if they didn't kill this monster who could destroy a Black Spire with a single throw from such a distance, there would be no future for them.
"Urgh!"
While dodging and blocking the barrage of dark magic and arrows flying his way, Han Shin was struck in the left arm by an arrow.
It was the first time he had been wounded.
The Demonic Human who shot him, along with those nearby, felt their spirits lift when they heard Han Shin let out a pained groan through gritted teeth.
Until a moment ago, seeing him destroy the Black Spire single-handedly had felt so surreal that they had doubted if they could even win.
Some had even been on the verge of slinking away, but now they transformed into a pack of hyenas that had discovered a wounded beast.
However, these hyenas were soon met with the fury of Han Shin’s women: Grace, Laysia, and Kang Yujin.
The three, who had been pinned down in a defensive position, took advantage of the Demonic Humans' distracted gaze and plummeting morale the moment the spire fell. They tore through the enemy ranks and charged toward Han Shin.
All three knew that Han Shin must be exhausted after an attack powerful enough to destroy the spire, so they attacked with reckless ferocity.
They couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt or killed.
By the time they reached him, they saw an arrow lodged in his left shoulder...
And that ignited their absolute rage.
Though the three had been weary themselves, a new surge of strength born of fury allowed them to literally shred the Demonic Humans surrounding Han Shin.
From those sliced into tiny pieces by Grace’s sword to those whose limbs were torn off by psychokinesis as if they were being drawn and quartered.
From those whose heads were pulverized by Laysia’s fists, the three women brutally slaughtered the Demonic Humans.
The enemies in Han Shin’s immediate vicinity were wiped out, and Grace, Laysia, and Kang Yujin took up positions around him, guarding every direction.
The remaining Demonic Humans looked at the corpses of their comrades strewn about with expressions of pure horror.
With the Black Spire destroyed and communication with their leadership severed, this sight was the final straw. They faltered, wanting nothing more than to turn and run.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Then, the sound of artillery echoed from the distance.
With the destruction of the Black Spire, the Arrow Curse Barrier—which had been maintained by the spire's backup—had vanished.
The British forces, realizing this belatedly, began a heavy bombardment to wipe out the concentrated masses of Demonic Humans and zombies. Every Demonic Human began to flee, desperate to save their own lives.