Chapter 505: The 6th Great Disaster (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 505: The 6th Great Disaster (6)
Dobong-gu, Seoul.
The air was thick with tension as a contingent of troops moved in perfect, synchronized order.
"Everyone, to your positions!"
"The monsters are swarming! Move, move!"
Just moments ago, an urgent report had shattered the silence. A massive explosion had erupted in Bukhansan National Park, and the monsters lurking beneath the surface were now surging toward Dobong-gu in a relentless tide. As one of Seoul's major defensive strongholds, Dobong-gu immediately declared a state of emergency. Even the reserve forces on standby were swiftly deployed to the front lines.
Step, step, step.
It was a magnificent sight.
As if bearing the weight of the past twenty years, the city walls were densely lined with troops. Every single one of them was an Awakened.
The Central Government had concentrated all of South Korea's hunters in Seoul. Thanks to this strategy, they could station over a thousand hunters at each key stronghold. This blatant favoritism was exactly why the provinces heavily criticized the capital. While a single stronghold in Seoul boasted a massive defensive force, most local governments had fewer hunters for their entire territories combined. It was an open secret that over ninety percent of B-rank and higher powerhouses belonged to the Central Government. South Korea had poured every ounce of its preparation solely into protecting Seoul.
Atop the wall, Dobong-gu Assemblyman Lee Ho-cheol stared grimly ahead.
A former military officer from before the Great Disaster, his exceptional leadership skills had earned him his seat as a district assemblyman. Unlike in the old days, assemblymen now served as the military commanders of their respective regions, granting him temporary authority over the Central Government's support troops.
"...Of all the times for an S-rank monster to appear, it had to be now, when Baek-il has deserted us."
Baek-il's absence was a fatal blow.
Normally, S-rank monsters were exclusively handled by the Mage in White, but they could no longer harbor such hopes.
Still, the situation wasn't entirely hopeless.
Ranks were merely a system to categorize strength; lacking a hunter of the corresponding rank didn't make a monster invincible. They could simply drown it in blood using human wave tactics. If they had to burn through the lives of B-rank and A-rank powerhouses to eliminate an S-rank monster, it would still count as a victory for South Korea.
He steeled his resolve.
He would protect Dobong-gu at all costs.
As he watched the horizon with a tense expression, the enemy finally came into view in the far distance.
Rumble, rumble.
The ground shook violently.
The massive army of monsters that had been hiding underground due to the omen phenomenon surged forward like a tidal wave. But that wasn't all. Above the horde, a colossal creature flapped its wings, soaring into the sky.
[Graaaaaah!]
"Argh!"
"My ears!"
Soldiers collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads.
It was Fear.
The roar of the powerful monster delivered a devastating shockwave through sound alone, causing the lower-ranking hunters to writhe in agony as blood trickled from their ears. Lee Ho-cheol, a B-rank hunter himself, had anticipated the attack and protected his ears. But the moment he identified the colossal creature, he realized that Fear was merely the beginning.
'A Red Dragon!'
An S-rank monster.
The very entity that had laid waste to France during the 3rd Great Disaster.
It was unmistakably a Red Dragon.
Boasting a blazing crimson hide, the monster opened its massive maw wide at the sight of the gathered humans.
[Fire Breath!]
Boom, boom, boom!
It unleashed an intense torrent of apocalyptic heat.
As the flames spread in all directions, Lee Ho-cheol hurriedly bellowed.
"Mages, cast defensive magic!"
"Cast defensive magic!"
"Shield!"
Whoosh. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Shield spells flared to life from all directions.
It was the Central Government mages' turn to shine. Dozens of them cast Shield simultaneously, and the roaring flames slammed directly into the massive barrier formed around the wall.
Crash!
Whoosh, sizzle!
The heat was overwhelming.
The Red Dragon's breath radiated such destructive power that the skin of the people inside the shield flushed red from the sheer temperature. Lee Ho-cheol bided his time. According to their intelligence, the breath attack had a cooldown. Once they weathered this initial crisis, he planned to launch a massive counterattack while the Red Dragon caught its breath, subduing it in one fell swoop.
However...
Crack!
Shatter!
"Aaargh!"
"Aaaaah!"
The shield shattered.
Unable to withstand the Fire Breath, the barrier broke into pieces. The searing heat swept directly over the soldiers through the ruptured defense. It was a living hell of pure pandemonium. Before they could even put up a proper fight, the defensive system atop the wall was engulfed in flames, painted with death and agonizing screams.
Witnessing the massacre, Lee Ho-cheol gritted his teeth.
'The Mage in White... His absence is far more fatal than I thought.'
To survive this Red Dragon's onslaught, South Korea was going to have to pay a much more gruesome price than he had ever anticipated.
* * *
The appearance of an S-rank monster.
Incheon was no different.
While Seoul dealt with the Red Dragon, Roman Dmitry also found himself facing a colossal creature.
[To face this many monsters all by yourself. Impressive for a weak human.]
Flap.
High in the sky, a massive creature appeared.
Flapping wings as large as buildings, the entity was a Green Dragon, a species related to the Red Dragon.
Roman Dmitry looked up at the sky.
Blood dripped steadily from his sword.
Drip, drip.
It had already been three hours.
He hadn't bothered to count how many monsters he had slain. All that was certain was that he was drenched in blood from the relentless battle, his eyes gleaming with a cold, murderous light. To him right now, the only thing that mattered was distinguishing friend from foe. Whether the opponent was an ordinary monster or a beast deemed S-rank was of no consequence.
Step, step.
He walked toward his opponent.
Facing this unhesitating hostility, the Green Dragon opened its massive maw in fury.
[Arrogant human. I shall wipe you out in an instant. Poison Breath!]
Whoosh!
An overwhelming wave of toxicity cascaded downward.
Just as the Red Dragon's Fire Breath incinerated bodies, the Green Dragon's Poison Breath inflicted lethal poisoning upon the slightest contact with the skin. It was a deadly toxin that melted flesh and constricted airways, guaranteeing an agonizing death. It was a well-known fact that while the Red Dragon possessed greater raw destructive power, the Green Dragon held the record for killing the most humans among all dragon-type monsters.
He did not dodge.
Roman Dmitry was completely engulfed by the deadly poison.
The Green Dragon naturally assumed the fragile human had perished, but an unbelievable sight unfolded before its reptilian eyes.
Whoosh.
Piercing right through the toxic cloud, Roman Dmitry emerged unscathed.
The Green Dragon could not comprehend it.
The realm of Immunity to All Poisons.
A body so resilient that no toxin could affect it was a natural counter—an enemy the Green Dragon should have avoided at all costs. But by the time it realized the truth, it was already too late.
Just as it flapped its massive wings to take flight—
'Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - Mid-stage First Form.'
A flash of light.
Slash!
The Green Dragon's severed head soared into the sky.
* * *
At the 2nd Defense Line, the battle was equally ceaseless.
Although they had filtered out many monsters using formations, a Great Disaster was not something that could be stopped so easily.
However, that did not mean they were in a perilous situation.
"Lightning Rain!"
A blinding flash.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Mage in White—his performance was spectacular.
As if proving exactly why he was an S-rank hunter, his magic swept away the monsters in a frenzy, ensuring the 2nd Defense Line faced no real crisis. The mages of Baek-il also made their presence known. Following Park Min-woo's lead, they poured down destructive offensive magic. For Kim Jun-hyeok, who was tasked with protecting the shelter, the presence of these mages was incredibly reassuring.
It made things much easier.
While Incheon might have been able to hold out on its own strength, Park Min-woo's presence completely altered the difficulty of the Great Disaster.
'As long as we hold out like this, Incheon won't fall.'
Still, he did not let his guard down.
He keenly scanned the battlefield. Spotting areas where issues arose, Kim Jun-hyeok quickly barked orders.
"Do not let your guard down! The moment even a single monster breaches the wall, the 2nd Defense Line will collapse in an instant! Take turns guarding the wall! The Great Disaster is a war of attrition, so pace yourselves and manage your stamina while holding back the enemy!"
This was exactly why a commander was necessary.
He grasped the overall situation and issued the appropriate orders. But as they repeated this grueling cycle of combat for several hours, an urgent voice crackled through the communicator.
[Mayor! An S-rank monster, a Green Dragon, has appeared near Incheon!]
"Damn it."
An S-rank.
A fire had just been lit under their feet.
With Roman Dmitry already handling the brunt of the monster wave, there was no guarantee Incheon could hold out if an S-rank monster joined the fray. Anxiety gripped Kim Jun-hyeok's heart. Until a moment ago, he had thought this was a battle where they only needed to defend the 2nd Defense Line. But now, with the very real possibility of defeat looming over them, he was thrown into a dilemma.
'Should I send some troops to the 1st Defense Line? Or perhaps the Mage in White?'
No, that wasn't right.
Roman Dmitry had told them to trust him. He absolutely could not cause chaos on the battlefield by dispersing their forces now.
Just then, Park Min-woo's voice reached him.
"Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok, do not worry about S-rank monsters or anything of the sort. Lord Roman Dmitry is over there, is he not?"
"...Do you know Lord Roman Dmitry personally?"
"Of course I do."
Park Min-woo chuckled.
Kim Jun-hyeok and the people of Incheon did not know the truth. Because they were ignorant of his true strength, their blind trust was precious. But to Park Min-woo, who knew the reality of the monster standing at the 1st Defense Line, their worry was almost comical.
A Green Dragon?
There was absolutely no reason to make a fuss over a mere lizard.
"Just trust him. Incheon can only survive if we place our faith in Lord Roman Dmitry."
Kim Jun-hyeok silently agreed.
In the first place, Incheon had established its very foundation because of him. To doubt Roman Dmitry now would be to deny everything they had achieved so far.
It was then.
Barely a few minutes had passed since the initial transmission when the voice that had reported the situation rang in his earpiece once more. This time, the tone was completely different—stained with profound shock and awe.
[...You do not need to send reinforcements here. Lord Roman Dmitry has just dealt with the Green Dragon.]
In that moment, his eyes met Park Min-woo's.
Looking at the stunned Kim Jun-hyeok, Park Min-woo wore an expression that clearly said, 'I told you so.'
The appearance of an S-rank monster—the greatest threat to Incheon—had been effortlessly eliminated in just a few minutes.
* * *
Roman Dmitry had thoroughly researched the Great Disasters.
The Great Disasters struck the world in three distinct ways: monster waves, omen phenomena, and blood rains. Among them, the only one that presented a true, endless hell was the monster wave.
Omen phenomena and blood rains were issues with predictable ends.
An omen phenomenon concluded once all the monsters that appeared before the Great Disaster were eliminated. A blood rain, true to its name, stopped spawning monsters after a certain period of time.
But monster waves were entirely different.
They were an endless hell.
Monsters continuously surged forward without pause. A monster wave had no predictable end, and historically, the countless waves that had occurred exhibited vastly different characteristics. In some places, a monster wave would end in just an hour, while in others, monsters continued to pour out even after the Red Time had concluded. In some areas, only low-rank monsters appeared, while in others, high-rank monsters emerged to slaughter the populace.
For this reason, people considered themselves incredibly lucky if they could simply avoid a monster wave altogether.
There was a very good reason why Seoul was so certain of Incheon's destruction.
However, it wasn't as if there was no solution at all.
Maronism in the USA, an organization dedicated to researching the Great Disasters, had this to say about monster waves:
"A monster wave is a phenomenon caused by a dimensional distortion. Since monsters attack because our world is connected to another dimension, severing the dimensional link will bring the monster wave to an end."
It was a simple theory.
Everyone in the world knew the solution.
However, putting it into practice was a different matter entirely.
Think about it.
To destroy the source of a monster wave, one had to fight upstream through an endless ocean of monsters just to reach the origin. Even with a massive army mobilized, success was not guaranteed. Furthermore, during the three days of Red Time, no one knew when or where new monsters would appear. This meant that while an army moved out to deal with the source of the wave, their own base could be wiped out in a tragic turn of events. Since such disastrous cases had occurred frequently in the past, humanity learned from its failures. Now, they only attempted to clear out monster waves after the Red Time had ended.
Roman Dmitry was different.
He did not wait.
He slaughtered every single monster he encountered, even taking off the head of the Green Dragon as he relentlessly pressed forward.
He did not allow a single beast to slip past him.
Completely annihilating every enemy in sight, he searched for the suspected location of the source.
Dozens.
Hundreds. Thousands. Tens of thousands.
With every step he took, the corpses of monsters piled up like mountains, until finally, something caught Roman Dmitry's eye.
'Is that it?'
A dimensional distortion.
It was undoubtedly the source.
Though it could never be found through ordinary means, Roman Dmitry's acute senses precisely pinpointed the spatial anomaly.
There was no longer any reason to hesitate.
Monsters swarmed like a black cloud around the distortion.
After slaughtering his way through the horde, he unleashed an explosion of mana toward the source he had finally reached.
'Heavenly Demon Sword Technique - Mid-stage First Form.'
A flash of light.
With a single strike, a violent explosion swept through the source.
Boom!
Rumble!
The dimensional rift fluctuated wildly.
Space warped and shrank rapidly, crushing and tearing apart the bodies of the monsters attempting to emerge from the rift. The researchers of Maronism had stated that to destroy a dimensional rift, one had to use a special device to damage the interior over a long period of time. Yet, with just a single strike from his sword, the dimensional rift vanished without a trace in an instant.
Barely a day—to be precise, not even a few hours had passed since it began—yet he had completely cleared the monster wave. It was an astounding, impossible achievement.
Roman Dmitry picked up his radio.
"This is the 1st Defense Line. The monster wave has been eradicated. I repeat. The monster wave that occurred near Incheon has now been eradicated."
The news delivered over the radio threw all of Incheon into an absolute frenzy.