Chapter 545: Survival of the Fittest (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 545: Survival of the Fittest (6)
A short while ago.
Vasilyev, the commander of Irkutsk, doubted his own ears at his subordinate's report.
"What on earth do you mean by that?!"
"...My apologies, sir. The individual currently attacking our soldiers is presumed to be South Korea's SS-Rank Hunter, the Mage in White. He appears to be using a method that reverses the system of the magic circle. We must respond immediately. If the magic circle falls into enemy hands, the South Korean forces could cross over to our side."
"Damn it."
His face contorted in rage.
Park Min-woo's attack was a complete surprise. It wasn't just Vasilyev; no one in Russia's high command had anticipated such a situation.
'If the Mage in White summons the South Korean troops, the forces currently stationed in Irkutsk will never be enough to stop them. A large-scale teleportation requires a significant amount of time. Just as my subordinate said, we must subdue the Mage in White within that window, no matter what.'
A fire had been lit under his feet.
Under Markov's orders, Russia had been secretly preparing for war. Most of their military power was concentrated in Moscow, and because they were planning a preemptive strike, the defenses of individual cities had inevitably been neglected. Irkutsk, in particular, was completely unprepared for an enemy attack. There was speculation that South Korea had allied with China, but even if they marched north with their combined forces, they couldn't attack Irkutsk directly without first stepping foot on Mongolian soil. Since Irkutsk was primarily a city where reserve forces were stationed, Vasilyev couldn't help but feel immensely bewildered by the sudden strike.
However, he wasn't overly worried.
As long as the opponent was still just a single person—the Mage in White—there was plenty of room to salvage the situation.
"Mobilize all forces immediately. We will execute the rat who dared to set foot in Russia."
"Understood, sir."
Russia was a global superpower. Even though most of their troops had been drafted for the upcoming war, border-adjacent cities like Irkutsk still maintained a substantial baseline force. Their numbers reached into the thousands. That alone was more than enough. He had heard that the Mage in White had played a massive role during the LA Incident, but facing this many soldiers alone was a completely different story.
Besides, he himself was holding the line.
Vasilyev was a powerhouse on the verge of an S-Rank promotion, temporarily demoted to this post after causing an incident in Moscow. Perhaps it was the will of God. Of all the countless cities, South Korea had coincidentally chosen Irkutsk at the exact time he was in charge of it.
His blood boiled.
His initial panic vanished, replaced by the thrilling thought that this was a golden opportunity to win illustrious achievements in the impending war. The enemy was but one man. There was nothing to fear. He gathered his forces, sounded the emergency alarm, and ordered the attack.
That was how the situation had unfolded.
Just as expected, Park Min-woo had not yet secured the time to cast a large-scale teleportation, and he could be seen boldly walking toward the massive army all by himself. How foolish. The Mage in White had been recognized as an SS-Rank Hunter following the LA Incident. His performance back then was undeniably incredible, but a mage was a being bound to expose their weaknesses when left unprotected. Human wave tactics were the perfect countermeasure.
And yet, Park Min-woo merely smirked as he watched the soldiers rushing toward him.
"I'm really sorry, but you see, I can't afford to waste too much of my strength here. If I do, I won't have enough power left to deal with the other cities. So, just for you guys, I'll show you a little secret I've been keeping hidden."
His words made no sense to Vasilyev, who simply roared, "All forces, attack! Execute the Mage in White and reclaim the teleportation magic circle!"
At that moment, he did not know what Park Min-woo's words truly meant.
Park Min-woo unleashed an explosion of dark blue mana, letting his body sink into the rising wave of darkness.
Then—
"Dark Field."
Plunge!
The world was dyed in darkness.
* * *
The world turned pitch-black.
Yet, although their surroundings were dyed in complete darkness, only the background had darkened; the figures of the people around them remained clearly visible.
And then...
Bzzzt. Bzz-bzzzt.
Strange static emanated from their communication equipment. Vasilyev realized the situation instantly.
Isolation from the outside world.
By pushing Dark Field to its absolute limit, the mage had completely severed the connection between their current space and the outside world. This only raised more questions. Dark Field was typically used to cause visual confusion, but the Dark Field Park Min-woo deployed imposed no such restrictions on the people inside it. It was as if he simply didn't want anyone outside to find out what was about to happen. He had maximized only the isolation effect.
It was then.
"My children. Tear into human flesh and enjoy the blood feast! Dark Gate."
Rumble!
Mana surged wildly.
Dark mana cascaded down like a waterfall, tearing the space to shreds. From beyond the rift, dark demons began to emerge. Their appearances varied wildly. Various types of monsters commonly found in reality poured out, exuding intense murderous intent with eyes dyed pitch-black. Their grotesque appearances were goosebump-inducing. In particular, the dark red veins bulging across their faces proved they were fundamentally different from commonly known entities.
Skreee!
Skreeeech!
The monsters rushed forward like a ravenous swarm.
The soldiers hurriedly prepared to defend, but the moment they clashed with the beastly tide, horrific screams erupted from all directions.
"Aaaargh!"
"Aaaah!"
Numbers? They had long since lost all meaning.
Far outnumbering the thousands of troops Vasilyev had mobilized, a countless horde of monsters ruthlessly tore into human flesh. The soldiers fought back desperately, severing the monsters' heads. The well-trained troops tried to carve out a path to survival, but under the onslaught of a monstrous tidal wave, they could only scream in the end.
Witnessing the scene before his eyes, Vasilyev's heart sank.
He couldn't believe it. Rather than the sheer power of the magic, the fact that the Mage in White was using such sinister spells threw him into even greater confusion.
'The Mage in White is supposed to be the epitome of justice, so how can he use such magic...?'
People did not know. Park Min-woo. No, Alexander. They did not know what his true nature was.
Although he had acted as the epitome of justice as much as possible for the sake of the Pendant of Karma, he could not completely abandon the tower of achievements he had painstakingly built under the name Alexander. Thus, he had secretly mastered black magic. It was Park Min-woo's ultimate hidden weapon, to be used only when absolutely necessary, and Dark Field was deployed not for offensive purposes, but solely to conceal his black magic.
At one point, he had thought:
If I fail to resolve my karma, then I will reveal my true identity and fulfill my ambitions once more as Alexander. If my life is ruined anyway, I might as well go all in.
Fortunately, after meeting Roman Dmitry, Park Min-woo gained confidence in his future.
'An incredible achievement like taking down the Absolute will surely turn the Pendant of Karma pure white in an instant. So, it's fine to get my hands a little dirty while serving His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry. Saving the world by assisting His Majesty is far more important than killing a few of these bastards who don't know their place.'
It was a miraculous train of thought.
And so, he unleashed his magic. Even if only to keep Wang Wiryong in check and solidify his position as the true second-in-command, he needed a powerful achievement this time.
As his soldiers were slaughtered in an instant, Vasilyev gritted his teeth and unleashed his full power.
"Mage in White! Do not look down on us! Berserk!"
Boom!
Crash! Crash!
His eyes turned blood-red. Consumed by madness, Vasilyev swiftly slaughtered the monsters surrounding him. He was undeniably powerful. In an instant, a path cleared around him, but Vasilyev was suddenly faced with an entirely unexpected situation.
Flash.
Clang!
"Ugh."
A sudden attack. He hurriedly raised his sword to block it. Upon identifying his opponent, Vasilyev's eyes widened in shock.
"Zahar?"
Several years ago, there had been an incident where a Russian S-Rank Hunter went missing. His opponent was that very Zahar. Russia had made every effort to find Zahar, but even after several years, not a single trace of him had been found. Vasilyev had been close friends with him. Yet, the Zahar he suddenly faced not only showed no sign of recognizing him, but also possessed pitch-black eyes with no visible whites, and dark red veins bulging across his entire face—just like the other monsters.
Goosebumps broke out over his skin.
Only then did he realize. The Mage in White was absolutely not the kind of person the world believed him to be.
'This is dangerous. I must report this to the President!'
He took a step back. If this man was a being who could command an S-Rank Hunter as an undead, and if he possessed a spatial ability capable of hiding this many monsters... South Korea's hidden power was far beyond imagination. He judged that revealing this truth was far more important than defending Irkutsk right now.
However, his wish would not be granted.
As Zahar lunged forward and pressed him hard, Park Min-woo, fluttering black wings in the sky above, laughed savagely.
"Time to die."
Flash.
Hundreds of lightning bolts struck down. They ruthlessly pierced through Vasilyev's body.
"Dark Lightning."
Rumble!
Boom! Boom! Crash!
* * *
Around that time.
Wang Wiryong was leading his forces toward Skovorodino. He had planned to conquer the Russian cities one by one starting from there, but he suddenly received a piece of news from Park Min-woo.
"Your Maj... no, Chairman Wang Wiryong. According to a report just received from the Mage in White, he has already conquered Irkutsk and is planning to attack the next city, Cheremkhovo."
At the communications soldier's report, everyone showed startled expressions.
Xiao Long asked urgently, "To have already brought down Irkutsk? That's impossible. Irkutsk not only has thousands of troops, but it is also commanded by Vasilyev, who once enjoyed great fame in Russia. And the Mage in White brought it down alone in less than thirty minutes? Is that information absolutely certain?"
It was unbelievable. It was an entire city. Not a single person, not a single unit, but an entire city. No matter how much strength the Mage in White possessed as an SS-Rank Hunter, common sense dictated that a certain amount of time was required to deal with a massive military force. Thus, it was hard to comprehend. While Xiao Long acknowledged that the Mage in White was strong, bringing down Irkutsk in a mere thirty minutes made absolutely no sense.
The communications soldier replied, "...I find it hard to believe as well, but after verification by the intelligence department, it appears to be true."
Xiao Long fell silent. His face was painted with shock. He was an S-Rank Hunter himself and possessed immense pride, but he didn't think he could ever achieve the same feat as Park Min-woo. Was it achieved through the unique nature of a mage? No, if anything, being a mage should have been a massive handicap. Mages typically grew weaker when fighting unprotected and alone, but Park Min-woo had completely overturned common sense.
Wang Wiryong laughed.
"Things are getting interesting."
Contrary to his smiling face, his eyes had turned ice-cold. Xiao Long hurriedly bowed his head. Knowing this was the reaction that came when Wang Wiryong was truly enraged, Xiao Long knew he must absolutely not provoke him right now.
"Xiao Long. Why do you think the Mage in White went out of his way to report his achievement?"
"Could it be intentional, sir?"
"Indeed. In a situation where we are both carrying out our respective missions, as long as the Mage in White doesn't lose, I have no reason to care about his achievements. Yet, he directly informed me of his conquest of Irkutsk and his plan to attack another city. This is a blatant provocation. Just like that arrogant look he gave me, he is telling me right now that he is superior."
Grit.
He clenched his teeth. Every time Wang Wiryong's gaze swept over them, his subordinates flinched and bowed their heads lower. The key figures, including Xiao Long, were no exception. He scanned them one by one as he continued.
"I told you. I will swear loyalty to His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry. I have resolved to become his man, but behaving submissively under others is strictly limited to him alone. I did not swear loyalty to His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry just to be looked down upon by a bastard who doesn't know his place like the Mage in White."
Rage welled up inside him.
At first, he hadn't thought much of it. Even when Park Min-woo emphasized the term 'second-in-command,' and even when he felt a strange hostility in the way the man looked at him, he had merely considered it a minor annoyance.
But not anymore.
Park Min-woo had declared war. He was declaring that he was the true second-in-command, and that Wang Wiryong was no match for him. From the moment he grasped that underlying meaning, the current situation was absolutely not something Wang Wiryong could let slide.
"I will never tolerate anyone other than myself being more highly favored by His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry. Therefore, exert your full power from this moment on. Anyone who shows weakness on the battlefield and tarnishes my honor will have their head personally severed by me."
"We will obey your command!"
"We will obey your command!"
Markov. He probably hadn't anticipated this. He couldn't have predicted how this war with the Korean Empire would truly unfold.
Wang Wiryong's eyes flashed fiercely.
"Let's go. From now on, I will prove why I am a descendant of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and who it is that His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry truly trusts."
The War of the Second-in-Commands.
It was the exact moment the spark of rivalry between Park Min-woo and Wang Wiryong erupted into a full-blown blaze.