The Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps
A flash! A flash!
From every corner of the clearing, the abilities of the hunters erupted in bursts of light.
*CRACK!*
It was the kind of sound that would have fit a sudden downpour.
The Wyvern's attack, blotting out the sky and slamming down toward the hunters, had not pierced their front-line tank formation.
And then the hail of long-range attacks from the specialists followed. The swarm of Wyverns that had taken heavy hits was immediately torn apart by the close-quarters hunters wielding heavy weaponry.
The Wyverns that had not yet descended, circling in the air and looking for gaps, suffered helplessly under the long-range strikes fired by the hunters pursuing them.
Even though there were far more high-grade monsters than ever before, they were no match for the veteran hunters gathered here.
Hunters who had been systematically taught how to use their abilities through training programs and had formed coordinated squads according to emergency manuals moved with devastating efficiency.
The phenomenon of a massive influx of high-grade monsters — something never seen before at any gate break.
Yet amid the intensifying battle, the damage to the hunters gathered here was almost negligible.
One hundred years ago, it had been one of the Ancient Species that had driven humanity to the brink of extinction.
But the humanity of today was nothing like the helpless people of the past.
From the ridge overlooking the clearing, a man watched the battle between hunters and monsters.
Neat, graying hair. Sharp features.
Beneath the suit, a sturdy body was visible.
Though his face still looked young, like a youth, the mastery that could not be hidden radiated from his entire frame.
In his eyes burned a gaze that seemed to view even valuable things as worthless.
The man on the ridge was Lee Myeong-won, Guild Master of Jeokpung Guild and an S-class hunter.
*Tap.*
On the solitary ridge where he seemed to exist alone, a figure rapidly approaching revealed himself.
“Jo Yong-hyeop Hunter.”
“Master, all the Jeokpung main branch members have withdrawn to the front lines.”
“I knew this would happen. All the Seoul hunters think the resurgence of Ancient Species is Jeokpung Guild’s fault, so they won’t follow our control.”
“Wouldn’t it have been better to organize squads and participate on our own behalf?”
“Why?”
Lee Myeong-won looked at Jo Yong-hyeop with icy eyes.
But Jo Yong-hyeop answered without hesitation.
“When this situation ends, Seoul’s hunters will definitely demand accountability for Jeokpung through the association. During that process, there’s a risk the underground lab will be exposed, but even without that, Jeokpung’s position in Seoul will be severely weakened.”
“So, at the forefront of this Ancient Species incident, Jeokpung must create achievements and build some kind of defensive logic. Is Jo Yong-hyeop suggesting that right now?”
“Yes.”
Lee Myeong-won gave a small smile.
“Good. That’s why I value you.”
And he gazed forward.
“But if so many S-class hunters from Seoul disappear, won’t the hunters who want to blame Jeokpung disappear too?”
“…Support requests for the northern Ancient Species incident have been sent nationwide. Not long from now, the master of the five major guilds, including Kim Jin-seong, S-class hunters, will join.”
“Of course, if the five S-class hunters from across the country gather, even against the Ancient Species ‘Brontanis,’ they could take it down. …However.”
Jo Yong-hyeop’s eyebrows twitched.
“You’re not seriously saying we won’t last until then, are you?”
“That is the power of the Ancient Species. Hunters living in peaceful times simply don’t know the true terror of them. …We will hold our ground. In exchange, we will guard the final defense line of Seoul’s city barrier from the rear. We also have the excuse that the front-line hunters refused to follow orders.”
“…No matter how much the current South Korean structure is divided into self-governing districts under major guilds, the five major guilds in regions outside Seoul could still press us, right?”
Jo Yong-hyeop’s concern was entirely reasonable.
But Lee Myeong-won laughed and shook his head.
“*Heh heh.* The masters of the five major guilds are all in a hurry to protect their own. They don’t care at all who rules Seoul as long as it’s not their own city. …Except maybe someone as big-hearted as Daejeon’s ‘Kim Jin-seong.’”
At those words,
*GRRRRRAAAAAHHHH!*
A roar unlike any Wyvern cry ever heard before echoed across the battlefield.
And a massive shadow loomed over the battlefield.
For an instant, red light dyed the sky.
Finally, completely revealed beyond the ridge was an entity boasting a size that made the Wyverns seem like mere toys.
Brontanis.
The Ancient Species that, simply by name, had nearly silenced human civilization during the *Great Calamity* — the symbol of apocalypse.
Its body was wrapped in crimson mana that evaporated like smoke, and the pressure of collapse and disorder pulsed from every part of its form, from the tips of its feet to its entire body.
*Crackle.*
From the lizard-like head, vapor that could be seen even from the distant ridge.
Its skin was cracked and rough, and two jagged horns curled back from its head.
The scales covering its body were hard and haphazardly overlapped.
The reflected light was warped, making it impossible to discern precise contours.
The sounds of mana explosions and weapon clashes stopped abruptly.
Brontanis flew silently through the air.
Its wings did not flap.
Slowly, and overwhelmingly.
Jo Yong-hyeop instinctively took a step back.
“That…!”
Lee Myeong-won looked at the existence.
“Before support arrives.”
With absolute conviction, he spoke the words.
“All the hunters here will die.”
*CRACK!*
Its maw opened.
*BOOOOOOM!*
A torrent of red energy slammed toward the hunters on the ground.
***
The predicted appearance of the Ancient Species.
Everyone had braced, but the attack was too sudden and overwhelming.
*BOOOOOOM!*
A blinding flash swept through the hunters’ formation.
The ripple affected even those who had not been caught in the energy torrent.
All the hunters near the spot where the flash struck lost their footing and flew away.
“*Gah!*”
“Aaaah!!”
When the flash that had carved a massive scar in the earth finally stopped, nothing remained there.
An entire hunter squad had vanished without a trace.
“…It’s… gone.”
“Evaporated…!”
“Gwaaah!”
“Tank formation, forward! Long-range capable hunters, concentrate fire!”
Screams, wails, and orders driven by desperation echoed across the battlefield.
*BOOOOOOM!*
Elemental mana, including attacks from A-class hunters. Fireballs or ice spears soared toward the colossal form floating in the air.
*Boom! Kwoong! Pakang!*
But the hunters’ attacks all exploded and disappeared near the Ancient Species in the air.
It seemed to have taken no damage at all.
*Flare.*
The blazing eyes fixed on the group of hunters who had unleashed the strongest attack.
*BOOOOOOM!*
The flash once again spewed toward them.
But this time it was different.
“Hah!”
Around the A-class tanker master, Sung-hyun of the Shield Guild, who was commanding the squad, a massive shield shape rose.
*Flash!*
The clash between Sung-hyun’s ability and the breath.
An A-class tanker’s ability was indeed formidable.
For an instant, Brontanis’s breath seemed to lose momentum and fade.
*Pakang!*
“*Kueek!*”
But the breath, now strengthened, ruthlessly shattered Sung-hyun’s shield.
Barely blocking it, Sung-hyun coughed blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to activate his abilities.
*BOOOOOOM!*
And the breath Brontanis spat again swept through the squad. Everyone there evaporated and disappeared.
“The A-class tanker, Master Sung-hyun…!”
“No way. This is hopeless.”
“Huaaaak!”
From that point, the battlefield became hell.
The hunters who lost formation scattered like the weak, becoming easy targets for the Wyverns.
One-sided slaughter unfolded.
The Ancient Species still circling in the air seemed to be catching its breath, but the Wyverns’ fangs remained merciless.
***
Brontanis.
Records stated that a powerful Ancient Species that required S-class hunters in large numbers to confront.
I had thought we could hold out here with only the hunters present until support from other regions arrived.
In fact, the hunters of the current era were far stronger than in the past.
Against the overwhelming numbers of Wyverns, they had endured without damage, and that thought had grown firmer.
Not only Kim Na-yeon, but everyone had thought the same.
And that had been a terrible miscalculation.
The sacrificial spirit of hunters protecting the city? It meant nothing before an Ancient Species.
It was like blocking a massive typhoon with a single sword.
This was a kind of natural disaster.
“*Gah!*”
*Bang! Kwoong!*
Kim Na-yeon knocked away the Wyvern charging toward her.
A female hunter urgently approached Na-yeon, who had stepped back one pace.
“Na-yeon!”
“Sorim unni!”
“Where did everyone go?”
“…Even our squad has collapsed.”
“You idiots! You know what happens to the city if we retreat!”
“But… it’s impossible.”
Even Na-yeon, who always had a positive outlook, had no choice but to accept it this time.
The colossal shadow still circling in the air.
No hunter could stand before the absolute power of that Ancient Species.
In extreme chaos, everyone hurried to find their own escape route.
“…I agree. First, we must retreat to the final defense line where Jeokpung Guild members are located.”
After Kim Na-yeon joined with Sorim, they began gathering the scattered hunters who were still fighting.
“The Ancient Species’ offensive has eased! We can’t keep spewing that kind of breath attack! Everyone, join up and maintain formation while retreating!”
Under Sorim’s command, the surviving hunters gathered.
Scattered, they would be slaughtered one by one by the Wyverns. In reality, many hunters who had fled alone had been killed.
Han So-rim had made the best judgment in the chaos, but Brontanis’s power had far exceeded her expectations.
*Flare.*
Brontanis’s eyes, circling in the air, fixed on the remaining hunter group.
*Wooong.*
Brontanis’s maw opened, and the torrent of energy began to concentrate again.
Seeing that, Han So-rim urgently ordered.
“Everyone scatter!!”
“Aegis Shield!”
*Bang!!*
Kim Na-yeon instinctively charged forward.
And after summoning the shield, she lifted it toward the sky.
“Na-yeon! No!”
From behind Na-yeon came Han So-rim’s scream-like cry.
“If it’s just once, we can do it somehow!”
This was not recklessness.
It was Na-yeon’s well-calculated judgment.
In fact, A-class tanker Sung-hyun had managed to block Brontanis’s breath at least once.
Taking a breath, she circulated mana according to the secret art of the Heavenly Demon Heart Method.
She prepared to draw in internal energy in one breath.
We can block it.
The defense ability praised by the delay.
Mana, explosively, all at once.
*Hwaaah!*
“…”
The flash immediately enveloped Na-yeon.
Na-yeon’s eyes widened.
For a moment, a familiar voice penetrated her ear.
*[Haha, you idiot!]*
*Kiiing!*
A sharp sound that tore at the ears rang across the battlefield.
Like the sound of something being cut.
*Flash!*
With that sound, the flash that had filled Na-yeon’s vision vanished in an instant.
“*What’s going on?*”
“The breath!?”
“W-what is that? Floating in the air, right in front of the Ancient Species!”
Something was floating in the air.
Far above the distant sky, right in front of Brontanis.
A fluttering black object.
Voices of hunters bewildered by the sudden change reached them.
But Na-yeon’s eyes remained fixed on the black object floating in the air.
Far away, but she could tell.
The familiar black robe hem filled with her own taste.
The black threads she had often mended.
Na-yeon knew that black thing.
For some reason, a smile came to her face.
“…As expected, it’s our blackie.”
Along with the flash of the breath, the voice that had pierced her ear.
She had heard it once at a previous gate.
That black object, a figure resembling a human, stepped in the air as it descended.
As if casually ignoring the obvious fact that humans could not walk in the air.
*Goooooo.*
Unprecedented power distorted space with every step.
And that power pushed back even the red aura surrounding Brontanis’s massive form, spreading its own presence.
All the survivors were overwhelmed by that step.
All of them lost words and simply looked up at the sky. At that moment, Na-yeon could not help but feel a sense of cuteness from the step.
Because the mysterious entity floating in the air was none other than the cute black cat she raised.
So, expressing that step with an onomatopoeia.
“…*Twu-bang twu-bang?*”