Sortie!
In the half-ruined Zhongnanhai, within Wang Chunfeng's office in Beijing, shards of glass crunched beneath Nevaros's feet. With his withered hand, he lifted a single clipped document from the desk—a classified file on the invasion of South Korea, now reduced to scraps of paper.
"Sertina...? "
He couldn't ignore it. The files related to Sertina were piled high enough to fill mountains in this Zhongnanhai.
As Nevaros skimmed through the documents, interest sparked in his eyes.
"Ho, intriguing. The End of Life."
The moment he saw Sertina's epithet, Nevaros's eyes gleamed. From this small girl, he felt an inexplicable sense of kinship. The End of Life. The words struck a deep chord within him.
But the next line filled Nevaros with undisguised disappointment.
[Sertina appears to be protecting South Korean citizens]
South Korea? Where the hell was that?
He scanned the massive world map framed on the office wall and located South Korea. A small peninsula not far from Beijing.
"Pathetic. One dubbed the End of Life, struggling to protect lives."
Nevaros drew a sharp breath, rage surging from his dantian and heating his face.
"Defiling a sacred epithet...!"
Yet regardless of his fury, this girl was extremely dangerous. A biological monster with weapons of mass destruction and transcendent combat prowess. The document explicitly stated she posed a risk capable of annihilating the entire world single-handedly.
Nevaros scoffed.
"As if someone unworthy of the title End of Life could destroy the world."
Crunch.
He mercilessly crumpled the paper in his hand.
Whoosh!
The crumpled sheet erupted in blue flames, turning to ash in an instant.
"I will claim that epithet for myself. My legions—kill Sertina and bring her corpse before me."
The footsteps of countless undead crossing outside shook the earth. At his single command, the 100 million undead defending Beijing were redeployed to the Korean Peninsula.
Seated in the office chair, he gestured inward.
Whoosh!
In a flash, the room was engulfed in blue flames, then fell silent. When the fire died, no documents on Sertina remained.
Asian nations collectively went into maximum alert. The death wave that had swallowed China overnight now stretched toward neighboring countries: India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Laos, and more. Nations sharing borders with China deployed every available force to the frontlines, bolstered by allies.
Fighters were forcibly conscripted, torn from their families amid despair and tears, as refugee columns snaked endlessly.
Yet they hadn't even resolved their own domestic monster threats. Their deployable troops had limits. Against an assault of hundreds of millions, they were helpless.
Faced with an unwinnable war, they despaired. Their governments, on the brink of national collapse, felt the same.
Then came a single phone call—from South Korea's president, Choi Ah-rin.
"W-what?! Is that true?!"
"Sertina is going after Nevaros?!"
The sudden news of Sertina's intervention. They then heard South Korea's strategy.
"Hold out until Sertina takes down Nevaros!"
"So... we just need to buy time? No need to face that monster head-on?"
Color returned to the faces of the gloomy officials. Once they had branded Sertina humanity's greatest threat and turned against her—but now, with death at their throats, they finally recognized her true value.
I was a fool.
Too late to realize.
The proud bureaucrats bowed their heads, faces burning with shame over their misjudgment. Sertina—the one they'd demanded be killed—was now their savior. Self-reproach mingled with gratitude, too brazen to lift their eyes.
The news rapidly reached frontline players and soldiers.
"Sertina's joining to subjugate Nevaros!"
"For real?!"
"If it's Sertina, she'll crush that Nevaros like nothing!"
Demoralized troops regained their fire one by one. The word spread like wildfire through the ranks. Revitalized soldiers burned with resistance fiercer than ever.
"Now that's more like it!"
"Hope's not dead! Let's go till the end!"
Players and soldiers gripped their weapons anew; civilians cheered. Some clasped hands in fervent prayer.
It was hope that raised them again—a single ray piercing the impenetrable dark. And at its source stood a world boss once shunned by all.
"Sertina's all we've got!"
"Please, let Sertina win...!"
Waves of support for Sertina swept across Asia. Humanity's greatest fear and terror had risen as its savior.
Tension choked the entire Yalu River front. Park Jung-hoon, leader of the Wusang Guild handling Busan, approached someone with a greeting.
"Hello, Mr. Sumida. Fancy meeting you here again."
"Haha, would've been nicer at a barbecue joint. Second time now, right?"
Sumida, leader of Japan's top-ranked Omega Guild, who had supported Korea during China's prior invasion. The two shook hands warmly.
Per Choi Ah-rin's orders, every North Korean civilian had evacuated south. Now only frontline players defended the Yalu line—all unarmored, unencumbered for maximum mobility. Park Jung-hoon, in simple track pants, stretched his arms and twisted his waist.
"Whew, undead reinforcements from Beijing, huh. What do you think, Mr. Sumida?"
"Hm... Looks like Nevaros caught wind of Sertina. Why else pour more troops than Korea's entire population?"
Sumida's keen insight had propelled Omega to Japan's top guild. As he said, Nevaros's forces could resurrect the dead as undead, dominating mass battles. No need to overcommit against one nation.
"Yeah, figures. Numbers don't mean much anyway, but the pressure's different."
"Actually hurts Nevaros—thins Beijing's defenses."
They had no intention of clashing head-on. Just hold the line, buy time. This fight was about survival, not battle. Charging recklessly meant defeat.
Sensing the stiff mood, Park Jung-hoon joked.
"Ever play those survival games with a time limit? This is it—for real."
"Too bad we've only got one life—no extra coins."
Sumida replied with a wry smile, gazing at the horizon. What was happening out there?
"Well, if they push us to the end, we'll have to fight."
Sumida patted his empty belt where his sword hilt should be.
Beyond the 38th parallel waited the joint Japan-Korea player alliance. Hopefully unnecessary—but if undead breached the DMZ, that would be the final line.
"Enemy forces spotted! Approaching within 10km across the Yalu!"
Sumida's eyes hardened.
"Guess it's starting."
"Mr. Sumida."
"Yes."
"Ever done long-distance running?"
Sumida paused, then chuckled.
"...Won first place in elementary school."
"Perfect."
Footsteps grew louder. Moments later, a radio operator shouted.
"5km and closing! They're coming!"
Bouncing in place, they spotted dust clouds racing closer. Wind carried the stench of rotting flesh. Thousands, tens of thousands—no, more—undead hordes revealed their grotesque forms.
"Throw!"
At Park Jung-hoon's command, players hurled small spheres into the Yalu.
Electro Bomb
Releases electric current on impact, dealing minor damage and slight stun in an area.
Individually weak, but mass-detonated with water as conductor? Devastating synergy.
Crackle-zap!
Electro bombs burst, twisting limbs of river-wading undead in paralysis.
"Grk!"
"Kieeeek!"
Ear-splitting shrieks echoed. But the effect wouldn't last.
"Smoke bombs—now!"
Puff-puff-boom!
Thick black smoke blanketed the Yalu. Time bought—even briefly—was enough.
"Full retreat!"
Players bolted south at the order.
"Grraaaargh!"
Recovered undead pursued.
Escorted by Republic of Korea Air Force jets, I crossed clear skies aboard Cha Eun-joo's airship. F-16s and F-35s flanked us at precise intervals. Inland appeared beyond the sea—no monster mana waves detected.
"Get us as far as we can. If undead show, turn back immediately."
"Got it!"
Even Eun-joo's speedy ship was vulnerable to long-range players. She asked,
"How'll you find Nevaros without exact coords?"
"Close enough, and I'll sense him. World bosses give off mana waves you can't miss from afar."
"Ooh... Looks clear, so flooring it."
She yanked the throttle; engines roared, accelerating.
Undead off invading elsewhere? China felt eerily quiet. We passed Tianjin unhindered, nearing Beijing.
Then—a faint mana pulse from afar.
"I'll go solo from here."
"Be careful!"
Cha Eun-joo beamed, her face full of trust.
"Yeah."
I opened the hatch and dove. Amid raging winds, eyes narrowed, I scanned Beijing below.
A uniquely potent presence pinged my detection.
World Boss Nevaros.
Time to meet.