Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: A Global Crisis
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KABOOM!
The moment he passed through the gate, Bae Wang-sik raised his shield.
A massive explosion engulfed his entire body. The walls of what appeared to be a basement cracked all at once, and the ceiling collapsed, sending down chunks of stone.
‘Just as I thought. They were waiting.’
His shoulder ached as if he had single-handedly blocked a couple of large missiles, but Wang-sik's shield held firm. Just as his vision was obscured by the debris of the collapsed building, another barrage rained down from above.
The sounds of various elemental magic, magic arrows, gunfire, and gunpowder explosions could be heard.
As skills and heavy weaponry poured down, Wang-sik's shield turned toward the ceiling.
They were on the first basement level.
The people on the first floor were using the collapsed floor to launch their attack.
“Wang-sik, I'm ready.”
Hearing Min Ha-na's voice, Wang-sik swung his shield wide.
A protective barrier spread out in a fan shape, pushing back the incoming attacks.
In that brief moment, Min Ha-na's flames erupted. A firestorm landed among the enemies on the first floor, creating an opening, and Sa Seon-gi scattered into black smoke.
“Let’s go.”
Wang-sik also leaped up through the hole in the ceiling, unfurling his chains in all directions.
Five chains wrapped around the necks of different enemies, and Wang-sik swung them like flails. While the enemies were flustered, Min Ha-na, now with an opening, fired thirty fire arrows, completely collapsing one side of the encirclement.
Even those who were casting powerful magic suddenly stopped their attacks.
It was because Sa Seon-gi had appeared behind them and slit their throats.
Twenty enemies remained.
Unsettled by Sa Seon-gi's presence behind them, they were unable to stop the charging Wang-sik.
A single, massive firestorm brought an end to the chaos.
Min Ha-na's firestorm completely broke the enemies' will to fight. Having dealt with about fifty defenders in an instant, Wang-sik cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
The first floor looked like a typical building lobby, with cameras visible everywhere.
“It was a gate connected to Earth. Headquarters, can you determine our location?”
—Location confirmed. Identified as an island in the eastern Philippines.
Wang-sik took a moment to gather his thoughts.
The fact that they were already prepared to attack meant two things. First, that all major locations had already been contacted. Second, that this place was important enough to defend.
Wang-sik looked down at the collapsed first basement level.
Thanks to him blocking with his shield, there was still space in front of the gate.
“Can we get troop support?”
—American hunters can enter.
“Send them in. We need to search the next area quickly.”
Wang-sik immediately went outside the building.
The first thing he saw was a dense forest. They had chosen a location that was hidden even from the air.
Just then, Sa Seon-gi noticed something and moved.
He had found someone hiding behind a large tree.
Sa Seon-gi easily subdued the man and brought him before Wang-sik. Then, he shoved a long nail into the man's side.
It was to begin the interrogation immediately.
Wang-sik understood his intent and met the eyes of the man, his face contorted in pain.
“Where’s the guy in charge here?”
When the man didn't answer, Sa Seon-gi's hand moved. The man screamed in agony but refused to speak.
“It's a waste of time.”
Wang-sik twisted the man's neck himself.
If he had the time, he was confident he could get an answer, but right now, there was no time for that.
“Let’s split up and search.”
The three of them scattered in different directions.
But after searching for a long time, they found nothing. It was only when they left the forest and reached the coast that they spotted a motorboat speeding away in the distance.
—Northeast. It seems to be heading to another island.
At Sa Seon-gi's report, Wang-sik and Min Ha-na ran in that direction.
“Looks like they used a nearby island.”
Wang-sik dove into the sea without hesitation.
“Get on.”
“Is today the day my wish comes true?”
“Think of it as a New Year's gift.”
Wang-sik carried the two on his back and cut across the sea.
“This ride is amazing, huh?”
At a speed surpassing the motorboat, Min Ha-na forgot the seriousness of the situation and muttered.
“There’s a pier up ahead.”
It was a much larger pier than the one in the area they had left.
“Judging by the number of boats, this seems to be the real place.”
Min Ha-na straightened her back as she watched the approaching pier.
“Let’s hit them with a big one to start.”
On the shore were people holding various weapons, as well as those who appeared to be awakened.
Min Ha-na summoned a lava spear and blew the pier away.
KABOOM!
Wang-sik's party stepped onto the ruined pier.
Before long, they found another building constructed in the forest. The entrance was quiet, as if no one was there, but Sa Seon-gi pointed to the wall next to the entrance.
It meant an enemy was hiding there.
“I'll go first.”
Maintaining his running speed, Wang-sik raised his shield and rammed into the wall.
A roar that shook the entire building was heard, and the people hiding behind the wall were all knocked down and pushed back. As the attacks from the hidden enemies naturally focused on Wang-sik, Min Ha-na was able to cast her magic with ease.
The path down to the building's basement had a completely different atmosphere than before.
‘It's too quiet.’
He suspected a trap, but Sa Seon-gi said nothing. It meant his detection skill hadn't picked up any enemies.
It didn't end at the first basement level.
“Seon-gi, I'll take the lower levels.”
Just as Wang-sik was about to head down to the second basement level, acrid smoke began to rise.
“Looks like they set a fire.”
The smoke was coming from the third basement level.
“Evacuate with Seon-gi.”
Though she was worried, Min Ha-na didn't refuse and followed Wang-sik's words.
Now alone, Wang-sik ran straight toward the source of the fire. Smoke had already filled half the hallway, and flames were spreading from every room on the third basement level.
‘Are they burning documents?’
If that's the case…
‘It means they're trying to escape.’
Wang-sik's pace quickened.
‘If this is where the fire started, the escape route must be on the opposite side.’
In the farthest corner of the third level, Wang-sik found a firmly shut steel door and smashed it open with his shield.
What appeared was a shimmering gate.
It looked like it would vanish at any moment.
Wang-sik ran for the gate.
Fzzt!
Just one step away.
Wang-sik was forced to stop.
The gate had vanished. In the smoke-filled space, Wang-sik gritted his teeth.
“This isn't over. I'll chase you to hell.”
Wang-sik glared at the spot where the gate had disappeared, then turned around.
* * *
The world was thrown into chaos.
This incident didn't end with the mere collapse of Devist Nolan. It was because the truth had been confirmed: a group from beyond the gates had deeply infiltrated Earth.
Every major media outlet across the globe began churning out articles by the minute.
—Devist Nolan Revealed to Have Constructed Teleportation Gates.
—Connected to a Total of 12 Countries via Gates.
—The Truth of the Gates is Revealed.
—Political Figures Confirmed to be Involved.
Adding to this, a proposition that would cause even greater chaos emerged.
It was because William, an endowed professor at Oxford, had written a column that filled three full pages of the BBC. The title of that column was…
—What World Lies Beyond the Gates?
The answer to ‘Why do gates appear?’ was finally revealed.
Until now, the world beyond the gates had been a vague, dream-like existence. It was something that ‘might’ exist, so the fear of it wasn't overwhelming. But now, its existence was known, and it was revealed to be a civilization powerful enough to encroach upon Earth's key positions.
Moreover, there was the Church of Devist Nolan.
Its followers were people you could see anywhere.
The lady next door, the older guy upstairs, a classmate.
Most of them were likely innocent, but the stigma was not easily erased. It was only natural for anger to be directed at them, and cruel crimes against them began to occur.
“The target of their anger has become clear.”
A week after the gate incident.
The chaos shaking the world showed no signs of abating. In fact, it was spreading even further throughout society.
“They say the leader was arrested.”
The leader, whose whereabouts had been unknown, was arrested in Canada.
“That means he wasn't a key figure.”
In the Mad Castle central control room, combat agents and Kang Il-seop held a meeting while watching breaking news from around the world.
“It's time to make an official announcement.”
Mad Castle had yet to make an official statement. But with the eyes of the world upon them, they could no longer delay.
“Don't worry. I'll turn it into a platform for unity.”
Seo I-ryeon, who was acting as Mad Castle's spokesperson, said as she entered the control room.
This announcement was not just about revealing the truth of the incident, but also an opportunity to decide the future direction of gate response.
They had already decided in a meeting how much to reveal, and Seo I-ryeon had just finished preparing.
“But there's also a part for you to announce, Commander. If Mad Castle is to stand at the center of Earth's defense strategy, we need to show everyone who the clear leader is.”
Once Kang Il-seop gave his approval, the preparations for the announcement were complete.
* * *
Mad Castle's announcement was broadcast live in a staggering 80 countries.
Various governments had made announcements related to the incident, but the one people were waiting for was Mad Castle.
They were at the center of where the incident began, and considering that each country's announcement would inevitably include its own interests, Mad Castle seemed to be the only organization that could speak the objective truth.
Seo I-ryeon began with a simple greeting, then spoke about the number of gates that had appeared so far, the people who had been killed or injured, and the achievements of the awakened, before methodically revealing the details of the attack on Han Young-im.
“Through cooperation with the Russian government, we were able to uncover the truth of this incident, and the execution of the operation had the dedicated cooperation of American intelligence.”
There was no need to announce the friction that occurred during the negotiations.
This was a time that required global cooperation, and it was also because America's power was absolutely necessary for Mad Castle to be recognized as an independent global defense group.
They couldn't make enemies internally.
In addition to that instruction, Kang Il-seop emphasized one more thing.
—Still, it would be good to have them in our debt, wouldn't it?
“They built a hub base on an island in the Philippines, and the mastermind of this incident escaped through a gate at that hub.”
This final part of the incident was something no government had yet announced.
That the mastermind had not been dealt with.
They revealed that the already arrested leader of the Church of Devist Nolan was just a figurehead.
“We believe they have fled to the Azelan Continent through a dimensional gate.”
The reveal of the incident's full details concluded like this.
This alone was shocking enough, but the announcement didn't end there.
“Mad Castle will not stop until they are dealt with. This is for the peace of the world, but it is also our response to those who would dare touch a member of the Mad Castle family.”
There were concerns that this could make them appear to be a dogmatic group, but Kang Il-seop, who judged the safety of his members to be the priority, showed a strong will on this point.
“Next is the history of the Church of Devist Nolan's activities.”
They revealed everything from the fact that they had summoned S-rank gates in Russia and New Zealand to their acquisition of Earth's technology. It could amplify the chaos, but the judgment was that raising awareness was far more important.
The contents of the announcement were shocking, but because of it, faith in Mad Castle would only grow stronger.
“The next part will be announced by the commander of Mad Castle, who directed this operation.”
Seo I-ryeon bowed and stepped back, and Kang Il-seop took her place.
“I am Kang Il-seop, Commander of Mad Castle.”
Kang Il-seop greeted them with a confident expression and began to speak.
“This operation was an event that confirmed the cooperation of the entire world, not just a single group or nation. We have reached a point where gate defense measures can no longer be handled by individual nations alone. If all nations do not cooperate, we will each face even greater dangers. Earth is in a crisis situation the likes of which it has never experienced. But we, humanity, will overcome this crisis as well, through the harmony and cooperation that has allowed us to survive until now. I extend my sincere gratitude to all the nations and citizens who have cooperated with us.”