Chapter 257

Rain and the Fox (5)

By the time the top rankers had arrived on the battlefield, the countercurrent was greatly expanding its range. Dark Curtain quickly absorbed the magic and turned it into a shield to protect his allies, and Stone Ground jumped into the battlefield, raising a high stone wall in front of the survivors. Regardless of nationality, all rankers desperately tried to block the waves of monsters and push them back.

"Fuck it!"

Dark Curtain shouted out.

"Why the hell are you sending a search team to such a deep level?!"

"You're being noisy; just file a complaint afterward!"

"Unnie, where are you?!"

Red Shoes, Bridget Poulsen, walked the battlefield with unprecedented urgency. She always moved in a relaxed way, but now she was urgently moving, spreading vibrations as hard as she could. The vibrations spreading from her footsteps caused monsters of even SS-rank to be shaken and forced to their knees. Those around her realized that she had been underestimated.

"I will use my strength until I lose..."

"Hey, a wave of demons is coming from the inside! Dark Curtain!"

"I know!"

"Eunah...!"

It was a complete mess. The superhumans jumped out in a disorderly manner to stop the countercurrent, leaving behind the mercenaries.

"Gate reaction behind us, it's in the direction of the Korean base camp! It's an irregular gate..!"

"Damn, ignore it! Stop the equipment from being blown away!"

"Fuck, stop that devil!"

The SSS-rank monster, Crimson Soldier, was hard to handle without a top ranker, and even they would have trouble in a one-on-one.

"Damn, how...!"

All the superhumans belatedly saw the figure of the Puppeteer rushing forward with a scythe against the demons to defend the British troops, where the source of the countercurrent was rushing. Many people underestimated his ability because of the Alchemist's potion, but most of those misunderstandings disappeared in Africa. Rather, some argued he should be ranked higher, but the Dark Curtain, the current No. 3, had been denying it.

'Damn, this is why...'

But now, he couldn't dare deny it. Looking at the Puppeteer easily get rid of a few monsters that two top rankers working together could barely fight made him think that, in a sense, he was stronger than the Thunder Empress.

'To think he came out of the Republic of Korea...!'

Recognized as the greatest superhuman in China, he trembled at the unpleasant reality he was compelled to admit. The fact that humanity could stand up on the African continent now was not because of him, but those two superhumans from that small country.

"Damn it... ahhh!"

Dark Curtain, Jinmyeong Jang, yelled as loudly as possible and activated his ability with all he had. One after another, people squeezed their abilities to the limit across the battlefield, but unfortunately, the situation didn't change much. The spread of the countercurrent was fatal, and if the Thunder Empress hadn't halted it, it would've swallowed up the base camp in a second. What would happen if the superhumans representing humanity were annihilated here? The superhumans pushed themselves as far as they could to drive away such thoughts.

Meanwhile, Eleanor, who had contributed the most to reducing the number of monsters in the area and friendly casualties, was able to see Kang Shin-hyuk's battle more vividly than anyone atop Hell.

'Shin-hyuk...'

He was confronting the demons even after buffing himself and the British troops. Once the demons collapsed, he began to fight against a man made of lava whose power she couldn't dare to grasp.

'I have to help. But... Would it be possible for me?'

The battle was so fierce she couldn't try to intervene. She was confident she was as talented as Kang Shin-hyuk when it came to close-quarters combat, but looking at it now, it seemed that she couldn't even hold a candle to them. She watched as a massive sword swung between them, drawing a cruel path that captured, twisted, and extinguished all light in its way like a black hole.

'You have to run! I...!'

She couldn't bear it anymore when she saw him injured, and she hefted her spear. She would be able to fill in the gap caused by that injury. Even if she were caught by that black hole and couldn't escape, for him, she would... However, despite her determination to risk her life, Kang Shin-hyuk defeated the monster alone.

"Huh...?"

But what followed was even more shocking. A gate of darkness appeared where the monster fell, and a beautiful woman she had never seen before appeared with a sword, wearing light armor. Kang Shin-hyuk seemed surprised to see her, but then he immediately disappeared from the spot. And what remained there was a beautiful woman whom none could dare compare to.

'This, what...?'

What is going on? Eleanor nervously held her spear and then suddenly realized why she was so ill at ease. Whether it was the woman who appeared from the gate or the one confronting her on behalf of Kang Shin-hyuk, it was because she sensed that they had reached a power beyond her.

[Did you send him? I miss him...]

The woman who appeared inside the gate tilted her eyebrows and looked sorrowful. The woman confronting her lifted up a fan and laughed as she covered her mouth.

[Hoohoo, it's disgusting, so stop.]

[I really missed him...]

[Now, it will start and end quickly. The world can't stand us yet. No matter how much you lean into the darkness, I believe you know that much.]

[I came for destruction, so the outcome is unknown.]

[You will regret it later. Have you always been like that?]

She didn't understand what the conversation meant at all. Rather, the only reason she could hear it was the noble qualities she was born with and the buff she had received from Kang Shin-hyuk.

[Shall we start then.]

The armored woman lifted her sword as dark clouds formed in the sky, and snow began to fall. Although the sudden change in weather was surprising, Eleanor couldn't take her eyes off of her. Specifically, not from the sword, she wielded.

'That sword...?!'

It was clear. That was the same sword Kang Shin-hyuk had worn on his waist all year. However, there was something black and wriggling in the hole in the guard.

[Why make Anvil's masterpiece so vulgar? Did you base the dragon's heart on your own?]

[It's just a temporary measure. Instead, I think I'll pull your heart out to use.]

[To be compared to that black bug... how insulting!]

The woman swung her fan roughly, causing a whirlpool of sparks to blow away the snow. It wasn't until she saw remnants of magic bursting that she realized the snow wasn't normal.

"This?!"

The two women clashed in earnest, but now wasn't the time to mind them. Eleanor recalled the monsters in the air, but it was already too late. The spike wyverns, including Hell, whom she rode on, escaped it with their mobility, but most of the airborne monsters couldn't avoid the bombs falling from the sky.

"You have to protect them!"

-Gaaaaaoooooh!

The superhumans on the battlefield were also in danger. Eleanor asked Hell and the wyverns to create a strong wind. They would protect the superhumans by changing the direction of the falling snow, but unlike ordinary snow, the thick magic it possessed wouldn't easily move.

"Hell, please....!"

-Guoooooh!

The wyverns, led by Hel, eventually started bursting the snowflakes with their thorns. It was more effective than trying to manipulate it, but the problem was that too much was falling.

"No, as it is... ah?!"

It was then that salvation came. Shin Eunah, who was preventing the expansion of the countercurrent, began to control the snow falling on the battlefield. She thought there was no way around it with the superhumans' ability, but Shin Eunah dared to manipulate their magical powers freely.

"Unbelievable..."

It was truly spectacular to see the snowflakes that the woman had made rearranging themselves under Shin Eunah's control. They avoided the humans and only landed on the monsters like they had been made for that from the start. The women fighting in the storm of snow and flame soon noticed the change.

[Well...?]

[She did something interesting. Maybe you did this knowing she was here?]

[No way. I will destroy the front of the mirror!]

[Sure, but in the end, all will collapse!]

Nothing happening on the battlefield was as disastrous as those two clashing. Eleanor, who could barely breathe a sigh of relief with Shin Eunah's help, began to realize there were those being caught up in the two's fight.

"Uh..."

The two women fought with all their might, not considering the consequences of their battle. No, maybe it was because if they didn't do their best, one would lose right away. But, because of that, harm was heading right towards the British superhumans near them. They tried to get away, but the magical storm arising paralyzed them. Eleanor expected that woman to protect them, but she was completely mistaken. Her goal was to defeat the armored woman, not to protect humans.

"No."

It had really become dangerous. Each shockwave from the fight threatened lives. In particular, if even one of those snowflakes hit her older sister, Princess Olivia, she would die.

"No!"

Her reaction was late with Kang Shin-hyuk, but not now. She lifted her spear and aimed at the ground. The reluctant Hell began to fall like a meteor.

"Get out of there!"

-Kuaaaaahhhh!

Hell liked his owner so that he could let this slide just this once. She wondered why she felt she could briefly understand his intention, but there was no time to consider it. She aimed her spear, intending on saving her older sister from the magical power those women had created.

"Haaaaah!"

She descended with the Golden Dragon infused into her by Kang Shin-hyuk around her body.

-By satisfying a special condition, the trait [Crab Volg (SS)] has broken through the limit and evolved into [Crab Volg (SSS-)]!

-Every status has grown one rank. Strength, agility, and magic are further increased!

-You have gained the potential of a new special ability status. It can be acquired if additional conditions are satisfied.

Kang Shin-hyuk's trait of growing and evolving all things was revealed at that moment.