Chapter 274

Rusted Rhapsody (7)

It seemed like all the bodies of the world were gathering there, or so Claire had thought. Of course, they were erasing most of them.

"Why does this disgusting world exist?"

"That's exactly why I came to erase it."

Shin Eunah replied calmly as she spewed lightning in front of her, but her cheeks were still a little red. It was obvious that she was conscious of what Claire had said earlier.

"Let's hurry. The amount of magi emanating from the source is terrifying. Maybe our junior is already in danger."

"If we're stopping here, it'll be okay."

Claire responded by releasing a drone with a shooting function and swept away all the zombies and ghouls flocking to them like bees. For her, monsters of A-grade or lower could be wiped out at a speed that she wouldn't be pushed around by Shin Eunah, though she struggled with stronger ones. This time, Kang Shin-hyuk and Lee Na-hee also helped her develop drones, further enhancing their capabilities.

'No, maybe Shin-hyuk will solve it alone.'

Unlike Eunah, who looked down on him from the viewpoint of the absolute, Claire had carefully watched Kang Shin-hyuk's growth. Of course, she thought it was very regrettable she couldn't be with him for the whole process... Still, she was able to figure out how his growth was going and where he was headed. Wasn't that proved just by looking at the improvements of her drones?

"Whatever the trait is, there are areas that are specialized, and there are limits..."

His trait was so free and strong that it seemed like he had come alone from another world. Even Shin Eunah, who was firing off thousands of lightning bolts without a drop of sweat, had a weakness, but Kang Shin-hyuk was beyond the standard that even she transcended. It was obvious by his level of growth from just one year after he awakened in earnest. Even now, he was No. 2 in the world rankings. Not only him, but a radical change occurred in everything and everyone that had to do with him. To exaggerate it a little, he was a man who could change even the world.

And... Regrettably, soon everyone would know it.

"Claire, magi is running out of the building. Let's go to it now!"

"Yeah, it seems like this place has been organized... Go."

"Oh, I want to see my junior soon..."

"Keep that inside."

"Sorry, sorry."

No matter how close a friend Shin Eunah was, it was impossible to allow her own man. But Kang Shin-hyuk... He was too great to be monopolized by her alone. She wasn't sure if she could fully support him by herself. She should've noticed it when she saw all the beings of the Hero Universe hanging around him. He was important not only on Earth but across all dimensions.

"The building is shaking... I guess our junior is doing well."

"..."

"Claire?"

"Oh, yes. Let's go."

When she thought of the future that would await Kang Shin-hyuk, she felt terrified. More than a fear that he would abandon her, she feared that the day would come when she wouldn't be able to help him as his partner. Seeing him return from the expedition to Africa, she thought it wouldn't take long. Therefore, it wasn't a concession or love for a friend that brought Eunah into their relationship, but rather, it was a measure to keep her by his side.

'That's why I didn't want to meet a man who was so handsome.'

If she were an ordinary woman, she might've given up on him neatly here, but Claire wasn't gentle enough to retire so smoothly. She had no intention of losing the man she had taken. Above all, she didn't think anyone other than herself would be able to monopolize him, not even that annoying fox. Breaking up with Kang Shin-hyuk? If his arms were too wide to handle herself, she only needed to bring one or two more. He loved her the most anyway. Yes, that was it. It was embarrassing, but she was determined to be with him. For the past few months, she'd been thinking like that.

"Claire, look."

"Huh? ...Ah."

Shin Eunah called out to Claire, who wasn't paying attention as she was lost in her thoughts. Only a few hundred meters were left between them and the building¸ and in front of that building was a massive dark object. It was wearing armor and carrying a huge sword. It looked like a knight.

"Ah, I've seen this scene before in a game."

"I'll get angry."

"Okay, then let's say in a book."

"It's not that kind of problem."

It was spewing dark energy from its body, but for some reason, all the surviving undead were rushing to it. Shin Eunah fired off her thunderbolts, but she couldn't get rid of all the magi that spread every time one died. It was being absorbed into the knight.

"If only we had the Great Heavenly Spirit from Shin-hyuk."

"Claire, don't be idle, attack."

"I already am, but there's no way to stop it."

She had already called out all the drones she had stockpiled and was pouring out all her mana but to no avail. The mechanical undead flocked to the black knight with a desperate speed. Even if a hundred of them died, one of them successfully reached him. The mass of the black knight was increasing as more magi fused with his body. Thousands of the hundreds of thousands of undead were fusing with it, and even those who died couldn't be prevented from delivering their energy to it. Perhaps the contaminated Gaia system had directly intervened. Was it to prevent Shin Eunah from reaching the building? It was unknown, but not even Eunah could ignore the outcome of that fusion.

"Eunah, sorry. I need to retire."

Claire consumed all the bullets she had stockpiled in her inventory. She hadn't been expecting a situation where she would face the whole world.

"Any mana left?"

"Yes, and a little spiritual power... Enough to make a cocktail."

Her ability to deal with spiritual power had grown rapidly with Kang Shin-hyuk's assistance. Now, it had risen to the level that she could check and handle it within herself. Yes, that was Kang Shin-hyuk's influence on another person's very soul.

"Make it as soon as possible."

"Okay."

She had cocktails in stock, but the taste was bound to be different from ones made fresh. And when the taste was different, so too was the effect. Although the environment was worse, her movements were fast as she produced the ingredients, put them in a shake, then strained it into a nice cup.

"Did you need a cup?"

"Yes, that way, the spiritual power is well contained."

"I see."

Shin Eunah smiled and drank the finished cocktail. The knight in front of her was now almost the size of a building, but she seemed refreshed.

"Then I'll go first!"

Shin Eunah felt her magic rising and opened a gate into the far sky. It was a magical passage, and the door she used to draw out infinite magic. Magical power poured out of it like a waterfall, turning into golden lightning by her power that fell on the knight's head.

-Bang!

There was no time to defend himself with his sword. Shin Eunah's lightning continued to pour down onto the knight. He was forced to kneel under her power as the ground vibrated, and the building titled a little.

-Oh, ah, ah, ah!

As he was continuously struck by lightning, even his screaming was broken. He tried to escape or swing his sword, but even that didn't help. Shin Eunah dropped a few more blasts of lightning at its maximum output, limiting his movement.

"I'm strong."

"Look, you're beating it unilaterally, but what is stronger?"

"I won't die."

Claire nodded inadvertently. The lightning that she created now had a level of power that could harm an X-class being. However, even though he was hit by more than ten lightning bolts, he just knelt and didn't fall. What was even scarier was that his lightning resistance was growing by the second. The first few hits had staggered him immensely, but now he was moving despite the attacks.

'Still, that can't be...'

Claire focused her remaining bit of spiritual power in her eyes. It consisted of an enormous amount of dead bodies and machines, and each time it was struck by lightning, the metal sparked and changed in appearance. Rather than being destroyed, it seemed that it was being completed into a certain shape. As evidence, his movements were growing more natural!

"Maybe it's similar to the Heavenly Spirit?"

"There should be a limit."

Shin Eunah clenched her jaw as the giant pointed a massive sword at them, standing up despite the lightning. Claire, however, shook her head.

"It's that mass. Even if it's less efficient than the Heavenly Spirit if the amount is enormous..."

"Then what do we do? Claire, as you say, nothing can beat that."

"No."

Claire analyzed it quickly before she was exhausted.

"I think it's the metal parts that are similar. So, you know?"

"Yes. I can cut them off."

Shin Eunah immediately closed the gate and compressed her magic into the form of a sword made out of lightning.

"Melee?"

"No."

The moment after, her sword vanished. The next moment, the corpse knight, the body of the giant Metal Death Knight burned as the lightning struck the gaps in the metal.

-Khaaaahaaaah!

He lashed out with his sword as he screamed. Even Shin Eunah wouldn't be able to escape death, but before that, the sword vanished.

"What?"

"Not just the sword, Eunah! That!"

All of the corpses inside the knight were being pulled into the building!

"I won... No, our junior!"

"Shin-hyuk!"

The two rushed into the building without another second of hesitation.