Chapter 452

What kind of battle and clash of abilities could lead to this...?

That was the first question that came to the Awakened when they were deployed from the base to the battlefield. They could somehow accept the sight of a world turned upside down, but the mysterious powers left behind on the scene were truly dangerous.

If they could detect by sight or Sense, then they could avoid them without a problem. However, things that couldn't be detected in that way often unexpectedly emerged.

The danger that could be encountered in a hazardous zone could be divided into two main categories. One was when intangible energies acted like traps. The other was when monsters called 'dragon bone soldiers' were created. It was given that name because they had found out that they were born from dragon bone fragments.

Both were formidable threats that the Awakened couldn't ignore. Hence, they served as obstacles that prevented them from advancing. On top of that, the only bad news was coming from the northern defensive line, where all the challengers had been dispatched.

Kim Ji-Hoon was surrounded incessantly by dragon bone soldiers and engaged in a desperate fight. He barely managed to escape with the help of a comrade.

What the fuck... are these?

The ability of the dragon bone soldiers was nothing more than that of low-class monsters. They didn't have any remarkable skills, nor were they specialized in mental abilities. They also didn't manipulate Mana like the swordsmen and wizards of outer space.

However, their skeletons were solid. That was not the actual problem though. The real issue was the incredible tactics of each dragon bone soldier. They were entities born solely for combat, and their efficiency in battle skills were beyond their original abilities. Multiple Bsilgol Awakened had to cling to a single one in order to barely handle them.

After the battle, there were pits formed by the blood of the dead Awakened, and floating on top were bone dust that bone soldiers left behind.

Ugh, they should have dropped some items before dying... I don't have much time, and this drives me crazy.

Kim Ji-Hoon was exhausted, so he was slumped down in an empty area. He started checking his items that had lost their defensive barriers and suddenly saw a cluster of bluish light moving quickly in the distance. His gaze naturally shifted in that direction.

Jin... Olivia... She is going solo again? She is deaf. If you keep acting like that, trusting only the King of Hell, it won't be fun, bitch.

Kim Ji-Hoon's eyes narrowed, and at that moment, Kim Ji-Ae approached from behind. She, too, looked at the same place and said, "Don't bother. Also, stop doubting her. The deeper they go, the better for us."

There was an area where dragon bones were particularly concentrated in the drone-captured footage. Olivia and her group had been focusing on clearing a path in that direction, ignoring the command center's instructions.

"Have you checked?" Ji-Hoon asked.

Ji-Ae nodded. "Yes, the Jonathan Group is indeed on a solo mission."

"Did you hear what the mission is about?"

She shrugged. "It is an order from someone higher up than Chairman Lee Tae-Han."

Ji-Hoon blinked. "It sounds like you are talking about the King of Hell, but how is he higher up than the association? No matter who he is or what mission he is on, it cannot be prioritized over his gear, noona."

"Club." Kim Ji-Ae responded briefly, and Kim Ji-Hoon's face tightened momentarily. It had been a long time since she had last mentioned the organization.

"Ji-Hoon, let me say this again. Do not bother Jin[1]. The King of Hell seems to be acting on his behalf."

Kim Ji-Hoon became serious. "Did you...get an invitation, noona?"

She slanted a glance at him. "You have discernment, so you would have figured it out already. We will never be invited. But don't be disappointed."

He shook his head. "I am not. That place is a different world from ours. We shouldn't bite off more than we can chew. Yes, for sure. I am satisfied as I am now. Let's head back to the office, noona. I will escort you."

There were many familiar faces in the meeting room. There were the Japanese Tetsuya and Sayaka, the Americans Mason and Dorothy, and so on... They had reached the Final Stage with him.

In fact, most of them were from Revolucion (12). Kim Ji-Hoon felt as if he had been transported back to the Stage of Advent. While it was true that he was meeting the citizens of the Savior's City, they were also in the command of Revolucion (12) in the Stage of Advent. The difference from then was the large screen at the front and the vacant seats. On the Stage, that spot belonged to Chairman Lee Tae-Han, and Caliber usually stood behind him.

When Kim Ji-Ae and Kim Ji-Hoon entered simultaneously, Kim Ji-Ae moved first. However, she did not head to the seat on the top. She simply sat close by and waved her hands to those she recognized.

Kim Ji-Hoon was overcome with emotion when he looked at the empty seat left for him. Though people always said that a fox would take the leader's position in the absence of a tiger, he had never imagined that he would be treated as a leader among such distinguished figures!

He was aware that this was because the Savior's City was the only force maintaining its nominal power among the groups that had leveled up in the Final Stage. Even the King of Hell's direct attack squads were disbanded after their return.

A majority of the Awakened now moved according to the logic of capital. Other than the citizens of the Savior's city, there was no other force united by a single thought.

After all, they had gathered immediately as soon as the incident happened, terminating their contracts tied to corporations!

Kim Ji-Hoon sat down with a faint smile.

"Let me make this clear. This is for the bastards who do not know the severity of the situation, so if you have already heard about this yesterday or if you are not one of those, ignore this. As you know, this position is only temporary, and I do not attach much significance to it. I want to make it clear that I am not thinking about anything other than recovering his equipment. We, the citizens of the Savior's City, will disband as soon as we recover his equipment. That is it."

When Kim Ji-Hoon nodded toward the front, the light went out.

"Start the briefing, Tetsuya. Do not waste time like yesterday, and just hit the key points."

The photos of the sky began to appear on one side of the large screen. A completed site map was displayed in the center, with areas distinguished by today's date and colors overlaid.

Red was the danger area, and blue was the area where the danger had been removed or confirmed to have disappeared. Black indicated areas where the Awakened had entered. Lastly, the moving line at the top was the defense line built by the challengers. That alone was changing in real-time based on reconnaissance information collected from drones.

Compared to yesterday, the defense line was being pushed back today.

"I will start the briefing. 4910 Awakened from over three hundred groups have entered, and 623 from over fifty groups have been confirmed to have left. Two points have been converted from red to blue.

"One noticeable thing was that a transcendent entity suspected to be the Fire Spirit King, Seleon, has appeared near the defense line, according to a direct message from there. There are no secured videos or images.

"Also, an item presumed to be his chestplate was found at Black Point Seven. Those in charge of the area are Park Woo-Kyung, Kim Shin-Tae, Shin Young-Seok, Oh Soo-Min..."

"Mi! chin! SSI―BALA!"

Kim Ji-Hoon stood up, kicking his chair and raising his voice, "Why the fuck are you telling me this now?! Bring the map and follow me. Hurry!"

***

Black Point Seven was a particularly harsh region. Kim Ji-Hoon had experienced numerous battlefields in the Stage of Advent and outer space, but it was his first time witnessing this kind of terrain.

This cannot be described other than a collision between the divine and the corresponding evil that had caused this...

That was a sentiment shared by everyone, including Kim Ji-Hoon.

There was nothing on the location where there should have been a mountain, and hills that were formed by solidified lava had sprouted where they shouldn't have been. Moreover, the chasms were so deep that the crust had broken apart that even Awakened with a moderate level of Strength and Agility wouldn't be able to escape it. Moreover, the extent to which the crust had separated and cracked was beyond words.

Kim Ji-Hoon and his group suddenly stopped as they discovered another group on the opposite side. When they were close enough to identify each other, a smile of delight smeared onto Kim Ji-Hoon's face.

Also, when the opponents disappeared under the hill for a moment and reappeared, the distance had narrowed enough to clearly see the items they were transporting. Without a doubt, it was his chestplate. It was one of the scattered holy grails!

"Oh..."

Kim Ji-Hoon became silent as he saw it right in front of his eyes. It was just awe-inspiring. Although it did not glisten with gold as it usually did when he wore it, Kim Ji-Hoon was certain.

He asked with a trembling voice, "Great job. Did you discover it yourselves?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Perfect. Perfect! Though it is just one piece, he will appreciate the citizens' sincerity."

It was the equipment of the one who encompassed the whole world of the mainland before the Stage of Advent and even the outer space after the Stage. Kim Ji-Hoon was able to let go of his anxiety a little, besides his excitement.

He thought he wouldn't be able to bear the guilt if he had not accomplished anything even after dispatching all the challengers to the north.

"Are the others conducting additional searches?" he asked.

"Of course, sir."

"After securing it, we will have to join up again. We need to mobilize more comrades..."

Kim Ji-Hoon laughed and carefully held the breastplate. Then something red was reflected in the comrade's eyes. The fireball reflected on the breastplate was rushing at an increasing speed.

Without a moment to turn around, Kim Ji-Hoon threw himself forward, hugging the breastplate.

"Be careful-!"

A blast erupted from behind him, and the heat closed in. The blast pressure after the explosion not only pushed Kim Ji-Hoon, but also destroyed his weapons and defense tools. Unfortunately, the armor had not been charged due to past battles. Fragments of the broken armor scattered in front of his eyes, but as they did, he tightened his grip on the remaining part of the breastplate.

Thud! Thud!

He could only get up after being slammed to the edge of a cliff that was no different from a slope. He didn't even need to check to know that burns on his back were quite severe as something was peeling. Even a little movement made his entire body scream.

The blasts did not cease on the cliff.

Bang! Bang!

He leaped into the air beyond the cliff by stepping on the walls and found what was shooting fireballs at his comrades. It was folding its wings to its body and pecking at his comrades with its burning beak, as if it was eating food. The continuous blasts were coming from there.

Kim Ji-Hoon moved his gaze further back and saw a man standing alone. He was wearing a typical outfit of the Greenwood species, and fire spirits reminiscent of the Guides were flying around him.

His burned skin pulsated with sharp pain. This was a bad situation and he needed to avoid more like that. In the past, he was often on the verge of life and death in these situations.

"A transcendent entity suspected to be the Fire Spirit King, Seleon, has appeared near the defense line."

The report he had heard at the briefing echoed in his ears. He didn't know how it had broken through the defense line and appeared here, but his intuition pointed right at the guy.

"What the hell are you doing! Put it on-! Right now!"

He heard a familiar voice shouting in Korean from afar.

"Before he summons more fireeeee-! You idiot!"

1. Olivia's summoned creature. ☜