Chapter 700

Davey smiled as he said, "Speaking of humans, they would always unite in unexpected ways. I'm talking about those that are not from Earth. After all, you have already cleanly divided the humans here."

"..."

"Ah. Also, I wouldn't be able to kill the Malicious Spirit if I didn't let you summon that bastard here, you know?"

If Davey had indeed prevented the summoning of the Malicious Spirit, then he would just be stopping the bastard from coming.

"From his power, to his nature, and down to his character—I already know everything there is to know about Meses. Now, all I have to do is squeeze him dry until I no longer have any use for him."

In the first place, Davey did not see Meses as an enemy. No, it was more apt to say that he did not see any of the Malicious Spirits as his enemies. It may sound terribly arrogant, but it sounded right coming from his mouth.

It would be only natural for a person to avoid possible risks of dealing with Malicious Spirits, but he didn't even consider it. He was completely determined to make full use of this chance and thoroughly destroy those he needed to wipe out.

'N... No...' Yoon Tae-Gang cried out, but it only rang in his mind. 'This bastard is really dangerous.'

***

The number of victims was overwhelmingly high. But shockingly enough, there were no deaths.

Every day, the news that was being reported in South Korea was centered around the Malicious Spirits. They believed that what they were activating was a barrier device, but it turned out to be a seed of disaster, which caused the refugees in South Korea to fall into despair.

Meses, the Malicious Spirit that was dubbed as the Shadow Specter, was set up as a well-known monster in Alf Online.

Now, they had a big problem because this monster—which was already difficult to defeat even with their complete powers in the game—suddenly appeared in reality.

And Meses was far more frightening than the monsters that had appeared in the DMZ area and devastated the provinces of Gangwon and Gyeonggi. In just three days, he easily decimated the allied forces sent by every nation. That was why he was classified as a grade ten monster.

But just because Meses appeared in the middle of the town after Yoon Tae-Gang summoned him, it didn't mean that there were casualties. It was true, though, that everyone who was present when he descended on Earth was destined to die.

Meses had the ability to devour shadows and erase people's existence within a week. So his power was basically wiping out a being's existence from the face of Earth in a matter of seven days by simply devouring their shadow.

Many people, including the president, the ministers, and countless other government officials, came to witness the activation of the barrier device. That was why a lot of people lost their shadows the moment Meses appeared.

The people were enraged at the Church of Neltarid for sending them a ridiculous item. So they all took to the streets and protested, venting their anger. The furious masses even went as far as trampling on and burning the symbols and patterns that represented the Church of Neltarid.

Millions of people were gathered in Daegu, and a fifth of them were destined to die. Meses continued to bring death to the people, giving them a time limit, as though playing with their lives. And it seemed like that was really what Meses wanted to do. He even said it himself.

[The game has started. All of you, insignificant bugs, will die if you fail to stop me within a week. Let me watch you fall into despair and struggle in vain.]

Meses' eerie voice dragged the people into the abyss of despair. At the same time, their resentment against the Church of Neltarid deepened. Of course, the Church of Neltarid cried at the injustice of it all, declaring and insisting that they were not to blame for what was happening. But the enraged masses were no longer listening to them.

In the end, the Korean government decided that they did not have any other choice but to deal with Meses. With this decision, they pushed a huge number of powerful Awakened, who were at a ranker level, to the forefront.

They sent around 200 Awakened. And it didn't matter how much damage they could deal to Meses; the government simply pushed forward those who were easy to compel, like those without any backing or who did not have any money.

Perhaps, it was only natural. The children of high ranking government officials and rich families would give bribes to the government to take their names off of the draft list. Because of that, the number of Awakened that could be sent to the forefront had decreased significantly.

It was basically a conscription. In fact, Korea's Awakened rarely received any benefits or preferential treatment from the state. This was mainly because of the corruption in the arms industry, where there were an overwhelming number of shady deals in the middle. This left the Awakened with insufficient benefits, even though the state had declared that they had poured in a lot of money for them.

So would many people be willing to risk their lives to fight for their country if there was a severe lack of compensation? The Awakened were not fools. Why should they be bossed around and forced to fight for the government just like that? But in the end, they did not have any choice.

They could fight or run away, but either way, they would still end up dying in Meses' hands. And if they try to resist, the military would threaten with guns pointed at them.

Meanwhile, other countries did nothing but watch the situation from the sidelines. They did not even have any thoughts of helping the Awakened from Korea deal with this special enemy named Meses.

Only a few volunteered to be on the frontlines. Other Awakened were then coerced by the military, which had forcibly detained the president, using different means, including threats. This naturally fueled the resentment of the Awakened.

But the military just told them that it was for the sake of the people. They gaslighted them and told them that if they did not fight, then everyone would die. In the end, a lot of Awakened, who did not want to do it, were thrown out to die.

[Haa... So, delicious shadows have come. Hey, at least try to resist.]

Meses, who was carrying a gigantic black scythe, began to move.

Yoo Song-Hyun, the commander of the attack team consisting of 200 Awakened, gritted his teeth. He then yelled, "Tanks!!!"

Yoo Song-Hyun did not like those damn members of the assembly, but he, along with the other Awakened, still had to fight for Korea's sake. Not only that, they had to do something to protect their families, and that was exactly what they were doing now.

It no longer mattered who was to blame for their situation. They still had to give their all and bring down Meses, because if they failed, then millions of people were going to die in a single day. So, they really had to do anything and everything to succeed.

Of course, that was just what Song-Hyun thought.

Bang!!!

The tank line collapsed in an instant. Even though Meses' power had evidently been reduced, the might that was contained in his blow was still far too overwhelming, leaving the tanks in a dreadful state with their teeth clattering from fear.

With the tanks reduced to a disorganized mass of injured individuals in an instant, there was no one left to stop the next attack. It would be inevitable for the attacker and healer lines to fall apart quickly given how fast and easy the tank line collapsed.

This led to countless Awakened getting injured and collapsing as they fell prey to Meses' scythe. Surprisingly, not a single Awakened died. Maybe it was because Meses wanted to play around with them. But this did not lessen the feeling that they might die at any moment.

Right off the bat, they had already misjudged the level of the enemy and underestimated their situation, resulting in them being forced to face this horrendous predicament that they had created themselves.

The attack team, which had lost its will to fight just as soon as the battle started, collapsed.

Meses was extremely delighted as he watched the humans be driven to despair after witnessing his overwhelming power.

Right then and there, a shadow stretched toward a young girl.

"N... No!!! No!!!" The young girl shouted in fear. She looked to be far too young to be on the battlefield. After all, what could a teenage girl do in such a fierce battlefield?

The frightened and terrified Awakened just stared blankly, unable to say anything, despite the girl's cries and shout of help.

[Delicious shadows, you just can't wait a week, can you? Then, where...]

The moment Meses tried to devour the young girl's shadow...

Vwooong-!!!

Shing-! Shing!!!

...unusual characters flashed on the ground, shining a bright light on the surroundings. At the same time, a pentagram appeared on Meses' body, and countless talismans fell from the sky.

[First Grade Binding Arts]

[Divine Exile, Great Golden Sphere]

The highest level of sorcery, the first-grade arts, suddenly made an appearance. Huge pillars of light fell from the sky and pierced the unsuspecting Meses, rendering him immobile. Not only that, the binding arts also created a sphere that completely isolated him from the outside world. He could not attack anyone outside, just as the people outside could not attack him.

But that was not the end.

[Ninth Level Holy Magic]

[Grand Recovery]

White feathers slowly rained down from the sky and slowly healed the Awakened, who had been as silent as the dead, helping them get back on their feet and recover. It was such a shocking scene to witness.

Someone else took center stage after Meses had gotten his turn. He broke into the scene and forcibly took the stage from Meses, to the extent that the Malicious Spirit was pressed down firmly on the ground.

Everyone turned to look at the man who had taken over the scene and created this absurd situation. The man, who was hugging the girl that Meses' had dropped earlier, slowly descended from the sky, flapping the strange wings made of light on his back. He looked just like an angel coming down to Earth.

Only after the man had landed did the people below realize who he was—a person they only ever saw in Alf Online. He was a monster who dealt maximum damage and completely obliterated Malicious Spirit Goumda. On top of that, he also possessed powers that were leagues above the powers of the Awakened.

"Are you alright?"

The girl looked up at the man blankly when she heard his gentle question.

"You're Yoon Ga-Yeong's younger sister, right? I have been looking for you for a long time."

Yoon Ga-Yeong was the soul Davey was able to summon when he hijacked the place where the monsters suddenly appeared. It was only after she told Davey the truth about the incident with Yoon Tae-Gang that her spirit finally departed.

"Huh? Ah... Yes."

Everyone looked at Davey with bated breaths.

[This... What is this?! You bastard!!! Remove this right this instant!!!]

"Hmm... No matter how hard you try, that will only be released after three days once you're caught."

[How dare you...]

"You should know how lucky you are that I'm not paying attention to what you're doing right now."

[What do you mean?]

"I literally mean what I said. Basically, I have no reason to help those who bite the hands that feed them. These days, they have been doing nothing but blame others for the mistakes that they have made, right?"

Davey thought that it did not matter what logic the humans on Earth were trying to use. They had probably made such a choice because they were preparing for danger. Although their choice was extreme, if Megalodria was truly the enemy, then their decision was correct.

Davey would have understood them even if they did not admit their mistakes. He would even go so far as to forgive them. But would anyone be able to find it in themselves to forgive and forget these people's mistakes after getting the blame for everything?

Each and every single word that Davey uttered rang in everyone's ears, bringing them terror and dread, especially since his smile did not reach his eyes.

[A monster...]

"That will be released in three days. I'm sorry for interrupting and cutting you off in the middle of what you were doing. But I will lose face if this child gets caught up in whatever you're doing."

[How dare somebody like you do as you please?]

"Do you want to die?"

The temperature in the surrounding area turned frigid. Davey had clearly said that Meses would not be able to do anything for three days, nor would anyone be able to do anything to him, no matter what they tried. Still, Meses could not help but flinch in fear because he felt like the restriction didn't apply to Davey.

[...Take... Take her away.]

With the dazed girl in his arms, Davey walked past Meses.

Meses was quick-witted and smart. He understood that nothing good would happen to him if he dared to defy Davey's words. Although he could not feel anything from Davey, a predator like him could recognize another predator. That was how monstrous Davey was in his eyes.

"S-saint of Tionis!" Someone shouted at Davey.

But Davey just ignored their call and walked past them. His kind gaze completely focused on the young girl in his arms.

"Let's go. I'll bring you to see your sister."

"Ah. Aaaaah..."

The girl could not keep up with the sudden turn of events. She could only stare at Davey blankly, unable to utter a single word.

As Davey walked away with the girl in his arms, his gaze met the eyes of someone who had collapsed on the ground, making the person jump. He was very shocked to find out that he had survived.

"Did... Did you save me?" The man murmured in a daze. While his question sounded absolutely nonsensical, it could be considered as an accurate description of what happened.

"I will be plagued with nightmares if someone died right in front of me."

Davey's words stunned everyone. Did he just save all of the people who had died under Meses' hands just because he did not want to be plagued with nightmares? But there was something stranger than that. Was it just a coincidence that none of them had died from Meses' attack? At most, they only sustained severe injuries. An eerie thought crossed everyone's mind.

"H... Hey!" Yoo Song-Hyun shouted and ran toward Davey. As the raid commander, he was the very first person to come back to his senses in this situation, which was naturally shocking.

"Hmm?"

Davey had an extremely dangerous air around him. The calmness in his eyes belied the fact that he had faced a monster capable of killing millions of people if left unchecked. It was as if there was no emotion in his eyes. No. The look in his eyes looked extremely familiar.

"Please... Please help us! You're the Saint of Tionis, right?! If things continue at this rate, then millions of people will die!"

"You want me to help you? Me?"

"Yes! Please, I beg you!"

"Why?"

Davey's question left Yoo Song-Hyun speechless.

"That..."

"Look here," Davey paused and smiled.

Many South Koreans were watching the situation in real-time through media outlets that were streaming live from the scene.

"Did you think I'm a saint who would graciously and generously give everything to others?"

Everyone turned silent at his words. In the first place, a saint should be like that, right? But no one dared to utter these words aloud.

"At the very least, I would only offer help to those who had shown goodwill and kindness to me. Why do I have to help those that have slandered and shown hostility toward me?"

No one could reach out to stop Davey as he walked slowly away from them. In the end, he completely disappeared from their sight. But the focus of the Awakened had shifted away from Meses and was redirected to the monstrous human, who had left after putting pressure on Meses and tying him up in an instant.

They had already surrendered once. But this human had saved their lives and even bought them enough time. Still, whether they could attack Meses or not, it no longer mattered. After all, none of them were fools. Why would they attack him when they all knew that they would just die?

Instead of thinking about attacking Meses, everyone had another thought lingering in their minds. No. Everyone judged that was all there was to it.