Chapter 92. The Path of the Beast (1)
The creature looked like several animals had been mixed together.
It resembled a lion.
It resembled a bear.
It resembled a leopard.
At a glance...
It almost looked like a dinosaur.
Sharp carnivorous fangs filled its long, torn mouth.
Its most distinctive feature...
Was the ten horns growing from its head.
The horns stretched out irregularly...
Resembling the horns of a demon.
And its size was enormous.
At a rough estimate...
It was at least fifty meters long.
It looked far too massive to move properly on land.
And yet...
The monster emerged from the artificial sea and moved without difficulty.
I can feel it.
Kang Yujin knew little about monsters like this.
Even so...
His instincts immediately told him what it represented.
It was the symbol of violent domination.
"Cheon Sangwoon!"
"..."
Avoiding collapsing buildings...
Kang Yujin shouted.
Cheon Sangwoon didn't answer.
Instead...
He leaped toward the beast's head.
Using Durandal...
He cut off three of its horns.
Then he stood upon the protrusions on its face.
From a distance...
He looked like a newly sprouted horn.
"According to the Book of Daniel..."
"A small horn with eyes and a mouth appears after uprooting three horns."
"That small horn wages war against the saints and defeats them."
"Cheon Sangwoon...!"
"Through the ritual completed by our research..."
"I became capable of taking that horn's role."
There was no need to verify anything.
The enormous beast...
Was already under Cheon Sangwoon's control.
And Cheon Sangwoon himself...
Was receiving an immense amount of power from it.
"Witness it."
"The power to trample everything and force it into submission."
Cheon Sangwoon raised Durandal high.
Light gathered at its tip.
Then it shot into the sky.
The beam curved south in a parabola.
A moment later...
An explosion echoed from far away.
"I just blew away the forces of Jegal Geum and Won Pilso approaching from the south."
"...!"
"Next..."
"I suppose I should deal with Shin Minyu, who's waiting for an opportunity."
"Stop!"
Ignoring Kang Yujin...
Cheon Sangwoon raised Durandal again.
A beam of light shot north.
Kang Yujin shouted.
"You said you're fighting Pandemonium!"
"And you're using that power against humans first?!"
"It's a necessary sacrifice to create an army that moves as one."
"You're insane."
"It may look that way."
Cheon Sangwoon's expression was resolute.
He looked like a knight armored in absolute conviction.
"Now..."
"I'll deal with you, Kang Yujin."
"...!"
"There's a possibility that one strike from your Skill could erase this beast."
Kang Yujin gritted his teeth.
His Awakening Skill [Shatter Everything]...
Was the trump card capable of erasing that monster.
But even with Kang Yujin's physical ability...
Jumping onto a fifty-meter monster and landing a punch was nearly impossible.
The surrounding skyscrapers had already collapsed.
There wasn't even anything left to use as a foothold.
And even if there were...
Cheon Sangwoon would never allow Kang Yujin to approach.
"You have no chance of winning."
Cheon Sangwoon's cold voice echoed above Kang Yujin.
"Uwaaaaagh!"
Seok Taejun screamed as he fell underground.
Until moments ago...
He had been fighting Cheon Sangwoon's subordinates alongside Lee Jukheon and Joo Minha.
Then the area suddenly flooded...
The gigantic beast appeared...
And the ground collapsed yet again.
"Guh, glub...!"
If the ground had merely collapsed...
That would have been one thing.
The problem...
Was the water.
Seok Taejun was swept away and dragged into the underground facility.
This is bad...!
He was slammed into things repeatedly while being carried by the water.
He could barely orient himself.
If he had strength like Kang Yujin...
He might have been able to force his way out.
But Seok Taejun couldn't.
At this rate... I'll die...
It was pitch-black.
He couldn't tell what was around him.
He couldn't find a way out of the water.
Even so...
Seok Taejun didn't give up.
He was already suffering from lack of oxygen...
But he continued struggling.
He still refused to let go of the spear-converted Durandal Replica in his right hand.
He swung it around wildly...
Hoping it might catch on something so he could hold himself in place.
But it only struck one object after another.
He still couldn't escape.
Ugh...
Just as his strength was about to run out...
He reached forward with everything he had left.
At that moment...
Something grabbed his wrist tightly.
"...!"
A powerful force pulled him upward.
In an instant...
He broke out of the water.
"Hah! Cough! Hah!"
Seok Taejun dropped to the ground and gasped desperately.
It was too dark to see...
But at least he seemed to be out of the water.
"Well done."
A voice came from nearby.
"If you hadn't reached out..."
"I wouldn't have been able to grab you."
It was the calm voice of a man.
But Seok Taejun couldn't see his face.
"W-Who are you?"
"Come this way first."
"If we stay here, we might get caught in another collapse."
The man didn't answer.
Instead...
He grabbed Seok Taejun's arm and pulled him along.
"Are you one of Lee Hyeonje's people?"
"Or Jegal Geum's?"
"..."
"Excuse me..."
"Where are we going?"
"..."
No matter how much Seok Taejun asked...
The man said nothing.
Just as Seok Taejun began feeling uneasy...
The man finally spoke.
"Seok Taejun."
"How do you know my name...?"
"Help Kang Yujin."
Seok Taejun flinched.
"That guy can do many things."
"But there are things even he can't do alone."
"..."
"If someone like you helps him..."
"It'll become a great source of strength for him."
Hearing that...
Seok Taejun wanted to say that wasn't true.
He was far weaker than Kang Yujin.
He didn't have skill like Lee Jukheon.
He didn't possess intelligence like Joo Minha.
He didn't suffer from an inferiority complex like Lee Jukheon...
But he still understood his own limits.
How could someone as ordinary as him...
Be of use to someone as extraordinary as Kang Yujin?
Wouldn't thinking that way be far too arrogant?
"I..."
"Don't waste time thinking about nonsense, Seok Taejun."
The man cut him off.
"What do you want to do?"
"..."
What did he want?
He didn't even need to think.
"I want to be useful to Kang Yujin."
"That's enough."
For some reason...
Even though Seok Taejun couldn't see anything in the darkness...
He felt as if the man had smiled.
"This way."
The man pulled Seok Taejun in front of him.
Then lightly pushed his back.
"There's something you need to do here."
"Something I need to do?"
"Yes."
Seok Taejun sensed him nodding.
"Fulfill your role."
"The way you want to."
"My role..."
"I'm counting on you."
There seemed to be some kind of mechanical facility ahead.
Even in the dark...
He could hear machinery running.
A faint light also seemed to leak from nearby monitors.
"Wait..."
"What am I supposed to do here...?"
Seok Taejun turned back.
"Huh?"
Something was strange.
The man who had been standing right beside him only moments ago...
Was nowhere to be felt.
─ That's insane.
─ Seriously. Cheon Sangwoon gained ridiculous power.
─ That last attack contained an absurd amount of energy.
─ With that kind of power, couldn't he actually fight Pandemonium?
─ Not only the Capital Region. Every Contractor in Korea might have no choice but to obey Cheon Sangwoon.
─ Aren't you all being a little too positive?
─ He used that power against humans first.
─ Exactly. That was practically a one-sided massacre.
─ Sacrifices are unavoidable.
─ Would it be better if they fought a full war and killed each other instead?
─ Even ignoring that part, there are still some serious problems.
─ Right. That's still an evil beast from the Bible.
─ Even if Cheon Sangwoon controls it and keeps it docile.
─ Fighting while borrowing the power of a creature like that...
─ The image is terrible.
─ We don't care much, but some Western Constellations might label all of Korea as a demonic faction.
─ European Contractor organizations might even start talking about invading Korea.
─ Cheon Sangwoon probably knows that too.
─ Do we really need to worry about that for him?
─ Just watch.
While chatting...
Geumgak bit his lip and stared at the beast on the observation screen.
It seemed to be a true Primordial Horror...
A symbol of violent domination.
Not a subspecies.
Not an imitation.
The real thing.
The power Cheon Sangwoon had just used...
Wasn't magic.
It was the concept of trampling and devouring others...
Converted directly into energy.
It truly was power capable of ruling the world.
─ Anyway... Kang Yujin is finished now.
─ Yeah. There's no chance.
─ Can't he just hit it with his Awakening Skill?
─ I don't think hitting anywhere works.
─ He probably has to strike a precise point on the head or body.
─ You think Cheon Sangwoon will allow that?
─ Besides, it's enormous. Impossible.
─ Seok Taejun, Lee Jukheon, and Joo Minha looked like they got caught in the collapse too.
─ Lee Hyeonje is already out of commission...
─ It's over.
─ Watching Kang Yujin has been fun.
─ Feels kind of bitter.
─ Yeah. I'm disappointed too.
─ Nothing we can do about it.
─ Another entertaining guy will appear eventually.
The Constellations in the chat room spoke as though Kang Yujin's defeat was already certain.
Recently...
The mood in the room had been to cheer Kang Yujin on...
Believing he could overcome any hardship.
But this time...
The opponent was simply too overwhelming.
Everyone sounded resigned.
Yet every comment carried a stronger sense of regret and disappointment than usual.
─ Then this Scenario ends with Cheon Sangwoon winning and opening a new era with the beast's power.
─ Right.
─ Kang Yujin's group exits the Scenario as unfortunate supporting characters who lost.
And then...
On the observation screen...
Cheon Sangwoon finally raised Durandal toward Kang Yujin.
"Die, Kang Yujin."
Hearing Cheon Sangwoon's voice...
Kang Yujin gathered all the strength in his body.
He intended to throw himself aside just before that attack descended.
But Kang Yujin knew.
Considering the two attacks Cheon Sangwoon had just used...
The chance of successfully dodging was close to zero.
Even so...
Kang Yujin had no intention of giving up.
Close to zero...
Wasn't the same as zero.
If another Great Blessing descended...
His chances would rise.
But he had received one last night...
And twenty-four hours hadn't passed yet.
He couldn't rely on that.
It would be nice if his Constellation Armament activated the moment the attack hit.
But he couldn't count on that either.
The attack looked strong enough to erase his entire body...
Not merely kill him.
Even so.
Kang Yujin didn't despair.
He would struggle until the very end.
Great One...
Please, lend me your strength!
With that thought...
Kang Yujin opened his eyes wide and glared at Cheon Sangwoon.
Durandal pointed toward him.
At its tip...
"...!"
But at that moment...
Cheon Sangwoon's eyes suddenly widened.
He looked somewhere else...
As though he had seen something impossible.
"Why..."
"Why are you...?"
Kang Yujin didn't miss that opportunity.
He kicked off the ground and ran.
He didn't know how much it would help...
But he had to move first.
"...!"
Caught off guard...
Cheon Sangwoon turned Durandal toward Kang Yujin again.
At that exact moment...
A massive bolt of lightning struck Cheon Sangwoon.
Lee Hyeonje...!
At the edge of his vision...
Kang Yujin saw Lee Hyeonje lying battered on the ground.
Only one arm was raised.
He had squeezed out the last of his strength...
And disrupted Cheon Sangwoon.
And thanks to that...
Kang Yujin finally reached him.
"Kang Yujin!"
Something flew upward from the gap in the collapsed ground.
A winged lion.
The substitute for the first beast.
A child of Echidna, Mother of Monsters.
But now...
One of their oldest companions.
The Chimera rose into the sky...
With Seok Taejun riding on its back.
"You got way too big!"
Kang Yujin shouted as he leaped.
The Chimera had always been larger than a normal lion...
But now it seemed more than five meters long.
"It just... got bigger somehow!"
"ROOOAR!"
The Chimera roared as though responding to Seok Taejun.
Kang Yujin landed on its back and reached out.
Seok Taejun handed him a weapon.
The spear-converted Durandal Replica.
"Kang Yujin...!"
Even after being struck by Lee Hyeonje's final lightning bolt...
Cheon Sangwoon was still standing.
But thanks to it...
He was slightly slower to raise Durandal again.
That tiny delay...
Was enough.
"Haaaaah!"
From the Chimera flying at full speed...
Kang Yujin threw the Durandal Replica with all his strength.
The spear throw...
Powered by the strength of his modified body...
Knocked Durandal from Cheon Sangwoon's hand.
A replica knocking away the original.
A truly ironic sight.
"Kang Yujin...!"
Of course...
This alone didn't mean much.
Even without Durandal...
Cheon Sangwoon could probably use the beast's authority freely.
Durandal was likely only serving as an aiming tool because it was a weapon he was familiar with.
He might be able to activate the power with a gesture...
Or perhaps even a glance.
But...
Cheon Sangwoon had been caught off guard.
That meant...
Even if only for a fraction of a second...
An opening appeared before he could attack again.
"Kang Yujin, go!"
"Grrrrr!"
The Chimera had already risen to the height of the fourth beast's head.
Standing on its back...
Kang Yujin clenched his fist.
He remembered the day the three of them had flown through the air together...
When they defeated Cheon Muyeok.
