Chapter 23
Part 22
Just like hyung said. I need to gather the monsters together.
I'll form an encirclement with the Undead.
RUMBLE!
BOOM!
A translucent blue mana barrier spread from Mincheol's shield.
It blocked the monsters approaching from every direction.
Previously, the barrier had only spread to his sides.
Now...
It completely surrounded him.
BOOM.
BOOM.
STAB.
BOOM.
BOOM.
STAB.
Hwarin is doing well too.
The Undead stood close together.
They pushed monsters back with their shields.
Then stabbed swords through the gaps.
But they'll be overwhelmed soon.
Not all the monsters had emerged yet.
Because the entrance had become blocked...
More creatures inside were beginning to push.
SCRAAAAAPE.
CRUNCH.
“Th-These bastards...!”
“Ugh!”
Mincheol and Hwarin clenched their teeth.
They continued holding the monsters back.
But there were simply too many.
They were gradually pushed backward.
It felt like trying to hold back a collapsing dam with bare hands.
Just a little longer...
SCRAAAAAPE.
CRUNCH.
Mincheol and the Undead were pushed farther.
Finally...
BOOOOM!
CRASH!
Mincheol was thrown backward.
The Undead were crushed beneath the flood of monsters.
“Hyung...”
“Yugeon...”
“Both of you did well. Step back and rest.”
Shing.
Yugeon smiled and slowly walked past them.
Because Mincheol and Hwarin had forcibly blocked the entrance...
A massive amount of monsters had been compressed together.
Normally...
It would have taken around ten more minutes for this many to emerge.
But by blocking the entrance...
They forced the monsters that should have come out slowly over ten minutes to emerge all at once.
Around thirty thousand.
It might not sound like a massive number.
But that was only if someone had prepared in advance.
If thirty thousand monsters suddenly attacked an unprepared city...
The results would be catastrophic.
And right now...
Towers all over the world were releasing monsters.
“SKREEEE!”
“GRRRR!”
“Chwik! Kill...!”
The monsters that had fallen began standing again.
Yugeon adjusted his grip.
He waited until they were upright.
Then...
Ding!
[You have activated Heaven-Annihilating One Sword.]
FLASH!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Yugeon's sword moved.
The entire monster army gathered in front of the entrance...
Was cut in half.
“Chwik?”
“Skree?”
THUD THUD THUD THUD.
Before the monsters could even understand what happened...
Their upper bodies began falling.
“Huh...”
“My god.”
Mincheol and Hwarin stared in shock.
Every one of those monsters...
Dead.
Instantly.
The army that had looked ready to swallow the world...
Had disappeared in one strike.
A sight like this could never be seen anywhere else.
“Seriously... It feels like a waste that only we get to see this.”
“Yeah.”
“I've seen hyung do ridiculous things before... but I've never seen him kill this many monsters with one attack.”
“Mincheol, do you think Yugeon still has energy left?”
“...One hundred percent.”
Mincheol and Hwarin laughed helplessly.
They shook their heads.
What they did not know...
Was that the entire world was watching Yugeon's actions live.
BZZZZ.
My god... This is huge. This is the biggest story of my life!
All those monsters... with one attack...
The reporter and cameraman who had fled earlier...
Had driven far enough to gain distance from the monsters.
Then they climbed onto the roof of a five-story building.
They were broadcasting everything.
The cameraman zoomed in as much as possible.
From the beginning to the end...
He captured all three of them.
“Hyung, is it over now...?”
Mincheol relaxed.
Yugeon raised his sword.
“Hmm?”
“Not yet.”
Had he not already explained it?
There was a commander boss.
“The boss hasn't come out yet.”
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
A completely different vibration came from deep inside the Tower entrance.
It sounded like the beating of an enormous heart.
The air became heavy.
“Grrrr... Useless creatures. To think you opened the path for a single human.”
An arrogant voice came from inside.
Step.
Step.
The creature that emerged was three times larger than a human.
A Lizardman.
Dark blue scales covered its body.
They shone like jewels.
A crimson cape hung from its shoulders.
In one hand was a gigantic golden trident.
A white crown carved from monster bone rested on its head.
The ruler of Sector 4, Floor 35.
[Water Dragon Temple]
The Lizardman King.
“Was it you? The one who turned my army into garbage?”
Its voice was deep and rough.
It seemed unable to believe that a single human had annihilated its elite vanguard.
“Army?”
Yugeon scoffed.
A mocking smile appeared.
“I thought it was just a gathering of insects. You're calling that an army? Your standards are pretty low.”
“...Insolent human.”
The Lizardman King frowned.
BOOM!
He slammed his trident into the ground.
The dry earth split apart.
A massive pillar of water exploded upward.
Water in the middle of a dry grassland.
It was not natural.
It was a supernatural power forcibly created through mana.
“A lowly human dares stand in my way?”
“You talk too much.”
Yugeon adjusted his Godslayer Sword.
He remembered this creature from his previous life.
It loved talking.
It had enormous pride.
That also meant it exposed many openings.
“You rule one little Floor 35 and call yourself a king. How pathetic.”
“DIE! I'LL RIP THAT MOUTH APART!”
Unable to tolerate the insult...
The Lizardman King roared.
The pillar of water changed shape.
A gigantic tidal wave formed.
Tens of thousands of tons of compressed water rushed forward.
The pressure was strong enough to crush stone.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A wave as large as a house charged toward Yugeon.
Its shadow covered him.
“Nunim, behind me!”
Mincheol immediately created his mana barrier.
Yugeon checked that both companions were safe.
Then he jumped.
Tap!
Tap.
Tap.
He lightly stepped across the wave.
Water Surface Flight.
“Future or past... water tricks are still all you've got.”
Yugeon's eyes turned cold.
“Bastard!”
WHOOSH!
The Lizardman King thrust its trident.
Yugeon was still standing above the moving wave.
He appeared defenseless.
“If I were you, I would've created another wave instead of attacking.”
Whirl.
CLANG!
Yugeon used the force of the attack to rotate his body in midair.
Slash.
Slash.
Slash.
Using Taiji Wisdom Sword...
He cut apart the trident.
“?!”
The weapon broke like tofu.
The Lizardman King immediately abandoned it.
Then it jumped backward to create distance.
It really is intelligent.
Yugeon laughed.
A commander boss.
It knew when to attack and retreat.
It used tactics.
Humanity had lost countless lives because no one understood that fact.
This time, I'll stop them.
SLASH!
BOOM!
Yugeon used various martial arts to deflect pillars of water flying toward him.
“Grrrr... I see. Simple tricks don't work on you. Then...”
BOOM!
ROOOOOOOOOAR!
Another tidal wave rose.
No.
This one was several times larger.
The first had been as tall as a house.
This one reached the height of a building.
“Hehehe. Didn't you tell me to create another wave instead of attacking? Thank you for the advice.”
This wave was so enormous...
Yugeon could no longer simply run across its surface.
The Lizardman King intended to swallow him completely.
Yugeon clicked his tongue.
“Tch. I was trying to raise my stats a little...”
Shing.
Yugeon lowered his sword.
“You made one mistake.”
“What?”
“You came out separately from your army.”
If the king had appeared first and commanded the army personally...
At least it would have witnessed Heaven-Annihilating One Sword.
Then Yugeon paused.
“Actually, if you'd witnessed it, you'd already be dead.”
“What nonsense are you mumbling?!”
“You don't need to understand.”
Ding!
[You have activated Heaven-Annihilating One Sword.]
SLASH.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Yugeon's sword moved vertically.
The building-high tidal wave...
And the Lizardman King...
Split in half.
“Impossible...”
CRAAAAACK.
BOOM!
Blood poured from the monster's eyes.
Its body trembled.
Then it split completely in half and collapsed.
SHAAAAAA.
The tidal wave reaching Yugeon dispersed back into mana.
“Hyung, is it over?”
“Yeah. It's finished.”
“WOOOOOO!”
“We stopped it... We stopped the Wave!”
Mincheol cheered.
Hwarin looked deeply moved.
Both knew what kind of disaster Monster Waves could cause.
For it to end this quickly...
Was an incredible relief.
Clink!
While they celebrated...
An item fell where the boss had died.
A golden crown.
Yugeon smiled and picked it up.
[Item: Crown of the Abyss]
Grade: Mythic
Type: Auxiliary Item
Greatly amplifies the wearer's domination and command abilities.
The number of monsters that can be controlled and the range over which commands can be transmitted greatly increase.
The wearer can issue army-scale commands to subordinate monsters.
Monsters under the crown's domination recognize the wearer's commands regardless of distance and are unaffected by fear or confusion.
[Unique Authority]
[King's Edict]
Any being killed by a monster under the user's control can be dominated without mana consumption.
