A Legion Grows From My Smartphone – Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Episode 99 – Evolution, Not Corruption (7)

“…”

Beyond the mask, the city being indiscriminately bombarded came into view. They had not anticipated such a magical attack and failed to respond properly.

Beyond the mask, Reina was watching the scene. The sight of the city falling into chaos by her own hands.

Austin was seen narrowly escaping the shells. Seeing that, her anger grew even more. He looked unscathed. While she endured all the hardships, he remained untouched simply because he was an active member of parliament.

“Disgusting.”

She turned her gaze away from Austin and took in the scenery of the city. The beautiful Central City, where the Academy Headquarters she had once yearned to visit was located.

And the famous magicians she had once respected so much.

Those things were now being pathetically and helplessly destroyed by her own hands.

“I was foolish. They were nothing more than mere insects.”

She smirked faintly. Her past self, who admired and felt pride in those things, seemed utterly pathetic.

She looked at her hands and her body. Though her monstrous body was covered in black carapace and leather, it was brimming with power.

This was the true power of magic she had sought. Freed from the primitive human body, she had become one with the Legion and gained evolved power.

Reina, who had continued the bombardment, at some point led the higher species and swiftly descended, landing in the middle of the city.

There was only one reason. She wanted to see their dying and tormented faces up close.

‘Run wild as you please.’

The one who granted her autonomy was Eve. Eve believed that to fully utilize Reina, who had her own motivations unlike Kang Do-Yeon, autonomy had to be guaranteed.

And as soon as Reina gained autonomy, she invaded Menas without hesitation, leading only a small unit.

“What the…”

“Capture her! This is our chance!”

Despite their shock at her landing, the humans saw it as an opportunity and charged at her.

Reina and the higher species moved as one, instantly manifesting another Legion-style massive spell.

“…!”

Amidst the flamestorm erupting in all directions, screams and shouts were faintly heard. Many were caught unprepared and burned alive. The sizzling smell of burning flesh began to permeate.

“Good…”

Reina deliberately heightened her senses to savor it all. The things she had created with her own hands.

Their screams, the smell of their burning bodies overlapped with the screams she had let out in the torture chamber and the smell of her own flesh being seared.

It was then that a group of knights and mages came rushing in, panicked.

“Royal Guard! Form a formation! The enemy is a mage!”

The First Royal Guard Captain, Rark, gritted his teeth as he commanded the knights.

Having lost face during Kang Do-Yeon’s intrusion, Rark was determined to win this time.

As the Royal Guard took their positions, a mage from the Stas Academy cast enhancement spells in alignment with their formation.

Seeing that, Reina also moved the higher species. The mage from the Stas Academy gasped in horror as they witnessed it.

“H-how dare you use the sacred magic of our academy!”

“Calm yourself, Vice Leader of the Academy. We just need to defeat her now!”

Rark stomped the ground along with his subordinates.

Similarly, Reina and the higher species, having strengthened their bodies, aimed their staffs and unleashed blazing flame beams in an explosion.

“Kuh-ugh…”

The heat pierced through the enhanced bodies, burning their skin.

Rark gritted his teeth and moved his body. With the sole determination to cut down the enemy and protect this place.

Even as his subordinates fell one by one, unable to endure, he swallowed his anger and pressed forward.

“If we get close! We win!”

Fortunately, Rark and the Royal Guard had extensive experience dealing with mages.

No matter how much they enhanced their bodies, mages were physically slower compared to knights who trained their bodies, which made close combat a guaranteed victory.

Soon, Rark and some of the Royal Guard, having pierced through the flames, drew their swords and charged at the enemies.

“What..?”

However, they failed to realize that the beings they were facing were not mages but monsters, specifically higher species specially created within the Monster Faction.

Reina and the higher species, who had been in formation, swiftly and organically shifted their formation.

It was not the formation of mages. The higher species held their staffs like spears, aiming their ends at the knights who were drawn in as if sucked in, like prey into the maw of a predator.

“Kuhk…”

“Aaaah!”

The knights who had barely pierced through the flames were instantly subdued in close combat.

The movements of the higher species, displaying martial arts and spear techniques, were flawless, and their collaborative techniques were at a level even the Royal Guard could not counter.

Rark could not believe his eyes.

Even his most trusted deputy commander was falling, his heart pierced by the spear of a higher species.

“That one is the chief… Quickly…”

“Bren!”

Rark grabbed his falling deputy commander and burst out in fury.

There was now only one option left. To cut down the root of all this.

“Aaaah!”

Rark, explosively releasing his strength, deflected the spears rushing toward him and charged at Reina.

The chains of magic power, glowing and emanating from the magic cast by the higher species, wrapped around his body, but he shook them off with sheer force and advanced step by step.

‘Do you see? He just surpassed his limits. That is precisely the potential of humans that I desire.’

Eve acknowledged him as she watched.

‘So prove it. Prove that I already possess that potential.’

“Yes.”

At Eve’s words, Reina murmured softly and stepped forward.

Rark, his face twisted like that of a demon, struck her barrier hard with his sword. Cracks began to form in the shield.

Reina struck his abdomen with her staff, sending him flying, and then struck the ground with her staff, casting earth magic.

“Never..!”

Covered in rocks that had risen and buried his entire body, he shattered them with sheer force, bloodied, gritting his teeth, and charged once more.

This time, Reina’s barrier shattered. His sword embedded itself in her shoulder.

However, just before the sword struck, Rark shuddered and gasped.

A large eyeball on the coat she wore blinked, and small overlapping barriers appeared where the sword struck, blocking it.

“Kuhk.”

In that moment, Reina grabbed his neck with her hand.

The glowing red eyes within her mask met his burning eyes.

Eve, who believed that communication, including language, was a means of contamination, had forbidden the Legion Commanders, including Kang Do-Yeon, from communicating with others except herself.

Thus, Reina could not utter a single word, but with the hand choking his neck and the eyes glaring at him, she conveyed her hatred directly.

“Who… are you..?”

His fighting spirit and her hatred clashed head-on.

But he could not overcome Reina’s grudge. His strong sense of mission and justice as the Royal Guard Captain ultimately only extended to the privileged and powerful figures of this city and had failed to help her when she desperately sought aid.

“Kuhh…”

A bone-chilling cold enveloped his body. As he fell, the infection fungus began to consume his body.

Reina released her grip. Then, transforming her sleeve into a blade, she swiftly beheaded him as he staggered.

*

‘Could it be effective? How fascinating.’

Eve observed all this with great interest.

In truth, Reina’s human-like actions were the epitome of inefficiency from Eve’s perspective. Supporting the main unit with bombardment alone would have easily swept everything away.

However, given autonomy, Reina had left for Menas without hesitation, taking only a small maneuvering force.

Her sole purpose was revenge and slaughter.

And indeed, Reina unleashed her hatred to her heart’s content there.

It was entirely different from Kang Do-Yeon’s intrusion.

Reina genuinely sought to kill as many people as possible, and her overwhelming hatred and killing intent were conveyed to the humans without a single word.

“P-President of the Academy Club..!”

“Quickly form a defensive line. We must stop her!”

And that killing intent caused great confusion among the humans.

The moment they realized that the being they thought was merely a simple monster or beast harbored overwhelming hatred and grudge against them.

A fear of the unknown began to spread among the crowd. This phenomenon was something Eve had not anticipated.

“Even the higher species entrusted with command by Reina are being influenced by those emotions. It seems the experiment is a success.”

[It caused sufficient chaos and damage beyond expectations. However, the fact that this is the center of the enemy camp remains unchanged. Won’t you order a retreat?]

“We’ve seized an unexpected opportunity, so we should make more use of it.”

Eve found it intriguing that Submind-Reina had produced results beyond her expectations, but at the same time, she began calculating another plan.

The most efficient outcome to utilize the current situation.

“Has it finally appeared?”

Eve, observing the field through Reina’s eyes, smirked.

Someone appeared among the mages in confrontation.

Silver hair, glinting golden eyes, and a soul string connected somewhere.

This was the first proper encounter between the two beings presumed to be units.

[It’s not just one.]

“There must be more.”

Furthermore, those presumed to be units were not just one or two. Several individuals with strings were also attached to Darque.

“Go on, keep rampaging. Extract everything they have.”

Eve issued an attack command to Reina instead of ordering a retreat. The purpose was reconnaissance. She intended to use this opportunity to uncover the enemies’ battle power.

Following the command, Reina aimed her staff at them.

However, at that moment, Darque was seen clicking his tongue. At the same time, the connection with Reina was severed, and her body began to collapse slowly.

“Assassination Authority?”

Eve, who smirked, used her power to seize Reina’s soul, which had already separated from the body and become one with her spirit.

Then, she issued a charge command to all the legion soldiers, who had been on standby while replenishing nutrients.

The use of the Assassination Authority meant that they no longer had any remaining power.