Chapter 397

Chapter 397

Chapter 71: Decisive Battle (2)

“Damn it!”

To hunt a nemesis-rank, the Platinum rank players had to be gathered.

The reason top-tier players like Hyunwoo could hunt a nemesis-rank alone was because they were strong.

The nemesis-rank wasn’t weak; they were a calamity, capable of destroying entire cities as a single entity.

Players who had faced nemesis-rank monsters on the battlefield knew this truth better than anyone.

As the monster roared, trampling the National Assembly building immediately upon exiting the Hole, everyone instinctively stepped back.

“This is not a creature you can take on by yourself!”

Especially in Seoul, the apostles capable of using the golden lightning, referred to as puppets, were all absent.

The battle against the nemesis-rank would rely entirely on the power of those remaining here.

This meant they had to step back, reorganize, and conduct a systematic raid.

Players who had any strength left quickly gathered under the Association’s directive.

The Platinum rank players, who needed to directly hit the nemesis-rank at the front lines, were no exception.

As soon as they replenished their mana with potions, they were thrust into the fight against the nemesis-rank.

How much time passed since the clash, intending to kill one another, began?

Suddenly, space near the Yeouido Han River Park began to split.

And from there, people began to pour out.

“Wow! Finally back home… wait, what?”

“Quickly, a shower… huh?”

“Is something wrong with my eyes? What is all this?”

The faces of those who emerged with fresh expressions swiftly turned grim.

Witnessing the half-collapsed National Assembly and the nemesis-rank and players battling furiously nearby, along with the black smoke and monstrous sounds rising from various parts of Seoul—those who comprehended the situation gritted their teeth and shouted.

“These detestable creatures…!”

“Those unethical bastards, daring to loot an empty home?!”

“Everybody’s dead meat! Charge!”

The subjugation team, which had crossed the Hole before this chaos erupted, had returned.

This wasn’t merely a concern limited to Seoul.

Players drafted into subjugation teams around the world began to return.

Many among them had accumulated enough Reputation to use VIP Shops.

Thanks to this, finally.

“The numbers in the sky are decreasing!”

The numbers in the sky, which seemed to refuse to decrease, began to move.

Those who had been busy just hunting the monsters crawling out of the Holes had started a counterattack.

With the tide slowly beginning to turn away from the invaders.

“I… huh?”

A player deeply engrossed in battle suddenly paused, shivering his shoulders.

He felt an inexplicable chill as a breeze brushed past his neck.

Without realizing it, the player held his breath and glanced around.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

“Party leader?”

The players who were moving with him turned to ask, noticing his abnormal behavior.

Because of this, the 5-star evolved species they had been chasing moments ago began to escape.

Nevertheless, the player continued to search around, as if looking for something.

The breeze he felt was unsettling.

‘Just why…’

A chill crept down his spine, and his heart was pounding madly.

His rare Trait, survival Instinct, had activated.

The Trait that had saved his and his party’s lives countless times when on the brink of death.

The player swallowed dryly as he focused on the wind blowing from an unknown direction.

He planned to dash as far as he could from the direction the wind was blowing.

“Everyone, let’s get out of here…”

But just before he could put strength into his legs and leap.

“Ah…?”

The player sensed something amiss and swallowed his words.

For the wind was indeed blowing from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock.

Yet a strange phenomenon was occurring about 1 km away.

The hem of someone’s clothing, caught on an overturned, partially destroyed vehicle, was fluttering towards where he stood.

This meant that the wind in that location was blowing from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock.

Only then did the player realize the wind wasn’t blowing from somewhere,—it was being drawn in.

“We’re being sucked in…”

Somewhere within the space between them and the clothing on the vehicle.

“What’s he been muttering on about?”

At the moment when the party members, who were concerned about him, approached closely.

“Run!”

The player grabbed their clothes and arms and dashed unexpectedly.

“Wh-what? What’s going on suddenly?!”

“Come on, let’s go!”

“Ahhhh, at least tell us why we’re running!”

“Just get away! As far as possible!”

They dashed frantically, pushing through the wind that blew in the opposite direction from them, with their breath catching at their throats.

Still, the chilling sensation threatening him persisted.

No, it was growing stronger.

As if despite moving further away from an unknown center point, the wind was growing stronger.

Faster and stronger.

With each passing second, the wind intensified.

It soon whipped around furiously, making it hard to keep their eyes open.

It was difficult to keep their balance.

They felt they might be blown away at any moment.

Yet, the player stubbornly dragged, pushed, and pulled his party members further to get away.

“I’ll use magic, so do your best!”

The player with the earth attribute mana accumulated a mound of soil, pushing them forward.

After advancing several more meters.

“Ahhh!”

“Ack!”

Suddenly, all resistance vanished.

The fierce racing forward led them to tumble over together.

Some collided face-first onto the asphalt road, while others lost their balance and staggered.

Of them, the one who first realized the abnormal phenomena regained composure the quickest.

The relief reminiscent of surviving a life-or-death situation in the past enveloped him.

They had escaped an unknown threat!

As if his legs gave way, he sank to the ground, turning his creaking head.

The space they had occupied just moments ago.

An incomprehensible sight began to unfold in front of them.

All kinds of structures twisted, and then started to draw inwards.

It seemed like not just structures but entire spaces were being torn away.

It was astonishing.

Why was that side being sucked in while the ground on this side remained intact?

‘What on earth is going on…?’

The bizarre scene made it seem as if a line had been drawn, severing the two areas.

Watching it, unable to find words, a party member murmured beside the player.

“Come to think of it… isn’t this the place where the Hole opened up in the sky?”

“What?”

“The Hole, the big one that opened up in the sky initially. It happened around here, didn’t it?”

Upon hearing those words, he finally realized where he stood.

And he remembered that there had been no remaining troops originally in this area.

Indeed, five or six days ago, when the Hole appeared in the sky, all troops withdrew, as if retreating.

As the Association had ordered, they, as mere players, could only comply.

‘Is this chaos because of the Hole?’

Staring at the almost completely vanished space, the player’s brows furrowed.

The abnormal phenomenon occurring there appeared like an empty hole.

Then, as if in a blink, a crisp sound echoed—clack!

A sound reminiscent of something misaligned snapping back into place; or the connecting of a seam.

Uncertain what it was, it wasn’t a situation to dwell on out of curiosity.

“Ha, haha…”

The party members were left speechless by the unfolding scene.

The gaping void abruptly filled in again.

But the issue was that it looked nothing like before it had been sucked away.

“What, what is this…”

“Why is everything suddenly…”

“Is this really Seoul?”

The kilometers of what had seemed to be city space lay utterly collapsed.

When the space was being sucked in, there were still a few intact buildings.

Now, there was nothing left that could be called a building.

A barren, open field appeared suddenly amidst a modern city, seeming surreal, if not utterly alien.

And then the gaze of those who stood there turned to something else.

Above the ruined rubble, two strands of light shimmered.

Black and golden.

As they absorbed the sight of these two lights, extending towards each other without hesitation, their dormant survival instincts roared to life again.

‘I have to get out of here.’

If they didn’t rise and run immediately, they would perish here.

Despite feeling their instincts scream such a warning, the player could not move.

The situation exceeded what they could avert with their capabilities.

It was something akin to a disaster.

An inescapable disaster, no matter how much they tried to run or struggle.

They instinctively felt that when those two lights clashed, survival was impossible.

Yet, the player never saw the collision of the lights.

Right before they collided, a strong impact hit the back of his head, snuffing out his consciousness.

His limp body and that of his party members slumped downwards.

And at that moment, everything in the vicinity was blown away.

* * *

Omby attempted several times to escape.

But I wouldn’t let it go so easily.

As its escape attempts were thwarted repeatedly, Omby’s demeanor shifted.

It abandoned its previous evasion strategy and adopted an offensive stance.

Had it learned something while wasting time being caught by the apostles?

‘Maybe it’s because I’m the opponent.’

Regardless of the reason, Omby’s full rage was no light matter.

Omby seemed to swell its status and divinity momentarily.

Part of the seal it had placed on itself was undone.

Causality immediately flooded in.

While a large amount of corrupted divinity was in motion, Omby charged at me.

Yet, before it could approach me closely.

Creeakk-!

A crystallized puppet was created.

Blocking Omby’s path, and directly slamming into its side with the puppet.

– Kraah!

It was brief but a distinct scream.

Omby retreated instead of attempting another approach.

Witnessing this response, suspicion crossed my mind.

‘Not pushing through?’

It seemed extremely reluctant to come into contact with the puppet.

I found it strange that there was no special change even after absorbing the vast status of Karlos with the puppet.

Was it possible there was no change, but I had simply had no chance to confirm it?

The method to verify was simple.

‘I just need to pour it on.’

Bang! Boom! Crash!

The puppet, dropped like a bolt of lightning, relentlessly pursued its target.

Much more tenacious and accurate in its movements than those used by the apostles.

Omby, who was scurrying around like a frantic mouse, looked up at me and roared.

A vast scale of status and corrupted divinity suddenly released, and causality poured in.

Dozens of strands of corrupted divinity targeted me.

Behind them, the causality that came to exact the price of divine interference enveloped Omby.

An enormous amount of corrupted divinity began transferring from Omby to the causality.

Sheltered inside a crystallized puppet, I watched, smirking.

It had already undone several seals.

Simply existing here, it has to pay the price every single moment.

Unlike me, who can freely use power both inside and outside of causality that matches my status.

‘It’s not bad even going for a war of attrition like this.’

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like Omby wished for that.

Damned System.

New Elements & Characters:

– 희귀 특성, 생존 본능 = Rare Trait, survival Instinct(it)

– 옴비 = Omby(it)