Chapter 43 : The Second Volcanic Eruption

“The villagers are being exposed to danger completely unprotected!”

“Hold on! Hey, young lady, you’re not thinking of running outside the mana barrier, are you? That’s as reckless as running headfirst into a concrete wall…”

Colonel Anderson’s concern was proven unnecessary, as Iris wrapped her entire body in aura and shot out of the mana barrier like a bullet.

Then, she began kicking away the falling lava fragments one by one as they rained down on the villagers — a feat so extraordinary it was almost divine.

Even Colonel Anderson momentarily forgot that he was the commanding officer, staring blankly in awe—what more needed to be said?

Thanks to Iris kicking away every last piece of falling lava, they managed to safely get through the first wave of the assault.

However, the fact remained that both the villagers and the soldiers escorting them were still in grave danger, which prompted Colonel Anderson to finally take action.

“Ah, this is driving me insane. This is exactly why I didn’t want to be stationed in the Orange Belt region for my final posting. Hey, Lieutenant, bring me my hammer!”

As the mage lieutenant pulled a massive warhammer from subspace, Colonel Anderson grabbed it with one hand and immediately struck it down onto the barrier.

Suddenly, black iron blocks shot up from the ground like mushrooms after rain, forming a temporary iron fence to protect the villagers.

It was a technique known as Crafting, considered one of the more difficult disciplines even within the field of alchemy.

I had once seen a dwarf uncle use a similar skill to rebuild our collapsed dormitory overnight.

Even if the Pantheon Peacekeeping Force on Earth was considered a laid-back assignment, a commanding officer in charge of a unit had his own aces up his sleeve.

Just when we thought we could finally catch our breath, the mage lieutenant spoke in a flustered voice.

“Colonel Anderson, we’ve just received a transmission from the reconnaissance unit. They’ve detected the energy signature of a Grade 1 Devil Doll, and it’s rapidly approaching the barrier.”

“Damn it, can’t these bastards ever be on time? Mobilize all available forces immediately and issue an evacuation order to the civilians.”

“What should we report to Commander Han Moosung?”

“Unfortunately, conventional firearms are useless against a Grade 1 Devil Doll. Just gather all mana users, regardless of their division. We might have to use them as human batteries if things get desperate.”

Colonel Anderson, clearly stressed, took a deep drag from his cigar.

However, the ever-changing tide of battle didn’t even allow the luxury of finishing a single cigarette.

After all, just because the Vulcanic Turtle was a turtle didn’t mean it was slow.

It was so massive that each step it took caused small tremors, and even now, faint vibrations could be felt on the mana barrier.

Thud.

Thud.

THUUUD!

Colonel Anderson threw his cigar to the ground, stomping it out irritably, then turned to us and spoke.

“Where is Instructor Han Seongryeong? The Peacekeeping Force no longer has the capacity to protect academy students.

Either ride the Spatial Raptor back to Pantheon Academy right now, or hole up in the central shelter!”

“We’re not exactly sure where Instructor Han Seongryeong is right now…”

As if summoned by her name, Instructor Han Seongryeong appeared amidst the tense, explosive atmosphere, as if war could break out at any second.

She had steel wings on her back and massive bazookas in both hands.

She must have rushed over in great haste, as her hair was drenched in sweat.

After confirming that all the students were safe, she let out a relieved sigh and spoke.

“Everyone’s safe… Thank goodness… Colonel Anderson, could I ask for just one pilot capable of flying the Spatial Raptor? I want to send the students back to Pantheon Academy immediately.”

“Can’t you see we’re short-handed as it is, Instructor Han? You were their escort from the beginning, so you should take responsibility to the end.”

“As you know, Colonel Anderson, I’m originally from Earth. That’s why I’ll stake my life to defend Neo Seoul City to the very end. We can’t just leave everything to the Peacekeeping Force.”

“Really… First that Iris Lunai girl, now you too. The both of you are giving me a massive headache. Fine. Go ahead and do whatever the hell you want. I’ll cut loose myself for the first time in a while—just like back in my active duty days.”

Hierarchy and obedience were the most fundamental principles that held a military together.

However, with individuals not part of the Pantheon Peacekeeping Force’s chain of command constantly causing trouble, even Colonel Anderson seemed a little put off.

That didn’t mean he was shirking his duty to protect the city.

On the contrary—he swung his hammer with gusto, continuously pulling up dark steel pillars along the barrier.

These dark steel pillars twisted and tangled together like living vines, forming natural spike traps capable of slowing down the Vulcanic Turtle’s charge.

“The Vulcanic Turtle is now visible to the naked eye. Colonel Anderson, what should we do with the students? Should I teleport them near the shelter for now?”

“Forget it. Save your mana as much as you can! If Instructor Han Seongryeong won’t listen to me, why should we go along with her plan?”

One might think Colonel Anderson was being petty, like a typical grumpy dwarf, but he was doing his utmost to keep civilians out of the conflict.

You could tell just by looking at how heavily he reinforced the iron fences protecting the villagers—it almost seemed excessive.

That said, Instructor Han Seongryeong was just as desperate.

After all, she had her father, younger sister, and even a fiancé she hadn’t yet met living in Neo Seoul City.

She landed near the barrier, took a moment to catch her breath, and when the Vulcanic Turtle got close, she fired a freezing shell at one of its legs.

The freezing shell boasted such astonishing power that one might suspect it cost an entire month of her salary.

Crack—!

But due to the sheer internal heat of the Vulcanic Turtle and its overwhelming strength, the ice clinging to its leg shattered in no time.

Even so, the fact that it managed to somewhat weaken the beast’s charging momentum meant the freezing shell had more than done its job.

“Load all mana cannons! Fire at the Vulcanic Turtle’s head!!”

As the cannons mounted on the barrier simultaneously erupted in flames, I realized without a doubt—this fight had moved beyond a simple battle against a Devil Doll.

We were now in a full-blown war phase.

However, even as it bled lava-like blood, the Vulcanic Turtle did not stop its advance—despite being bombarded by mana artillery that would’ve completely vaporized a Grade-2 Devil Doll.

On the contrary, it dragged itself through the spike traps, letting its molten blood spill out intentionally—as if it were dead set on breaking through the barrier even if it meant its own death.

From a rational standpoint, it was an incomprehensible action.

But when I saw the Demonic Gate rising from the turtle’s shell, I understood its strategy.

“It plans to activate the Demonic Gate by using its own death as a sacrifice. If that gate is triggered inside the barrier, Seoul will suffer catastrophic damage.”

Even the Pantheon Peacekeeping Force wasn’t invincible.

While they were experienced in fighting Devil Dolls, they lacked stigmas—meaning they couldn’t receive the aid of the constellations.

In terms of sheer individual combat ability, many soldiers would be weaker than Iris.

And Earth-born soldiers weren’t even worth mentioning—they were simply out of the equation.

“We either destroy the Demonic Gate first, or at the very least, we must take the Vulcanic Turtle down outside the barrier. But… is that even possible?”

Depending on how things went, I might be forced to make the tough call of sending Iris back into the battlefield.

The thought alone made my head boil.

Just then, as if to cool me down, Instructor Han Seongryeong launched another freezing shell.

It embedded itself in the turtle’s wounded area, acting like a kind of hemostatic agent—and thanks to it, the lava blood stopped melting the barrier.

The Vulcanic Turtle’s movements even began to slow, making it seem like this battle might actually be winnable.

And clearly aware that the Demonic Gate was a greater threat than the turtle itself, Instructor Han Seongryeong made a fearless move—she dropped directly onto its shell.

For an ordinary human, the intense heat would have melted flesh off the bone—but she had partially cybernetic enhancements, allowing her to withstand it as she unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the Demonic Gate.

Since the Vulcanic Turtle’s body wasn’t built to scratch its own back, it was helpless against the assault.

But just then, the creature hunched over and began to shudder violently.

“Instructor Han Seongryeong! If you don’t want to die a pointless death, get the hell out of there!! That thing’s about to use Vulcanic Eruption!!!”