Episode 652. Demon King’s Attack (3)

A giant monstrous bird that attacked France, Naberus.

Naberus, along with monsters from the Underworld, covered the skies of France.

To stop the demon’s attack, Alice and Irene hurriedly returned to France.

However, when they arrived in Paris, the sky was already covered in black darkness.

“Keeeuuuhhh…!”

Kaaang-!

Every time Alice’s sword moved, the monsters floating in the sky froze.

They kept reducing the monsters around them and the Iris Guild members, but no matter how many they killed, the monsters kept popping out endlessly, gradually devouring the city.

“Why does crap like that have to show up in France of all places…!”

The Iris Guild’s strength is quite formidable, even when compared to other countries.

If a demon like Carkus, who engaged in head-on confrontations, had appeared, France might have defeated the demon like Korea did.

However, the monstrous bird floating in the sky only came down to the ground when it was advantageous for itself.

Alice struck down the head of the monster before her, even while biting her lip.

There was no time for complaints.

The monster’s head split in two and fell to the ground, but there were still countless monsters remaining.

Now that the whole world is exposed to the demon’s attack.

Demons appeared one per region.

Currently, France has been dealing with that monstrous bird for three days straight, but for smaller countries, one demon sometimes attacked two or three nations.

“Still, it’s better than the Paris Legion that appeared in Brazil, right? They say in that country, if you breathe, flies come in and you can’t even breathe. Alice.”

“Stop saying weird things and focus, Unnie!”

Alice stood behind Irene, channeling her magic power.

Kang-!

Raising her sword, she deflected the approaching giant’s club and cut off the giant’s head.

As the demons attacked the whole world, the monsters’ strength also increased.

Just blocking the club sent a shock strong enough to make her hand tingle.

Frowning, Alice scanned her surroundings without letting her guard down.

The civilians had evacuated long ago, but what the monsters were destroying were those people’s homes.

To reduce the damage even a little, they needed to eliminate even one more monster.

“Unnie. Can’t we do anything about that monstrous bird? What about the mages?”

“There’s no way to attack it in that state. For one, it’s too high up. It’s difficult unless we call someone like Lee Hoyeon!”

“…It’s broad daylight, but you can’t even see the sky.”

Today marked the third day since Alice returned to France.

This meant it had been three days since Naberus and the monsters occupied Paris.

Led by the Iris Guild, French hunters were defending Paris, but demons and monsters kept swarming in endlessly.

That monstrous bird was especially the problem.

It flew around the sky, sprinkling feathers onto the monsters, and monsters hit by the feathers became about twice as strong as other monsters.

That wasn’t all. The monstrous bird also seized opportunities to transform into human form and attack the hunters.

Alice had even clashed swords with it, but its swift speed and strong power made it the strongest enemy she had ever encountered.

‘How on earth did he defeat that thing alone?’

Now that it has been three days since the demons attacked the whole world.

The only one who had defeated a demon was Korea’s Lee Hoyeon.

Even worse, the demon Lee Hoyeon defeated was said to have dominated the entire Incheon sea; I have no idea how he killed it.

‘I have to hold out until Lee Hoyeon arrives.’

Lee Hoyeon single-handedly defeated the demon that appeared in Korea.

He promised to compile strategies for dealing with the demons and come to France for support, so they had to hold out at least until then.

If I couldn’t even do that much, I wouldn’t have the face to see him.

Just then, Naberus flew high into the sky.

It was a height it had never ascended before.

“It’s flying away! Iris Guild members, follow me! Mages, prepare for interception!”

Commanding the Iris Guild was the Iris Guild’s Guild Master.

Isaac, the Emperor of the Night.

He glared at the monstrous bird rising into the sky and positioned his guild members.

According to the data obtained over the past three days, its movements weren’t that complex.

It would descend in its giant bird form to target prey, or hover in the sky before transforming into human form to strike.

Isaac watched the monstrous bird’s movements, predicting its next action.

“…?”

However, the monstrous bird wasn’t hovering in the sky or searching for prey.

Naberus simply turned its body and flew straight up into the sky.

“It, it flew away?”

“Don’t let your guard down! We don’t know when it will attack again! Focus on the surrounding monsters!”

The French hunters continued the battle with the monsters, focusing until the very end.

However, monsters without Naberus’s cover could be dealt with sufficiently even by just the elites of the Iris Guild.

“Have the monstrous bird’s location been identified?”

“Yes, yes! It has left French territory and is currently flying towards the Pacific Ocean.”

“The Pacific Ocean…?”

“That’s not all. Currently, demons from all over the world are retreating.”

Isaac checked the news his guild member was showing him.

– The Paris Legion that attacked Brazil has suddenly vanished….

– The giant snake that was off the Japanese coast is heading towards the Pacific….

It wasn’t just France, Brazil, or Japan.

All the demons that had appeared worldwide disappeared.

They retreated simultaneously, just as they had attacked all at once.

“Unnie. If it’s towards the Pacific Ocean….”

“Yeah. I’m contacting headquarters right now.”

As soon as Irene heard Alice’s words, she thought of the demon horde in the Pacific Ocean.

A massive horde of demons and monsters heading towards Asia.

It was highly likely the demons had joined them there.

“Alice, the demons discovered in Asia and Australia were just found within the demon horde. It seems they did indeed join them. The monstrous bird and the flies must have headed that way too.”

“Unnie. Has the analysis on exactly where they’re heading finished? You said they started moving at high speed since yesterday. Isn’t that related too?”

“Just a moment.”

Irene contacted the Iris Guild Headquarters, gathering information.

The demons that attacked each country were a problem, but the demon horde heading towards Asia was also one of the issues the Iris Guild was investigating.

Moreover, the fact that demons from all over the world were joining them there made it an even bigger problem.

– Yes. Team Leader 1. This is Headquarters.

– James. Have you figured out where the demon hordes in the Pacific are moving?

– The analysis finished just a moment ago. The horde, which had been moving haphazardly, is now heading to only one place after the demons joined.

– Where? Is it Japan?

– It’s not Japan. It’s Korea’s capital… Seoul.

Irene frowned, and Alice, who was listening to the transmission beside her, grabbed her sword and spoke.

“…It looks like war might break out.”

*

[Demon horde near the Pacific Ocean advancing towards Seoul, Korea…. Crisis of world destruction.]

The demons had turned the whole world into a mess in just three days, but from humanity’s perspective, the fortunate thing was that the demons weren’t banding together.

If dozens of demons, each with national-level combat power, moved collectively, even Korea, the only one to have defeated a demon, wouldn’t have been able to withstand them.

– If the demons had moved in hordes instead of spreading across the world, there would have been no country capable of withstanding them. However, now, that is precisely what is happening.

Each country was somehow maintaining the status quo, but that was only because two or three countries were assigned to deal with one demon.

Currently, the demon horde heading towards Korea from near the Pacific Ocean consists of at least 50 demons.

Korea’s strength alone could absolutely not stop them.

– This is a crisis situation where the world could be destroyed…! Now is precisely when the entire world must join forces!

– The Korean Hunter Association and Victoria Academy have proposed an emergency meeting to figures from each country. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, dignitaries from various nations are converging on Korea….

Because they had directly felt the terror of the demons, people’s response was swift.

If they couldn’t stop those demons, the world would be destroyed anyway.

It wasn’t the time to prioritize their own interests.

[Iris Guild Master. The true threat to humanity is approaching. All nations must join forces.]

[Wizard Association Chairman Arthur. We must organize a United Human Army. Otherwise, there is only destruction.]

Lee Hoyeon’s connections were leading public opinion, and dignitaries from various countries were entering Korea one after another.

Fortunately, there were no countries backing out even at a time like this.

Because the destruction of humanity had approached right before their eyes.

The Victoria Convention Center, where Lee Hoyeon had held his press conference.

There, dignitaries from various countries took their places once again.

The atmosphere among the dignitaries gathered at the Convention Center was even more serious than when martial law was declared worldwide.

“Just looking around, it seems all the major guilds from around the world have gathered. It really must be a crisis.”

“Isn’t it obvious that hunters who don’t participate in the Allied Forces will be declared fugitives?”

“Well, there are always guys who try to back out even in situations like this, so it can’t be helped. That’s just how the world is, Sol.”

“They’re foolish people.”

Im Sol brushed off Min Yeji’s words and scanned her surroundings.

The Convention Center was filled with major guilds and government officials from around the world.

There were reporters too, but they were pushed to the corner by the glares of the major guild hunters.

Besides, the famous Emperor of the Night from the Iris Guild is here. There probably isn’t anyone brave enough to publish sensational news.

“Should we really be in a place like this? I’m scared, Lumi….”

“I, I, I also… want to go home, no, to the dormitory. Lucy….”

Beside Im Sol were the Lucy-Lumi twins, hugging each other and trembling.

They had followed Im Sol to the Convention Center and were then whisked away to the VIP seats.

Coming here to hang out for a bit and ending up in a place like this felt overwhelmingly burdensome.

“Don’t be too nervous. You came as part of my party.”

“Understood….”

“Yes, yes. Professor….”

At Im Sol’s words, Lucy and Lumi finally stopped their trembling shoulders.

Of course, looking around was still scary….

[We will now begin the emergency meeting regarding the demon attacks.]

Then, a woman who came up onto the podium spoke.

Moon Surin, the student council president of Victoria Academy.

She wore a neat suit and commanded the attention of the crowd.

[As this is an emergency situation, I will take command. I am Moon Surin, acting chairperson of Korea’s Victoria Academy.]

Although she was still a cadet, no one was unaware that she was the core of Victoria Academy, and her abilities had already been proven.

The Korean Hunter Association President was hunched in a corner.

He would normally have been in charge of the proceedings, but his position had diminished so much since the Maestro brainwashing incident that it couldn’t be recovered.

Furthermore, beside Moon Surin was him.

Lee Hoyeon, humanity’s strongest mage, who had defeated a demon as a cadet.

The dignitaries from various countries were looking at Lee Hoyeon.

Even if Moon Surin’s words might be overlooked, his statement could not be ignored.

[The demon horde is heading towards Korea. The target destination is Seoul, Korea. Accordingly, humanity intends to form an Allied Force to oppose the demons.]

The people gathered here are all individuals who intend to participate in the Allied Forces.

Even if it was called a conference, there was no one voicing objections.

Therefore, the discussion proceeded quickly.

[We intend to handle the enemy’s strength and the formation of the Allied Forces from Victoria Academy. Of course, not me…. ]

Moon Surin paused for a moment, feeling the gazes of countless people.

More people had gathered at the Convention Center than during Hoyeon’s press conference.

And most of those people’s gazes were directed not at her, but at Lee Hoyeon.

Moon Surin briefly removed her mouth from the microphone and turned her head.

Lee Hoyeon was looking at her with a relaxed expression.

“Hoyeon.”

“Yes. I’ll take over from here. Surin Noona.”

Moon Surin sat down, handing the microphone over to Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon, who had been watching the situation until now, took the microphone and slowly stood up.

“I am Mage Lee Hoyeon. Since time is short, I intend to immediately brief you on the enemy’s strength. Furthermore, I plan to take command of this Allied Force, representing the Korean Hunter Association. If anyone disagrees, please speak now. We will also accept recommendations for other candidates.”

Lee Hoyeon made eye contact with the people.

Given what he had shown so far, the atmosphere was mostly affirmative, but a few people had displeased looks.

It seemed they didn’t like being commanded by someone younger than them.

“If Mage Lee Hoyeon, the only one who defeated a demon, isn’t commanding, then who else would?”

Just then, the Iris Guild Master spoke in a voice imbued with magic power.

In the quiet Convention Center, Isaac’s voice echoed clearly.

“The Wizard Association trusts Mage Lee Hoyeon.”

“…Angela Guild also agrees.”

“Ironblood Guild also agrees.”

The guilds acquainted with Lee Hoyeon expressed their opinions, and besides them, most sensible guilds agreed to Lee Hoyeon’s command.

Because Lee Hoyeon’s combat footage of killing Carkus and Melves demonstrated a strength that anyone could nod in agreement with.

‘Even if they have complaints, are they not saying them?’

Some still seemed displeased.

However, as long as they didn’t voice their complaints, it didn’t matter if they had them.

I was confident I could persuade them even if they didn’t agree, and there was no more time to accommodate others.

Jiiing-

The Convention Center’s lights turned off, and the stage lit up.

Lee Hoyeon displayed the prepared materials on the screen.

“I will now brief you on the enemy’s strength.”

Everything depends on this battle.

I must ensure that even if the Earth wanted to be destroyed, it couldn’t.

Precisely, me.