episode_0010

“Record of Subduing Anubis, a Judgment-level Abyssal Beast.”

“August 17, 2027”

In response to Lieutenant Lim’s grumbling, Colonel Kim replied nonchalantly.

“What in the world is this sudden fuss about?”

“No idea.”

Simultaneous Gate Breaks occurred across the country.

It was an unprecedented disaster, and if the response was even slightly delayed, it would be a catastrophic situation for Korea.

Currently, the Hunters and Guardian Forces protecting each region were holding up well, but…

The problem lay in Gangnam.

Just 13 minutes after the incident, all communication with Gangnam was lost, leaving everyone clueless about what could have emerged there.

“Lieutenant Lim.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s head to Gangnam.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“The nation is in turmoil, we need to be on-site to understand what’s happening.”

“…Is it just us going?”

“Are you crazy? Of course, we’ll lead a security unit.”

Gangnam, with its large population, had exceptional Hunters guarding it. The leader of Gangnam’s Guardian Force alone was considered close to S-rank in ability among A-rankers, and there were two or more other A-rank Hunters. Moreover, when combined with B-rank or lower Hunters, the force became substantial enough to deploy to the rear lines.

For them to lose contact in just 13 minutes, not 13 days or 13 hours…

“At least it means a Monarch-level or higher Abyssal Beast has appeared.”

Once classified as Monarch-level, the difference was significant. Monarch-level beasts were capable of destroying a city within an hour, according to records.

At this point, all Colonel Kim could hope for was that whatever emerged in Gangnam was only at Monarch level.

If it was a Myth-grade Abyssal Beast?

There has been only one case of a Myth-grade Abyssal Beast appearing in human history.

Twenty-five years ago, the Myth-grade Abyssal Beast “Gosin Ifrit” razed China to the ground in just a week.

Ifrit roamed throughout China for a week, setting everything ablaze, then vanished as if it had accomplished some purpose.

It was said that even attempting to subdue it was impossible.

China, which had suffered near-total devastation, still hadn’t recovered from the damage of 25 years ago.

If something like that were to appear in the heart of Gangnam? It could face total annihilation in less than a week.

So, it’s better to call it an imperial-level threat.

“But can we handle it with just the escort unit?”

“Unlikely.”

“So what do we do?”

“Does Lieutenant Lim not know how to think for herself?”

“….”

“The escort unit is essentially for buying time. The damage will be severe, but…”

Continuing with a grim expression, “At least we can buy time until the front-line unit arrives.”

“What unit should we call for?”

“The Twilight Unit.”

“…The Twilight Unit hasn’t fully recovered from the last battle.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

“The Twilight Unit was always meant to be that way. A unit created with the assumption of sacrificing themselves… from the beginning, they were prepared for death. That’s why they are the Twilight Unit.”

“Even so…”

“That’s what they want. People who hope to preserve our future by dedicating their present, willing to sacrifice their lives.”

“….”

Lieutenant Lim, lips tightly sealed, manipulated her device and made a call somewhere.

Drrrr- A monotonous connection tone sounded several times before the call was answered.

Lieutenant Lim exchanged a few words with the other party, then looked at Colonel Kim with a noticeably flustered expression.

“…Colonel?”

“What is it?”

“The Twilight Unit… has already arrived.”

“…What?”

Colonel Kim, hastily donning his military uniform to head to Gangnam, froze.

“…The Twilight Unit is in Gangnam right now. And…”

Ding! A message popped up on Lieutenant Lim’s device.

After confirming it, she showed the message to Colonel Kim and said, “They say the engagement has begun.”

In the photo attached to the message, the former commander of the Twilight Unit, Adella, was seen giving a V-sign while draping her arm over Hayerin, a junior officer, who was making a cute face.

They were indeed, right in the heart of Gangnam.

* * *

Click!

Immediately after taking the picture, Adella playfully flicked Hayerin’s arm. Hayerin simply smiled as if finding it cute.

“Is it okay to act like this in front of the captain?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I’ll let it slide because you’re cute.”

Adele, who tried to pat her head, but recoiled at Hayelin’s disgust, chuckled and turned around.

The Twilight Division had just arrived in Gangnam a minute ago.

“Sia, can you fight?”

“No… my mana is already depleted…”

“Hmm… then you rest.”

“I’m sorry….”

She wasn’t just anyone; she was the former member of the Twilight Division who had conducted long-range teleportation from the frontline to here. It was reasonable that her mana would be depleted.

Adele, who patted Sia’s head once, glanced briefly at the other members.

Including herself, there was no one in good shape.

Well, if someone had already recovered from the intense battle just two days ago, that would be even stranger.

However.

“Then, shall we go?”

Even so, the Twilight Division never hesitated to engage in battle.

They were a striking force fighting further ahead than the frontline. While other comrades guarded the frontline like sturdy shields, they aimed to pierce the heart of the enemy.

There were countless occasions where they faced annihilation. Some were isolated in the midst of the enemy lines while breaking through, and some held on for days to a collapsed frontline.

They feared death, but there was something they feared more than death, which led them to burn their lives on the battlefield.

Fighting with injuries was nothing out of the ordinary.

Adele made binoculars with her hands and looked into the distance at the rampaging monsters.

“Let’s see… It’s almost 20 meters, right? Quite large. Judging by its rampage, it seems to be at least imperial class.”

Elena, who had been watching Hayelin closely beside her, chimed in.

“But it looks weaker than apocalypse class.”

“Of course it does. No matter how chaotic it is, apocalypse class can’t be that common, can it?”

“Yeah. Then it should be judgment class.”

“That makes sense.”

Clapping sharply to gather the attention of the entire unit, Adele continued speaking. “Alright, from now on, I… this bastard with a spear… Let’s call him Anubis.”

She chuckled and cleared her throat before continuing.

“Anyway! From now on, we’re going to subjugate Anubis! The plan is as simple as always.”

Kwoong! Adella lightly tapped the ground with her foot and grinned wickedly.

“Just rush in, tear him apart, and rip him to shreds. That’s it! End of the mission briefing! Let’s go!”

With those words, Adella swiftly turned and dashed toward the direction where Anubis was.

The members of the unit, already accustomed to her actions, followed her with a quiet sigh.

Hae Yerin was among them.

…Anubis.

A deity from ancient Egyptian mythology who leads souls to death.

Thinking about going to subjugate Anubis, who is called the ghost of the battlefield, someone who brings death as if it were an everyday occurrence, felt strange.

As she pondered this, Adella suddenly asked Hae Yerin.

“Yerin, what’s your current rank again?”

“…I’m a top-tier A-class knight.”

“Almost S-class, huh~ If you survive this fight, you might even get promoted to S-class.”

“That might be true. But isn’t that a death flag?”

“Do you believe in that, Yerin? You’re more innocent than I thought~.”

Of course she believes.

Since the beginning of the battlefield, after carefully checking each person who raised a death flag and survived, it turned out that about 70% of those who raised a death flag actually died.

Of course, even without raising a death flag, 70% of those deployed to the battlefield died.

That’s how common death was in this world.

Looking at Hae Yerin’s smirking face, Adella, who had been smiling, eventually wiped the smile off her face and shouted to everyone in the Twilight Unit.

It was Adella’s voice that always rang out just before a fight, announcing the start of battle.

“I won’t tell you not to get hurt! I won’t tell you not to die either!”

For us, death is just part of our daily lives, the end. This is the death we’ve chosen for ourselves.

“Instead, if you’re going to die anyway!”

Burn brightly.

“Rage and soar gloriously! Go to the very end in twilight!”

When twilight 黃昏 comes, dawn黎明 will eventually come as well.

We are the twilight of this era.

Like moths chasing fire and burning themselves to death.

In order to welcome the dawn that will come someday, we sacrifice our lives.

As Adella finished speaking, Hayerin’s arm twitched.

It was just a single twitch, but its effect was far from insignificant.

Dozens of combat magic spells were instantly cast. They enveloped the entire team.

[Physical Enhancement], [Wind’s Protection], [Divine Blessing], [Magic Armor], [Morale Boost].

Buff spells that would aid in subjugating the demon.

“Let’s go!”

With their morale soaring, the entire team bravely charged towards Anubis.

After a grueling 16 hours and 20 minutes of battle, they successfully vanquished Anubis.

There was only one casualty among the Twilight Division.

Adella.

She fell victim to a fatal blow from Anubis due to injuries sustained in the battle two days prior.

However, I can assert with certainty.

She burned brighter and fell more gloriously than anyone else, foreseeing her own demise, she obliterated Anubis with a final strike that contained everything. The resulting explosion… it almost looked like a sunset.