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Gates, and monsters. An unprecedented catastrophe that struck the entire world. But ironically, those two became the source that pushed the entire world one step further.
Various materials and byproducts obtained from them were on a different dimension from Earth's resources. Stronger, more durable, lighter - truly new material-grade sources. Processing was difficult, but once processed, they produced several times the efficiency of previous items.
Among the things created this way, vehicles were also included. They absorb shock better, have superior strength, and withstand various dangerous situations well. So those with some money all favored vehicles made from new materials.
But all those vehicles made from new materials are crumpled like paper and engulfed in flames. Things that could sufficiently withstand ordinary explosions or monster attacks. They're rolling on the ground, so miserably destroyed that their forms are unrecognizable.
The man quietly watching that scene slowly raises his spear. That spear, filled with very murky and disgusting energy, had red blood on it.
Elder, Spear Ghost. A man who was once welcomed by everyone, a hero.
But now a monster consumed by his own arrogance, Kwak Hyuk.
He has arrived here once again, leading catastrophe.
"What are you doing not coming out? Are you dead by any chance?"
The usual voice, but somehow slightly trembling. Whether from tension or uncontrollable excitement. The opponent beyond the flames and smoke seemed to notice that change too.
"Fucking bastard. You're trembling but still talking well."
Irritably pushing aside the broken vehicle, Irina lightly loosens up. Even coming out of blazing flames, there wasn't even a trace of being burned.
The attack definitely hit properly. He launched a surprise attack before she could notice. Irina, who was in the car with her escort target, couldn't react to it. So he thought she would at least suffer some damage, but that wasn't the case.
"You always ran away avoiding me, what wind blew for you to appear in front ?"
"To prepare time to kill you."
"Oh my. Is that so? This is so scary my hands and feet are trembling. Amazing Elder-nim."
Even at Irina's mocking words, Kwak Hyuk didn't show particularly angry reactions. In the past, just hearing those words would have made him curse about killing her. Now he was showing very calm signs.
Irina also sighed seeing such changes in Kwak Hyuk. Of course, it wasn't from surprise or admiration.
"Stop the bullshit. Bastards like you should get beaten up while steeped in ridiculous arrogance. Don't act like you gained some enlightenment. Like a middle schooler with chuunibyou."
Just as Irina was about to take a step forward after saying that.
Black shadows shot up from the space where she was about to step. If she had moved just a little more, she would have been instantly pierced and become a skewer.
Irina sighed again as if dumbfounded. Then she looked at Kwak Hyuk and suddenly started bursting into laughter.
"Ahaha! Ahahaha! ...Wow. Bastard, you became even more pathetic than before. Back then you at least seemed to try doing something alone, but now you've given up on that too?"
"My goal is only one, killing you. The process doesn't matter anymore."
Right. What does the process matter? Only the result matters. It was something he learned while fighting that strange academy examiner called Baek Seojin.
"And don't worry. That woman won't come forward easily."
Meanwhile, shadows gather and slowly form a woman's figure.
"Hello. Crazy bitch."
Hyun Sujin. A woman who became a villain from an ability user along with Kwak Hyuk. Irina looking at her let out a 'Ha!' scoff.
"These things are ganging up on me. Did you really get shot in the head?"
Whatever circumstances there are, whatever reasons exist, that doesn't matter. Those things became villains and she has the duty to catch and beat up those villains.
Honestly, she doesn't want to do that duty at all and has no reason to follow it.
But since it's definitely good for relieving stress, she's been acting without complaints. And today too, she was thinking of beating them all up to relieve that stress.
"Right. I'll make holes in your heads. Then with some wind getting in, your sanity will return."
With a sound of tearing the atmosphere, Irina's fist moves forward. Then with tremendous noise, a shockwave pours straight toward Kwak Hyuk and Hyun Sujin.
The same attack applied to both, but their reactions were different. Unlike Hyun Sujin who quickly returned to shadow form and avoided it without difficulty. Kwak Hyuk just took that attack head-on with his spear.
"Oh. Tough guy. But that must hurt quite a bit?"
As Irina said, Kwak Hyuk's condition wasn't very good. Direct damage didn't go in much, but the surface was a mess.
Covered in dust, the outer clothes he was wearing became rags in an instant. Considering the material of those clothes was new material extracted from monsters. Thinking that it boasts extreme durability that doesn't even get scratched by ordinary impacts. Irina's strike at empty air just before was truly beyond imagination.
But Kwak Hyuk countered by provoking Irina instead. And that provocation seemed quite successful.
"What is this crazy stalker bastard babbling about?"
Indescribable madness pours out from both eyes along with blue light. Clearly the Elder is this side, but conversely, Irina looks more like a villain. In that situation, Kwak Hyuk opened his mouth once more.
"You seem weaker than before..."
Kwak Hyuk couldn't even finish those words and was slammed into a building. He was hit by Irina's high kick that came forward in the blink of an eye.
Kwak Hyuk slowly gets up from the collapsing building debris.
Fast. As expected, just as anticipated. Really fucking fast. He couldn't notice at all. It's not for nothing she has the nickname Flash. Mitigating the impact at the very last moment was all he could do.
"Get up, fucking bastard. You need to get beaten more."
Irina approached again and grabbed his head. Then with words to grit his teeth, she swung her hand with force.
With just one strike, his lips burst and cheek flesh tore, red blood overflowing.
Even just being A-rank makes the body's strength tremendous. Needless to say about S-rank. And Elders are strongmen equal to those S-ranks.
That Elder is bleeding from just one attack. It's not even a blade thrust in, nor the opponent's gritted-teeth best killing move. It was just one slap to the cheek that caused that much damage.
"Hey. Say it again. This loser bastard talks big just because I'm keeping him company? Hey. Say it again. What did you say?"
"...Certain. Weaker than before. Back then it hurt more than this."
The moment those words came from Kwak Hyuk's mouth again.
"Haha. Haha! Ahahaha—!"
Suddenly Irina started bursting into mad laughter as if she'd lost her mind. Then suddenly that laughter stopped abruptly, and eerie silence descended.
Irina gripping Kwak Hyuk's neck opens her mouth with a voice that suddenly dropped low.
"How are your legs that got smashed back then? Today I'll smash all your remaining limbs. I'll make you roll around on the ground like a bug."
With those words, Irina suddenly makes a rough snatching gesture toward empty air. Then from the clearly empty air, suddenly black shadows get dragged along.
"You too. What did you think you'd gain by crawling all the way here as a traitor?"
Hyun Sujin, caught by the neck, struggled in midair and bit her lips.
As expected, crazy bitch. She moved as stealthily as possible to aim from behind. She knew from the beginning. She deliberately showed an opening to lure her right beside. Even though a slight mistake could put a hole in her own torso.
"Let's have individual interviews today. A strange bitch was picking fights with me anyway, so I was in quite a bad mood. If you can't stand it anymore, just say so. Then I'll snap your neck right away."
Along with sirens, broadcasts announcing emergency evacuation orders are heard. Get as far away as possible. Absolutely don't come near this area.
Those who could evacuate had long left the vicinity and escaped to safe places. But not everyone could do so. Roads blocked? Too many people? That wasn't it.
Black shadows completely surrounded the area and prohibited approach itself. Blocking both coming in and going out. And those shadows writhed as if alive and created one sentence.
- If anyone approaches, we'll kill all those remaining inside. -
There are still countless innocent citizens who couldn't evacuate inside. In such a situation, if support from outside tries to come, it means they'll commit massacre. Naturally, those who couldn't accept that had no choice but to stop in front of the shadows.
Thanks to that, not only those who needed to escape from inside. Support forces that arrived from outside also couldn't move rashly.
And that wasn't much different for other S-ranks either.
Han Jiyoon, who rushed over as soon as she heard the news, cursed in front of the giant shadow barrier.
She wants to just charge in, but unfortunately these shadows belong to Hyun Sujin. And if it's her, she really could kill all the people remaining inside.
'It's okay. They said Irina is inside. If it's that crazy thing, even if it's Kwak Hyuk and Hyun Sujin. She can handle about two Elders sufficiently.'
Rather, wouldn't the citizens remaining inside get hurt by the aftermath of that fight? That might be what to worry about more.
'...But why am I so anxious?'
Han Jiyoon bit her lips and decided she needed to find a way to secretly enter inside.