Chapter 62 – Like an Echo

Chapter 62 – Like an Echo

This time, it was different.

Even for Choi Yongjin, who had been on battlefields for a long time, it was clear at a glance. The Man was deep in thought, looking at the hordes of Monsters that covered the ground and sky in black.

‘Is this the group that captured Pyongyang?’

Even if the North Korean Army was incompetent, Pyongyang was different.

As an officer, The Man knew it better. Pyongyang was where the most skilled and loyal units in North Korea held out with sheer grit and determination.

Naturally, the unit’s combat power was the strongest among the entire North Korean Army, and the entire City was fortified to withstand a prolonged defensive battle at any time.

However… this was the group that had brought down such a place.

‘It won’t be easy… ‘

However, Choi Yongjin’s unit was by no means weak.

Heavily modified Motorcycles were a given.

Many of the combatants were armed with Magitech Armor. And with the abilities of the Magitech Armor, they could fire Modified Firearms to their hearts’ content.

Moreover, all combatants had developed their abilities through combat training, and they had even received authorization for Assault Cannons under their command. And since they had several Observation Probes as well.

Mobility, combat sustainability, firepower, intelligence, etc.

There was absolutely no shortage of anything.

No, compared to the Monsters, there was one thing they lacked.

That was none other than…

Literally, a [shortage].

They were outnumbered.

The unchecked Monsters of Siberia had, as expected, established Nests in various places. As time went on, they accumulated mana and grew, now creating an truly endless wave of numbers.

And no matter how good the quality, sufficient numbers overwhelm everything. Choi Yongjin was acutely feeling this.

After all, it was Monsters that were covering the front in black right now. But… now was not the time for such thoughts.

The enemy is right in front of us.

The Man had to fight.

Under The Man’s command were the last National Army Soldiers.

They were Young Men who, despite being unfairly conscripted, held their ground and fought to the end even amidst the Apocalypse.

The fortunate thing for The Man was that if he had to fight for some vague public good when he was tied to the nation in the past,

Now, under Siwoo’s command, everyone was fighting directly to protect their loyal families and lovers.

Siwoo was making every effort to ensure that the officers and soldiers never had to look back, and that The Man could fight his best. He was also generously pouring resources into The Man’s survival.

However, it wasn’t just endless control like when they were in the unit. He also gave them plenty of vacation so they could be with their families, and he also gave them a generous weekly allowance.

Naturally, the soldiers’ morale was sky-high. Ironically, they became more like soldiers after leaving the Military. This was no exception for Officer Choi Yongjin.

Thanks to Siwoo’s consideration and Minju’s ability, The Man could see his fiancée four times a week. This would have been unimaginable in the past.

So The Man could fight.

Even in a situation like this.

There were many cases where speeches were given right before a battle,

But now, it felt quite ridiculous.

Boosting morale was not something done right before a battle.

Everyone to your positions!

It’s something you do regularly.

And sure enough, even with Yongjin’s brief command-.

Corporal Park! Take care of the kids!

Yes, sir! Hey, Private First Class Kim! Where did you leave your junior?

The soldiers moved like clockwork.

* * *

After that… the battle continued for an exhausting long time.

KWAANG! KWAANG-AAANG!

Even the barrels of the Assault Cannons, made of Adamantite Alloy, were scorching hot.

Soldiers fighting near the Assault Cannon had thrown off their quilted jackets and rolled up their sleeves, thanks to the heat from The Man.

Firing so intensely that they overheated, even machines seemed to be struggling… the Assault Cannons’ rate of fire had noticeably decreased.

Of course, this wasn’t just limited to the Assault Cannons.

Rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-bang- click!

“Squad 4 is out of bullets!”

“Take this! It’s the last box of bullets!”

“A-are there no loaded magazines?”

“That’s all there is!”

They were out of bullets.

“Hey, aren’t you a Telekinesis Ability User!”

“My mana ran out ages ago!”

“I don’t have much mana either, this is a big problem!”

Mana wasn’t much different. However… the number of monsters showed no sign of decreasing at all.

In particular, the Harpy flocks, which dived rapidly from the sky and attacked persistently, were accelerating the waste of mana and ammunition with their considerable evasion abilities.

“Corporal Yoon! Is the Interceptor’s next sortie not yet?”

“Hey, it just came and went, do you think it’s coming again?”

Given the distance, even with Interceptors coming and going, it wasn’t a problem that could be solved. As Interceptors have short operational times, they just zoom in, rake the area once or twice, and then return.

Of course, thanks to The Man’s tremendous firepower, even just one or two passes from The Man were enough to provide a brief respite… but that was all it was.

Just a moment of breathing room.

Unease was slowly stirring among the soldiers.

“Company Commander, is there really no other way?”

The Private First Class’s eyes were filled with fear.

At that moment, Choi Yongjin recalled a past memory.

‘Could it be… that I’m being abandoned again this time?’

What he had experienced on the front lines was a trauma to The Man.

As the subordinates who believed and followed only him died one by one, the experience of vaguely telling the remaining ones that ‘support would arrive soon’ even though he himself wasn’t sure…

He really didn’t want to do that again.

That’s why Choi Yongjin hesitated for a moment, unable to answer.

But he soon blamed himself.

‘Siwoo told me to wait.’

Even though the trauma in his heart kept echoing, ‘Is it really coming?’ or ‘Could something have gone wrong?’

Choi Yongjin firmly held his ground.

‘No, Siwoo wouldn’t do that.’

He believed Siwoo.

So… Choi Yongjin said again.

“Support will arrive soon.”

It would be different from the past.

And… the moment he said that.

“Co-Company Commander?!”

A soldier called out to Choi Yongjin.

“Wh-what is that?”

In the sky behind them…

Something large was floating.

***

The Aerial Mothership, round and elongated with dark-colored decks on its surface, looked somewhat like a black bean at first glance.

But as the Aerial Mothership approached closer and closer.

The Volunteer Knights members were increasingly overcome by its magnificent presence, unable to close their mouths.

“How can that huge thing be floating?”

“Isn’t it an airship with helium inside?”

“Hahaha, no way.”

“Is that, is that not an enemy?”

It was at that moment, as the men were in a state of confusion.

Suddenly, the left and right sides of the Aerial Mothership’s hull opened up-.

Clang, clang, clang, clang-!

Something suddenly started popping out.

“Oh, Interceptors?!”

“They’re here! Support has finally arrived!”

Everyone began to cheer.

Meanwhile, the Interceptors that had jumped from the Aerial Mothership’s hull, once they were a certain distance away from the Aerial Mothership-.

Whoosh!

They ignited their engines.

And with overwhelming power.

Spreading out in a fan shape towards the front-.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

They began to fire.

“Kee-hee-hee-hee-hee-eek!”

“Yee-haw!”

“Yeah!”

The death throes of the Monsters were intertwined with the soldiers’ cheers. And the sound of the Interceptor’s engines lay low beneath all those sounds, as if playing a symphony.

Roar!

Furthermore…

As they poured all their mana into firing the photon machine guns…

The front lines of the Aerial Monsters were all shot down in the first sortie.

The Interceptors, without needing to go far, immediately returned to the Aerial Mothership to recharge their mana and then entered the battlefield once again, creating a similar scene.

And when they had completed three rotations like that.

Kwoo-kwaa-aa-aa-ang-!

There were no more monsters left in the air.

“Huh, the sky is blue?!”

“What, it was still daytime?!”

It was natural that the ground, which had been a gloomy sight overshadowed by the monsters, cleared up. But this wasn’t all.

‘Anti-Gravity Field activated.’

Kwoooong- Bwaaa-aa-aa-ang!

With the activation of the Anti-Gravity Field, the lighter monsters all began to float into the air. This was possible due to the overwhelming mana output of the Aerial Mothership.

“What in the world is this now?!”

“What the hell is going on?!”

“T-this… could it be… that airship’s ability?”

“That’s impossible!”

Watching the monsters float into the air, the soldiers stopped fighting and stared blankly at the monsters with dumbfounded expressions.

And then…

Too-kwaa-aa-aa-ang!

Again, a feast of interceptors poured down.

And when the monsters fell back to the ground…

Hoo-doo-doo-doo-dook-

They had become piles of unrecognizable corpses.

But this wasn’t the end.

Shwaaa-aa-aa-aa- Pah!

Two figures appeared beside Choi Yongjin.

The nasty words intertwined with the trauma echoing in Yongjin’s heart… had already disappeared.

“I’m sorry, Yongjin. Have you been waiting long?”

“Ha… haha…”

This time, it was truly different.

* * *

I headed to the battlefield with Minju.

“Sorry, Yongjin. Have you been waiting long?”

“Ha… haha……”

Choi Yongjin, laughing like that.

Although I was watching with an Observation Probe, it wasn’t hard to notice the emotional distress Yongjin must have gone through even without it.

“Minju, I’ll need your help with supply transport now too.”

“Ah, yes!”

Whoosh- Flash!

And then Minju disappeared.

“The supply items weren’t fully prepared yet, you see.”

Although the preparation team did their best, it seemed they couldn’t keep up with the consumption rate of the intense battle. I recharged the unit like that again and then surveyed the battlefield once more with the Observation Probe.

“Where is that guy?”

“He seems to still be in the back.”

I was looking for a Special Entity.

And it was one equipped with the [Mana Barrier] Essence.

‘Mana Barrier… that was a strengthened defensive-type Essence of Mana Shield, right?’

In particular, a Mana Barrier of a certain level can deflect and nullify mass weapon attacks.

Of course, that didn’t mean there was no mana consumption, but with the ability of the guy who had just appeared, it probably wouldn’t have mattered.

In other words, he was invincible against conventional Human weaponry.

It seemed there was a good reason why Russia, China, and North Korea struggled.

Of course… that didn’t apply to me.

I first confirmed his location with the Observation Probe.

‘Found him.’

I ordered the Interceptors.

“Prepare for concentrated strike.”

Whoosh!

As soon as I gave the order, the Interceptors sortied simultaneously.

They moved in a circular formation, then began to circle above the Special Entity.

And then…

“Commence concentrated strike.”

The moment I gave the order.

Boom!

A brilliant Pillar of Light illuminated the battlefield.

The Interceptors had attacked a single point simultaneously.

And the moment the light receded.

Whoosh!

A mushroom cloud rose.

“My goodness!”

“W-what is it?!”

Everyone on the battlefield seemed confused at first-

“Explosion pressure is coming! Everyone cover your ears and lie down!”

“Private First Class Park! Duck your head into the trench!”

Everyone began to hide themselves.

Whoosh-

After a cloud of dust settled… only a single Mana Stone remained where the Special Entity had been.

“Go and retrieve it.”

“Ding!!”

I grinned.