Chapter 54 – Divergence (Part Three)

A shelter located beneath the city center. Its entrance, blocked by a thick steel door, was firmly shut.

With a clanging sound, the citizens breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, the anxiety of the enclosed space crept over them.

“What are we going to do…”

A child’s cry was the first sound, and soon, faces all around were streaked with tears.

They were in a state of panic, greater because they had never imagined something like this would happen to them.

And among them were Il-hyeon’s parents.

“Il-hyeon said he was coming today. Surely he wasn’t caught up in this, right?”

“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”

They exchanged anxious glances amidst the murmuring crowd.

“Damn it, are we all just gathered here to get wiped out? What’s the use of a shelter like this?”

A man with frayed nerves spat out his complaint.

Indeed, this place was merely a shelter built to withstand low-rank monsters.

No matter how thick and sturdy the door was, a monster above a certain level could blow it away with ease. That was the best it could do.

It was a shelter in name only; in this situation, it served no purpose other than being a place to hide.

Only slightly better than being exposed on the surface.

*Rat-a-tat-tat!*

Just then, as if his words had cursed them, the loud sound of gunfire echoed from beyond the wall.

The people, their faces pale with terror, huddled together. When the gunfire stopped, a silence fell.

Everyone stared silently at the door, not daring to speak.

*CRASH!*

The thick door buckled in an instant.

A monster’s blade-like arm protruded slightly through the gap.

“Kyaaak!”

A scream rang out, and with a loud thud, the door was torn from its hinges.

The people scrambled toward the opposite side, desperately looking for another way out, but there were no other exits.

The pale monster that appeared in the ruined entrance gazed at the numerous people packed inside.

As if it had discovered a hidden gift.

The people were huddled tightly against the far wall like a school of fish trapped in a net as the monster slowly approached.

*CRUNCH!*

But from behind, something large flew in and tore into the monster’s neck.

The hawk Il-hyeon had summoned latched onto its neck, pinning it with its large wings.

And the mouse riding on its back leaped off and clung to the monster’s back.

*Stab!* Its sharp teeth sank in, and blood spurted out.

With a jaw strength unimaginable for its small size, it gnawed its way into the creature’s body.

The monster thrashed wildly to shake it off, but the hawk already pinning it down did its best to restrict its movements.

*Crack!* The mouse devoured the core located near its chest, and the monster lost its strength, collapsing to the floor.

“Thank goodness… you’re safe.”

Il-hyeon, who had confirmed his parents’ location through the mouse’s eyes, let out a sigh of relief.

His parents’ house had already been destroyed, which had worried him, but thankfully, the horrible event he couldn’t bear to imagine hadn’t occurred.

Il-hyeon ordered the two summons he had sent to protect the people in the shelter, then turned around.

*BOOM!*

The last monster in the street was stomped and burst on the ground.

The wolf was pulverizing the charging monsters.

Among the monster corpses scattered about, the body of a large B-rank monster was mixed in.

“Took care of three. How are things on your end?”

*-Same here, it’s done.*

Lee Tae-hee’s voice came through the communicator.

Thanks to their accumulated experience and know-how, they had managed to quickly eliminate all the B-rank monsters not long after the situation began.

Although the Chaser and many other creatures were still left.

“Still can’t get in touch with the outside…”

*-Looks like we’ll have to handle this ourselves.*

Unlike at the beginning, at some point the field’s interference had intensified, cutting off all communication with the outside.

On top of that, even communicating with Lee Tae-hee inside was difficult due to static. Seeing no signs of anyone trying to break through the field yet, it seemed impossible to expect help from the outside.

*-They should have run into it by now. Do you think they can do it?*

Lee Tae-hee said, her voice filled with concern for the two who had gone ahead to face the Chaser.

It was only natural to be worried, since they had gone to hunt an A-rank monster with just the two of them.

Especially when the lives of everyone in this place depended on the outcome.

“Hoo…”

Il-hyeon was just as worried.

He found it hard to understand why they would insist on taking such a risk by themselves when so many lives were on the line.

Of course, it was also true that with him and Lee Tae-hee staying behind to eliminate the other monsters, civilian casualties had been significantly reduced.

If the two who went ahead succeeded in subduing the Chaser, it would be the best-case scenario.

But the moment they failed, it would become the worst-case scenario.

“We just have to hope they do well.”

* * *

The A-rank monster, Chaser.

This white monster, with its unusually long arms and three red eyes, had a person impaled on one of its blade-like limbs and was staring blankly at the dying creature before it.

“Put that down, you tin can bastard.”

At Park Sang-ho’s shout, the Chaser spun around.

Two Awakened stood confidently before it.

The creature casually tossed the corpse aside, tilted its head slightly, and its red eyes flashed.

Facing its gaze, thick with killing intent, Park Sang-min fiddled with the hilt of his sword.

“That’s some serious bloodlust.”

“This is just another day at the office.”

Park Sang-ho sneered, drawing his sword and stepping forward.

*Clang!*

With a sound that cut through the air, the two blades met in an instant.

Park Sang-ho’s sword, half-drawn from its sheath, clashed with the monster’s left arm, and Park Sang-min, who was positioned slightly behind, exploited the opening.

He closed in quickly, thrusting his sword toward its exposed left flank.

But the creature instantly shot upward, twisting its body and swinging its long arm again.

Faced with the fast and menacing attack, the two brothers parried its blade together.

*Screeeech!*

A sharp, grating sound was produced.

Soon, an attack too difficult to block came from the right, and the two deflected the locked blades and dodged away.

Instead of retreating, Park Sang-ho pressed forward, thrusting his sword toward the center of its chest where its core should be.

But the attack was blocked in vain, and a series of exchanges followed.

The two swung their swords with all their might, but most of their attacks were blocked by the creature’s arms.

“We have to avoid the arms as much as possible!”

“Damn it, I know!”

The Chaser’s arms.

They were its primary, sharp weapons, and also special parts that absorbed all impact and could never be broken.

It was a given that clashing swords with them would cause no damage; it would only drain their own stamina.

But it was too fast.

They were preoccupied with just parrying its attacks, which came rushing in at an incredible, relentless speed.

“Yeah, this is more like it!”

*Crackle!* Static electricity crackled, and Park Sang-ho’s hair stood on end.

A brilliant flash was followed by a powerful discharge of electricity.

Having exchanged a look beforehand, Park Sang-min retreated without taking any damage, but the Chaser was exposed, its body slightly singed as it was forced to back away.

As if they had been waiting for this, the two closed in and pressed the attack.

The attack, mixed with a momentary paralysis effect, slowed the creature’s movements, while the speed of their clashing swords steadily increased.

Park Sang-ho and Park Sang-min were both holders of two rare abilities.

To top it off, the twin brothers were famous for being a rare case where they shared one common ability.

The name of that common ability was [Acceleration].

As the name suggested, the longer they fought, the faster their movements became.

No other B-rank Awakened had ever been able to handle the two of them when their accelerated movements reached their peak.

*Kaaang!*

Faced with their terrifyingly fast movements, the Chaser took a step back.

They rode that momentum, continuing to press it, their excellent coordination giving it no chance to counterattack.

Thus, the two brothers held the upper hand against the A-rank monster, but they couldn’t easily inflict a wound.

And that remained the case as more time passed.

‘Why?’

Park Sang-min thought, feeling a sense of unease.

It felt like they were about to land a hit, but they never did.

It seemed like they could finish it if they pushed just a little more, but in the end, the situation just continued.

A thought briefly crossed his mind, and though he dismissed it at first, as the fight dragged on, his suspicion turned into certainty.

‘This damn monster!’

Park Sang-min was horrified.

On the surface, it looked like they had the advantage, but the reality was the exact opposite.

The monster before them was toying with them, gradually increasing its speed to match theirs.

As if to prove it, once the brothers’ speed stopped increasing, the tables began to turn.

“This is no good, brother. Let’s fall back. It’s too dangerous.”

“Just a little more!”

Park Sang-ho gritted his teeth and charged tenaciously.

Once again, his sword was blocked by its arm, creating a sharp sound.

Park Sang-min had no choice but to follow his lead, supporting him by aiming for any opening he could find.

But eventually, faced with the two blades of its arms thrusting out at an unmanageable speed, Park Sang-min was sent flying, the protective function of his coat completely shattering.

He immediately got up and charged back in, but he couldn’t find a proper opening to counterattack and was left struggling.

*Thud!*

Park Sang-ho took a direct hit and rolled across the ground, his Defensive Coat also shattering completely.

Park Sang-min blocked the Chaser as it moved to finish off his fallen brother and shouted urgently.

“Brother!”

“Fine, do what you want.”

At Park Sang-ho’s begrudging reply, Park Sang-min nodded, ran over, and grabbed his twin brother’s arm.

Their bold decision to take on this potentially dangerous gamble wasn’t simply due to reckless arrogance.

They had an insurance policy.

*Swoosh!*

The brothers vanished from the street where the fierce battle had been raging.

And their view was of a completely different place.

Park Sang-min’s ability was activated, and in an instant, they appeared right in front of Lee Tae-hee at a pre-designated location.

“Are you alright?”

Lee Tae-hee approached, horrified by their battered state.

She had been protecting the evacuating citizens from the remaining monsters.

Many citizens, including soldiers, were watching in shock from behind her.

“Damn it! We almost had it.”

“Call your teammate, too. If we just rest for a moment, we can fight again without any problems.”

The two said, breathing heavily.

Even though they had fled mid-fight, they had bought enough time for the citizens, so it was sufficient.

But the creature’s name wasn’t Chaser for nothing.

The white monster appeared, tearing through a rift in space.

“Watch out…!”

Lee Tae-hee shouted upon seeing it, but it was already too late.

*Shunk!*

The monster’s arms pierced through both brothers’ bodies.

“No way… this distance…”

Park Sang-min stared blankly at the massive hole in his chest, blood pouring from his mouth.

They had received information about the creature beforehand and had analyzed it themselves.

Its tricky tracking ability was already known, but based on all available data, it should have been impossible for it to follow them over such a distance.

But it had followed.

“Guhk…”

His body went limp and was flung aside by the Chaser.

The gaze of the creature that had killed two high-ranking Awakened in an instant fell upon Lee Tae-hee.

Its three crimson eyes pierced her.

Lee Tae-hee took a deep breath and gripped her sword tightly.

She tried to push away the thought forming in her mind, but it wouldn’t go away.

This time, it might really be dangerous.