Chapter 73 – Catastrophe (Part Two)

“Huh?”

Ghost, who was chasing monsters, sensed something strange and looked up at the sky.

*Szzz…*

The force field surrounding the island was collapsing.

Monsters that had been waiting for an opportunity began to slip out one by one through the widening cracks.

“What… what the. What’s happening?”

“-Looks like there’s a problem in the center of the island!”

“-What happened?”

“-I… I’m sorry! Hyeon-seo was taken down. A monster suddenly came from under the ground…”

Heo Yu-ra’s trembling voice came through.

“No way!”

Ghost said in disbelief.

He had clearly seen Hyeon-seo’s skills while working with her in the field for the past few days.

It didn’t make sense for her to be taken down so easily.

While Ghost stood there, mouth agape, urgent transmissions continued to crackle over the comms.

Just then, an eagle swooped in from behind and snatched him.

“Agh! What the hell?”

The startled Ghost looked up.

The creature flying swiftly through the sky didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking him.

Realizing it was a summon sent by Il-hyeon, Ghost quickly maneuvered himself onto the eagle’s back.

The priority was to stop the monsters from scattering.

The eagle flew at high speed, chasing the monsters, and snatched the Kurokus one by one, ending their lives.

The Ace monsters mixed in among them attacked menacingly, but they were no match for Ghost, who was riding on its back.

*CRACK!*

But the force field that had been blocking the sky finally collapsed completely.

As the barrier protecting the outside world from the monsters vanished, the beasts soared into the air with all their might.

The Gate had already closed, but about thirty percent of the monsters had yet to be eliminated.

Watching the creatures spread out in all directions through the wide-open sky, Ghost muttered.

“This is a huge problem.”

* * *

There were a total of three islands near the one where the Gate had opened.

Normally, for a B0-rank Gate with flying monsters, these locations would have been considered within the danger zone, and all residents should have been evacuated.

However, because of Hyeon-seo’s force field ability, and since their forces were more than capable of containing the threat, no evacuation had been ordered.

Since it was a site managed by none other than Aegis, the residents had been going about their lives without a worry.

But something no one had expected had happened.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Help me!”

People were screaming in the burning coastal village.

Giant flying bird monsters snatched up the residents one by one, filling their hungry stomachs.

Those who ran were the first to be spotted and devoured, while the powerless could only lie prone amidst the chaos, trembling in fear.

They could only hope to be discovered as late as possible.

In the middle of this pandemonium, there was one person fighting back against the monsters.

“How the hell do those Aegis bastards handle their business?”

A sharp-featured man, who had just torn off a monster’s head with his bare hands, ground his teeth.

Shirtless and in swim trunks, he was a C-rank Awakened with considerable skill, making him one of the few people on the island who could fight back.

Unfortunately, this was a hard-earned vacation after struggling through the changed cycle, and it had been completely ruined.

The place he’d come to wasn’t a famous tourist spot or resort, but he actually preferred the quiet atmosphere.

But thanks to the monsters that appeared out of nowhere, it had become the noisiest place on earth.

“Get lost!”

The man threw a punch at two Kurokus diving toward him.

With a loud crack, their bones caved in, and their momentum sent them tumbling across the ground.

The impact was so strong that the man shook his tingling hand.

The thought of himself, here, fighting monsters because of the sloppy work of the so-called world’s best, Aegis, made him grind his teeth.

“Dammit! I need to find my sword…”

The man hurried toward the inn where he had left his weapon.

Unlike clueless civilians or low-level Awakened, he knew just how dangerous this new cycle was.

That was why he had brought both his sword and his coat, even on vacation to this small island.

He quickly made his way to the inn and grabbed the doorknob to enter.

*CRASH! Kweeeek!*

At that moment, a B-rank Ace monster, a Karaka, appeared.

The creature dropped from the sky, completely demolishing the building, and stood before the man, roaring fiercely.

Facing the massive beast with his bare hands, he muttered a curse under his breath.

As if granting his last wish, the monster immediately opened its maw wide to swallow him.

*Thwack!*

But it was the other one that lost its life.

Il-hyeon, dropping from the sky, drove his sword into the creature’s head.

Its head pierced before it could resist, the monster shrieked in agony and collapsed to the ground.

“Uh… huh?”

The man, who recognized Il-hyeon’s face, pointed at him with a dazed expression.

Stepping down from the dead monster’s head, Il-hyeon surveyed the area.

The scene was filled with monsters rampaging among ruined buildings and the bodies of people. His expression hardened at the horrific sight, and he clenched his fist.

‘Dammit, because of that crazy woman…’

If everything had gone according to Heo Yu-ra’s plan, no one should have known about ‘that incident’.

But for some reason, Il-hyeon already knew what she had done.

‘First, I need to get this mess under control…’

Il-hyeon knelt and placed his hand on the ground.

The ground around him began to rise in various places.

The risen earth was molded into shapes, and soon, dozens of eagles appeared.

These newly created eagles began to hunt the monsters swarming the village and the sky above it.

They snatched the Kurokus that were trying to harm people like arrows and tore them apart viciously.

For the Ace monsters that the eagles couldn’t handle alone, Il-hyeon flew with his Phoenix and dealt with them one by one.

He had used a considerable amount of power to summon the eagles. Normally, it wasn’t wise to expend so much energy on the first site.

Since the cycle changed, the number of Gates and monsters they dealt with each day was immense, making stamina management essential.

But this case was an exception.

With people still under attack, he had to end the situation as quickly as possible.

Il-hyeon checked his team members’ locations using the GPS on his watch.

Three signals were clustered in the center of the island, with another one approaching them.

‘The result will be out soon.’

* * *

A mutant Karaka monster.

Its multiple wings had devolved, and it now dug through the earth, but it was far stronger than before in every other aspect.

It moved by burrowing through the ground as if flying through the sky, and its physical specs were incomparable.

It was a strong and tricky opponent that would have given even Aegis’s Awakened a hard time.

But it had picked the wrong opponents.

Lee Soo-yeon and Jo Yoon, the two team leaders of Aegis, stood before the black monster.

“So that’s the one.”

“Looks like it.”

They had descended into the underground through the hole the creature had dug and were now facing it.

It was pitch-black underground, devoid of any light, but their eyes, far superior to those of ordinary people, could see ahead without much trouble even in the inky darkness.

*Shing!* The two of them drew their swords smoothly at the same time.

They waited for their unidentified opponent to make the first move, and just as they wished, the monster charged at them.

*BOOM!*

Its outstretched arm struck the spot where they had been standing, its long claws digging into the ground and sending fragments flying everywhere.

Instead of dodging backward, Lee Soo-yeon moved forward, swinging her sword and severing the creature’s wrist.

Roaring fiercely as its hand was sliced off as easily as tofu, the monster gauged its opponent’s level and decided to avoid a direct confrontation.

The moment it tried to burrow into the ground to fight on more favorable terrain, Jo Yoon took out a round object from his pocket.

*Fwoosh!*

The small flare he threw high into the air exploded, and a bright light erupted in all directions.

The appearance of light in the dark underground meant that shadows had also appeared.

Hundreds of shadows shot out like harpoons, piercing the monster’s skin.

*Kueeeek!*

The monster, which had been about to turn and dive back underground, was stopped in its tracks by the shadows piercing its entire body and let out a terrible scream.

To prepare for environments with no shadows like this, Jo Yoon always carried flares with him in the field.

Just then, a dark energy flowed into Lee Soo-yeon’s right arm, and she unleashed a massive slash forward.

Her powerful slash split the monster clean in two, and the A-rank Ace monster fell silent for the last time.

The thick blood of the collapsed monster poured onto the ground as if a dam had burst.

*Click!* Seeing this, Lee Soo-yeon and Jo Yoon sheathed their swords.

They had subdued an A-rank monster, a mutant at that, with just three incredibly concise attacks.

“One mutant eliminated. You don’t sense any other presences, do you?”

-No. I don’t sense anything else down here.

“Then we’re coming up.”

Hearing the confirmation from Ju Hye-jin, who possessed a sensory ability, the two turned back without suspicion.

They headed for the passage they came through and climbed up the rather deep cliff.

To ordinary people, the sight would have been dizzying, but they didn’t give it a second thought as they ascended.

This was just part of their daily routine.

*Thud!*

Lee Soo-yeon was the first to grab the edge and pull herself onto the surface.

She brushed the dust off her coat and looked around.

Amidst the chaotic, overturned forest and the monster corpses, Heo Yu-ra stood hesitantly, looking their way.

Once Jo Yoon also emerged, they approached Heo Yu-ra.

“I’m sorry. I have no excuse… I should have protected her properly.”

Heo Yu-ra spoke in a trembling voice, as if feeling guilty for failing to protect a colleague while on duty.

Her tone was overflowing with regret.

Of course, since this was all her doing, none of it was sincere.

She had killed more than a few people like this, using the power of monsters. She had even eliminated a high-ranking Awakened who was her rival at her former company, Pace.

By framing it as a tragic accident—killed by a monster during an operation—she avoided suspicion. There was no easier way to get rid of people who were thorns in her side.

A privilege of a successful Awakened, perhaps.

“Because of me, Hyeon-seo… It’s all my fault…”

With her head bowed low, Heo Yu-ra suppressed the smile that was trying to form on her lips and waited for Lee Soo-yeon’s response.

She expected to be told it couldn’t be helped, not to blame herself or feel too guilty.

An A-rank mutant monster had appeared out of nowhere, making it an unavoidable situation. In her mind, that was the only appropriate reaction.

But the words of comfort she was hoping for never came.

“Done with the act?”

“Yes… What?”

Not understanding what she meant, Heo Yu-ra raised her head, only to falter when she saw Lee Soo-yeon’s expression.

An impossibly cold face was staring at her. She opened her mouth and spoke stiffly.

“This incident… it was your doing, wasn’t it?”