Chapter 140

Boom! Thump!

In South Korea,

artillery fire echoed incessantly along the Chungcheong front line, which bisected the country.

Artillery booming in a battle between Hunters might seem odd, but it signified just how desperately South Korea was holding on against the assault of the Japanese Tsukuyomi Attack Unit.

This was especially true because the void left by the departure of the elite forces from the Immortal and Taebaek Guilds was unexpectedly vast.

Thus, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff command decided to deploy army and air force units to unleash a concentrated barrage of firepower on the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit.

Crackle! Boom!

An immense amount of firepower rained down on the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit in an instant, but they sustained little damage.

They, too, were an elite unit, comprised only of the most renowned individuals selected from mainland Japan.

Their Chakra Force allowed them to withstand such an onslaught of firepower.

The Chungcheong defense line, which had been barely holding on against their power—a power modern weapons simply couldn’t pierce—began to crumble.

“Slaughter all these Joseon bastards!”

As the South Korean defense forces, no longer able to endure, began to retreat, the morale of the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit surged.

Unaware of what was happening on the Japanese mainland, they believed that if they could just capture Seoul as quickly as possible, everything would be over.

“Waaah!”

The members of the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit screamed with frenzied madness, chasing after the retreating defense forces.

Boom!

Even as they retreated, the defense forces turned their artillery barrels and fired shells at them.

However, piercing through the hazy smoke, the defense forces quickly broke through the Chungcheong defense line.

The sight of numerous tanks, infantry units, and Hunters from the Guild Alliance being driven back by the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit was truly devastating.

Yet, a group of people watched this scene from afar.

Their number was roughly one hundred and fifty.

“The Chungcheong defense line has been breached.”

If Chungcheong fell, the final defense line, the Gyeonggi defense line, would be next.

If they entered Seoul, everything would be over.

Even if they managed to stop them, if Seoul, which had only just been painstakingly rebuilt, were to fall, victory would feel like defeat.

Therefore, their attack had to be stopped at the Gyeonggi defense line.

One man nodded in response.

“Let’s put our faith in Gil Ji-yeon’s power.”

A single moment of immense chaos.

That was the crucial point of this counterattack.

“Let’s go. To hunt them down.”

Whoosh!

The one hundred and fifty Hunters, carefully selected from South Korea’s top guilds, Immortal and Taebaek, moved out.

They stealthily pursued the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit from behind.

A trap.

To deliver the final blow to the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit, which was rushing headlong into that massive trap, one that would lead them to their doom.

* * * * *

The front line continued to be pushed back.

However, the command staff against the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit had already anticipated this.

“Alright, we can no longer retreat.”

At the words of Chief of Staff Choi Dae-yong, Lee Seung-jun of the Immortal Guild, appointed as the defense commander, nodded.

“Has the special unit’s position been identified?”

“Yes, the special unit has infiltrated three kilometers behind the Japanese Tsukuyomi Attack Unit. If the situation arises, they will immediately penetrate their rear and crush them.”

Lee Seung-jun’s eyes gleamed sharply.

A single chance.

Truth be told, no one present knew the full extent of Gil Ji-yeon’s abilities, which were central to this operation.

But Kang Yuseong had vouched for her and proposed this plan himself.

A deep trust had already formed regarding Kang Yuseong.

And just recently, the news of victory had arrived: the Japanese expeditionary force led by Kang Yuseong, which had penetrated the heart of Japan, had captured Tokyo.

Lee Seung-jun raised a finger and pointed to a spot on the map.

“Here. This is the final front line. Do not let their filthy feet advance any further.”

The spot he indicated was near Osan in Gyeonggi Province.

“We will bury them all here.”

At Lee Seung-jun’s words, the entire command staff nodded.

The final counterattack!

That historic moment was about to unfold.

* * * * *

“Miss Ji-yeon, are you ready?”

Once the clear directives were set, the defense command began to move with great urgency.

And then, someone came for Gil Ji-yeon, who had been waiting on the side.

Gil Ji-yeon, her heart pounding, realized the time had come when someone sought her out.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

She nodded with a resolute expression.

Brain Chain.

The mental control technique she had practiced countless times, visualizing it in her mind over and over again.

Now was the time to show its results.

—Don’t waver. Be calm. Feel like you’re reading everyone’s minds.

Kang Yuseong’s words came to mind.

He was the first to recognize the power Gil Ji-yeon possessed, and the one who actively strengthened and developed it.

And a single, ultimate technique that Kang Yuseong and Gil Ji-yeon had created together.

—After that, *boom*! You let it explode. And then… hell will unfold. A massive hell of immense chaos.

She could never forget the thrill of hearing those words for the first time.

To think she possessed such power…

Such a terrifying power that could unleash hell upon this world.

She slowly rose from her seat.

Now was the time to unleash that hell.

She calmly closed her eyes and stilled her racing heart.

The time was fast approaching to mark the final conclusion of the long, deep-seated resentment between South Korea and Japan throughout history.

Ironically, the one to engrave that mark would be none other than Gil Ji-yeon herself.

“It is time.”

The voice of an adjutant sent from command could be heard from outside.

Now was the moment.

The thought, ‘Can I do it?’ did not cross her mind.

She was Gil Hyeok-jun’s daughter.

Such fragility had long since vanished.

Only one thought filled her mind:

‘I will end everything with this. I must!’

The end of this dreadful war.

It was a sense of mission, that she had to end it with her own hands.

As she stepped outside, a vehicle and an escort unit sent from command were waiting, bowing their heads to her.

“Please get in.”

Gil Ji-yeon, climbing into the heavily armored escort vehicle, took another deep breath.

Vroom—

As the car started, her eyes slowly transformed.

They were not the eyes of a delicate woman.

They were the sharp eyes of a beast slowly approaching its prey.

They were the piercing eyes of a lioness, inheriting the blood of her father, Gil Hyeok-jun.

“…”

Kang Yuseong looked up at the distant sky.

They had brought down Japan, left some forces there, and were now returning.

They had arrived on a humble fishing boat, but were now returning under the escort of a proud fleet. The Tsukuyomi Attack Unit, which had infiltrated South Korea, probably did not know this fact.

Because Kang Yuseong had deliberately cut off all information.

That utter devastation of soaring high only to plummet instantly was precisely what Kang Yuseong intended.

‘Well, it’s time to paint the picture, Miss Ji-yeon.’

He knew how formidable her power was because he had already experienced it.

In truth, he wasn’t worried about Gil Ji-yeon.

He merely felt a pang of pity for the Japanese Tsukuyomi Attack Unit, who would miserably perish under her powerful mental control.

But he could not afford to hold back.

The enemy must be completely annihilated.

That was Kang Yuseong’s philosophy.

“How much longer until we reach home?”

“We’ll arrive in about an hour.”

Kang Yuseong nodded after hearing the captain’s answer.

By the time he reached the mainland, everything would probably be over.

Splash—

White foam rose from the waves all around.

“It has begun.”

At that single word, the eyes of the wolves, who had been hunting their prey, sharpened.

The strongest wolves, numbering one hundred and fifty.

They held their breath, eyeing the rear of the Japanese Tsukuyomi Attack Unit.

What was needed now was a wave of utter chaos to engulf them!

The moment that wave rose high, the wolves would bare their sharp fangs and mercilessly tear through it.

And the sun reached its zenith.

It was nothing short of a death sentence for the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit.

* * * * *

Gil Ji-yeon arrived at the battlefield.

“Uwaaah!”

“Kuaaah!”

Numerous screams and shouts filled the air, and the clang of weapons colliding echoed unfiltered.

It was a horrific scene, difficult for a delicate woman to endure, yet Gil Ji-yeon calmly settled her mind within it.

Crack!

And then, a bizarre phenomenon occurred around her.

Thin streaks of lightning began to flash around her head.

But that too was momentary; the lightning vanished as quickly as it appeared.

At that instant, Gil Ji-yeon’s mind had already plunged into the chaotic battlefield.

—S-save me! I-I don’t want to die!

—These filthy Joseon bastards, I’ll tear them all to shreds and kill them!

—M-Mom!

The chaotic thoughts of people were read at a rapid pace.

Gil Ji-yeon’s body swayed slightly from the immense wave of emotions, but she stood firm.

Reading the primal emotions emanating from others was a heavy burden, but it wasn’t a major problem for Gil Ji-yeon now.

Her sole focus was to create one massive wave within the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit!

Crackling!

Her brainwaves were rapidly connecting with every Hunter in the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit.

The confusion, excitement, tremors they felt…

Everything felt as one.

At this moment, the South Korean defense line was gradually being pushed back.

This was partly because the Osan region had been designated as the final defense line, but also because the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit’s power was simply that strong.

If they couldn’t hold them back now, the Gyeonggi Province would fall into their hands. And after that, Seoul…

‘I have to stop them here.’

Sweat beaded on Gil Ji-yeon’s forehead.

The Brain Chain was continuously active, causing extreme exhaustion.

Defense Commander Lee Seung-jun watched her anxiously.

Not only him, but everyone in the defense command center was crushed by an incredibly heavy atmosphere, barely able to breathe.

For a single moment.

Everyone was focused on that very moment.

And then…

Flash!

Suddenly, Gil Ji-yeon’s eyes opened.

At that instant, everyone around her flinched in surprise.

Gil Ji-yeon’s eyes were completely imbued with a pure white radiance.

And the smile that appeared on her lips…

“This is the end, everyone. Rest in peace.”

Followed by a serene remark.

Glow!

Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupted, engulfing Gil Ji-yeon’s entire body.

“Ugh!”

Such powerful force was unleashed that even veteran Hunters struggled to maintain their balance, stumbling.

Hummmm—

Crackle! Boom! Boom! Boom!

And that radiance spread rapidly in all directions.

“Kuaaah!”

“Ugh!”

Japanese Hunters caught in the radiance suddenly clutched their heads, writhing madly.

And the next moment, they began to act in an incomprehensible manner.

“D-damn it! D-die!”

They suddenly turned on each other, stabbing with swords, hacking with axes, and engaging in a massacre.

“D-don’t come! You monster!”

They attacked each other, uttering strange words and actions.

Deep fear was etched on their faces, as if they were confronting some inexpressible monster.

Seeing this, Lee Seung-jun’s jaw dropped.

‘Th-this… this is Miss Ji-yeon’s power!’

Now he understood.

Why Kang Yuseong trusted her so much.

The power she had just displayed was utterly indomitable.

If he himself had been exposed to that power… he didn’t even want to think about it.

“Commander! Orders!”

Lee Seung-jun, startled back to reality by his adjutant’s words, nodded.

The hounds, prepared for this very moment, were drooling as they waited.

Lee Seung-jun smiled and picked up the radio.

“Begin the hunt.”

At that single command, the hounds began to charge fiercely.

With madness gleaming in their eyes, they charged towards the Tsukuyomi Attack Unit, which stood arrayed before them.

Crash—

Slash!

And the hounds leaped into the fray.

Screams filled the air.