Chapter 245 – Demon King Raid (1)

The record-breaking gate had caused immense damage across the globe.

Lesser nations were devastated, and even France, a powerhouse of hunters, had been brought to the brink of annihilation.

Amidst the chaos, Japan had managed to deal with its own record-breaking gate swiftly, suffering minimal damage.

But that was yesterday’s news.

“Help me, please…!”

The man reaching for the hunter was decapitated by the great scythe of a wraith that had crept up from behind.

Witnessing this, the hunter swallowed dryly.

Wraiths, impervious to modern weaponry, floated in the air, forming a neat line.

“All units, Formation A!”

The Japanese hunters organized themselves into a tight phalanx for coordinated defense.

A direct confrontation with the legion of wraiths in the city streets.

The only things effective against these ghostly monsters were weapons made of mana stones and the attacks of hunters.

*Shhhh.*

Wielding their great scythes, the wraiths began to charge forward as if taking flight.

“Wipe them all out!”

The higher-ups had ordered the Japanese hunters to stand by. But the horrific deaths of civilians continued, one after another.

Unable to watch any longer, the hunters of the Musashi Guild impulsively initiated combat.

The Japanese hunters fought the wraith hunters in the city, and the outcome was catastrophic.

Annihilation.

The number of hunters who died trying to evacuate civilians from the city was 138, with not a single survivor.

Even as they died, they fought to take down just one more wraith. Thanks to their efforts, they succeeded in eliminating about 400 of them.

But it was largely meaningless.

“Ugh, what is that.”

A soldier from the Self-Defense Forces saw a black tide surging toward them like a tsunami.

Tens of thousands of wraiths were pouring out from the skies above Tokyo.

It wasn’t just Japan; neighboring countries like China and Taiwan were also engaged in battle with the Demon King’s army.

Celestial gates had appeared above the capital of each nation.

It was a disaster that struck before the shock of the record-breaking gates had even subsided.

└ We’re screwed. I heard the Musashi Guild in Japan got completely wiped out.

└ Is humanity really ending? Nostradamus predicted the great king of terror would descend.

└ What century are you living in?

└ Seoul is getting wrecked too, and they’re pushing south.

└ Fuck, if you’re going to invade, why not go north instead of coming down here?

The government had initiated emergency evacuations and was trying to control the flow of information, but anyone who needed to know already knew.

The countdown to the end of humanity had literally begun.

To prevent this, the Hunter Management Bureau mobilized the entire military and requested cooperation from all domestic hunter guilds.

“Hey, isn’t this a bit too dangerous this time?”

Kaldoma muttered under his breath as he looked at the massive army of monsters.

“Shut your mouth, you’ll jinx us.”

“Hwang Jae-yeon. It looks like even your flames won’t be enough to burn through all of them.”

“That’s why I told you to shut up.”

Yeomje, a fellow member of the Shinhwa Guild and the number one ranked hunter, gazed at the monster army, which easily numbered over a hundred thousand.

In the streets of Seoul, nameless hunters and soldiers were fighting a desperate battle.

It was called a subjugation, but it was nothing more than a human shield to buy time.

An operation forced by the government. And the sacrifice fell entirely on the shoulders of the soldiers.

“Dammit.”

A wave of disgust washed over Yeomje as he watched the situation unfold.

Would things have been different if the Deliveryman, Lee Hyunbin, had been here?

He wouldn’t have just stood by and let such a ridiculous operation happen.

“Still, all the S-ranks are here. Except for Lee Hyunbin.”

Kaldoma said, looking around.

The S-rank hunters: Yeomje, Kaldoma, Seol Ji-hoon, and Seo Hyun-ji.

The strongest quartet had been fully assembled.

“It doesn’t matter to me, but what about you two? Can’t even get married now.”

Seo Hyun-ji and Seol Ji-hoon remained silent at Kaldoma’s words.

“Cut it out with the unlucky talk.”

“Why? Does it hit a nerve because you’re a divorcee?”

Yeomje glared at Kaldoma’s remark. Kaldoma chuckled and took a step back before he could get hit.

He had tried to lighten the mood, but it was clear the S-ranks were just as tense as everyone else.

-Woooooooooooooo!

Just then, Kaldoma and Yeomje heard a strange beeping sound.

A sudden noise.

They instinctively covered their ears, but it was no use.

-An update will now commence.

The beeping stopped, and a strange message appeared.

“Update?”

Yeomje frowned deeply, staring at the incomprehensible message window.

Kaldoma saw the same strange message.

In fact, not just them, but every hunter across the world was seeing the same window.

-Update complete.

-The Dimensional War of Annihilation begins.

-The countdown to destruction begins.

-Destruction: 1 / 100%

“What is this?”

Kaldoma muttered in disbelief.

He was certain he wasn’t hallucinating.

-Destruction: 2.5 / 100%

At that moment, they saw the percentage increase. In real time.

“The mission briefing has been postponed for thirty minutes. S-rank hunters, please wait a little longer!”

The situation began to escalate rapidly.

***

The operations briefing room was filled with officials from the Hunter Management Bureau, military personnel, and even government ministers.

The hunters gathered in the room were all talking about the notification window that had suddenly appeared.

Destruction, out of nowhere.

It was such a preposterous story that it should have been laughable.

But not a single person was laughing.

Hunters were awakened beings connected to the System.

Chosen by the Order System, they had awakened their powers and reached a superhuman level.

Just a decade ago, the idea of people shooting fire or flying was unimaginable.

The Order System was the entity that had made this impossible feat a reality.

And now, this absolute, god-like entity had declared the doom of humanity.

No one could take it lightly.

“I am Kim Min-ah, and I will be conducting the briefing. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for the sudden delay.”

A woman in an office suit and glasses stood before the presentation screen.

‘What is she doing here?’

Seo Hyun-ji found it odd to see Kim Min-ah, who had disappeared with Hyunbin.

No, more than that, since they were together, if she was here, perhaps Hyunbin was too.

But she couldn’t find any trace of Hyunbin in the briefing room.

“Just thirty minutes ago, a notice was sent to all awakened individuals connected to the System worldwide.”

Everyone was already in a state of confusion about it.

“We surmise that this anomaly is caused by the large-scale gate invasions currently occurring across the globe. And we have identified the entity causing this anomaly.”

A murmur spread through the crowd.

The screen showed a beautiful woman with black wings, like something out of a fantasy movie, floating in the sky above Seoul.

“Demon King Crocell. Hereafter, she will be referred to as the Demon King.”

Ignoring the crowd’s reaction, Olivier—no, Kim Min-ah—continued.

“Killing the Demon King will ‘temporarily’ close the abnormal gate floating above Seoul. Furthermore, we believe the keyword ‘destruction’ is also connected to this.”

Kim Min-ah looked around the room and parted her glossy lips.

“Right now, at this very moment, the countdown has begun.”

The countdown, which had been at 2.5%, had now surpassed 4%.

No one knew what would happen when that number reached 100%.

***

‘Demon King.’

Seo Hyun-ji knew what that word signified, and she felt a powerful pressure weighing down on her.

Because of the immortal Gamigin, the other world had been transformed into a land where humans could not survive.

Monsters belonging to the Demon King’s army, even the lowest-ranking ones, were stronger than other ordinary monsters.

The reason was that they were under the Demon King’s blessing.

That was why even a low-level monster like a goblin could become more than twice as strong the moment it joined the Demon King’s army.

‘They want us to hunt the Demon King.’

Seo Hyun-ji furrowed her brow.

It was impossible.

Modern civilization could not hunt a being from a different dimension.

Indeed, they had already tried to hunt the Demon King floating above Seoul with artillery fire. But a clearly visible force field had rendered all modern weapons useless.

The plan was simple.

Mobilize all soldiers and hunters to hold back the monster army.

During the time they bought, the S-ranks would slip away to hunt the lone Demon King.

‘Drag her down.’

Seo Hyun-ji, along with Yeomje, was tasked with pulling the floating Demon King down to the ground.

Having once fled from a Demon King to the modern world, she wondered if she was capable of it.

“Don’t hold us back.”

“?”

As they were leaving the briefing room, Yeomje brushed past Seo Hyun-ji and said those words.

Seo Hyun-ji was so taken aback that her brow furrowed instantly.

“That’s just his way of saying he trusts you. Hunter Seo Hyun-ji, let’s do our best. Hwang Jae-yeon, I told you not to talk like that.”

“Get lost.”

She could see Yeomje and Kaldoma bickering.

Seo Hyun-ji let out a low sigh. There were too many things on her mind. The situation was unstable, and she had no one to lean on.

‘Lean on?’

Seo Hyun-ji focused on that phrase and smiled bitterly.

Just then, she saw Kim Min-ah walking out of the briefing room.

Seeing Kim Min-ah brought something to her mind.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“Do you happen to know where he is? I mean, Lee Hyunbin.”

It was humiliating to ask another person, another woman, about him. But it had already been three months since he disappeared.

Her pride was nothing compared to that.

“Why… are you asking me?”

Seo Hyun-ji was momentarily at a loss for words at Kim Min-ah’s response.

Since they had been together, she should know his whereabouts.

Perhaps he had even returned to the other world.

“What do you… think of him?”

“…?”

Seo Hyun-ji regretted her words as soon as she said them.

This was an even more outlandish question.

In that moment, Seo Hyun-ji saw it.

The aloofness vanished from Kim Min-ah’s face, replaced by a look of sorrow.

Her glossy lips quivered.

“He’s someone I’ll never see again.”

“…What?”

“And someone I should never see again.”

“What does that….”

Kim Min-ah didn’t answer Seo Hyun-ji’s question. She simply turned and continued on her way.

Seo Hyun-ji felt as if her mind was a tangled mess of yarn.

She doubted they could defeat an enemy like the Demon King without him.

“He could have at least said something before taking off.”

Seo Hyun-ji opened her message history, filled with unanswered texts, a bitter expression on her face.

***

The operation began in earnest.

A veritable flood of goblins poured out, an overwhelming number.

Following behind them were giant soldiers and mammoths.

The military maintained a constant barrage of artillery, and hunters attacked the monsters that broke through the explosions.

The citizens of Seoul had lost their homes and evacuated, while people in neighboring cities couldn’t sleep, their TVs tuned to the disaster news.

The constant sound of gunfire echoed, and on the broadcasts, the voices of reporters conveyed the grim situation.

-The joint operation between the military and the Management Bureau begins today, and the outcome will determine the evacuation plan for Gyeonggi Province…

“Bring all the ammo boxes! Haven’t you finished setting them up yet?”

“Personal gear check!”

“It’s not difficult! Just hold your position!”

The soldiers being deployed to the battle had grim expressions. The only sound was the nervous swallowing of saliva.

“Deploy the unit!”

The unit members, now deployed to the field, ran out in sequence. And what they saw was…

“Aaaah, I can’t feel my legs. Ah, the painkillers aren’t working at all! Aaaargh!”

“Guh, keoheok!”

It was the sight of soldiers being carried away on stretchers.

Some had their legs torn off, while others had their abdomens ripped open.

The eyes of the soldiers who witnessed this scene blazed with fury.

“What are you doing, move it now!”

An officer’s command roared from behind.

This was a time of war. Refusal was not an option.

The unit members gripped their newly issued K2 rifles and were deployed to the front lines.

“Dammit, the second defense line has been breached.”

A major in the command center gritted his teeth as he received the field report.

The situation was desperate.

Hearing this, the brigadier general gave an order.

“Send all incoming troops to the third line from now on.”

“B-But if we do that, the second defense line will be….”

The strategy was to maintain the front line for as long as possible to slow the enemy’s advance.

The military’s plan was to hold out as long as they could.

But the enemy’s advance was so relentless that they were constantly reaching their limits.

“Someone has to buy time, don’t they?”

“…That’s….”

“They’re all going to die anyway. In that case, it’s better to fortify the rear, even if it means sacrifices.”

In other words, the soldiers defending the second line would die waiting for military support.

And with the troops that would have been sent for support, they would instead build a stronger, more solid defense on the third line.

“I understand.”

Disobeying a superior’s order was not an option.

The major, though reluctant, replied as such and made the call.

Just then, someone snatched the phone from his hand.

“This is Baek Hyun-joo. All units on the second line, retreat. Artillery battalion, provide support with K-9 self-propelled howitzers. If that’s not enough, use Cheonmu missiles. Have the Management Bureau’s hunter team on standby to support the third line.”

Colonel Baek Hyun-joo, who had suddenly intervened, finished her orders and hung up.

The brigadier general who saw this had the deep wrinkles on his brow deepen even further.

“Baek Hyun-joo. What do you think you’re doing?”

“What? I’m commanding the operation.”

“Didn’t you hear my order?”

“Was that an order? Brigadier General Park Hae-il, you love to joke, so I thought you were kidding.”

Baek Hyun-joo’s nonchalant words made the brigadier general’s face turn red.

“This is insubordination!”

“I transferred to the Hunter Management Bureau a long time ago.”

Colonel Baek Hyun-joo said with a smile. Seeing this, the brigadier general’s thick lips twitched in displeasure.

“This is why women shouldn’t wear uniforms. You try to save one and end up killing ten.”

“You’re right, Brigadier General. Anvil and hammer, isn’t it? If you’re so confident, why don’t you be the anvil? Instead of sitting here comfortably, pointing your finger and telling others to die.”

“What? You….”

Insubordination and disrespecting a superior were unacceptable for a soldier.

Especially during wartime.

But Baek Hyun-joo, who now led the special organization of hunters, had reached a rank equivalent to a general.

More importantly, unlike in times of peace, wartime offered plenty of opportunities.

‘Cheol-i, and Hyun-ah.’

During the first gate disaster, she had been powerless and couldn’t help them.

But things were different now.

She now had the authority to command both the military and the hunters.

-Destruction: 22 / 100%

She would provide all possible support so that Kang Cheol, Lee Hyun-ah, and the S-rank hunters could safely take the Demon King’s head.

In a situation without the hero known as Deliveryman Lee Hyunbin, they were the only hope.