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Chapter 38: The World After the Prologue (3)
***The moment he saw the incoming rocket, Kim Mansoo realized that defeat was imminent.KAAABOOOOM!!Swept away by the explosion, the thought of his impending death crossed his mind.Being a Superhuman did not mean that one was completely invincible. Getting shot was painful, excessive bleeding could lead to death, and a direct hit from a rocket was a guaranteed death.But, of course, there were exceptions.Superhumans who had reached a certain level—for example, powerhouses like the Margrave or the Holy Sword—could even withstand tank turrets by using their highly reinforced mana.However, Kim Mansoo had not reached that level. Nor did he even dare to wish to reach such a state.Because he was a typical person who only looked at the immediate reality in front of him instead of dreaming an unattainable dream.So, at this moment, he could only grit his teeth while thinking of retreating.Was it simply because he valued his life? No, it wasn\'t. In the first place, he wouldn\'t have become a mercenary if he truly valued his life.The problem was—North Manchuria has fallen.The first line of defense, which was supposed to prevent the monsters from advancing south, had gone silent.To prevent civilian casualties, they needed to deliver this news to the Manchurian base as quickly as possible.And someone could turn the truck around and escape, he would have gladly sacrificed himself. However, it was clear that a rocket would come flying the moment someone moved the truck.In the end, a slightly fleet-footed Superhuman would have to go personally. And he was the only Superhuman present....Damn it.Having made up his mind, Kim Mansoo turned towards the Manchurian base. And while doing so, he immediately met Yeomyeong’s eyes from the opposite direction.Golden eyes glanced at him briefly, but that was all. Yeomyeong ignored him without even saying a word.Even though it wasn\'t a situation to be ashamed of, Kim Mansoo was unable to raise his head.Yeomyeong brushed past his shoulder. And the next moment, Kim Mansoo\'s eyes widened as he looked at the Newcomer."Wait, Newcomer, how... How are you wielding mana?"Mana.It was so intense, that even someone as insensitive as him could feel it emanating from the Newcomer\'s body.Had he just awakened as a Superhuman? Or had he been hiding his Superhuman status all this time?...Either way, it didn\'t matter.What mattered was that now, there were two Superhumans here. It would have been impossible if it were just him, but with two Superhumans, they somewhat stood a chance.Even if it\'s just one shot, we need to get the truck out of here.With the truck\'s speed, they could reach a place where they would be able to communicate with the Manchurian base within an hour. That was much faster compared to him running."Newcomer! Do you plan on fighting?"Kim Mansoo asked as he caught up with the Newcomer. Instead of replying, the Newcomer revealed his sword and shotgun.Seeing that gesture, Kim Mansoo let out a hollow laugh."If you\'re thinking of fighting, fine. I have a plan, but I need your help.""...Does having a plan even mean anything in this situation?"As soon as Yeomyeong finished speaking, another anti-tank rocket hit the mercenaries.KABOOOOOOM!!! Amidst the prolonged explosion, screams echoed.Seeing that, Kim Mansoo\'s expression hardened. They didn’t have much time. Hence, he spoke quickly."The plan is simple. We distract them so the truck can escape.""...Is that all?""If possible... you’ll have to distract them by yourself for a while. I\'ll take care of the ones with rockets in the meantime.""...""If even one truck manages to get away, we can prevent tens of thousands of deaths. So please, just hold out until then."It was a straightforward request to act as a meat shield, but Yeomyeong nodded without a complaint.After all, he had already decided to fight at the forefront. He had no reason to refuse someone who had planned to escape but turned back to help.Of course, the words that came out of his mouth weren\'t exactly kind."It really is a simple plan.""...I\'m sorry."Kim Mansoo could only bow his head since he was practically asking the young man to die with him.And the next moment, they heard Tian Lin\'s voice echoing in their ears.- Newcomer! Vice Captain!Tian Lin was urging both of them to retreat to the Manchurian base. It was similar to the decision Kim Mansoo had made, as he had still not realized that Yeomyeong was a Superhuman."...What will you do?"As soon as Tian Lin finished speaking, Yeomyeong asked."We stick to the plan. No need to explain. Tian Lin will make a move even if we don\'t say anything."His answer was firm. Yeomyeong nodded and gathered mana in his feet. Kim Mansoo grabbed his rifle and unsheathed his trusty hatchet.That was all the preparation they needed; no further discussion was necessary.- Everyone who’s still alive, provide support! Cover those two…!Using Tian Lin\'s voice as a signal, the two of them pushed off the ground simultaneously.Having combined the Feather Step from the Flying Kick technique with the mana of the Surging Wave technique, the burst of mana propelled him off the ground, and his body cut through the air.His destination was the coniferous forest where they were hiding. He closed the distance in an instant.Rat-a-tat-tat!!!Bullets rained down on him belatedly. Most of the bullets didn\'t even graze his clothes, but one lucky shot managed to pierce his left shoulder.Blood splattered. Though the recoil made him stagger for a moment, Yeomyeong had already made his way to the coniferous forest.Standing among the towering trees, Yeomyeong intentionally released an overwhelming amount of mana.It was a blatant provocation. The glowing red eyes of the figures with pig and cow heads turned toward him.And as if on cue, they all raised their weapons.Bang-bang-bang!!!!Gunfire erupted. Yeomyeong darted between the trees, leaving the unmoving conifers riddled with holes, spewing wood chips and sap....The pig-heads first.Tightening his grip on his sword, Yeomyeong dashed through the forest.Unlike the Shepherds, who could only follow him with their eyes, he was able to sense the presence of those men as if they were within his grasp.The first bastard.Yeomyeong swung the supplied iron sword horizontally. A silver streak flashed briefly.Slash—Wherever the sword passed, the pig-headed men\'s heads separated from their bodies, spilling blood.And before the sticky blood even hit the ground, Yeomyeong was already charging towards his next target.Two, three, four...Like a butcher in a slaughterhouse, his blade continued to cleave through the pig-headed men."It-is-a-Su-per-hu-man! Permitting-to-use-the-curse!"After more than half of the pig-heads fell victim to his blade, a cow-headed man bellowed. Immediately, the disgusting mana contained within their bodies began to seep out....Are the cow-heads ranked higher than the pig-heads?Then, would the chicken-headed one come next? After steadying his now-cold breath, Yeomyeong shook the blood off his sword.Dozens of curses surged towards him simultaneously. However, he felt no fear.Yeomyeong moved his already regenerated left hand and drew the Handle of Uragan from his waistband.[...Don’t you think that you encounter these wicked creatures a bit too frequently?]Using the unicorn\'s voice resonating in his mind as a signal, Yeomyeong raised his sword to shoulder height.It was a preparation stance for sweeping them all in one strike because the number of enemies was too much to kill them individually."Kill him—!"The cow-headed man, most likely the bravest among them, lunged forward with his mouth wide open.GYAAAAAAAH!!!His mana twisted, and a red beam shot out of his gaping mouth.Yeomyeong didn\'t attempt to dodge it. He simply raised his left hand and planted his feet on the ground.[O Virgin! I shall protect you!]Just as the beam was about to engulf him, a multicolored light burst forth from the Handle of Uragan, repelling the curse."Kill him—! Kill him—!"However, it didn\'t end there. All sorts of curses prepared by the rest were unleashed upon Yeomyeong.Green and red beams, yellow acidic fluids, and foul-smelling transparent curses...Facing all of these, Yeomyeong simply infused mana into his iron sword.It was the same technique he had displayed before Seti using chopsticks.He borrowed the form of the Comet Sword’s shell and filled it with the waves rippling through his body.It rippled. His mana, his heart, his rage.Yeomyeong swung the sword he was yet to name. He slashed horizontally, cutting through everything in sight.Whooosssh—The mana from the sword swept through the air lightly. The split air fell silent, and the blowing wind held its breath.For a very brief moment, there was absolute silence.Then, the cow-headed man closest to him opened his mouth."You! It turns out you know us too well. How can that be? It was as if you\'re our natural adversary...""...""Ah, I see. So, it was… you… the bastard who went on a rampage in Incheon—"And with those words, a long, thin line appeared across the cow-headed man\'s chest.The same happened to the other pig-headed men, cow-headed men, and the conifers beside them.My control is still lacking.As he concluded his brief reflection, the upper bodies separated from their lower bodies and the internal organs that lost their owners spilled onto the ground.Soon after, the conifers began falling, one after another. The dead trees formed graves over the cursed bodies.Observing this scene for a moment, Yeomyeong let out a deep sigh before turning around.It was because Kim Mansoo and the mercenary group came to mind.Whether it was fortunate or not, no more gunfire could be heard from the mercenary group\'s direction.As for Kim Mansoo...He was standing right over there, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly."...Did you handle those bastards with rockets well?"Cold sweat ran down his rugged face as Yeomyeong met his gaze.If it had been the usual Kim Mansoo, he would have laughed heartily or made a crude joke to lighten the mood.However, after witnessing Yeomyeong\'s swordsmanship, he couldn\'t bring himself to do so.He had struggled to handle just three of them, yet this guy killed not only the pig-headed ones but also the stronger-looking cow-headed ones in a single strike by slicing through the air.He was at a loss for words, so he nodded with much difficulty."Do you think the other mercenaries managed to retreat safely?"When Yeomyeong asked again, a brief silence lingered.Only after seeing Yeomyeong frown slightly did Kim Mansoo speak up."...If it is Tian Lin, I am sure they have managed to retreat, Sir. Also… I have not heard any gunshots since a while ago."Why did this man suddenly start speaking in a formal tone? Yeomyeong tilted his head but didn\'t dwell on it for long. After all, his manner of speaking didn\'t really matter."So, should we also retreat?""Well, uh… first, we should confirm the status of the North Manchurian base and search for survivors.""I see. Then we should head north as planned."Yeomyeong sheathed his sword and started walking north.He already knew that the North Manchurian base had fallen, but he intended to look into something else....The light orb in front of the Manchurian Rift.What exactly was that light orb?Given the term ‘master of fate’ and the fact that there were six light orbs at the academy, there was a high probability that it referred to a person…The fact that there\'s a light orb in front of the Manchurian Rift means that either a Korean government official or a mercenary is still there.Of course, nothing was certain. After all, the idea that the light orb was a person was just a hypothesis.It could simply be a strange fateful encounter or an object…As he pondered over this and moved northward, something caught Yeomyeong\'s senses."Evade!"By the time Yeomyeong yelled, that ‘something’ was already right in front of him.As Kim Mansoo looked up in confusion, Yeomyeong drew his sword and slashed at the air.Clang!Metal clashed with metal, and small sparks flew. Yeomyeong\'s iron sword vibrated with a ringing sound as it deflected something.Wondering what had flown at him, Yeomyeong checked the object he had just deflected. Soon after, he furrowed his brows....A bullet?It was definitely not a bullet fired from a gun because no bullet in this world would have its casing still attached after being fired.Clap, clap, clap!The sound of clapping could be heard from the direction the bullet had come from. When Yeomyeong turned his head, he saw a group of zombies clapping. What the heck was happening?And before his question could linger for long, a high-pitched voice resounded through the night.- Excellent! To be able to react in such a short span of time. You truly have good instincts.It was a chilling, scratchy voice, like metal being scraped, that belonged to an old man."This voice, could it be..."Kim Mansoo\'s body stiffened at the sound of the voice. When Yeomyeong turned his head towards the voice, he immediately understood why.- But that\'s why it\'s even more unfortunate. It would have been better if you hadn’t come here.There stood a gigantic skeleton that even the conifer trees couldn\'t conceal.However, it wasn\'t a skeleton made of human bones.Horns grew from the back of its skull like a crown, and it had a long snout filled with sharp teeth.Its reptilian body extended seamlessly into a tail, with bony wings spread wide from its shoulders.The sight was unmistakably…A dragon?Blue flames flickered from the empty eye sockets that once held the visage of a living dragon.- I’m sorry that things have come to this.
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