Chapter 396

The Black Knight raised his head and looked up at the sky.

A clear blue expanse without a single cloud. But to the Black Knight’s eyes, which had long since lost their light, it appeared only as a dark, murky gray.

How dark.

The thought left him feeling strangely unsettled. Dark? What did darkness even mean?

He had always been the Black Knight. A being born from darkness could not understand what darkness was.

But this… What is it?

Light and sunlight. A child laughing brightly. Someone’s hand stroking his head…

Several words and inexplicable scenes flashed through his mind in succession, leaving him confused.

If not for the call from one of his subordinates a moment later, the Black Knight would have stood there for a long time.

“Lord.”

“Please.”

Black armor as dark as night covered his entire body. Green lights flickered between the slits of the helmet covering his head.

Two Death Knights dismounted from their skeletal warhorses and knelt on one knee. They continued in flat, emotionless voices.

“Give us—”

“your orders.”

Ah.

The Black Knight recalled something he had briefly forgotten: the command given by the lord he served.

“Go. Advance in all directions, trample everything, and kill them all. Offer me mountains of corpses and seas of blood.”

His lord’s commands were absolute. With even his soul bound to that lord, the Black Knight faithfully obeyed.

He had appointed the ten Death Knights under his command to lead five legions, then personally taken the vanguard of one legion and come here.

But why this place, of all places?

The Black Knight gazed at the small city in the distance.

It was a place he remembered. The place where the unfamiliar word child had suddenly come to mind, and where he had sensed an enormous power whose nature he could not identify.

But the Black Knight had no idea why he had come here.

“Lord?”

“Lord?”

After silently looking down at his subordinates, the Black Knight finally gave his command.

“Advance.”

“Your command.”

“We obey.”

Having received the answer they had been waiting for, the Death Knights mounted their skeletal warhorses and raised their enormous spears high.

Pitch-black demonic qi surged from the spearheads, and the monsters packed across the broad plain let out shrill howls.

—Kik. Kikikikik.

—Graaaargh!

There were Skeletons that had died so recently that flesh still clung to their bones, small monsters such as goblins and Orcs, and large monsters such as Trolls and ogres.

By a rough estimate, they numbered in the tens of thousands. Overhead, flocks of Gargoyles and Wyverns cast enormous shadows across the land.

“Rally.”

“Do it.”

At the next command, roughly two hundred Dullahans formed ranks. Holding their severed heads in one hand and weapons in the other, they sat astride beasts made of white bone, their eyes gleaming with a vicious light.

“Prepare.”

“for the charge.”

The two Death Knights took position at the tip of the legion. Their spearheads, raised as if to pierce the sky, slowly descended to point toward the city.

A city of humans. But soon, it would become a city of the undead—a land of death.

“Public Security Armed Forces Department, assemble!”

“F-fuck! Monsters! They’re here!”

“Sound the alarm and report to command immediately!”

Wheeeeeeng!

The humans’ shouts and the wail of the emergency siren carried on the wind.

But the order had already been given. Nothing could stop the undead legion now that it had begun its advance.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The ranks and files were arranged with military precision.

Death Knights and Dullahans led the way, with highly mobile Lycanthropes and other monsters holding the front line. Large monsters such as ogres, Trolls, and Golems advanced behind them like a colossal wall.

The monsters capable of using bows and magic had already moved to the rear.

The Black Knight was the one who had devised the discipline and formations ordinary monsters lacked.

Where did I learn such things?

Setting the question aside once more, the Black Knight opened his mouth.

“Follow.”

At its master’s will, the skeletal warhorse beneath him began to move.

Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

Hooves of white bone trampled the new shoots beneath them. The undead legion blanketing the vast breadbasket advanced slowly behind its commander.

Tremors shook the earth. The legion moved forward like a slow swell, then became a wave of bones sweeping across the plain.

Thudthudthudthudthud!

—Graaaargh!

Tens of thousands of monsters roared as one.

At the head of the monsters surging toward the city, the Black Knight shot forward like a streak of light.

“That one’s the leader!”

“Ranged units! Prepare!”

“Tanks, stay calm! The armored units will intercept him alongside the Hunters!”

Tanks, armored units, Hunters.

The Black Knight heard the humans’ shouts and, astonishingly, understood them perfectly.

He even knew what command would come next.

“Begin concentrated fire!”

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

Boom-boom-boom!

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

It was dazzling. Flames, ice, and flashes of light erupted from all across the city.

Some attacks came crashing down in graceful arcs. Others flew in nearly straight lines, aimed at the Black Knight and the undead knights following behind him.

“Ah.”

Even in a world dyed gray, the light they gave off was enchanting and familiar. The Black Knight felt an inexplicable stirring within him and reached out.

Shrring.

The greatsword strapped to his back slid free.

Before the shells, magic, and arrows could reach him, the pitch-black blade carved through the air in every direction.

Kraaaash!

A gale of magical power swept across the battlefield. Space split apart. Spells blazing with brilliant mana went out like candle flames, and arrows shattered to pieces.

Everyone in the city watched as light was devoured by darkness.

The same thought flashed through Choi Minwoo’s and Xiao Shen’s minds.

This is…

Impossible to stop.

An insight approaching certainty.

Then, in the next moment, a pitch-black flash leaped across space and struck the Hunters.

KABOOM!

A thunderous roar rang out as though the sky itself had split apart.

Dozens of Tower Shields shattered, and sprays of blood burst into the air. Having cut down three A-rank Hunters and twenty B-rank Hunters with a single sword stroke, the Black Knight stared at the frozen humans through glowing red eyes.

From beneath his low-drawn helmet came the chilling voice of the dead.

“Aksar. Garosh.”

Kill them all.

The Demon Realm words had been the last thing heard by those who died here the previous day.

And…

They were the Black Knight’s command to the legion behind him.

“Your command.”

“We obey.”

Two Death Knights appeared to his left and right. A hundred Dullahans charged in behind them, becoming a sharp awl that pierced the human wall.

Krrrunch!

An ambush?

Emergency reports had come in from every front. Wei Fenghu roared, demanding to know what had happened, but the only answer he received was that communications with every front had been completely severed.

“Completely severed? They may have been unstable, but haven’t we still been able to connect since last night?”

The communications officer answered, drenched in cold sweat.

“W-we don’t know why, but the communications interference has grown even stronger. The emergency report that just arrived was confirmed to be from approximately thirty minutes ago.”

“……!”

What? Thirty minutes?

If that was true, the attacks had begun while the meeting was in progress.

And since the report had barely made it through the interference, it might not have been thirty minutes ago. It could have been an hour.

Magic Johnson muttered with his face gone rigid.

“That can’t be. It wasn’t nearly this bad before I left…”

Suddenly, the words Magic Johnson had spoken before leaving the city flashed through my mind.

“The Arch Lich’s power is gradually weakening. A considerable portion of the interference has disappeared since last night in particular.”

Wrong.

The Arch Lich’s power over the surrounding area hadn’t weakened. He had merely made it look that way.

Little by little, without giving anything away. Then, by withdrawing the legion, he had made it seem as if the range of his influence had shrunk dramatically—so that we could let our guard down even a little more.

This is…

A meticulously laid trap.

I didn’t know how the Arch Lich had realized the S-rank Hunters were gone. What mattered was that he had seized that brief opening and sent the monster legions forward.

The thought of the horrific slaughter we had witnessed the day before now unfolding across every front made my stomach churn even worse than it had during my first teleportation.

But this time, instead of throwing up, I grabbed Magic Johnson and said,

“Teleport.”

“What?”

“Teleport. Hurry!”

I expected Magic Johnson to use magic immediately. But his answer was nothing like what I had expected.

“Jin. Take a jet.”

“What? A jet? Why are you suddenly…? We’ll be too late.”

“It’s too risky right now.”

“Why? You know the coordinates of the hospital rooftop where we were earlier.”

Magic Johnson shook his head.

“The coordinates aren’t the problem. If we attempt to teleport like this…we could both die.”

“……!”

In my desperation, I had momentarily forgotten about the Arch Lich’s magical interference. There was no way the bastard who had laid such a trap would kindly allow us to teleport.

Magic Johnson continued in a subdued voice.

“Ten minutes. Twenty at most. Take the jet, Jin.”

“……A lot of people will die in that time.”

“Yes. But if you get yourself killed for nothing during the teleportation, there’ll be even more casualties.”

An S-rank Hunter was a strategic weapon capable of turning the tide of a war.

Even if I arrived late, I might still be able to save some people. But if something went wrong during the teleportation, there would be no saving me or the countless people left without reinforcements.

Magic Johnson was worried about me, but he was also pointing that out.

“It’s brave, but foolish.”

“……”

“The jet will be ready for takeoff soon. We don’t have time for this.”

Through the bulletproof glass covering one wall of the conference room, I could see pilots crossing the runway and boarding their aircraft.

I could also see the backs of the other S-rank Hunters, who had already left the conference room.

I watched in silence, then suddenly spoke.

“You said it was possible, right?”

“What?”

“Teleporting missiles, like in the hologram footage we saw earlier.”

Magic Johnson’s eyes widened.

“Jin, don’t tell me…”

“There’s no need for you to risk yourself too, Johnson. Sending me alone will be enough.”

“Good God. Are you crazy? I explained it to you, and you still don’t understand!”

“I understand perfectly. I’m prepared to take that risk.”

“You…”

His lips moved as though he were about to say something, but then he suddenly slammed his fist down on the table.

Bang!

The expensive hardwood shattered beneath the force of his blow.

“Damn it! Fuck this whole goddamn mess!”

I let out a quiet laugh as I watched Magic Johnson mutter curse after curse.

I already knew what his reaction meant.

“I can take that as permission, right?”

“Yes, you insolent little brat.”

His bloodshot eyes fixed on me.

He looked ready to unleash another torrent of abuse.

Magic Johnson was genuinely furious—and at the same time, deeply saddened.

“Listen, Jin. I…”

“I know. You have people you need to protect too. I’m sorry to ask this of you.”

“……Damn it. Is sending you to the hospital rooftop enough?”

“Yes. That’s enough.”

Swoosh.

Magic Johnson clenched his teeth and pressed his thick palm against my chest.

As though taking every possible precaution, his mana slowly began to envelop my body, unlike the first time he had teleported me.

“Ten percent. That’s your chance of survival. There’s a ninety percent chance you could die.”

Ten percent…

I raised my head and looked up at the sky beyond the window.

A clear blue expanse without a single cloud. Was Murim somewhere in the distant universe beyond that sky? Were they waiting for me?

At that moment, a thought suddenly occurred to me, and the corners of my mouth lifted.

“That’s not bad. Ten percent is enough.”

“What?”

A dazzling mass of light burst forth. Feeling warmth envelop my entire body, I continued.

“It’s probably a thousand times higher than the odds of crossing dimensions.”

“……!”

I wondered what expression Magic Johnson was wearing by then.

I wanted to know, but unfortunately, I could no longer see his face. A blinding flash filled my vision, and a rough, powerful force sucked me through the warping space.

Whoooosh!