Chapter 412

Flap, flap.

A crow landed on an ancient tree in the middle of the battlefield, its eyes flashing brightly.

The Arch Lich had perched his Familiar in a spot with an excellent view and was watching the situation unfold with considerable pleasure.

What will you do, human?

One person was reflected in the crow’s endlessly gleaming black eyes.

An open mouth. Hands trembling slightly.

The sight of Jin Taekyung made the Arch Lich wonder.

Was the Death Knight Lord truly defeated by such a cowardly human?

The Death Knight Lord may have had a few flaws, but he was unquestionably a masterpiece for the ages.

The Arch Lich had been unable to resist coveting Lei Fei, an excellent material with a noble spirit and formidable martial power.

That was why he had personally granted him a portion of the magical power that formed the very source of his strength. Thanks to that gift, Lei Fei had become a being who transcended the limits of an ordinary Death Knight.

There was no way the Death Knight Lord could have fallen to a mere coward.

What exactly happened?

That day, the Arch Lich had not watched Jin Taekyung and Lei Fei’s battle to the end. No—he had not thought there was any need to.

By the time the young human arrived, the human army had already been wiped out. The situation on another front had seemed far more important than watching a foregone conclusion play out.

By the time he belatedly sensed the erasure of his precious retainer and sent a Familiar, everything was already over.

All the Arch Lich had seen was Jin Taekyung standing with several thousand humans who had appeared out of nowhere—and the monster army, annihilated to the last.

That human clearly couldn’t have done it alone. Was he simply lucky?

But his luck ended here.

As many as ten Death Knights and Liches possessed the strength of an entire legion, if not more.

And unlike last time, he has no one capable of helping him.

There was only one path left for that human now.

He would helplessly watch his companions die, then fall himself.

That was the only possible ending—and the punishment the Arch Lich had chosen for him.

Cawww!

The crow, sharing its master’s mood, let out a grating cry.

Step. Step.

At that very moment, the human approaching his retainers without fear came to a halt.

Then he raised a trembling hand toward the Death Knights and Liches radiating immense magical power.

Does he intend to surrender?

The Arch Lich had thought he was merely a coward. He had not expected him to be this stupid as well.

If he believed surrender would persuade the Arch Lich to spare him, he was gravely mistaken—

“One, two, three, four…”

…?

The Arch Lich found himself flustered for the first time in ages.

First, because fluent Demon Realm language had flowed from Jin Taekyung’s mouth.

Second, because he had no idea what Jin Taekyung was doing.

What in the world is he up to?

He did not have to wonder for long.

“…Nine, ten.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a droplet of saliva fell from Jin Taekyung’s chin with a soft plop.

He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

“The plating is a work of art. Seriously. I hereby award it three Jin-shelin¹ stars.”

…?

…?

Neither the Arch Lich nor his faithful retainers understood what plating or Jin-shelin meant.

But they understood what Jin Taekyung’s next action meant.

Gooooooong.

The spearhead had already been drawn far back, too fast for the eye to follow. A terrifying torrent of qi gathered around it.

At that sight, the Arch Lich felt a shock as though his cold, hardened heart had dropped into his stomach.

A bone-deep chill swept through him, and his thought burst forth.

Dodge—!

But the spear shot forward faster than the thought could reach his retainers.

Woooooong!

The wind tore apart.

Kraaaaaaaaaash!

Space split open.

Within an instant divided into ever smaller slivers of time, a massive vortex wreathed in blue flames swallowed everything.

Countless monsters. Death Knights and Liches.

Even the flock of crows perched in an ancient tree nearby, watching it all unfold.

Fwoooooosh!

A blinding flash engulfed everyone’s vision.

Whoooooosh.

A wind that had come from somewhere seeped through my entire body.

It was a wind only I could feel—and the arrival of new power.

Yes. That’s the stuff.

I smiled at the empty space beyond the slowly fading light.

That was where the Death Knights, Liches, and countless other monsters had been standing.

Everything had been cleanly erased, leaving the air filled with System notifications.

Ding. Ding. Ding…

System

• You defeated Lv. 115 Darkened Death Knight!
• You defeated Lv. 120 Darkened Lich!
• You defeated Lv. 122 Darkened Death Knight!
• …
• You have defeated too many monsters!
• You have gained a massive amount of EXP and Fame!
• Level Up!
• Level Up!
• Level Up!
• You have accomplished an exceptional feat!
• As a Reward for your achievement, you have obtained the Title One Against a Thousand!
• Due to the effect of the Title One Against a Thousand, all Stats rise by a set amount when facing multiple enemies, and fatigue consumption is greatly reduced! During battle, enemies will be intimidated, while allies’ morale rises dramatically!
• Because you have accomplished an exceptional feat, a massive amount of EXP and additional Rewards will be granted!
• Level Up!
• A new stat, Intimidation, has been created!
• Due to the effect of the Title One Against a Thousand, Intimidation has increased significantly!
• Enemies who face you will feel fear and terror!

I closed my eyes and savored the lingering rush the System had given me.

A symphony of System notifications chimed without pause.

So this was what the bells of heaven sounded like.

Four Level Ups had completely washed away the fatigue from One Annihilation. I had gained a Title that would be exceptionally effective on a massive battlefield like this, along with a new stat called Intimidation.

What a rush. It never gets old. The System is the best.

If every day were like this, I could die without regrets.

“Is that true? Oh! Ohhh…!”

That fucking bastard.

The Skeleton Warlord’s mood-killing remark made me open my eyes. The first thing I saw was a sea of humans and monsters frozen like statues.

“…Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

“H-Hyung.²”

Team Leader Choi and Xiao Shen stared at me in a daze.

And it wasn’t just those two.

All two hundred or so members of the suicide squad looked the same.

Their eyes and voices held unmistakable awe as they gazed at me.

“Good heavens.”

“W-What in the world just happened?”

“There were ten Death Knights and Liches. Right there! I saw them with my own eyes!”

Yeah. They had been there.

But now they weren’t.

“Goddamn! Holy shit! What the fuck is this? Fucking! Fucking kimchi! Jesus kimchi!”

“Eeeh, eeeeeh? Nani?³ Naiii?!”

“…”

Since some of the Hunters had been sent by mercenary companies or the UN, their reactions varied by nationality.

I spoke to Team Leader Choi, who still seemed incapable of forming a sentence.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s not like you’ve never seen it before.”

“Was that what you used last time, when you defeated the Black Drake…?”

“That’s right.”

Team Leader Choi, who had seen One Annihilation once or twice before, swallowed hard.

“…I don’t remember it being this powerful.”

“I was holding back then.”

That was obviously a lie.

The truth was, even I was so stunned by what I had just done that I had no idea what to say.

The first and only time I had used One Annihilation after reaching the Supreme Peak realm was during my battle with the Western Heaven Demon Lord. I had been so exhausted that I lost consciousness immediately afterward.

I didn’t know it would be this powerful either.

There had been ten Death Knights and Liches, each one close to Named level.

I had thought killing six or seven of them would count as a success.

After all, monsters at Level 100 or above gave a considerable amount of EXP. With all the other small fry thrown in, there would be enough to level up, so I’d figured there was no way I’d collapse from exhaustion and make a spectacle of myself.

…But this is even more than I expected.

A double-edged sword.

No—a double-edged spear.

But it was undeniably one hell of a powerful strike.

It had blown away not only the hundreds of elite monsters packed tightly together, but all ten Death Knights and Liches as well.

That left a massive gap in the monster army surrounding the suicide squad and me, and the monsters themselves were visibly confused.

I’d be an idiot to waste an opportunity like this.

I raised my spear without hesitation.

The unexpected turn of events had temporarily brought both sides to a halt. But if the monster army recovered and surrounded the badly outnumbered suicide squad again, there was no telling what would happen.

“What are you waiting for, you bastards?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Eeeeeh?”

My shout, charged with internal energy, jolted everyone back to their senses.

There was no time for honorifics or any of that.

Right now, only one thing mattered.

“Wipe out everything in your path!”

“…!”

Ding.

System

• Due to the effect of the Title One Against a Thousand, the morale of your allies has risen dramatically! Those who follow your command will form a strong bond and fight even more effectively!
• Due to the effect of the Title One Against a Thousand, the enemy has become greatly intimidated!
• Due to the Title One Against a Thousand, the effect of Intimidation has increased!
• Under the influence of Intimidation, the enemy feels fear and backs away!

The System messages described exactly what was happening.

The monsters still alive after witnessing the divine might I had displayed slowly retreated. Even the undead monsters, which had already lost their minds, were intimidated and flinched.

As for us?

“Charge!”

Whoosh! Kra-d-d-d-d-k!

With a thunderous shout, I leaped into the gap created by One Annihilation and swung my spear in every direction.

The roughly two hundred members of the suicide squad surged forward as one, roaring loudly enough to make my ears ring.

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

“Follow Mr. Jin! Wipe them all out!”

“Fucking! Fucking Jin Genghis Khan! Jesus Kimchiman!”

“Eeeeeeeh?!”

Splat! Shraaaaaak!

Green blood sprayed through the air, and undead bones shattered into pieces.

Slash!

I cleanly split the upper body of a Troll trying to turn its back and flee.

The Skeleton Warlord shouted at me furiously.

“Wicked human! Over there! Kill that one!”

“What? Who?”

“Kill that strange human who keeps going ‘eeeeeeh’!”

“…”

“Or I’ll kill him myself! If he does it one more time, I swear I’ll kill him!”

“Yeah, okay.”

I’d been hearing it too, and it was starting to piss me off.

“Ghk!”

The Arch Lich let out a strangled groan.

As if having the Link with his Familiar forcibly severed were not enough, all ten of his guards had been erased in a single blow.

Unlike ordinary monsters, they were retainers imbued with his own power. The Arch Lich could not escape the backlash.

“This is madness. How could a mere human…”

The Arch Lich gathered his disrupted magical power, then stopped short.

A mere human?

No. That was wrong.

Humans were certainly insignificant beings, but they could never be underestimated.

The Arch Lich had already learned that lesson through bitter experience.

Could that guy…?

At the ominous possibility that flashed through his mind, the light in the Arch Lich’s eyes blazed fiercely.