Chapter 258

The change happened abruptly.

Rumble—!

[Th-this is…!]

The shadow soldiers hunting the spirit birds outside were greatly flustered as the giant dome-shaped barrier covering Elvenwood suddenly turned gray.

[It seems like something happened to Master!]

[Everyone, return to Master!] At Sita's and Que's shouts, all the soldiers immediately stopped fighting and turned around. But… They realized a shocking fact.

[…!]

The rippling transparent barrier leading into the city repelled them. Its type, previously allowing Suho and his party to pass through just moments ago, changed in an instant! The shadow soldiers' expressions became urgent.

[This is bad! The barrier!]

[This barrier is rejecting our entry!]

[Break it down by force!]

[Master is in danger inside!]

Crash! Crash! Crash—!

The shadow soldiers tried their best to destroy the barrier. But it wasn't easy.

Ripple.

[N-no! Our attacks aren't working!]

This giant barrier surrounding the green town seemed to completely separate it from the rest of Earth. The inside and outside, clearly visible before their eyes, were divided into completely different dimensions by a thin membrane.

[Don't stop attacking!]

[We have to break through somehow!]

Crash! Bang!

[Harmakan!]

[Where is Harmakan?!] Someone called for Harmakan. That's right. This was the time for the shadow demonic spirit to step forward. But Que answered the soldiers' urgent calls,

[Harmakan isn't here! He went inside with Master!]

[What?! Then we have to wait here and just hope they open the door from the inside?!]

The soldiers were frustrated but didn't stop attacking the barrier. They couldn't just sit back and do nothing. The purpose of the Shadow Army's existence, their top priority mission was ensuring Sung Suho's safety. And behind them,

SWOOSH—!

The spirit birds flew in and attacked from the blind spots.

Cackle! Cackle!

Que gritted his teeth.

[…Could this have been their strategy from the very beginning? To separate us from Master?]

[If that's the case, we've been completely fooled. To think this barrier was for that purpose!] Sita was also frustrated. But thinking about it logically, something was strange.

[But this is weird. Did they set a trap in advance, knowing we would come here? For what purpose?]

It didn't make sense. It was purely by chance that they, no, Sung Suho, discovered this place. So how could they have set a trap in advance, anticipating their arrival?

[…There's definitely another purpose. The guys living in this city must have created this barrier for a different reason, not for us.]

Slash! Slash! Slash—!

Sita, who tore apart a flock of spirit birds that dared to attack with one hand, soared high into the sky. And with his arms crossed, he took in the entire landscape around the giant barrier spread out below. His eyes narrowed.

[There's definitely something here.]

[What are you talking about?] Que quickly flapped his wings and flew to Sita's side. Following his gaze downwards, his eyes widened. Having climbed this high, the true landscape, hidden by the lush rainforest, finally came into view.

[Ah, I see. This whole area was once a city?] And he wasn't talking about the green town. Even outside this giant barrier, there were traces of a large settlement that existed in this area.

[Let's see…] Que, who lived as a Korean before becoming a shadow soldier, recalled the map of the Korean Peninsula in his mind. And he figured out roughly where this area was. His eyes widened.

[It's Kaesong! The place where a large-scale industrial complex used to be.]

North Korea.

A land where everything was destroyed and withered due to numerous dungeon breaks. This rainforest was the result of countless people perishing and plants taking over after their deaths. But there was one strange thing…

[I don't see any corpses.]

[Yes. I find that strange too.] Sita was Siddharth Bachchan, who was active in India's large-scale field-type dungeon during his lifetime. So he had common sense.

[The corpses lying around in field-type dungeons are usually eaten by magical beasts. But they don't disappear without even a single bone fragment left behind. Monsters aren't that thorough.]

[And they couldn't have all rotted away in just two years.]

The number of North Koreans who died without escaping their country at the time of the Cataclysm was estimated to be over ten million. But it was impossible for all those corpses to disappear without a trace in just two years.

[Maybe they all managed to escape…?]

[Of course, there would be Awakened survivors. But… It's normal for traces of the dead to be scattered everywhere. Even if they became Mist Burns, they would have at least left ashes.]

[Then that means…]

[Someone must have collected the corpses. And perhaps those who aren't 'dead' yet.]

[…We have something to do for Master.] Sita and Que looked at each other with gleaming eyes.

[We dragonids will keep hitting the barrier.]

[Then we'll search the ruined industrial complexes. We might find something useful for our Master if we look around.]

[Can I trust you with that?]

[Of course. I might look like this, but I used to scout land to make some stardust.]

[If that's the case, then I…]

[Wait, are you bragging? Then let's switch.]

[…Shut up and let's just start.] 

The former villains glared at each other and then simultaneously scattered in opposite directions. It was the so-called 'Contempt for one's kind'. 

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the barrier, the world had turned into a thorny jungle.

Whoosh! Slash—!

Sharp spikes sprouted from the dry lawn attacking Suho and his party.

"Struggle like insects!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!

Thick, sharp roots rapidly grew branches and, crawling on the ground like snakes jumped up like coiled springs.

"There's nowhere to run…!"

At the same time, the high elves also launched attacks. Their white, smooth arms stretched out like tree branches, slashing through the air like whips. Their beautiful, slender fingers turned into sharp, dry branches, scratching the ground.

Whoosh— Crash!

Slash— Crash!

Grotesque attacks from all directions came at them simultaneously. In the center of the onslaught, Suho and his party, suddenly reduced to fish caught in a dense net, responded without hesitation.

"Suho." Cha Hae-In's eyes flashed blue as she raised the Demon King's Longsword.

"Dodge them."

Crackle—!

Storm of White Flames. 

Thunderbolts rained down from the dry sky, intercepting the thorns that filled their vision.

"…?!" The expressions of the fiercely attacking high elves wavered.

"This energy?!"

"White Flames?!"

Even without eyes. No… because they didn't have eyes, there were things they could sense better. The high elves, who plucked out their eyeballs and replaced them with Starpieces, recognized the identity of the sword in Cha Hae-In's hand at a glance.

[Item: Demon King's Longsword]

[Acquisition Difficulty: S]

[Type: Sword]

[Attack Power +350]

[A longsword containing the power of the Demon King 'Baran.']

[The 'Storm of White Flames' effect is activated every time the sword is swung.]

[Effect 'Storm of White Flames':] 

[Creates an area where lightning strikes endlessly.]

"How?!" It was truly shocking.

"Baran should have died a long time ago!"

"Why does a human have a Monarch's artifact?!"

Baran was dead, but his symbol, the 'Storm of White Flames,' was wielded by Cha Hae-In. And… The moment she began to move as if dancing,

[Skill: 'Sword Dance']

[Skill: 'Storm of White Flames']

Whoosh—!

Hundreds of split lightning bolts covered the surroundings.

"I got used to this magic power." Cha Hae-In's voice reached Suho.

"I also practiced how to use the sword." She had many nicknames, but there was one that was particularly famous.

'Training Addict'

Cha Hae-In, was once a world-class athlete and then Korea's representative S-rank Hunter. While she had nothing to do in the Tomb Berserk Dragons, she did more than enough training to use the 'Demon King's Longsword' effectively.

"I spread the attack wide and shallow and applied a wide-range status effect, so I'll leave the rest to you."

Crackle—!

Conserving magic power was basic when dealing with a large number of enemies. It was an action that also showed consideration for not stealing Suho's experience points. And his eyes, springing forward through his mother's storm-like lightning, blazed with the flames of destruction.

"Burn."

Flare! In an instant, Suho's shadow, which had already swallowed Elvenwood whole, blazed hot. At its center, he sincerely mocked the high elves.

"You dried kindling."

Whoosh—!

"How dare you!"

"Creatures who defy the will of the spirits!"

"Become our nutrients obediently!"

"Elvenwood, arise!"

It seemed like the name Elvenwood referred to the huge tree standing tall in the middle of the city. That mountain-like giant tree caused an earthquake, raising its massive roots all at once. Forest laughed maniacally in front of it.

"How ridiculous! Child of shadow!"

"We have taken over the bodies of the high elves!"

"Unless you're at least Monarch-level, we will never…!"

"That's what…" Suho grinned, revealing his teeth.

"I am."

Whoosh—!

Suddenly, a black-red energy swirled from all directions and gathered around Suho. Forest's expression changed drastically as he witnessed its true nature through the Starpieces.

"W-wait! That energy, don't tell me?!"

"Yes."

"No, but how can the child of shadow…!"

"Well, it just kinda happened."

[Using Skill: 'Breath of Destruction'.]

FWOOOOOOSH—!

"…!"

Being surprised by Baran's White Flames was just the beginning. The sight of the hellfire, the energy of destruction itself, stretching towards the giant tree Elvenwood in a straight line was a shock and terror beyond comprehension.

"Noooo…—!" The horrified high elves rushed towards Suho, unleashing all their power.

Reacting to them, 'Kamish's Wrath' in Suho's hands began to move. That technique was the small gift that Yoo Jinho gave to Beru before departure. The 'rune stone' that he finally extracted after thoroughly squeezing the large guilds and their wealth for Suho. The skill he learned from it was finally unleashed…

[Using Skill: 'Slaughter'.]