Rakshar, Lord of Chaos (1)

"Crazy------"

As Lee Yong-wan busily pulled the bowstring, he realized that he was indeed in the middle of a battlefield.

It's not that he hadn't encountered war-themed gates before, such as territorial or local wars but the density of warfare is on a different level.

Cavalry pierces through, and infantry shields clash with the monsters' fleshy bodies.

Lee Yong-wan is an S-class Hunter. As a guild leader of one of Korea's top 10 guilds, he's been one of the most powerful figures at the forefront of gate raiding but he's just one of the many bowmen here.

On this battlefield, if there were a main character──

"GRARARA──!!"

The roar of a giant knight sends waves of flames sweeping past.

It takes only a second for the monsters to be burned to a crisp, not to mention their flesh. Wielding two greatswords, the Holy Knight Vulcanus mercilessly slashes at his opponents, small and large alike.

To this monster, the presence or absence of power is no different than that of a Class D or Class A. The unit that perceives its power lies in something beyond even the S-class.

"Get down!"

Someone shouted urgently. At the same time, an arcane law rained down from the sky.

────!!

A black baptism rumbled through the sky. Pouring out from the magic circle covering the sky of the battlefield was the Magician Queen's extreme bombardment magic.

"Ugh, black smoke is spreading! Is this okay?!"

"Don't touch it, it looks dangerous!"

The blackish-purple fog that scattered in its wake hid a deadly lethality that the Hunters instinctively recognized.

Wherever it touched, monsters and North Korean soldiers choked, spewed blood, and died.

When it comes to pure life-stealing power, that Death Priestess is the best.

"That's the Magician Queen Beatrice------"

A Hunter who represents a nation--nay, a continent--the Magician Queen is the embodiment of a Mage that even modern Archmages cannot comprehend.

And if she represents the ultimate in magic--- the most powerful presence on the battlefield right now represents the ultimate in science.

-Main Combat Program 3rd Marquis class at 95% utilization. Safety energy sharing.

-Crackle! Crackle!

-Clank! Clank! Clank!

A giant war machine. The same war machine that defeated the Great Old Ones in Taiwan earlier this month, now flanked by pilots from the Counts class.

Though they have lost all their drones and additional armor, many of them have survived the roar of the Chaos Lord.

Marquis-class land-defense vehicles for the Yakt Spinners and the elite, single-action, war-armored Counts.

Armed with stellar iron warheads, they harness the power of superscience to crush and slaughter barbarians.

Highly integrated combat control operated by a highly advanced artificial intelligence main combat program, which combines the overwhelming firepower of the Marquis class with the mobility of the Count class to create a mechanically perfect combat system with no gaps.

The monsters are sliced and diced by ultra-precise fire from the integrated firepower and a variety of weapons that take full advantage of their mechanical bodies, such as divine wires, borrowed plasma cutters, and specialized neurotoxin greatswords.

The battle is overwhelming.

The enemies on the plains are at least ten times the size and there's no telling how many more enemies there might be at the other end, but it's the Allies who dominate the battlefield.

"Hoo, that's hot."

"Hehe, isn't that a lack of faith, Mr. Takeda?"

Oh Kang-hyuk, who had just punched a monster in the head with a thud, shrugged his shoulders at Takeda.

"I'm a devout believer, Mr. Oh."

Takeda brushed off the monster's blood-soaked blade and turned to Leon.

"His Majesty isn't moving, I thought he'd charge in and cut right through them."

"He must be warming up, for the other Holy Knights are more than strong enough."

The Lionheart King is the final hidden card. He was originally intended to be a national symbol.

The fact that the Lionheart King himself has taken the initiative is a disgrace to the knights of the kingdom. Until now, due to circumstances, Leon has always taken the lead.

'Even so, you're still taking a breather from this war. It seems like you're wary of something more than pride.'

Leon's usual authoritative air was gone, and a harsh aura flowed from him like the breathing of a fierce beast.

The knight's overwhelming breakthrough pushed them across the plain and into the city.

"Here they come."

It was the moment they entered the city of Pyongyang.

The landmarks of Pyongyang stood proudly at the entrance.

As they entered the city, the buildings that were supposed to be their strongholds suddenly turned into a black liquid like ink, falling with the intention of spilling over, and then began to clump together.

"Uh-oh! Look at that!"

"Two o'clock! Eleven o'clock! Something---!"

There were many such buildings. They had been holding their breath for the Hunters to enter, but as they approached the trap, they began to mutate in unison.

The black ink quickly transformed into a gigantic monster, its massive bulk attempting to pounce on the Hunters at once.

"Ugh, ugh!"

"Everyone, take cover!"

It was too late to dodge as the creature was too big. Even the Man-At-Arms realized this and tried to stay out of the giant's way as much as possible, but then Leon shouted.

"Hold your ground! Don't break the formation!"

But the words failed to escape his throat.

The one principle they had drilled into their bodies during their training to the death in the TTG Temple: absolute obedience.

To follow the orders of the knights without question. Only then will the knights and man-at-arms make a breakthrough.

"Lord of the warmth that illuminates the world."

Leon's prayer was answered by Tatar, God of the Sun and Judgment. The Judge, just and fair, cold as a sword, has graciously answered his Judge's prayer.

Divine Punishment <Solar Manifestation>.

The crowd's collective power is instantly manifested as the sun.

-------!

It burned away the monsters and lurking demons that threatened to overwhelm the army. The intense sunlight drove away the evil darkness.

"Waaaaaah!"

"Lionheart! Lionheart!"

"Fuck this! With His Majesty behind us, we can beat anything!"

"This is awesome! Those monsters are melting in real time!"

The Hunters cheered for their miraculous Lionhearted King but there was one person who remained on edge, Han Ha-ri.

'There were two of those things back then.'

Leon the Grail Keeper and Sir Loxley the Sun Holy Knight had raised two suns in the final battle of the Great War.

The Demon Lord of Wisdom, Carakael, laughed at the natural disaster and sent comets flying.

Now once again a Demon Lord stands against them.

"Lord Han Ha-ri. Where is Lord Han Ha-ri?"

Just then, Lord Raihar of the Burning Sword Knights sought her out and Ha-ri spurred her horse toward him.

"What is it?"

"His Majesty seeks you. Take my hand!"

"What? Ew!"

Before Ha-ri had a chance to say anything, Raihar grabbed her hand and sent her flying off into the distance.

Her body flew through the air like a javelin, and she landed in the middle of the military ──

"Fuhak!"

Ha-ri's head snaps up as she realizes it's a cold, hard lump of alloy.

"Huh, marquis class?"

The Yakt Spinner's third final weapon. As Ha-ri sits atop the super-robot, which is still beaming down on the waves of monsters, she realizes she's not the only one.

"Guild Leader Yong-wan?"

"Ah, hello. Ms. Ha-ri."

Yong-wan awkwardly greets her and next to him, Leon was looking down from his Stallion.

"You're still such a lowly brat, even though you're a knight of great honor."

"Ah, no, I'm an archer first--- an archer."

Yong-wan, who was an S-ranked archer, defended himself to Leon, who was staring at his bow with disdain.

"No, it's Lord Yappy we're riding. Isn't he the ultimate in ranged weaponry? Why do you have to point fingers at me------?"

-Crackle! The mech's armament is no different than the mech's body. It is a detachable, mounted 'body'. Do not compare it to your lowly organisms.

"You're not a robot, are you? There's a human inside, right?!"

Yong-wan pounded on the marquis-class iron plate, but Yappy continued his barrage regardless.

"By the way---why did you call me and Miss Ha-ri?"

"There's something I need you two to do here."

""???""

Leon looked down at Yong-wan first.

"I hear you have good eyes. Snipe them from here and report back to Lord Spinner immediately if you see any threats. Lord Spinner is normally in charge of scouting, but in this chaotic zone, it seems he's having trouble keeping up."

The machine's eyes are so precise that they are easy to deceive. He couldn't trust Yappy's cameras, not after the way they had fooled him about the situation in North Korea.

"By the way, you. Are you a bachelor?"

"What? What?! Why is that------?"

"If you are a bachelor, you must vow to offer your body to the Goddess of Moon and Purity. She is also the goddess of hunters, and she will favor you."

"------if I make that vow."

"Not much, except that you must remain a bachelor for the rest of your life."

"How old am I?"

Leon sighs at that.

"Look at it, Goddess Dinah. Young men are so debauched these days that virgins are scarce; and if you ask them to remain chaste all their lives, they are hard to find."

[Shut up, virgin-snatcher, I'd rather have a virgin of untainted chastity, than one who kidnaps her and makes a big deal out of it.]

Leon scratched his helm on a rare occasion and extended his hand to Yong-wan.

"This is a special case. For this one moment only, the Goddess of the Moon will bless you."

The goddess's blessing, channeled through Leon, gave Yong-wan a sense of omnipotence he had never known.

Power seemed to flow from his heart to every single blood vessel in his body. But that wasn't all.

Yong-wan realized that his vision was amplified several times more than before.

"Oh, oh, oh------"

With a terrifying sound, the bow he drew flew out and hit a medium-sized monster that was approaching in the distance.

-Kaaaaaah!

And the explosion at the point of impact? It melted five small monsters around the medium monster!

"This, this------"

"The moon is the sibling of the sun. Goddess Dinah is like the Tatar little sister, so when the sun is in the sky, she can harness half of its power."

[The ecology of the gods is not so easily explained, Leon.]

The goddess's words left Leon with no choice.

"Nothing is so easy to understand for foolish mortals."

Leon finished explaining to Yong-wan.

"The real power will come at night, when the moon rises, but it will be useful even now."

"------"

This much power is only 'half'? Yong-wan pulled the bowstring with a wince.

"Han Ha-ri."

"Ah, yes!"

"Utilize the heat of the sun. This will make your fire stronger."

Leon stared at Ha-ri's chest, at the legacy of the Lionheart founding fathers planted within it.

"If you inherited the Heart of Fire, you can do this."

"Ah, I see!"

Ha-ri responded, pounding her chest at the enormous responsibility that had been placed upon her.

"Woohoo--- woohoo------"

To the nervous Ha-ri, the war god Petos whispered.

[Handle the fire calmly, the heat of the sun will activate the heart of Rena within you.]

Poma chimed in.

[Let the fire flow like waves. You are the goddess of the flame of Petos, but you are also the goddess of the god of the waves. Do not underestimate this miracle that only you possess]

Leon took the advice of the two gods and watched as Ha-ri fanned her flame with the heat of the sun.

'This child is favored by the gods in a rare way. I can leave the rest to her.'

"Your Majesty."

Beatrice rode up beside Leon on Yappy's mechanical arm. When she reached him, he offered his arm.

"Get on."

Beatrice gladly took Leon's hand and climbed onto Stallion. With the two of them on, Stallion let out a feral roar and spread its wings.

"I see them now. The real enemy."

Beyond the battlefield, where the Knights and the Man-At-Arms were battling it out there is an abyss of darkness despite the intense heat and light of the sun.

Horrifyingly large shadows crawled from the withered branches of the Liujing Hotel.

'They say Pyongyang has three million citizens.'

Then there must be at least three million degenerate monsters here. Considering the monsters and the surrounding North Korean army, there must be more.

It's an endless war of attrition, unless you're a Holy Knight with 'perfect vigor' who never tires.

"Lord Vulcanus, Lord Spinner, Beatrice, Carina."

The four saints, each an agent of the great gods, turn to face Leon.

"Strike the demon's head. All of the Holy Knights, break through the center of the enemy."

""At your command!""

Stallion roars and leaps into the air.

[Come, foe of evil.]

Rakshar's voice echoes through the city, and it is not only humans who respond to his voice.

────■■■■■■■■!!

────■■■■■■■■!!

────■■■■■■■■!!

────■■■■■■■■!!

The Great Old Ones, five bodies deep. The great beasts of chaos and destruction roared and roared, awaiting the arrival of their enemies.

Separately, in northern Pyongyang, arriving on horseback and in several vehicles, they witnessed the vast maelstrom of war raging there.

"There--- something's wrong, what kind of city------"

Captain Kim Dohan was stunned by the natural disaster unfolding in Pyongyang.

A giant sun hovering over the city, flames leaping up to engulf it. Buildings have become giant monsters, smashing the city to pieces, and the cries of giant beasts are spreading everywhere.

A mere mortal would be torn to shreds if caught in the middle of it. Heading there now is like going to the center of a nuclear battlefield with atomic bombs exploding.

"Are you sure you want to go, Mr. Koo?"

"Yes------"

Koo Dae-sung took the reins.

'Once you're in this war, there's no turning back.'

Everyone is fighting over there, so as a member of this world, his duty is to head over there and help his allies.

"Huh---! Let's go! You two old men, you 'Resistance', let's fight together!"

"Of course, sir."

"I have no choice."

Chun Jin-soo and Kang Jin-sung kicked their tongues and stepped forward, and the leader of the Resistance--- Lieutenant Lee Cheol-woong ---called out to the Special Forces Hunters they had brought with them.

"Charge for the people and the country!"

New forces were entering the battle for Pyongyang, and no one knew for sure what they would do at this stage of the battle.