849

 [Chapter 212]

[Mine Attack (3)]

Gyeonggi-do Suwon City, Sungkyunkwan University Station.

Seven Devil Beelzebub filled the surrounding area with swarms of flies.

By the time Pandora Clan members arrived, there were already many casualties.

"Oh my, you're late. Because you were late, the people here became cute slaves. Do you know how much they cried out for help?"

""""..."

Beelzebub giggled.

The Suwon City clan members who had been facing her until Pandora Clan members arrived couldn't raise their heads.

It was beyond their power to stop her.

"Anyway, you're the ones I have to deal with. Hmm... There's exactly one man to my taste. You there. You're my type."

Click click.

Beelzebub moves in the air.

Each time she extends her foot wearing shoes, monsters flying in the air obediently become stairs.

She descends the stairs and points at <Diamond Sword> Mok Min-ho.

She licks her lips.

"I'll make you the most handsome dung fly. Oh my, it's written all over your face that you're a bad boy. You must have made many women cry."

"That's funny. Our Min-ho probably hasn't even made a woman cry yet. He's so whipped, he only looks at one person, sometimes crying because of that person..."

"I didn't cry. Jin Pa-rang, shut up."

Twelve Seat <Navy Wind> Jin Pa-rang.

Mok Min-ho had a headache because of Jin Pa-rang stepping forward to defend him.

Meanwhile, they didn't forget to stay alert.

From behind, they had finished analyzing the surrounding area.

[This is Navigator Meiling's message. Currently, no survivors besides us and players are identified within 100m radius of Beelzebub.]

Seo Dam-bi's telepathy.

The desperate information was as good as telling them radical instructions.

Fierce energy rose from the rear.

"So that means we can turn it into a sea of fire without worrying about hurting people, right?"

<Witch of Scorching> Bae Su-bin.

She spoke simply and clearly.

But unlike her tone, the magic she handled was by no means simple.

The magic she cast while avoiding Beelzebub's gaze was extremely high-dimensional and complex.

The moment she activated her magic, a huge mana wave spread.

Gift-granting Artifact

<Amplification >

Hell Blast

Exactly 100m.

That was the radius of the wave spreading from her center.

Beelzebub, who stepped into that land, felt the mana wave and was shocked.

By the time she realized, it was too late.

─────!!!

Here, the world explodes.

The whole world was engulfed in flames.

The fire made a terrible sound as if it would leave nothing behind, melting and burning the surrounding area with high heat.

The only people who could survive in this high heat were herself and the coordinates of allies input in advance.

[This is Caster Bae Su-bin's message. All players please do not leave your positions under any circumstances. The moment you leave your position, you will become a target for elimination by the magic. This was Telepath Seo Dam-bi.]

It was her work, having learned to handle his flames to some extent while helping with Noh Eun-ha's consciousness magic.

Nevertheless, even Pandora Clan members were inwardly shocked.

So Suwon City clan members couldn't help but be completely dumbfounded.

It was then.

"Kyaaaah!!"

A scream was heard from somewhere.

Bae Su-bin realized the situation.

Beelzebub had grasped the weakness of the magic and attacked a player standing on coordinates unaffected by the magic.

And she appeared on those coordinates.

So Bae Su-bin extinguished the flames.

"Tsk, you're struggling to survive. This is why I don't date. I'm afraid I'll become clingy like you. You're really persistent."

"You, youuu...! You did this? How dare you try to burn me!? This hair cost a lot of money at the shop! You're worse than dung flies..."

When the flames were all extinguished.

The area had turned pitch black.

A barren field with ashes flying.

Beelzebub was standing there.

She seemed to have taken damage in the flames, as parts of her clothes were gone.

Her hair looked singed by fire.

"Well, at least she can't make any more fly swarms with this."

"My, are you underestimating me?"

Kaede drew her bowstring.

Beelzebub snorted.

She activated her mana.

Buzz buzz buzz

"I can just make them with my mana."

""""..."

It couldn't compare to what filled the area just before.

But the mana Beelzebub released from her body instantly transformed into swarms of flies.

Right after, disturbances occurred too.

Fly and mosquito-type monsters appeared.

Furthermore─

"─Cough...! Ugh, urgh...!!"

"Even if all the people died, I can just make you into slaves."

Beelzebub used tiny flies to infect players.

The flies were so small they were hard to detect.

The person closest to her finally couldn't overcome mana resistance and transformed into a monster.

It didn't end there.

"Hey, the one treating wounds over there. You'd better get away from that person. They're my slave now."

""""...!!""""

Time-delayed infection.

The injured person Noh Eun-ah was treating suddenly convulsed violently.

The man's face and stomach swelled.

"Kuhurk!!"

Then the man vomited something.

They were tiny eggs.

The eggs soon transformed into maggots, and grew into flies.

Moreover, flies that tore out of the man's stomach enveloped Noh Eun-ah's body.

"Eun-ah!!!"

"Oh my, looks like she'll be my slave first among you."

Ryu Yeon-hwa cried out urgently.

She tried to run to Noh Eun-ah, turning her back to Beelzebub.

"That won't do. Yuri is nice, but you shouldn't interfere at a time like this. And you turn your back on me?"

The Lord said, no one shall touch my people.

Beelzebub aimed at Ryu Yeon-hwa.

Ilya quickly spread protection magic to block the attack.

But before Ryu Yeon-hwa could approach, Noh Eun-ah was already enveloped by the fly swarm.

It was then.

Fairy Transformation

Fairy Queen

Just before the flies could bite her.

Noh Eun-ah used Lala's power from the holster just in time.

The light enveloping her instantly annihilated the fly swarm.

"I'm fine, Yeon-hwa. Nothing's wrong."

Light rises to the sky.

Fairy wings sprout from Noh Eun-ah's back as she floats in the air.

Her outfit transforms into one reminiscent of a fairy.

""""..."

Suwon's clan members couldn't help but admire her transformation.

A world where ashes scatter.

A world where fly swarms buzz around.

In such a world, one butterfly shining brightly, contrasting with the fly swarms.

"F-Fairy Queen..."

Someone muttered blankly.

No one denied it.

Everyone agreed.

Gift-granting Artifact

<Amplification >

Fairy's Call

Butterfly's Protection

Sacred Photon

Pollen scattered from butterfly wings.

The sparkling pollen heals people crying out in pain.

It boosts people's willpower to overcome infection.

"I get annoyed when there's someone prettier than me. Ah, I must turn her into a dung fly."

Regardless of Beelzebub's irritation.

<Titania > Noh Eun-ah.

Her alias was imprinted on the world.

"The Fairy Queen protects us! Everyone fight against the evil Mine!!"

Of course, Noh Eun-ah was too embarrassed to raise her head afterwards.

Her age, 31.

In reality, it was now almost impossible for her to gain a new alias at that age.

☆

Mana Management Organization Headquarters Monitor Room.

Battles were occurring in various places.

Because the battle areas were far away, people could only watch screens with noise.

Frames dropped frequently.

Scenes frequently froze, then suddenly connected to different scenes.

"Those Mine bastards are certainly strong."

"Because they've transcended humans."

Nevertheless, people didn't take their eyes off the monitors.

Especially the navigators tried not to miss even the smallest piece of information.

<Yama > Kang Hyeon-cheol and Eun-ha, who were on standby since Armageddon hadn't appeared, occasionally exchanged conversation.

When noona was enveloped by the fly swarm, I really thought I was going crazy.

Meanwhile, Eun-ha responded halfheartedly to Kang Hyeon-cheol's words.

Just now, Eun-ah almost died.

Eun-ha's eyes had rolled back.

After the Second Uijeongbu Recapture Battle, Eun-ha had to accept that his people could die too.

But when it happened to Noh Eun-ah, he couldn't control his emotions.

If he had seen Noh Eun-ah transform into a monster, he probably would have rushed to the scene immediately.

I guess I'm still far off too.

Even though I was prepared that they could die, to react like this...

He was a contradictory being.

If he was going to worry like this, he should have prevented Noh Eun-ah from becoming a player from the start.

But Eun-ha couldn't stop her wish at the time.

Wanting to protect is my selfishness.

If I don't recognize that, I'll just oppress and constrain the person being protected.

I need to respect noona's will.

He had to maintain moderation.

A protective desire just to fulfill personal selfishness was nothing more than imprisoning the other person.

So his role was to respect Noh Eun-ah's will and create an environment where she could fulfill her intentions.

And he had to trust her.

It was the same for other clan members.

All he could do now was hope they would kill Beelzebub and return safely.

Then Kang Hyeon-cheol spoke.

"Hey, Pandora Clan Lord."

"What?"

"Aren't you anxious?"

"Don't say such unpleasant things. You'll jinx it..."

"I'm not joking. Six of the Seven Devils have appeared. But their leader still hasn't shown himself. Don't you think he's plotting something somewhere?"

"..."

Kang Hyeon-cheol had brains too.

It was a valid point.

In fact, Eun-ha was thinking about it too.

Not just Eun-ha, but others were also inwardly anxious.

Navigators were thoroughly searching information coming from all over the country to find Armageddon.

I am anxious.

Where is Armageddon?

Eun-ha recalled memories from before the regression.

Before the regression, battles with Mines occurred four times in total.

In the first battle, no Mines were subjugated.

In the second battle, the Fog Flower Party killed Beelzebub, and On Tae-yang's party killed Mastema. Abaddon, Mammon, and Belphegor were also subjugated then.

In the third battle, most forces were invested in Armageddon. With that, they were able to subjugate Armageddon.

In the fourth battle, Lilith, Samael, and Agareth were subjugated.

Currently it's the second battle.

Where did that Armageddon cause terror in the second terror?

Was it Jamsil?

Eun-ha focused on the second battle and tried to recall where Armageddon caused terror.

He couldn't readily remember.

But people confirmed Armageddon's potential in the second battle.

That's why the Twelve Seats, On Tae-yang's party, and S-rank players were largely deployed in the third battle.

It was then.

"Uh... What!? Didn't something just happen there?"

""""...!!""""

"Lilith has disappeared!!"

The navigators stirred.

People's gazes moved to the screen showing Lilith.

Lilith couldn't be seen.

She had suddenly disappeared into a subspace that appeared.

"What's going on! Did she stop the terror!? Quickly contact Myeongwang Clan and find detailed information! Did Lilith withdraw, or..."

"Lilith's presence confirmed! Current location is... Seocho-gu."

"What? What do you mean?"

"...Lilith's identification code was detected in Seocho-gu."

""""..."

The Management Bureau Director was dumbfounded.

But the situation didn't change.

Yoon I-byeol bit her lip but broadcast the most accurate information possible.

A chilly atmosphere filled the room.

Lilith who appeared in Gwacheon City, Gyeonggi-do appeared in Gangnam Seocho-gu?

It was unbelievable information.

No, it was information they didn't want to believe.

Eun-ha felt the same.

But as time passed, clans in Seocho-gu were sending information.

It was Lilith.

She had moved to Seocho-gu through subspace.

"Q-Quickly send <Wind Mage> to Seocho-gu! T-Tell <Time Witch> on the rooftop to make a movement magic circle immediately!"

"That's impossible, Management Bureau Director! First, <Wind Mage> and Myeongwang Clan members who moved to Gwacheon City can't move anywhere due to magic backlash! Also, they have to walk back here within 24 hours!"

"Damn it!"

Yoon I-byeol said with her eyes tightly shut.

The Management Bureau Director slammed his fist on the desk at the helpless situation.

"Then send part of Donghae Clan defending here to Seocho-gu! If <Great Tree> stays here, we should be able to defend somehow!"

"Yes, I'll do that! Ah, contact just came through! The Donghae Clan Lord says he'll lead three Dragon Knights to support!"

The Management Bureau Director aged ten years.

People finally felt relieved.

However, unfortunately, Lilith was just the beginning.

The navigators' eyes widened.

"M-Management Bureau Director!"

"What now!?"

"M-Mammon has disappeared! He just entered subspace..."

""""..."

"Subspaces have appeared near Beelzebub, Samael, and Abaddon!"

People were at a loss for words.

Eun-ha was also at a loss for words seeing the subspaces appearing on screen.

Mastema had stepped into subspace, and other Mines were hurriedly trying to head to subspace during battle.

This didn't happen in the previous regression!?

It was a completely unexpected situation.

Eun-ha was greatly flustered.

Fortunately, they were able to prevent all Mines from escaping to other locations.

[Tsk, I didn't expect you to have artifacts that interfere with magic.]

[The Lord is watching, I can't let you escape so easily.]

The subspace Beelzebub was trying to enter disappeared at a critical moment.

Ilya had controlled the subspace with her power and the artifact Magica Breaker made from processing Cobalt Knight's helmet.

[Hmm, worthy of being called a Twelve Seat. I didn't expect you to cut off coordinates connected to subspace.]

[Phew, that was close. But I don't think I can hold out for long, so everyone attack quickly!]

Mastema came out the opposite side of subspace as soon as he entered.

The space coordinates had been cut off.

It could be said to be the result of <Holy Mother> Park Hye-rim's interference.

Then Regulus Clan members immediately poured firepower on him.

[Tsk, you're really annoying. I'm not free enough to play with a boring guy like you.]

 [Where do you think you're going? Your grave will be here today.]

Samael's ankle was caught too.

Lee Do-jin quickly cast magic to break his movement path.

Meanwhile, Silla Clan Lord Kim Yu-jin closed the subspace.

As a result, the Mines that entered subspace were Abaddon and Mammon.

"Mammon's presence detected in Guri City, Gyeonggi-do! Guri City has sent a request for support!"

"O-Other clans...! Right, quickly send <Yama > and Blaze Clan to handle the situation!"

"But Armageddon..."

"...<Sword Empress>-nim will remain. In the worst case, there's also <Great Tree>. So handling the terror occurring in Guri City is the priority. The Pandora Clan Lord will remain in his seat too."

The Management Bureau Director fell into confusion.

In the end, the Control Bureau Director gave instructions.

From then on, navigators quickly gave instructions to local governments and clans handling the terror.

"Tsk, what's going on. Looks like I won't be able to fight the boss."

"I wish you good luck."

"Alright."

Kang Hyeon-cheol rose from his seat.

He left the monitor room taking Blaze Clan members.

Eun-ha sent Kang Hyeon-cheol off and gritted his teeth.

Something's going wrong...

He had a bad feeling.

His intuition was telling him.

He didn't expect Armageddon to use subspace magic like this even while bearing a burden.

No, he wondered if it was really a burden.

Did he become stronger than before the regression?

No, that can't be.

He must have had this much power before the regression too...

Why, for what reason.

Why didn't Armageddon display this power before the regression when he had such strength?

The question remained unresolved.

From the start, there was no time to resolve questions.

Eun-ha had to jump up from his seat hearing Yoon I-byeol's words.

"Abaddon's presence detected! Abaddon's current location is...!"

""""..."

"...Pandora Clan Hall. Navigator Jung Ha-yang just sent a contact requesting support."

""""...!!""""

☆

After the Seoul disaster.

N Seoul Tower in Yongsan-gu entered reconstruction.

Now after 7 years have passed, it was splendidly completed to the point of being crowded with visitors.

"Kkulkkul."

At the top of that tower.

Armageddon was quickly moving his hands controlling subspace.

"Oh my, I failed to move Beelzebub. Judging by the structure blocking subspace, it seems Ilya interfered."

There were frequent mistakes when opening subspace without seeing.

Because of that, subspace was often blocked before he could move Mines.

Handling subspace was quite difficult and complex.

"Hmm, was Mastema blocked too? No, there's no way he couldn't pass through subspace while being blocked by <Holy Mother>'s magic. He must have decided to finish things there. Cunning bastard, kkulkkul."

Currently, people weren't greatly afraid of Mines.

The Fairy Government's position was intact.

And <Crimson Lotus Sword> exists.

So Armageddon chose to go through the trouble of moving Mines to other locations to cause terror.

"If things had gone according to my plan so far and the Fairy's authority had fallen, and if a hero comparable to living legends hadn't been born, there would have been no need to do this troublesome work."

It's all because of that Noh Eun-ha.

It's because that guy intervened in everything and stabilized public sentiment.

That's why Armageddon took special measures to quickly plunge public sentiment into fear.

"It's thanks to what Hwa-ryeong told me. Knowing that <Time Witch>'s space movement magic had such conditions, I could come up with this method."

<Time Witch> Pricis Memory.

She could also use magic to move space.

Her magic was a variable.

So Armageddon prepared thoroughly and dug into the weakness of her magic.

He aimed for the gap while the Twelve Seats moved space to kill the Seven Devils.

As a result, the Twelve Seats are now in a situation where their feet are tied to the locations they moved to.

"And while they return, cause as much terror as possible. Create a sense of fear that way."

Armageddon chuckled.

Fear is awe.

Awe is faith.

So if people tremble in fear, he can be reborn as a true god based on their faith.

He would become the god of death and fear, and reign over this world.

Therefore─

"─To make humans feel fear, the best method is to destroy their spiritual pillars."

Armageddon decided to completely eliminate the targets people unconsciously hold hope for.

In fact, that could be said to be the purpose of this terror.

Annihilation of Pandora Clan.

Eliminating Pandora Clan, which has taken the place of Zenith Clan as the nation's top clan in citizens' minds.

Armageddon intended to kill everyone remaining in the clan except Noh Eun-ha.

"You should know now that heroes are originally lonely."

Of course, there wasn't just one purpose in attacking Pandora Clan.

Armageddon was curious.

One was─

"─Ha Baek-ryeon, was it? It wouldn't be bad to oust the current Fairy and seize power with that child at the forefront."

It was because of Ha Baek-ryeon currently protected by Pandora Clan.

The other was─

"─Though mana isn't inherited, some mana is inherited in some cases. <Crimson Lotus Sword>, that kid had a son, didn't he? Kkulkkul."

Noh Eun-ha's son.

Because he was drawn to Noh Yu-seong.