The city of Shenyang had begun the preparation for defense.
Thick iron sheets descended over the doors and windows of all the buildings, and the citizens were quick to move into the a.s.signed shelters under the guidance of Defense Department soldiers.
Around 28 years have pa.s.sed since the Gates first opened.
Because of the periodic opening of Gates, people were accustomed to it.
There was no confusion and panic.
Everyone calmly moved to the underground shelters, and when they were done, the doors of the bunkers in Shenyang closed one after the other.
More than 70% of the defense force in Shenyang City was dispatched to the western wall.
And the remaining 30% of the defense force was left to protect the other walls.
The moment the western wall breaks, everything ends.
This was a war to protect everyone from the dangerous ent.i.ties which threatened humanity.
The sound of about 30 tanks moving could be heard.
ZRV-30 and ZRV-35, the 4th generation tanks of years 30-35, arrived in front of the D-13 section of the western wall, in a straight line near the Gate.
From the ZRV-30’s side, mechanical fasteners came down and crashed into the ground.
The angle of the tank’s barrel, which was fixed pointing 500m (1640 ft) in front of the barrier in the first row, went up and was ready to fire sh.e.l.ls at the enemy.
With a caliber of 130mm and a barrel length of 7m, the ZRV-30 is a tank with a firing range of more than 8km.
Ten ZRV-35s suddenly formed mechanical legs.
The ZRV-35 was a mobile operation tank that was not intended for long-range artillery.
Their mechanical legs climbed up the walls of the barrier.
The ZRV-35s, which climbed up the barrier, were firmly fixed to it and aimed their barrels.
-All tanks ready.
-Alright. Wait for the commander’s signal.
-Artillery units need to stand in their a.s.signed places.
Thousands of soldiers stood in front of various weapons on each wall, with medium-range guns looking into the dark horizon.
“Phew…. Phew….”
“f.u.c.k. I’m trembling.”
The most nervous ones were the infantrymen who were encamped in front of the outer wall.
Even the sergeants with a lot of combat experience were trembling.
A melee battle starts when the dangerous ent.i.ties come out of the Gate.
‘Be quiet. Jerk.’
Some people looked relaxed compared to the infantrymen.
They were the Gate Keepers and the Murim a.s.sociation who were camped right behind the infantry with their swords and their special abilities.
Their true value shows itself the moment they get close to the ent.i.ties.
Ordinary infantrymen were vulnerable and would die if they got too close to the dangerous ent.i.ties.
[Father. I don’t see Do Jung-rak?]
Moyong Geum, who was wiping his sword next to Moyong Yi-sun, looked at the Gate Keepers as he heard from his son.
The figure of Do Jung-rak, the leader of the Gate Keepers of Shenyang, who would normally be at the forefront, wasn’t visible.
The relationship between the Murim and the Gate Keepers was quite compet.i.tive.
The moment they moved to hand-to-hand combat, the struggle for the core would begin.
Moyong Geum was quite excited.
He thought that the compet.i.tion for the core would intensify as Peng Neung-gyeom was here, but without Do Jung-rak, it seemed like a better situation.
[The fewer the compet.i.tors, the better. Yi-sun-ah.]
With that, Moyong Geum looked at the president of Six Road Toys, Yeom Ki-seop and then at Peng Neung-gyeom.
There were only two people who could get in his way.
And he thought that there was a chance for the Moyong clan to get a C cla.s.s core.
Peng Neung-gyeom burst into laughter as he felt the gaze of Moyong Geum on him.
The real purpose of Peng Neung-gyeom wasn’t the core.
However, it wasn’t like he was here because of the good impression that Moyong Yi-sun left either.
It was to get a taste of real combat.
He wasn’t as driven as Moyong Geum, but he had no intention of giving up the core if he got it.
The core was in everyone’s thoughts.
A slight vibration was felt.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the darkness.
The commander in charge of the western wall stared at the horizon through a night vision telescope.
His eyes looked until he saw something black.
Six horns, sharp fangs.
And these dangerous objects were running at a great speed.
According to the information sent from the Defense Department, they had to be Horn Jackals.
They were really fast.
They were the size of hippopotamuses and they ran like cougars running after their prey, and the number, the number of them was too high to count.
It was terrifying to see them running towards the wall while filling the entire horizon.
They were capable of firing several tens of kilometers.
However, to do that, the tanks had to rise above a certain height, which was impossible.
Even at the current maximum range, the ent.i.ties had to be reduced at all costs.
Major Bu Hyeon-dong, the commander of the western wall, raised his hand and shouted.
“This is the right choice. Tanks, get ready to fire!”
At this command over the radio, the barrels of the tanks on and near the wall moved.
Bu Hyeon-dong lowered his hand and went back to focusing the telescope.
The vibration on the ground grew louder and more intense.
Soon the huge flock of Horn Jackals pa.s.sed through lights.
The lieutenant next to him spoke.
At that, Bu Hyeon-dong shouted.
“Fire!”
-Fire!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
As soon as the command was issued, the guns on the tanks were fired.
Through the darkness, the sh.e.l.ls covered by a red light fell everywhere throughout the flock of Horn Jackals.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions occurred where the sh.e.l.ls fell.
Flames and smoke rose in the darkness.
“Keep firing.”
-Roger!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
The western area, 7 to 8 km away, was devastated by the sh.e.l.ls.
Looking at that alone, it seemed like the Horn Jackals would be able to pa.s.s, but.
Dudududu!
The Horn Jackals pierced through the flames.
They dodged the sh.e.l.ls with their speed, not caring about how many of them were hurt.
“d.a.m.n it! There are too many!
In the gap between rounds, they kept crossing in.
More than 30% of them were dealt with, and the next chance they had to reduce the number was at a mid-range of 3-4km.
Otherwise, the infantry ahead might end up getting hurt, and be unable to handle the number.
“Artillery, get ready to fire!”
-Roger!
Shortly thereafter, the mid-range guns were fired from the wall.
The sound of explosions shook the barrier.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Those camped in the front held their machine guns, no one relaxed.
The Majors and Sergeants who defended against the Gate several times before knew that.
If a sh.e.l.l hits a place not that far from the wall, something will come striking in.
Tak!
The guns were held tightly.
It was when people were staring intently at the front, which was covered with smoke from the explosions.
Dededede!
“Ugh!”
“A-A lot!”
Horn Jackals came out of the smoke one after another.
They weren’t in large numbers, unlike before, but the number still exceeded a thousand.
“Now! Infantry fire!”
“Start shooting!”
Everyone shouted as they commanded the infantry.
The infantry, who waited nervously, took their stances at once and opened fire.
Dududud!
The sound of machine guns firing filled the place.
Scared and excited, the infantry didn’t rest for even a single second.
“Die! Dieeee!”
“You monsters!”
It would be nice if they died with just a few shots, but these ent.i.ties didn’t do that.
Out of dozens of bullets, they were lucky if the bullets. .h.i.t the core and the ent.i.ty died.
“Slowly, slowly!”
Visor!
Visor!
The Murim warriors and the Gate Keepers, waiting behind the infantry, pulled out their weapons and prepared themselves.
Dududududu!
“Ugh!”
“D-d.a.m.n it!”
The soldiers’ faces turned white.
The Horn Jackals withstood thousands of bullets and reached them.
Although their numbers have been greatly reduced, the hippopotamus-sized oddly shaped beasts were enough to intimidate the infantry.
“Kwaang!”
“Eik!”
“Run!”
The Horn Jackals roared as if they were about to attack the infantry.
As if waiting, the Murim warriors came out.
Slash!
“Move back! We’ll take it from here!”
A sword-wielding Murim warrior blocked a Horn Jackal and spoke to the infantry.
Chachachacha!
His sword tried to cut through the Horn Jackal’s head.
Of course, people expected it to be cut, but.
“Kuakk!”
It wasn’t cut. Not even a scratch was on it.
All that happened was the ent.i.ty stopped for a moment.
‘Wh-What? This monster. How does it have this strong of a body?’
At that moment, the angry Horn Jackal snorted, then raised his front limbs and slapped away the swordsman.
He tried to block it with his sword, but the power of the Horn Jackal was enormous.
Thud!
“Ackk!”
The sword shattered in front of the claws, and the man’s body was torn like a piece of paper.
He was a High Ranked Master, but still, he died.
Shocked, someone shouted.
“Don’t face it head-on! Aim from the back!”
But that wasn’t an easy task.
It was something that could be done if they were fighting one monster, but.
“Kuaaaang!”
“Kwakkk!”
The Horn Jackals kept appearing one after another.
The Horn Jackals which survived the sh.e.l.lings rushed towards the wall.
“s.h.i.t!”
Kiyun, the platoon leader of the Gate Keepers in charge of D-13, reached out to a jackal.
Then, a large disc spewed out of his hand with purple sparks.
“Die!”
Swoosh!
The purple disk flew off at an incredible speed and cut off the paws of the Horn Jackal.
Slash!
“Kwaaah!”
“Not yet!”
“Not yet!”
Kiyun moved the disc and aimed for its hind legs.
Slash!
As all of its limbs were cut off, the Horn Jackal fell to the ground.
Thud!
Being able to freely move the energy disk, he could easily neutralize a single Horn Jackal. It was fitting of a B-cla.s.s Gate Keeper.
‘Alpha?’
After subduing the Horn Jackal, Kiyun looked around.
The Alpha ent.i.ty, which is said to be the leader, didn’t appear, and if he found it first the Gate Keepers could attack it.
“Kwaaaa!”
“Kuk!”
And another Horn Jackal rushed at him.
Kiyun hurriedly created an energy blaster disc and threw it.
Meanwhile, Kiyun wasn’t the only one looking for the Alpha.
Slash! Thud!
“Huh!”
One Horn Jackal was decapitated.
It was Moyong Geum, the president of the Yeon Company, who had cut its throat.
As an End Stage Superior Master, who were only four in Shenyang city, he killed it in one strike.
‘Heaven and Earth Breaking Sword!’
Two Horn Jackals were cut by the sword at the same time.
Chachachacha!
“Kuak!”
Thud! Thud!
“Woah!”
The infantry cheered.
“Amazing!”
“As expected of a Murim warrior!”
Eight Horn Jackals quickly died by one sword.
Compared to the other warriors who were struggling, the skilled ones showed incredible strength.
Of course, he went around killing the Horn Jackals to find the Alpha like Kiyun.
“Indeed a warrior.”
The president of the Six Road Toys, Yeom Ki-seop, clicked his tongue at the sight.
He was definitely someone from a prestigious clan.
Although he, too, was a Superior Master, it was clear that Moyong Geum was stronger.
But, obviously, that didn’t mean Yeom Ki-seop was weak.
Woong!
When Yeom Ki-seop unfolded his power, a hole formed through the chest of the Horn Jackal, which flew 5 meters away.
The blow itself was great.
“Indeed!”
Those who were looking down from the wall were in awe.
They were concerned every time the Gate opened, but the Murim warriors and the Gate Keepers were amazing.
To fight those monsters like that.
The barrier wasn’t breached yet.
However,
‘Too many. All these are C cla.s.s.’
In the last Gate, there weren"t this many.
Even though the number had been reduced by the bombardment, the Horn Jackals spanned the length of the wall.
Despite the bombings, so many were coming towards the wall.
‘If C cla.s.s is like this, how dangerous would the ones above this be?’
The commander of the western wall bit his tongue. That was when the lieutenant next to him spoke.
“Major, Major Bu! There! Look over there!”
“What?”
Bu Hyeon-dong, puzzled, looked at the place the lieutenant was pointing at.
About 1.5 km away, quite a lot of Horn Jackals gathered together. They looked like they were sniffing something.
He wondered why until he managed to remember.
“Lieutenant… isn’t there a safe house in an underground bunker?”
As national guards, they knew the location of the safe house.
The lieutenant nodded.
“Yes.”
In the past, the location was a housing area, but once the Gate opened, the area was abandoned.
The problem, however, was that the Gate opened sooner than predicted.
With trembling eyes, Bu Hyeon-dong asked.
“Don’t tell me, is there someone in the bunker right now?”
Other than that, there was no other way he could explain the weird behavior of the Horn Jackals.
Such an ominous foreboding, but it wasn’t wrong.
Bang! Bang!
Inside the bunker about 1.5km southwest of the western wall.
There, the worst had happened, and everyone was holding their breath in fear.
“Da-d.a.m.n it…”
“They’re going to break the door.”
Four people were inside.
Three men were in navy blue uniforms, people of the Public Security Bureau.
They couldn’t hide their fear as they saw the bunker’s alloy door caving in.
Bang! Bang!
“d.a.m.n it!”
They could hear the sound of something moving outside the closed door.
It seemed like it wasn’t going to hold out for much longer, and it wasn’t just the door, the concrete holding it in place was starting to crack.
“Pr-Protective suits should be put on.”
One person said with a trembling voice while looking at the entrance.
They, too, heard about the Gate Warning.
However, protective suits weren’t placed inside the safe house to prevent prisoners from using them to escape.
The suits would come from the outside when needed.
And such measures turned into trouble for them.
Bang! Grrrr!
The entire bunker shook at the hit.
The three agents looked at the woman in her mid-fifties, who sat inside the bunker trembling in fear and mumbling something.
“d.a.m.n b.i.t.c.h! Who are we stuck here for! You’re not even praying for us, s.h.i.t!”
The woman was mumbling something.
She seemed to be memorizing something as if her life depended on it.
“I have no regrets in life or death, as this body is to be set on fire. Let the light shine on the way you want to go, and joy and sorrow will turn to dust. Pitiful living beings who are troubled.”
She was reciting something from the Sky Demon Order.
The woman was Geum Oh-yeon.
She was the mother of Baek Jong-so and a member of the Sky Demon Order.
As she sensed death coming for her when the Gate alarm was sounded, she began to recite it.
“I have no regrets in life or death, as this body is to be set on fire. Let the light shine on the way you want to go, and joy and sorrow will turn to dust. Pitiful living beings who are troubled.”
One of the agents eventually became impatient and shouted.
“d.a.m.n b.i.t.c.h! I"m dying to panic in here, but you, just stop that chanting and…”
It was then.
Kw.a.n.g! Thud!
The alloy door of the bunker opened.
From outside, the sound of wild monsters could be heard.
“Grrrr!”
In the darkness, the red eyes flashed here and there.
The Horn Jackals.
“Eik!”
Shocked, the people tried to move even deeper into the bunker.
Step!
“Ack!”
Step!
A single Horn Jackal entered the bunker and ate the upper body of one agent.
Despite the man struggling, not a single person tried to help him.
“Achhh!”
“Dieeee!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
When one of their comrades met a tragic end, the other two, scared for their lives, drew their guns and fired.
However, it was impossible for that monster to die so easily when it wouldn’t even die from machine gun fire.
Clench! Pull!
“Ugh!”
“Kuk!”
The other two agents were also killed by the monster which waved its claws.
The entrance of the bunker was filled with blood.
Tremble!
Geum Oh-yeon’s face turned pale as she looked at it.
No matter how much she chanted it, she couldn’t keep her composure in the face of death.
‘Ah… this is the end.’
At that time, her son popped into her mind.
Thinking of how unhappy he would be to know about her death, her son, who would be alone with no place to turn to, more sadness and fear gripped her.
‘My son… my poor son…’
“Grrrr!”
The Horn jackal approached the weeping woman.
It was the moment when it was about to raise its front claws and strike her, the woman had given up.
-Grrrr!
-Rumble!
The entire bunker resounded with tremendous vibration.
The bunker shook as if an earthquake occurred nearby. The startled monster tried to move.
Slash!
Something cut it, and the Horn Jackal fell.
Geum Oh-yeon had no idea about what had happened, but she got up when she saw someone walking into the bunker.
Step!
A young man in a black coat and black shirt, Chun Yeowun.
“We weren’t late.”
Geum Oh-yeon asked with shocked eyes.
“W-Who?”
“Are you the mother of Baek Jong-so?”
At the name of her son, her eyes fluttered.
After what happened to the Black Sky Company, Baek Jong-so used the name Geum.
For him to reveal his true name.
“Are you from the cult?”
Chun Yeowun, who thought that it was c.u.mbersome to explain, raised his right hand.
The black iron guard on his right wrist disa.s.sembled and changed into a sword.
Chachachacaha!
Geum Oh-yeon’s mouth opened at the sight of the black sword which was radiating.
Her eyes looked at the sword and the words engraved on it.
“Th… That sword?”
That was when Chun Yeowun turned to the entrance and mumbled.
“… they keep coming.”
Horn Jackals were flocking towards the bunker.
The number had reached a hundred.
“Huk!”
Geum Oh-yeon, who looked at that, was scared.
She had no idea that so many monsters were outside the bunker.
“Grrrrrr!”
“Grrrr!”
The smell of human flesh and blood must have brought them there.
It was the moment when the monsters were about to attack.
“Dirty beings showing me their teeth. Tch!”
Chun Yeowun raised his palm towards the sky.
At that moment, cold energy rose in the air.
Jjjkkkk!
Hundreds of Ice Swords were created in the air.
After absorbing the cores of the five spirit beasts, Chun Yeowun had reached the Heavenly Master Level and could handle all five elements.
‘No way!’
Geum Oh-yeon couldn’t keep her mouth shut at the sight.
And that wasn’t the end.
“All of you die.”
Chun Yeowun clenched his palm, which was angled towards the sky.
At that very moment, the hundreds of Ice Swords were covered in blue light and went for the targets simultaneously.
Chachachacha!
Blue rays of light cut through the dark night and struck the ground like lightning.
Kwakwakw.a.n.g!
Hundreds of Horn Jackals, which were surrounding the bunker, helplessly fell down when they were hit by the Air Ice Swords, which had condensed sword qi covering them.
“Kyyaaaa!”
“Kwaaaaa!”
“Ughhhhh!”
The screams of the monsters resounded all around.
“H-How can this be…”
Geum Oh-yeon couldn’t take her eyes off the Air Swords, which fell down.
The name of the technique which astonished her was Sky Flash.
It was the absolute technique that was made by the Demon G.o.d, Chun Yeowun.
“Ahhh… Lord Chun Ma!”
Geum Oh-yeon couldn’t control her tears as she fell to her knees in front of Chun Yeowun.