Chapter 275
Chapter 275
Amidst all the smoke, Connectors fought each other in the streets, something forbidden within Armstrong city . It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the current situation within the city was a s.h.i.+t show . However, it wasn’t as if the situation outside Armstrong city was great either .
“Did you find it?”
Earlier, Sungyoon"s ears had picked up an explosion that had emanated from the direction of the Armstrong city’s outer walls . An explosion had indeed occurred at the outer wall, which was one of the most important structures in the city . Thus, Armstrong city"s higher-ups had dispatched troops to the outer wall . It was a priority for them .
“Uh! I found it . ”
The outer wall now had a big cavity inside it along with traces of fire and impact damage .
“I think someone detonated an explosive here . ”
“Do you see the culprit?”
“No . ”
A team of Connectors surveyed the surroundings . They only saw broken debris from the devastating explosion and no traces of any human beings .
“Thankfully, the explosion couldn’t create a hole through the wall . ”
The outer wall of Armstrong city was very thick, so it had survived the significant damage caused by the explosion . This situation was good news for the humans living in the city .
Clap!
The leader of the group clapped his hands to get everyone"s attention .
“We are fortunate that the outer wall is intact! However, more suspicious items might still exist nearby, so we’ll do a sweep before departing to help catch these terrorists! It"s absolute chaos in the inner city right now!”
“You don’t have to tell us . We can see what"s happening right now . ”
The investigators looked toward the urban district of Armstrong city . Red flames and black smoke were still making their presence known to them, and the sounds of explosion and destruction erupting from within the city made it clear that a battle was ongoing .
“Yes . Things aren’t going well . That is why we have to quickly—”
“L-leader!”
A desperate yell rang out as one of the investigators ran up next to the leader of the team . The leader had sent this investigator outside as a precaution . The man was supposed to be on patrol, yet he had returned .
“What’s wrong?”
“Ou-outside…”
The man was having a hard time getting his tongue to work properly . He stumbled over his words a couple of times . The leader didn"t press him for an answer . In fact, he gave him some time to gather himself .
After the man finally got control over his tongue, he barely spat out some words that made all of them turn pale .
“It"s crawling with monsters outside!”
It was then that the investigators realized the flow of magical energy on their skins .
***
Sungyoon’s party didn"t know that a serious threat was approaching Armstrong city . They were focused on defending themselves from their pursuers" attack as they headed toward the city hall .
Sungyoon was too busy to think about anything . He had to fend off attacks from a very skilled foe that had set his eyes on him . If Sungyoon"s concentration slipped even a little bit, the mace could bash his head . Even in such a dangerous situation, Sungyoon felt a sense of deja vu .
‘His movements feel familiar . . . ’
Suddenly, a voice disturbed him .
“@#%^$!”
Sungyoon couldn"t understand the language that came out from the mouth of Plu-El, who was slung over Tim’s shoulder .
“What the h.e.l.l? What’s wrong with this woman?”
After being handed over to Tim, Plu-El had been quiet . So when she went berserk, Tim was taken aback . However, Tim wasn’t in a position where he could let Plu-El do what she wanted . He kept her from moving .
“*#$^@^#@^&!”
She kept yelling at the man attacking Sungyoon .
“#$^$#Sung Hyunwoo#$%#$%!”
‘What did that woman just say?’
The voice distracted Sungyoon, and his arm came close to being crushed by the mace . He desperately deflected the mace as he looked at his attacker .
‘Sung Hyunwoo? Mr . Hyunwoo?’
Now that he thought about it, he realized that the man"s build was similar to Sung Hyunwoo . He just couldn’t confirm it since the man"s entire body was encased in armor . Of course, Sungyoon could be mistaken, but the suspicion within his heart had blossomed when he heard Plu-El’s words . He felt as if his suspicions were turning out to be true .
Plu-El kept cursing .
“*%^#%Jungb.u.m#$^#$!”
She once again said a word that he could understand, a word he had a lot of ties with .
‘Mr . Hahn Jungb.u.m?’
Sungyoon knew that she knew Sung Hyunwoo, but he never expected her to know Hahn Jungb.u.m too . The information that he had to find out from Plu-El had now increased . However, it was not the time to do that yet . They had to first hurry up and escape from this fight .
Thankfully, they were close to their destination . They ran through the deserted streets to arrive at a four-way stop, then they took a sharp left turn .
‘We just have to run in a straight line!’
Sungyoon a.s.sumed he would be running through another deserted street . However, what he saw on the street left him stunned .
“What the h.e.l.l!”
“This can’t be!”
Tim shouted out loud, and Emily mumbled . Their reactions were different, but the emotion they felt was the same .
Shock!
“Why are monsters inside Armstrong city?”
Tim’s voice rang out within the city .
***
“What are you going to do?”
The half-bald Deputy mayor tried to press the Mayor for an answer . The Mayor didn"t know what to say as he kept his hands around his head .
‘What the h.e.l.l is going on? What should I do?’
The Mayor kept asking himself as he went over the incidents happening in his city . However, he couldn"t find any answers .
“… How many Connectors do we have left?”
He was barely able to open his mouth . Seeing the response, a bit of color returned to the Deputy mayor’s face . The person in charge was about to do something, and this bolstered the spirit of the people working under the Mayor .
“We are contacting everyone, but there are too few of them! This is especially true of high rank Connectors!”
‘This is why I told them we needed to maintain the minimum number of Connectors that I prescribed!’
All the countries had unreasonably pulled back most of their Connectors from Armstrong city . They did it in the name of national security .
As he thought about that, the Mayor cursed those countries . However, it didn’t matter if he cursed them a thousand or a million times . Nothing would change .
“The terrorists are chasing the Knight and his party, and there are two groups?”
“Yes! The investigative team we sent to the site of the explosions reported back . In all of these places, explosives were rigged to a timer! The culprits were nowhere to be seen!”
“Please contact every Connector that you can reach . I don’t care if the outer wall is destroyed . We’ll activate the outer defense to prevent any monsters from entering the city from outside . In the meantime, the Connectors have to prioritize killing the ones that are inside the city . Then they can go out and fight the foes outside!”
“Yes! What should we do about the Knight, who is coming here?”
“Tell him to use the portal . He can go to the other city for a short time . ”
“What? Are you sure about that?”
The existence of the portal was one of Armstrong city’s top secrets . If Sungyoon used the portal to run away, it would be revealed to his pursuers .
“It’s fine . I planned on revealing that information in the near future anyway . The portal isn’t as important as securing the woman right now . ”
The Mayor’s eyes turned cold .
“The monsters" attack might be a coincidence, but it also could have something to do with the two groups who pulled off this terrorist attack . They pulled off this bold move to seize that woman . This means she"s much more important than we thought . ”
Such a deduction and execution was to be expected of a man who could climb up the ranks to become the mayor of Armstrong city .
“Tell the Knight to leave her in that city, and then, immediately return to Armstrong—”
Kwahng!
“Mayor!”
One of the city hall’s employees slammed open the door, almost breaking it . The Mayor and the Deputy mayor frowned at the same time . They knew their subordinate wouldn’t act this way if he had good news, especially in their current situation .
“What’s wrong?”
He really didn’t want to ask the question because he was sure that the employee was about to say something that would give him a headache . However, as the mayor, he was obligated to hear it .
The employee uttered the cursed statement . It was a statement signifying that the worst-case scenario was about to unfold .
“A Connector near the Great Labyrinth sent a message…”
The employee shut his eyes as he almost yelled out his news .
“He confirmed that magical energy is leaking out of the Great Labyrinth too! Monsters are crawling out of the Great Labyrinth!”
***
Kwahhhhng!
Sungyoon’s party kept their pursuers in check as they fought through the monsters in their way . They were surrounded by enemies on all sides, but this new development did give Sungyoon"s heart some comfort .
‘I can use the portal now!’
If he used it, he wouldn’t have to continue their troublesome efforts to escape from their pursuers . He would just have to open a portal and ask his party to throw their bodies through it . The pursuers" efforts would become futile . Nevertheless, Sungyoon didn’t plan on using it unless it was a dire emergency .
‘I have to keep it a secret . ’
If the person who kept attacking him was Hyunwoo, he couldn"t reveal the fact that he could open a portal . However, it was also true that his party could only hold out for a couple of seconds if Hyunwoo decided to get serious .
Sungyoon kept a close eye on the man he suspected to be Hyunwoo as he got ready to open the portal at any moment .
As the party dashed forward, Grace and Emily cleared the monsters in front, while the two men kept the pursuers at bay .
Thankfully, the monsters in front of them seemed to have come out from the Beginner’s labyrinth . So, Grace and Emily effectively dispatched them .
Just as the party thought they had gained some breathing room, a single existence ruined everything .
Koo-ohhhhhhhhhhh!
A roar stopped everyone dead in their tracks, and the fighting ceased .
The monsters that had been indiscriminately attacking the humans also froze . All the Connectors, including Sungyoon’s party, turned toward the source of the sound .
“… What is it now?”
Tim cussed . He got an ominous feeling as a tingling sensation ran down his flesh .
The roar had come from the direction of the Great Labyrinth .
As soon as everyone realized this, the ominous feeling amplified by several folds . An enormous dark shadow emerged from the entrance of the Great Labyrinth .
Sungyoon knew this monster very well .
It was the first monster that had appeared on Earth . It was the monster that made him into a global star . It was a monster that had made him the Knight .
“Behemoth . ”
The Behemoth that had shown up on Earth was a weakened one . However, this Behemoth possessed its full strength when it emerged into the human city . It then let out an enormous roar to announce its presence .
Koohng!
The Behemoth took an enormous step and easily destroyed a building in the process . It was a surreal moment .
The Behemoth looked like a lion attacking a group of rabbits . A small smirk appeared on its mouth as if it was mocking the beings called humans .
Zzuh-uhk!
It opened its mouth wide . At the same time, a bright light appeared on the mouth .
All the Connectors knew what followed this phenomenon . The Breath! It was the attack that had almost destroyed the Buckingham palace and killed the queen .
“s.h.i.+t!”
Even Sungyoon had to swear when he saw this .
When the light became as bright as it could be—
Puh-uh-uh-uhng!
An enormous beam of light shot forth from the Behemoth"s mouth .