Chapter 405: Face to Face with the Lion (6)
jvm8g8fThe modern people who inhabit Seoram do not look at each other.pnD57X
RBzCxNor do they observe the scenery outside the subway.yCkpo7
S5LS0hThey only lower their heads toward their smartphones.rXbFXg
UJ6A citizen of Seoul, absorbed in his smartphone, suddenly lifted his gaze from the screen.aNyRYH
gy3EIt had been a long time since he looked at the subway that way.8j8UVV
9F9YWQHe cast a quick glance around the inside of the train car.FudMXY
0kqOk“…….”PlvZi
jX2NY“…….”y03aC3c
luIKHbK“…….”ynD
yvBh3tIt was as if everyone in the subway was about to be absorbed into small glowing rectangles.ohq51PC
K45JZxSome were reading web novels. Others, webtoons. A few scrolled through news.FWrpZxI
l5qCBut the majority of passengers were focused on a single game.kMtiuI
AFXJVJust by glancing, he could immediately recognize which game it was.5nJOu
3NFk8ksAfter all, he too had been playing it recently.Z6rp
xWeBlessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd.O3D1
3139It was the most popular game of the moment.hgE
NiUWhat was the reason for its success? Who knows.UeWPY
gdJGame critics discussed it at length, but he didn’t care about that.TaJOrn
DWB8VHe had his own theory the game provided vicarious satisfaction.DNDTReR
L6WwP1Inside the game, he was a mage.Odts
tF80The real world was plagued with all kinds of malicious spirits, but even the high-born heroes could only use “blessings.”GWEuSfJ
EiWVpsThey did not know how to use “magic.”Wz0
gPObi8iOf course, Heavenly Sword, Kang Geom-Ma was the exception.JfiUJ0H
SPY3BThat man was something more than a hero.pmBO0B8
b6YYlAnd precisely there was where the vicarious satisfaction he spoke of arose.94W7q
9cSThe feeling of unity with Kang Geom-Ma, who completely overshadowed the arrogant heroes. The players of “Blessing of the Apocalypse M” were utterly captivated by that strange pleasure.mXNC
atOuYAnyway.y0hb4
ZngPfft.BBz
QlBptA laugh slipped out of him. What an ironic laugh.iMcQB0A
6Shz“And I’m any different?”yeX
RqgKRTHe reopened the game.R3x
F7IpqlBut then.aIyC0r8
rbL“Huh?”l54z
EsFpHAn exclamation escaped him unintentionally.RZoe3XF
qstAnd not only from him, but from other passengers in the subway as well.zvS
aS7tpp[Main Chapter Gandhara begins]81U
8Pg“Main Chapter Gandhara…?”LC4Y3zj
SqTRmHe didn’t even know the “Adharma Festival” was a closed beta.3FjZ
KkSI4Without touching the screen, the scroll began to move on its own.z9iPC3k
ov39QIn red letters appeared the distributor’s name. It was the first time he had seen it since he started playing.c0b
rIDh23〈Distributed by Kali Yuga.〉IE41cN
UCsCnVIt was an instant.hdUO
HdrZLmJClonk!0jJQB
IxTYIThe passengers all lurched to one side. Those standing slammed their foreheads against the handrails.xwBP5
F3FB9SRumble, rummmble…!BYgVIP4
Z3VThe subway shook violently.txdBkcM
QfW“Kyah, aahh!”wAn9LTF
B38OpYThe surprise quickly turned into terror. The train they were on was crossing the bridge over the Han River.GaUMOt
knSIf the subway derailed, they would all end up at the bottom of the water as fish food…PPTf
j9Omt6“L-look outside…!”Amuf7vN
mAaaDA young man with headphones pointed toward the window.XWfrVO
3WP2S1MIn the direction his finger indicated, the Seoul Tower, shaped like a cone, rose imposingly.NXAj
FgZ3Zzzt…FBQdpq
FGAvd9From the top of the tower, the space began to tear diagonally.DaYA
aRH9As if a cyclops were slowly opening its eyelid, a rift opened in the air. The eyeball was an intense red, and the pupil completely black.iErO
9TTU9The scene was so surreal that everyone was paralyzed.8UZ2Do
FFxlFWhile all muttered “eh?” with vacant stares, a voice boomed from Seoul Tower.v4ps
KmhBau0=Only ■■ knows=gJdBab
hvAJwZvThe shockwave was so powerful it caused great waves in the Han River. It was a voice that could not be ignored, impossible to overlook.lVOxtEy
zu5wJvAnd just as if that voice had been recorded, the message appeared on all smartphone screens.CkvjIyd
kw6M6Qr=The end of this world=R96J
EZQIn the pupil of Seoul Tower, a strange symbol was drawn.0uuOf9
W4HRYRJ⏀8alyANc
fJhAnd at that instant.3bAP
avq9Fwooooooosh!fLR
duV6STThe single eye fired a red ray.PVj9fQ
OqlThe ray fragmented into tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of beams, which exploded down upon all the citizens of Seoul.BhbVSLk
mCyFzeBeing inside the subway offered no protection. The rays pierced through everything in their path and inevitably struck the people.puK7nz
lCynHjN“Kugh…!”Yw8
xKMKTIt hurt.gBz4G
2rdoaSIt burned.hhv
ur4aBut it did not kill.IxMx
dyY=You have been marked with the seal of Satya Yuga=JD1
oe8m=Oh child blessed by the Force of Suppression=Bagz6J
Z5rqOHe looked down.VHkB
2kIN“What is this…?”jJNQS4W
ujhyTA symbol had appeared on his collarbone.hMf
6RV“Uugh, aaaagh!”j9U
zg4ItsOThe commuters began foaming at the mouth as they scratched at their necks.voDjD
YKubkyISome rolled on the ground with their stomachs pressed to the floor, groaning in pain.6YGV
gPOzD5=We will grant you the Golden Age=8IDGE3z
U5tThus began Gandhara.BLXbIqA
F96***vFeNrf
fBNOjMRight after the anomalous event.ozX
2Ahf3SHTatatatata!8O2t
WnIAs soon as we ran out of the hotel with the group, we came face-to-face with it.rouFtSr
2fAuBv“…An eye.”HOuA2
Wa6YMIt was an eye.6uKeeC
p1enA red and black eye that pushed the clouds away and stretched across the entire center of the sky.DknplOR
3TnXLVThe atmospheric pressure dropped sharply. Everyone, including our group, looked up toward that single eye.wFqR
yMcTqSeen from afar, it would have seemed like a confrontation between a giant and a group of humans.AB2L
68S“Satya Yuga…”Fxa
Wc6xNThe one who murmured that was Yu Sein, who at some point had come to stand by my side.NLF
JvqqeI asked.XMm6W
9cx8“Satya Yuga? The first quarter boss of Blessing of the Apocalypse M?”exy
xxSI“Yes.”sCNIygY
u8kU38RYu Sein nodded seriously, her chin firm.Nky7c
nhmDAn“Since you’re a newbie who hasn’t even set foot past the threshold of the first quarter, I guess you wouldn’t know…”x115eVq
Px9gy“You’re going to joke even in a situation like this?”7u9VG0
foARt“It’s not a joke.”vKA
GY1o6UH“……”aNX8dv
DhpP8n“In any case, unlike you, I saw it yesterday with the advance squad.
And it looked exactly like that.”Wgp9c
oxPBlessing of the Apocalypse was a new game, freshly released. But, come on—aren’t Koreans the people of gaming and speed?fKSP
QW06mmThey advanced at full throttle with extraordinary techniques. They called themselves the advance squad.ar4
AUYz8And Yu Sein, a hardcore gamer, was at the head of that squad.PBpI8t
bM5RCgX“So you know all the boss’s patterns?”vkyD1P
xNRgCj“No. We were wiped out before seeing the last pattern.”ZGMGW
5avpi6“Damn it.”JoSb92
B4rC18It was useless!uFnTaTN
1GI3pn“But at least I know what kind of debuff it casts at the start.”bUMXkr5
ua8HPfft.bEQE
XzUt“Well, I don’t know if it’s a debuff or a buff.”LCkSR
esG“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”u9N
5U3fCA firm voice interrupted.tevflV
hZvXdI“Yu Sein!”3BKT7r
g5CGiJMedia suddenly looked at Yu Sein.xPuwv
Bxnj“Are you talking about the popular game these days?”5qoOG
R87b75T“Yes. Kang Geom-Ma and I suspected that the second apocalypse would be a game.”bR06
KfpK9kRachel frowned.Uaoh
kF1bIuY“Why didn’t you say that earlier?!”Xcsp
vWa“I didn’t expect it to show up this soon…”NAath
z1VA bead of sweat rolled from Yu Sein’s temple down to her chin.CmHF
VQrTaEsIt was the first time I’d seen her nervous.5OSw
6Gz2vex“…Seems like it’s in quite a hurry, doesn’t it? If it came so soon.”j06
WTs“I understand the situation is urgent.”0Sg3f
IfhssCRyozo carefully folded her glasses and stepped forward.DJYs
GoXEe7“First, let’s evacuate the civilians. The plans come after.”52h7
kSJX“I agree.”Bz8XGy
F1MJLy2Abel appeared noiselessly and unsheathed her sword, Notung. Judging by her outfit and wet hair, it seemed she had run here right after swimming in the sea.anW5GI6
mpgxJ“First, evacuate the people.”0oWvp
HHS“I’ll contact Speedweapon right away.”XD6QDr
BpXRyozo made a call somewhere.98z8h0l
l2luZVc“Yes, Speedweapon, you’re with Gehenna’s reserve staff now, right? The situation? We’ll discuss that later. Anyway, yes, yes. Evacuate the civilians with them first. Additional instructions will come from my assistant team…”BLv
Z4cj4KAfter hanging up, Ryozo took the corresponding weapons from her dimensional pocket and laid them out on the ground. Including her own bow, Jeokgung Baeksi, she also placed Rachel’s halberd.w0eXH
cxnbPWhile watching that scene, I felt a strange sensation.yZaF
MiSnEven if they were called the golden generation or unmatched heroes, their composure in moments like this was astounding.Jf4n
Gx5tU2I met Abel’s gaze. With effort, she managed to lift the corners of her trembling lips.hwRy
m66“Compared to the courage training we did recently, this is nothing. It’s thanks to you.”hVC
N6Q“…”XPD
Sp9QShe was referring to “that” on Avalon Island.QgAFyj0
AIiI swear Abel didn’t intend to tease me. It was only my own fault for feeling guilty without reason.4EpR2
ZkfBut the second apocalypse didn’t give me time to get sentimental.g61b6
x4kelAJRachel shouted, pointing her halberd’s tip at the eye in the sky:46X
j13“Something’s coming! No, something’s about to come!”POW
YXsiURachel had eyes that could see secrets. Anyway, she had already “come out,” so there was no point in hiding it.JFiPRJ
qZpYRyozo set an arrow on the bowstring. She drew back powerfully until the long, stiff bow curved into the shape of a fan.WCsto7
4JXXCrack!Y7o
BCv1fgShe fired. The arrow cut through the air and flew straight toward the pupil.OpY8j
E6pzAnd then, as expected, a symbol appeared in the eye.zdK
FHBIt was the “something” Rachel had mentioned earlier.jR1
VLEIn battle, the most important thing was always to strike first.6qvr
wgdUB4The arrow, loosed just before the eye showed signs of movement, pierced into the center of the pupil.dglg
Ue76n3UCrash!7z4Unuy
iN3W6The symbol cracked. The giant eye began to shatter like glass. Even against the apocalypse, Ryozo’s arrow was effective.ZCSKDC
aD3zVHowever, if it ended just like that, it wouldn’t be the dreaded apocalypse.a4LS
Mw72IIn fact, even that gigantic eye had to be only a local phenomenon.XPL1Nd3
zeVSimilar eyes were emerging simultaneously all over the world.CyODV5n
RCem6TCrack… crack.YDSISr
UtfvThe fractures spread like spiderwebs. Reddish rays. An alarm blared in my head.S2FHzQ
LXWhOBursts of light, unprecedented, leaked through the cracks and fell to the ground.iZK8hy
UnpRsugThey looked like the hands of sinners in hell, stretching out in search of salvation. They weren’t individuals but a collective mass. Like tens of thousands of snakes flicking their tongues to lick the earth.qy9A
IbVIt was my turn to act.EwAfjw
i6YIdAUI released Murasame’s string. Twisting my wrist, I unsheathed the scabbard of the EX-grade sashimi blade.74unWLz
TmtC7bl[The Blessing of the Sword God manifests]CRyu4
vi6fI gripped the two sashimi blades downward. The rays pouring down carried an ominous energy as they crashed into the ground. Others dove straight down like falling stars.T2kfe
kkAcCI pressed my legs firmly. My center of gravity stabilized.5g8U3
6iII infused Murasame with killing intent.qCi
ji5V9zDI charged it with lightning. Dark energy and yellow sparks spiraled aerodynamically along the blade’s edge.KwXe4Du
b5gfGI swung with force.yLJ
LJ5E1From earth to sky.cLyPRL3
yoed0“Light Dragon Sword.”IEkrlV
JUrWS────────────!lj0v
DDqMurasame’s slash unfurled into an umbrella that covered the entire island. The rays, striking against the barrier of lightning and killing intent, burst into brilliant red particles.P12k
ScfvLrThe unprecedented beams fired by the eye collapsed. Their remnants scattered like frost, falling red and in abundance.Ont8H2W
CMGR8XBut this still wasn’t over.1Ks
zZlAZhThe eye of the apocalypse remained intact, and this too was only a local catastrophe.K0YIvp
DwfQThe burden weighing on my shoulders was not limited to this island.mAKI3Xf
iPqfY4oThe eye squinted its lid.Kce9
2P0wyIt seemed annoyed that its plan hadn’t gone as intended. It fired rays again. This time they struck harder against the barrier Murasame had created.fi16
nwSl“Geom-Ma.”u9qs
C0lXvwRyozo looked at me and nodded. Her eyes showed firmness. It was a clear declaration that she was ready to join the battle.b4HRTZ
v78LI would not ignore that will.4Htdw0Z
sRTThe Apocalypse was a separate entity from the body commanders. Everyone had to unite to fight.AJCMU
w4W“Thunder Dragon.”tGCryl
lrDtgY6From behind us all, the thunder dragon unfolded. It rose into the sky like a whirlwind, hooking its claws under its armpits.jxXBA
Hr0oA prolonged line of lightning.EVtQWd9
HR21The southern wind struck my cheek indifferently. The energy condensed among the sharp bolts and rushed toward the eye.FRD1q
K4UTo defy the heavens.nf6AUg
8z4VKx+++++++++++++++++++++eYzPf
mh0《May the blessing of the gods be with us》1mBIOzL
1RRuf+++++++++++++++++++++JHKBc
beMekrToday, humanity defies destiny.jkT
EArJwNO***bkK
Z7YD6qMeanwhile, in Gehenna.oMJNP
sUWz“…What was that…?”AOM1b7W
jYxChoi Seol-Ah, who had been walking for a while, turned around.krifw
RoqA current of icy air, like the hand of a ghost, ran down her back.Sp9Qd
kgg“Could it be because this is the Demonic realm…?”MNci
xKioAwDownplaying it, she kept walking.9er
j58GrPsAfter all, she was in the demonic realm.jAdsSTl
TRHNtFAEven if a real ghost appeared, it wouldn’t be strange.knVswZn
PijH“I felt drawn to something and came…”5WH
KG3vFtHow long had she been walking?PyX
tVaRustle.Gxq
yEUbThe faded shrubs trembled. Choi Seol-Ah quickly turned her gaze that way.h0Xq
8Gjokj“Eh, eh?”7fmv
eQvThey were squirrels.eP7
oMw5jNot one, but several.F28rm6
YnT2DThey poked their heads out, staring straight at her.CbK
9zwcTilting their little heads with confused eyes.7hkzKLE
E9HlS“They look like squirrels from the human world…”P6GeTzw
gPVAJust as she tried to approach—XUB
fbVRustle.0B8EST
hQH7OzThe shrubs shook, and a dark silhouette suddenly stood up.HTE
sH4EVdWChoi Seol-Ah fell back on her butt in surprise.bsjy2Mj
RbJHcC9“Y-you are…?”VaE
ggaA man with dark eyes stared at her, one hand on his hip.I6jw6
pNMGRChoi Seol-Ah lowered her gaze after seeing his face.2wy
Iotd1J…Huh?bBSo3
ODbutChoi Seol-Ah held her breath and then screamed at the top of her lungs.EcEdj
ntMsAwD“Perverteeeeer!!!”NTinKOv
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Santiago. Bernal
MortalCine