Chapter 405: Face to Face with the Lion (6)

The modern people who inhabit Seoram do not look at each other.

Nor do they observe the scenery outside the subway.

They only lower their heads toward their smartphones.

A citizen of Seoul, absorbed in his smartphone, suddenly lifted his gaze from the screen.

It had been a long time since he looked at the subway that way.

He cast a quick glance around the inside of the train car.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

It was as if everyone in the subway was about to be absorbed into small glowing rectangles.

Some were reading web novels. Others, webtoons. A few scrolled through news.

But the majority of passengers were focused on a single game.

Just by glancing, he could immediately recognize which game it was.

After all, he too had been playing it recently.

Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd.

It was the most popular game of the moment.

What was the reason for its success? Who knows.

Game critics discussed it at length, but he didn’t care about that.

He had his own theory: the game provided vicarious satisfaction.

Inside the game, he was a mage.

The real world was plagued with all kinds of malicious spirits, but even the high-born heroes could only use “blessings.”

They did not know how to use “magic.”

Of course, Heavenly Sword, Kang Geom-Ma was the exception.

That man was something more than a hero.

And precisely there was where the vicarious satisfaction he spoke of arose.

The 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.

Anyway.

Pff.

A laugh slipped out of him. What an ironic laugh.

“And I’m any different?”

He reopened the game.

But then…

“Eh?”

An exclamation escaped him unintentionally.

And not only from him, but from other passengers in the subway as well.

[Main Chapter Gandhara begins]

“Main Chapter Gandhara…?”

He didn’t even know the “Adharma Festival” was a closed beta.

Without touching the screen, the scroll began to move on its own.

In red letters appeared the distributor’s name. It was the first time he had seen it since he started playing.

〈Distributed by Kali Yuga.〉

It was an instant.

Clonk!

The passengers all lurched to one side. Those standing slammed their foreheads against the handrails.

Rumble, rummmble…!

The subway shook violently.

“Kyah, aahh!”

The surprise quickly turned into terror. The train they were on was crossing the bridge over the Han River.

If the subway derailed, they would all end up at the bottom of the water as fish food…

“L-look outside…!”

A young man with headphones pointed toward the window.

In the direction his finger indicated, the Seoul Tower, shaped like a cone, rose imposingly.

Zzzt…

From the top of the tower, the space began to tear diagonally.

As 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.

The scene was so surreal that everyone was paralyzed.

While all muttered “eh?” with vacant stares, a voice boomed from Seoul Tower.

=Only ■■ knows=

The shockwave was so powerful it caused great waves in the Han River. It was a voice that could not be ignored, impossible to overlook.

And just as if that voice had been recorded, the message appeared on all smartphone screens.

=The end of this world=

In the pupil of Seoul Tower, a strange symbol was drawn.

⏀

And at that instant.

Fwooooooosh!

The single eye fired a red ray.

The ray fragmented into tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of beams, which exploded down upon all the citizens of Seoul.

Being inside the subway offered no protection. The rays pierced through everything in their path and inevitably struck the people.

“Kugh…!”

It hurt.

It burned.

But it did not kill.

=You have been marked with the seal of Satya Yuga=

=Oh child blessed by the Force of Suppression=

He looked down.

“What is this…?”

A symbol had appeared on his collarbone.

“Uugh, aaaagh!”

The commuters began foaming at the mouth as they scratched at their necks.

Some rolled on the ground with their stomachs pressed to the floor, groaning in pain.

=We will grant you the Golden Age=

Thus began Gandhara.

***

Right after the anomalous event.

Tatatatata!

As soon as we ran out of the hotel with the group, we came face-to-face with it.

“…An eye.”

It was an eye.

A red and black eye that pushed the clouds away and stretched across the entire center of the sky.

The atmospheric pressure dropped sharply. Everyone, including our group, looked up toward that single eye.

Seen from afar, it would have seemed like a confrontation between a giant and a group of humans.

“Satya Yuga…”

The one who murmured that was Yu Sein, who at some point had come to stand by my side.

I asked.

“Satya Yuga? The first quarter boss of Blessing of the Apocalypse M?”

“Yes.”

Yu Sein nodded seriously, her chin firm.

“Since you’re a newbie who hasn’t even set foot past the threshold of the first quarter, I guess you wouldn’t know…”

“You’re going to joke even in a situation like this?”

“It’s not a joke.”

“……”

“In any case, unlike you, I saw it yesterday with the advance squad.
And it looked exactly like that.”

Blessing of the Apocalypse was a new game, freshly released. But, come on—aren’t Koreans the people of gaming and speed?

They advanced at full throttle with extraordinary techniques. They called themselves the advance squad.

And Yu Sein, a hardcore gamer, was at the head of that squad.

“So you know all the boss’s patterns?”

“No. We were wiped out before seeing the last pattern.”

“Damn it.”

It was useless!

“But at least I know what kind of debuff it casts at the start.”

Pfft.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s a debuff or a buff.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

A firm voice interrupted.

“Yu Sein!”

Media suddenly looked at Yu Sein.

“Are you talking about the popular game these days?”

“Yes. Kang Geom-Ma and I suspected that the second apocalypse would be a game.”

Rachel frowned.

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?!”

“I didn’t expect it to show up this soon…”

A bead of sweat rolled from Yu Sein’s temple down to her chin.

It was the first time I’d seen her nervous.

“…Seems like it’s in quite a hurry, doesn’t it? If it came so soon.”

“I understand the situation is urgent.”

Ryozo carefully folded her glasses and stepped forward.

“First, let’s evacuate the civilians. The plans come after.”

“I agree.”

Abel 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.

“First, evacuate the people.”

“I’ll contact Speedweapon right away.”

Ryozo made a call somewhere.

“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…”

After 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.

While watching that scene, I felt a strange sensation.

Even if they were called the golden generation or unmatched heroes, their composure in moments like this was astounding.

I met Abel’s gaze. With effort, she managed to lift the corners of her trembling lips.

“Compared to the courage training we did recently, this is nothing. It’s thanks to you.”

“…”

She was referring to “that” on Avalon Island.

I swear Abel didn’t intend to tease me. It was only my own fault for feeling guilty without reason.

But the second apocalypse didn’t give me time to get sentimental.

Rachel shouted, pointing her halberd’s tip at the eye in the sky:

“Something’s coming! No, something’s about to come!”

Rachel had eyes that could see secrets. Anyway, she had already “come out,” so there was no point in hiding it.

Ryozo set an arrow on the bowstring. She drew back powerfully until the long, stiff bow curved into the shape of a fan.

Crack!

She fired. The arrow cut through the air and flew straight toward the pupil.

And then, as expected, a symbol appeared in the eye.

It was the “something” Rachel had mentioned earlier.

In battle, the most important thing was always to strike first.

The arrow, loosed just before the eye showed signs of movement, pierced into the center of the pupil.

Crash!

The symbol cracked. The giant eye began to shatter like glass. Even against the apocalypse, Ryozo’s arrow was effective.

However, if it ended just like that, it wouldn’t be the dreaded apocalypse.

In fact, even that gigantic eye had to be only a local phenomenon.

Similar eyes were emerging simultaneously all over the world.

Crack… crack.

The fractures spread like spiderwebs. Reddish rays. An alarm blared in my head.

Bursts of light, unprecedented, leaked through the cracks and fell to the ground.

They 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.

It was my turn to act.

I released Murasame’s string. Twisting my wrist, I unsheathed the scabbard of the EX-grade sashimi blade.

[The Blessing of the Sword God manifests]

I 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.

I pressed my legs firmly. My center of gravity stabilized.

I infused Murasame with killing intent.

I charged it with lightning. Dark energy and yellow sparks spiraled aerodynamically along the blade’s edge.

I swung with force.

From earth to sky.

“Light Dragon Sword.”

────────────!

Murasame’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.

The unprecedented beams fired by the eye collapsed. Their remnants scattered like frost, falling red and in abundance.

But this still wasn’t over.

The eye of the apocalypse remained intact, and this too was only a local catastrophe.

The burden weighing on my shoulders was not limited to this island.

The eye squinted its lid.

It 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.

“Geom-Ma.”

Ryozo looked at me and nodded. Her eyes showed firmness. It was a clear declaration that she was ready to join the battle.

I would not ignore that will.

The Apocalypse was a separate entity from the body commanders. Everyone had to unite to fight.

“Thunder Dragon.”

From behind us all, the thunder dragon unfolded. It rose into the sky like a whirlwind, hooking its claws under its armpits.

A prolonged line of lightning.

The southern wind struck my cheek indifferently. The energy condensed among the sharp bolts and rushed toward the eye.

To defy the heavens.

+++++++++++++++++++++

《May the blessing of the gods be with us》

+++++++++++++++++++++

Today, humanity defies destiny.

***

Meanwhile, in Gehenna.

“…What was that…?”

Choi Seol-Ah, who had been walking for a while, turned around.

A current of icy air, like the hand of a ghost, ran down her back.

“Could it be because this is the Demonic realm…?”

Downplaying it, she kept walking.

After all, she was in the demonic realm.

Even if a real ghost appeared, it wouldn’t be strange.

“I felt drawn to something and came…”

How long had she been walking?

Rustle.

The faded shrubs trembled. Choi Seol-Ah quickly turned her gaze that way.

“Eh, eh?”

They were squirrels.

Not one, but several.

They poked their heads out, staring straight at her.

Tilting their little heads with confused eyes.

“They look like squirrels from the human world…”

Just as she tried to approach—

Rustle.

The shrubs shook, and a dark silhouette suddenly stood up.

Choi Seol-Ah fell back on her butt in surprise.

“Y-you are…?”

A man with dark eyes stared at her, one hand on his hip.

Choi Seol-Ah lowered her gaze after seeing his face.

…Huh?

Choi Seol-Ah held her breath and then screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Perverteeeeer!!!”