Etranger

A tremendous aura reverberated throughout the surrounding area before seemingly blanketing the space. The ground seemed to boil and roil. All this came from the overwhelming fighting spirit and violent aura unleashed by San and Biyeon. It was a force of nature or personality that would ring out like an unfiltered, hearty laugh or an uncontrollable, violent orgasm.

San pointed his sword downward and flicked off the blood on it by gently tapping the sword’s tip on the ground. Blood flowed down his arms. An observer wouldn’t have been able to tell whose blood it was. The sticky blood flicked onto his pants. A sweet smell lingered in the air. An uncontrollable desire also roiled through the surrounding air.

San controlled his breath. He visibly gulped. He felt as though he could taste the salty and fishy smell of blood in his mouth. His body was crying out in pain. Biyeon took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth. The ends of her fingers were finely shaking. They had reached the limits of their mental and physical limits. No, they had gone above and beyond their limits and over-used their physical bodies. Using her rifle’s strap, Biyeon swung her rifle behind her shoulder. While walking, she started pulling out the bits of sword and arrowheads that had lodged in her sides and legs. Her blood momentarily flowed out from her wounds onto her torn and flimsy leather clothes before the bleeding stopped. Was it because of the sun? The blood looked closer to purple than red.

With a backpack on, San also started pulling out bits and pieces of shrapnel from his sides. Whenever he picked a piece off, a small portion of skin and flesh was also taken off. However, San’s expression did not change one bit. He took off the last piece of shrapnel, a broken arrow that was lodged in his forearm. A chunk of his flesh flew off and a gush of blood soon followed. San smiled. Purple blood. San brought his injury up to his mouth. His Adam’s apple visibly rose and down. His lips were coated with purplish blood. He surveyed his surroundings with a ferocious gaze. It was as if a predator was stalking its prey in the dead of night.

“They really pushed us to the end of our limits,” San commented.

“But now, we can see the end,” Biyeon replied.

In this battle, they had released their true powers and showed all their skills. What would they gain by hiding anything? They would gain more from showing more. They had even taken Nectar, which they had previously avoided like the plague, to raise their strengths up to the highest levels.

They had ended the lives of those who attacked them without knowing where they stood. San and Biyeon had taken ten days to traverse a hundred kilometers. Their enemies seemed unreasonable. San, Biyeon, and their enemies all had the same destination, yet the enemies continued their onslaught. Though the path was wide open, it wasn’t a path that was created or owned by San and Biyeon. Thus, through blood, sweat, and tears, they had forged a path ahead. It was now time to create the final leg of the path.

“Are they really human?” a sage said with an utterly tired expression on his face.

“There’s no way. They’re… they’re demonic gods for sure.”

Even now, with San and Biyeon walking forward, a group of sages and Councilors were encircling the two. It looked as though a pack of wolves were encircling their prey. However, rather than taking any action, the encircling camp didn’t do anything. They just followed the two from a distance.

- 130 Sages

- 150 Councilors

- 430 High-Ranking Avian People

These were the forces that had succumbed to the two over the past ten days. All those beings who had ruled over others, the powers at the top of the food chain… all these beings were recognized as the cream of the crop… all of them had gathered for a singular purpose, to hunt and eliminate San and Biyeon. All these beings were mobilized to eliminate just two humans… however…

Those who joined in thought that the hunt would end relatively soon. However, the first ten to arrive in front of the two had been killed without even having uttered a single word. The following twenty were killed in an explosion and incinerated, leaving nothing behind. Only then did the sages realize that they were not the hunters but the hunted. The two’s unrelenting hunt of the sages rampaged on. Amidst the rampage, the human woman had told them about their mission’s title: Delivery Service.

For the sages, Councilors, and Avian people, San and Biyeon went above and beyond the combat power and strength that they associated with humans. All past information and data were rendered useless, and all the analysis and reports regarding the two were mute once they revealed their true power. The sages were powerless against the two. They were like fallen leaves that were being brushed aside with a broom.

During the initial phase, Siluone and Nakun had realized their mistake and started incorporating all the weaponry and beings at their disposal. They also used all tactics. Only after this preparation were they able to accumulate an end-of-days level of combat force. Any other Awakener would have died ten times over. However, even with all this at their disposal, the sages continued to be pushed back and slaughtered. They were unable to stop the two from advancing. Thus, these lofty sages and other beings started feeling fear for the first time. They no longer sought to attack. They were too busy trying to find a way to survive. Some had even lost their minds from fright.

Currently, the two were slowly advancing and making their way towards their destination. Siluone was still able to control the consciousness of the sages. However, the sages and Councilors were increasingly feeling a sense of chaos within them. Their natural reactions were constantly clashing against their orders. Siluone had continually updated the sages on the two’s physical condition, which had bottomed out long ago. Even so, the gathered forces had continued to avoid fights and clashes. They were already fully ingrained with a sense of ‘absolute fear’.

San and Biyeon were exhibiting contradictory auras of energy. At one end of the spectrum, the two gave off an aura of the highest-level beings that were created from Nectar, which made the sages and Councilors familiar with their aura. On the other hand, the two also exhibited an aura that was diametrically opposed to the first, an aura that could only be explained as one that would come from one’s mortal enemy. For the gathered forces, this amalgamation of diametrically opposed auras exhibited by San and Biyeon caused a tremendous amount of confusion and chaos. Furthermore, the two seemed to know exactly how to utilize the powers of these two auras to their limits.

San sharpened his eyes. Biyeon stared straight in front of her. They both saw a path leading down a small hill. They had almost reached their destination. It was the nest of the magic dragon Siluone. It was Sirid Square.

On the cemetery grounds of Sirid Square, a great many spires and sharp, pointy needles protruded upward. In front of the pointy objects were human-like figures. Far past Sirid Square, San and Biyeon could make out dark objects, large avian species, flying and attacking the Porato City’s walls. The war between humanity and these gathered non-human forces was in full swing.

The path of blood that the two had forged over the past ten days was starting to come to an end. Biyeon swiped up the hair that was falling across her brow. She took out a headband and put it on. The two’s speed quickened as they advanced forward. The oppositions’ forces also moved forward to meet the two. The opposition was an eclectic composition of beings. Did they like throwing away their lives? They looked back. The Original Being, a member of the Fallen, Loki, was still tailing them from behind. San and Biyeon thought that Loki’s persistent chase without engagement was starting to look cute and endearing. The two’s last round started in this manner.

***

“What the hell…” Miri, a member of the Outsiders, said aloud as she shook her head. Her eyes were red.

“There’s nothing more to say. Damn…” Namjoon added on as he audibly gulped. He ran his tongue against his lips. His lips were constantly drying out.

“It’s like they’re the gods of war. I’m pretty sure Kamije is observing what’s going on in a respectful, seated position,” Ogi stated as he fogged his glasses before cleaning them.

“To not be able to help… I didn’t know I’d feel so useless and helpless,” Lee Kang said as he stared straight ahead. He was squeezing his fists so hard that his fingers were turning purple.

“We have to do what we can do. The preparation for the Creator’s arrival has started. Also, we’re not combat-oriented like those two are.”

“What about Master?”

“He may show up at the end.”

“Maybe he won’t show up at all?”

“I’m sure he’ll make an appearance once it’s necessary. Anyway, our side is faring as well as it could be. We’ve already eliminated roughly 30% of their entire force. And that’s just with those two going off.”

“We put them in such a disgusting, unfair position. They never had a choice, right?”

“No, that’s not correct. Those two are above that. They decided to go on this path from the start. They never relented or gave up. Not even once! Even right now… they’re an entirely different breed from us.”

Miri started quietly sobbing. The four Outsiders became quiet. In front of them was a chaotic scene of battle. The entire Sirid Square became a brawling battlefield. The two’s battle, in Sirid Square, was juxtaposed against humanity's struggle, in Porato City.

***

“This is never-ending. Will I really be forced to bury my bones in this place?” Gibin said to himself with shortness of breath. Though he had overwhelmingly defeated the oncoming monsters, blood demons, and Councilors, his stamina had reached its limit. He hadn’t been able to rest, even for a moment, during the past three days. The monsters constantly piled in from all four corners.

Gibin looked tiredly at the oncoming group of armor-shelled monsters. They were monsters called ‘Tuk’. Though their height only reached his ankles, the lobster-like pincers that they possessed were strong enough to bend and cut metal. Furthermore, the Tuk possessed the jumping ability of a flea. If one’s armor was caught by any of the four talons on each of their feet, it would easily be torn and ripped apart. Once these Tuk jumped past the city’s fortified walls, even Awakened Warriors had difficulty containing them. Only more injuries and free-flowing blood greeted Gibin as time went on. 

Beside him, a Dong-Myung Clan’s explosive fire weapon sent out a column of fire. The monsters that had their skin and hair set alit from the fire started rushing towards the source of the fire. Gibin started wielding his short spear once more. A Dong-Myung Clan claymore-type explosive burst out. Immediately afterward, a Han-Sung Clan warrior jumped into the fray and started slashing the incoming enemies. A Dark Guild chemical bomb detonated in the air, sending pieces of Nectar all around the area. The enemies soon fell into a state of confusion from the sensory overload.

‘About half of our forces have already fallen. Around 30% of our Awakened Warrior numbers have also died. We’re running low on specialized weapons and our strength has already bottomed out.’

‘There're still too many enemies to count…’

The past twenty days had brought on a true war. No matter how one looked at it, this war was especially unique. Humans, who had always struggled against each other, had united and become one. When they first arrived, these separate human groups didn’t think much of the upcoming battle. They had each come to gain an advantage for their organization’s future. Though the emperor had specifically requested them to work together, they didn’t really understand the true meaning of his words. They didn’t understand why they had to fight to maintain the Poran Kingdom’s border at Porato City.

Then, once they saw the Councilors, an advanced Awakened form of blood demon, thrown into the mix, and once they saw their compatriots turn into these Councilors after succumbing to their injuries, everything changed. The warriors instantly felt a sense of deep individual fear and disgust. It was difficult to wield one’s sword against another who had, just a moment ago, fought alongside them their entire life.

Thus, the gathered human warriors’ perception started to change. The gathered humans started to understand what they were fighting to maintain. They were fighting to maintain their friends, their family, and humanity itself. They realized that the warriors of this world had gathered in Porato City to fight for humanity's continual survival in the world. Their warrior spirit and honor were reignited. Everyone felt a sense of togetherness as they fought for ‘humanity’s survival’. 

Since the beginning of the battle, the 7th Stage of Acceleration (users of five unique Awakened skills) Awakeners had taken the lead on the battlefield. There was Donghwee and Gihoon, as well as Hanyoung of the Han-Sung Clan. The human warriors had naturally formed a leadership structure under these formidable Awakened warriors. The monsters and blood demons continued to pour out from the northern front. A river ran past the city’s western side, across from which Sirid Square was located, so there was a natural barrier that prevented the enemies from entering from the west. 

“If things continue, we won’t be able to defend much longer. Isn’t there anything we can do?” Donghwee said as he sighed. Though he was a wielder of five unique Awakened skills, his entire body was drenched with the blood of his enemies and his body was riddled with injuries. 

“We’ve reached the end of our weaponry supply as well. If things continue in this way, we probably won’t be able to survive past tomorrow,” A Dong-Myung clansman replied with a bitter chuckle as he scanned the battlefield. He could see the newly appearing monsters coming down the northern ridgeline towards the city’s walls. 

“The real problem is those Councilors and sages. We need at least two Awakened warriors who can wield two awakened skills (4th Stage of Acceleration) to contend against each one of them. Where did those things come from?” Gihoon said as he bit his lips. Blood had already hardened around his lips. He was staring at the opponent’s leader, who was traversing the battlefield here and there while giving orders. Though there weren't very many of them, Gihoon could tell that they led the entire enemy force. Furthermore, these leaders were very smart. They understood each monster’s capabilities and strengths and used them to their advantage. Additionally, if the human side’s leadership changed tactics, the monster side’s leaders would counter immediately. Furthermore, once they recognized a weak point, they’d immediately move their forces to that point to gain an advantage.

“Someone or something is leading all of them. We don’t have any idea who that someone or something is. Therefore, we’re not able to make any headway,” Hanyoung said as he gulped. He was also riddled with numerous injuries and bleeding from all over his body. The three 7th Stage Awakened warriors had done their share and more in the battle. If these three hadn’t taken care of the Centipede, Archons, and other extraordinary monsters, Porato would have been overrun long ago. However, they were no match against sheer numbers. Even these three special, transcendent beings were hitting their limit.