I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

“Everyone, hurry with the rescue!”

“The monsters will be coming soon! Focus on the surrounding defenses!!”

The Ark of Meter entered the city, crushing the angel corpses that had been turned into bloody pulp.

As the rescue and escort teams emerged from it and moved according to plan, survivors hiding throughout the city began to rush towards them.

“Are you really here to save us?!”

“O God, O God…!”

People sank to their knees, sobbing endlessly at the hope they had barely found in this desperate moment.

But it was too early to relax.

Even now, the angels, hearing the commotion, were spreading their radiance, aiming for this place.

Could it be that they felt revenge for their kin being crushed?

Or did they simply disdain humans for resisting them, whom they regarded as mere prey?

Whatever the case, they had already identified us, who had entered the city, as their targets.

“Ga-ram, can you stop those coming?”

“Leave it to me!”

Ga-ram shot shards scattered on the ground, and the heavy attack caused the angels to fall one by one.

Still, the angels, letting out sounds of “kuung, kuung,” exhibited their determination to stubbornly charge towards this place.

The moment one of them reached out to me with a hand filled with magical power, I spun the spear I had been aiming at to deflect the attack.

-You insignificant… being…!

And that was the angel’s last gasp.

-Booom!!

The angel, impaled by the thrown spear, flew to the opposite side of the city, ultimately disappearing from sight without a trace.

Most of the ruins along that path were either punctured or collapsed.

The moment I realized I had done that, my stiff gaze gradually turned towards the armor I wore.

“…What is this output?”

The only difference from before was that I had switched out one mana core, but both the total amount of magical power and its instantaneous destructive force seemed incomparably greater.

Not to mention, it was thanks to Helkrai that I was able to clear the way to here… I had much to be grateful for in many ways.

-You… do you even realize that I have to bear this foolish power too?

But with great power came an equivalent cost.

Along with the numbness in my hand, Annabel’s sharp voice taught me that this attack was inflicting a considerable burden on me as well.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

-Pain is meaningless to me. However, if I frequently absorb power, there’s a risk of my existence becoming unstable…

“Still, thanks to my abilities, you won’t be obliterated just from the shock, right? Then I’ll ask for just a little more.”

-…You always act like this, you damned fool.

Even while complaining, Annabel never refused to help me manage the power, just as usual.

Thanks to her assistance, I could use the spear of ultimate power without burden, and as a result, I was able to fend off the angels’ attacks descending from the sky without difficulty.

“I’ve secured the base, Oppa!”

Amidst that ongoing battle, Ga-ram’s shout could be heard.

Realizing that the time had finally come, I stopped throwing and hurried towards the entrance of the wide barricade surrounding the Ark.

Though the barricade was made of debris from buildings scattered around, thanks to Ga-ram’s and Ja-seong’s abilities, it boasted thickness and sturdiness comparable to that of a castle wall.

-Boom, boom!

As the bodies of angels flying in to break that hastily built barricade smashed against the wall and were crushed, members who had brought boxes from the Ark began to set up the items inside on top of the barricade.

They were none other than ‘large monster weaponry’ manufactured and mass-produced in the Ark’s factory.

-Bang! Bang!

The installed cannons and ballistae began to spew fire from atop the barricade.

The bodies of angels struck by the attack were mercilessly torn apart and fell one by one.

Members who realized they could use the weapons to prevent their entry began to cheer one by one.

“Great, we can hold them off for now! Keep pushing!”

“Let’s get the survivors inside the barricade!”

The barricade erected around the Ark began to open up, allowing for the influx of survivors from the ruins, as the angel attacks gradually lessened.

“The initial assault was fierce, but… at least it seems this area is safe.”

“The first ambush was successful, but we can also say it was significant that the demons that were supposed to come this way have been wiped out.”

“…Although an enemy, that orc is a being worthy of gratitude in many ways.”

Members guarded the constructed barricade, focusing on protecting the survivors.

Still on alert for any unforeseen dangers, I stepped away from the barricade and approached Flang, who was looking down at the corpse of an angel nearby.

-Kaah, ah…!

No, it wasn’t a corpse; it was still alive.

Though its upper and lower body were split, it was writhing in that state, desperately trying to open its mouth toward me and Flang.

Yet, Flang did not immediately cut off its air supply but took the time to examine the body closely.

“Do you have any guesses?”

It was probably to analyze them.

She had repeatedly insisted that the most important thing in hunting aberrant beings was to analyze their condition first.

“Mixed race…”

And the conclusion drawn from it indicated that they were not aberrant beings like the demons.

“It’s difficult to discern since the entire body is twisted together, but there are characteristics of a mixed race scattered throughout. The skin is pale like that of an elf, with wings like a Zoin, and the muscles beneath the shed skin are similar to a beastman with exceptionally developed physical abilities…”

“…So, it’s a mixed-race aberrant between a beastman and a tentacled one.”

Whatever it was, it was not a being born normally.

As I contemplated that point, I noticed something descending from the sky towards my location.

Not an angel, but a Zoin…

It was Coco, the leader of the Zoin tribe, who had previously sent scouts.

“An army is gathering from all directions. They are presumed to be the demons I mentioned earlier, but many of them can fly, making it difficult to approach easily.”

“We don’t need to delve too deep. We just need to know how far they’ve come.”

As expected, the demons were also flooding in from all directions, pressuring and surrounding the city.

That meant that the dangers within this city included not only angels but also demons.

“And one more thing… from behind the army, a terrifying presence is approaching.”

“…What does it look like?”

“I don’t know. I can tell something is approaching, but the area around it is warped, making it hard to see. I’ve never seen anything like it. If we get closer, we’ll surely die.”

A presence that felt like it could sever our breath simply by existing.

As I began to guess what that meant, a presence revealed itself from behind, closing the distance towards us as if it had been waiting.

“It’s the Demon King.”

Merilyn Sutherland.

A loyal servant who once followed the Demon King and watched over him from the closest distance.

“Fortunately, it seems to be in the exact opposite direction from where we entered… But who knows? The fact that he has moved means there must be something in this city that provoked him, and it could very well come towards us.”

“So, we can’t relax just because it’s far away.”

Yes, encountering the Demon King directly, rather than another demon, was something we should avoid at all costs.

Since we never knew when the influence of the Demon King would reach this place, the time we could stay here might be shorter than expected.

“Please leave it to me when it comes to the Demon King.”

As I felt tension and pondered how to devise the plan, Merilyn placed her hand on my shoulder.

Her demeanor retained its usual confidence.

Despite the absurdity of what she said.

“Merilyn, you want to confront the Demon King?”

“I’ve served him the longest, so I know how to persuade him. I may not be able to change his decision, but I can at least guide his actions or slow them down.”

“No, even so, you said it yourself, Merilyn. The Demon King can no longer feel affection for his subordinates…”

Merilyn quietly patted my shoulder, which had been filled with worry.

I didn’t know what was in her heart, but at least unlike Coco, I saw no fear towards the Demon King in her.

Her subsequent response echoed this sentiment.

“Leave the Demon King to me, and you focus on your tasks, Woo Hyo-sung. Whatever happens, I will respect your wishes.”

“……”

Merilyn was perhaps taking on the most dangerous task among us.

Yet I could not stop her and ultimately chose to respect her decision.

Just as my feelings for her were strong, she too must have wished to draw the Demon King’s attention away from me.

“I’m going to plan the rescue now, so please gather everyone.”

Respecting her wishes, I entered the barricade and decided to gather the members there to strengthen the initial plan.

We had managed to repel the angels’ assault more easily than expected, and it seemed that the Demon King’s army was not immediately pressing towards this location.

The next step was to select specific rescue sites and determine when to leave this place.

“First, we’ve annihilated the angels at the east entrance we entered, and there shouldn’t be any immediate danger from demons.”

“We aren’t at a level where we can’t kill angels. While they exhibit a life force close to immortality, it’s not necessary to kill them. Our goal is to rescue, not to exterminate.”

“So we’ll just suppress them enough to prevent movement and focus on rescuing lives. What about the Demon King’s army?”

“We have ways to lure the Demon King, but we can’t control his subordinates. We need to be aware that we may clash with the demons as we navigate the city.”

“Now that you mention it, I think I saw some demon corpses while moving through the city. They were likely taken down by the angels who entered first.”

“That implies a hostile relationship between the demons and angels. If we take advantage of their fight, we might be able to rescue survivors in other directions.”

Step by step, we were analyzing the current situation and laying the groundwork for our plans.

The members, aiming to determine where to focus their search from our current position, began voicing their opinions one by one while looking at the map.

“The market area probably has no prospects. How about the residential area over here?”

“There aren’t many hiding places there, so there are likely very few survivors. It’s unfortunate, but…”

“Right now, we should focus only on saving as many people as possible. How about the prison?”

“It’s fortified and concealed. Given their size and wings, the angels that only roam the ground will likely find it difficult to enter, so there’s a high possibility that survivors are still there.”

“Under normal circumstances, criminals would be a low priority, but… there are likely many innocent people who were arrested during the process of quelling the uprising.”

Gradually, opinions were leaning towards heading to the Empire’s prison.

As opinions were exchanged, one member began to speak in a tense voice while observing the map showing the location of the prison.

“The problem is that the prison is located close to the Imperial Palace…”

Yes, the problem was that to reach the high-priority prison, we would have to go to the heart of the city.

Even the nearby areas were rife with tragedy, and the dangers waiting in the center would surely reach levels that refuse comparison to anything else.

Entering the Imperial Palace might be deemed more important than any other place.

“The Imperial family… if they are still alive, they may be in the Imperial Palace.”

Of course, I knew that the Imperial family was the cause of the current situation, but only a very small number of people present knew that.

If I were to share that news with others, it would surely plunge us into great chaos.

No matter how corrupt the authorities had become, they were still pillars that had supported humanity until now, and for some, they were still seen as figures of loyalty and reliance.

“I’ll take charge of entering the Imperial Palace.”

“You, the hero, are going directly to the Imperial Palace…?”

“Yes, I will rescue the Imperial family if I can, although the chances are high that it may already be too late.”

I had no desire to rescue someone who was essentially the instigator, but at this moment, I was in a position where everyone was focused on me.

I needed justification to head into dangerous areas, and determining the life or death of the Imperial family was a suitable justification.

“…Yes, we should prepare for the worst.”

The members accepted this, unable to hold me accountable for that.

Realizing that we had roughly come to a conclusion, I prepared to address them as they gathered their attention.

“From now on, let’s divide the active personnel into two groups. The entry team, focusing on the Imperial Palace and the nearby prison for rescues, will follow me. The defense team, which will secure the survivors’ safety from here…”

As I continued speaking, a gaze shifted beside me.

There stood the knight with a shovel leaning on his shoulder, who had been listening to the conversation until now.

“…Ja-seong.”

The Shovel Knight Nam Ja-seong.

The hero who had the greatest influence on the construction of this Ark.

“Can I ask you to take care of the Ark?”

“Leave it to me. I excel at defense.”

He was rated as the best among the heroes in defense, making him the most suitable person to take charge here.

Ja-seong, responding to that expectation, shifted his gaze from me to the girl who approached him.

“What worries me is that little one over there… Will she be alright?”

“I’m here because of you, oppa, so I have to stick with you until the end.”

Hero Yi Ga-ram.

The supporter who had approached me before anyone else, too young to be involved in such a situation.

“You wouldn’t tell me to just stay home and protect it, right?”

“I wouldn’t be that heartless.”

Even if it wasn’t inside the Imperial Palace, we still needed those who could help with the rescue until then.

As the decision to bring Ga-ram was made, expected figures began to gather around me.

“I’ll go too.”

Francheska, the protector of humanity.

As a being of duty, she had no choice but to take the lead on issues concerning the Imperial Palace, which formed the center of humanity.

“…Alright.”

I would undoubtedly enter the Imperial Palace together with her.

What approached me next were companions I was more familiar with than anyone else.

“We will join you too.”

“You too?”

“We’ve already concluded our discussion. Even if we can’t enter the Imperial Palace together, we can still focus on what you aim to do and assist with the rescue.”

The expedition members who had followed me from the extermination squad.

Sanson, representing them, spoke to me in a serious tone as I prepared to head into the most dangerous place.

“And whatever choice you make afterward, Hero, I will respect it.”

Even though I was only using the justification to enter the Imperial Palace.

Even if they would betray the being to whom they had pledged loyalty, they made it clear they would not blame me.

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“In a world like this, I’ve already prepared myself.”

There was no tremor in his voice.

Nor in his gaze directed at me.

“And in this world, you have gathered many people and led us to save those in this dangerous place. Following you is, in fact, the best way to continue our mission to protect humanity.”

That heart would never waver again.

As all the members saluted to prove it, Sanson stepped forward to represent them and spoke to me in a confident voice.

“Therefore, from now on, the soldiers here will retire from the Imperial army and officially integrate into the army under Hero Woo Hyo-sung.”

“I will follow you even if it leads to hell. So please, give us your orders, Captain Woo Hyo-sung.”

Not just a hero, but a captain.

What had started as a relationship to repay a favor had now turned into a title that signified absolute loyalty in this moment.