Episode 047
At the very least, this one train carrying the shield generator was completely engulfed in the Paradox Black Flame. A world where even the noise that should naturally be produced by a speeding train was burned away entirely.
I swung the gayageum at high speed, but what burst forth from it wasn't sound—only black flames, proof that the sound itself had been incinerated.
In the silence, blows were exchanged. The gayageum, which used to wail with grating noise and deliver powerful shockwaves, lost much of its force within this quiet.
The chanting—whether it was a sutra or a spell—that had strengthened Seo Yeonju and hindered my movements was gone.
And above all—
Those guys clearly had no experience fighting on a battlefield this silent. You could tell just by watching how they moved.
The gayageum and the spear collided. Unlike before, when the spear couldn't even touch it, the two now clearly struck each other.
"…"
Seo Yeonju gritted her teeth and shouted something, but instead of sound, black flames spilled from her mouth. It looked exactly like a monster breathing fire, and I let out a chuckle.
Even so, a rotten fish is still a fish—the power carried by the gayageum was still intense. But it no longer felt like it was crushing my spear the way it had before.
They strained desperately to produce loud sounds strong enough to overcome the Paradox Black Flame.
The more they tried, the more fiercely the black flames burned their sounds away and spewed out mana. And that mana flowed straight into my body, further strengthening my blood vessels.
There was no massive, sudden transformation like an instant awakening. But slowly, steadily… like waves grinding down a rock, or a lake drying up under relentless sunlight.
Little by little, the situation changed. Blue trajectories floating around my body unfolded in succession like a quartet and a canon, restricting Seo Yeonju's movements.
Seo Yoon ju blocked the thrusting spear while urgently lifting her leg to avoid the blue trajectory aiming for her ankle.
What the hell is this guy doing? She shouted that—but no sound came out. Nothing could be heard. Not even the sound of her own heart beating in this world of silence.
Her opponent didn't tire. If anything, the longer the fight went on, the more momentum he gained.
This wasn't normal. His attacks, defenses, and evasions were unbelievably sharp and precise.
He surged forward fiercely, then scattered like a spring breeze—only to strike again like lightning. With every exchange of attack and defense, the constraints on her actions tightened.
It wasn't that she was losing in raw mana output. If anything, Seo Yoon ju had the advantage there.
And yet, she couldn't escape. Worse, the longer it went on, the more dangerous it became.
A swamp. A carnivorous plant. A mousetrap. Poison. There were too many fitting words to describe her situation with just one.
The more she struggled, the deeper she was dragged in. If she stayed still, she'd be pulled under immediately.
The positions of the blue trajectories laid out along the tip of his spear grew more and more threatening. The more dangerous the trajectories became, the more attention she had to give them—and when she focused on them, the spear in his hands mercilessly sought out her openings.
Again, as she defended against a vicious thrust, even deadlier trajectories were laid down. The fight repeated this pattern over and over.
I know.
Even knowing the pattern, she couldn't escape. All that remained was the alarm screaming that this was dangerous. Irritated, Seo Yeonju plucked the strings of her gayageum once more.
Instead of sound, the instrument only coughed up pitch-black flames like phlegm.
He's getting stronger.
Just a little. Very, very little. But compared to the initial clash, the man before her—Yu Chanseok—had grown slightly stronger. It was almost imperceptible, but as the battle dragged on, his condition was clearly improving.
Seo Yeonju reflexively glanced behind her. For Lee Hayoon to fight, she needed to open her mouth and chant sutras—
Lee Hayoon's face twisted sharply as hundreds of talismans burst from her sleeve. The very same method that had bound Lee Se-eun.
No—that was something the captain had ordered them never to attempt. Seo Yeonju shouted urgently, but her warning had no chance of reaching anyone.
Hundreds of talismans positioned themselves around Yu Chan seok, instantly constructing a seal. At the same time, Lee Hayoon's face turned deathly pale.
"Damn it, Lee Hayoon! The captain ordered you not to do that!"
"There was no other way! I've got him pinned down, even if it's just for a moment—hurry and retrieve the shield generator…?"
The sound carried.
Just moments ago, there had been absolute silence.
From within the purple barrier stacked from hundreds of talismans—one that had held even the infamous Candy Lady in place for nearly an hour—the black-flame-wreathed spear tip emerged as it melted its way through.
It looked like a heated chopstick piercing a plastic bottle.
"Ke… hak!"
Lee Hayoon's body trembled as she vomited dark, coagulated blood. And beyond the melting barrier, Yu Chan seok could be seen grinning broadly.
Of all people, they tried this kind of cheap trick on me.
"You should really pick your targets."
The seal at the point of contact couldn't withstand the Paradox Black Flame and melted away. Then, black fire spread outward from the pierced spot, burning the entire seal to ashes.
Once again, a dense torrent of mana poured out. Since it was a seal powerful enough to restrict even Lee Se-eun, the amount of mana it released as it burned was enormous.
The mana in the air surged into my body, and with a grinding sound, my blood vessels hardened rapidly once more.
"Ugh… huff…."
That shaman-like bastard was neutralized the moment the seal broke. Now the only one left was Seo Yeonju, the woman playing tricks with her gayageum.
"One down!"
At my shout, the gazes of the Descendants of Dangun and the hunters fighting against them turned our way.
"Deputy Leader Lee Hayoon?!"
What they saw was Lee Hayoon, vomiting blood with the expression of someone on death's door. One of their leaders was completely wrecked.
No matter how intense their nationalistic pride was, there was no way morale could hold when one of their captains was producing fresh blood sausage from her mouth.
"Alright, let's head back to the library."
Once more, the Paradox Black Flame spread through the train, burning away sound. Seeing that, Seo Yeonju hurriedly brought her hands to her ears and did something.
The plan from here on was simple.
Target Lee Hayoon, who couldn't even stand properly anymore.
Then, Seo Yeonju has no choice but to protect them if she doesn't want to watch her own comrades die.
In a world without sound, she and I traded blows at a razor-thin margin.
By now, I'd grown a little stronger from the mana released by burning through the seal, while Seo Yoonju had to fight while also protecting Lee Hayoon.
Just now.
She brought her hand up to her ear. Probably asked for something before sound disappeared completely. And unlike before, her movements have grown more passive.
She's looking for an opening to escape.
I kept pressing the attack, then in a split second seized an opening and aimed my gauntlet at the shaman-acting bastard.
A small capsule flew out and embedded itself deep into his abdomen. Immediately after, I aimed my gauntlet at the outer wall of a nearby train car.
A small marker was engraved, and an anchor shot from the capsule lodged in his body, fixing itself to the wall.
A simple restraint device. If I managed to capture him alive, there'd be a ton of information to pry out.
Taking him along while escaping would be a hassle—
The bastard, who'd been trembling with a pale face, raised his ritual blade and stabbed it into his own abdomen. His mouth gaped wide, and Paradox Black Flame burst violently from it.
Because the scream he let out while carving into his own belly was being burned away.
That… that crazy bastard.
The capsule was embedded deep. If he tried to rip it out by force, his organs would definitely come out with it. But there wasn't the slightest hesitation in his movements.
Through the torn wound, his entrails spilled out. The capsule was lodged in them. As if he didn't care whether he died on the spot, he sliced off the portion of his intestines with the capsule stuck in it.
Immediately, Seo Yoonju scooped him up and leapt straight off the train. I muttered with a disgusted expression.
"Yeah, go. Go, you vicious bastard."
I had to let them go. There was no helping it. I wasn't in a position to chase them right now.
The remaining Descendants of Dangun were still targeting the shield generator, and just by numbers alone, we were clearly at a disadvantage. If I chased those two here, the odds of losing the generator would skyrocket.
"Let's finish things up here first."
Then regroup with Lee Se-eun in the Netherlands.
Having made that decision, I proceeded to wipe out the remaining Dangun foot soldiers on the train.
The sword Lee Se-eun swung exploded, and an entire building vanished without a trace. From within that explosion, a figure leapt out and unleashed a storm of arrows, turning the street where Lee Se-eun stood into something resembling a bombed-out battlefield.
Most of Hamburg was already reduced to ruins. It looked as though a nuclear weapon had gone off—craters gouged everywhere, collapsed buildings, shattered streets. If someone said this devastation was caused by just two people, no one would believe it.
"What are you?"
Lee Se-eun drew her greatsword and demanded the man's identity.
"I lead the Descendants of Dangun."
That much, she'd already guessed. Someone of his caliber wouldn't be serving under anyone else.
"How about using that power for something that actually helps humanity?"
As she spoke, Lee Se-eun checked the condition of her body and equipment.
She still had plenty of mana.
Strength enhancement, acceleration, mana amplification, shock mitigation, rapid healing, mana resistance…
All the functions of the equipment she'd secured as a partner hunter were operating normally. But just like her, the uniformed archer standing before her was also making use of a wide variety of gear.
This… I'm being pushed back.
That was the biggest problem of all. Lee Se-eun was losing ground. It wasn't a completely one-sided fight—but there was no denying she was at a disadvantage.
"Helping humanity, huh."
The man holding the bow slowly scanned the surroundings before speaking.
"We've already wiped out about eighty percent of Hamburg."
"That's because of you."
She didn't have the luxury of worrying about collateral damage. Thankfully, thanks to the sarin gas he and his underlings had spread, civilians had already evacuated—so there were no casualties.
Someone at Lee Se-eun's level wouldn't be affected by sarin gas anyway.
"I never intended to kill you from the start."
"What are you trying to say?"
At her words, the man twirled an arrow in one hand as he continued.
"Our Descendants of Dangun are proud of you. You're proof that the Korean people are superior."
Meaning, he'd only planned to restrain her from the beginning.
The greatsword Lee Se-eun hurled tore through the air with a shriek and exploded, creating yet another massive crater.
"Don't tell me you actually believe that nonsense?"
At her question, the man in uniform replied,
"That Hwanguk ruled all of Eurasia sixty thousand years before Christ, and that submarines, printing presses, and telephones were developed and used back then?"
He laughed.
"You'd have to be out of your mind to believe something like that."
"Then why—?"
"Does it matter whether I believe it or not? What matters is that the people who do believe it follow me. And because of that belief, they share in my grand dream."
Lowering his bow, the man continued,
"Belief doesn't need proof. You just believe. And that's what's important."
"You're a con artist."
"No. I'm nothing more than a patriot who puts national interest above all else."
He smacked his tongue softly.
"Things aren't going well again, huh. I'll be taking my leave."
"Like hell you will—!"
After unleashing a sudden barrage of arrows at Lee Se-eun, the uniformed man vanished. Left staring at the devastated ruins of Hamburg, Lee Se-eun's expression hardened.
She drove her greatsword into the ground and squeezed her eyes shut.
"This is humiliating."
She was alive only because that bastard hadn't intended to kill her. There was a clear gap in ability between her and the man who'd just disappeared.
For now, she shoved her shame and anger aside and headed toward the Netherlands.