Chapter 671
Chapter 671
The news that an enormous number of monsters were advancing soon spread throughout all of Neo Seoul.
It was because not only the investigation teams, but also countless people active in the desert had witnessed the beasts' advance.
Those who had spotted the beast horde from afar hurried back to Neo Seoul, and through them, the rumors spread.
Neo Seoul tried to suppress the rumors, but it was useless.
They had already spread completely.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was that the beasts were advancing very slowly.
There was still plenty of time to prepare before they reached Neo Seoul.
A state of emergency was declared throughout Neo Seoul.
All Awakened were placed on emergency standby, and each district cooperated with City Hall to establish defensive lines.
Ordinary Awakened did not know, but the rulers of each district were aware that Neo Seoul's anti-magic power was not eternal.
It was only natural, because they knew that Neo Seoul's anti-magic power came from a dragon's corpse.
They had learned this only recently.
Jin Geumho had told them.
Afterward, they made contingency plans with the possibility that Neo Seoul's anti-magic power might disappear completely.
Though they usually fought one another over power, they united as one in the face of a common crisis.
Their experience at the Steel Fortress had been of great help.
Having already united once to fight El Harun's remnants, it was much easier for them to come together again.
Countless structures and traps were erected around the outskirts of Neo Seoul to block the beasts' advance.
An enormous number of people were mobilized for the effort.
Faced with Neo Seoul's crisis, there was no distinction between Awakened and civilians.
Even ordinary civilians with no abilities used vehicles and machinery to move structures and haul sand.
The people of the slums worked especially hard.
Unlike Neo Seoul, which was protected by its towering walls, they were directly exposed to outside threats.
The slum residents came out into the desert carrying shovels.
Thus everyone worked together as one, steadily preparing to stop the monsters.
Even so, everyone's faces were filled with anxiety.
The Steel Fortress and the Magic Stone Mine had often been attacked by monsters, but this was the first time Neo Seoul itself had been directly threatened.
Everyone feared this unprecedented crisis.
Even in such a critical moment, order did not collapse because they trusted Mayor Jin Geumho.
They believed that if it was Jin Geumho—the man who had built the colossal city called Neo Seoul in a world where everything had been lost—then he would save them once again.
Their faith in Jin Geumho was nearly religious.
No matter how great the prestige of the rulers of each district, none could compare to Jin Geumho.
Zeon stood outside the slums, watching the people.
He could see the slum residents working desperately.
Only now had they finally gained something called hope.
To others, they were nothing more than shabby sand houses, but to them they were precious shelters that could never be exchanged for anything else.
If the monsters broke through the defensive line, their homes would be destroyed first, and their families would die.
That was why they desperately erected structures and built defensive barriers.
Even so, the work could only proceed slowly.
Building structures on sand without any foundation was never an easy task.
Beside Zeon stood Levin, Lemura, and Brielle.
With worry written all over her face, Lemura spoke.
"If the defensive line is breached, the slums will be destroyed first, won't they?"
"We have to do everything we can to make sure it isn't breached."
Levin answered with a firm expression.
Levin possessed overwhelmingly powerful abilities.
Even so, he could not confidently say he could stop the tide of monsters all by himself.
Nor could any other Awakened.
After hearing that the beasts were advancing, Levin had flown out personally to see it with his own eyes.
The number of beasts covering the desert in black was beyond counting.
Even Levin had never seen so many monsters.
Brielle said,
"The World Tree Village, the Primordial Forest, and the Steel Fortress all said they'll help too. They'll join the battle once the beasts attack, so don't worry too much, Lemura!"
"Yes, Sis. Our Underground City will also do its best to treat the injured."
"You all be careful not to get hurt too."
"Don't worry, Sis!"
Lemura forced herself to put on a determined expression.
At that moment Levin spoke.
"The other places should be fine, but I'm worried about the district where the houses were built recently."
His gaze turned toward the outskirts of Sinchon.
It was the area where houses and buildings had recently been constructed using the sand hardening agent.
Compared to the other slums, it jutted farther out, making it especially vulnerable to attacks from monsters.
Perhaps because of that, the people working there looked particularly desperate.
Some looked as though they were about to burst into tears.
In fact, several children were crying bitterly as they shoveled sand.
Watching them, Zeon stepped forward.
Startled by his sudden action, Brielle looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"We need to put them at ease."
"Huh? How?"
"I'm going to build a wall."
"A wall?"
Brielle's eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
Zeon walked toward the front of the newly established district on the outskirts of Sinchon.
One by one, the people working there turned to look at him.
There wasn't a single person there who didn't know who Zeon was.
"Lord Zeon!"
They looked at him with hopeful eyes.
As the Sand Mage, perhaps he could do something for them.
The weight of everyone's gaze pressed heavily upon him.
"Hoo..."
Standing before the newly developed district, Zeon took a deep breath.
Fwoosh!
Grayish vapor suddenly poured from his body.
He had released Axion outside his body.
The Axion spread far and wide through the sand.
Those building the defensive line some distance away stopped what they were doing to watch, wondering what Zeon was about to do.
With everyone's attention focused on him, Zeon began raising his Dominion to its fullest.
Rumble!
The ground across the area shook as though an earthquake had struck.
"Ghk!"
"What's happening?"
As the sand surged like waves with Zeon at its center, the startled people hurriedly retreated.
Zeon imagined it.
A gigantic wall of sand rising before the newly developed district.
What was needed to turn imagination into reality was unwavering will and boundless imagination.
Rooooar!
The sand rose in a straight line, forming a wall.
One meter, two meters...
The wall continued to grow higher.
The people watching widened their eyes.
"My God!"
"What in the world...?"
A feat that would have required tens of thousands of people working together was unfolding before their eyes.
A gigantic wall of sand, stretching several kilometers in length, was taking shape in real time.
Zeon gathered all the sand from the surrounding area and used it to build the wall.
If it was too low, it would be useless.
To stop Large-Class monsters, it had to be at least twenty meters high.
It couldn't be too thin either.
It needed to be at least five meters thick to have any real stopping power.
Nor could it be weak.
The saying "a castle built on sand" existed for a reason.
Fortunately, Zeon knew a way to satisfy all of those conditions.
The problem was mana.
"Brielle!"
"Yes!"
"How many mana potions do you have?"
"How many do you need?"
"A lot."
"Just say the word. I have plenty."
"Take them all out beside me."
"Okay!"
Without hesitation, Brielle took dozens of potions out of the subspace inside her pointed hat.
They were mana potions made from the sap of the World Tree.
Each bottle was a priceless treasure beyond monetary value.
Zeon focused on the sand wall once more.
A gigantic sand wall, five kilometers long, twenty meters high, and five meters thick, rose before him.
It was a monumental feat that only the Sand Mage could accomplish.
As a result, all of his mana was exhausted.
Zeon drank mana potions one after another.
After drinking more than ten bottles, his mana recovered somewhat.
Once again, Zeon gathered every ounce of his Dominion and activated his skill.
"Diamond Wall!"
Rooooar!
At that instant, the enormous sand wall became scorching hot.
Like lava from a volcano, it turned crimson as unimaginable pressure was applied to it.
The people watching stood there with their mouths hanging open.
Rumble...!
Little by little, the wall began to change color.
Under unimaginable heat and pressure, the sand began to crystallize.
Quite literally, a wall of diamond was being created.
Transforming a five-kilometer-long sand wall into a diamond wall required far more mana than Zeon had expected.
He drank mana potions like water while continuing the skill.
"Ah..."
"It's a miracle. How can a human perform such a divine feat?"
"Lord Sand Mage is building a wall for us."
The people who had built sand houses and lived on the outskirts of Sinchon fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.
In the empty wasteland where nothing had existed, a colossal wall had appeared.
A gigantic wall made entirely of diamond.
Everyone was struck speechless by the unbelievable sight.
"I can't believe something so insane is possible."
Yoo Sehee, the owner of the Goblin Market, shook her head as she looked at the colossal wall that had risen on the outskirts of Sinchon.
What would have been impossible even for tens of thousands of Awakened working together had been accomplished by a single man.
It felt as though a god had descended and performed a miracle.
"Has the Sand God descended?"
It was so unreal that she almost laughed.
At last, the gigantic diamond wall surrounding the outskirts of Sinchon was complete.
"A... a wall."
"We're safe now."
"Lord Zeon built a wall for us."
"Waaaaah!"
The people erupted into cheers.
Even those building the defensive line stared in disbelief, shaking their heads.
"This is insane."
"To think even a Sand Mage could do something like this."
"He turned sand into diamond. I can't believe it."
They looked at Zeon with eyes full of reverence.
Overcome by exhaustion, Zeon collapsed onto the ground.
His head hurt so badly that he could no longer remain standing.
With the help of the mana potions, he had replenished his mana, but they could not restore his Dominion or mental strength.
He alone had to bear the price of wielding such tremendous power.
"Ghh..."
A groan escaped Zeon's lips.
The price of wielding power approaching that of a god was unimaginably severe.
A splitting headache, as though his skull were breaking apart, and pain that felt as though his entire body were being torn to pieces tormented him.
At that moment, Lemura rushed over and healed him.
"Cure!"
A brilliant light burst from Lemura's body.
As the pure white light touched him, Zeon felt much of the pain fade away.
Even so, his body still felt heavy, and it still hurt.
"Hyung!"
Levin helped Zeon to his feet.
Supported by him, Zeon stood and looked at the Diamond Wall.
Staring at the gigantic black diamond barrier, he muttered,
"I won't be able to do that a second time."