Chapter 681
Chapter 681
Dawn breaking over Neo Seoul was anything but beautiful.
The fierce battle against the monsters had raged throughout the entire night.
Humans desperately needed rest, but the monsters showed no consideration for such human circumstances and continued their assault.
The fighting that had lasted all night produced countless casualties.
The wounded were rushed to the rear, where Healers treated them or they drank potions.
After recovering from their injuries, they rested only briefly before returning to the front lines.
No one forced them.
They went back of their own will.
Because their comrades were still on the battlefield.
Because if they failed to hold the line, an even greater tragedy would follow.
The lives of more than twenty million people rested in their hands.
There was no luxury of lying comfortably in a hospital bed simply because they were injured.
Whoooom! Whoooom!
The portals flashed continuously, disgorging wave after wave of people.
Some were humans.
Some were elves.
They were reinforcements from the Steel Fortress and the Forest of Beginnings.
Among them were Urtian and Riala.
Urtian, the ruler of the Steel Fortress, had personally led his forces into Neo Seoul.
Raising his sword, Urtian shouted,
"Brothers of Neo Seoul! We've come to help."
"Waaaaah!"
"Let's go!"
The Awakened of the Steel Fortress roared in response to Urtian's voice.
Not to be outdone, the Dark Elves who had come from the Forest of Beginnings also burned with fighting spirit.
"We'll help too."
At the head of the Dark Elves stood Floa and Har.
The two immediately summoned their spirits.
Seeing that, every other Dark Elf followed suit.
Floa had brought every Dark Elf who had contracted with spirits.
The sudden appearance of the spirits drew cheers from all around.
"Waaaaah!"
"The spirits are fighting for us!"
Spirits had fought alongside them at the Steel Fortress as well, but ordinary civilians had rarely seen them.
Seeing spirits in person was an incredibly mystical experience.
Knowing that such mysterious beings were fighting on their side made the monsters seem far less frightening.
Whoooom!
At that moment, another portal shone brightly.
This time, High Elves stepped through.
Latrisha had led the High Elves into Neo Seoul.
Floa warmly welcomed her.
"You've come, Lady Latrisha!"
"Neo Seoul is in danger. Of course I had to come."
Latrisha answered calmly.
Though the World Tree Village and Neo Seoul were separated by a great distance, the portals had bound them together into a shared destiny.
They could not ignore Neo Seoul's peril.
Everyone except the minimum number needed to guard the World Tree Village and care for the children had come to aid Neo Seoul.
However, since the portals could transport only a limited number of people at a time, it would take longer for everyone to arrive.
After greeting Urtian as well, Latrisha and Floa headed straight for the battlefield.
At the second defensive line, the Awakened were fiercely fighting the monsters while using the prepared fortifications for cover.
There was nothing more to think about.
They immediately threw themselves into battle.
"Uwaaaah!"
"We're going in."
The Awakened led by Urtian and Riala cut down monsters as they reinforced the line.
The elves who had arrived later supported them with spirits.
Whoooosh!
The slicing wind created by the spirits shredded the monsters at the front.
The Fire Spirits rained down blazing flames.
When the Water Spirits soaked the ground, the Lightning Spirits called down bolts of lightning that electrocuted the monsters.
With the spirits joining the battle, the tide of war quickly shifted in Neo Seoul's favor.
The monsters that had been relentlessly assaulting the second defensive line were pushed back.
They had gained the upper hand in the war.
The spirits and the Awakened pressed their advantage even harder.
Standing atop the tower rising high above the wall, Kim Mu-young watched the entire battlefield.
"So reinforcements have arrived from the Forest of Beginnings."
He was not surprised.
Jin Geum-ho had already informed him they would come.
Accurate information was essential for running simulations through Accelerated Thought.
He carefully analyzed the newly arrived forces before beginning another simulation.
‘Something's wrong.’
Kim Mu-young frowned unconsciously.
The simulation showed Neo Seoul winning far too easily.
Normally, that should have been cause for celebration.
Yet he could not relax because of a lingering sense of unease deep inside.
‘Is this really all the monsters have?’
The area surrounding Neo Seoul was black with monsters.
Everything in sight was a monster.
And yet...
He still did not feel truly threatened.
After thinking for a moment, Kim Mu-young realized why.
‘No A-rank or higher monsters have appeared yet.’
Nowhere among the countless monsters could he spot an A-rank or S-rank.
The ones attacking Neo Seoul were all B-rank or lower.
That did not mean B-rank beasts were weak.
Even B-rank beasts possessed force fields capable of blocking most physical and magical attacks.
Still, they were not impossible to hunt.
An experienced hunting team could kill them, though casualties would inevitably occur.
From A-rank onward, however, it was a completely different story.
They were disasters.
The appearance of even one was enough to disrupt the entire ecosystem of monsters.
‘And not a single one has appeared yet? Impossible. Unless something is controlling them... Could there really be an individual commanding all these monsters?’
The thought sent a cold chill running down his spine.
If his assumption was correct, then Neo Seoul's current advantage was only temporary.
The moment the A-rank and higher monsters entered the battlefield, the entire war would be turned upside down.
Just then—
"ROOOAR!"
"GRAAAH!"
As though confirming Kim Mu-young's suspicion, waves of overwhelming Fear erupted from several distant locations.
Gigantic S-rank monsters had revealed themselves.
And there wasn't just one or two.
Five S-rank monsters had appeared.
Driven by the Fear radiating from the S-rank beasts, the A-rank monsters that had hidden themselves until now finally began to move.
"Shit!"
The real war was only beginning.
---
Zeon opened the door and entered the laboratory where Heavenly Punishment rested.
Jin Geum-ho lay upon the worktable at the center of the laboratory.
Only Seo Tae-ran and a handful of researchers remained by his side.
"Mayor..."
"..."
The researchers wept endlessly as they looked upon the motionless Jin Geum-ho.
When Seo Tae-ran had burst into the laboratory carrying the blood-soaked Jin Geum-ho, they had felt as though the heavens themselves had collapsed.
To them, Jin Geum-ho had been an iron man who would never waver, never fall.
Seeing that iron man broken before them left them unable to compose themselves.
Unlike them, however, Seo Tae-ran was calmer than ever.
She had already grieved enough.
She had cried until there were no tears left.
Now was the time to think about the future.
Her expression was firmer than it had ever been.
Looking at Seo Tae-ran's face, Jin Geum-ho smiled faintly.
"You... look... good."
"Mayor..."
"Never... lose your resolve... from this day forward."
"I won't."
"Good. Then that's enough. Let's begin."
"Are you really sure?"
"I am."
"..."
At Jin Geum-ho's calm answer, Seo Tae-ran drew a deep breath.
She turned to the researchers.
"Open Heavenly Punishment."
"...Pardon?"
"I'm going to transfer the Mayor's soul into the artificial brain."
"What...?"
"There's no time to explain. Just make the preparations."
"Y-Yes!"
Only then did the researchers hurriedly move.
Kiiiiing!
With the sound of metal mechanisms moving, the central section of Heavenly Punishment opened, revealing its intricate interior.
The inside of Heavenly Punishment was grotesque.
Constructed from processed remains of countless monsters, it resembled the living organs inside some monstrous creature.
At the very center rested a massive sphere combining metal and brain tissue.
It was Heavenly Punishment's artificial brain.
The core material used for the artificial brain was a golem's brain.
It had been created by processing the brain of an A-rank golem captured within a dungeon.
Unlike Samjok-o, however, Heavenly Punishment's artificial brain had been heavily restricted.
It had been placed under powerful seals to prevent it from developing a strong ego like Samjok-o's.
It had initially been unstable.
Only after Kim Hyun-soo of the Western District personally refined it had its stability been secured.
Seo Tae-ran said to Jin Geum-ho,
"Your soul will be transferred there."
"I couldn't ask... for anything better."
"It will take a long time. And the pain will be unbearable."
"Don't worry... about me. I can endure it."
Jin Geum-ho smiled.
Seo Tae-ran tightly grasped his hand.
She wanted to feel his warmth one last time.
His body temperature had already dropped considerably.
A little more time, and it would become as cold as ice.
Seo Tae-ran steeled herself.
The day she had sent Jin Geum-ho back to Neo Seoul while remaining alone in the World Tree Village...
She had obtained a new skill.
A flood of new enlightenment had poured into her mind beneath the World Tree.
That was when she realized...
The World Tree had granted her a new skill.
When she discovered what the skill was, Seo Tae-ran had been plunged into utter confusion.
She, a Martial-type Awakened, had suddenly acquired a skill called Soul Transfer.
True to its name, it allowed her to transplant a soul into another being.
At that moment, she instinctively understood.
Receiving such a skill was no coincidence.
One day...
She would inevitably have to use it.
The only person she had ever told about Soul Transfer was Zeon.
It was an unbelievable ability.
And an extremely dangerous skill that could never be used lightly.
When she had first obtained Soul Transfer, she had secretly hoped otherwise.
Because there was only one person around her whom she would ever wish to save through soul transfer.
Jin Geum-ho.
That was why she had stubbornly denied it.
She believed she would never have to use it.
But the worst had come to pass.
Now she had no choice but to transfer Jin Geum-ho's soul into Heavenly Punishment's artificial brain.
Soul Transfer required extraordinary precision.
Even the slightest disturbance greatly increased the chance of failure.
Absolute concentration was essential.
Just as Seo Tae-ran grasped Jin Geum-ho's hand and prepared to activate her skill—
Rumble!
A powerful tremor traveled through the floor beneath her feet.
Her expression twisted.
The shockwaves generated outside Neo Seoul had crossed the walls and reached City Hall itself.
Boom! Boom!
The shockwaves continued to batter the building.
The walls of Neo Seoul and City Hall would never collapse from mere shockwaves.
But to Seo Tae-ran, standing on the brink of the most critical moment, they posed a grave threat.
She looked at Zeon.
"Mr. Zeon."
"Yes."
"Keep everything quiet... for five hours."
"I understand."
Zeon nodded before looking at Jin Geum-ho.
Jin Geum-ho was looking back at him.
"This... will be my last farewell... as a human. Thank you... for everything. Please continue to watch over Neo Seoul... and humanity. Even from space... I shall watch your journey."
"You've worked hard all your life. I offer my deepest respect for your dedication and sacrifice. Thank you."
Zeon bowed deeply to Jin Geum-ho.
A man who had devoted his entire life to Neo Seoul...
Now intended to become a star in space itself in order to continue protecting humanity.
Zeon engraved the man's final image deep within his heart.