NOVEL NEXT Chapter 231
Chapter 231 – The End and The Beginning (1)
“We can’t afford to waste time. They’re attacking their homelands using the Gate, so we must carry out our mission swiftly. Even as we speak, people are dying from their assaults.”
As the bugs launched a massive attack using the Gate, the allied forces that had finally crossed the sea and reached the land of their stronghold began to move immediately.
Naturally, this multinational army, formed around certain major powers, started by unleashing their overwhelming firepower to clear the ground.
The barrage of missiles and shells was far too great for the bugs, despite their evolved resistance to firepower, to withstand.
“The real problem is that their main body lies deep underground, making it hard to strike.”
Kim Eunha, one of the Guardians dispatched from Korea, donned her combat uniform and gripped her weapon with a tense expression.
The missile strikes were merely a warning shot and a prelude. Ultimately, their true goal was to damage the bugs’ nest located underground.
Just like when Jungyoung’s Arin tribe crushed the colony-type bugs, they would have to go into the burrows directly.
“I heard the higher-ups aren’t even considering total extermination this time. They just aim to deliver as much damage as possible to curb growth and then gradually eliminate them with second and third offensives.”
A middle-aged man named Kim Donghoon, one of her comrades, conveyed the information he had heard to Eunha and the others.
Upon hearing this, the team raised their tension. Although they had been recognized for their talents and had undergone training in a special place, they were just ordinary members of society not long ago.
Kim Eunha was an ordinary university student, and the team leader Kim Donghoon had originally run a fried chicken shop.
Yet, the compressed experiences of the last few months had completely changed their lives and dispositions.
“So we don’t have to overdo it?”
“Of course not. Ultimately, what’s important is our safety. Everyone should prioritize protecting themselves.”
At her bitter smile, Donghoon nodded seriously. Afterwards, Eunha naturally grabbed the necklace hanging around her neck.
This necklace was not an ordinary item. It was an object imbued with special powers, not of this world.
‘Please protect us.’
Recalling the moment she received the necklace, she prayed to an entity she didn’t even know.
Not knowing who it was, but this entity was undeniably real and had a significant influence on the entire world.
Of course, since there were Users on Earth with residents in another world, she was aware of the truth behind this system.
She knew full well what kind of being she was, as well as the fact that the entity she believed in and followed might be an ordinary person in another place.
However, that wasn’t such an important issue. Ultimately, the world was divided, and regardless of who the counterpart was, in this place, they were a true god wielding supernatural powers.
The same went for others. At least those who had experienced it firsthand could never deny this fact.
“This is the route secured by the reconnaissance drones. Even though they’d be shot down without escort, we got some intel.”
“So you’re saying no one knows what’s ahead?”
“We tried various ways to observe, but in the end, if they deploy their magic to block us, our technology becomes useless, whether it’s sonar or anything else. So we can only make guesses.”
Numerous Guardians from various countries gathered.
The numbers were considerable. Even the advance team consisted of hundreds. The size and firepower of the army varied greatly depending on the country’s economy and technology, but since they were all humans, there wasn’t much difference.
Moreover, they were those who would follow the User’s orders. From the moment they were selected, they could communicate across languages after meeting each other, and most held a strong bond of “we are all one.”
“We need to go in and find out ourselves.”
As the British national Guardian explained the operation to the gathered comrades, he pointed to the large entrance of the cave displayed on the screen with a tense face.
This vast entrance, large enough for heavy machinery to fit through easily, was one of many pits leading to the bugs’ nest underground.
That pitch-black pit, shrouded in uncertainty, exuded an aura of dread just from being looked at.
‘But we have to do it.’
Among the people listening to the explanation, Kim Eunha squeezed her tense body, trying to recall memories from her training days.
She knew it was somewhat like being inside a game, yet it was undoubtedly the harsh reality.
“Everyone! Let’s go in! And bravely fight to achieve our goal. For all of us.”
Soon, the operation began. With the bugs’ offensive against their homelands continuing, there was no time to hesitate.
Afterwards, alongside the heavily armed Guardians supported by the allied forces providing firepower and technology, they reached the entrance of the nest without suffering any damage.
“They know we’re approaching. The troops responsible for defense are quickly gathering.”
“That’s a relief in a way. After all, it means they’re putting all their effort into defense instead of pulling any tricks.”
One Guardian, blessed with keen insight, closed his eyes and began to relay the vague internal situation of the cave as he sensed it.
The bugs had prepared to block them as though they were waiting. And upon hearing this, the team felt somewhat reassured.
Since they had been anxious about the bugs employing some extraordinary tactics, a simple battle seemed much more manageable.
“Let’s go!”
With that, they burst into the cave, their weapons drawn, ready to ward off the darkness with strong lights, scanning their surroundings.
Simultaneously, the bugs, already vigilant, recognized that intruders had penetrated their nest.
*
“…”
The ‘Core’ writhed. Like the colonies faced by the Arin tribe, the bugs that appeared on Earth also had a hive mind that controlled all their colonies.
This giant brain was almost identical to the Neural Body that Riena had personally slaughtered. It commanded the troops scattered across the world while directing forces to eliminate intruders within the nest.
Naturally, the specific being that served as the Assassin equivalent, pitted against Riena, was already being birthed under the Core’s influence.
This uniquely powerful being had never shown itself to the world until now. Its purpose was to appear at this very moment, seeking the greatest impact at the most crucial time.
Competition and evolution were concepts the bugs understood better than anyone else.
“There they are!”
“Respond calmly. Fire at will!”
The first sacrificial lamb was the advance team that had entered the nest. As they began to engage with the defenders inside the nest, they took down the charging bugs one by one, securing victories.
Truly, the united Guardians were quite powerful, and the allied forces armed with advanced technology reliably supported them.
The Users watching this spectacle assessed their chances of victory as overwhelmingly favorable.
However, this was precisely what the bugs had intended.
The numerous bugs that had been exterminated until now were simply bait to draw them deeper. It was a typical strategy of the bugs, willing to sacrifice their own kin for their goals.
“This place…”
“It’s dangerous. It’s an ambush!”
As the cautiously approaching allied forces reached a massive cavern carved from solid rock over kilometers, the bugs, perfectly concealed, finally revealed themselves.
‘That one!’
Amidst her comrades’ exclamations of surprise, Kim Eunha spotted it.
A special monster, enveloped in pristine white carapace unlike any other bug, soared through the air with its wings spread wide.
“It’s coming!”
As it dove down to launch an assault along with other bugs, a fierce battle broke out almost instantly.
Gunfire rang out in every direction as the powers of the Guardians erupted, and the fierce combat continued.
“Team Leader…!”
Amidst the chaos, Kim Eunha was pushed back by a strong impact and fell to the ground in shock.
That special enemy had ripped her comrade Kim Donghoon apart in one clean strike, crushing his head in its grip.
How transient and futile it all was. And terrifying. In that split moment, Eunha’s heart sank, her eyes trembling.
“Oh no, we’ll all be wiped out!”
“Retreat! Quickly!”
The advance team couldn’t cope with the strategy the enemies had prepared. The biggest problem was that none among the current advance team had the strength to fend off this ultimate variant.
The creature rampaged in their midst, showcasing itself as the top predator, resulting in the formation collapsing into chaos.
To capture it would require high-level cooperation and collaboration, but the other bugs rampaging from all directions thwarted this effort.
“Open the entrance!”
Thus, they were pushed back, retreating outside the nest. The bugs wasted no time and relentlessly pursued them as they exited the den.
The main forces watching this scene could not assist. Bombing would entangle them as well.
“Ahh!”
In that frantic process, one soldier brushed against a poisoned thorn shot by an enemy, dropped his gun, and collapsed to the ground.
Kim Eunha turned in shock to the fallen soldier beside her. If she delayed even a moment more, the pursuing bugs would tear him apart.
“Quickly!”
Yet, her body moved faster than her mind. She grabbed the struggling soldier and helped him to his feet.
Even with her body frozen in fear of the overpowering enemy rushing from behind, her heart could not be restrained.
“Ah…”
But Eunha had to pay the price for her action.
Because of her delay, she fell victim to the one with transparent wings, who swiftly caught up to her. She widened her eyes as she saw the enemy closing in.
The enemy’s sword swung mercilessly, unleashing a cleaving strike aimed to split their bodies along with the ground.
There was no time to block or evade, nor any ability to do so.
“!”
But in that moment, she was saved. A fluttering black cloak appeared out of nowhere, blocking their path and absorbing the enemy’s blow.
‘It’s him.’
Eunha recognized him. Back in her earlier days when she was a novice, he had once saved her when she tried to fend off bugs attacking people.
And that wasn’t the end. There was much she didn’t know, but even what was known told her that he was a considerable figure of renown.
A mysterious being who had appeared before any other Guardians and was expected to be powerful.
“It’s dangerous!”
Seeing the enemy rush, she shouted urgently. Yet, contrary to her panic, he effortlessly deflected the enemy’s strike with a massive sword chilling with coldness.