NOVEL NEXT Chapter 223
Chapter 223. The Root of All Evil (3)
The Omega Team Leader wasn’t dead.
Though subdued more easily than expected, the initial goal of getting out of the facility was achieved.
The core of the eastern offensive, the Black Dragon and Hasti, were subdued. The Black Dragon was dead, and Hasti was severely injured. The Omega Team Leader was also wounded, but…
Cernunnos had fallen.
Not dead, though. Siegfried’s sudden dive attack had struck its head, leaving it furious and bleeding profusely.
Operator Siegfried stared at the grotesque deer god, Cernunnos, covered in vines and moss. How it was summoned remained a mystery.
Swoosh.
Siegfried shook the blood off his greatsword.
“Disgusting and hideous. A nature god with such pride, reduced to a hunting dog for the Foundation’s rebels.”
“Foolish words. Who imprisoned me, and who freed me? Adversary, who are you? Can you answer?”
“Superhuman.”
“Looking at you, I’m reminded of the ancient heroes who stood against gods and monsters. Are you a bard?”
The forest and radioactive fallout concealed Siegfried, but he couldn’t let his guard down. He charged again.
Cernunnos roared.
The swordsman was fast, but the monster was equally swift. Cernunnos extended its massive arm, the ancient god’s hand reaching for the swordsman.
Clang!
Blood dripped from Cernunnos’ arm.
The massive monster’s claw was bluntly severed, and divine blood seeped from beneath the moss covering its body.
A deer god? Siegfried pondered. Tentacles and extra eyes protruded from Cernunnos’ body.
More like a grotesque monster with a deer skull on top. Siegfried climbed the monster’s arm, aiming for the neck beneath the deer skull.
At least, what he assumed was the neck.
This was practically a suicide mission. At least, that’s how Siegfried saw it.
Sending just two people to face hundreds of Foundation soldiers in a fallout zone where an atomic bomb had just dropped? It made no sense.
It was only natural to see it as a suicide mission.
But it wouldn’t be a meaningless sacrifice.
Killing the Black Dragon and Cernunnos would weaken Dr. Kim’s power. Taking down the enemy’s strongest weapons would ensure the failure of the assault on Facility No. 1.
So, they had to fight. To ensure Siegfried’s death wasn’t in vain, he had to defeat this monster.
Cernunnos’ tattered arm hung limp. Inside the deer skull, multiple crimson eyes stared at Siegfried.
“It’s over, monster.”
“There is no end. This place is now a sacred ground drenched in my blood, where my garden will grow. Even if you kill this avatar, nothing will change.”
Siegfried swung his sword again, scattering vines, moss, and blood. But…
“卍.”
This time, Siegfried’s sword traced a near-perfect circle, shattering the massive horned skull Cernunnos wore like a helmet.
The Walpurgis Team Leader stared at the monster that had just fallen from the sky. A Foundation soldier who had taken down Cernunnos in a single strike.
Likely a high-level combat asset.
[Cernunnos down. Repeat. Cernunnos down.]
[This is Walpurgis-3. Engage?]
[Engagement prohibited.]
[Walpurgis-1. Engagement prohibited. Risk of instant annihilation. Hero en route. Maintain survival status.]
The western offensive was thinly manned.
Few armored vehicles. The Walpurgis Special Forces, still haunted by their near-annihilation by Dr. Kim weeks ago, were hesitant to act.
Not falling for it twice.
Siegfried stood atop Cernunnos’ fallen body. Whether it was truly dead was unclear, but it wasn’t moving. At least combat ineffective.
Siegfried looked up, then swiftly hid among the newly grown trees.
“Witches. I see you.”
Walpurgis didn’t respond. They just fled further and hid more securely. A proper hero was approaching the scene.
“Traitors, are you? You—”
Boom! With a deafening roar and dust.
A hero in silver armor, a red cape fluttering, landed before Siegfried. A human-sized greatsword pointed at him.
“O gods, grant me the strength to slay my foe.”
The prayer didn’t continue. Siegfried swung his sword immediately.
Clang! The hero, Ahn Yuri, blocked the strike. The enemy before her was strong.
But compared to the enemies she’d faced before, or even Nanami from the Seoul Branch training, this was nothing.
Siegfried’s swings didn’t create sonic booms. They didn’t nullify abilities like the Spear of Longinus or manipulate reality like Jörmungandr.
Weak.
The witches’ enhancement magic enveloped the hero. A halo appeared above her head.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Siegfried’s third strike hit the hero’s helmet, but she was unharmed. The two swordsmen stared at each other in disbelief. Was there even a need to fight with swords…?
“Huh.”
“Ah.”
The better swordsman was already decided. But so what?
Even if Siegfried won the sword fight, his blade couldn’t pierce the hero’s armor. She sheathed her sword and simply grabbed Siegfried’s blade with her armored gauntlet.
Thwack!
The hero punched Siegfried in the face.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Siegfried’s sword flew far away.
The hero realized.
There was no need to compete in swordsmanship or struggle with a sword. A steel blade couldn’t pierce steel armor.
At least in this situation.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Siegfried raised his guard, but the sheer difference in strength was too great. His swordsmanship was superior, but…
So what?
It was an anticlimactic ending.
The hero couldn’t match Nanami’s swordsmanship, let alone Siegfried’s. It was impossible from the start.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Siegfried’s helmet shattered under the hero’s fist. Should’ve worn magic-enhanced full plate armor, idiot.
The hero grabbed Siegfried, then slammed him into the ground with all her might.
This time, blood splattered on the hero’s helmet.
[This is Walpurgis-1. The western offensive has subdued the enemy operator. Resuming the assault on Facility No. 1.]
[This is western offensive command. Confirmed.]
The Walpurgis Special Forces dramatically surrounded the already fallen Siegfried. The witches’ cloaks fluttered as they arrived late.
Northern offensive.
The Moon of Seoul Special Forces successfully hijacked a 1,000-ton truck. The truck was charging toward the gates of Facility No. 1.
That massive gate was one of Facility No. 1’s core structures, and large trucks frequently moved in and out.
Few obstacles remained to hinder the operation.
A vehicle barrier and a few layers of barbed wire were in place, but they couldn’t stop a 1,000-ton truck.
An Abrams tank is only 80 tons.
Should’ve saved a nuke.
Nanami watched as anti-tank rockets and machine gun fire flew toward the truck.
The defenders of Facility No. 1, finally grasping the situation, were making a last-ditch effort.
Like shooting BB pellets at an elephant. To stop this 1,000-ton truck, you’d need a nuke or a bunker buster.
The truck wasn’t slow. Moving at a speed comparable to a running person, the Special Forces and Nanami, clinging to the truck, braced for the impact as they neared the gate…
A massive crash.
The Foundation’s 1,000-ton truck slammed into the iron gate, the sound of tearing metal echoing. The truck didn’t stop, continuing to push the gate.
The iron gate was enormous. Over 10 meters in height and width, a massive bunker door.
The gate only bent slightly. From the start, they didn’t expect it to shatter completely. But they hoped it would open enough for people to pass.
A few Foundation soldiers from the Seoul Branch used ultra-high-temperature flamethrowers to scorch the gate’s edges. The barbed wire began to melt, and the gate continued to bend.
With a cracking sound, the gate finally bent enough to create a hole large enough for people to pass through.
The walls of Facility No. 1 were breached.
From afar, a multiple rocket launcher fired its second salvo.
Everyone on the offensive knew what this meant. The target facility’s outer walls were breached.
While the enemy’s attention was diverted, they would use every means possible to infiltrate the facility.