By Zephyria Running, Yohan poured as much purification as possible into Lee Hyun-muk. Even as that happened, monstrous roars surged from all sides, and impacts repeatedly struck the ice wall. Following the ice passage, they instantly broke through half the distance to their target. But the problem started now. Before they could fully break through the path, the ice wall collapsed with a crash. Monsters, whose shapes were impossible to even guess, poured into the passage, howling.
“Yohan-ssi!”
As Lee Chan-ha quickly cast a barrier shimmering with blue energy, Yohan also placed a sphere of light over it. Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-muk, having barely regained his senses, cast a brief glance at Yohan before throwing himself out of the barrier.
CRACKLE! ROOOAR!
Terrifying lightning strikes poured forward indiscriminately. The monsters that had surged forward burned black and convulsed. Monsters not yet dead were felled by Yoon Seung-ryong’s toxic miasma. Sparks occasionally flew, but they were blocked by Lee Chan-ha’s barrier, causing no damage. When Joo Ho-young froze a melting monster, another monster that rushed in slipped and fell. Seo Yakrin pushed them away with psychokinesis. Either way, it was a fierce and desperate battle.
Because they were inside the sphere of light Yohan maintained, everyone’s contamination level progressed slowly. However, the problem was the sheer volume of monsters pouring in. At this rate, Yohan’s purification power would run out before they reached their destination. Lee Hyun-muk, observing the ceaseless stream of monsters, the distance, and Yohan, made a calculation and gave his next order.
“Seo Yakrin.”
“Got it!”
Seo Yakrin dashed out of Yohan’s purification range. A merciless psychokinetic storm swept through the monsters. As the contamination level surged instantly, Seo Yakrin’s eyes glowed red. Crack, crunch…! Her body swelled, and soon, large wings burst forth from her back.
Aaaaaaaargh! You sons of bitches! Die, all of you!
A roar filled with rage echoed. Seo Yakrin took flight in the form of a monster with multiple legs and wings. A dark golden psychokinetic storm savagely tore through the surroundings. The other team members covered the areas Seo Yakrin missed, half-lost to her rage. Occasionally, parts of Yoon Seung-ryong or Joo Ho-young’s bodies were swept away by the chilling psychokinetic storm, but they regenerated quickly. The psychokinesis also struck Lee Chan-ha’s barrier fiercely, but fortunately, it held firm.
With Yohan safely protected under Lee Chan-ha’s barrier, the team members unleashed their attacks without reservation. The firepower was incomparable to last time.
However, as expected, the sheer, overwhelming number of monsters was the problem.
Unable to withstand the contamination, Seo Yakrin, with more wings sprouted, began attacking her allies. Lee Hyun-muk ruthlessly scorched her wings with lightning, severing them. Seo Yakrin, having re-entered Yohan’s purification range and regained some semblance of sanity, dashed out again. This repeated three times.
Lightning like countless spears, extreme poison like crashing waves, a chilling cold that slowed the monsters’ movements, and ferocious psychokinesis that devastated the vicinity. Despite all this, the closer they got to the core, the more insane the onslaught of sheer numbers became. The air was filled with foul breaths, acidic bodily fluids, and eardrum-shattering monstrous roars.
The attacks of monsters that endured the onslaught like a downpour and managed to crawl to the barrier became increasingly frequent. Despite constant regeneration, Lee Hyun-muk and the other team members’ bodies gradually became tattered. With each splattering of blood and flesh, whose it was unknown, Yohan’s hands trembled.
This is why Lee Hyun-muk said there was a high chance of failure, Yohan realized, lifting his sweat-drenched face. The veil of light shone even more brilliantly. Through the nightmarish forms of monsters pouring down like rain and surging like a tidal wave, he could see where the core was located.
“Team leader! We should retreat… no, should we…?”
Joo Ho-young shouted with difficulty, blocking several monsters with ice pillars that shot up from the ground. The water brought from the brine lake had long since run out, so he was using bodily fluid that flowed from the monsters. Or perhaps, the blood of his teammates. The shattered, dark red ice scattered in all directions.
“Not yet.”
At Lee Hyun-muk’s words, everyone advanced silently without complaint. Seo Yakrin howled and trampled monsters with her massive body, crushing them. But more monsters than she crushed clung to her, biting and piercing. They swarmed her colossal body like ants, crawling upwards. Lee Hyun-muk’s lightning struck above them. Seo Yakrin convulsed in pain from the lightning but advanced, filled with rage. The sight of blood and feathers scattering was simply horrific.
Yoon Seung-ryong spread a potent poisonous fog to block the approaching monsters. Lee Hyun-muk, who was outside the purification range, felt his skin redden and then recover. Joo Ho-young was the same. Seeing his allies constantly getting hurt, Yohan gritted his teeth.
Nevertheless, they were moving forward. Every time the barrier was completely covered by monsters, Yohan’s light flickered, illuminating the center of the Abyss and then darkening repeatedly. The toxic miasma and bodily fluids that splashed into the purification range disappeared without a trace. Yohan’s light still existed there.
Just a little more…
“Yohan-ah.”
Lee Hyun-muk called out to Yohan. Amidst the ear-splitting monstrous roars, his voice was strangely clear. Yohan tore his gaze away from the core he had been fixated on and looked at him. He didn’t know what expression he wore. It was simply one of utter desperation. Without Yohan saying anything, as if reading his mind, Lee Hyun-muk spoke.
“Alright.”
Yohan gasped, his eyes widening. Sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging them.
“Let’s try… a little more. We still have some strength left.”
Then, Lee Hyun-muk turned and showed his back. Shadows surged from beneath his feet and stretched forward. After licking his shuddering teammates once, they proceeded to swallow the monsters one by one. The onslaught of monsters, which had been charging madly, paused for a moment.
A carpet-like path made of shadow spread out. No, it was more like a bottomless cliff than a path. Yohan, gritting his teeth, overcame his fear and leaped onto it. Lee Chan-ha, breathing heavily, followed Yohan. His steps on the shadow path trembled.
Yohan ran with all his might, passing Lee Hyun-muk, Yoon Seung-ryong, Joo Ho-young, and Seo Yakrin. The monsters’ target seemed to have shifted to completely covering the core. They swarmed, using all their strength to shield and protect the core with their bodies. Lee Hyun-muk’s shadow licked and devoured like someone eating ice cream. The movement was chilling.
“Yohan-ssi, focus only on the target.”
Lee Chan-ha said from behind, pushing Yohan forward. Immediately, a dark blue energy flowed from his body, making the monsters hesitate. A potent illusion enveloped the monsters, affecting Yohan as well.
A colossal monster, so large its head was invisible, suddenly appeared and approached them with heavy thuds. Even knowing it was an illusion, the killing intent and presence were unbelievably vivid. On one side, lava rain flowed, surging as if about to strike. Or, the core, which had been perfectly fine, suddenly appeared elsewhere. The monsters howled and swarmed towards the intangible illusion, moving to the sides. A path opened. As Lee Chan-ha had said, Yohan only looked in the direction of the core.
Yohan felt the sensation of Lee Chan-ha’s body cracking and transforming behind him. He also felt Lee Chan-ha, who had collapsed to the ground, desperately grabbing his ankle. As soon as he used the illusion, Lee Chan-ha’s contamination level was rising at an astonishing speed. Despite this, the barrier that enveloped Yohan was maintained by his resolute will.
Just a little more, just a little…!
We’ve come this far, I can’t go back without doing anything!
Yohan desperately looked for an opening among the monsters clinging like sticky candle wax, protecting the core. The repulsive wall made of living beings, burned, melted, froze, shattered, and was ensnared by his teammates’ attacks, falling away from the core. Yohan didn’t even blink.
Somewhere, somewhere there’s a gap…
There must be…!
He heard the sounds of his teammates, no longer able to endure, letting out roars from behind him. Yohan, gritting his teeth, prayed inwardly. Please, please, please…!
Finally, at some point, a gap appeared among the swarming monsters. The moment Yohan perceived it, he thrust the tip of a spear, glowing white-hot, into the opening.
“……!”
WHOOSH! Brilliant radiance burst forth in all directions. Through it, a repulsive, tar-like flood flowed down, covering Yohan’s feet before bubbling and melting. I stabbed it! I found it! It’s right here! Yohan didn’t miss the chance and poured his purification power into it.