*
I felt like I was dreaming.
'What the hell just happened?'
Choi Tae-soo was watching everything with his own two eyes, but he couldn't tell if it was reality or a dream.
All the Mana around him suddenly disappeared, and the moment the moonlight fell, everything vanished.
The illusion that time had stopped, the feeling that the surroundings were cut off from everything for a moment, was so unfamiliar.
Would it be right to say that the dimension was cut off for a moment? He, who could say that he had been a Hunter longer than anyone else, couldn't understand the situation.
'What kind of power was that?'
The power dwelling in Kim Si-woo's sword was a different power than the Mana he knew, a warm yet cold, mysterious power that he had never seen before.
He wanted to ask Kim Si-woo what the hell he had done, but that wasn't important right now.
Even the Grim Reaper, who would normally nag him, seemed surprised by the situation and remained frozen.
'Right. It's not over yet.'
He had forgotten for a moment because the Mana around him had disappeared, but this was a hell gate due to the Gate mixing phenomenon.
As sharp Mana began to flow around him, he seemed to be regaining his sense of reality.
"Ah... Ki... Kim Si-woo. Is Si-woo okay?"
The Grim Reaper also seemed to have come to her senses and held Kim Si-woo, who was lying on the ground, in her arms.
His condition seemed more serious than he thought, so anxiety crept in, but when he saw his chest rising and falling slightly, he seemed to still be breathing.
Was this the price for doing such an absurd thing? His insides were so twisted that it wouldn't be strange to call it a pulp.
It was highly likely that it was a backlash from using a power other than Mana.
"Calm down and give him a recovery Potion first, Seung-ah. There should be some spare here."
"G-Give it to me quickly!"
Choi Tae-soo handed Yoon Seung-ah the luggage he had brought in advance.
"It seems the battle isn't over yet."
"What? Is that bastard still alive?"
Choi Tae-soo gently shook his head.
No matter how strong Lee Byung-ho was, it was impossible for him to survive that attack.
When he turned his eyes, he saw Lee Byung-ho's miserable corpse, the cross-section was so clean that he didn't even think it had been cut by something.
If the end of that sword had been aimed at him, could he have withstood it?
'It's hard to be sure.'
If he were to face that technique in his full condition, not in the current situation, would it be possible?
He wasn't sure about this either.
Of course, if he fought Kim Si-woo with all his heart, there was a high probability that he wouldn't be hit by that technique.
The power was definitely so great that even he couldn't handle it, but it still seemed to have many flaws.
It felt like Lee Byung-ho had waited for Kim Si-woo.
'He must have wanted to confirm it.'
The sincerity of the man called the next Kim Tae-hwan. To Lee Byung-ho, the man named Kim Tae-hwan was such a presence.
As the Mana gradually intensified, he heard people approaching, and Choi Tae-soo quietly turned his head.
"Haven't you given up yet?"
The Demons appeared densely, as if they had been hiding somewhere.
They seemed to have run far away to avoid being caught up in Lee Byung-ho's attack and then returned.
"Sh... Shut up!! What are you so confident about, you toothless tiger!"
Toothless tiger, his body was definitely not normal right now.
'But the concentration of Mana has also decreased.'
It seemed that Lee Byung-ho's death had an impact.
It would be easier with this level of Mana. The Demons in front of him didn't even reach the tip of Lee Byung-ho's toes.
__Udeudeuk, udeudeuk.
As he moved his body, the joints that had been stiff from the previous battle began to scream.
He was in the worst condition, so much so that he wondered if he had ever had such a hard time, but a smile spread across Choi Tae-soo's face.
No matter how toothless he was, a tiger was still a tiger.
Choi Tae-soo turned his arm and briefly turned his gaze to Kim Si-woo.
The Potion's effects seemed to be kicking in, and his face looked more comfortable than before. He realized after seeing him today.
That Kim Si-woo was the main character of the next generation.
So, shouldn't he, as a senior, protect that flame from going out?
"Come!!!"
*
An endless flood of monsters.
The monsters' corpses were already piled up like mountains, but their numbers didn't seem to be decreasing at all.
It was hard to find anyone among the Hunters fighting in the front lines who wasn't injured, and most of them were already on the verge of death.
"Damn it! Where the hell did Peanut go!!"
Kang Chae-rin was building a defensive line at the forefront to prevent damage, but it was clear that this wouldn't last long either.
In a situation where nothing but despair could be seen, an anomaly occurred with a huge explosion.
'The concentration of Mana has decreased?'
It was difficult to tell whether it was a temporary phenomenon or a permanent change, but it was clear that the pressure that had been pressing down on the surroundings had decreased.
Choi Tae-soo and Yoon Seung-ah, who were not visible now, must have done something.
She was already upset that only her grade had dropped, and her pride wouldn't allow her to fall behind the Grim Reaper any further.
Moreover, the current front line was in the worst situation, and it was time to create a variable.
The light of hope was gradually fading from the faces of the surrounding Hunters, so it was even more necessary.
Difficult things and impossible things were different stories.
The front line was being maintained without any deserters thanks to her and Choi Ah-rin, but it was impossible to imagine what would happen if one or two deserters appeared here.
She couldn't miss the moment when the Mana concentration decreased.
Even if it was a temporary phenomenon, she could create an opportunity if she aimed for now.
Choi Ah-rin seemed to be thinking the same thing and sent a signal to Kang Chae-rin.
Was she telling her to buy some time? Kang Chae-rin bit her lip.
"I'm also an S-Rank Hunter!!!!"
Had her pent-up frustration exploded? The dark matter that had been created like a wall spread in all directions and began to absorb the monsters' attacks.
Some Hunters retreated without realizing it due to the energy that seemed darker and denser than Mana.
The monsters didn't have such emotions and just kept attacking.
__Kwagaag!! Kwang!!!
Kang Chae-rin's dark matter, which was spread out so wide that the sky couldn't be seen, began to receive all the attacks like a shield.
"What's going on?"
"I... Is that an S-Rank Hunter??"
Everyone stopped attacking for a moment and looked around at the surreal scene.
__Kwang!! Kwagwagwagwang!!!!
The dark matter continued to fluctuate with the sound of explosions coming from outside. The surreal appearance was mysterious, but on the other hand, it aroused anxiety.
Because the shield looked unstable, as if it would collapse at any moment.
But this wasn't just a simple shield.
Even at this moment, the monsters' attacks that were hitting all sides continued to accumulate in the dark matter.
__Jureureureuk..
"Sh... Shit... When will Choi Ah-rin be ready!!"
The scale was different from the monsters she had faced so far, and with the addition of Mana, Kang Chae-rin was really having a hard time.
The dark matter began to fluctuate as if it would explode at any moment due to the continuous impact.
"I... I can't hold on much longer!!!"
Blood began to flow from Kang Chae-rin's face as her Mana circuits burned.
The blood flowing from her eyes, nose, and mouth showed how hard she was pushing herself.
Kang Chae-rin turned her head and checked Choi Ah-rin, who was floating in the sky.
Her sky-blue hair fluttered in all directions, and large-scale magic circles that she had never used before filled all sides.
She had given up on defense and was focusing everything on attack. Since the interference of Mana had temporarily disappeared, it was impossible to imagine how strong that magic would be if it was completed.
The problem was that she didn't know if she could hold out until it was completed.
'Sh...it!!!'
Even if she could absorb the opponent's energy, there was a limit. She had already exceeded the limit, so her body continued to be overloaded.
'If I absorb any more, I'll explode...!'
She was really at her limit now. If she lost control, the current dark matter was likely to become a suicide attack rather than protection.
"I can't hold on anymore!!!"
Kang Chae-rin had no choice but to release all the energy she had accumulated so far towards the monsters.
__Biiiiiiiiiiik!!!!!!!!!!!
A tremendous explosion that was so loud that her ears were ringing was released as it was, and a huge pit was created as if nothing had existed in front of her for a moment.
"N... No way..."
However, even though so many monsters had disappeared, monsters were endlessly rushing in beyond the pit.
Kang Chae-rin staggered and sat down. She checked Choi Ah-rin's magic, but it seemed to need more time to complete.
Now that all the barrier magic circles had been destroyed and she couldn't buy time, it was impossible to imagine how much damage would be done if the already injured Hunters had to face those monsters.
"I have to stop them..."
Was it because she had used up all her strength? She couldn't even stand up.
In a moment full of despair, she suddenly began to feel a cool chill.
"Is that... Peanut's daughter...?"
The air began to get cold as if it would snow soon, and dozens, hundreds of ice crystals began to form in the sky.
"Si-woo asked me to..."
In addition, the wave that seemed to cover all sides at any moment began to increase in size.
At the center of that wave stood Choi Tae-soo's granddaughter, Park Hye-ji.
"I'm ready too!"
And with the warm light she felt, a gentle shield began to cover all sides.
A small girl emitting radiance as if an angel had descended came into view.
'Jeong Soo-ah...'
It was not enough to deal with all the monsters, but it seemed to be enough power to buy the time needed to complete Choi Ah-rin's magic.
"Is a new generation coming..."