Chapter 57

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Lee Hyun-wook faced the approaching hell from the command vehicle.

The 'black fog' flowing out of Cheongryongsan was swallowing the city.

"Is, is all of that... really... bugs?"

Kim Se-hee asked from the back seat.

"Yes, it seems so."

"Ah, crazy..."

Like a swarm of locusts that devastate crops, these insects moved in a group, devouring everything in their path. However, the problem was that what they were devouring was not crops but the city itself.

'That's why they are later called by a certain nickname.'

Today is the day of their grand debut.

Why—ae—ae—ae—eong—!

The disgusting sound of their wing flaps grew louder as they approached, and the upper floors of the buildings they passed through melted away.

It was as if they were gnawing with their jaws, but it was so fast that it seemed to be melting.

"Crazy..."

The driver muttered and groaned.

It was a natural reaction.

Pressing the accelerator towards them was not an easy task.

Why—ae—ae—ae—eong—!

As the distance closed and the disgusting sound grew louder, everyone in the car let out a faint groan.

If the things they had faced until now were monsters that could somehow be brought down,

this felt like a disaster that could not be countered, inevitably sapping their courage.

However, Lee Hyun-wook remained calm as always.

'Although they look the most wicked on the surface, the method to counter them is very clear.'

That was why Lee Hyun-wook placed the fourth erosion factor last.

The Ironclad Poisonous Insects are a swarm of insects with metallic skin, maintaining a very close distance from each other and flying intertwined, forming a massive steel storm. That was their weapon.

'But what if a lightning bolt were to strike the center of that dense formation?'

Their hard shells—metal—are, of course, one of the strongest conductors, and inside, they are merely living beings made of flesh and blood.

In other words, they have the perfect characteristics to be electrocuted.

'...It's going to be a very interesting scene.'

Lee Hyun-wook raised his Mana Messenger.

"Park Jun-mo, are you ready?"

– Click—Ready!

Now, that 'lightning' is ready.

Lee Hyun-wook's gaze fell on the lead armored reconnaissance vehicle.

On the roof, where a machine gun or something similar should be mounted,

there was a very special item placed there now.

'The Thunder God's Mace, I'm looking forward to it.'

The Thunder God's Mace, a support weapon of the Master grade made from a Hero-grade item,

its 'tip' was aimed at the sky ahead.

"—Fire!"

The moment Lee Hyun-wook gave the order,

the Thunder God's Mace began to emit a bluish light.

Chi—i—i—ing—!

The spear named Indra's Blessing,

an enormous amount of electricity spewed from its tip.

They writhed as if about to scatter in all directions,

but were pulled together by some powerful force and condensed into a single point.

Thus, a massive electric sphere, like a blue thread, was born.

At that moment, Park Jun-mo pulled the trigger.

Jje—eong—!

In an instant, the world turned bluish.

The electric sphere shot out like a cannonball, hitting the center of the surging black fog.

Pa—ja—ja—ja—ja—!

The electric sphere transformed into a bundle of currents, spreading out like a spider web, traveling through the metallic bodies of the Ironclad Poisonous Insects, reaching hundreds of meters away—swiftly enveloping the entire swarm.

But this was just the beginning.

"Park Jun-mo, show me your true skills."

At Lee Hyun-wook's command, Park Jun-mo stretched out his hands and began to spread them wide.

Pa—ja—ja—ja—ja—!

The currents intertwined with the swarm moved with his gestures, spreading over a larger area.

Like 'volcanic lightning' striking within volcanic ash, it was a mysterious and awe-inspiring scene.

"Wow..."

The Ironclad Poisonous Insects, paralyzed by the electric shock, fell to the ground one by one.

"—Move quickly!"

Meanwhile, the steel company's formation came to a halt, and all troops gathered on the road.

Lee Hyun-wook also got out of the vehicle, surveyed the situation, and raised his Mana Messenger again.

"Now! Unleash all lightning magic!"

At his command, all the mages fired the 'lightning magic' they had prepared.

Jje—je—je—je—je—ng—!

Although not comparable to the Thunder God's Mace, over a dozen lightning spells were fired simultaneously, creating a loud noise.

Then, various items with lightning effects obtained from the government armory were all put to use.

The soldiers fired arrows enchanted with electric properties,

and the mages sent 'shock bombs' and other consumable items using wind magic,

Captain Goh Jin-han, as the artillery commander, fired 'lightning shells' indiscriminately.

And Lee Hyun-wook also fired a 'Wind Arrow'.

Swoosh—

The moment it reached the center of the Ironclad Poisonous Insects—

'Lightning Release—!'

The skill of the Wind Arrow, with its potential unleashed, released a burst of lightning, instantly electrocuting dozens of them.

Pa—ja—ja—ja—ja—!

As a result, more than half of the Ironclad Poisonous Insects were swept away by the lightning storm, stopping their wing flaps and falling helplessly.

Thud—thud—thud—thud—thud—

The sound of the metal bodies hitting the ground echoed loudly.

This was truly an incredible level of area-of-effect lightning attack, something that could never be achieved by a single company.

"This... is no joke..."

Lee Hyun-wook muttered in surprise.

Honestly, until yesterday, he had no intention of facing this 'final event' head-on.

Originally, confronting these things directly was madness. If they were swept away, it would mean total annihilation...

So he planned to wait until the 'reinforcements' from all over Seoul arrived.

However, as you can see, they succeeded in repelling the swarm with firepower.

'The government armory and Park Jun-mo's awakening, these two factors made it possible.'

Thanks to these two favorable conditions, it was possible.

The swarm of Ironclad Poisonous Insects eventually dispersed and scattered in all directions.

"Hey! They're retreating!"

"Ah, it's done!"

On the asphalt, the countless survivors trembled and made disgusting sounds, and the gunners approached cautiously with the tanks in the lead, shooting them one by one.

Meanwhile, a bus, presumably carrying civilians, entered the steel company's formation.

"It's safe now! We'll protect you!"

That's how the situation ended.

'But it's too early to let our guard down.'

The Ironclad Poisonous Insects had a clear weakness, but their strength was also clear.

'Their numbers are more than during the Hell Let event, and they replenish quickly.'

He continued to watch Cheongryongsan.

From that gate, countless insects must still be pouring out.

"An Min-tae, that's enough. Take care of the civilians and prepare to retreat. They'll come back."

"Understood."

As Lee Hyun-wook said, the swarm that had scattered began to regroup in the distance.

Still in enormous numbers, they looked like dark clouds from a distance.

Lee Hyun-wook thought this moment was even more dangerous.

'They'll be back soon. And... if it turns into a war of attrition, we'll be at a disadvantage. We need to leave within 10 minutes.'

He looked at Park Jun-mo.

"Ugh..."

He was drinking a 'Mana Recovery Potion' and exerting his current control, but he was bleeding from the nose, possibly from overexertion.

Not only Park Jun-mo, but almost all the lightning weapons used just now were in cooldown.

In other words, if they were to face them again now, they would not be able to win.

"That swarm is infinite! If you don't want to be eaten, prepare to move as quickly as possible!"

An Min-tae shouted loudly, urging quick action.

But then...

"—Hey? Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, look over there!"

Choi Tae-yong shouted, pointing somewhere.

"That swarm is already... coming back!"

"—What?"

Lee Hyun-wook was also taken aback by this.

He turned his head to look in the direction of Cheongryongsan.

"Damn..."

Sure enough, a line of black fog was extending from that area, spreading towards them.

At least twice as many as they had just defeated were flying at an incredible speed.

Given the current state, having already unleashed their firepower once, it was impossible to face such numbers.

'They're much faster than expected. Why...?'

Ironclad Poisonous Insects live in groups, so it's natural for them to act collectively when one of their kind is attacked.

But something was wrong here.

Even if monsters ignore natural laws, there is usually some 'process'.

For example, a surviving individual might return to the nest and send a signal that they were attacked...

'Monsters have a clear mechanism for their actions.'

But for the 'nest' to react just a few minutes after the battle began was impossible.

Then...

'Indeed... there must be a summoner nearby.'

Lee Hyun-wook realized that a special case, like the 'Devil's Bell' in the past, was involved in controlling the monsters.

He turned his body and shouted to the entire company.

"Find a building with an underground parking lot nearby, immediately!"

"Understood!"

"No! Even if there's no parking lot, find a place to hide, even if you have to abandon the vehicles!"

Lee Hyun-wook corrected his order.

He had to take a bold loss.

If they remained complacent, it would mean total annihilation.

'I was too relaxed...'

He had planned to quickly attack and retreat to rescue the civilians on the bus.

'But they're acting so quickly and extremely...'

He even wondered if he should have ignored the sacrifice of the civilians.

'No, if Park Jun-mo and I use all our strength, we can somehow drive them away.'

He had overcome countless crises in his previous life.

This life was going smoothly, but it was unrealistic to think he wouldn't face any crises.

Several scenarios crossed his mind,

and he soon concluded that it was possible.

But then, a bluish light descended on his face.

Rumble—

He turned his head to follow the source of the light.

"Huh?"

At that moment, a thick beam of light fell from the sky.

Jje—e—e—eong—!

It was a teleportation.

Everyone, who had been moving busily, stopped in surprise and slowly backed away.

Soon, several figures began to walk out from within the beam of light.

Thud—thud—

The face of the leader was revealed.

'General Choi Jeong-cheol?'

Archmage Choi Jeong-cheol stood there, holding a large metal staff.

Behind him, the elite members of AMT, such as Kim Gang-seok, Seo Eun-ha, and Choi Young-jun, were visible.

"Oh, right..."

They had agreed to join forces to find the erosion factors first and were sharing coordinates in real-time.

But upon hearing that a large-scale battle was taking place here, they seemed to have immediately used teleportation.

'Using so much mana so boldly... but it's perfect timing.'

General Choi Jeong-cheol smiled at Lee Hyun-wook.

"...The Steel Company has led us to the final moment."

Lee Hyun-wook saluted him.

He nodded and raised his staff, tilting it forward.

He was pointing at the area near Cheongryongsan, where the Ironclad Poisonous Insects were emerging.

"Lee Hyun-wook, is the erosion factor hidden in that small hill behind those buildings?"

"Yes, based on all the evidence, it seems certain."

"Hmm... It seems to be acting like an additional event, so we need to calm it down a bit."

Choi Jeong-cheol turned to look at Kim Gang-seok.

"1st Battalion Commander, it might get a bit hot, so tell the troops to take cover."

At his words, Kim Gang-seok turned and shouted.

"All troops take cover! Beware of the heat storm—!"

His voice was as loud as his large build.

Following his command, all the troops took cover in alleys and trucks.

Then, Choi Jeong-cheol began to move forward alone.

Despite being a brigade commander walking alone towards the swarm of monsters, no one followed.

Not because they were afraid of the monsters, but because they were worried about being caught in his skill.

Of course, only Kim Gang-seok and the reborn Lee Hyun-wook had seen his magic directly.

But even without experience, Choi Jeong-cheol's one hit was so famous that anyone would react instinctively.

Why—ae—ae—ae—eong—!

The sound of the Ironclad Poisonous Insects' wing flaps was now closer.

But for some reason, it felt smaller than before.

The small giant Choi Jeong-cheol glared at them and raised his staff.

At that moment, a crimson beam shot up from the tip of his staff.

Zing—

The beam stopped in the high sky,

and energy concentrated at that point, forming a small ball of fire.

Then, that small ball of fire began to grow rapidly in size.

Goo—oo—oo—oo—oo—

The temperature of the space changed dramatically, causing convection and a strong wind.

'Could this be...?'

It grew to over 50 meters in size in the blink of an eye.

The massive fireball glowing above their heads... it could have been mistaken for a small sun.

"Ugh—"

Even from hundreds of meters below, their faces felt hot.

'Sure enough, it's Semi Armageddon, using all his mana to deliver a proper hit!'

Choi Jeong-cheol tilted the destructive ball towards Cheongryongsan.

Kwa—wa—wa—wa—wa—wa—!

The massive fireball, moving in a curve as if it were a satellite of the Earth,

and all the Ironclad Poisonous Insects in its path turned into piles of ash and disappeared.

Kwa—wa—wa—wa—wa—wa—!

It was a scene of destruction that the phrase "erased" did not exaggerate.

Even those not directly hit could not withstand the intense heat and scattered in all directions.

The swarm of monsters, which had seemed so threatening, was rendered powerless like a swarm of mayflies.

"Wow..."

General Choi Jeong-cheol's wide-area fire magic, which overshadowed the Steel Company's previous efforts, left everyone speechless. Even Lee Hyun-wook, who knew his skills well, was impressed.

'The firepower of an Archmage still surpasses imagination...'

Of course, the impact of Choi Jeong-cheol's hit a few years later was even more impressive.

'He was the one who first distorted the face of the usually expressionless Necromancer.'

Choi Jeong-cheol was a single, powerful hit that focused entirely on 'range' and 'destruction'—a tactical weapon-level force.

Therefore, while he was not suitable for other situations, he was the best when it came to sweeping away large numbers.

'And, despite the fact that fire is usually ineffective against metal...'

Fire usually has difficulty dealing effective damage to metal.

Lee Hyun-wook knew this best.

Many flame-based players had fallen, unable to penetrate his steel.

Therefore, when hunting Ironclad Poisonous Insects, using fire magic was generally avoided.

However, the fire that smelts metal is powerful enough to melt everything—

and that was the fire magic Choi Jeong-cheol wielded.

The Semi Armageddon, like a setting sun, disappeared behind the tall buildings, darkening the world.

Right there, Cheongryongsan was...

Kwa—aa—ang—aa—!

With a roar, the mountain was completely blown away.

Ku—gu—gu—gu—gu—!

A sand-laden heat wave reached them.

"Ugh!"

Lee Hyun-wook used his Mole to block the heat wave.

But at that moment, Lee Hyun-wook realized something.

'Even with such a powerful hit, the erosion factor didn't fly away.'

The system message indicating the end of the wave did not appear.

In other words, it wasn't over yet.

The swarm of Ironclad Poisonous Insects must have surrounded the erosion factor, protecting it with their bodies like a swarm of bees.

And Choi Jeong-cheol's hit, which had a massive cooldown, could not be used again for a while.

'So, it's back to the beginning now.'

Choi Jeong-cheol was already looking back at Lee Hyun-wook.

"Well, how about it? Now you have time to come up with something, don't you?"

***

At the Seoul Eros