Episode 70 [ Seoul, devil, saint – 4 ]
————————==
In the center of Bukaksan Mountain’s main sanctuary, there was a circular space with an area of 19,410².
It was a place called ‘Saint’s Park’, and all kinds of plants were growing like a park. It was not the result of landscaping; it was something that bloomed naturally due to the vitality emitted by the ‘sacred object.’
This was the space with the highest concentration of divine power in Korea.
And in the center of it all, a huge white altar was prepared.
It was an installable object that greatly enhanced the effect of sacred magic.
Saint Emilia Müller was standing there, preparing to cast ‘Holy Field’.
The damned look that had made her frown had disappeared, and now her eyes were rather closed.
Meanwhile….
“As long as we’re here and [the Shield of Faith] is there, there’s nothing that can threaten her life.”
Peter Clarke, the leader of the White Tree Guards, spoke with confidence.
Those were grounded words filled with confidence rather than arrogance.
“Yes, of course. I have no doubt about it.”
Woo Seong-moon, who was standing next to him, nodded and looked toward the white altar.
Excluding Peter, the current leader, 11 knights were guarding the saint’s surroundings.
12 Paladins of Grade B or higher. They were the elite Paladins called ‘High Guard’.
“Obviously… with that skill that 12 Paladins use in conjunction, it will be safe even if a nuclear bomb explodes.”
[Barrier of Faith], which they cast in a circular formation, boasts absolute defensive power that can block any attack, and because of that, assassinating a saint is considered virtually impossible.
But Woo Seong-moon shook his head, wondering what was going on.
“But Peter… nothing will ever touch your walls of belief, because… this place we have provided will not allow any outside intrusion.”
This time, Woo Seong-moon showed confidence.
I had no idea that someone could attack this place in the first place. It was a natural decision. Not only was it a secret that the saint came to this land, but the Great Sanctuary of Bukaksan Mountain itself was a hidden place.
“And it is equipped with a class A magic shield and a total of 15 abnormal wave detectors.”
Naturally, even the internal defenses were perfect.
“Haha—it’s a shield that nothing can penetrate, where not even a rat can enter…”
They were two leaders who subtly showed off each other’s skills by giving and receiving.
but…….
‘Tsk, their noses will be a little crushed today…’
Lee Hyun-wook clicked his tongue inwardly.
Although he was over a hundred meters away from those two people, he could hear their conversation.
This was due to a 50-fold increase in sensation through ‘hugin’ – an increase in hearing.
‘Well, this is an unavoidable problem…’
It wasn’t that they were unprepared or let down their guard.
‘It’s because there’s a flaw inside… and that’s because there’s a flaw in the corner you trust the most.’
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the 12 high-ranking paladins through Hugin’s gaze.
‘Among them, there is a knight who will later be called Death Knight, one of the [Four Knights of Death].’
A villain who will become the vanguard of the army of death commanded by a necromancer and trample the world… He was none other than one of the ‘High Guards’, hiding his black heart in white armor.
Lee Hyun-wook knew that he would set off a huge bomb here.
But that didn’t mean he could remove the bomb early.
‘It’s impossible to point out this guy as a traitor without any evidence.’
The saintess trusted Lee Hyeon-wook and entrusted him with the search mission, but if she pursued it recklessly, there was a high possibility that it would be in vain. Especially since everyone thinks that her saintly condition is abnormal…
‘That’s why this incident must explode in order to completely uncover it so that it doesn’t happen again later.’
Lee Hyun-wook was planning to hold his breath for that time.
“…Anyway, what on earth is this person named Lee Hyun-wook?”
At that time, Hyunwook Lee’s name was mentioned in Peter’s mouth.
“How much mana does it take to be able to use Hugin like that?”
“Well, I can’t tell you the details, but he is one of the new talents who will lead this country.”
Then, as expected, Hugin could be seen squinting at Lee Hyun-wook with an expression full of doubt.
“Honestly, I’m a bit puzzled. What kind of achievements can an F-rank player have to become so strong? That’s why there are even rumors of manipulation among my subordinates.”
“Yes, it is not unreasonable to think so, but if you see that man’s performance in person, you will quickly admit it. Lee Hyun-wook, that young blood, saved this land twice.”
Peter nodded at Woo Seong-moon’s repeated defense.
“If Director Woo says so, then it is correct. But at least we won’t see him in action today. “As long as we have the shield, there will be no room for him to be active.”
He had a firm belief that no problems would arise today.
‘Well, could it really be today?…’
At that time, a voice came out of the ear microphone he was wearing.
-The Seoul cleanup operation will begin in 10 minutes.
The casting of ‘Holy Field’ was scheduled to begin soon.
“Okay! Everyone move to the correct position!”
Here in ‘Saint’s Park’, only the Wight Tree Guard, the saint’s personal guard, remains. No matter how much of an alliance he had, he did not allow outsiders to approach the saint.
Therefore, Lee Hyun-wook also had to move to another location with Woo Seong-moon.
However, Lee Hyun-wook’s gaze was still reflected on the black crow in the sky, looking down at the surroundings of Saint Park—Saint. The first explosion will start right there….
‘waiting. And move one step ahead.’
***
“Holy Field casting begins in 5 minutes! Everyone, raise your swords and shields!”
A B-rank paladin named Carlos Belfort shouted that.
He was the vice-captain of the Wight Tree Guard.
“WTG We never let down our guard! “Be on your toes for the next 30 minutes!”
Following his loud shouts, 12 High Guards, 30 Paladins, and 10 Priests moved. As such, there were as many as 52 divine players guarding this place. It was a ridiculous sight, with dozens of Paladins gathered in one place, with no one in one party.
After confirming that all members were in their correct positions, Carlos looked at leader Peter Clark.
“Peter! Everyone is in position and awaiting further orders.”
At his words, Peter nodded his head and pulled down his shield from behind his back.
Then he looked around at the knights of the Wight Tree Guard and slowly opened his mouth.
“From now on… I will cast [Barrier of Faith].”
Short Order The twelve High Guards surrounding the Saint grabbed their shields and knelt on one knee.
Then, white light rose from the center of their shields and tangled together…
Wooooo——
A cluster of white lights formed into a huge dome and covered the entire area.
– The ‘Barrier of Faith’ was formed by linking all sacred powers of twelve high-ranking paladins.
* caution! If you leave the point, the area is ‘invalidated’ and cannot be recovered.
“—We don’t move for the next 30 minutes!”
The Barrier of Faith was a top defense skill that could only be used when 12 Paladins of B grade or higher worked together. However, in order to maintain the skill, one could never deviate from a certain location or point.
In other words, all High Guards, the most elite paladins, are virtually incapable of combat.
However, it was a skill that could keep the saintess safe enough to endure such a thing.
“Peter, if I need to go to the bathroom, as the leader, you can take care of it for a while, right?”
Carlos said playfully, looking at Peter.
“I wish Carlos had some weight in important moments like this.”
The two men looked at each other and smiled.
Peter was thinking that they were comrades who had been together for a whopping seven years and trusted each other enough to know each other’s intentions just by looking at their eyes, but Carlos’s intentions were quite different.
‘Peter… that’s not your place. This is where I was meant to be.’
Carlos thought so with a playful smile on his face.
He hated Peter. It was the result of growing envy and jealousy that had been secretly harbored for a very long time.
He awakened faster than anyone else in this position and joined this organization before anyone else.
And he thought to himself that he had devoted himself more to the organization than anyone else. however….
‘Why on earth should I be treated worse than you?’
The top spot was never his. Peter, who was favored by Nicholas, the leader of the squadron, and Saint Emilia, was always one step ahead of him. Actually, my level is higher…
‘It is absurd that the best Holy Knights are influenced by fate rather than skill.’
Misguided jealousy slowly grew into an evil fire in his heart.
And one day four years ago, he met a man by chance and that spark spread into a flame.
‘Gordon Price… my new guide…’
The man recognized Carlos’s true feelings and made a shockingly secret proposal.
Trap and eliminate squadron leader Nicholas Steele… Carlos complied with the request.
And when Nicholas was trapped, an unfamiliar system message appeared before his eyes.
– (!) The quest has arrived.
It was a ‘hidden quest’ message with strange content, and Carlos accepted it.
therefore…….
[Hidden Quest]
– Deep darkness blooming from pale light….
1) The death of Emilia Müller (in progress)
* Reward: Hidden attribute advancement (Death Knight)
He was currently performing the ‘Villain Quest’.
It was also a very difficult quest called The Death of a Saint.
‘I never regret starting a new path.’
As he was thinking that, white light spread from both hands of the saint.
Woooooo——!
– A Holy Field will be deployed in the area. (One%)
The first step in the Seoul purification operation had finally taken place.
At the same time, it was the moment when the first bullet in the operation to assassinate the saint was loaded.
“ruler! Holy Field has begun! “Everyone stay focused for the next 30 minutes!”
Holy Field’s casting time is 31 minutes on average, but if Emilia’s condition is good, it can be shortened to 28 minutes.
And the point at which she becomes completely immersed in the phenomenon and loses her awareness is around the 15th minute….
‘At that point, she will no longer be able to stop casting skills….’
Carlos waited for that exact spot.
He unconsciously suppressed his rough breathing and glanced sideways at the saint.
A sickly but beautiful blonde woman—
Soon her head would be cut off and a fountain of her blood would gush out.
Time passed like that….
– A Holy Field will be deployed in the area. (50%)
When half of the skill was completed, a huge white ring was created above Emilia’s head.
yes–
This meant that we had now entered a stage where the development of ‘Holy Field’ could not be stopped.
‘Now I am completely defenseless.’
That means the time has finally come.
He slowly stood up, letting out the hot breath he had been holding.
Suddenly—
“Huh? Vice-captain… what are you doing now?”
The paladin to his right asked in astonishment.
“Vice-captain, if you move any further, your ‘area’ will be damaged!”
“Walter, I know that better than you. What do you make of me?”
“yes? Then why are you doing that…”
As he took a step—
Hold it———!
One of the 12 parts that make up the Wall of Faith was crushed like glass.
– Barrier of Faith (11/12)
Blah blah blah…….
The remaining 11 could still be maintained, but just having one major rescue was a fatal flaw. All of the Wight Tree Guard looked at Carlos in astonishment at the scene.
– Due to excessive use of sacred power, sacred power decreases significantly for 60 minutes. (-50%)
“Tsk—”
Empty!
He threw down his shield, left the circle, and walked forward.
“…Carlos, what are you doing now?”
Peter’s embarrassed voice hit me in the back of the head.
“Peter, actually, I received a quest a few years ago…”
“what?”
“So, I’m sorry, but I think I’ll have to kill that white whore…”
“Why on earth is that…?”
However, he could not directly assassinate his saint or fellow paladin. It was because of the ‘sacred oath’.
In other words, he needed to lend another hand.
He took out a dagger from his arms.
[Item information]
– Name: Unknown
– Effect: Unknown
This was an item handed over from the ‘Shadow Baron’ and was an important key to this operation.
Damn———!
He slit his own wrists with a dagger, his arteries were cut and his blood poured out like a fountain.
larynx——
He raised his arm and the blood splattered everywhere.
“Tsk Peter Clark, listen carefully… this is a failure of your own making!”
“Damn it Carlos! What the hell are you talking about!”
Deep embarrassment blooms on Peter’s face in the face of an incomprehensible situation.
“I’ve always thought that an incompetent bastard like you doesn’t deserve to sit in that position.”
“…….”
“For the sake of the Wight Tree Guard and if you wanted to protect that white whore’s life, even if it was a friend you trusted, you should have kept watch and managed it thoroughly… If it were me, I would have done the same.”
He said that and applied a ‘heel’ to the wound on his wrist.
Meanwhile, the large amount of blood stains scattered everywhere moved on their own and coalesced into one.
And then it bubbled up and the next moment it floated into the air as if evaporating.
The space around the ball of blood began to distort…
Wooooow——
—The portal opened.
Soon, someone walked out from inside.
Jerk— Jerk—
A very tall monster wearing a plain gray mask and purple robes…
“That Shadow Baron—!”
Peter recognized the identity of the stranger.
A red player with an unknown characteristic of moving around in all kinds of unusual ways, he was impossible to track because he used a movement skill that was unknown to the world.
‘What nonsense does it make to open a portal with blood…”
But just now it seemed like he was showing off a new mobility technique.
And that was through liaison with Vice-Captain Carlos Belfort, whom they trusted the most…
And from the portal that opened, monsters started pouring out.
“…She is a saint! “There’s a saint over there!”
“Oh sickly beauty! That’s totally my style. Can’t I play with her before I kill her?”
“Ugh—look at those confused faces!”
A whopping 70 players… who looked lawless at first glance. It was obvious that they were a group plotting to summon a demon.
and…….
Jerk— Jerk—
About 70 gunmen split off to the left and right, and someone appeared between them.
A long-haired man in a black coat and black shirt
“The Geomseong Slayer….”
Sword Saint Assassin Okita Kaito made his last appearance.
His cold and sharp gaze was focused solely on Saint Emilia Müller.
His pupils slowly grew bigger, like a wild beast that had already decided to hunt.
‘You cannot survive if you face that person one-on-one.’
Peter trembled unconsciously as he felt a strong sense of death coming from him.
It was the instinct of a predator that I had never felt before when encountering someone.
“Director Woo, are you looking at the situation here? shit! “Please come quickly!”
– yes! I’m on my way now!
however…….
“No, if they come in, it gets so crazy that it becomes no fun.”
The Shadow Baron said so and spread his arms.
Then his shadow began to rotate like the second hand of a clock.
Tsutsutsutsu——
The next moment, it divided into five lines and crawled along the floor like a snake, squeezing its way into the five passages that lead to this ‘Saint’s Park’.
– caution! A ‘shadow trap’ appears in the area.
The floors and walls of the five passages were stained black with its shadow.
The moment government agents running from inside the building step on the shadows.
Shushushushu——
“Ugh! “What is this!”
Dozens of shadows leapt from the floor and walls—hands gripping the agents’ ankles.
“Ugh! This thing—it won’t come off!”
“Try a magic attack on the fucking floor!”
It was a strange spell that could not be easily escaped no matter how high the level was.
Just like that, the reinforcements’ feet were tied up right in front of them.
A loud laugh came from inside the Shadow Baron’s mask.
“Well, it’s only 5 minutes for me to hold the guard dogs’ leashes.”
At his words, Okita Kaito nodded his head and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Following his movements, about seventy assailants drew their weapons at once.
“Wight Tree Guard—stop them somehow and fill the space!”
40 Wight Tree Guards, excluding 11 High Guards, stood in front of the assailants.
“—Don’t spare your lives! You can last the remaining 15 minutes!”
The combination of paladin and priest is as many as 40 people.
Even excluding attack power, defense alone would have been at the highest level.
If we created a shield line, we would be able to hold out somehow.
but….
– caution! The curse of ‘Grigory Azazel’ spreads! Holy power in the area is suppressed!
With such a message in front of their eyes, the bodies of the Paladins and Priests could not help but flinch.
Wee wee wee——
One of the gunmen was holding up a bracelet.
A black beam of light was emanating from there.
It was a fallen angel’s Noble Phantasm, anti-holy power item.
When it unleashed its power, the sacred power of the Paladins and Priests decreased significantly.
Since this was a sanctuary, the power would fade quickly, but the effect took effect in an instant.
“Ugh—!”
“I’m losing strength…”
“The sanctuary blesses us, it’ll only be for a little while! Hang on—boo—”
Okita Kaito rushed towards them who retreated even further.
Ch—ah—ah—!
A single sword swung at the same time as the sword was thrown—8 heads fell in that short movement.
“That’s ridiculous….”
No matter how I looked at it, it was a scene that was difficult to understand.
Peter Clark’s face turned pale.
He turned his head and looked at Emilia. She closed her eyes and continued to unfold ‘Holy Field’, as if she had not even dreamed that this was happening.
‘Damn her. If you touch her now, you will take fatal damage from her mana and her backflow.’
Holy Field As it was a huge purification spell, the penalty was also significant.
Peter wasn’t sure if she would survive if he forced her to stop halfway.
“Do we have any choice but to move…?”
“Captain! If you remove the barrier of faith now, your sacred power will drop significantly!”
After casting the Barrier of Faith, your sacred power is reduced by 50% for 1 hour.
He would then be exposed to the power of that fallen angel’s Noble Phantasm.
‘Yes, facing that crazy monster in a helpless state is suicidal.’
Peter looked at the sword-wielding ghost approaching as he cut down the paladins.
but….
“…You have to buy time somehow, even if it means giving up your life.”
The moment Peter tried to stand up—
“Paladins, stay where you are.”
A calm voice that did not fit this urgent situation was heard from somewhere.
Everyone turned their heads towards him.
A seal began to appear in the gap in the ‘wall of faith’ that had been broken by Carlos’ departure.
ssssss——
The hiding spell was lifted and someone’s appearance was revealed.
“You all—!”
Hyunwook Lee A man called the savior of Seoul suddenly appeared before my eyes.
“I will fill the empty space here.”
As he said that, he walked into the seat where Carlos should have been sitting and stood tall.
“How on earth did you…”
The Korean government’s troops, who were coming to support them, were caught in the shadow baron’s ‘shadow trap’ and were struggling.
“I was watching through Hugin and came right away when I saw a sign. That’s why I didn’t get caught in the trap.”
He said that and turned his body to face Okita Kaito.
Peter looked at that and shook his head.
“But you can’t do it alone! That person is Kaito Okita, the Sword Saint Assassin!”
“Yes, I know.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded his head and pulled out a sword from behind his back.
“…I may not be able to beat that guy, but I can block him and stall for time.”
As soon as Peter heard that, he shook his head.
“What nonsense is that… aren’t you a control player! never….”
“Peter, you must not let down your defenses of faith. You will be so slow that you will not be able to catch that man.”
That was correct.
If the moment the barrier of faith is released, they rush in and target the saint…
‘…Yeah, I can never catch it.’
So, as he said, if only he could endure crossing swords with Okita Kaito.
The best thing to do was to block the ‘breaks’ while maintaining the wall of faith.
however….
“…Ugh, what’s going on? There’s only one left now?”
“Hey—I think that guy over there is trying to close the hole by himself?”
The 40 Wight Tree Guards, who were the last hope, had already been eliminated very easily.
Because of Grigori Azazel’s curse, he was unable to exert any power.
If the priests had used purification magic, they could have removed the curse at once, but there was no way they could. This was because the swordsmen rushed in and were the first to cut off the heads of the priests.
Just like that, dozens of assailants approached the gap in the wall of belief—Lee Hyun-wook.
“Kill—!”
As soon as someone shouted, the guys rushed in.
However, without Lee Hyun-wook taking a single step back, he slowly raised his arms and
Siiii——
Black smoke rose from both his arms.
And then two huge metal boxes came out of it and flew into the sky.
Wooooow——
The quiet but engineering sound of the engine and the magic circuit embroidered on the black steel surface of the ‘air drop device (prototype)’ stood tall above Hyunwook Lee’s head.
“What is that…”
The steps of the assailants who had been running for a moment had no choice but to slowly slow down.
Tongue—
At that time, the lower part of the airdrop device opened.
Sh—sh—sh—sh—sh——!
From there, 110 iron balls shot out at once, as if they were fired from a shotgun.
