Chapter 180

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The battle between the Awakened and the undead was fierce. They destroyed them, destroyed them again, killed them, and killed them again. Even so, the undead kept coming back to life over and over.

“Where the hell is the core?”

“Damn it!”

Casualties began to appear among the Awakened as well. The martial-type Awakened fighting on the front line were suffering especially heavy losses. As soon as holes opened in the martial-types’ defensive line, the undead poured through.

“You cursed things dare…”

Eloy swept away undead as she swung her spear. Even so, not even her strength was enough to stop them all. The undead broke through her line and approached Levin and Brielle. With the sudden shift in the battle, Levin moved to shield Brielle.

“Tch! It’s dangerous, so get behind me.”

“I told you I can protect myself.”

Brielle pulled a glass vial out from inside her newsboy cap. Inside the vial was a clear liquid. She poured a little of it into her palm and muttered, “Mountain breeze, blow.”

The moment her words ended, a strong mountain wind rose and scattered the liquid from her palm.

Grrraaaah!

Kreeee!

The undead touched by the liquid melted down with monstrous screams. Levin stared at Brielle in shock and asked, “What is that liquid?”

“Holy water.”

“Huh? Holy water?”

“Yes.”

“They even sell holy water at Goblin Market?”

“No. I got it in Dongdaemun.”

“Dongdaemun? In that district full of fanatics?”

“Well, what they worship is still a god.”

Holy water was water blessed by a god. It did not matter what kind of god it was. Dongdaemun sold holy water for a high price. Of course, hardly anyone actually bought it. Brielle had bought some just in case and stashed it inside the subspace within her cap.

But because it was purely for emergencies, the amount was not that large.

“Since it works on undead, holy water is definitely real.”

“They say even dog shit has its use as medicine. Looks like those fanatics are useful after all.”

“There isn’t much holy water. This amount won’t even be enough.”

“If I had known it would be like this, I would have bought some too.”

Levin ground his teeth.

He could not leave Brielle alone to deal with the undead.

The undead were pouring in endlessly, and the time had already passed for them to just stand by and trust the Pegasus Awakened.

“Can’t be helped.”

With a sigh, his body changed into something ghostlike.

He had activated ghostification.

Until now, only a tiny number of people had seen his ability.

This was the first time he had revealed his power in front of a crowd.

He knew this would draw attention, but he had no choice.

If he wanted to protect both himself and Brielle, he had to reveal his Awakened power.

Several Awakened saw Levin’s body transform like a specter.

“What the hell?”

“A person turned into something like a specter. Is that possible?”

“Is he some new kind of Awakened?”

Crackle!

In the next instant, violet lightning erupted from ghostified Levin.

It was Purple Lightning, Levin’s unique ability.

Purple Lightning spread by jumping through the undead around him.

Pubububung!

The undead exploded in a chain under the Purple Lightning.

Those undead that exploded like that did not revive a second time.

Their cores had burst apart as well.

The magic-types who saw this shouted, “Use lightning magic.”

“Let the lightning-type Awakened attack.”

Those Awakened who could use lightning magic stepped forward and cast their spells.

Kwaaaar!

Lightning crackled in every direction, and undead collapsed.

Some of them could not get up again because their cores had been destroyed.

But most of the undead recovered their original shape once more.

Though they were all lightning-type spells, the level of power was completely different.

Levin’s Purple Lightning was several times stronger than ordinary lightning.

That was why it could reach even the cores hidden deep inside the undead.

The other Awakened’s lightning magic could not do that.

That was why the undead rose again.

Seeing this, Lee Ji-ryeong stepped forward.

“Can’t be helped. I wanted to conserve my strength as much as possible.”

He had been holding back in order to confront the master of the castle at full power.

But he could not stand by and watch more casualties pile up.

Fortunately, he had obtained a hint for dealing with the undead soldiers from Levin.

Bzzzt! Crackle!

Sparks burst all over Lee Ji-ryeong’s body.

It was what happened when he truly began to use his power in earnest.

Seeing that sight, Gesling shouted loudly, “Everyone, fall back. The captain is about to unleash his full power.”

The moment his words ended, the Awakened fighting the undead on the front line retreated.

Only a few mechanized Awakened hesitated, not understanding.

Then Pegasus Raid Force members grabbed them and dragged them back.

“If you don’t want to die, follow us now.”

“They say the captain’s lightning doesn’t distinguish friend from foe.”

At those words, the mechanized Awakened retreated in alarm.

Once the Awakened withdrew like the tide, Lee Ji-ryeong’s body rose into the air.

At the moment everyone’s attention focused on him, lightning so large and powerful it hurt the eyes burst forth.

Flash!

A gigantic bolt of lightning pierced straight through heaven and earth.

Then countless thick bolts branched out from the main lightning like spreading limbs.

It was Giga Lightning, one of Lee Ji-ryeong’s signature skills.

Kwakwakwa!

Centered on Lee Ji-ryeong, lightning extended in a circle, branching outward as the entire world turned white.

A little later, the world recovered its color.

Levin stared blankly at Lee Ji-ryeong.

“Huu!”

White steam was rising from Lee Ji-ryeong’s shoulders as he exhaled.

“Good Lord!”

Eloy and Levin stared at him as though stunned.

It felt like they had just witnessed something they were never meant to see.

The sight Lee Ji-ryeong had shown them a moment ago was that overwhelming.

A banquet of lightning filling a hundred meters in every direction.

Hundreds of branching lightning strikes had poured down like rain and scorched the earth.

Upon the blackened ground, hundreds of corpses lay charred and collapsed.

The undead were burned so badly that their original forms could no longer be recognized.

Their cores too had been destroyed, and they did not rise again.

It was truly overwhelming power.

“Insane…”

“I knew he was strong, but to this extent…”

Brielle’s pupils shook violently.

Even she, cynical as she was, could not hide her shock.

Lee Ji-ryeong’s lightning was that incredible.

“Waaaah!”

“The captain cleaned up all the undead. Let’s move inside.”

The Pegasus Raid Force shouted in triumph and charged into the castle.

Lee Ji-ryeong landed beside Levin and said, “Did you see that?”

“…”

“You can become like that too. Join the Pegasus Raid Force. I will train you.”

“No thank you.”

“Even without Zeon? I can become your protector instead. For you and that little…”

“Hyung isn’t dead.”

“You sound very certain.”

“Because he really isn’t dead.”

At Levin’s firm voice, Lee Ji-ryeong turned to look at Brielle.

Like Levin, Brielle’s face too was full of certainty.

Without realizing it, Lee Ji-ryeong frowned.

‘It really is possible he didn’t die after all. Since he is the sand mage, maybe he found some way.’

***

Zeon ran his fingertips over the wall.

It felt smooth and cold to the touch.

Surprisingly, the underground passageways were all made of stone.

‘If Neo Seoul knew this, they would make a huge fuss trying to secure it somehow.’

It sounded ridiculous, but in this era stone and rock were extremely precious resources.

Since the whole world had turned into desert, places where proper rock could be obtained were exceedingly rare.

Only if one had stone or rock could one raise buildings.

No matter how much magical treatment was applied to a structure, that still required a sufficient foundation of proper stone.

After touching the stone for a while, Zeon slightly furrowed his brow.

He had suddenly felt warmth from the stone wall.

‘What?’

He did not know the reason, but a sudden change like this was rarely a positive sign.

Uneasy, Zeon quickened his pace.

He realized he had drawn closer to the castle.

Objects that had not been visible before were now hanging on the walls.

Sharp hooks, bizarre knives fitted with claw-like blades, and every tool needed for torture hung there.

Zeon passed through the corridor lined with instruments of torture and went deeper inside.

There, a hideous scene was waiting for him.

Inside a cell made of iron bars stood an operating table, and upon it lay the dissected corpse of a beast.

The humanoid beast’s abdomen had been split open, completely exposing its interior.

Not a single organ was visible.

It was obvious that whoever had dissected the beast had removed them all.

Zeon passed by the cell.

An even more horrific sight awaited him farther inside.

Every cell was filled with beast corpses that had had their limbs cut off or their skulls opened.

The smell of blood rushed in from every direction like a storm.

There was no way to know how many living things had died in here.

That was when it happened.

“Nngh…”

A groan came from deeper inside.

It was faint, but unmistakably human.

‘Cha Jin-cheol?’

Zeon quickly headed toward the source of the groan.

What he saw there was a scene more horrific than anything before.

On an operating table lay a human being with all four limbs spread wide.

Shackles bound his arms and legs, and his belly and head had been opened to expose the inside.

All sorts of organs had been removed and thrown into the bucket beside him, while his blood drained through a tube into another bucket.

His muscles had all been peeled apart, exposing the white bone beneath.

What was truly horrible was that the man was still alive in that state.

“Kill… me.”

With his one remaining eye, he looked at Zeon and begged.

The man was someone Zeon knew.

He was one of the Awakened from the Pegasus Raid Force.

He had likely been abducted during the assault and dragged here.

In front of the Awakened stood a black-robed being holding a scalpel-like knife, completely absorbed in dissection.

Slash!

With a chilling cutting sound, the Awakened’s heart was removed.

Even then, the Awakened did not die.

That was the ability of the black-robed being dissecting him.

It could cling to the breath of whatever it tortured.

The creature’s name was Interrogator.

Its duty was to torture and dissect whatever had been captured here in order to determine the structure of their bodies.

It had the power to ensure that the breath of what it was torturing would not stop until it had completely identified every part of its anatomy.

That was why beasts and humans brought here had to watch their bodies being dissected while still alive.

Just like the Awakened now being dissected on the operating table.

Zeon looked at the Awakened.

The Awakened begged him again, pleading for death.

He was no longer asking to live.

He wanted death.

“Hoo.”

Zeon nodded once and swung his hand.

Exium shot out like an arrow and struck the man’s head.

Puh-eok!

The man’s head exploded.

No matter how extraordinary the Interrogator’s ability was, it could not preserve the breath of a man whose head was gone.

Only after losing the body it had been torturing did the Interrogator look at Zeon.

The eyes hidden beneath the robe gleamed eerily.

Swish!

It raised its knife and pointed it at Zeon.

As if declaring that the next sacrifice would be him.

The doors of the cells behind it opened, and beings dressed in the same black robes appeared.

They were the other Interrogators who had been dissecting Awakened in the other cells.

They too raised their knives and aimed them at Zeon.

At that instant, Zeon’s gaze turned just as eerie as theirs.

“Creatures that cannot die and wander forever, how dare you point blades at anyone?”

Puhwahak!

Zeon’s body vanished behind a black cloud.

Exium had been released, covering his body.

Wrapped in Exium, Zeon shot himself toward the Interrogators.

Kwagagagak!