Chapter 344:
High in the sky, the bleating of a lamb was heard, followed by the sound of a seal tearing, which resonated vividly in everyone's ears.
The first to appear after that was the white horse rider wearing a laurel crown, the White Knight of Conquest.
Upon his appearance, the White Knight of Conquest commanded the wild beasts of the earth, spreading disease around him.
His arrows flew so fast that they were barely visible, and being hit by one didn't just cause injury; it infected the target with a multitude of diseases. These diseases were "absolutely" incurable unless the White Knight was killed.
"The more dangerous thing is, he's literally just the first rider."
The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse.
The White Knight of Conquest was merely the first of the calamities. And as calamities go, the ones that follow are usually much stronger and more dangerous.
"If this continues, the remaining ones will awaken."
After the White Knight, the Red Knight of War would come next.
After the Red Knight, the Black Knight of Famine.
And the most powerful of them all, the Pale Knight of Death, would appear last.
If that happened, humanity would have no hope. If the Pale Knight of Death appeared, there would be no one to stop him except for Kang Yu-hyun.
[Then what should we do?]
"We have to stop them before the rest appear. So we need to find Kwon Jia quickly."
Thankfully, the time for breaking the seals was predetermined in sequence. This meant there was still a grace period before the Pale Knight was released, and within that time, they just needed to find Kwon Jia.
"We don't have time to waste wandering around."
Not knowing what damage could be caused, Yu-hyun had been holding back until now, but that was over.
Yu-hyun put on the Mask of Aporia. An overwhelming energy surged around him, quickly sweeping through the area.
At the same time, all sorts of apparitions rushed toward Yu-hyun, perhaps sensing his power.
Like countless moths flying into a hot flame, the apparitions disintegrated into text upon touching the energy of the Seven Demonic Black Sky Divine Art that surrounded Yu-hyun.
"Get out of my way."
Yu-hyun charged straight toward the inner part of the Nightmare World, destroying everything in his path with his energy.
* * *
"Sister, I'm scared!"
"It's okay. People outside will come to rescue us soon."
The shelter in Gangneung.
Everyone who couldn't leave Gangneung had gathered here, anxiously waiting for a rescue team that could arrive at any moment.
The sudden disaster had taken everything from them. They couldn't count how many people had died on the way here.
The fact that the sisters with the young sibling had made it here safely was purely due to incredible luck.
"Everyone, please calm down. The association is already aware of the seriousness of the situation and has sent collectors. We just need to stay here quietly and hold on."
There were a few collectors inside the shelter. Thanks to their efforts in calming the people, no one had panicked yet.
Everyone held onto hope, believing that a rescue team would arrive soon, and waited quietly in the dark shelter, gathered in small groups.
Then, a huge voice thundered from outside, shaking the place.
「Come forth!」
The voice was so loud that it penetrated the shelter, which was isolated from the outside where the apparitions roamed.
The language was human, but the being who uttered it was far more dangerous, a being that transcended humanity.
"W-what is that? What’s going on?"
"Is it safe here? Are we all going to die?"
The power in the White Knight's voice triggered the people's repressed anxieties.
Calm voices started to waver among the previously quiet citizens, spreading like an epidemic.
"Everyone, stay calm! The shelter is safe!"
"Then what was that noise?! Isn't there a dangerous monster nearby?"
"We’re all going to die here! Maybe scattering gives us a better chance of surviving…!"
"If we scatter, we’ll all die! We need to stick together!"
"Sister! I'm scared!"
The shelter quickly turned into a scene of chaos. Unable to endure their fear, people rolled their eyes and foamed at the mouth, trying to get out.
Being confined in one place for too long had numbed their rationality with fear. The collectors tried to restrain such citizens. Some muttered to themselves like madmen, while others kept uttering anxious words that everyone was going to die.
Crack!
It was then.
A corner of the shelter’s wall collapsed, creating a huge hole.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the collapsed wall.
"No way…"
One of the collectors murmured in a hollow voice at the sight.
The shelter was built sturdy enough to withstand any apparition, except for the largest ones.
But what appeared beyond the collapsed wall was not a gigantic monster, but a knight on a white horse holding a bow.
"Just one of them broke the shelter’s wall?"
The collectors instinctively felt it. This knight was a terrible monster they couldn't resist.
If they fought, they would die. But staying still didn’t seem like it would guarantee their survival either.
The knight scanned the interior of the shelter with a gaze as if looking at filth. An apparition with such an obvious expression couldn't be friendly to humans. Moreover, it was the first time they had seen an apparition displaying such blatant emotion.
Creak.
The White Knight nocked an arrow. People screamed at the sight.
Human instincts told them that this arrow was no ordinary weapon. Everyone sensed impending doom, knowing they would all die if it was fired.
‘We need to… stop it…!'
The collectors tried to respond somehow, but their bodies wouldn’t move out of fear. They had fought many apparitions as collectors, but had never faced something of this caliber, leaving them completely frozen.
Just as the White Knight drew his bowstring to its limit and was about to release it.
A white bullet from afar struck the back of the White Knight’s head.
"……!"
The White Knight's face twisted in anger. The collectors cheered.
"R-reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!"
People’s eyes followed the White Knight’s shoulder, looking up at the grotesque high structure where a man in black attire stood with a sniper rifle.
It was Yoo Young-min.
"This is bad. I rushed over because I felt a dangerous presence."
Having failed his surprise attack, Yoo Young-min felt the White Knight’s intense killing intent aimed at him and reloaded his bullets.
"Still, I put all my strength into that shot, but it didn’t work?"
He had fired in a hurry because the knight was about to kill the citizens, yet it had the power to take down most apparitions in one hit. Even the target was the head, the weakest spot of any creature. To be unscathed meant…
"This is going to be tough."
Yoo Young-min's eyes sharpened. Having finished reloading, he aimed his sniper rifle at the White Knight and pulled the trigger again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Special magic bullets for giant monsters were fired with blunt sounds. The White Knight didn't remain idle. He swiftly drew his bow and fired arrows.
The three bullets and three arrows collided precisely in midair.
Boom! A series of massive explosions ensued.
Despite the obscured view due to the explosion, neither Yoo Young-min nor the White Knight stopped. The knight's horse neighed and leaped into the air.
"Damn it, what is that, a Pegasus?"
Yoo Young-min was incredulous but his body reacted accordingly. He quickly reloaded his bullets and aimed, predicting the knight’s movements.
‘Fast.'
The White Knight, freely navigating through the air, moved erratically, leaving afterimages.
The distance between them, which had been vast, narrowed in an instant.
‘But it’s not impossible to hit!'
This time, the bullet was specialized in penetration. It wouldn't be easily deflected like before.
The gun barrel flashed with a bright light and fired. The bullet, spinning at an incredible speed, aimed for the White Knight's forehead.
Perfectly predicted movement. At this distance, it was impossible to dodge.
As expected, at the moment the bullet was about to hit, a strange power flowed from the White Knight's body.
‘What…!'
The penetrating bullet turned to dust before reaching the White Knight. Before he could even process his shock, the White Knight fired an arrow. Yoo Young-min quickly threw himself off the structure.
Crash! The structure, struck by the arrow, shattered effortlessly.
A strange power to block external impacts and an ability to destroy targets with arrows.
This was the strongest enemy Yoo Young-min had ever faced.
Cold sweat ran down Yoo Young-min’s back.
* * *
Baaahhhh.
The lamb bleated for the second time. Right after, the sound of a seal tearing was heard again.
「Come forth!」
Soon, the second rider, the Red Knight of War, appeared.
The Red Knight immediately drew his sword and turned his horse to strike down the nearest survivor.
The role of the Red Knight was to wield his sword and take the lives of all beings on this land.
To kill people and incite their fights, stealing peace from the world was his role.
Soon, the Red Knight faced the strongest presence.
"What is this now."
Kang Hye-rim frowned at the sight of the Red Knight in front of her.
Already in a hurry to rescue Kwon Jia as soon as possible, she grew frustrated seeing the ominous Red Knight blocking her path.
However, Kang Hye-rim did not act rashly. Despite her annoyance, the knight before her was a formidable opponent she couldn’t easily defeat even with all her strength.
As much as she wanted to avoid a fight and focus on
finding Kwon Jia, the Red Knight's presence indicated he wouldn't let her pass easily.
‘I'll have to leave the rest to Yu-hyun.'
She had been in this Nightmare World for quite a while. By now, Yu-hyun must have also entered, desperately searching for Kwon Jia.
She wished they could move together to find her, but the situation didn’t allow it.
Kang Hye-rim conjured lightning. Her hair turned silver-blue as the air around her heated up.
No room for complacency. If she didn’t go all out, she would be the one to lose.
Boom!
Kang Hye-rim, cloaked in lightning, charged at the Red Knight.
* * *
"I found it."
Moving at an incredible speed, Yu-hyun discovered a massive ancient ruin in front of him.
It was the central place of the Nightmare World, a structure that looked strikingly intact, giving off a special feeling.
There was no doubt Kwon Jia was inside that towering structure.
Without hesitation, Yu-hyun headed towards the ruins.
Creak.
Two gatekeepers standing at the entrance reacted as Yu-hyun approached.
The 10-meter-tall machine gods adjusted their halberds and aimed at Yu-hyun.
Yu-hyun leaped off the ground, and simultaneously, the two machine gods swung their halberds at him.
"Move."
A blast of black energy erupted.
The energy, sharp as a blade, shattered the halberds and sliced the machine gods in half.
Without looking back at the collapsing machine gods, Yu-hyun headed into the ruins.
* * *
"Hmm?"
Seo Sumin, riding on Darwin's shoulder, lifted her head.
She sensed a strange flow of energy in the air. More importantly, her intuition warned her of impending danger.
‘I've had similar experiences twice before.’
The sound of a lamb bleating, followed by something tearing, and then a powerful being appearing with a loud roar.
She hadn’t faced them yet, but her sharp intuition could sense it.
It wouldn’t end with the second, and the next one would be much stronger.
‘The first and second are fighting someone. Judging by the clash of powers, it’s probably Young-min and Hye-rim.’
If even Yoo Young-min had come, it meant Yu-hyun was also somewhere in this place.
Seo Sumin hesitated for a moment.
Should she continue searching for Kwon Jia with Yu-hyun?
‘Or should I stop the third one?’
Searching together would certainly shorten the time to find Kwon Jia. But Seo Sumin believed she shouldn’t do that.
If Yu-hyun was involved, they would surely find Kwon Jia. He was capable of doing it.
Therefore.
"The third. I have to stop it."
She patted Darwin's shoulder. Without a word, Darwin moved in the direction Seo Sumin indicated.
Eventually, they arrived at a dry, cracked land that had suffered from drought.
In the center of that land, the intense flow of the story was converging like a vortex.
"It’s coming."
As Seo Sumin muttered those words.
Baaahhhh.
The bleating of a lamb.
Riiip!
The sound of the third seal tearing.
It appeared.
「Come forth!」
Countless stories compressed into a small dot, then exploded outward.
Seo Sumin watched silently.
From the enlarged story, arms and legs emerged, and eventually, a knight with a sword and scales appeared on a black horse.
The Black Knight of Famine.
Upon his appearance, the surrounding air dried up completely. The moisture in the atmosphere evaporated, and the air became harsh on the skin.
Seo Sumin got off Darwin's shoulder as the Black Knight directed his killing intent at her.
She grinned, holding a baseball bat in one hand and the Dark Dragon Sword in the other.
"I should have applied some lotion if I knew this would happen."
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