Chapter 186

Soram shouted to the people attacking the crack.

"You keep attacking the crack!"

Leaving those words behind, he dropped down.

Seureung―!

Soram's sword drew a long line over the heads of the mutants gathered around the crack. A mutant about to enter the crack turned to black smoke before it could. Soram launched the airplanes he had folded in his arms and blocked the mutants approaching this way.

Kiiiik!

Geureung, keueoeo!!!

Soram was surrounded by giant quadrupeds with their mouths wide open. His breath stopped momentarily in front of the sharp teeth and howls, but he put all his strength into his body and moved his arm.

"Aaaak!"

Shouting a cry he rarely made in battle.

In the midst of frantically blocking mutants, he had a moment to look upwards. Three people desperately attacking the crack, and the crack decreasing in size a bit faster than before.

It was working.

That suppressed the rising fear.

"Keup...!"

The key was how long he could hold out.

A fishy taste was starting to be felt in his throat. It was because he had poured all his strength into attacks from the start of the Great Rift.

The reason they were able to hold out for over 40 hours in the flood dungeon during the previous 3rd Great Rift was because there were ebb and lull states. They had waited for the lull state when the lava flood stopped, giving up some coastal land while conducting a defensive battle.

But this wasn't a battle to hold out. There was no lull state in a siege dungeon, it was a battle to win by eliminating endlessly pouring mutants while pushing back the crack.

"Haah, keuheup, haah..."

A fight without a moment's rest. This level of overload was, still okay.

"You haven't changed at all."

Unlike the scolding content, a cold wind blew with a kind voice. The last remaining flying hunter of the headquarters appeared in front of the crack, patting Soram's head.

The director pushed Soram behind him and waved his hand widely. The surrounding temperature dropped rapidly. At the same time, white frost formed on the mutants' heads.

Udeudeudeudeuk―... deuk...

The frost gradually expanded its area, turning the mutants' heads into large ice chunks.

Chaengang―!

Soon after, the ice shattered and everything above the mutants' necks disappeared.

"I won't live out my natural lifespan. Why are you so reckless?"

"Director-nim, since you came here, haah. You can't nag me like that."

"Huuu..."

"Is the other front, okay?"

Preventing mutants from escaping this area was just as important as attacking the central crack. He had thought the director, who could perform area-wide defense as powerful as his area-wide attacks, wouldn't be able to come here.

"Director Shin Gi-hyeon arrived early by helicopter."

"Oh my, that impatient old man. In the end."

"Tsk. To an elder."

No, even though he's heard I've actually lived much longer...

"...Yes. Well, he is an elder, I suppose."

Right on cue, just like when he had blocked the first lava attack off the coast of Busan before, the ground on that side rose up and attacked the mutants.

As the energetic (and heated) leader of the Busan branch arrived, voices poured into the in-ear as if the defensive line had gained some leeway.

―Can open a straight line at 7 o'clock!

―Can approach the crack!

Kaang! Kang!!!

Gigik―...!!!

The battle noises of others that had been heard from afar gradually drew closer. Hunters who had opened a path through the mutants poured attacks on the crack and retreated, just as Ga-eul had done earlier. The number of wide-area skills and long-range attacks reaching here also increased. By now, hunters from nearby Gangwon-do and Chungcheong-do had also joined the battle.

These were relatively positive circumstances, but contrary to this, Ga-eul and Tae-un among the three people attacking the crack had completely reached their limit, their faces pale. However, no one could say to stop. Because the change in the decreasing crack above their heads was clear.

It was the same for Soram. Earlier, he couldn't participate in attacking the crack because he was blocking this place alone. Now that the crack had sensed the crisis and mutants were stubbornly gathering more, the two of them were barely managing to deal with them. It was a situation where neither side could stop or take a brief rest. But...

"Director-nim."

Where Park Jae-seon turned, Soram had a hesitant face full of guilt.

"Can I... go up?"

He knew the director's burden of guarding this place would double, but he wanted to properly damage the crack now.

The director immediately turned his eyes towards the mutants.

Chwaaak―!

The attack range was even larger than before.

"Go ahead."

"..."

He knew he would answer like this, and that he would make sure Soram wouldn't regret this choice.

Soram rose high into the air. As he did so, he drew out blue mist from inside his body as if wringing it out.

"Everyone fall back!"

As Soram wrapped the blue mist largely around his sword, he thought. After using up his strength with this attack, even if he retreated to the rear for a while, they would hold out. Until I can calm my overload a bit... the others would hold out.

"Ha..."

It was the first time he had thought like this. From earlier, no matter how he thought about it, it was too strange a battle. Perhaps because of that, more strength than he had thought was gathered.

A large hand covered his raised sword hand. It was a familiar body heat that had approached without him noticing.

"Finish it."

Tae-un's white light clusters mixed in between the blue mist Soram had drawn up.

"My ability worked well on you, didn't it?"

The ability Tae-un added to Soram would help disintegrate the crack's power and drive it down with greater intensity. Even at a moment like this, the warmth and pulsation of the person standing behind were so vivid. Soram gripped his sword with his hotly covered hand.

"I'll do it on the count of three."

"Okay."

"No. I'll just do it! Before that thing does something else!"

"..."

"Now!"

Gugugugu―...

The sword was thrust down onto the vibrating crack.

Paaaak!!!

Kuung, kugugugung―...!

The blue mist surrounded by white light clusters poured down as if collapsing part of the sky onto the crack, pressing down on the black crevice. It seemed like the beasts were letting out huge screams, but the explosion sound was so loud it couldn't reach here.

Soram and Tae-un pressed down the sword until the last mist and light clusters flew away.

After a while, the smoke from the explosion gradually cleared. Even amidst the booming sounds, hunters were fighting the mutants scattered everywhere. The number of giant beasts had now noticeably decreased.

And the height of the crack, which had originally come up to their feet, had also significantly lowered.

"Haah, ha, haah..."

Could it be considered... a success of sorts? The crack now looked to be about 15 stories high. The eyes of the two people exhaling heavily in front of the black crack suddenly narrowed.

"...It's vibrating."

"Yeah..."

The crack that had taken a big hit trembled up and down with small crackling sounds. As if preparing to spew out mutants en masse while reflecting attacks like at the beginning.

Soram quickly descended to where the director was.

"It looks like it's preparing to spew out mutants again. Let's retreat, Director-nim."

As he conveyed the message, Soram had to tighten his throat. He was covered in blood as expected. But even in that state, he was unshaken. He put his hand to his in-ear and said.

"Fall back and regroup. Another group of mutants will come out soon."

―Team 2, confirmed.

―Team 5, confirmed.

"Team 7, confirmed."

Soram answered while flying up with the director. Even checking again, it was no lie that they had reduced about 25% of the crack.

25%, 1/4 success.

A process like this, three more times.

He looked back at his team members.

"Let's go back, treat our injuries, and prepare for the next phase."

Though complete hope wasn't visible yet, they would be able to respond more skillfully the second time than the first. The same went for other hunters... ...So he hoped this brief gap would be even a little longer.

"I'll drop Ga-eul unnie off where Team 1 is and come back!"

Ayoung said as she turned Aila's direction. Soram glanced at Ga-eul's complexion. ...Fortunately, it seemed there were no deaths in Team 1 yet. But there must have been many injuries, as her face touching the in-ear connected to the team wasn't bright.

Soon, Soram and Tae-un landed on the rooftop of the building designated for Team 7 along with the director.

"Change your weapons first now. And quickly stop the bleeding of major wounds."

With the director present, Soram was relieved of his duties as chief. But of course, Soram preferred it that way.

Not long after, Ayoung also returned to the team. Soram, who had only replaced his weapon, approached the director right away with hemostatic agents and bandages, but.

"Tae-un first. He's more injured."

With that one sentence, Tae-un had to submit his arms and legs to his teammates' shower of disinfectant and first aid.

"Ah, Director-nim! This is the first time I've seen you fight in person! Wow, really. I immediately understood why you're the director. It was so cool..."

"Thank you. Ayoung is doing very well too."

And only after seeing even Ayoung and Aila's wounds bandaged did the director accept the remaining bandages. Soram sighed as he sprayed hemostatic agent on his wounds and secured them with bandages.

The results of advance preparation were revealed only in such small ways. The four of them stuffed chocolate bars prepared at this spot into their mouths while looking towards the crack.

Gudeuk. Gudeudeuk. Gudeuk―...

In less than 10 minutes, the same sound as when the crack was about to spew out mutants was heard again.

"Even if mutants come out, the flying team stay on standby here a bit longer. We need to approach and pour attacks when the crack is empty like before. But don't be too careless."

"Understood."

All four picked up the weapons they had briefly set down.

Geuk, geugeukgeuk, gudeuk, deukdeukdeukdeukdeuk, deudeudeudeudeudeuk!!!!!

The sound gradually grew louder, and finally a huge body appeared, forcing its way out of the crack.

Not from below, but from above.

"...!"

Kaaaaaaaaak!!!!!

Massive shadows poured out in droves. The difference from before was that they weren't quadrupeds, but...

"...Birds."

"They're avians!"

"!"

It was a flock of giant birds large enough to cover the ground below in pitch-black shadow.