Chapter 703: Rotten Stench

After organizing the territory of that Church.

A month had passed since the Legion succeeded in unifying all of South Korea.

In other words.

[Time remaining until the Second Protection Removal...... 00:05:05]

There was not much time left until the barrier opened.

‘If the second protection is removed...... then the barriers between nations will probably disappear.’

Not barriers of language or culture, but actual physical walls that had blocked movement between regions.

During the first protection removal, the barriers blocking regions within nations...... the small regional barriers disappeared.

So if the second protection were removed, then this time the large regional barriers...... the walls blocking movement between nations would disappear.

Those barriers that had isolated humanity’s movement ever since the destruction would completely vanish.

‘Those walls were probably for humanity’s sake.’

When I first encountered those barriers, I had no choice but to be bewildered.

But thinking about it now, humanity had at least remained somewhat safe because those walls existed.

The overwhelmingly powerful enemies appearing in each region.

Without those walls, humanity might have been swept away by monsters from other regions before even having time to grow stronger.

In other words, those barriers existed to buy time for humanity to strengthen itself.

And once a force that had achieved sufficient growth appeared, that protection disappeared.

It was not all disadvantages.

Maintaining those barriers must surely require an enormous amount of power.

So once the point came where the barriers no longer needed to be maintained, the power of the [System] supporting the awakened would likely gain more room as well.

As the System’s power strengthened, the growth of the awakened would become even faster going forward.

Of course.

That came with the condition that we survive the present first.

“All artillery batteries have completed firing preparations. Ammunition reserves are also sufficient.”

“Reports are also coming in from the fortresses in each region. They say all preparations have been completed.......”

Because of that.

From the moment the numbers on that timer began decreasing.

The Legion gathered a great deal of its forces near the northern barrier.

“We gathered most of the forces we possess over here. It’s on a completely different level compared to when we attacked that Church.”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

Listening to Corporal Lee Minjae’s report, I thought.

I did not know what the situation in each region was like.

But the moment those barriers opened, tremendous chaos would probably occur across the entire world.

‘Still, thankfully, our circumstances are relatively better in this regard.’

Terrain surrounded by sea on three sides.

According to our experiences thus far, even powerful monsters were surprisingly rarely capable of crossing the sea.

There were monsters inhabiting the sea itself as well, making it difficult even for them to pass through.

And conversely, those sea monsters had difficulty operating on land.

Even that Pope, who had been so overwhelmingly powerful.

Once it fell onto land, it had no choice but to forcibly turn the surrounding area into a dungeon just to survive somehow.

No matter how powerful monsters were, environmental influence was fatal to them as well.

Of course, we still had to remain wary of the sea.

But the one thing we truly needed to be wary of was the north.

The fact that there was only one nation connected by land was a definite advantage in the current situation.

‘We poured the maximum military power we could prepare into the northern direction.’

The Legion specialized in defense.

With defenses at this level, I was confident we could stop even another Legion invading directly.

[Time remaining until the Second Protection Removal...... 00:05:05]

And then.

[The Beginner Protection System is being lifted.]

Crack.......

The darkness of the barrier began disappearing.

***

Sarararak.......

As the black barrier disappeared.

The intense heat emitted by that barrier also vanished.

“.......”

Among the soldiers, I heard the sound of someone gulping.

Was it because the heat from the barrier suddenly disappeared?

It even felt as though a strange chill had suddenly appeared.

And so.

We looked beyond where the barrier had vanished.

The other side of the post-destruction world that no one except Corporal Seo Suhyeok had ever seen.

The place where the barrier originally stood had melted due to the heat emitted by that barrier.

What could be seen nearby were the barbed-wire fences and border military bases that soldiers had once patrolled.

Beyond that, ordinary brown land stretched on for a while.

Far away, small villages where North Korean people likely once lived could also be seen.

What Corporal Seo Suhyeok had seen probably extended only that far.

And beyond that.

“......Huh?”

After seeing beyond that.

I had no choice but to frown.

‘It’s dark.’

A seemingly ordinary landscape.

Yet beyond it was incomprehensibly dark.

Even though the black barrier had clearly disappeared, the entire visible area was dyed black.

‘No, that’s not it.’

It was not that my vision itself had darkened.

The sky looked completely normal.

The only abnormal thing was the ground.

“The entire ground is.......”

And.

It seemed I was not the only one who sensed the abnormality.

“It’s dyed black.”

The other soldiers as well.

Were staring at that place with expressions suggesting something was wrong.

“......No.”

While the soldiers and I stared there in confusion.

A voice came from beside us.

“That’s not it.”

Turning my head.

I saw Corporal Seo Suhyeok standing there.

The possessor of the sharpest senses in our unit.

The person capable of glimpsing part of what lay beyond the barrier even from outside the visible range of that barrier.

No matter how high my stats became, I still could not see farther than him.

And that very person.......

“The ground isn’t dyed black.”

Spoke while covered in cold sweat.

But then.

Ripple.......

It felt as though that black ground moved.

“It’s merely filling the ground completely.”

“What?”

And then.

The very moment Corporal Seo Suhyeok finished speaking.

KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG!!!

“......!”

The blackened ground began trembling.

That black ground...... no.

——————!!!!!!!!!!

The beings filling the ground completely.

Began flooding toward us at terrifying speed.

***

“All artillery batteries, fire!”

“Fire!”

The moment Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok’s voice rang out.

Together with it.

KWAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGAGANG.......

The Legion fortresses bordering North Korea.

Flames erupted across that entire vast region.

An overwhelming bombardment.

Firepower great enough to erase ordinary cities or islands without leaving even traces behind poured forth.

The Legion had recovered approximately 10% of the weaponry of the entire Republic of Korea Army.

Because so many military bases had been destroyed by monsters, the amount recoverable had been extremely small.

But that only referred to the number of weapons themselves.

The firepower of the weaponry modified by Legion members had become far stronger than before.

The Legion had now succeeded in restoring 50% of South Korea’s peak firepower.

Considering that the number of survivors was less than 10% of what it had been before the destruction.

And that the number of people capable of handling weaponry was even smaller, it was absurd.

However.

PUBUBUBUBUBUNG!!!

Despite that miraculous firepower overturning the entire earth.

“There are too many of them!”

Blocking that black wave flooding toward us.

Looked absolutely impossible.

“There’s no need to aim! Just fire!”

“Contact the rear! Bring even the shells we reserved for emergencies!”

The Legion’s firepower was not weak.

In reality, wherever that bombardment reached, the black wave vanished.

Even though the bombardment had only recently begun, the Legion had probably already succeeded in eliminating an unimaginable number of enemies.

The problem was.

“There are too many......!”

“No matter what, there has to be some limit to this......!”

No matter how many enemies were being eliminated.

Compared to the total mass of enemies advancing while ignoring those losses, it was no more than a mere handful.

‘Millions, no. Tens of millions?’

No.

Not even on that scale.

Enemies filled every single place visible within my sight.

The problem was.

This place where I currently stood was itself only an extremely small part of the border connected to North Korea.

‘Even in the places beyond my vision.’

If all the enemies existing in places I could not see were included as well.

That number...... had reached a level where trying to count it was meaningless.

“Commander!”

And then.

Someone who had been watching that scene shouted toward me.

A middle-aged man holding tools.

“It seems this is the worst-case scenario we feared......!”

“Looks that way.”

“Then!”

The unit’s “Architect.”

Park Jongdu ran somewhere while shouting.

“I’ll use the method I mentioned before, so buy us time!”

Hearing those words, I immediately nodded and said.

“Lieutenant General Kim!”

“......Relay this to the frontline soldiers!”

[The roar of command echoes forth.]

[Advanced Commander Trait - Ultra-Wide Area Command is applied.]

[The commander’s orders spread across all battlefronts recognized as being at war.]

“Everyone advance! Block the bastards’ advance with your bodies!!!”

[Forward Defense Order]

Power surged within my body.

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok’s ultra-wide-area buff spread across the battlefield.

Feeling that buff, I shouted.

“The soldiers here will come with me!”

There were many major strongholds connected to the north.

Other frontline powerhouses such as Jeon Gwangil and Lee Hyeonjin were handling other locations.

The person best suited to lead the frontline soldiers here was me.

Far too many enemies.

Ordering an advance against those enemies would normally be no different from a suicide order.

But.

“Loyalty, loyalty!!!”

As though there were no need to ask why.

The soldiers shouted and ran after me.

KUUNG, KUUNG......!

Awakened possessing strength greater than most heavy equipment.

They kicked off the ground with all their might.

That alone produced vibrations strong enough to shake the mountains.

Due to that terrifying speed.

The soldiers and I rapidly closed the distance with that black wave rushing toward us.

Right before colliding with them, the frontline soldiers shouted in one voice.

“For the Legion’s victory!!!”

KUUUUUUUUUUUNG!!!

Together with a sound like missiles exploding.

The collision between allied forces and enemy forces began.

***

[Combat Power Measurement Device]

Slash-!

The instant the clash began.

I immediately swung my blade and severed the neck of the enemy closest to me, the one possessing the strongest mana among them.

‘These bastards.’

The neck of a gigantic monster was sliced off and flew through the air.

And while looking at the severed head of the monster I had killed, I thought.

‘There’s no common trait.’

Some were large and grotesque.

Some were small and fast.

The scent of mana differed, and every single appearance was completely different.

Enemies made up of such enormous numbers.

They were not some coalition of a single species.

At first, I thought of that demon.

The monsters that demon had sent onto the surface for the sake of its contractors.

I wondered whether those creatures formed that black wave.

But demon servants were races subjugated by demons.

Their varieties were not that diverse.

Then.

What exactly were those enemies, to be flooding toward us in such numbers?

‘I suspected it before...... but after seeing them up close, I’m certain.’

And.......

I felt as though I understood the answer.

The monsters that had looked like a black wave from afar.

But when viewed up close, those monsters shared no common trait whatsoever.

If they were all monsters of different races, then their colors should naturally all be different as well.

And yet the reason all of them appeared black was...... simple.

‘......This smell I’ve been sensing since earlier.’

My profession was chef.

The ability to judge the condition of meat was also one of a chef’s skills.

Meat...... in other words, the flesh of dead lifeforms.

When first dead, it retains the appearance it had in life.

After being left alone for some time, purple blotches appear.

As more time passes, it turns green along with gas.......

‘......Because they were rotting and decaying.’

As time passes and decomposition progresses.

It changes black.

‘Corpses.’

The gigantic monster whose neck I severed.

No.......

SHWAAAAAAK!!!

The zombie’s hand.

Rushed toward me as though losing its head meant absolutely nothing.