Chapter 741: The Other Side

Now that I thought about it.

When the wall that had first blocked each region disappeared.

'The world’s protection also weakened.'

The System that had protected this world from the outside.

That protection had weakened as well.

The power of this System was not infinite.

So it must have been a method of gradually removing that protection once it judged that the awakened had risen to a level where they could respond to the outside to some extent.

And now.

With the second wall disappearing, all the boundaries dividing each region had vanished.

When the first wall disappeared, Mirinae had come to me and told me its meaning.

But for some reason, his contact had not continued any further.

Because of that, although I knew there would be some kind of change.

“Ah...... we too, to that place.......”

“Let us go together.......”

What exactly that change would be.

I still did not know clearly.

'The unit members’ souls are being pulled away.'

The energy that had shot up from that city.

As a result of that energy forcibly opening the sky that had been closed.

In that sky, another world, whose location I did not know, had spread open.

'The attraction of another world.'

A world so enormous that it could not even be compared to the world we lived in.

The attraction of that world was pulling even the minds of the unit members, who should certainly possess powerful mental strength even among humans.

“Mas...... ter.”

Even.

'Even Ariella.'

Even that Ariella.

Was lowering her head to the ground while forcibly holding onto her own soul as it tried to leave.

“Kh.......”

I hurriedly raised myself and began to respond.

But.

'My condition isn’t good either.'

I could feel it.

The compatibility between my mind and body had dropped ever so slightly.

The position of my soul, which should originally have been inside my body in a shape that fit perfectly, had shifted very slightly toward “that side.”

In this state, whether I could properly respond to the other side alone or not.

Honestly, I had no real confidence.

But right then.

“Commander.......”

“......!?”

Just when I naturally thought all the unit members would be unable to resist.

There was someone who spoke to me.

“Cooking......!”

Demon Hunter, Choi Wonjun.

When he swung his hand.

Splash!

An unidentified liquid from the bottle in that hand flew toward me.

At that moment.

[You have come into contact with the Demon Hunter’s secret art!]

The power contained inside that liquid seeped into me.

And I felt it interfere with my soul.

[A demon that uses souls as food and many lives as slaves.]

[Ironically, the only ones capable of standing against that might are those who know the demon’s ways better than anyone...... those who were once its slaves.]

[Secret Art - Soul Position Fixation]

[Strengthens the bond between body and soul. This is a hunter’s secret art that allows one to protect oneself from the splitting of the soul caused by another’s will.]

“Kh!”

THUD!

A shock that felt as if the world were shaking struck my soul.

The soul that had been slightly displaced was forcibly directed back to its proper place.

And due to the impact, a slight wave of nausea rushed in, but.

'The position of my soul returned.'

A realistic churning sensation.

Rather, that gave me the certainty that my soul had returned to the proper position.

“The only ones who looked at the sky and are still fine are you and the captain of the royal guard, Commander.......”

And.

The guy who had corrected the position of my soul spoke with a tired face.

“Even we only endured because we did not look at the sky.......”

“You guys.......”

Around him were other hunters.

Those who had once followed him and worshiped another existence.

But now sought to hunt that existence.

They had already begun some kind of work.

“The others, who already looked...... we alone cannot handle them. So.......”

Splash, and.

They began scattering unidentified liquid and powder toward the ground.

“Cooking......!”

With those words.

All of them sat down on the ground.

-ⲗⲉϣⲱⲩⲉ.......

-ϯⲕⲉϩⲱⲣ, ⲡⲓⲕⲉⲛⲟⲧ.......

And began muttering in an unidentified language that even I could not understand.

Then.

Slither......

In response.

The liquid they had scattered began flowing across the ground, forming strange patterns.

I did not know the exact meaning of that act.

But I, too.

'Cooking.'

Could quickly understand what they wanted from me.

'......The dishes I made in advance won’t work.'

I had made countless dishes into [combat rations] in Bimana’s kitchen.

There were an enormous variety of combat rations, enough to respond to almost any situation.

Even after encountering the [Matron] in Seoul in the past.

I had also made dishes in preparation for a situation like this, but.

'Combat rations aren’t enough.'

That was not enough.

Because of that.

I gritted my teeth.

BOOM!

And kicked the ground as I shouted.

“Let’s work!”

Then.

[Assistant Chef]

FWAAAAASH!!!

From inside my shadow.

An enormous number of cooking tools burst out.

***

The effect of [Assistant Chef] was an ability that summoned invisible assistant chefs who handled cooking tools.

The “tools” this skill referred to had no restrictions as long as they were cooking tools.

Unlike in the past, when I had taken and used Ariella’s shadow territory.

I had been assigned one shadow territory by Ariella, who had become the head of a bloodline.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

And.

Not only the tools that could be held in hand.

Most of the kitchen appliances in a kitchen were also more than enough to be called cooking tools.

'A kitchen.'

The enormous number of cooking tools that burst out from inside my shadow.

Ovens, burners, enormous fire pits, as well as large cauldrons, tilting pans, and teppans.

From items that had existed before the collapse to items made by the Legion’s production classes after the collapse.

Cooking tools on an enormous scale, the kind that even most large restaurant kitchens would likely not have, burst out and filled the area around me.

[Cooking begins!]

Their number alone was easily in the hundreds.

Those hundreds of enormous cooking tools.

Fwaaaash......

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

Slice.

Began moving the moment they appeared from inside the shadow.

The hundreds of assistant chefs that had appeared under my command had begun their work.

In the past, the most I could handle was around ten kitchen knives or frying pans.

But the me back then and the me now were different in terms of level as a chef.

Especially when it was not combat, but the original purpose.

If they were being used for cooking, I could mobilize even thousands of assistant chefs at the same time.

'If it’s simply for the purpose of making them hold out for one moment, I can make it quickly.'

But.

I frowned and rolled my eyes slightly upward.

Without daring to look directly, I looked at the “other side” visible at the edge of my vision.

“......That won’t be enough, will it?”

Unless that world disappeared.

A dish that only let them endure for a moment would not be enough.

“Shall I try it after all this time?”

So what was needed was......

“Cooking with all my strength.”

And.

Once a chef reached my level of experience, it was rare to cook directly.

In most cases...... yes.

'Command.'

[Soul Cooking Mastery]

Toward those hundreds of assistant chefs.

I began commanding the direction of their work.

The energy of [Soul Cooking] began to settle over the work of every assistant chef.

But then.

Fwaaak......

A presence felt from the sky.

I frowned, trying not to look there directly, and turned my eyes upward.

Then.

Flutter......

The other side.

I saw countless forms crossing over from there toward this place.

Even though the world’s attraction was flowing from this side to that side.

As if they were being protected by something.

They were crossing from the other side toward this side.

Roll.

The first thing to descend was a gigantic eyeball.

Its blood-bruised iris gleamed grotesquely.

And unidentified shadows screaming inside it swirled around, serving as the vitreous body.

The thing that descended after it was a stone statue carved from smooth white marble.

It was beautiful, as if a god had been sculpted.

But from inside the statue, which was slightly broken in places, “something” was stretching out its hand as if asking to be let out.

The next things to descend were beings resembling wild beasts and birds.

A being resembling a deer whose skin had all been peeled off, exposing all the blood vessels within.

And a being resembling a black bird that gave off a beautiful light, as if carved from jewels, but was shedding tears of blood from six pairs of eyes.

The thing that came next was...... simply a “line.”

It was twisted like a long rope, and that thing, endlessly connected, tangled in countless numbers and descended from the sky.

Besides them.

There were beings that were simple circular shapes, or forms that seemed to resemble humans a little.

Beings with countless gleaming tentacles, and even beings like flying brains.

'There’s no point in looking at them.'

After seeing that much, I gave up on observing them any further.

Naturally.

'It’ll be enough just to know there are an absurd number of them.'

Beings that did not seem to share even a single similar part.

Such beings, by the tens of millions, hundreds of millions.

......Or perhaps in numbers reaching the billions.

FWAAAAASH!!!

With one single common point.

They swung their beautiful gray wings.

And began rushing exactly toward where I was.

“Ariella!”

I was focused on the cooking, and Choi Wonjun was also focused on that unidentified secret art.

There was no room to stop the enemies approaching at tremendous speed.

So.

[Soul Cooking Mastery]

Tap!

While applying the trait to my soul.

I touched her head...... or more precisely.

Tap......

Her soul, which was trying to leave her body.

And returned it to its place, even if only a little.

“It’ll be difficult, but you have to stop them.”

“......Yes.”

Ariella’s soul, which had been separating from her body just like mine.

Once that soul found even a little of its proper place.

She raised her staggering body.

-You insolent ones from outside.

FWAAAAASH!

-Return to the place you came from.

The moment she shouted.

A gigantic darkness tinged with red light expanded from her body.

-This is the land of those who have decided to be together!

***

Fwoosh!

When she launched her body toward the sky at tremendous speed.

The ground around her was destroyed by the aftermath of that movement alone.

And.

BOOOOOM!!!

Up in that sky.

A battle broke out between Ariella, who had spread out that shadow wide, and countless invaders.

'Ariella is strong.'

Like Borjin or that prince.

Ariella too was now an awakened.

She had originally been a powerful existence, and now she had even received the System’s support.

Her ability must surpass imagination.

And even that prince, whom she had been wary of.

At least at the point we met, it must have been weaker than Ariella as an individual.

But.

'......The core of that power lies in her army.'

Unfortunately.

The compatibility between that other side and Ariella was not good.

'Most of Ariella’s army’s souls are halfway over to that side.'

Her individual martial power was certainly powerful as well.

But her specialty lay not in her own martial strength, but in the overwhelming combat power that came from her army.

A house head who should originally command from the rear while being protected by her retainers.

Was now forced to fight alone at the very front of the battlefield.

Even her soul had only received a slight emergency measure, and the situation could never be called normal.

'I have to hurry.'

That overwhelming army descending from the sky.

I could not know how long she would be able to endure against them.

Crack......

In fact.

Not long after the battle began, her shadow began to waver.

If she had simply been fighting alone, she could have fought much longer, but right now her goal was to protect me and the other Legion members.

A task where she had to cover an enormous area alone and ensure that not a single one passed through.

No matter how powerful a great noble she was, it was close to impossible.

'Almost done......!'

Because of that.

I too tried to hurry as much as possible and complete the cooking made with “all my strength,” but.

At that moment.

Craack......

“......!”

Ariella’s shadow that had covered the sky.

A hole suddenly opened in it.

FWAAAAASH!

And something rushed through that hole.

One of the things that had first revealed itself from the other side.

A being with the form of a simple “line.”

That long line changed into a straight line.

And with the power concentrated at one point, it even broke through Ariella’s shadow.

Like a spear thrown by a god to punish the earth.

A straight line that had become a sharp point rushed toward me.

'I can’t stop cooking.'

If this were an ordinary dish, perhaps.

But what I was making now was “cooking with all my soul.”

Especially the stage right before completion required more delicate adjustment than any other.

The moment my concentration slipped even once, the dish would fail.

As I gritted my teeth with that thought and stared at that straight line.

KAAANG!

A sword strike that appeared from somewhere deflected that straight line.

I looked at that being and blankly opened my mouth.

“Chancellor......!”

{Continue, doing......}

It was a goblin with a face that looked clearly exhausted, even though it should have been the body of a corpse with no physiological activity.

The moment that sword strike deflected the “straight line” that had been about to pierce my body.

[The dish has been completed!]

The light of the completed dish.

Brilliantly illuminated the world beneath the shadow.