Chapter 748: It Seemed Different

“Khuh...... Cough.......”

I let out a rough breath.

The feeling of my body refusing to listen to me, something I had not felt in a very long time.

My heart and respiratory system, having slipped beyond my will, busily sought the outside air.

“The respirator!”

As soon as we arrived at the Legion’s infirmary.

The medics placed an oxygen respirator over my face.

Psssssshh......

The oxygen being forced into me calmed my body a little.

“Calm yourself, Legion Commander.”

A young boy wearing a white coat over a military uniform.

Luca approached and waved that hand over my body.

Then.

Saaaarak......

The energy that came from that hand wrapped around my body.

Only then did my body, which had been panting roughly, slowly begin to regain stability.

“Medical officer. What happened to Youngjun?”

“......It is not an external wound, nor is it any other disease or something of that sort.”

“Then? Seeing this guy, of all people, panting this badly, there must be something serious.......”

“It is merely.”

Luca, too.

Opened his mouth with an expression that seemed to say he did not quite understand it.

“......a mental problem.”

“A mental problem?”

“An extremely severe amount of stress that rushed in over a short moment. It is no more than an abnormal reaction caused by that.”

At those words.

The Legion members looked at me with blank faces.

They looked as if they were wondering just what on earth had happened for me to receive that kind of stress.

And.

“......How embarrassing.”

Once my breathing returned.

I removed the respirator and raised myself up, my face flushed red.

***

“Are you really sure you are all right?”

“I said I’m fine. We already checked several times and got the results, didn’t we? There’s nothing wrong with my body.”

“Still.......”

“I said I’m fine.”

After returning to the Legion fortress.

I sat in the command room where the squad leaders were and looked outside.

“......Anyway, well. Fortunately, it looks like our soldiers handled things well.”

I had given the order immediately the moment I felt that descent.

But the Legion members seemed to have handled it even better than I had expected.

Crackle......

The border separating South Korea and North Korea, which were the Legion’s territory.

With the wall built along that border as the standard, all kinds of shamanic arts activated and suppressed the golden energy that was trying to invade from beyond it.

“Honestly, it’s a little surprising.”

Even with my cooking, I had barely managed to protect only the area around myself and the Legion members, unable to properly push it back.

No matter how much support from Bimana’s mana there was.

It was hard to believe that they could block that energy to this extent.

“It is not only the influence of shamanic arts.”

“Hm?”

At those words.

Borjin, the shaman who seemed to have conducted those shamanic arts, spoke.

“If it were a force we could block with our shamanic arts alone, then conversely, it would be normal for us to be able to corrode the other side as well. But right now, something like that is impossible with only our shamanic arts.”

In reality.

That golden light was simply unable to invade beyond the wall we had made.

Beyond it, that [Otherworld] transformation was still taking place.

Even so, the reason it could not invade any farther was probably.

“The dominion of the...... [System] over this land must be having an effect.”

“I see.”

[Conquest War]

[Large Region: ROK]

[Conquest Rate: 100%]

Right now.

This land was in a state of 100% occupation by our Legion.

Although a small number of enemies still remained here and there, the energy of this land definitely belonged to us.

Winning a Conquest War did not simply end with becoming the ruler of that land.

The old ruler melted into this earth...... fragments of the System.

It meant that we could place that power under the influence of our System and activate it.

'The power of those fragments must be blocking it.'

That was a power that corresponded to this world’s legitimate line.

No matter how powerful that being’s energy was.

It seemed that, in basic compatibility, we had no choice but to have the advantage.

On the other hand.

'Beyond there is different.'

The race ruling North Korea was zombies.

And most zombies were beings who did not belong to the System.

Even the prince, who was at least a zombie belonging to the System, had only occupied a single city.

Although the influence of that city was on the large side, its conquest rate probably would not have reached even 10%.

My cooking and the Legion’s wall, which had barely held out against that energy.

That difference seemed to come from there.

“Uh, then that means.”

At Borjin’s words.

Squad Leader Lee Sanga tilted her head and said.

“It may be difficult for us to invade beyond there, but if we only try to defend, we can hold out without any problem?”

Blocking that energy itself was possible even now.

In that case.

It meant that perhaps we had been given quite a lot of time.

“If it were only that energy, maybe.”

However.

I let out a sigh and said.

“If the source emitting that energy starts moving, the story changes.”

“Ah.......”

“The number of monsters that descended on the other side together with that guy is also enormous. We somehow lured them into the territory of our world and hunted them, but the power they originally possessed made each and every one of them terrifying beyond measure. If it were only the monsters, then maybe we could somehow block them, but.......”

“If that person approaches, it may be difficult. Is that what you mean?”

At those words.

Corporal Lee Minjae cautiously opened his mouth.

“If that existence is so great, it would not have been strange for it to have moved already. But seeing as there has been no attack toward us until now...... does that not mean that thing may have some reason why it cannot move?”

“That is right. Something like, it cannot operate properly in this world.”

“.......”

Yes.

I had once thought that way too.

However.

'That wasn’t it.'

At the final moment when I leapt toward the Legion.

I definitely felt it.

At that time, that guy could have moved as much as it wanted in order to seize me.

But for some reason, it did not move...... and quietly let me go.

'......Why on earth?'

If there was a problem.

It was that I had no idea whatsoever what that reason could be.

“......Even if there is a reason like that, it is the same.”

In the end.

Since I did not know the cause either, I had no choice but to move past this part.

“Even if there is some reason why it cannot move, there is no way it will sit still without resolving that. As time passes, there is a high possibility that reason will disappear too.”

“That is true.”

“In the end, from our position, we have to solve this problem as quickly as possible.......”

At that.

The soldiers’ faces darkened a little.

“Will that be possible?”

“What’s with you all suddenly sounding weak?”

“That is because.”

The loyalty and courage of the Legion members were remarkable.

No matter what enemy they faced, there would be no chance of that fighting spirit disappearing.

However.

'Having an unbroken will and weighing the odds are separate matters.'

As for the being that had appeared there now.

Even the Legion members could not help but wonder whether we could win.

'......A demon, huh.'

We had already encountered that guy indirectly once before.

Back when we were operating in Gangwon Province.

Even though we only witnessed one fragment of it, we had to struggle greatly.

The fear given by that gaze I had met in the sky back then was truly.......

'......Hm?'

But.

A question suddenly came to mind.

The demon that had appeared in the sky above Gangwon Province.

I had definitely met that gaze.

However, when I tried to recall that being that had looked at me back then.

'Something...... seemed a little different.'

That thought.

Suddenly brushed past my mind.

“There is not no possibility.”

While I was thinking that, someone spoke.

The leader of the demon hunters, Choi Wonjun.

“Possibility?”

“I told Sergeant Shin this as well, but...... with the abilities of the followers currently on this land, no matter how hard they tried, it should normally have been impossible to descend a being of that level.”

That was also why I had been excluding that possibility.

However.

Contrary to those expectations, they had achieved the descent.

Something we had thought impossible had become reality.

But.

“There should also be side effects to forcing the impossible into reality.”

Naturally.

The reason we had excluded that possibility was because it was an option that normally would not be chosen.

It meant that the other side had done something that carried a penalty of that degree.

“Originally, there would be no way to fight and win against a being like that, but...... this time is a little different. That demon did not descend in its main body. Only its soul descended, borrowing another being’s flesh.”

“It is a being of that level. Would possessing another being’s body be such a big disadvantage?”

“Of course. No matter how powerful a soul a being possesses, this place is not even that being’s territory. Since it cannot completely escape the laws of this world either, it will not be able to overcome the limits of the body.”

The prince was certainly a powerful zombie.

But compared to the main body of the demon that had probably descended somewhere beyond there now...... it would belong to an absurdly weak category.

Because of that weak body, the demon’s own abilities would also be restricted.

And.

“......Personally, this was the biggest reason I thought it would not do something like this.”

“?”

“If, by borrowing another being’s flesh like that, it forcibly descends.”

Choi Wonjun frowned, as if he truly could not understand it.

“......the death of that flesh will also act fatally upon the soul dwelling within it.”

“What?”

“I do not know about outside this world. But entering this world means being placed under the influence of this world. No matter how powerful the soul is, it is like being caught by this world’s gravity. And...... now, under the laws of this world, if it is killed while dwelling in a body.”

If one who possessed a body was killed.

In this world, the result was simple.

“Even that powerful soul will find it difficult to escape death.”

Death.

Now that it had abandoned its body and descended only as a soul.

It meant that even that guy could not escape that law.

“......Why.”

That was why it was even harder to understand.

It was not as if I knew exactly what circumstances those beings outside had.

But a being of that level, one who had possessed a world like that.

“That guy would take such a risk.......”

“We are also wondering about that part.”

A guy who, in its own world, would have reigned as a god in the literal sense.

What on earth was it hoping for.

Why did it try to descend onto this land while taking on that level of risk?

“Anyway, as long as it has the restriction of that body, there is a high possibility that the enemy is not that powerful a being. It likely cannot even bring out a tiny fraction of its original power. Though it may be able to handle things like the authorities it possesses well.”

“So there is a possibility?”

“Yes. No matter how strong a zombie the owner of that body may be, it should not be an enemy that the current Legion absolutely cannot bring down.”

Certainly, as he said.

No matter how powerful a zombie the prince was.

If we were in an environment where we could make sufficient preparations, I and a few Legion members could somehow deal with it.

Because the strength of our Legion had also become incomparably stronger than in the past.

“If that is the case.”

“If we somehow prepare a method to push back that golden energy, and then lead the Legion members toward that city.”

“If we only take down the being occupying the prince’s body......!”

It would work.

With that thought.

Just as hope was about to settle among the Legion members.......

“So that...... is...... why.”

“......Hm?”

The one who had been silently listening to the conversation.

“So, that is why...... my kin......!”

That goblin prime minister opened its mouth.

“Humans...... there is...... no time.”

“What do you mean, there is no time?”

“The reason, that one descended into the prince’s body...... I know.”

“What?”

“As you...... said. If the power of that being...... is determined by the strength of the body. Then the time given...... is extremely...... short.”

The goblin’s gaze turned somewhere far away.

“Perhaps...... right now. That being...... with the prince’s body.......”

It turned toward the place where that city would be.

“Is devouring...... my kin.”