Chapter 209: The Counterattack
Lee Shin could see the Behemoth’s face only after he had tilted his head back as far as possible.
‘He is unusually large.’
Not just one, but three of them had crossed over to Earth. It was dreadful to think about the other demonic beasts that were about to come after them.
‘I need to kill them quickly.’
Behemoths brought demonic beasts with them. It seemed like there was something innate in their demon power that attracted the demonic beasts toward them. The demonic beasts that encountered this Behemoth followed him as if they were enchanted.
‘With three Behemoths, there will be at least 30,000 demonic beasts coming…’
Lee Shin was determined to kill all the Behemoths at once.
"Lilian," Lee Shin called out.
The next moment, a portal of bright red blood appeared in the air, gathering in a circular shape. It thrusted outward, and from inside it, Lilian walked out.
"Hasn’t it been a while since I fought alongside you, Master?" Lilian said.
"Wasn’t it because you were busy gallivanting?" Lee Shin replied.
"Hmph… So, do I just have to kill that big brute?” Lilian asked.
"Yeah, that's right," Lee Shin replied.
Lilian smirked and her eyes glowed red. The next moment, red wings sprouted from Lilian's back, and she flew up to the Behemoth’s eye level.
"How dare you look at me?" Lilian said.
A black line appeared in the air following her fingers. Blood flowed from the line and clung to the air.
"Harden.” Lilian cast a spell.
The black line widened, revealing the brown irises and bright red pupils inside, which glared directly at the Behemoth.
"Grrrr..." The Behemoth’s reaction was strange.
The Behemoth, who seemed like he could go berserk at any moment, closed his eyes and lowered his arm.
"Attack the one beside you,” Lilian ordered.
At her command, the Behemoth’s fist swerved to the side, striking the other Behemoth who stood next to him.
"You look rather pathetic, being toyed around by me like this,” Lilian said.
Lillian laughed. She seemed to be enjoying herself as she made a fool of the Behemoth.
‘Wow… How can she charm the Behemoth like that…?’
Even though its effect might not last long, by this ability, there was no doubt she was the Vampire Queen.
‘I will have to finish this—’
Baam—!
A massive explosion echoed from behind. The Behemoth did not have a chance to turn around—a cannonball flew in and exploded, hitting him squarely in the head.
"Keugh..." The Behemoth groaned in pain.
The Behemoth fell over and dragged the two other Behemoths, who had begun fighting each other, down with him. Lee Shin thought that this attack might have been made by Laurent because it was unlikely for the military to launch such a powerful attack.
Fortunately, the three Behemoths were now stacked on top of each other. Whether Laurent had intended it or not, it was an opportunity to deal with all three of them at once.
[Transcendence]
As Lee Shin raised the power of Transcendence, the movements of the three Behemoths began to slow down. The next moment, Lee Shin kicked the ground and sent mana into the ground.
[Blasting]
Ice crystals shot up from the ground and rushed toward the three Behemoths.
Babababam—!
Crack— Crack—!
In an instant, the three Behemoths, frozen in place, were gathered for a perfect strike. Injecting mana into the ground, Lee Shin pulled out a giant fist from the ground. With just one massive punch from a fist that was the size of one Behemoth, the ice shattered, and the recoil sent the three Behemoths up into the air.
[White Flare]
White flames surged, igniting the ground beneath the Behemoths, and simultaneously, the mana sphere cast into the air spun, emitting a green radiance.
Whoosh—!
The white flames and wind combined to create a blazing tornado, and the Behemoths struggled inside the vortex before crashing to the ground.
"Keugh..." Their feeble cries echoed.
The thick skins of the Behemoths were now in tatters. Their entire bodies were charred, and their pupils wandered as if they had lost focus. ‘I guess it’s time for me to finish this…’
Thunk!
At that moment, someone leaped high into the air behind the Behemoths. When Lee Shin saw the man, his eyes opened wide.
"Die!" the man shouted.
His arm, covered in thick scales, grew to the size of an arm of a Behemoth in an instant. His sharp claws, which were chilling just to look at, pierced through the throats of the Behemoths who had collapsed together.
Crack! Splash—!
As he withdrew his claws, a massive fountain of blood shot up into the air. Seeing that, Lee Shin quickly infused the Behemoths’ lifeless bodies with blue mana.
[Frostbite]
A bluish frost formed over the Behemoths’ necks, freezing the blood that had been gushing. Lee Shin turned his gaze to the one who had taken the kill from him. The man approached, swaying his thick-scaled tail.
"Long time no see," said the man.
Hidden behind his stoic expression was a hint of joy. Lee Shin reached out and shook his hand.
"Long time no see, Jack," Lee Shin greeted.
Jack was the strongest one on the 30th floor and the former slaughterer of the Tower. It had been a long time since he appeared in front of Lee Shin.
"It took a bit of time to get here," Jack said.
"Is Agatha doing well?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes, all thanks to you," Jack replied.
The reason why it took Jack, who was strong, so long to climb the Tower was probably his younger sister, Agatha.
‘Considering the fact that he reached the 50th floor just recently, his power must be beyond imagination.’
Was it because Jack had climbed the Tower while protecting Agatha that he seemed even more remarkable?
"What floor are you on right now?" Lee Shin asked Jack.
"I’m on the 55th floor," Jack replied.
‘Wow, so he must have climbed five more floors even more recently.’
Having reached the 50th floor, there was no longer a need for him to protect Agatha, so his speed in climbing the Tower likely increased.
“Haha..." Lee Shin laughed.
"What's with that laugh?" Jack asked Lee Shin.
Lee Shin could not help but laugh. He needed a strong guy around, so it worked out well.
"Jack, where's Agatha?" Lee Shin asked.
"She's taking a rest in Seoul right now. Thankfully, those government employees are treating her well," Jack replied.
"So, there's no need to worry about your sister, right? South Korea is probably the safest place on Earth," Lee Shin said.
"...Do you need me or something?” Jack asked Lee Shin.
"Yeah. Didn't you tell me earlier that since I found your sister for you, you will do anything that I ask?” Lee Shin said.
"Alright. What do I need to do?" Jack asked.
"Follow me," Lee Shin replied.
The three Behemoths were already dead, and Lilian was taking care of the demonic beasts that were following them. Besides, since Behemoths were killed early on in the fight, not many demonic beasts had appeared.
"Mr. Lee Shin! It’s done!”
On the other side of the gate, Sevrino, Vian, and several laboratory staff had been busy working on the device.
"Are we ready to use it?” Lee Shin asked.
"We'll give it a try."
It was the gate maintenance device. If the gate had been opened from another dimension, they would use it to forcibly keep the gate open, preventing the enemies from escaping. If they had crossed over to the enemy's side, it would be disastrous for the gate to close while they were inside.
Woong—
The sound of clattering machine parts and the vibration of energy filled the air. A white beam of light shot out from the gate maintenance device and hit the gate, causing ripples to spread from that point.
Pizz— Pizz—!
Sparks flew around the gate, and a translucent barrier enveloped its entirety.
"Wow, it’s a success!" Sevrino’s excited voice rang out.
"How long can it be maintained?" Lee Shin asked.
"I think it can last for about a week or so," Sevrino replied.
Lee Shin thought that should be enough. He looked at the tablet and examined the status of the gates worldwide. Challengers, following the command of the WCA, were successfully blocking the gates in various countries. Fortunately, there were only level 9 gates in the United States and South Korea. Para McMatain and Jonathan were actively involved in defense at the gate in the United States.
"Are we going in now?" Laurent, who approached Lee Shin, Jack and Sevrino quietly, asked.
Upon hearing his question, Jack furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the gate.
"No way..." Jack muttered.
"Haha, you’re right," Lee Shin replied.
Compared to the size of the gate, Jack, Laurent, and Lee Shin seemed insignificant and awfully small. However, their presence was imposing—not something the gate could contain or put a lid on.
"Let's go," Lee Shin said. They were on their way to give the demons a warning against recklessly invading Earth again.
***
The land was desolate, the ground was cracked, and the stale dust in the atmosphere filled one’s nostrils with every breath in. When Lee Shin lifted his head, he saw the dark red sky and the bright red sun shining down on the ground.
"Are we in the third district…?" Lee Shin muttered.
This was within Lee Shin’s expectations ever since the Behemoths appeared. That was because Behemoths typically dwelled in the third district, not the fourth.
"This is the third district? But shouldn’t we be heading to the fourth district?" Laurent asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"We can't help it because the gate that was connected to South Korea happened to lead to the third district," Lee Shin replied.
Their goal was to enter the fourth district and give a warning to the Great Devils. Therefore, from Laurent and Jack's perspective, this seemed like a waste of time, but that was not the case for Lee Shin.
"We should first find a way to go to the fourth district,” Jack said.
“Jack, do you have any idea? Do you recognize this place?” Lee Shin asked.
Considering that he was the most recent one to come from the 49th floor, Lee Shin hoped that he might know something.
“No, I don’t,” Jack replied and shook his head, contrary to Lee Shin’s expectations. The Demon World was quite vast after all. Despite having explored the third district quite extensively on the 49th floor, this place seemed entirely new to Lee Shin.
“Tsk, we should start by finding a city. High-rank commanding class devils loyal to the Great Devils are usually found in such places,” Lee Shin muttered.
"But something's strange. Why don't we see any demonic beasts around? I heard that the Behemoths usually travel with demonic beasts," Jack replied.
As Jack voiced his doubt, they began to feel vibrations shaking the ground.
"Speak of the devil," Laurent muttered.
"Wow, you became Korean in the meantime," Lee Shin said.
"Haha, it’s nothing of that sort," Laurent replied.
Laurent adjusted his sunglasses as if he was shy.
"There they are!”
"Their demon power feels quite strong.”
From far away, a devil with massive wings flew toward them. Beneath the devil, a tremendous number of demonic beasts were gathering.
"I’m so ready for this," Jack said.
Jack stretched and cracked his neck back and forth, bent down, and then jumped up.
"I'll take care of that devil," Jack said.
Although Jack did not grow as massive as before, his strength was still enough to impress. Moreover, his reaction speed was exceptional, as he could dodge attacks of the demonic beasts and slaughter them even while being surrounded.
"There are too many demonic beasts for us to even get close to the devil," Laurent muttered.
Laurent pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with the handgun tucked in his belt.
"...Was that a lighter?" Lee Shin asked.
"Earth has many interesting things," Laurent replied.
When Lee Shin turned around, he could see that the devil was getting closer to them. However, he soon noticed that there was something familiar about the appearance of that devil.
"Hahaha! How dare you inferior humans set foot in my domain?" The devil laughed at Lee Shin and his group.
The devil laughed arrogantly as he charged at Jack. It was clear that this devil had taken all the demonic beasts that the Behemoths had been leading. Otherwise, there was no way so many demonic beasts would gather in one place.
Jack looked exhausted, so Lee Shin created a white fireball and launched it through the gaps among the demonic beasts.
Whoosh—
"What's this? Are you a wizard? You annoying wizards! Something like this won’t do any harm to me!”
The devil puffed up his chest by inhaling demon power and spat another fireball out from his mouth, which exploded in the air.
"How pathetic, you human wizards! All human wizards especially should be killed! I will definitely chew you up and..."
The devil who had been raging alone stopped abruptly with his eyes wide open.
"Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?" Laurent, who had been quietly listening to the demon's rant, asked with curiosity.
"Well, it's because..." Lee Shin muttered.
Now that the devil realized his limits, it seemed like words would not come out. The situation was getting interesting. Lee Shin started walking toward the devil, slowly approaching the devil. The devil, who had been flying at high speed, looked bewildered and could not move.
"Do you know him?" Laurent noticed the strange atmosphere and asked Lee Shin.
"Yeah, he's my subordinate," Lee Shin replied.
The devil was Zephyr. He was the devil Lee Shin had brought with him on the 49th floor.
‘He must have been really frustrated.’
.
Lee Shin was aware that the human wizard whom Zephyr had been referring to was Lee Shin himself.
“Was it you Zephyr?” Lee Shin asked, looking at Zephyr.
At Lee Shin’s question, Zephyr flinched. His hearing had definitely improved.
"L-L-Lee Shin…?” Zephyr was shocked to see Lee Shin here.
He had gotten a lot more impolite in the meantime.
‘This is why devils must be…’
It seemed like Lee Shin needed to do some mental conditioning again for Zephyr to remember how to behave in front of Lee Shin.
“Come down over here,” Lee Shin said, looking at Zephyr.
“Hmph! Why should I do that? If you think I’m the same as the old Zephyr, you’re mistaken!” Zephyr shouted at Lee Shin.
“Oh, really?” Lee Shin replied.
Was Zephyr trying to challenge Lee Shin? Lee Shin thought it was an unexpected move.
“Yeah? Let’s see how much you’ve grown then.” Lee Shin smirked.