Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 168

Chapter 168: S-rank Outbreak （12）

Immediately after arriving at the scene.

Yeon Woo-bin felt the same awe as Kim Chun-sik.

They hadn’t even entered the Gokumsan entrance yet, but the black surging tide felt suffocating.

If it were the old him, he would have run away.

Yeon Woo-bin, who should have collapsed as his past trauma resurfaced, now had the image of Kang San’s fierce battle in the distance as his first thought.

‘Hyeong is in danger.’

It was instinctive.

His Magic Eye flashed, and he immediately activated Amplification.

“Salamander’s Breath.”

Whoosh.

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!

Like exhaling a breath, he unleashed a massive flame.

The intense heat swept away the undead in an instant, but it only created a momentary gap in their ranks. The surging tide quickly filled the space again. Meanwhile, new people arrived. The Ranger unit led by Kim Myeong-min, Cheonsang and Project B team, groups including Daeyang and Flare.

They clashed fiercely.

They gradually secured a meaningful space, but Yeon Woo-bin couldn’t hide his impatience.

‘This won’t do.’

It had already been two hours since the incident occurred.

Considering the overwhelming force Kang San had faced, it wouldn’t be strange at all if he was already dead. He would have faced this absurd number of undead along with an S-rank monster, the ‘Dark Lord’.

Why on earth?

Why did Kang San jump into the fire pit alone without saying anything?

If he had some limitations, he could have induced the situation by suggesting a raid in Pohang to his party. There were plenty of ways to bring his companions along without revealing his secrets. But he didn’t. He left, saying he had something to do for a moment, and was alone at the moment of disaster.

It was foolish.

Just like the day he fell from the ant nest, holding him as they plummeted.

Just like that time when he helped him overcome his trauma, Kang San was still the same.

‘…I will never let Kang San-hyeong die like this.’

He gritted his teeth.

He drew up his magical power.

Even if it meant exceeding his limits, he wanted to prepare a powerful blow to wipe out the undead.

That’s when it happened.

『An unknown power dwells within you.』

『’Someone’ responds to your call.』

Flash.

His eyes widened.

Before the world, emanating streams of magical power, Yeon Woo-bin witnessed an unknown entity.

It was a Salamander.

While it had been the size of a lizard before, now a giant fire spirit, radiating a powerful presence, flickered before his eyes.

“Ahh-”

He merged with the spirit.

The Salamander’s presence permeated his body.

Driven by the sole purpose of saving Kang San, he exploded the magical power of the rapidly rotating circle.

“Salamander’s Wrath.”

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!

The Salamander soared.

The entity, rising high into the sky, unleashed its explosive magical power.

Fwoosh, fwoosh!

Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!

It was a spectacular sight.

The flames spewed by the Salamander swept the surroundings, and its powerful strike swallowed not just dozens, but hundreds of undead. The raging inferno discriminated against no one. Even though he had used it at a distance from his allies, the people at the forefront had to shield their faces from the intense heat.

The series of events.

Jeong Min-jun of Flare, who arrived late, was truly amazed by the sight of Yeon Woo-bin engulfed in flames.

‘Is this B-rank magic?’

No.

That couldn’t be.

Since Yeon Woo-bin recently passed the B-rank promotion test, Mages had been keeping an eye on his growth. Starting with D-rank due to his innate talent, he had shown sluggish progress until he met Kang San, after which he displayed explosive growth. From D to B-rank, he passed without any obstacles in just one year. That alone was enough for Mage guilds like Flare to put Yeon Woo-bin on their recruitment list, but the magic he just used could not be explained by the standards of B-rank.

At least A-rank.

Goosebumps erupted all over his body.

If Yeon Woo-bin had reached A-rank at such a young age, the future they had expected from Im Chan-yeong lay with Yeon Woo-bin.

A future S-rank.

Jeong Min-jun swallowed hard.

At first, he had chosen to come to Pohang after calculating various interests, but now there was one more positive justification.

‘The reason Yeon Woo-bin rushed to Pohang must be to save Kang San. If so, our choice to help Kang San is not only a win-win situation to win over Kang San and Yu Jeong-yeong, but also to gain Yeon Woo-bin’s favor.’

The justification was sufficient.

It was worth it to have deployed the forces that should have been assigned to the S-rank raid here in Pohang.

Jeong Min-jun shouted.

It was time to show a clear presence.

“Flare, prepare for bombardment━!”

“Bombardment!”

The mages formed ranks efficiently.

The mages, forming a formidable five-row formation, began to cast spells simultaneously, starting with those at the very front.

“Explosion.”

“Flame.”

Fwoosh, fwoosh!

Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!

Magic exploded.

As the tremendous magical power exploded and swept away the enemies, the next row stepped forward at Jeong Min-jun’s signal.

“Explosion.”

“Flame.”

Fwoosh, fwoosh!

Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!

The attack repeated with the same firepower.

When the second row’s attack ended, the third row stepped forward, then the fourth, and after the fifth row finished, the first row, which had recovered enough magical power, stepped up. It was the overwhelming firepower that Flare boasted. With explosive magic that manifested like an infinite loop, they aimed to challenge the S-rank raid. Of course, they didn’t bring all their forces here. Flare’s Master was an S-rank, but he wasn’t here.

But it was enough.

With Yeon Woo-bin’s rampage and Flare’s full-fledged participation, the path that was gradually opening up widened further.

And as if to put the finishing touch.

Just in time, new people arrived at the scene.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Their identities were the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

As soon as the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were deployed, they rushed forward, led by Saito Shusuke.

“Attack━!”

“Save the Hero of Kitakyushu━!”

Humans and undead.

There was no difficulty in distinguishing between friend and foe.

The Koreans naturally cleared the way, coordinating with each other to quickly sweep through the battlefield.

Behind them.

Click-clack.

Japan’s S-rank Hunter, Misaki Akemi, walked leisurely.

She, who is called the Cold-blooded Witch in Japan, unexpectedly expressed her intention to participate in this trip to Korea.

Swish.

She unfurled her whip.

The whip is a weapon that represents the Cold-blooded Witch.

She slapped the ground once with it, and then, even though she was quite a distance away, she began to swing the whip.

“Die, you vermin.”

Swish.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang━!

A terrifying sound as if tearing apart space was heard, and along with the sight of the whip flashing white, the undead’s bodies exploded. She didn’t move a single step. It was known that she single-handedly slaughtered hundreds of monsters without blinking an eye, and now she was revealing her presence, killing enemies in an instant. The opponent’s rank didn’t matter. Whether it was C-rank, B-rank, or A-rank. The moment she decided to target them, their heads exploded from a single, powerful strike of her whip.

And at the forefront, Saito Shusuke’s presence swelled.

He delved into the space teeming with undead, fiercely swinging his spear and quickly opening a path.

“Get out of the way━!”

Whirl.

Thud!

He smashed the opponent’s head.

His position would be disadvantageous against a large number of enemies, but Saito Shusuke, an S-rank, was different.

“Blood Rain.”

Papapapapak!

He slaughtered them like crazy.

It was as if his spear was creating numerous illusions, then it split into dozens, piercing holes in every body it encountered. His eyes were filled with intense longing. After being saved by Kang San, he had come to believe in Kang San as a faith. Some might call it a cult. However, now that the S-rank Outbreak had occurred, he gained certainty upon hearing the news that Kang San was single-handedly stopping the disaster.

Kang San was the hope of humanity.

He couldn’t.

He couldn’t just leave him to die like this.

He broke away from the formation.

He opened a path.

Killing, killing, and killing again.

He delved into the space teeming with undead, where there were no allies.

But then.

‘A person?’

Beyond that.

He saw a man’s back.

That figure, mercilessly swinging a machete, was desperately clearing a path as if his life depended on it.

A smirk appeared on his face.

As expected.

People who were as desperate as himself.

The figure before his eyes must have the same faith in Kang San as he did.

‘I’m coming, Kang San-nim.’

Grip.

He tightly grasped his spear.

Saito Shusuke increased his speed and followed the figure before him.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The situation at the scene.

It was transmitted to the Blue House in real time.

President Jang Beom-seok, along with prominent figures from the National Assembly, watched the situation with somewhat grim faces.

One lawmaker said.

“…It seems the situation is taking a strange turn. On top of that Kim Min-yeong reporter stirring up public opinion about the government’s delayed response, the forces gathered in Pohang are not to be taken lightly.”

As he said.

On the screen.

A situation different from what was expected was unfolding.

An S-rank Outbreak of this scale was something that couldn’t be resolved without the government’s intervention.

That’s why public opinion was more actively raising the issue of the delayed response, but the forces gathered to save Kang San, an individual, were unexpectedly significant. It was a problem the government had to solve anyway. They might think it would be nice if it resolved itself, but that was a thought stemming from ignorance about politics.

President Jang Beom-seok said.

“Indeed. I clearly gave the order, but I only realized today how powerless my words are.”

“This is a matter that must be severely punished once the situation is resolved.”

“I agree. The problem is that if the disaster is resolved without government intervention, the situation will become serious.”

The government’s response was late.

But the moment individuals gathered and resolved the disaster on their own, how would people view the government?

The arrows of criticism would be concentrated.

Kang San would emerge as a hero who accomplished what the government couldn’t, and his past as the Hero of Kitakyushu would surely create explosive synergy. It was the situation Jang Beom-seok feared the most. There shouldn’t be anyone in Korea with a higher status than him, but the build-up for Kang San was being created.

The only fortunate thing was.

In the last scene they confirmed, Kang San had encountered the S-rank Dark Lord.

The lawmaker said with a relieved expression.

“…It might be a bit harsh to say this, but it’s fortunate that Kang San died. If he had survived after the disaster was resolved, he would have taken all the spotlight. We need to deploy troops now to win over public opinion. To say that the government ultimately resolved the problem.”

“I agree.”

Opinions converged.

But then.

The Chief Secretary said with a cold expression.

“I agree that we need to send troops now, but it’s premature to conclude that Kang San is dead.”

“You mean he might still be alive?”

“Perhaps.”

Swipe.

Eyes turned to the screen.

Everyone looked tense.

“It’s been two hours since the disaster broke out. The undead are surging in like a tidal wave, but the Dark Lord, who appeared a while ago, is still nowhere to be seen. This can be interpreted in two ways. The first, and highly unlikely possibility, is that the Dark Lord is delaying. And the second is…”

The worst-case scenario for the Korean government.

“Kang San is still alive and holding out against the Dark Lord.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Crack!

The machete shattered the undead’s head.

He was out of breath.

Even with his increased stats, breaking through the swarming undead was a considerable strain for Kim Chun-sik.

“Huff, huff.”

Finally, a path opened.

Ominous thoughts had clouded his mind on the way here, but he constantly reassured himself that Kang San was not someone who would easily crumble. He had to. Only then could he endure this absurd situation.

He staggered forward.

As he looked up and confirmed his clear view, the scene before him was imprinted on his eyes.

Suddenly.

Kim Chun-sik’s expression brightened.

“Kang San-nim…!”

Kang San.

He was still alive.

Against the Dark Lord, who exuded an intense presence as if to kill him.