The Empire’s Awakened rushing toward the Allied Forces all unleashed their Dimensional Power.
At least B-rank or higher Awakened; fortunately, due to the bombardment and smoke bombs, the number of Awakened charging toward them was not large.
Yonghoon tried to create a dimensional tunnel to move behind the incoming enemies.
Yonghoon raised his hand.
“Enemy spatial mover confirmed!”
The operator’s voice echoed through the Control Room, and the general in charge shouted loudly.
“Activate the system! All Awakened, pour your Dimensional Power in!”
At the general’s command, the operators relayed orders to the Awakened under their charge. Nearly a hundred Awakened stationed throughout the city and along the walls poured their Dimensional Power into the machines before them.
The machines absorbed their Dimensional Power and began to shake the entire city’s Dimensional Power.
After several battles, the Empire’s government realized they could not capture Yonghoon through ordinary means.
Realizing that short-range or low-output jamming devices couldn’t stop Yonghoon, they decided to deploy spatial movement blocking devices across the entire capital.
They summoned all the nation’s Awakened and used the majority to turn New London into a no-spatial-movement zone.
It was an incredibly inefficient endeavor, but they ultimately succeeded in transforming all of New London into a powerful spatial movement blocking zone.
“Die, you demon. This city will be your grave.”
The President’s eyes gleamed as he looked toward the Control Room.
Yonghoon, who had been opening a dimensional tunnel, was startled as sparks erupted and his tunnel shattered.
He looked around.
Dimensional Power was boiling throughout the city. It was an immense disruption. At this level, not only spatial movement but even spatial swords would be disturbed.
As the astonished Yonghoon faltered, the Allied Awakened fired their guns and grenade launchers at the onrushing enemies.
Bullets bounced off the enemies’ armor, and grenades were blocked by green shields created by Defense-type Awakened.
As expected, conventional weapons like guns were largely ineffective against high-level Awakened.
The Empire’s Awakened, pushing through the smoke bombs, and the Allied Awakened, abandoning conventional weapons and wielding their own, clashed in the middle of the road.
Kuang!
The moment the two formations collided head-on, several enemy Awakened charging at the center were flung in all directions.
Awakened who appeared to be at least B-rank were knocked down without resistance. As the startled Awakened turned their heads, they saw Eunseo standing there, shield raised.
“A-rank?”
As one of the fallen Awakened muttered with a grimace, the Dimensional Power emanating from her indeed felt A-rank. It seemed she had leveled up at some point.
“Wedge formation! Break through!”
Eyes gleaming at Eunseo’s appearance, Yonghoon reorganized their formation into a wedge centered around her.
About ten Awakened began piercing through the enemy lines like a spearhead.
Eunseo, who had previously blasted enemies away with her innate ability, now created a green shield to defend the group’s front, while Yonghoon supported her from behind with his spear.
Other Awakened placed Defense-type Awakened on the outer edges, while Strike-type Awakened attacked with spears and suppressed enemies at range with guns as they advanced.
Among them, team leader Han, Jimin, and Sunhee could be seen, along with Grace and Marcus.
Eunseo’s shield, now A-rank, was remarkable.
Ordinary enemy attacks couldn’t penetrate her shield. And those who barely pierced it by gathering Dimensional Power were slain by Yonghoon’s spear following behind her.
Moreover, Sunhee disrupted enemy movements from the center of the formation with her Dimensional Power, making it seem possible to break through and enter the building.
It was at that moment.
Yonghoon, following right behind Eunseo, suddenly felt chills all over his body.
It was the same uneasy feeling he had sensed not long ago.
Responding to the warning from his senses, Yonghoon desperately pulled Eunseo into his arms and thrust his hand forward.
Startled by Yonghoon’s action, Eunseo couldn’t maintain her shield, and as it vanished, the Empire’s Awakened rushed toward her.
And from the direction of the building, a massive beam of light was fired. The surroundings lit up brightly.
Kwaang!
The beam swept away the Awakened charging at Eunseo and reached right in front of her.
However, the beam could advance no further. A dimensional tunnel created by Yonghoon’s outstretched hand was devouring the beam.
But the intense heat caused Yonghoon’s entire arm to start turning red.
Seeing Yonghoon’s arm, Eunseo quickly drew up her Dimensional Power and deployed a shield around the group. It was a brilliant decision.
The heat was partially blocked by the shield. Yonghoon’s overheated arm began to heal, and after a few seconds, the beam disappeared without a trace.
Kwaaang!
In the distance, the sound of a building collapsing could be heard. It seemed the beam, misfired by Yonghoon’s ability, had destroyed a building.
The area directly ahead of the group was blown open.
The beam had cleared away all the surrounding fog, and a wide, deep trench had formed in the middle of the road.
Furthermore, the Awakened who had charged at Eunseo were nowhere to be seen. They had all been caught in the beam and obliterated without leaving a trace of flesh. Even nearby Awakened were burned and collapsed from the aftereffects of the beam.
As the fog cleared, two figures appeared at the edge of the trench.
A handsome man with flowing white hair and a young woman.
“Damn it, what the hell! Didn’t the engineers say they blocked everything so even spatial swords couldn’t be used? Then what the hell was that just now!”
Ignoring the surrounding scene, the handsome man was throwing a tantrum like a child.
But the Empire’s Awakened couldn’t even get angry at the death of their comrades and instead backed away, while the Allied Awakened could only break into a cold sweat.
It was because of the Dimensional Power radiating from him. A massive S-rank Dimensional Power was emanating from his body.
However, there was someone unaffected by his pressure.
Light burst from the sword Yonghoon had switched to at some point. Now was the time.
The S-rank Awakened’s words were indeed correct.
Had Yonghoon not become S-rank, or had he not mastered the skill to move while ignoring distorted Dimensional Power, he would have died from that previous attack.
That’s how formidable the enemy’s blocking devices were. It wasn’t just that Dimensional Power was disrupted-it felt like moving through sticky liquid.
Even Yonghoon’s spatial movement was completely blocked. However, now that his abilities had improved and he had learned new skills, he could still use spatial swords even in such conditions.
The enemy had just used a major technique.
Yonghoon’s glowing sword swung through the air.
His sword, cutting across space, appeared around the enemy and surged toward him.
But the enemy showed no sign of agitation even at the sight.
He waved his hand toward the incoming swords, and Yonghoon’s sword, which had been surging right up to him, was deflected away in a burst of bright light.
A thin beam of light had shot out from his hand. It looked like a laser beam from a movie.
“So it can be used not just like a cannon but also like a gun?”
Seeing the enemy’s action, Yonghoon gritted his teeth.
The enemy looked at Yonghoon’s sword with fascination.
“It didn’t break? No matter how much Dimensional Power you imbue, I’ve never seen a weapon survive my beam before.”
As if to double-check, he pointed his hand forward again. Tiny beams of light shot toward Yonghoon.
Thump thump thump!
Fortunately, the lights were blocked by Eunseo’s shield and disappeared. The thin beams didn’t seem to have the same destructive power as the main beam. However, each time they struck, the shield shook violently.
The group found themselves in a difficult situation.
Their advance halted in front of the Warp Zone.
It had become hard to break through.
Meanwhile, the enemy had reformed their broken formation, and the group could feel Dimensional Power gathering from all around.
And in front of them stood an S-rank Awakened blocking the way.
As expected, the enemies were starting to converge on them.
‘I’m counting on you. Dohyeon, Hyangseol.’
Yonghoon gripped his sword tightly and prayed for the success of his two teammates who weren’t here.
And once again, the two formations swung weapons and abilities at each other.
“Ughhh. I feel like I’m going to die.”
“Hang in there. How can a man whimper over something like this!”
In the seemingly blissful situation of holding two women in his arms, Dohyeon groaned with a pale face.
Hyangseol, clinging to his waist, snapped sharply at him.
Though Hyangseol had always quietly followed Yonghoon before, she too was an Awakened who had endured a harsh world.
But Dohyeon couldn’t even hear Hyangseol’s voice. He was struggling just to support the weight of the two women.
He was currently gliding through the air, holding Hyangseol and Samantha in his arms. Sparks flew around them, and veins bulged on Dohyeon’s face.
Following Yonghoon’s orders, Dohyeon and Hyangseol had separated from the main assault team.
Yonghoon had thought that if he moved with the main force, he would draw concentrated enemy interference. A frontal assault would have a high chance of being blocked.
That’s why they needed a special detachment-a group of Awakened capable of wide-area attacks, free movement, and effective combat in narrow hallways.
The special detachment was decided to be Dohyeon and Hyangseol.
They were still just a boy and a girl, but already powerful Awakened. It pained them, but there was no other choice.
Before moving himself, Yonghoon used spatial movement to send Dohyeon and Hyangseol to the rooftop of a ten-story building near the building housing the dimensional Warp Zone.
There, Dohyeon met up with Samantha and was gliding toward the Warp Zone building with both women in his arms.
He could easily fly alone, but carrying two women and a heavy backpack on his back made it difficult. He was barely sliding through the air, and Dohyeon was on the verge of collapse.
Crash~
Fortunately, Dohyeon managed to land on the edge of the building’s rooftop.
Since bombs had stopped falling, the rooftop’s shield had disappeared, and the area was filled with smoke from smoke bombs.
With his Dimensional Power depleted, Dohyeon tumbled onto the rooftop floor, but fortunately, before that, Samantha and Hyangseol had released their grip around his waist and landed safely.
The loud landing seemed to alert the Awakened guarding the rooftop. Movements could be sensed behind the fog.
However, just like the enemies, the thick fog made it impossible for the group to pinpoint their locations.
Samantha raised her hand and swept through the air. Above the fog, the figures of the enemies appeared.
“Defense-type Awakened 20 meters ahead, Strike-type Awakened at 2 o’clock, another Defense-type Awakened at 10 o’clock….”
Observing the figures appearing above the fog, Samantha explained to the group.
Dohyeon was still recovering his Dimensional Power through his Dimensional Core.
Now it was Hyangseol’s turn. Holding her spear, Hyangseol melted into the fog.
“Wow~”
A moment later, Samantha, watching the projection in the air, let out an exclamation.
“Is that Chinese martial arts? It’s amazing.”
The projection showed Hyangseol subduing enemies with dazzling spear techniques. Awakened who seemed to be C-Rank and B-Rank flailed against her but were quickly defeated.
Though it was a surprise attack, not a single enemy managed to properly counter her assault.
“When it comes to fighting humans, Hyangseol is the best.”
Dohyeon, having recovered his Dimensional Power, stood up and spoke.
A martial arts master was using her enhanced body as the ultimate weapon to defeat her foes. In a situation like this, where the fog hindered the use of abilities, few could stop Hyangseol.
“Which way is the entrance?”
At Dohyeon’s question, Samantha pointed in a direction, and Dohyeon raised his hand.
Dimensional Power surged from his hand, transforming into telekinesis to push the fog away.
A tunnel free of fog was created between Dohyeon and the rooftop entrance.
Before they knew it, Hyangseol, having subdued the surrounding enemies, had returned.
“Let’s go.”
Dohyeon spoke in a low voice and dashed forward.
Seeing Dohyeon’s serious demeanor, Hyangseol smiled slightly and followed, with Samantha trailing behind.
There wasn’t much time.
Not only were enemies swarming Yonghoon’s position, but no one knew when the beasts might arrive.
Dohyeon and the two women rapidly pushed through the building.
Fortunately, most of the enemies were converging on Yonghoon’s side. Thanks to that, few enemies blocked their path across the hallway, and Samantha could detect all their positions in advance.
From behind distant walls, the group identified the enemies’ locations, numbers, and abilities. Dohyeon would sweep through with telekinesis, and Hyangseol would finish them off with her spear.
They wanted to avoid unnecessary killing, but in the current situation, they couldn’t afford to hesitate. They clenched their eyes shut and charged forward.
Their assault in the narrow hallway was overwhelming. In an instant, they traversed the third-floor corridor and reached the central hall of the Warp Zone.
The massive hall at the center was empty. They weren’t too late yet. Awakened were positioned near the entrance door at the far end, keeping watch.
Fortunately, no one was looking up at the third-floor balcony where Dohyeon’s group had entered.
According to Samantha’s ability, regrettably, the warp array’s control devices appeared to be located underground beneath the hall.
Dohyeon removed the backpack he had been carrying on his back.
The heavy backpack, weighing over 30 kilograms, floated into the air under Dohyeon’s Dimensional Power.
Dohyeon pulled out a wireless detonator and sent the backpack flying toward the center of the hall.
HNIW.
The bomb with the most powerful explosive force among them was packed inside the bag and began flying toward the center of the hall.
The goal was not to kill the Awakened but to destroy the control devices and prevent spatial movement. For that, nothing was better than explosives.
The speeding explosives seemed about to crash into the center of the hall.
Dohyeon placed his thumb on the detonator’s switch.
That’s when it happened.
Light burst across the entire hall.