As time passed, the sunset disappeared. Only the aurora filled the night sky. Yet, for some reason, the aurora’s light seemed even stronger. The city was as bright as daytime.
Invisible Sunhee crossed the hall. She soon arrived at the beast’s side and climbed up by stepping onto its rough shell.
The beast kept thrashing, but she had endured countless rampages of monsters before. She managed to step onto the beast’s shaking shell and climb onto its back.
On the beast’s back, six people were gathered near the monster’s head.
Fortunately, Sunhee, who had climbed up from behind, was not noticed.
Sunhee carefully settled in the middle of the beast’s back.
About 50 meters away from the enemy Awakened. A little farther from the Dimensional Core too.
However, even excluding the Awakened touching the beast, there were still many A-rank Awakened visible. Fighting them was not an option.
To contaminate the beast, she would have to release her invisibility ability.
There was no way she wouldn’t be discovered, but she had to delay it as much as possible. Sunhee lay flat between the cracks in the beast’s shell.
Pressing her stomach against the ground, Sunhee placed her hand on the beast’s shell and focused her mind. Dimensional Power gushed from her hand. It turned into a drill and burrowed into the beast’s body.
Sunhee’s invisibility was undone. Fortunately, the beast’s rampage still kept her hidden for now.
Sunhee’s Dimensional Power pushed through the beast’s body, advancing toward the Dimensional Core.
The beast’s body began to tremble.
Soon after, the beast started rampaging. It fired energy orbs in every direction and twisted its entire body.
New London’s downtown began to be destroyed.
Judas was greatly startled by the sudden movement of the larvae queen.
He soon sensed another Dimensional Power brushing past his own.
It was the same type of ability as his own Dimensional Power but with completely opposite properties. It was an assassin ability from another dimension.
Judas shouted in surprise.
“An assassin ability user is attached to the bug! Stop them! Their Dimensional Power is trying to reach the bug’s Dimensional Core!”
Judas’s finger pointed in the direction where Sunhee was hiding.
The Awakened began to move. Three Awakened rushed toward Sunhee.
‘I’ve been discovered!’
Seeing the Awakened running toward her, Sunhee regretted having to withdraw her Dimensional Power.
She had successfully located the Dimensional Core and only needed to contaminate it now. But it seemed the enemies would reach her first.
Sunhee let out a sigh.
It was then.
A helping hand came down from the sky.
Boom boom boom!
Various debris poured down toward the enemies.
When Sunhee looked up, she saw Dohyeon showered in shimmering light. And Hyangseol, who had been clinging to Dohyeon, jumped down.
“We’ll hold them off here!”
Hyangseol landed in front of Sunhee, blocking her way with a spear. Dohyeon landed beside her, and swirling debris floated above him.
“I’m counting on you!”
A faint smile appeared on Sunhee’s previously expressionless face.
Sunhee refocused her mind on the Dimensional Core. Her Dimensional Power began to envelop the Core.
Debris poured down like a waterfall from the sky, and the strike-type Awakened were pushed back by Dohyeon’s attack. Only an A-rank defense-type Awakened managed to create a shield and escape the rain of debris.
The one with a two-level difference, Hyangseol, charged at him with a determined face.
Sunhee’s Dimensional Power began to push into the monster’s Dimensional Core.
And then,
She was flung backward, coughing up blood.
“Kuhaha! You thought you could contaminate the queen with just an A-rank ability!”
Judas raised his voice, mocking her. At first, he had been surprised, but thinking about it, it was an absurd attempt.
To charge in just because there was only a one-level difference was truly foolish.
Even he, who was of the same rank, had taken a month to weaken the creature.
Now, the beast had almost fully recovered, and yet an A-rank Awakened dared to challenge it just because of the Dimensional Core. He couldn’t help but laugh at that bravery.
At the same time, Hyangseol, who had been blocking the A-rank Awakened, was flung backward.
The spear she had been holding flew far away, and Hyangseol tumbled off the beast’s back, her waist folding awkwardly.
It seemed even Hyangseol couldn’t overcome the two-level gap.
The Awakened who had knocked Hyangseol away rubbed his neck, which had been struck by the spear. He looked down at the fallen Hyangseol with a curious expression.
But shaking his head, he began walking toward the fallen Sunhee. He had to eliminate all threats.
At that moment, Dohyeon appeared in front of him.
Accelerated by telekinesis, Dohyeon rushed toward the defense-type Awakened, leaving sparks trailing behind him.
His speed was so fast even the strike-type Awakened couldn’t react.
But Dohyeon was a special ability user, and the defense-type Awakened was dumbfounded by Dohyeon’s sudden appearance right in front of him.
Dohyeon gathered Dimensional Power in both hands. He thrust both hands into the chest of his off-guard opponent.
Sparks flew between them, and the recoil burst out from both Dohyeon and the A-rank Awakened.
The A-rank defense-type Awakened, with a shocked face, coughed up blood and tumbled backward, while Dohyeon was also flung in the opposite direction.
The A-rank Awakened could not get up after falling. And Dohyeon, unable to overcome the Dimensional Power backlash, also couldn’t move.
The B-rank strike-type Awakened, who had retreated due to Dohyeon, stepped forward again. Now there was no one left to stop them.
Or so they thought, but after only a few steps, they collapsed on the spot.
Raising one hand, Sunhee wiped the blood from her lips and stood up.
Fortunately, the shock wasn’t severe. The brief Dimensional Power backlash was being healed by the Dimensional Power surging from the Core.
However, Sunhee’s face was filled with darkness. She couldn’t contaminate this beast.
Having directly connected to the Dimensional Core, she realized it was filled with endless darkness. This beast was different from other dimensional beasts.
The Dimensional Power it contained could cover not just a city or a country, but the entire Earth.
As the Awakened fell, one of the two A-rank Awakened guarding Judas tried to move toward Sunhee. But Judas stopped him.
Contamination was impossible anyway. There was no reason to risk splitting their forces.
Sunhee sighed as she looked at the A-rank Awakened protecting the S-rank Awakened.
Even if she charged at them, she couldn’t win since contamination was impossible.
At that moment.
Amidst static, a woman’s voice came from somewhere.
“Chzzzt, final countdown for the Warp Zone begins! One minute remaining. 60, 59……”
It seemed there was still a working loudspeaker somewhere.
“Good, let’s just think of this as a vacation and relax!”
Judas spoke with a barely reassured expression.
He deliberately raised his voice as if he wanted Sunhee to hear.
The woman’s voice counting down stretched sluggishly in Sunhee’s ears. Time seemed to flow slowly.
She saw the enemy smiling before her, Hyangseol lying on the ground, and Dohyeon buried in the beast’s back.
“I guess I’m the only one who can do it.”
Images of her mother and father flashed through her mind.
The family that had turned away from her, but now lay unconscious, waiting to wake up. The pain of thinking she had lost them crushed her chest once again.
“Will you be alright?”
A calm voice came from Sunhee’s mouth.
Sunhee’s eyes turned toward the outside of the building.
She saw her companions enduring the enemies’ attacks. Marcus already collapsed on the ground, Grace raising her shield while coughing up blood, and the team members fighting despite their injuries.
And then,
She saw Yonghoon desperately pushing through the enemies and trying to enter the building.
Yonghoon and Sunhee’s eyes met.
Yonghoon’s eyes widened, and his movements became frantic. He seemed to have realized something.
“Of course I’m not alright. But saving my family and everyone else comes first. I’m more worried about you, Major.”
The two Sunhees quietly exchanged words.
“I’m a soldier. Protecting people is my mission, my dream and hope sworn before my dead family. I’m just grateful I have another chance to protect them.”
“But you’ve only just met him.”
Tears streamed down from Sunhee’s eyes as she looked at Yonghoon with an expressionless face.
“In the end, only one of us can survive. We both love him. You can stay by Yonghoon’s side.”
Despite her tears, her voice remained calm.
Sunhee knelt on one knee and placed her hand on the beast’s shell.
She unleashed her Dimensional Power once again and located the beast’s Dimensional Core. This time, she found it immediately.
The enemies stared at Sunhee with mocking expressions.
Sunhee raised her other hand to her ear and pressed the button on her communicator.
She whispered toward Yonghoon.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
The same words in the same voice echoed through the communicator and reached Yonghoon.
From afar, it seemed like Yonghoon’s voice could be heard.
“Please take good care of Yonghoon. The one who will remain.”
Sunhee, who had whispered toward herself, focused her mind. She thought of only one thing.
Contamination of the Dimensional Core.
Even amidst the rampage, she had to hold onto this one will.
Sunhee whispered her final words toward Yonghoon.
“Goodbye. My love.”
Sunhee rampaged.
Her Dimensional Power surged toward the Dimensional Core like a tidal wave.
“No!”
Yonghoon screamed at Sunhee’s voice coming through his ear.
The moment he heard her voice, he knew exactly what she intended to do.
He had to stop her. He couldn’t lose Sunhee.
“Move!”
Yonghoon wildly swung his sword at Jack, who was blocking his way.
His spears had already been cut down by Jack. The only thing that could block Jack’s beams was Yonghoon’s sword.
However, all the spatial swords Yonghoon unleashed were blocked by Jack’s beams.
Thud!
Yonghoon’s mistake soon turned into a major injury. Focused solely on offense, he couldn’t block Jack’s counterattack.
Yonghoon was struck in the shoulder by Jack’s beam. His armor shattered, and blood spurted from his shoulder.
Yonghoon tumbled backward from the impact. Thanks to the armor, he avoided a fatal wound, but it seemed he could no longer use one arm.
Jack tilted his head as he looked at the fallen Yonghoon.
“Did your movements suddenly get sloppy? What’s the reason?”
But he soon figured it out.
Dimensional Power surged from behind him. Jack turned his head. Dimensional Power was erupting from the female Awakened atop the bug.
It was a rampage.
Jack grasped the situation. It seemed the assassin-type Awakened, who lacked the ability, had gone into a rampage to contaminate the bug.
“Can she really contaminate that bug by doing that?”
Jack shrugged. Whether she could or not didn’t matter much to him.
But he now understood why the spatial ability user in front of him had turned into a fool.
“Aha! That woman is his lover? Well, if she loses control of her powers, she’ll probably die right away.”
Jack frowned. Though he understood the reason, he felt extremely annoyed.
“Tsk, it was just getting fun, and now it’s all ruined.”
Jack looked at Yonghoon, who was barely getting up. Blood was flowing from Yonghoon’s dangling arm. It seemed he could now only use the arm holding the sword.
“Then let’s end this. With just that arm, you won’t be able to block anymore.”
Jack raised his arm. Light began to gather in his hand.
In Yonghoon’s eyes, he could see only Sunhee.
Her hair fluttering in the rampaging Dimensional Power looked incredibly beautiful under the green glow of the aurora.
Sunhee’s image flashed through Yonghoon’s mind.
Her singing a lullaby with an expressionless face, her sleeping while leaning on his shoulder, her humming softly while crossing a field of withered grass, her blushing face confessing her feelings, her struggling to follow him no matter what, her crying on the rooftop-all these images kept surfacing.
No matter who stayed behind, he would lose the other Sunhee.
The aurora in the sky flickered for a moment. The world darkened and then brightened again.
The rampaging Sunhee lost her Dimensional Power and collapsed, and the glowing beast stopped moving and froze.
The giant monster was ultimately contaminated by Sunhee.
In Yonghoon’s eyes, he saw the Awakened who had placed her hand on the beast’s body screaming, and two Awakened running toward the rampaging Sunhee.
Sunhee was in danger.
But Sunhee’s figure was obscured by the beam Jack had fired.
“Die! You stupid romanticist.”
A massive beam surged toward Yonghoon.
Yonghoon stared blankly at the approaching beam.
Because of the beam, he couldn’t see Sunhee anymore.
The distance was too great; he couldn’t save Sunhee.
Due to the ruined Dimensional Power, he couldn’t reach her.
Everything was blocking him. He wanted to destroy it all. He couldn’t endure it any longer.
Yonghoon released all the emotions he had been suppressing.
He poured all the emotions he had accumulated into his sword.
His sword blazed with a blue flame.
“Don’t block my way!!!”
Yonghoon coughed up blood and roared, and his sword, glowing blue, slashed through the air.
Slash!
A sound of something splitting was heard.
Jack wore a bewildered expression.
The sight before his eyes was strange.
It looked as if the world had split into two, up and down. His beam appeared divided, and even space itself seemed split.
It was as if the world had been cleaved in two by Yonghoon’s sword.
Jack’s eyes followed the split line. The line passed through his chest and extended backward.
His chest appeared slightly misaligned along the line.
Jack chuckled at a sudden thought.
“Could it be that ‘spatial sword’ really meant that?”
Jack’s expression froze mid-sentence, and his body split in two and collapsed.
The line had cleaved everything in half-Jack, the buildings, the space, and even the bodies of the two A-rank Awakened rushing toward Sunhee.
It even seemed to have sliced the distant aurora in the sky.