Chapter 239
KRAAAANG!
A bizarre roar echoed throughout the NSSC headquarters.
“What was that?”
The Awakeners guarding the NSSC headquarters frowned in confusion.
At that moment, the Awakener in charge of the barrier turned deathly pale.
“They’re dismantling the barrier from the outside.”
“What?”
“That’s even possible?”
The Awakeners stared toward the main gate in shock.
Forcefully dismantling a barrier was never an easy task. Breaking one as powerful as the barrier surrounding the NSSC headquarters was even harder.
“And at a time like this. Don’t tell me this was planned?”
Most of their forces had already been dispatched because of the terrorist attack.
Only around a dozen Awakeners remained inside the NSSC.
BOOM!
With an explosive crash, the barrier surrounding the NSSC shattered into pieces.
“Urgh!”
The Awakener maintaining the barrier collapsed from the backlash.
At that moment, the Awakeners of the Pegasus Raid Force poured in through the main gate.
“You think you’ll get away with this?”
“Fuck!”
The NSSC Awakeners bravely fought back against the intruders.
They unleashed their trump card skills, desperately trying to stop them. But before the overwhelming wave of Awakeners surging in like a tsunami, they were swept aside helplessly.
“Aaaagh!”
“S-save me!”
Their desperate screams were quickly drowned out and vanished.
After instantly wiping out the NSSC Awakeners, the Pegasus Raid Force headed underground.
Bronson shouted:
“You have thirty minutes. The assault and rescue teams kill Zeon. The investigation team erases every piece of evidence.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Pegasus Raid Force moved with perfect coordination.
Killing Zeon was important, but leaving no evidence behind mattered even more.
If City Hall learned that the Pegasus Raid Force had stormed the NSSC headquarters, retaliation would surely follow.
They had to thoroughly erase all traces and leave City Hall with no room to interfere.
The investigation team specialized in finding traces of souls.
Being able to detect even the faintest soul traces also meant they could erase every last one without leaving anything behind.
As the investigation team began wiping away the traces, Bronson led the assault and rescue teams underground.
Pure white walls with a metallic texture stretched endlessly ahead.
There wasn’t even a grain of sand or speck of dust in sight.
It was a scene worthy of the nickname “Clean Room.”
They had only just entered, yet their mana already felt stiff and immobile. Spells that controlled mana had been deployed throughout the walls.
Of course, they had prepared for that.
“Everyone, activate your mana-control bracelets.”
Every intruder wore a simple bracelet around their wrist.
It was a device that prevented external barriers or spells from interfering with the wearer’s mana.
As long as they wore the bracelet, they could freely use their abilities even inside the Clean Room.
The Awakeners quickly reached the deepest part of the NSSC prison.
The air felt cold.
A suffocatingly heavy pressure filled the entire corridor.
At the end of the hallway, the Awakeners spotted the final prison cell.
“There.”
“Destroy the door.”
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, the door burst apart.
The Awakeners rushed into the room all at once.
Then confused expressions spread across their faces.
“He’s gone?”
“What the hell? Why’s it empty?”
The prison cell with its shattered door was completely empty.
The unexpected sight threw the Awakeners into confusion.
“What’s going on?”
Bronson, who had leisurely followed behind, pushed past the others and stepped into the cell.
After checking inside, his expression changed just like the others’.
“Where’s Zeon? Why isn’t he here?”
“That’s…”
The Awakeners couldn’t answer.
Just then—
Creeeak!
The sound of a door opening echoed from the corridor.
Everyone’s gaze naturally turned toward the entrance of the hallway—the place they had passed earlier.
The door to the first prison cell opened, and two people stepped outside.
It was Zeon and Eloi.
Bronson frowned.
“What the hell? Why are you coming out from there? Did the NSSC move your cell?”
“We just thought this side would make it easier to deal with you people, so we moved ourselves.”
“Bullshit! How can a prisoner do that? You can’t even use mana—”
“After wandering around alone for so long, I picked up quite a few tricks. Opening a door like this is nothing.”
Bronson’s face twisted even further at Zeon’s answer.
“So what if you moved rooms however you wanted? Nothing changes. Today, you die here—”
“Why wouldn’t it change? If we stayed in the last room, then we were the ones surrounded. But if we’re in this room, then we’re the ones surrounding you.”
“Surrounding?”
“Try changing your perspective. Are you surrounding us, or are we surrounding you? Personally, I think it’s the latter.”
“Even so, what can a cripple who can’t even use mana possibly do? Kill them.”
At Bronson’s command, the Awakeners charged at Zeon and Eloi.
“Kill them!”
“Uwaaaah!”
The Awakeners rushed at them with savage cries.
As Zeon stepped toward them, he muttered:
“You don’t understand the basics. The one who secures the advantageous position ultimately controls the battle.”
Not all Awakeners were the same just because they had awakened.
Those who truly knew how to fight first identified and seized the advantageous terrain.
The NSSC prison cells were built along both sides of a long corridor.
The hallway was narrow and long.
If two or three grown men walked shoulder to shoulder, it would already feel cramped.
Even if hundreds rushed in as a mob, only the first two or three in the front line could actually fight at once.
If they had remained in the final room, they would have inevitably been overwhelmed by the endless tide of enemies.
But here, near the entrance…
…then they could instead push the enemies back.
That was why, right after Lee Jiryung left, Zeon had picked the lock and moved rooms.
The intruders would never know just how dumbfounded Eloi had looked when Zeon opened the door.
“You sons of bitches! Let’s have some fun.”
Eloi charged at the Awakeners barehanded.
Even though she couldn’t use mana, Eloi didn’t hesitate to throw herself into the fight.
The space was limited, and the skills they could use were also limited.
The magic-type Awakeners couldn’t attack recklessly because they might hit their own allies.
In the end, the martial-type Awakeners had no choice but to take the front line.
Even without weapons or mana, Eloi was strong.
Born as a half-elf and half-human, she had trained her body several times harder than anyone else.
Her entire body was a weapon.
CRACK!
“Ghk!”
Eloi’s elbow shattered the nose bone of the Awakener charging at the front.
The Awakener collapsed with a groan.
He had underestimated her because she couldn’t use mana and ended up taking an unexpected blow.
Eloi grabbed the falling Awakener’s wrist and twisted it.
CRACK!
“AAAAAH!”
With a horrifying snapping sound, the Awakener’s forearm broke.
Removing the mana-control bracelet from the dangling arm was effortless.
Click.
“Nice.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Eloi’s lips.
The mana that had been frozen solid like stone finally began flowing properly through her entire body.
Her sealed power had returned.
Now nothing could stop her.
“Hyaaaah!”
With a savage scream, Eloi attacked the Awakeners again.
CRACK!
BAM!
Violent sounds of impact echoed everywhere.
The martial-type Awakeners coughed blood and collapsed under her powerful punches.
That didn’t mean she was unharmed.
BOOM! THUD!
Countless fists and skills slammed into her body.
Even so, she endured without falling.
Eloi was stubborn to the core.
She could laugh off almost any pain.
Crossing the desert with Zeon had only strengthened her will even further.
She dodged cold weapons like swords and spears, but willingly took punches that lacked real power.
And in return, she steadily paid her enemies back.
“Ghk!”
“Fuck! Don’t get pushed back. There are only two of them!”
“Push forward!”
Hundreds of Awakeners raged, but the corridor was narrow, and only two or three people could attack at once.
Those who came at them collapsed like dominoes under Eloi’s attacks.
Still, even Eloi couldn’t stop every single one of them.
More and more Awakeners broke through her defensive line and approached Zeon.
“You bastard!”
“As long as you die, that’s enough!”
“Hyaaaah!”
They charged at Zeon like ravenous beasts.
BOOM!
The Awakener in front was sent flying without even managing to scream.
Zeon’s right fist had exploded into his stomach.
Even without mana, Zeon was strong.
His body, trained by Daioden, surpassed that of most martial-type Awakeners even without mana enhancement.
Blood splattered and flesh tore apart in the clash between Zeon and the Awakeners.
Muscles ruptured, bones shattered, and people collapsed one after another.
A raw, brutal fight he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Zeon didn’t even bother taking the mana-control bracelets from the fallen Awakeners.
It didn’t matter.
Like a man intoxicated by battle, Zeon fought the charging Awakeners using nothing but pure martial arts.
“Aaaagh!”
“You bastard! Just die already!”
He grabbed the collar of an Awakener charging while screaming at the top of his lungs and slammed him straight into the floor.
BOOM!
The Awakener hit headfirst with a thunderous crash.
His legs twitched for a moment before going still.
His breathing had stopped.
Zeon’s combat technique was terrifyingly efficient.
Even after taking down dozens of Awakeners, his breathing hadn’t become ragged in the slightest.
KABOOOM!
Then a massive fireball exploded across Zeon’s entire body.
“Gaaah!”
“Urgh!”
The martial-type Awakeners attacking Zeon were engulfed in flames and screamed.
They had been caught in the attack launched by the magic-type Awakeners targeting Zeon.
The flames sticking to their bodies refused to go out and burned fiercely.
The burning Awakeners rolled across the floor screaming in agony.
But Zeon, who had taken the attack head-on, was completely fine.
“How…?”
The Awakener who had launched the fireball stared with his mouth hanging open.
There wasn’t even the slightest trace of burns anywhere on Zeon’s body.
“He definitely shouldn’t be able to use mana…”
“Who said I can’t use mana?”
“N-no, you’re wearing mana restraints…”
The Awakener answered unconsciously.
Zeon smiled while shaking the mana restraints wrapped around the Scorching Gauntlet.
“Ah, so that’s why you thought that.”
Since he had been shackled with mana restraints, it was only natural they assumed he couldn’t use mana.
Crackle—
At that moment, the mana restraints binding Zeon crumbled into dust.
The core material used in mana restraints was Dragon Bone.
Trying to suppress the Scorching Gauntlet embedded with Dragon Eyes using only a tiny amount of Dragon Bone had been impossible from the start.
Watching Zeon from afar, Bronson exploded with rage.
“So you deceived us.”
“Yes. So what?”
“You cowardly—”
Zeon smiled faintly.
Because in battle, being called cowardly was the highest praise possible.