Currently, Choi Hyuk was with the Exalted Wings on the first-floor hall of the Tower of Warriors.

Dark-Sound’s body floated in the center of the hall. The skilled experts of the alliance dressed his body to look more dignified than when he was alive. His flesh, which became mushy once his karma left, was mixed with expensive metals to make it smooth, and they ground and sprinkled jewels of darkness to recreate how the darkness around him would always suck light in. Geometric patterns created by mixing materials that symbolized the key species of the alliance were laid out around him, and when you looked at him from afar, these patterns looked like a giant wing covering his body. The wing wasn’t simply a decoration. You could indirectly experience records of Dark-Sound’s battles, fate, and life when you perked your ears at or connected to the spread patterns.

His body, which was restored without sparing rare materials, was more of a beautification than a restoration, and it was more like a statue of a god than a body.

All of the Exalted Wings gathered here today used the native language of the Dark Tribe to show respect for Dark-Sound.

“The Wing of Governance. Dark-Sound...”

Flame-Fog, who was usually quiet, seemed immersed in his emotions today.

“Even thinking about it now, I think this was the right choice. It isn’t just a funeral. It will set a precedent and may be written down in history.”

The Exalted Wings henceforth gave titles to each other (Dark-Sound received the title ‘Wing of Governance’), and they decided to make his body into a statue and enshrine it on the first-floor hall of the Tower of Warriors.

In the future, warriors who visited the tower would have their minds engraved with the great cause, ‘A United Alliance’, when they saw past Exalted Wings who laid down their lives, and they could experience the records left behind by them so that they could possibly try to comprehend their level.

However, the reason Flame-Fog was so emotional wasn’t just because of this.

“We should have done this when King Flame-Sky died.”

He was considered neutral as he maintained his silence when Flame-Hell and Flame-Rain opposed each other. However, they all knew that a part of his heart always possessed respect for Flame-Sky.

“No, rather there shouldn’t be another sacrifice like this... Exalted Wings aren’t existences that come into being like how the monster queen creates monsters.”

Flame-Thorn, who was close to Flame-Hell, pointed out.

“Though I agreed to this because there has already a sacrifice... I still think that it is best if we make sure a sacrifice like this doesn’t happen again. From the beginning, it made no sense that an Exalted Wing would personally lead an expedition. We need a manual that will allow us to fight powerful monsters without sacrificing Exalted Wings. While it might sound cruel, we need to think realistically. No matter how many normal warriors are sacrificed, it is still better than a single Exalted Wing dying.”

This was a discussion that had been ongoing since their meeting at the ‘Brain’. A discussion about what measures they should take if a similar situation occurred.

“Now, let’s stop talking about that.”

Flame-Hell cut her off.

“Warriors have already gathering in the square. The funeral will start soon. God knows how long it’s been since we’ve all gathered in one place... Let’s stop talking about such things for now. Let’s talk about what Exalted Wing Dark-Sound was like when he was alive and think about how saddening it is to lose such a great individual.”

A solemn mood hung in the air.

Choi Hyuk, who stood upright in a section of the hall as the one in charge of security, swallowed the anger that surged in his heart when he saw them like that.

Choi Hyuk felt his insides twist like a teenager going through puberty who felt like everything was wrong with the world.

The decisions they made at the ‘Brain’ frequently led entire planets to annihilation. They appointed entire species as Consumables without a sliver of sympathy and pushed them into battlefields they couldn’t return from. These decisions occurred so frequently that they didn’t need justifications such as ‘it was inevitable’ or ‘a small sacrifice for the majority’.

Choi Hyuk knew the details behind their decisions better than anyone else. He had never forgotten them.

‘Kill. Only then can you kill.’

Those who couldn’t kill were abandoned like trash or, sometimes, were ‘recycled’ like Chu Youngjin’s girlfriend, Lee Hyejin. The alliance wasn’t heartbroken at these sacrifices. Simply a more hellish battlefield awaited those who survived.

These sacrifices were considered so obvious that they weren’t given an apology or cherished.

On the other hand, the Exalted Wings felt various emotions when faced with Dark-Sound’s death. Some were scared, a few were sad, and others were angry. This was likely because his death was the ‘death of an equal’. The terrifying fact that it could have been them made them emotional.

‘A case that can never be allowed to happen and one that is inevitable.’

Choi Hyuk thought about the difference between the two cases. Who were the majority? Who were the minority? Didn’t that all depend on the losses they would suffer? The Exalted Wings wouldn’t have suffered any losses if the earthlings, a species on the border, were annihilated. So if people disagreed with their decision, they could virtuously say that ‘it was inevitable’.

However, if he wanted to make them realize that they should never have done that... As expected, there was no other way besides personally engraving it into their flesh and bones. Once under unbearable pain, they would end up looking back on their actions, asking themselves if they had been wrong.

Choi Hyuk closed his eyes while imagining their screams.

Gulp.

He swallowed his surging emotions once more.

It was the last time.

**

“The monsters aren’t making any particular movements.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Recently, the independent troop ‘Frontier’ risked their lives to investigate deep into the enemy territory. They reported no monster activity anywhere.”

“That’s good.”

Flame-Rain nodded.

The independent troop ‘Frontier’ was a troop composed of warriors who had left the Berserkers. As top elites in Flame-Rain’s stronghold, they were trustworthy.

Flame-Rain relaxed her tense shoulders.

“Huu... It’s hard, isn’t it?”

“No.”

Her adjutant, Camilla, replied immediately, but her complexion clearly showed signs of exhaustion.

Camilla, who was the Sovereign of Paradise and an overseer of Earth, followed Flame-Rain to the monsters’ universe and had gained enough experience to be promoted to her adjutant. She strengthened her position in the stronghold as her trusted adjutant. Her authority was similar to that of a chief presidential secretary’s{1}.

Camilla, who had dreamed about earthlings’ prosperity and happiness, steadily created a foothold to realize her dream.

Of course, she had to handle an immense workload to do so.

“I understand. Restoring Deus, which was completely destroyed, is already a huge task, yet we have to stay on full alert since Exalted Wing Dark-Sound passed away like that... It must be tough for you. It’s normally something I should be doing... Sorry, please work a little harder.”

Flame-Rain patted Camilla’s shoulder. When she did, Camilla’s expression, which she tried hard to keep firm, became misty. Resignation and fear reflected on her face.

“Wow! What’s this? Was it that tough for you? Hmm... Should I assign some personnel to you?”

Camilla was never one to show it even if things were tough so Flame-Rain was shocked when her eyes looked gloomy.

Camilla shook her head. She was well aware that Flame-Rain had it tougher than her. She could easily tell by how her flames blazed limply and had lost their liveliness. She had no intention of showing a weak side of her just because work was tough.

Her gloominess was because of another matter.

“That’s not it. Rather... I just feel that something’s strange. Has anything been discovered from the investigation?”

“What the heck? Were you worried about me?”

Flame-Rain leaned into her chair.

“Rather than a discovery... It’s regarding Chu Youngjin.”

“The warrior who passed away... Chu Youngjin?”

“Yeah, he isn’t dead yet.”

Camilla’s eyes widened.

“Ah, of course, he’s considered dead by the alliance’s diagnosis, but he’s not dead yet in my perspective. My flames can reignite a completely extinguished wick. Of course, if there is even a tiny part of the wick remaining that is. That’s why I’m thinking about it.”

Flame-Rain lowered her eyes and tapped her long finger against her cheek.

“Choi Hyuk. If I think of that damn bastard, I want to save him. Since he’s a warrior he’s been with since the beginning of the recruit training, it’ll bother him even if he acts like it doesn’t. I don’t want to make his difficult life even harder. And what about the woman of the Armored Soul Tribe who comes to me and cries? I want to save him. That’s what I personally think... However, as an Exalted Wing, I should give up this uncertain treatment and wake him up right now. You see, I need to hear his testimony.”

“His testimony?”

“Yeah. Regarding a third-party.”

“A third-party...”

“After looking at the corpses, it looks like they were all injured by one person. It doesn’t make sense for everyone to be killed by a single person in a four-on-four fight. That means someone might have intruded on their fight midway. My duty is to figure out who that person is, what his or her skills are, and why that person left without laying a hand on the rest of the subjugation force... Also, how Chu Youngjin was able to avoid that person’s attack.”

Camilla’s expression became darker. However, lost in her thoughts, Flame-Rain didn’t notice this change and continued,

“But if I wake him up, he’ll definitely die. I also can’t waste my strength on a treatment that could take a hundred or even a thousand years or may not even be possible... But it’ll be no different from abandoning my duty if I don’t attempt it... Haaa. Also, how can I do that to Choi Hyuk and to that Armored Soul Tribe woman?”

Flame-Rain sighed with a face that seemed to have aged ten years.

White smoke exhaled from her mouth. For her, who possessed pure flames, to exhale smoke, it seemed she was under a lot of stress.

Gloomily looking at her, Camilla seemed to have decided on something as she tightly shut her eyes before saying,

“Maybe there isn’t a third-party?”

“Then, you’re saying the culprit is among Kwe, Jae, Lan, and Ryuk, who all died there? I don’t think so...”

“No, I’m talking about Chu Youngjin.”

“Huh?”

“Chu Youngjin is the only one without any injuries. Couldn’t Chu Youngjin have killed everyone?”

“Ehhh...? But his level is...”

“You previously mentioned that his cause of death wasn’t certain, correct? Perhaps he burned up all his karma... His cause of death has never been reported before.”

“I guess?”

“What if he wasn’t injured by something? What if he broke down from squeezing out all his strength?”

Flame-Rain bounced up from her seat. However, she still didn’t believe her.

“But... But why would Chu Youngjin do that? He doesn’t have a reason to.”

Chu Youngjin was now a transcendent warrior who represented the alliance. His future would be filled with glory so why would he do such a thing? To suddenly assassinate Dark-Sound? This would cause him to obtain nothing and lose everything.

Camilla steadied her breath.

Yes, logically, it didn’t make sense. There wasn’t any evidence either. This ‘leap in logic’ she was currently talking about could destroy everything she had accumulated until now. However, Camilla still felt very uneasy. She couldn’t bear not speaking of it as the alliance, which sustained the universe, could collapse and the earthlings could be marked as the most traitorous species at a single misstep.

“Exalted Wing Flame-Rain... How much do you know about the Berserkers, about Choi Hyuk?”

Flame-Rain gave Camilla a look asking what she was talking about all of a sudden. Nonetheless, Camilla continued firmly,

“Though I don’t know what you think of Choi Hyuk... we earthlings called him the Demon King. Have you... never witnessed the endless rage he possesses? A rage that wants to burn the entire universe to cinders.”

Flame-Rain’s eyes wavered.

She completely reorganized the information she had collected until now, clearer and simpler than her previous hypothesis. The result pointed towards an unbelievable truth.

While it was absurd, the thought that Choi Hyuk, that crazy bastard, could really do it crossed her mind. The damage was too severe for her to ignore this small possibility.

“Don’t... Don’t tell me... that this crazy bastard...?!”

Flame-Rain jolted up from her seat.

She pondered over it while pacing precisely ten steps. Then she decided.

“Ah, I don’t know. Even if I take responsibility for this... I can’t leave things as they are. Assemble an army immediately! We head to Alliance City!”

Her current actions could deal her a heavy political blow, but Flame-Rain decided to act.

“Yes!”

With a complicated expression, a mix of resignation and conviction, Camilla replied in a firm, low voice.

{1} Highest-ranking employee of the Blue House

====

“What? Who’s going where?”

On the first floor of the Tower of Warriors, Dark-Sound’s body and the 12 Exalted Wings were gathered in a hall the size of a basketball court. The somber mood broke out into a commotion at the sudden news.

“Why is Exalted Wing Flame-Rain coming here?”

“She’s bringing her army? She observed some rebellious activity? What’s rebellious? What? She doesn’t know?”

“She simply talked one-sidedly without giving a proper explanation and hung up... I don’t know who’s calling who rebellious. Is she going to overrule the matter decided at the ‘Brain’ on her own?”

This situation was so bewildering that they didn’t know what to do even after pushing their subordinates to contact others and discuss the matter.

“Shouldn’t we regard this as high treason?”

“What is she trying to do on the day of Exalted Wing Dark-Sound’s funeral...?”

“What do you mean high treason?! It’s not like she’s forcing her way here, she notified us in advance.”

“In advance? She just said what she wanted. What is it if not a sudden attack for saying something then leading her army here?”

“Your words are harsh!”

This was a delicate matter. The general in charge of defending their border declared that she would ignore orders and lead her army to the headquarters. She also justified her actions with an abrupt ‘rebellious activity’. Just looking at the situation, it was undoubtedly an act of treason, which was also why the Exalted Wings couldn’t believe it.

“I mean... Isn’t the power currently gathered in Alliance City too high for a revolt...? Leader Choi Hyuk, did you notice any activities that could be considered rebellious in Alliance City?”

“None.”

Choi Hyuk feigned ignorance.

However, he smiled bitterly in his mind.

‘As expected... Flame-Rain, did you figure it out?’

Notifying them in advance instead of coming abruptly and not revealing the specifics while declaring ‘rebellious activities’ made it seem like perhaps Flame-Rain was sending him a warning, telling him not to act rashly.

‘It’s too late.’

All preparations were complete, and he had already resolved himself.

“No... I think it’s been a bit noisy outside for a while...”

Leviathan, who had been silent, said as his brows wriggled. As an enormous dragon, he currently covered his body in the fourth dimension, laying his body out throughout the hall. Because he was covered in a higher dimension, the walls weren’t damaged when his body passed through them.

When Leviathan pointed out the commotion, the other Exalted Wings noticed it as well. The racket was picking up speed as it approached the Tower of Warriors.

“What is going on? Leader Choi Hyuk?”

Flame-Thorn demanded an explanation. Her eyes narrowed as if she was warning him.

Choi Hyuk smiled. If they noticed the commotion, then it was already too late. Lee Jinhee was faster than anyone gave her credit for.

‘The moment’s finally come.’

Sling.

He unsheathed his sword.

**

Lee Jinhee closed her eyes and controlled her karma.

She had originally thought that karma was a special, extraordinary ability. She had believed it was an external power that took root in her body, but she was mistaken.

As her rank increased, karma permeated into her cells, and now, it even absorbed the cells themselves. Karma was her body.

Controlling karma meant that she could control even the tips of the hairs on her body.

Her calm figure resembled a metal object inside a powerful magnetic field rather than a living being. She didn’t move a muscle when she stood still, yet her entire body reacted without wasting even the tiniest bit of energy when she began to move.

Opening her eyes, she saw her target. There was a total of 16 warriors from the Flame Wing Tribe protecting the Light of Eternity. 15 of them were high-ranked warriors while the one leading them was a highest-ranked warrior.

Lee Jinhee’s goal was to end it without giving them the chance to scream. It would be best if no one knew about the rebellion until they activated the karma freezing devices.

“Whew... We’ll go in immediately.”

Whoosh!

Her smooth thighs exposed beneath her shorts became taut. Feeling hot, she stared in front of her. Instead of a kicking the ground and jumping, this was more like the gathering of willpower.

Lee Jinhee took a deep breath and then exhaled.

“Hu!”

Bang!

Accelerating to her top speed instantly, her body shot through the air.

Space rippled in front of her like a sonic boom erupting from compressed sound waves when a jet exceeded the speed of sound.

The space ripples were like a shell left behind by her sheer speed so the situation had already concluded by the time the Flame Wing Tribe warriors noticed.

“Huh?”

“Something just...”

The warriors tilted their heads, but the head of one of them dropped as his neck had been sliced at an angle.

The warrior beside him opened his mouth in surprise as his head split vertically in two.

The other warriors turned around and kept a distance from them, but before they could completely turn their backs, their bodies fell apart in various pieces.

“What...?!”

Pscht!

The warriors who had avoided this calamity as they were further away, were stabbed to death before they could open their mouths in shock. The Berserker team leaders who followed Lee Jinhee were able to easily take their lives because Lee Jinhee had caught their attention.

Claang!

The only warrior who blocked her short sword was the highest-ranked warrior in charge of protecting the Light of Eternity. He had a flustered expression as though he had only blocked her attack out of reflex.

Thud.

The corpses of the slaughtered warriors fell to the ground after he blocked her short sword. The corpses burned up as they were strewn on the ground as though a Molotov Cocktail had been thrown. Only then did the highest-ranked warrior come to his senses and attempted to shout.

“A revo-...”

Slice!

He slumped to the floor before he could even finish.

‘Lee Jinhee’s Vow’ shined in a brilliant white light, and he couldn’t deal with Lee Jinhee’s speed which used her Sword of Vow’s limitless power. With only his lower jaw intact, everything above his upper jaw was sliced off.

Blaaze!

The place Lee Jinhee stood was blazing with flames from the dead warriors, and her five loyal team leaders, including Alexei, stood around her.

“Haa... Ha...”

Panting, she tightly gripped her trembling hand. Even though she had borrowed the strength of her Sword of Vow, she still sliced ten high-ranked and one highest-ranked warrior in an instant. Overwhelmed with exhausted, she felt like was about to faint.

Her karma, which had been well-controlled, extended out on its own, her legs shook, and her shoulders trembled. Her legs felt so heavy that she felt as though they were melting onto the ground.

She needed to rest, but Lee Jinhee squeezed out more strength.

Kiing!

‘Lee Jinhee’s Vow’ became brighter, and Lee Jinhee used this strength lent by the sword to forcefully steady her breath.

“Huu.”

When she turned around after letting out a short breath, a report immediately arrived.

“The link has been established.”

She wasn’t the only one who moved at full speed. During this short period of time, glass crabs surrounded the Light of Eternity and began to stack glass pebbles in a complicated pattern. This arrangement was set up to extract power from the Light of Eternity.

Lee Jinhee glanced down at the other short sword hanging on her waist. The patterns that densely covered the short sword shined as they received the power extracted from the Light of Eternity. Soon, the patterns fell away from the surface of the sword like holograms and twirled around her.

Lee Jinhee nodded.

She glanced at the Berserkers, Kundle Tribe members, and glass crab surrounding the Light of Eternity for the last time. These warriors who were dispatched under Choi Hyuk’s authority as head of security were assigned to defend the Light of Eternity until their revolt concluded so that the karma freezing devices wouldn’t lose their power source.

“Hu.”

Exhaling once more, she left without saying farewell. The five team leaders followed behind her, but the distance between them grew instantly.

The path to the Tower of Warriors was crowded. Due to the excessive number of people, warriors sat on rooftops and some even floated in the air as they waited for the funeral.

Since it was impossible to avoid their attention, Lee Jinhee decided to move more quickly. She charged at full speed, stepping on rooftops and sometimes even on air.

“Huu... My body feels heavy.”

The karma of the many warriors gathered here pressed down on her body. She didn’t notice it when she moved at a moderate pace, but the pressure increased as she gained speed.

“Huh? Who’s that?”

“Isn’t she Director Lee Jinhee of the Berserkers? Is it something to do security?”

People noticed Lee Jinhee’s fleeting appearance as she rushed over their heads.

The majority just let her be, but the highest-ranked warriors of the Flame Wing Tribe were a little different.

“Huh? Wait! Isn’t that the Light of Eternity?!”

The problem was the repeater, which was shaped like a short sword, dangling from her waist. Constantly receiving power from the Light of Eternity, the repeater released streams of enormous power. The Light of Eternity was a power originating from the Flame Wing Tribe’s homeland. These warriors, who prided themselves for being the sole possessors of such power, couldn’t disregard the Light of Eternity’s power emanating from Lee Jinhee.

“Hey! Wait!”

Flame Wing Tribe warriors flew over from every direction and stopped her.

“Why do I sense the Light of Eternity from you?”

One said coldly as he obstructed her path. When she looked at these meddlesome fellows stopping her, she realized that each and every one of them seemed to be highest-ranked warriors. The type of warriors who believed themselves to be intrinsic to the alliance.

“Hup!”

Obviously, Lee Jinhee didn’t plan on replying. Without slowing down, she stomped down with her foot. Bearing her will, her karma ignored inertia and changed directions. Lee Jinhee zigzagged vertically and rushed past the Flame Wing Tribe warriors.

“Huh?! Block her!”

The warriors shouted.

Other warriors in the crowd leaped up one after the other.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

Warriors from other tribes stretched their heads out to look at the sudden commotion as they whispered to each other.

The Flame Wing Tribe warriors were proud of being members of the Flame Wing Tribe, more than their rank or position. When a few famous warriors shouted to chase Lee Jinhee, other warriors who didn’t know what was going on jumped on the chase.

Flames erupted amongst the noisy crowd. Various colored flames spread out like a net and blocked the white stream of light flying through the air. However, this stream of light didn’t stop and zigzagged around the flames. More flames surged up whenever she did, and sometimes, they fell after exploding intensely.

“What’s going on...? Fireworks...?”

The warriors who weren’t aware of the situation were taken aback, their mouths agape.

“Haa, haa...”

From the Light of Eternity to the Tower of Warriors, Lee Jinhee traversed this not-so-short distance in an instant. Even when faced with the Flame Wing Tribe’s obstruction, she flew in the air at such a speed that those watching could only describe it with a ‘Whoosh! Bababaam!’

She was already gasping for breath when she began to see the Tower of Warriors. As she didn’t possess the power to deny other people’s karma like Choi Hyuk, the karma emitted by the other warriors put a burden on her. Having charged her way through the massive crowd at full speed while being blocked by the Flame Wing Tribe, she was as exhausted as a swallow that had forcefully pushed its way through a typhoon.

There were still a few persistently chasing Flame Wing Tribe warriors behind her.

Glancing at them, Lee Jinhee gritted her teeth.

“I consumed a lot more stamina than expected... But this is the end.”

Lee Jinhee looked at the Tower of Warriors with shining eyes. The Exalted Wings were gathered there. It was the place currently concentrated with the most military power in the alliance.

The security guards were at least at the highest rank, and those who stood protecting the entrances were at the transcendent level.

Just standing there, they made her feel like a vast galaxy separated her from the door. No matter how outstanding she was as a highest-ranked warrior, transcendent warriors were on a different level. If they were whales, possessing fates acknowledged by the great universe, she was simply a sardine.

However, even a sardine could ascend if it leaped through the dragon’s gate{1}! No... Was it a salmon? Moving on...

A thrilling smile hung on her lips.

“Let’s go!!!”

‘Lee Jinhee’s Vow’ shined brightly. This Sword of Vow, which was created from her vow that she wouldn’t die before Choi Hyuk, could open a path to Choi Hyuk regardless of the situation. She saw a thread-like line passing through the entrance. Choi Hyuk was inside, and if Choi Hyuk was there, even transcendent warriors wouldn’t be able to stop her.

She felt hot. Having squeezed her karma beyond its limits, her ankle and thighs felt like they had evaporated. The entrance, which had seemed a vast distance away, appeared in front of her as though it had been compressed.

“Hmm?!”

Having felt something, the transcendent warriors moved. They swung in the air as their blades brushed past Lee Jinhee.

Even transcendent warriors couldn’t stop Lee Jinhee as it looked like she had been compressed into a dot and was being sucked through the entrance.

Jjoong!!!

The shockwave that exploded behind her flung the chasing Flame Wing Tribe warriors away.

Baaang!

Lee Jinhee smashed through the door and then rolled on the floor.

She saw Choi Hyuk who had just unsheathed his sword with calm eyes and then the Exalted Wing’s dumbfounded expressions. When she saw their faces, she recalled the peaceful day on which the recruit training had abruptly started. She didn’t know that such rage had been hidden within her.

‘We killed each other. We were killed by the suddenly appearing monsters without being able to resist. Yeah, these damn bastards. Now it’s your turn.’

She raised the short sword shining with mysterious patterns up in the air before stabbing it into the ground.

Kiing!

A powerful energy spread from it and activated the karma freezing devices, which had been installed beforehand.

“Touchdown, you bastards!”

She shouted fiercely as she stood up.

{1} From what I can tell, ‘leaping through the dragon’s gate’ originated from Chinese mythology, and it refers to how one can become successful if he or she is persistent. Here, Lee Jinhee forgets that carps are the ones featured in this story.

========

“... Huh?”

Flame-Thorn made a noise reminiscent of a sigh or a shout. Her flames hissed and swayed in ridicule.

Rather than being angry, her reaction showed that she was taken aback. It had been a long time since they had participated in real battle, and people would normally bow their heads and wait for orders. The Exalted Wings were so unfamiliar with and taken aback by this current situation that they didn’t know how to react.

They didn’t even notice the presence of the Light of Eternity, which the highest-ranked warriors on the streets recognized. Familiar with safety and authority, they momentarily paused when faced with an attack despite possessing amazing computing capacities. By the time they thought, ‘Ah, is this a fight?’, they were in no state to enter conflict.

The first one to react was not an Exalted Wings but the Tower of Warriors.

Crrrk.

While the first-floor hall looked like a normal building for symbolical purposes, the Tower of Warriors was in actuality an enormous accumulation and whirlwind of past karma weapons. As soon as the karma freezing devices activated, the smooth walls solidified with weapon fragments before crumbling down.

“Keuk!”

Leviathan, who windingly laid his body around, passing through walls, crashed into the Tower of Warriors when he lost his karma. Every time he wriggled his body in pain, the tower would crumble even faster.

Kiing!

All this time, the energy output of the repeater Lee Jinhee had stabbed into floor gradually became larger. No one could block this enormous flow of energy once it started. The Light of Eternity, which maintained the entire city, continuously flowed into the repeater. From there, it powered the karma freezing devices hidden throughout the Tower of Warriors, which made strange noises as it covered the entire city.

Whiiik!

Whiii!

Every time the glass crabs whistled, various towers built by the glass crabs shined in a blue light as they spread the karma freezing device’s power out. These glass towers had been set up under the guise of increasing the city’s defenses for the funeral.

The karma freezing devices dropped the levels of all warriors near the tower to the no-star level. While the devices’ effect lowered as you moved towards the edge of the city, even if you stood at the very edge of the city, it would be difficult to use power beyond that of the three-star level.

The fight between the Exalted Wings, Choi Hyuk, and Lee Jinhee became as cruel and primitive as the ‘Throne Game’, which took place in the gymnasium.

“Just why?!”

“Choi Hyuk? Are you crazy?!”

Some were curious while others were shocked, but they soon didn’t have the leisure to be. The Tower of Warriors had already begun to collapse, and they raised their blades to kill them.

Thud! Thud!

The Tower of Warriors gradually collapsed and crumbled as broken weapon fragments rained on the floor.

The weapon fragments sprinkling from the tower made people become dizzy when hit by them.

Choi Hyuk drew his sword at the Exalted Wing closest to him, Flame-Thorn.

Kaang!

Flame-Thorn took out a handgun as long as her forearm and blocked his sword. It normally was a ‘Gun of Conclusion’, which shot karma, but currently, it was no different from a hard rod.

Choi Hyuk chased after Flame-Thorn, who was pushed a few steps back from their exchange.

Not recalling his extended sword, Choi Hyuk pushed her gun down and twisted his blade to pierce her throat. Sparks flew out where his sword and her gun clashed.

“Euk!”

Flame-Thorn turned her head to dodge Choi Hyuk’s attack again. Choi Hyuk’s hand shot out after her head and eventually grabbed her hair and tugged it towards him.

Crunch!

“Kaak!”

His abruptly crashing knee shattered her face. Unable to maintain her flames due to the karma freezing devices, Flame-Thorn’s body had become hard and smooth like a vase and warm like a heated floor. Dark red watery liquid smeared on the floor. Choi Hyuk grabbed her collar and attempted to stab her throat.

Puk!

However, Armor-Desert charged forward with his shoulders in front and slammed into Choi Hyuk’s stomach. As if being flipped up by a charging bull, Choi Hyuk’s body floated in the air before rolling on the ground. Weapon fragments narrowly missed where he rolled.

Rushing at him while deflecting the weapon fragments, Armor-Song swung his hand, which had turned into a blade, at Choi Hyuk.

While the start was good, the situation was disadvantageous for Choi Hyuk and Lee Jinhee.

Choi Hyuk couldn’t plant anyone on his side in the hall as the Exalted Wings’ guards were personally in charge of the first-floor hall’s security.

This meant that Choi Hyuk and Lee Jinhee had to fight two-versus-twelve, maybe even more, until the Berserkers dispatched outside the tower could make their way in.

Clang! Claang!

“Whooah”

The Square of Warriors was in complete chaos. Three concentric circles were engaged in a free-for-all.

Choi Hyuk, Lee Jinhee, and the Exalted Wings were in the very middle. Around them, the highest-ranked and transcendent warriors, the personal guards of the Exalted Wings, made up the first concentric circle. Outside of that were the Berserkers and Kundle Tribe members dispatched as security. They were doing their best to prevent the Exalted Wings from escaping while making their way through the Exalted Wings’ guards to support Choi Hyuk. Finally, the last concentric circle was made up of warriors who had gathered for the funeral. Having noticed the change, they attempted to push past the Berserkers and Kundle Tribe members. These crowded warriors were stabbed and hit to death, and some even fell and were eventually crushed to death.

Whish!

Sensing a chill on his neck, Choi Hyuk ducked down as Armor-Desert’s blade-hand brushed past his hair.

Whoosh!

While he avoided his blade-hand, his body was suddenly lifted into the air and he saw the ceiling raining with weapon fragments. Armor-Desert had grabbed Choi Hyuk’s waist and tackled him down while he had momentarily looked away. While he was being flipped backwards, Choi Hyuk pressed down on Armor-Desert’s head while raising his sword.

Thud!

Kiririk!

“Keuk!”

The heavy impact from being crushed by a bulky, solid machine-human rang out from his spine. Armor-Desert wasn’t completely fine either. The moment Choi Hyuk fell on his back, he had extended his sword and slashed it between Armor-Desert’s neck and shoulder.

The tough Armor-Desert didn’t even groan, but his body was honest. Electricity sparked from Choi Hyuk’s slash, and he lost strength in his arm, which was holding Choi Hyuk. Choi Hyuk slammed his elbow onto his head and wriggled out from his grasp. When he looked up, he felt a chill on his forehead. Armor-Song was close. His hand had turned into a matte black sword and was stabbing towards his forehead.

Baang!

Just as Choi Hyuk twisted his body the best he could in order to stab back, Armor-Song was slammed by Leviathan’s tail and flung into the distance.

Of course, Leviathan didn’t do this to help Choi Hyuk.

Writhing in pain, he roared like a beast,

“Kuaaaah! Choi Hyuk! Why?!!”

Once karma froze, Leviathan’s gigantic body worked against him. From the start, it was impossible to sustain his body without karma. His bones and muscles were crushed, and his dark blue body rippled severely.

Thud! Bang! Thump!

Leviathan had no choice but to be hit by the falling fragments as his body was too large. His body was tough even without karma, but the falling karma weapon fragments were also tough and sharp. His strong dragon scales cracked and shattered like worn wooden boards.

Red blood splattered like rain, drenching the hall.

Leviathan couldn’t recover his senses due to the pain and simply struggled and flailed around. Of course, his struggles were like a tidal wave to the Exalted Wings, Choi Hyuk, and Lee Jinhee, who had all likewise lost their karma.

Lee Jinhee avoided the writhing Leviathan, stepping on a puddle of blood, and jumped up into the air. Behind her, Dark-Resentment’s sword slightly brushed against her calf while Flame-Fog’s burning hand burnt the tips of her hair from the front as she hastily ducked her head.

Lee Jinhee was surprised by the heat.

“Isn’t your karma sealed?”

“I control my own karma weapon.”

Even though he had no reason to reply, Flame-Fog frowned while replying to her question. His wrists were densely covered by white and blue string bracelets. The long threads from the bracelets fluttered above his wrists and hands, creating flames.

It looked like Flame-Fog felt proud of being able to create flames using his karma weapon in this situation. Taking a neutral stance between Flame-Rain and Flame-Hell, he was a proud warrior who took his training seriously. He was currently incredibly angry at Lee Jinhee, who left a scratch on the tip of his nose during a surprise attack.

“I don’t even care about your reason... I’ll give you a gruesome death.”

Flame-Fog charged at her while saying such chilling words. Dark-Resentment quietly followed behind him.

Thud!

Leviathan’s massive tail fell down behind her as she stepped back. At this moment, she had nowhere to dodge. She gritted her teeth and ran forward while swinging her short sword. She deflected the flames, however, a blade sliced her side and half a shield fell on her shoulder before she managed to roll on the floor. Ignoring the pain, she jumped up in order to observe the situation.

Blood, Leviathan, weapons falling from the tower, and warriors fighting like hell. It was complete chaos.

She suddenly heard a noise behind her.

“Charge!”

While it would have been great if they were Berserkers, it wasn’t a language from Earth. The Exalted Wings’ guards began pouring into the hall. They had been busy stopping the Berserkers from pushing in from the outside, yet it seemed they judged settling the inner situation was more important even if they overexerted themselves as ten transcendent warriors joined the fray.

“Daaamn it!”

She looked like she was about to cry as she shot forward again. When she used all her strength thanks to the chilling possibility that she might die, she was able to jump past Dark-Resentment and Flame-Fog without any injuries. She stepped on Flame-Fog’s head while she was at it before grabbing and climbing over Leviathan’s shaking tail.

“Tsk!”

Flame-Fog raged as he chased Lee Jinhee, crawling on Leviathan.

Just as he was about to climb over his tail, Lee Jinhee charged at him like a beast on all fours and stabbed his chest. She didn’t completely climb over and instead clung and hid in a blind spot while waiting for an opportunity. Her hands were dyed red after having clung onto Leviathan’s shattered scales.

Crack!

Lee Jinhee enjoyed the pain riding up her arm in recoil.

When she pulled her sword out at an angle, Flame-Fog rolled down like a piece of trash. Normally, his body would turn into flames as he died, but as his karma was sealed, he slammed onto the ground like a porcelain doll filled with liquid, shattering and spilling liquid everywhere.

She avoided Dark-Resentment and the ten personal guards, who were chasing after her, and began running again. An agonizing pain ached from the scratch left on her calf by Dark-Resentment. Her regenerative ability disappeared when her karma froze. Her bloody calf felt like she was wearing a tattered red knee-high sock.

‘I can’t die first...’

Biting down on her lip, Lee Jinhee jumped over Leviathan’s body. Right below her, she saw Armor-Song fighting Choi Hyuk.

She immediately flung forward and stabbed her sword into the back of Armor-Song’s neck.

Kiririk!

Even though the impact of her fall was added to her full-strength blow, her sword only penetrated halfway.

‘Damn it... So you’re a machine-human, is that it? Tough even without karma.’

Instead, she rolled backwards after being hit by Armor-Song’s aggressive arm swing.

“Peh.”

Lee Jinhee spat out a glob of bloody saliva before standing back up. It felt like her rips were broken as cold sweat ran down her spine and her legs gave out from the stinging pain. It might have been fortunate that she wasn’t slashed by a sword.

Using the opening Lee Jinhee made for him, Choi Hyuk flung himself at Armor-Song. Armor-Song’s body had already been dented and now an electric current flowed from the injury on the back of his neck. In the end, Choi Hyuk’s sword almost sliced his head off.

Flame-Thorn had been repeatedly stabbed by Choi Hyuk and was dead in a pool of watery liquid.

Armor-Desert squirmed on the floor as there were holes between his neck and shoulder and through his knee.

Armor-Song had just died after having his head almost sliced off.

Flame-Fog died from being stabbed in the chest by Lee Jinhee.

Light-Walk and Light-Path couldn’t maintain their figures once their karma froze, scattering as individual speckled lights, and ended up being crushed by the falling fragments and drowning in a pool of Leviathan’s blood.

Leviathan no longer seemed to have the strength to struggle as he growled and stopped moving.

In the short while since the fight started and the hall fell into a state of chaos due to Leviathan’s writhing, seven Exalted Wings were either killed or gravely injured.

Flame-Hell, who climbed over a now still Leviathan, had a dumbfounded expression as he observed the current situation. With an enraged face, he warned,

“If you surrender now, I’ll spare your lives.”

The five surviving Exalted Wings and the ten additional guards surrounded Choi Hyuk and Lee Jinhee and were slowly closing in on them. Even though they all didn’t have karma, as transcendent warriors, they were experts in combat.

“Ha!”

Yet, the one who snorted out of reflex was Lee Jinhee.

“Do you know what pisses me off the most?”

It seemed Flame-Hell wasn’t serious about letting them surrender as he didn’t answer her and simply pulled their encirclement closer.

Lee Jinhee smiled fiercely.

“It’s that you guys don’t even know what you taught us.”

They had fought fellow classmates and colleagues to the death on a peaceful day. People who had gone shopping had to fight monsters to survive. After being named Consumables, they were tossed into a battlefield with a 1% survival rate.

From the start, she didn’t consider something like this as a crisis.

As if infected by Lee Jinhee’s smile, a fierce smile hung on Choi Hyuk’s lips as well. His smile was more exaggerated and crazier than Lee Jinhee’s.

“There’s no karma here. The ones who should be trembling are you.”

Lee Jinhee declared.

“Kill. Only then can you kill. Isn’t that right?”

Choi Hyuk responded as he wielded his sword.

Lee Jinhee swung her sword as well.

“Director!”

Alexei led two other team leaders, who had also followed her from the Light of Eternity, as they burst into the hall. There were originally five, but two had died while trying to force their way past the guards.

Without a sliver of hesitation, blades tangled and bodies clashed once more.