I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 281 : Suicide Squad (5)

Swoosh!

Su-hyeon's Moonless Sword sliced through the air with no resistance, as if cutting through a reed, severing a head from its body.

However.

'Tch.'

Su-hyeon clicked his tongue.

The head he had cut off belonged to one of the bodyguards who had been brainwashed to sacrifice their lives to protect Hwang Won-jae.

'Jeong Su-hyeon, you bastard!'

Hwang Won-jae, who had pushed away the bodyguard who had tackled him to the ground, gritted his teeth.

It had been only a few minutes since he'd heard that Su-hyeon was fighting with Jang Su-il.

Had he already defeated Jang Su-il and come all the way here in that time?

'That lunatic. There are only two Ma-in in this world stronger than the 'Battle Maniac' with S+ rank power.'

He thought that would probably be true even on a global scale.

'Has that brat grown this much already?'

But now was not the time for such reflections.

"Stop!"

Freeze!

Su-hyeon's body halted at Hwang Won-jae's shout.

"Jeong Su-hyeon. You've missed your first and last chance."

A smile returned to Hwang Won-jae's face as he looked at Su-hyeon, whose presence was unmistakable even behind his mask.

'This is troublesome. My body won't move.'

Su-hyeon thought.

The sensation was like invisible hands piercing and tearing through his brain.

It was as if every nerve cell throughout his body refused to perform its duty, declining to transmit signals from the brain.

Or as if the brain had lost control over its own body.

With that sensation, Su-hyeon stood frozen.

"You, I will kill no matter what happens."

Hwang Won-jae raised his hand.

Without listening to any last words, without any mockery or torture.

"Kill him."

Driven by anxiety that Su-hyeon must be killed quickly, Hwang Won-jae lowered his hand.

"Iyaaap!

"No!"

Just as a Ma-in wielding a massive sword was about to strike Su-hyeon's neck.

'Damn it, I need to move now!'

Snip!

Kong Yeong-jin bit off his own finger, managing to move his body through immense pain.

'Resistance. Clear as a Mirror.'

And Su-hyeon activated two mental skills simultaneously, using his vast mana and martial prowess to shake off Hwang Won-jae's control.

"What?!"

Su-hyeon's body, which had been frozen like a statue, vanished from sight like a ghost.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The Ma-in who had been about to cut off Su-hyeon's head was butchered after receiving three slashes in a single breath.

'What just happened?'

No, the important thing wasn't the answer to that.

'Protect me!'

Ma-in who received Hwang Won-jae's order blocked Su-hyeon's path.

"Your back is wide open, you son of a bitch!"

Crack!

"Kuk!"

From an unexpected blow from behind, Hwang Won-jae's forearm broke as he slammed into the wall.

CRASH!

"Kuuk. Damn it."

Hwang Won-jae, whose body wasn't particularly strong, glared at Kong Yeong-jin with eyes full of murderous intent as he experienced the unfamiliar pain.

"Hehe, sacrificing one finger to break free is a bargain!"

He approached while stopping the bleeding from his pinky finger.

'Damn, has the control been broken...?!'

In that time, the Captains and Deputy Captains who had been freed from mental control were taking down the surrounding Ma-in, which caught Hwang Won-jae's eye.

"Kill him before he does anything else!"

"Understood!"

Just as Seol Ji-yun's flames were about to pour down again.

"Hup!"

Hwang Won-jae bit his own tongue, forcibly bringing awareness to his panicking brain.

'Run wild!'

"RAAAAAAH!"

At that one command, the Ma-in charged toward the Captains, burning their life force.

"Damn, what's with these things!"

"Stop being so clingy and get lost!"

While they were struggling to fend off the Ma-in.

Hwang Won-jae's gaze turned to Su-hyeon.

'Jeong Su-hyeon, what kind of trick did you pull?'

How could he possibly withstand his ability?

Slash! Slash!

As Su-hyeon cut down the frenzied Ma-in like bundles of straw, Hwang Won-jae met his eyes and sensed something.

'Ah, I see.'

He thought with his eyes closed.

'Is this my death?'

Su-hyeon showed no openings, and Hwang Won-jae could see no escape route.

And so, without watching the death that approached him.

He recalled the voice of "Him" whose face he didn't even know.

'Please forgive me.'

Click!

His pressing of the self-destruct switch and Su-hyeon's Moonless Sword beheading him happened almost simultaneously.

Clang!

Feeling the cold metal cutting into his neck, Hwang Won-jae opened his eyes again.

His vision spinning around and around.

His altitude increasing.

'So now I die.'

The feeling of facing his end with only his head remaining in this dark underground wasn't so bad.

'Brother, and my nephews. I regret not being able to take your heads with me...'

[Hwang Won-jae. My faithful servant.]

As his consciousness faded with his blood draining away, "His" voice spoke to him.

[I express my gratitude. Your mission is complete.]

The severed head of Hwang Won-jae smiled.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

Between the power plant buildings, Seong Ji-cheol, who had smashed through the asphalt road like it was dirt, discovered a fist-sized crimson stone emitting an ominous reddish-black light in the middle of an underground water vein.

"Ooh, is this it?"

[Fragment of the Eroding World].

The object that would bring about the end of the world was hidden in such a humble place, so modestly, contrary to its grandiose name.

"Finally..."

Seong Ji-cheol reached out toward the stone.

Sizzle!

His Ma-in hand, which had never been violated by anything, had its skin peeled off, flesh evaporated, leaving only bone before it could finally touch the stone.

'It's not hot, yet it burns. A power of chaos that those with low martial prowess cannot even touch.'

Seong Ji-cheol looked down at his fifth arm, now skeletal like that of a corpse, and smiled.

"I offer this."

His mouth uttered words like a spell.

"I, a humble servant of the demon, bow my head and request your descent. May all things kneel before the king's feet."

Zzzzzzing!

The stone's light intensified, melting Seong Ji-cheol's skin.

'This is...?!'

Just as confusion was about to appear on his face.

Boom!

The red light that consumed Seong Ji-cheol's body shot up toward the sky and exploded like a massive firework.

Booooom!

And in the sky where the light had vanished, a massive hole of a completely different color appeared.

"Ahh..."

Song Yeonhui, who was gazing at the sight in ecstasy, murmured.

"At last."

There stood the golden tower built with the blood of countless comrades.

"Tremble, humans."

As Song Yeonhui spread her arms, her blood-made cape fluttered.

The deaths of Hwang Won-jae and Seong Ji-cheol.

Standing before the achievement created by sacrificing their lives, Song Yeonhui declared on behalf of "Him":

"Now the [Door to Nastrond] has opened, and the end of the world has begun."

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

Rumble!

The catacomb, which had exploded from within, collapsed, scattering even the floating island made of demonic beast corpses into several pieces.

"...Damn it."

The Captains had gathered on the largest fragment.

At the moment of the explosion, Su-hyeon had used Chukji, saving the Suicide Squad until the last moment.

But he had ultimately failed to rescue two Deputy Captains and two Captains, Kong Yeong-jin and Kang Ji-min.

He couldn't go against their resolute words to take the healthy people instead of themselves who were injured.

"If it weren't for you, none of us would have survived. It might have even been impossible to kill Hwang Won-jae. Don't blame yourself too much."

Son Ji-gwang put his hand on Su-hyeon's shoulder.

"...Yes."

But, Su-hyeon raised his head.

"...Well."

Despite it being broad daylight, with not a cloud in the sky.

The sun was not visible.

"Has it begun?"

"Yes."

"...So is it all over now?"

Looking at the despair rising in their expressions.

"No."

Su-hyeon shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go ahead."

"Are you insane? That's suicide!"

Captain Jin Seong-geun tried to stop Su-hyeon, driven by an instinctive sense of foreboding.

"No."

But Su-hyeon was firm.

"The Commander and I have been waiting for precisely this moment."

"What?"

"You may have suspected that the Commander's physical condition hasn't been well."

"Well, I suppose I did think that might be the case."

Captain Jin Seong-geun said.

"But he always looked so dignified, so I thought maybe he was just focusing on training the next generation, or that there just hadn't been any situations requiring his intervention."

Su-hyeon nodded at Captain Seol Ji-yun's words.

"He had such a severe injury that just maintaining that appearance was difficult, and his life force was continuously draining away because of that wound. I saw this in my dreams."

"Hmm. So that was it. I thought something seemed off these past few years."

Captain Son Ji-gwang folded his arms and nodded to himself as if he understood.

"The Commander has been looking for his final battlefield. And I told him when that battle would be."

"You said you were a prophet of the end, right?"

Captain Baek Seung-yun asked Su-hyeon.

"That's right."

"Then you're saying that now is that time?"

"Yes."

Su-hyeon answered with an unwavering expression.

"The Commander should have arrived by now. I need to go too."

No one asked where his destination was.

Everyone could feel the ominous and malicious energy coming from far away like a storm.

"Is there."

Captain Son Ji-gwang looked at Su-hyeon and asked.

"Anything we can do to help?"

"...If anyone has any mana potions left, could I trouble you for them?"

"Ah, sure."

"I have two left as well."

Jin Seong-geun and Seol Ji-yun took mana potions from their pockets.

"Thank you."

Gulp, gulp.

After drinking the mana potions in one go, Su-hyeon took a deep breath.

'Good. That's enough.'

"Well then, everyone."

Su-hyeon turned his back.

"Please survive until we meet again."

Whoosh!

Su-hyeon's body vanished.

"...He says such ominous things so casually."

Everyone nodded at Seol Ji-yun's muttering.

The blackened sky was rippling.

❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀

"What have you people done!"

Swish!

Gong I-an's spear pierced through the Vampire Queen's palm.

"Who knows?"

But Song Yeonhui transformed her body into bats and flew up into the air.

"Graaah!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The Blood Giant that rushed to capture Gong I-an collapsed with air holes punctured throughout its body.

"Your struggle is futile. Even if you three succeed in killing me, your fate won't change."

It was right then.

"Well, that remains to be seen!"

"!?"

At the voice from above, everyone looked up at the sky.

Roaaaaar!

A massive blue dragon had appeared there.

"A dragon?"

Whoosh!

A powerful breath attack precisely targeted Song Yeonhui and the Ma-in around her.

"Aaarrgh!"

"Aaaggh!"

"Urgh, this is!"

Song Yeonhui, who barely withstood the breath, broke out in a cold sweat as she looked around at the Ma-in who had been annihilated without even bone fragments remaining.

"Unbelievable."

This power, this appearance, this energy.

Its identity was clear.

"Ju Taeyang!"

The hope of humanity, who had not entered battle for a very long time.

"Commander?!"

The Dragon Spear, Ju Taeyang.

'Wasn't he just an empty symbol who hadn't shown himself in actual combat for a long time...?'

Song Yeonhui broke out in a cold sweat.

"Commander, why are you...?"

Ju Taeyang answered Captain Gong I-an's murmur.

"I just came where I needed to be. Captain Gong, Captain Ahn, Captain Ma. It's been a long time since I've coordinated with you in the field."

"Commander."

"...But."

Gong I-an, Ahn Byeong-jun, and Ma Seunggeon.

Dejection and despair appeared on the faces of the three Captains.

"I regret to say this, but it's too late, you."

Song Yeonhui pointed to the massive rift created in the air.

Terrifyingly ominous magical energy swirled from within it.

"Look at that abyss."

Song Yeonhui said in an intoxicated voice.

"Soon His army will pour out from there."

"I'm too late? ...No."

Looking at that sight, Ju Taeyang smiled.

"I am not too late."