I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 284 : Transcendence (3)

Dragons control the wind and command the weather.

Whoooosh!

The wind that Ju Taeyang raised with his last strength became a powerful yet gentle gust, blowing away the Execution Force members and the staff working in the complex.

[I will detonate this place soon. Not a single person should remain here.]

"This is absurd!"

"If this happens, the entire national system will!"

"Please wait a moment...!"

The staff screamed, and their words were very reasonable, but.

Ju Taeyang could not respond to each and every outcry.

'It's done.'

After using up a considerable amount of his remaining strength just for that, Ju Taeyang sighed and sent a telepathic message to Gong I-an.

[This is my final order as Commander. Everyone, return to the nearest unit and prepare for the coming battle. I entrust the next generation's Commander to 1st Unit Captain Gong I-an, so please serve with all your might.]

"...!"

The death of the most respected Supreme Commander implied by himself.

And the despair and anger at their own weakness for not being able to do anything.

And the fear of the enemy etched into their skin, their cells.

The Execution Force members who lowered their heads shed bitter tears.

[I will somehow take that demon as my traveling companion. If I succeed, Captain Gong, please consult with Chief of Staff Heo and activate the highest level scenario to prepare the maximum defense during the remaining time.]

"...Understood."

It was bitter, and despair outweighed hope.

Nevertheless, Captain Gong I-an did not abandon his duty.

[Thank you. I leave the rest to you.]

"I will serve with my body and soul."

[Lastly... Su-hyeon will return someday. Please believe and wait for him.]

Ju Taeyang, who had finished his telepathy, smiled as he looked down at his own body that was becoming an old man in real-time.

"You've held out for so long. Having enjoyed my years to the fullest, I have no reason for regret."

But even after giving his Dragon Heart to Su-hyeon, remnant mana remained in his bloodline like a final candle.

[Hahaha! How truly touching! Could there be a more futile sacrifice!]

The laughter of Malek, who had already recovered nearly 90% of his body, echoed directly in Ju Taeyang's brain.

'...Time.'

Even just 1 minute, just 10 seconds of time was desperate.

Even if he had to use wordplay.

Even if he had to use deception.

Even if he had to crawl on the ground after giving up his arms and legs.

Somehow he had to buy as much time as possible for Su-hyeon.

So Ju Taeyang quietly watched Malek's resurrection.

"Where is Jeong Su-hyeon, that kid?"

Malek, who had finally removed the veil of magical energy, walked toward him with his restored appearance.

"I can feel his presence, so he couldn't have run away."

"Well, isn't this also entertainment for you? Will you wait and see?"

"Hahahahaha."

Malek laughed as if it was ridiculous.

"My king dislikes giving chances through careless oversight. I have no intention of playing along with the feeble tricks of worms."

"But watching those worms devise tricks would be quite an enjoyable spectacle."

"Indeed."

Malek, who felt no threat from the powerless Ju Taeyang, stroked his chin and replied.

"It's true that I'm curious about what you're aiming for, having abandoned both pride and dignity."

"That's understandable."

"But."

The demon's smile turned fierce.

"Do I, Malek, seem so dull as to give you, who killed me once, another chance?"

Seeing the blade of magical energy forming in his hand, Ju Taeyang broke out in a cold sweat.

'It seems it won't be easy after all.'

The flame of his final resurgence was weakening even at this moment.

'Su-hyeon, hurry. I don't think I can buy much time...'

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Afternoon with the sun gone.

Ominous mana waves felt even from a distance.

Intense light clusters.

Everyone at the academy could feel that a massive and glorious battle was taking place far away.

"Should we really be like this now?"

"What else?"

Hong In-hyeon responded roughly to someone's murmur.

"Even if a few flies flew over, they'd just end up with torn wings. What can we do?"

"...Calm down."

Seo Jun-seong sighed.

Without Su-hyeon now.

It was Seo Jun-seong's role to rally the cadets who had lost their mental focal point.

'But it's not enough. Even my own mind is in disarray with anxiety and confusion.'

Seo Jun-seong was keenly feeling that he could not fill Su-hyeon's empty place with himself.

Right at that moment.

"News has just come in from Captain Gong I-an and Captain Son Ji-gwang."

Instructor Kim Cheol-han, who opened the door and entered, said.

"The Suicide Squad, with Jeong Su-hyeon's participation and led by Captains Son Ji-gwang and Seol Ji-yun, successfully raided the catacomb and executed Hwang Won-jae."

"Wow!"

Just as cheers were about to erupt.

"However."

Kim Cheol-han coldly cut off that flow.

"This was a lure or a reversal move that Hwang Won-jae made by staking his own neck."

"...!?"

"Meanwhile, the nuclear power plant complex was attacked by 'Asura' and the 'Vampire Queen,' and the door to the otherworld they call [Nastrond]—the demon realm—was opened."

That is the cause of the situation you are seeing now."

"Ah..."

Someone let out a short, choked sigh.

"A single demon appeared there. The demon, who called himself 'Great Overlord Malek,' had such formidable power that Captain Ahn Byeong-jun suffered terrible wounds, and Captain Ma Seunggeon died."

"Ca-Captain Ma Seunggeon?"

"No way."

Hong In-hyeon muttered with an unbelieving face, but no one had the presence of mind to respond to his words.

"Captain Gong I-an reported that it was a horrific scene where the Execution Force members, made up of heroic warriors, couldn't even think of resisting and were going mad with fear. Even he himself could not move due to fear."

The cadets just listened with their mouths open, entranced by Kim Cheol-han's next words.

"But then Commander Ju Taeyang stepped forward and fought Malek as an equal in a mythical battle. And."

Kim Cheol-han regulated his breathing before continuing.

"With the combined attack of cadet Jeong Su-hyeon, who appeared afterward, they succeeded in killing Malek."

"Oh my!"

"As expected of Su-hyeon!"

"The Commander is truly amazing."

"But..."

Kim Cheol-han's expression was still not bright.

"Even without him, there are still 9 Great Overlords remaining, and the demon king they serve."

"It's suffocating."

Kim Cheol-han nodded at Seo Jun-seong's words.

"Yes, but the problem doesn't end there. Malek is being resurrected."

"What?"

"Didn't you say they killed him?"

"He called his power an authority and said he could return from death once, they said. Before his resurrection is complete, Commander Ju Taeyang evacuated all remaining members and designated Captain Gong I-an as the new commander."

And then, Kim Cheol-han closed his eyes.

"He said he would take Malek as his traveling companion."

That was as good as saying that Commander Ju Taeyang would die there, and the invasion of the demon realm was just beginning.

"...Is the world over now?"

Kim Cheol-han shook his head at Kim A-yun's weak question.

"It was an effort to prevent that from happening. Remember that. And don't despair. From now on, it will be a very difficult time."

Even for Kim Cheol-han, who had never had difficulty instilling fighting spirit and motivation in the cadets.

At this moment, he felt that there was little strength in his own voice.

"We don't know how many will die and how many will survive. But there is no eternal winter. Make sure each of you strengthens your resolve."

"What about Su-hyeon?"

Lee Yu-jin asked.

"...They say Jeong Su-hyeon did not come out with them."

"Ah..."

Lee Yu-jin squeezed her eyes shut.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine."

"Yes, because he promised to return."

Lee Yu-jin said.

"Su-hyeon has never broken a promise."

It was like a spell she was reciting to shake off her own anxiety.

'You have to be safe, Su-hyeon.'

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In the worst-case scenario.

Less than ten people in the entire country knew that there was a switch designed to cause a massive explosion using all nuclear materials in the nuclear power plant complex.

Moreover, even fewer knew its location.

But I knew its location.

It was hidden in the deepest part of the nuclear power plant complex.

And I was standing in front of that switch.

"Phew."

There was no time.

I used the points and achievement scores I had collected to purchase items.

I instantly raised the level of 'Resistance' to the maximum through 'Skill Enhancement.'

This was to endure a little longer against the high-concentration radiation that destroys organisms from the cellular level.

In addition, I adjusted the flow within my body so that the intense presence emitted by the Dragon Heart would remain in my lower abdomen.

'There's no time to hesitate.'

But what was about to happen was something I dreaded and hated all the more because I knew it.

'...I thought it was horrific even when watching from beyond the screen.'

But now I had to overcome it directly with my own body.

"Phuuuuu."

I exhaled once more.

In the middle of a massive nuclear explosion, my body would experience hellish pain.

"Let's go."

Into a time where countless near-death destructions awaited.

I advanced directly.

Click!

My finger pressed the explosion switch.

Boooooooom!

A massive explosion far beyond imagination occurred.

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The explosion from the nuclear power plant complex.

The power plant, once the producer of electricity and civilization, instantly changed its face to become a massive nuclear bomb.

Plasma with temperatures easily exceeding 100 million degrees vaporized the bodies of the two giants, Ju Taeyang and Great Overlord Malek, without a trace.

And it was a similar phenomenon for Su-hyeon's body, which was curled up deep underground with a Mana Barrier.

But even in that explosion, Su-hyeon did not die.

BOOOOOM-!

After the explosion with temperatures rivaling the sun, a huge mushroom cloud formed.

Gamma rays and neutron rays that destroy everything, and shockwaves of terrible power, completely turned the surroundings into a land of death.

Su-hyeon's body was destroyed countless times by the explosion, the ultra-high temperature plasma, the shockwave, and the persistent radiation.

But here was a miracle.

The vast mana of the Dragon Heart that Su-hyeon carried provided endless power.

The maximally enhanced skill called 'Resistance' continuously gave Su-hyeon's body resistance to external stimuli.

And the unlimited regenerative power of 'Body Transformation and Bone Replacement,' the final realm of the Unlimited characteristic, was added.

Through such an exquisite and precarious combination of circumstances.

Su-hyeon repeatedly returned from death and departed again.

It was a miracle that far transcended reason and law.

But the miracle alone was not enough.

Su-hyeon's body was repeatedly destroyed immediately after revival, unable to withstand the radiation and high temperature.

Thus, revival and destruction occurred simultaneously, and also continued endlessly.

A body long since numbed to all pain.

In the middle of a land of death where no one would dare to enter.

For a long time, Su-hyeon's mind, detached from his body, floated through an endless world of unconsciousness, waiting for the moment of true revival.

...And finally, when he returned from tens or hundreds of deaths.

The boy would transcend everything.

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Time like eons, or time like an instant.

Su-hyeon, who had been endlessly floating in the world of unconsciousness where absolute numbers were meaningless, heard a voice directed at him.

[Jeong Su-hyeon.]

'...Who are you. Identify yourself.'

The voice responded to the soundless words emanating from Su-hyeon's inner self.

[My name is Belphegor. King of Nastrond.]

'...!'

[Finally, I am having a conversation with you.]

'Finally?'

The voice whispered toward Su-hyeon's self, who did not know what this meant.

[Yes, finally.]

'Are you saying you wanted to talk to me?'

[That's right.]

'Why?'

[Jeong Su-hyeon.]

[No, Kim Seong-yun.]

[You who have crossed worlds.]

Belphegor.

The King of Ten Thousand Demons, the ruler of the otherworld, solemnly declared to Su-hyeon's floating self.

[I have been waiting for you for a long time.]