Chapter 956

EP.956 Part 2, Chapter 9.13 – Seoul’s Night

At that moment, Mapo Bridge.

KIAAAAH!!

Just as they were about to cross the bridge and lunge at Seoul citizens with their jaws wide open…

ZAP! In a flash of light, the penis bugs dissolved into mist and vanished.

“What… what is this…?”

“It just… disappeared…?”

The penis bugs had all been wiped out in an instant.

The timing was so perfect, and there was enough context for everyone to guess why the monsters suddenly vanished.

“Could it be thanks to Light Blade-sama…?”

“Yeah! The moment Light Blade-sama killed the snake at city hall, they disappeared!”

“Shit, like something out of a movie…”

It was like defusing a bomb with one second left on the clock.

In such an unreal situation, people could only feel a mix of relief and excitement.

The man who took down the SS-Rank monster in one strike…

“…Is he even a man?”

Maybe because everyone was so relaxed now, someone muttered faintly.

“Should we call her ‘Lady Light Blade’ now?”

Thus began the official debate.

Is Light Blade actually a woman?

“Hold on. He was originally an uncle-type guy with a beard! How can someone like that become a woman overnight and suddenly be called ‘onee-sama’?”

“You’re right. Was I saying something too gay-sounding?”

“She was reborn as a woman, so she should call us ‘oppa’!”

“Insane.”

While they were making meaningless comments, it showed how much everyone was enjoying the calm after the battle.

There were no more monster signals on the radar.

The fight seemed over when the commander defeated the snake at city hall, but Phase 2 opened. Then Light Blade appeared and ended the situation.

In New Seoul, martial law was declared when ESP high school girls not only stopped tanks but actually drove them straight into the New Seoul government building.

Minimal casualties.

Though martial law hasn’t been fully lifted yet, those hearing updates from New Seoul realized Sun Icheol’s final attempt had failed.

Slowly, dawn was approaching.

The long night of Seoul, shrouded in darkness, was finally seeing the first light of morning.

So, from now on, it’s back to neon-lit Seoul—

[To all citizens of Seoul.]

A firm male voice.

It was definitely the young hero who protected Seoul citizens and defeated the S-Rank monster.

[The evolved SS-Rank monster Ymir has died.]

Instead of shouting triumphantly, the commander remained calm.

With occasional sounds of running footsteps, everyone instinctively knew the commander was rushing somewhere.

“Over there!!”

The commander appeared on the opposite side of Mapo Bridge.

[After the death of the high-ranked entity, there’s a follow-up wave.]

Magic girls were guarding the commander like bodyguards, while he shouted into his magical gear.

[The final wave is coming!!]

KIAAAAHH!!

On the magical gear’s monster radar.

There were countless red dots heading towards the Han River from Namsan Tower, unlike anything seen before.

* * *

‘This was supposed to be bonus time.’

After defeating an S-Rank or SS-Rank monster, there should always be some kind of reward for the hard-fought battle.

Most commonly, it would be an S-Rank or SS-Rank core, or sometimes the corpse of a large monster.

When the snake at city hall was killed by the Blue Wind Sect twenty years ago, its core entered a human body and was reborn as the “Black Flame Dragon,” a special full-time combat flying lifeform exclusive to the captain.

Even if the DLC phrase ‘destroyed’ was used, an SS-Rank core should have appeared.

“Ta-dah, Commander. Here’s your present~”

“Thanks. I’ll make you mint chocolate cake when I get home.”

Fortunately, I secretly instructed Kim Penril to recover the SS-Rank core.

Using S-Rank level mana concealment, we hid it from others and prepared a gift for Yun Yuhwa.

But this was unexpected.

I didn’t think another ‘bonus’ would pop out from inside the city hall snake.

‘Less than Moby Dick though.’

D-Rank Parasites x 50,000.

Not as bad as the parasitic worms inside the whale-class monster sleeping beneath Okinawa’s seabed, but the problem is we’ve been fighting non-stop since midnight and are already exhausted.

The estimated final boss SS-Rank monster is dead.

Everyone is basking in the satisfaction and achievement of victory when suddenly 50,000 creepy low-level mobs appear?

‘Time to throw the controller.’

Anyone would throw their game controller if this kept happening without time to enjoy the sense of accomplishment.

Before anyone could celebrate, the battles continued endlessly.

This would make anyone collapse from exhaustion.

“Commander-sama, what should we do?”

Yuna approached with a worried expression.

Seoul citizens still couldn’t approach us easily, but they were looking at me with the same anxiety.

“Ah, look…!”

Splash, splash!

The parasites started jumping into the Han River.

They weren’t checking the water temperature; they were definitely swimming across the river.

Sure enough, they began crossing the Han River at high speed.

Some parasites started connecting their bodies to form giant snake-like structures.

“That’s… a bridge?”

“They’re light enough to float on the water surface. And they’re planning to crawl over.”

Wriggle, wriggle.

A monstrous bridge formed on the Han River.

People urgently fired K-2 magic rifles at the bridge, but the shots weren’t as dense as before.

“Gah, I’m out of bullets…!”

Dangerous situation.

But I quietly raised my thumb to everyone.

“Don’t worry. In situations like these… heroes shine even brighter.”

A burst of white light erupted from the direction of the National Cemetery.

Relieved to see the familiar mana pattern I know best.

“The birth of a new hero.”

For the new ‘her’ born from the death of one person.

Blazing Phoenix Revival.

* * *

As Ymir’s parasites connected their bodies to cross the Han River,

THUD.

Light Blade landed on the avenue.

Her white dress remained spotless, and she gathered the remaining mana within her.

“Ahh…”

Just moments ago,

She used a powerful technique against Ymir, expending a great deal of mana.

Because she pushed herself to the limit, all the mana she had suppressed began to break free.

“Rusalka.”

The last mana left by her beloved lover began manifesting within her body.

If she did nothing, she would surely lose control.

“…Hmm.”

Light Blade realized immediately.

If she dies, Rusalka’s curse will inevitably pass on to someone else.

Specifically, it will transfer to Seok Harang, Rusalka’s half-self.

That mustn’t happen.

To prevent that, she must use her power.

She needs to contain this force within her body and accept all the power Rusalka left behind.

Even if it means losing herself.

“Is this… my death?”

The numerous monster hordes ahead.

The penis-shaped creatures were crawling forward with sharp teeth bared.

If things continue like this, even Light Blade Heo Yoon-hwan will be caught up in it.

Using more power might kill her.

Not in the sense of being eaten by monsters, but the existence known as Heo Yoon-hwan may disappear.

The more mana she uses, the more her golden mana turns into Rusalka’s color.

She might no longer remain as Light Blade Heo Yoon-hwan.

But.

If she holds back here,

Many people will die.

If she fears losing control and refuses to act, the tragedy that happened in Pyongyang will repeat itself.

That mustn’t happen.

She tilted her head back.

“Becoming a patriotic martyr isn’t so bad.”

Coincidentally, she was standing at the National Cemetery.

The park where countless ancestors and national heroes were buried had remained mostly intact, untouched even by the monsters.

If the monsters crossed the Han River, this sacred place would also be covered in their disgusting bodily fluids.

“One more time.”

Light Blade raised her hand high.

The mana surging from her heart dyed her hair gold, then gradually turned pure white.

“To protect everyone.”

KIIIAAAAAH!!

The monsters charged forward.

Through her expanded senses, she could see the monsters successfully crossing the Han River and landing on land.

“For the sake of our nation.”

SWISH.

The mana rising from Light Blade’s hand formed clouds in the sky.

The fog extending from the National Cemetery began spreading in all directions.

Like the massive ice wall Seok Harang created on the Han River, Light Blade’s fog also spread widely through the air.

All these clouds weren’t natural phenomena.

They were formed solely by Light Blade’s “mana”.

The platinum-colored clouds following the Han River rapidly spread over 50km in a very short time.

A power beyond human imagination.

Could this truly be called divine power?

“And.”

The moment the parasites crossed the road and reached close to Light Blade,

“For the sake of our daughter.”

Pitter-patter.

Platinum rain began falling from the clouds.

No, these were “swords”.

Like raindrops forming clouds that grow heavy and fall to earth, the swords formed by Light Blade’s mana floated in the clouds then began raining down toward the monsters.

BOOM!

“No one shall trespass on this land.”

The platinum-shining eyes of Light Blade slowly turned blue.

The alien mana pattern she had tried to suppress began invading her eyes.

“I am Rusalka’s sword.”

Each time the sword rain fell, her eyes became whiter and bluer.

With every use of mana, she began losing pieces of her own identity.

But she didn’t stop.

When all the rain clouds in the sky disappeared, it would be when all the parasites that appeared after Ymir’s death were gone.

When all the monsters trying to cross to the south of the Han River were eliminated.

When the golden light in her heart engraved with the core’s mana completely faded and turned pale blue.

When Light Blade sacrificed herself to truly become “Rusalka”.

Only then.

Would the rain finally stop.

“…I love you.”

Light Blade placed her hand on her chest and closed her eyes.

There were no more monsters visible on the magical gear’s radar, and the rain had ceased.

“…….”

Light Blade, or rather the woman who was Light Blade, quietly opened her eyes.

There was no trace of the golden aura symbolizing Light Blade in her eyes, or anywhere on her body.

“……Rusalka.”

Click.

The woman fell backward.

Lying flat among the bushes of the National Cemetery, she hit her head and didn’t move at all.

“Who are you…?”

The awakened woman suffered from memory loss.

As if she had become a completely different person.