Chapter 378 – D-Day 10 (7)

The storm wasn't initially too strong, and it shifted its direction toward the Korean Peninsula, so it didn't have a significant impact on Nagoya.

‘That's a relief,’

Han-Yeol thought.

Visibility remained low after the storm passed, but it was much improved due to the rain stopping. Well, rain wasn't going to hinder a Transcended Master Rank Hunter's vision, but even the smallest variables mattered against a powerful enemy like Craspio.

Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock...

Though there was no clock ticking, the sound echoed in Han-Yeol's ears. Not much time remained until the seal holding Craspio would dissipate.

"Tara."

Whoosh! Tak!

Tayarana circled around Craspio to warm up, landing beside Han-Yeol the moment he called her.

"Yes?"

"Your role is to fly around and kite Craspio. Your attacks are potent enough to deal damage while kiting, and your Judgment of Horus will definitely penetrate its defense. Even if it manages to block it once, it won't hold up as the battle progresses."

"Okay, got it," Tayarana nodded and replied without much reaction.

She lowered her visor, gathered her mana, activated her thrusters, and flew into the air.

Like Han-Yeol, she was angry about their previous defeat. The fact that they were ambushed by Craspio last time didn't matter to her; she believed there was no excuse for defeat.

This time, she had made full preparations and was ready to throw everything at the monster. Unlike the Bastrolings, Tayarana was a dependable ally, and her ability to fly would be extremely helpful in this battle.

Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock...

[It is almost time.]

Han-Yeol provided Mariam with the precise time of the battle, and she transmitted it to every participant through her telepathic network.

[Prepare for battle!]

[Bastrolings! Prepare for battle!]

Awoooooo!

Click! Clack!

Despite having insufficient time for a full gun training and only receiving a crash course, they adeptly handled the mana guns despite their newness to the weaponry. The Bastrolings, being a race focused on combat, quickly acquired proficiency in handling various types of weapons.

‘

Mariam.’

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?]

‘I’ll leave the coordination to you.’

[Yes, please leave it to me.]

“Okay, Mavros.”

“

Kieeeek!”

“Let’s go with your first form this time.”

“

Kiek!”

Speed was crucial in this battle, so Han-Yeol decided to forgo relying on his wings. Instead, he opted to ride with Mavros in his first form rather than his second.

Tak!

“Kieeek!”

Mavros had no qualms about fighting in his first form, even though he was more powerful in his second form, as he preferred to fight alongside Han-Yeol more than anything else.

Well, he did have an issue with not being able to communicate directly with Han-Yeol, but that wasn't a significant concern.

The clock ticked away, and the hour of the seal unraveling finally arrived.

[It’s finally time...!]

Woooooong...!

The black seal, cast by the ten Bastroling Sorcerers imprisoning the colossal monster, slowly began to react after ten days.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Craspio seemed to have noticed the seal weakening as it started pounding on it, causing the monster's prison to shake upon impact.

‘

Get ready, Mariam!’

[All forces! Prepare for battle!]

Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!

Awooooo!

The Bastrol Warriors took their positions and let out howls, preparing for the battle that could start any second now.

***

Meanwhile, Yoo-Bi was on a helicopter hovering as far away as possible from Craspio.

‘Please don’t get hurt and win, oppa...’

She controlled her robots from afar to provide support in the battle, but she couldn't help but feel it wasn't enough.

‘I wish I could fight alongside you, and I imagine that sometimes... But researching things is more fun, so...’

she thought as she switched on the monitors installed in the helicopter.

Numerous data captured by her camera drones were displayed on the monitors.

“Let’s begin,” she said.

“Yes, professor.”

She wasn't alone in the helicopter; numerous other researchers were present to support her. Even though she had awakened, controlling so many drones simultaneously was bound to be taxing for her.

‘Tsk... Artificial Intelligence is not my forte, so there’s nothing I can do about it...’

she clicked her tongue out of frustration and grumbled inwardly.

***

“It’s coming!”

Cracks started to form on the seal which slowly broke apart.

“KIEEEEENG!”

Craspio unleashed an ear-splitting cry filled with bloodlust as it broke free from its prison.

‘Damn... It seems very agitated... Tsk... I guess even I would be pissed if someone trapped me for ten days. No, I’d probably be more pissed than this guy.’

Han-Yeol completely understood what the monster was feeling.

Boom!

Craspio took a step forward.

‘

I won’t permit a single one of you to die.’

[Okay.]

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim.]

[Yes yes, you too~]

The life-or-death battle against Craspio started once again, and Han-Yeol placed everything he had on the line in this fight. It went without saying that he not only relied on the Bastro Warriors this time but also summoned every single one of his demons too.

[Power! Overwhelming!]

[Everything will turn to dust!]

[Huff!]

[Bwahahaha!]

The Void Executor, Asus, Blue Balrog, Arch Lich, and even the Lava Golem were summoned. Han-Yeol left nothing in reserve, deploying all of his fighting forces.

‘Hmm... I didn’t imagine I’d have to go all out before the actual war against the hyenas.’

He couldn't help but think that life was extremely unpredictable, as he never imagined he would have to go all out on Earth of all places.

Shwik!

‘So you want to get started immediately, eh?’

Craspio wasted no time as soon as it broke free from its prison.

There were countless enemies in front of it, but the monster seemed to be aware of which one of these was the culprit behind sealing it. The colossal monster ignored everyone else and threw a punch directed at Han-Yeol alone, and this punch was infused with its vibration ability.

Ziiiing!

“Heup!

Mavros!”

“

Kieeeek!”

Bam!

Han-Yeol was fully ready for Craspio this time as he and Mavros sped out of the way instantly.

“

Kieeng!”

Craspio cried out after missing its target.

That punch signaled the start of the battle.

[All forces! Full scale attack!]

Ratatatata!

Boom! Boom!

The one thousand Bastro Warriors infused their mana into their mana guns and pulled the trigger. The mana of these warriors from the second dimension turned into bullets and relentlessly rained down on Craspio.

Unfortunately, they were unable to deal any significant damage to the colossal monster.

‘As expected, this guy blocks every attack thrown at it,’

Han-Yeol thought while observing the vibration occurring on the monster’s skin whenever a bullet was about to hit it.

However, this was well within Han-Yeol’s calculations, so he was not really bothered by it. After all, the battle was just beginning right now.

‘

It’s our turn, Karvis.’

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim.]

Chwaaaaaak!

Armed with a magma sword in his right hand and a cold chain in his left, Han-Yeol zipped through the air with Mavros and charged toward the colossal monster.

“Kieeeeng!”

Craspio cried out to express his anger toward Han-Yeol.

It seemed the monster was hell-bent on making him pay for what he did, but it was all alone while Han-Yeol had an army behind him.

Krwaaang!

“Kieeeng!”

Craspio might be adept at blocking numerous attacks simultaneously, but it was unable to block all of them. To begin with, Han-Yeol would not have attempted to fight the monster for a second time if it could block every single attack without fail.

While the Bastro Warriors were raining down mana bullets at Craspio, Tayarana flew to the other side and unleashed her Judgment of Horus.

Craspio couldn't block all of Tayarana's attacks and ended up shrieking in agony after getting hit by a few of them. Still, its innate defense was so high, and its hide was so tough that it didn't suffer any critical damage from the attack.

“Grrrrr...!”

‘Huh?’

Craspio glanced at Tayarana before attacking in a manner it never did before.

Whoosh!

It swiped its tail in one fell swoop, happening so fast that it caught Han-Yeol off guard. However, Tayarana was on her toes as she calmly reacted to the attack.

Bam!

“Keuk!”

The tail attack was so fast she was unable to evade it, but she managed to raise her sword and spread out her wings to block it. Her body shuddered at the powerful impact, but she managed to stay rooted in her spot and not get thrown back by it.

“Kieng?”

Craspio seemed disgruntled after seeing its attack blocked.

[Ha! We haven’t even gotten started yet.]

[Hoho~ I know right? Meow~!]

[Yes yes, it’s just getting started.]

[Eat this!]

An endless barrage of attacks rained down on the colossal monster. Han-Yeol’s forces continued pouring out their mana at the monster without an ounce of hesitation, as if they had never lost the battle against it prior to this one.

Bam!

Krwaaaaang!

Of course, Craspio was not simply going to stand around and do nothing while being subjected to the unrelenting barrage of attacks. It used its colossal size and ability to control vibration to push back Han-Yeol’s forces. No, it was more accurate to say that it ‘tried’ to push them back.

However, it was not going to be as easy as the last battle this time around.

Chwaaaaak!

“Kieng?”

Craspio tilted its head in confusion after its movement was suddenly restricted.

[Haha! We won’t be done in twice by the same thing!]

‘He’s right! Haha! Restrain!’

What if the monster’s colossal size was burdensome? All they had to do was stop it from moving! Han-Yeol and Camelot threw their chains to tie down Craspio’s legs, while the Arch Lich cast his freezing spells to further restrict and slow down the colossal monster.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

With Craspio slowed down, Han-Yeol’s forces continued pouring out a barrage of attacks, and even Yoo-Bi’s drones unleashed their mounted guns and rockets at the monster.

Krwaaaang!

“Kieeeeeeng!”

Craspio might protect its body with a barrier at all times, but the mana bullets bypassed its barrier one by one. The bits of damage slowly started to accumulate, and the monster finally felt pain from the negligible attacks poured out by the Bastro Warriors.

Badump!

‘Hmm?’

It was then that Han-Yeol’s heart started thumping as an ominous feeling swept past him.

‘Ugh... Something bad happens whenever a monster does that...’

Han-Yeol groaned after noticing the colossal monster’s eyes turn red.

Gulp!

Han-Yeol nervously gulped as he had no idea what kind of insanity Craspio was going to unleash now that its eyes turned red.

‘Ah, I don’t know! Just kill it!’

he shook the ominous feeling off and focused on his game plan.

Chwak!

‘Explosion!’

Krwaaaang!

“Kieeeeng!”

‘Success!’

Han-Yeol successfully managed to land his most powerful attack for the first time against Craspio. His sword was unable to get past Craspio’s defenses until now, and it was only thanks to the unrelenting barrage of attacks thrown by his allies that an opening in Craspio’s barrier presented itself. The Transcendent Master Rank Hunter’s attack dealt significant damage to the colossal monster.

‘Alright! I did it!’

Han-Yeol cheered inwardly after seeing the damage he dealt.