Chapter 181. Outside

A black dragon soared through the expansive sky, the scenery below rushing by in a blur.

This is quite impressive.

Kim Do-Joon couldn’t suppress his admiration. The speed at which they were traveling would eject any ordinary human. Of course, none of the passengers were ordinary.

“Hunter Kim Do-Joon, if we happen to encounter Drake...” said Ko Cheong-Cheon cautiously.

“I know,” Kim Do-Joon replied curtly, nodding.

The American Hunters accompanying them weren’t just for show. President Logan still harbored doubts about Kim Do-Joon’s claims.

While their stated mission was to assist with the undead infestation, in reality, Kim Do-Joon and Siwelin had taken care of most of it themselves.

Their flight continued without a hitch until they reached their destination—Indiana. They descended near a peculiar flower in the middle of a desolate wasteland. The area was surrounded by military troops and bore the scars of repeated bombardments, reduced to ruins.

With a heavy thud, the shadow army landed in the middle of the encampment. The soldiers aimed their weapons at the newcomers.

Then, a commanding officer with a stern, piercing gaze stepped forward.

Kim Do-Joon’s expression tightened, and so did Siwelin’s. Sensing the tension, Ko Cheong-Cheon quickly stepped in.

“Wait. Let me handle this.”

He leaped nimbly from the dragon’s back and approached the commanding officer with a disarming smile.

“I am Ko Cheong-Cheon of the Mercienary Guild. We’re here under orders from President Logan.”

The commanding officer remained silent, his face unreadable.

Ko Cheong-Cheon raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

A man of few words, huh? Well, I suppose anyone would be on edge if a creature like this dragon suddenly landed in their camp.

Reaching into his pocket, he searched for the official documentation signed by the president himself. However, before he could produce it, the commanding officer drew his handgun and aimed it directly at Ko Cheong-Cheon.

Click.

“Huh? What are you—”

Before he could finish, a deafening bang echoed through the air. Ko Cheong-Cheon’s eyes widened as he twisted himself, narrowly avoiding the bullet. His reflexes, far beyond those of an ordinary human, were the only thing that saved him.

“What the hell are you doing?!” he roared.

Still, the commanding officer said nothing. Instead, every soldier in the encampment raised their weapons—not just their rifles but also heavy artillery, ready for any monsters from the flowers—and opened fire.

Babababam—!

Kim Do-Joon yanked Ko Cheong-Cheon back. As Ko Cheong-Cheon was being pulled away, the image of the commanding officer being riddled with gunfire was seared into his mind.

Then, the Shadow Dragon’s massive wings moved swiftly, shielding Kim Do-Joon and the others.

Bababam—!

Bullets buried in the shadows, but they didn’t penetrate the dragon's hide.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deafening explosions and the acrid smell of gunpowder came from directly overhead, beyond the wings.

“What the hell...”

“It seems like he's already been consumed by Drake,” Kim Do-Joon said with a frown.

He had sensed something was wrong from the moment they arrived. Siwelin could also sense the heavy presence of the Death Spirit Lord's mana in the air.

Ko Cheong-Cheon, on the other hand, seemed utterly blindsided.

“We didn’t receive any reports of a battle here! Not even a hint of suspicious activity!” he exclaimed in disbelief.

“That’s because Drake isn’t what you’d call suspicious,” Kim Do-Joon said coolly.

Ko Cheong-Cheon’s hands trembled slightly as he turned to Kim Do-Joon.

“And besides, before anyone could report, they were likely wiped out in the blink of an eye. Don’t underestimate Drake's capabilities. You don’t know him.” Kim Do-Joon added firmly.

Ko Cheong-Cheon stared at him, his mind racing. The Kim Do-Joon he knew was easily the most formidable Hunter he had ever met. If someone as powerful as Kim Do-Joon was this wary of Drake, then he was not sure what to expect.

Kim Do-Joon ignored him and turned to Siwelin. “Are there any survivors in the area?”

She shook her head grimly.

Kim Do-Joon sighed deeply. “I see...”

Moments Later, a radiant light broke through the shadows cast by the Shadow Dragon, spreading like a wave and engulfing the entire military camp. The soldiers, who had been firing without hesitation, began to falter as the light reached them.

Clink, clatter.

Their weapons slipped from limp hands, hitting the ground one by one. If these had been undead creatures summoned by their enemy, Kim Do-Joon would have obliterated them or absorbed them into the shadows. However, these were different—these were humans turned into undead.

For such cases, Siwelin took charge, purging the corruption with her powers. It did not take long before the entire camp was purified. A quick search confirmed what Siwelin had already known—there were no survivors.

“Damn it!” Ko Cheong-Cheon cursed through gritted teeth, his face contorted with frustration. "Drake, was this really your doing? How could you stoop to such atrocities?"

While he and the American Hunters began gathering the bodies of the fallen soldiers, Siwelin knelt down and murmured prayers for the dead. Gradually, the Hunters joined her, bowing their heads in silence.

Meanwhile, Kim Do-Joon had moved on, making his way toward the flower at the heart of the wasteland. He looked up at it. The plant’s Roots were gnarled and twisted, but its Stem rose straight into the sky, crowned by a massive bud brimming with life.

Unlike the corrupted Roots of the World Tree, this flower radiated vitality, akin to a newborn child.

This is the true form of the World Tree.

The World Tree was once vibrant and pure, nurturing the world. However, at some point, it began to consume the world it was supposed to sustain, feeding off its energy. Then, it created monsters to eliminate any threat to its sustenance. In its corrupted state, the monsters acted like white blood cells, attacking the “viruses” that were humanity.

Yet, amid its descent into darkness, one part of the World Tree remained untouched by corruption—this flower.

A mechanism for self-purification...

The spores and pollen from the flower had allowed humans to gain the strength to fight back against monsters. While the monsters grew stronger, so did humanity, all thanks to this untainted flower.

This flower used to be the only part of the World Tree that remained as it was before the corruption began—before the death of the old man.

But now, even this flower was not safe.

“Is this it?” Kim Do-Joon muttered.

A small parasite wriggled on the flower, infusing the Death Spirit Lord’s necromancy into its spores. He plucked the creature, which was no larger than his pinky.

For something so small, its power was immense. However, the intricate runes carved into its body contained magic far beyond human comprehension. Any mage or scholar would have been tempted to study it in awe, drooling over its complexity.

Kim Do-Joon, however, was neither a mage nor a scholar.

Crunch.

He clenched his fist, crushing the bug into nothingness. A flicker of flame erupted from his hand, reducing the parasite to ashes.

The spell that had taken the Death Spirit Lord centuries to weave disintegrated. Any defensive wards on the bug couldn’t stand a chance against Kim Do-Joon’s Heart of Flame.

Returning to the group, he spoke decisively. “Let’s go.”

Without hesitation, they set off once more, following Ushas’ trail.

***

Leaving Indiana behind, Kim Do-Joon and his companions pressed on, tracking down Drake. Time and time again, they encountered traps, each designed to wear down their strength. Of course, they failed spectacularly.

Instead of exhausting Kim Do-Joon, the traps only stoked Siwelin and Ko Cheong-Cheon’s rage. They couldn’t ignore the countless innocent civilians who had fallen victim to these horrors.

Then, abruptly the trail ended.

“Wait a second. The trail is gone,” Kim Do-Joon announced.

“What?” Ko Cheong-Cheon blinked, baffled. “What do you mean? Are you telling me that after all this, the trail just... ends?”

They had reached the heart of the American Midwest.

Kim Do-Joon nodded grimly. “He’s not laying traps anymore. He probably realized that doing so is only tightening the noose around his neck.”

Initially, the Death Spirit Lord had scattered his forces across the path, but as they drew closer, those forces dwindled until there was nothing left. It was unlikely that their enemy’s forces had run out. The lack of traps seemed to be a deliberate choice.

"So, what now? We’re sure that bastard is still hiding somewhere in the U.S.," Ko Cheong-Cheon asked, frustration evident in his voice.

Kim Do-Joon clicked his tongue.

Even if we know that, there’s nothing we can do right now. What could they possibly do at this point?

“Are the surveillance satellites still operational?”

“Of course. If he crosses an ocean or gets back on his Bone Dragon, we’ll know immediately.”

“And the message about the insects in the flowers being the core of his necromancy... Did that get out?”

“It’s been sent to every government, news agency, and guild worldwide. Not all regions are functioning properly, but we’ve reached everyone we could. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference.”

Small parasites were hiding in the flowers, enabling necromancy. Despite global efforts, those tiny creatures had proven incredibly difficult to exterminate. Even hitting one was a near impossibility, let alone capturing or destroying them.

“At least the undead seem less aggressive now,” Ko Cheong-Cheon noted. “They’re probably too preoccupied defending themselves to focus on spreading their influence.”

There had been progress. Defensive measures against the parasites had slowed their activity significantly, and the undead movements had waned globally. However, the threat remained, so vigilance was still essential.

Kim Do-Joon absorbed this information and exhaled a sharp sigh.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“Then we’ll focus on that for now.”

“That?” Ko Cheong-Cheon asked.

“The insects. If we can eliminate them, our enemy will be forced to make a move,” Kim Do-Joon replied.

With that, Kim Do-Joon climbed onto his Shadow Dragon, preparing to resume the fight to restore the flowers.

***

In another place, a man sat on a long throne, clad in a flowing robe that radiated elegance. In his hand, he held a grotesque skull, its hollow sockets somehow alive with eerie movement.

[Help... me... If you don’t... the next target... will be you...]

The skull croaked, its jaw clattering with each word. However, the man’s expression remained impassive as he watched the skull babble.

[Help... me... Help... me... Help... me...]

Its voice grated on the ears, endlessly repeating the same plea. However, the man rested his chin on his hand, staring at it in boredom.

[Our father has... returned... to judge our sins...]

The skull wheezed.

“What do you mean ‘our’ sins,” the man muttered, his lips curling in disdain.

He tossed the skull to the ground. Then, as a result, the skull clattered against the stone floor, sinking into it like it was being swallowed by quicksand. Following that, silence reclaimed the room.

Then, from where the skull had disappeared, a figure emerged. It was a man’s upper body, rising out of the ground.

“What will you do?” asked the newcomer, Lacrit, the Earth Spirit King.

The robed man averted his gaze, feigning disinterest.

“You know as well as I do. This has nothing to do with me.”

“You and I both know that’s a lie,” Lacrit retorted bluntly.

The robed man’s fingers twitched, drumming rhythmically on the armrest of his throne.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound echoed in the room as he seemed lost in thought.

Lacrit pressed on, his tone growing firmer. “I’ve never seen this ‘father’ of yours, but I can guess well enough from your stories that he won’t just let you sit idle.”

Silence hung heavy in the air.

“Sometimes, doing nothing is a smart move,” Lacrit continued, “but there are situations where inaction is poison. And I’d say this is one of those times.”

Still, the robed man did not reply.

Lacrit shrugged, a touch of exasperation creeping into his voice. “Your problem is that you’re too much of a bystander.”

“And what’s so wrong with that?”

“In situations like this? Everything.”

Tap.

The tapping stopped. The silence that followed was thick with tension. Finally, the robed man sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging.

“Fine. You’re right. Sitting here won’t help our case.”

He slowly and reluctantly rose to his feet, as if every step carried an unbearable weight. He began to walk toward the exit, his gait uneven.

“Take Hylasa with you,” Lacrit called out. “She’ll be useful wherever you go.”

The robed man lazily waved without looking back. His hunched shoulders and lackluster pace made it clear to Lacrit how little the robed man wanted to take part.

Lacrit snorted, amused by the pathetic display. Before long, the robed man placed his foot on the door toward the outside.