Chapter 1498. Extinction (8) [Illustration]

It was hard to determine exactly which point of the Outer Gods War we found ourselves in. The fact that we were dropped straight into a battlefield made it impossible for me to know for sure, but it did not take long for me to realize that this wasn't the latter half of the Outer Gods War.

At the very least, we didn’t land in Lindel, Castle Rock, or Everia. The fact that we weren't in one of the regions classified as humanity’s final line of resistance already told me that we were halfway successful.

‘Is this the Republic?’

The surroundings had long been reduced to ruins, so it was difficult to identify the architectural style of the buildings that once stood around us, but the soldiers’ outfits told me that we were somewhere in the Republic.

I wanted to assess the situation more precisely, but there was no time to look around.

‘Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.’

Golden swords were still falling from the sky. There was no opportunity to reform ranks or reorganize the troops. Screams erupted everywhere, and the soldiers scrambled in their own ways to avoid the golden rain. Some raised their shields while others cast spells, but their defenses were shattered as if they were pieces of paper.

Right then, pigeons descended, and close-quarters combat erupted, plunging the battlefield into chaos once more.

“Damn it! Fight back! Shoot those pigeon bastards down!”

“Die!”

“Arrows! Keep firing! Protect the mages at all costs! They’re coming! The pigeons are coming!”

“Damn it! Hold the line! Hold it!”

I expected them to crumble instantly in the face of divine judgement and heavenly punishment, but they were resisting better than I thought. It looked like this wasn't their first time fighting these creatures.

Having been at war with these pigeons day after day, these soldiers had clearly accumulated some experience against the former. Perhaps we were around the midpoint of the war. Arrows streaked across the sky, and I saw weapons specialized for hunting pigeons scattered throughout the battlefield.

A massive ballista fired, launching nets along with its bolts, creating a bizarre sight in the sky. The mages cast spells modified specifically to counter the pigeons. Some adventurers even stood out. A few of them looked strong enough to rival, perhaps even surpass, the absurdly power-inflated adventurers on our side.

Their tactical systems appeared primitive at first glance, but the experience forged through continuous real combat wasn't something to be dismissed lightly.

In terms of raw specs or item farming, their character builds were inferior to those from the second life, but their practical combat experience was simply overwhelming. The adventurers of this era were compensating for their lower levels and poorer gear with sheer control and skill.

My jaw dropped open at the sight of a grizzled veteran clad in armor so ragged I wouldn't even spare it a glance. I watched as that same veteran thrust a crude spear straight into a pigeon's skull.

“...”

“...”

‘From here on out, this could get dangerous...’

Of course, it wasn't like things were only going smoothly so far. I had run into monsters outside of the norm, like the psychopathic murderer Jung Jin-Ho and Ryu Han, and I have had my share of hard fights against Rafael and the Gray Hero Party.

Since I had clashed with those pigeons for quite a while, I could keenly feel that things were going to change from this point onward.

People like Alps and Belier still stood on the stronger side, but this was no longer a situation where we could rampage like wolves among sheep. If they were to let their guard down, they would die.

Of course, with Commander Jin present, they'd probably manage, but still...

‘Why the hell is that pig here?’

The pig, who seemed to have gotten separated from Kasugano Yuno, was the problem. No, to be honest, we were a problem too. Mikael looked like a summoned beast loaded with various abilities, but since he was wearing Michele’s shell, his Endurance was extremely low.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young, my hand!” Mikael shouted.

In this kind of chaos, protecting me would not be easy. Sure enough, he looked to be in a panic. He pulled me into his arms and moved away immediately.

“What are you doing, you bastard?! Get away from there!”

“Attack! Attack! Don’t fall back!”

“Move! Get out of the way!”

“

Aaaagh!

”

‘It’s complete mayhem.’

Just keeping myself intact wasn't easy here. In the middle of this chaos, I could practically feel the soldiers' spit hitting my face as they cursed and shouted. The pigeons were swinging spears right beside us, and their blood sprayed everywhere.

I was experiencing this insane war in full sensory detail, and I also saw bodies colliding into each other from all directions.

“We’ll withdraw from this location first,” he said.

‘As if that’s going to be easy.’

We were on the verge of being completely surrounded and annihilated. Since Seraphim was here, they had to have decided to go all out. I still had no idea where exactly we were in the Republic, but I was sure that some pigeons had concluded that this war had been going on for far too long.

The Republic forces' impressive performance made me understand the impatience of the Outer Gods.

If Commander Jin were here, the Republic would be able to maintain this front far longer. They could even turn the tide entirely with a few decisive plays. The problem was that he wasn't here, and these pigeons aren’t amateurs. The ones resisting here could already feel their fate. Unless a miracle happened, there would be no escape.

This place could become their grave.

They shouted themselves hoarse, drew their bows, thrust their spears forward, and cast their spells, but like every war, whenever someone was pushing, someone was being pushed backward.

If someone was going to live, someone was going to die. If there was a victor, there would be a loser. The pigeons filling the sky finally reached the cluster of mages.

Just as I was thinking that the entire formation would fall like dominoes at the annihilation of those mages, I heard loud shouts from somewhere. “Castle Rock!!! Reinforcements from Castle Rock!!!”

“Marilyn Castlerock! The gods haven’t abandoned us...

Hahaha... hahaha!!

”

“They really came! The Empire bastards actually came! The Mist Summoner and the Sniper are with them too!”

‘Cheon Kwan-Wi? Did Yu Ran come as well?’

No explanation was needed. In an instant, thick mist pervaded the battlefield. A mist shrouded the war zone as if smoke bombs were dropped in the middle of it.

“It’s mist! I never thought I’d be this happy to see mist!”

“...”

“...”

‘As expected, the original masters are on a different level.’

Of course, the Young Lady of Cigarette and Cheon Kwan-Wi weren't exactly the same, but in terms of sheer scale, Cheon Kwan-Wi was just overwhelmingly stronger. He hadn't just pervaded the battlefield; he blanketed the entire region in thick mist.

Unlike Everia, where the other races, the New Black Rose Salon, and the Keepers of the Moonlight stood together, or Lindel, which was packed with powerhouses like Kim Hyun-Sung and Cha Hee-Ra, Castle Rock was alone.

However, the sight before me told me how they managed to endure this long. The fortress walls of Castle Rock certainly played a part with their inherent defensive power, but more than that, the city had to be perpetually shrouded in an impenetrable mist.

Cheon Kwan-Wi was a one-trick pony whose specialty was spreading some mist, but once one reached a certain level with that one trick, they would be considered a master.

Even the sky itself was engulfed by the mist, so what more was there to say? The pigeons were thrown into confusion. Being airborne, they were even more at a loss.

Right then, thin beams of light pierced them.

Cheon Kwan-Wi’s long-time partner, the Sniper capable of seeing through the pitch-black mist as if it were her own home, was here. Their strategy was simple and basic—block the enemy’s vision, and then pick them off from afar.

It wasn't complicated, but it was devastatingly effective when backed by that level of power. They weren't that good at anything else, but the one tactic they had mastered was more destructive than most elaborate tactics on the battlefield.

Arrows sliced through the fog, and pigeons dropped to the ground one by one. Even Seraphim, who had been playing the pathetic underling role, panicked and took to the skies.

Since visibility was reduced to nothing, he had to have decided that retreat was the only thing he could do here.

‘That mist really is something else.’

As absurd as it sounded, the allies could see paths carved through it. There was a mist inside the mist. It sounded ridiculous, yet it was working.

‘Is he stronger in the first life?’

Now that I thought about it, this could be the first time I saw him go all out like this. He was always the type to hold back, wasn’t he? Like Ahn Ki-Mo, he was always reading the room. He probably lived his life concealing twenty percent—no, forty percent of his true strength.

If that was the case, the second-life version of him could probably do this, too.

‘How sly. This is a perfect example of how much impact a single well-developed adventurer can have on a battlefield.'

I thought I had been using him well enough, but the sight before me made me wonder whether I ought to push him even harder. In large-scale warfare like this, his mist was far more threatening than I had imagined.

“When he was an enemy, this mist was terrifying... Now that he’s on our side, it feels unbelievably reassuring... damn...”

‘They’re thinking the same thing.’

“I never thought the Empire would actually come to help us.”

“Well, the whole continent’s on fire. They must’ve decided to bury the past for now. There’s nothing to gain from fighting each other at a time like this. The Continental War’s been over for ages. Sure, there’s still bad blood... but right now we have to join forces.

"The damned black mages are all gone, and once these pigeons are wiped out, this will really be over.”

“Weren’t you the one saying you’d never trust the Empire even at the cost of your life? Didn’t you swear you’d change your family name if Castle Rock actually sent reinforcements here?”

“Hey, that was just talk... I was drunk at the time...”

“...”

“...”

“Hey! Enough chatter. Move the wounded and the refugees first.”

“Yeah, let’s get the injured out first... There’s no guarantee this mist will last forever. We need to move quickly. What about the pigeons?”

“Can’t hear them anymore. Looks like they bolted early. Good thing it was the golden pigeon. If it’d been the blue-haired one, things wouldn’t have ended this easily...”

It seemed word had already spread that Seraphim was a coward.

‘So information about the Outer Gods has been circulating for a while now...’

It seemed we weren't actually in the midpoint of the war. We were closer to the latter half. I lifted my Telescope and cast my gaze into the distance. I saw the Republic's ruins. Some cities were still holding on, but nearly two-thirds were destroyed, and the rest looked like they were barely hanging on.

The cities elsewhere weren't faring much better. The Federation and the Union had, but they were not enough to meaningfully bolster their forces.

Even the Empire had many non-functioning cities. Even the troops I was currently with were gradually being pushed toward humanity’s final line of resistance. Perhaps we ought to have arrived a bit earlier...

‘No, there’s no need for that.’

Hyun-Sung had yet to become the Sunset, and Mikael seemed to have the same idea as me. He couldn't bring himself to speak while I was standing there frowning and clutching my head, but he probably judged that finding Kim Hyun-Sung at this point was the most rational course of action.

“For now, it would be best to enter Castle Rock with them. Mr... Mikael... ” I suggested.

“Okay, Mr. Lee Ki-Young, perhaps...” Mikael paused.

“...”

“...”

'I’m pretending to have a headache, but in reality, I just don’t feel like talking to him. There’s too much to think about on my own, too much to observe.

'I need to figure out why Park Deok-Gu and Kasugano Yuno are here, how we’re going to find Kim Hyun-Sung in this situation, and what kind of sacrifice Mikael will ultimately have to make.'

Fortunately, we were not the only refugees mixed in among the soldiers, so we could naturally blend into the march.

It looked like we’d be able to make our way to Castle Rock without drawing attention.

‘It’s not like they’ll be checking identities in this chaos.’

As I watched the refugees and the routed soldiers moving through the Telescope, I heard voices nearby.

“Honey, I think it’s about time to lift the mist.”

“Not yet...”

“I told you it should be fine to lift it now, honey.”

“All right. I'll do that.”

Yu Ran was talking to Cheon Kwan-Wi.

‘You two... got married... here?’

In the second life, they acted like they couldn’t stand each other. In fact, it almost seemed like they couldn't look at each other without feeling disgusted. But now, they looked

affectionate...