“This is a big deal!”
Members of Pax FC were preparing to enter the military base.
Findrick, a druid who had been examining the formation in front of them, ran toward them.
“Why is that?”
“The gate has been breached. There are new guys appearing.”
It was a government agency that had been active all along.
Thanks to the real-time dispatch of the local troops, they were able to plan their advance into the Byungma Army.
But now that the immediate defense line had collapsed, it was impossible to force an attack.
Findrick led them southeast to the ruined garrison, and upon arrival, they were able to immediately identify the culprit.
Kim Sol opened her eyes slightly and asked,
“…Why does it look like that?”
It was different from the local soldiers they had encountered so far.
An irregular appearance, sometimes with an elongated body, sometimes with a fat body.
There was one guy who carried a round jar on his side and spun it around, and another who put a long spear on his nose and performed tricks.
The soldier holding a large moon jar stuck his head out to the side.
As soon as his eyes met Kim Sol’s, he folded his long eyes into crescent moons and began to walk slowly.
He looked more like a circus performer than a soldier.
But there was unmistakable murderous intent behind the play they created.
There was a huge wall made of building materials blocking the way in front of him, but he paid no attention to it.
Findrick was watching the movements of the ‘artists’ closely.
He added, as if amazed,
“It’s clearly a space blocked by a wall. It’s not just a place to hide; it’s a place where the space is distorted… How…?”
Swish.
The artist passed through the wall as if by magic.
Because it wasn’t a wall in the first place.
“It seems like there are no rules for movement. From that guy’s perspective, he might have just walked into the wall for fun…”
The freewheeling behavior of the artists was the cause.
The dungeon, which was no different from a giant pit, was actually an open space on all sides, and through the druid’s spatial distortion, the open space on all sides was narrowed down to only a few paths.
“Fortunately, only the southeast is still open…”
It could have burst out in the north, the west, or anywhere.
If these pinball-like ‘artists’ kept their moves, a new exit would be created soon.
Yunyang let out a sigh.
“…There seems to be no other way.”
It was considered that the movements of the local troops had been virtually blocked.
Even though they were immortal soldiers, they were nothing more than scattered grains of sand in front of the maze-like formation of Gimunjin and the powerful firepower of the engine formation.
The spiral-shaped maze of formations was swallowing up the local soldiers like a gourd, and now all that was left was to enter the barracks and deal with the black magicians who were the main body of Barnaul.
“We have to stop it first.”
“…Can’t you just go in and do it?”
Kim Sol waved her hand around her neck.
Kim Sol and Yunyang had reached a sufficient level, and the other members had also reached the beginning stages of using their aura and internal energy.
If they used the knights’ and the martial artists’ , they could easily deal with the black magicians.
But…
“No, we can’t. It would be a problem if they got out.”
That was only after Barnaul’s power was prevented from leaking out.
Yunyang added with a serious expression,
“…There are corpses all over China right now.”
China had suffered extreme damage due to the destruction.
Although it wasn’t as many as the corpses of soldiers, there were corpses strewn about in the city center and in private homes.
Considering Barnaul’s ability to use illusions, it was hard to fathom how exponentially the battlefield would expand if the blockade failed.
“Let’s go.”
“Hey…”
Members of Pax FC stormed out of their seats.
Yunyang and Baek Min Woo, who used swords, formed one axis, while Kim Sol, Song Hyeon Gu, and martial artists including Kwon Ryong formed the other.
Swaaaaaaah!
Kaaaaang!
A spark bloomed like lightning.
The sword swung by Yunyang was blocked by a spearman.
“…”
The wizard didn’t stay still either.
Wedge!
He quickly swung his spear at Yunyang, and Yunyang, with the hem of his robe fluttering, easily deflected the attack, but…
Break!
The spearman broke the spear shaft as if performing a feat, then quickly stabbed the long spear he was holding with his left hand into Yunyang’s shoulder.
Taaaaang!
Baek Min-woo quickly followed the law and repelled the attack.
Panggurr!
The single spear rose quickly into the sky, but…
“…”
The spearman, who had raised the corners of his mouth with a smirk, simply retrieved the short spear that had flown leisurely and created another long spear.
“…Even the weapon is part of my body, so this is it.”
Baek Min-woo added.
They weren’t corpses to begin with.
Specially crafted artifacts created under the pretext of protecting the king’s tomb.
Since the dark magicians’ thoughts were added to it, it would not be strange if the weapon regenerated just like the body.
New natives of Barnaul who took irregular movements.
But this time, Yunyang spoke to Baek Min-woo with shining eyes.
“Let’s go as planned. They’re not the only ones who can be irregular.”
They had been practicing swordsmanship together for an entire month.
Yunyang and Baek Min-woo took their places on either side and began to impose new rules on the chaotic movements of the practitioners, adding a subtle black aura to the tips of their swords.
Kaang!
Taaaaang!
A tragedy that continued like an endless staircase.
The spearman, who had been moving as smoothly as water, began to be pushed back step by step.
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Meanwhile, Kim Sol, Kwon Ryong, and Song Hyeon-gu continued their fight.
What they faced were two artists holding moon jars the size of their torsos.
They threw jars, jumped on jars that rolled around, and punched and kicked in crazy directions at crazy speeds.
Jars flew at every moment.
Break!
Two jars burst one after another under Kim Sol’s fist, but the craftsman rolling on the floor quickly sucked up the broken pieces like a vacuum cleaner.
Pada dadadak!
A jar reshaped as he waved both hands like swatting a fly.
He passed the jar to another craftsman, who immediately attached the jar to his fist and struck Song Hyeon-gu in the face.
Chaenggrang!
“Cough!”
Ceramic shards burst from the impact.
The black magic contained within scattered like grains of sand, and Song Hyeon-gu frantically wiped away the purple smoke that clung to him like fire with a dry washcloth.
“······.”
The giggling soldiers.
Lungs made of clay could not produce any sound.
Only an unpleasant, dusty wind blew out, making a hissing noise.
As if they were enjoying themselves, they created another moon jar······.
“What are you laughing at now?”
Break!
Kim Sol smashed a soldier’s head with a jar.
Layers of barriers were placed on her fist with exquisite timing differences.
Crap!
The soldier raised both hands to block the punch, but the shock, layered like waves, cut through his hands like ripples.
Taang!
Kwaaang!
Kwon Ryong and Song Hyeon-gu, having regained consciousness, engaged in a fierce battle with the local soldiers.
Beyond simple attacks, they were gradually gaining the upper hand, but······.
“Ah! How long do I have to keep doing this?”
The problem was that the artists never died.
It was already the tenth time he had pierced the body of a spearman, smashed the head of a jar-rolling magician, and pulverized enemy soldiers advancing toward the paladins.
He was blocking their path of influx, but they were being revived in real time by black magic.
Unyang spoke.
“For now, let’s focus on defense. Whether Avalon comes or not… Grand Master Jeonggyeom will be joining us soon.”
That was his judgment.
Even though the local soldiers were constantly reviving, they were being held back somehow.
It was a frustrating situation—they couldn’t move forward or break into enemy lines—but that was enough for the time being.
Unlimited firepower, based on the logistics center.
If only Jeonggyeom were here, he could shatter the precarious balance.
“Then we’ll be able to target the warlocks directly.”
Jeonggyeom’s firepower was more than enough to pin down the soldiers.
If the Paxmen and the Murim warriors could just find stable footing, they would be able to use their swordsmanship and formations to locate the black magicians hiding within Byungma Yong.
If only they could deal with the warlocks, the cavalry could be turned back into dust, erasing the invasion of Barnaul from existence.
It was an achievable goal.
Barnaul was also tied down.
The only difference was that the clay dolls, which had previously been automatically hunted through the organ, were now being destroyed by hand.
Thus, in the southeastern area of the destroyed Gimunjin, the local soldiers were being destroyed and regenerated dozens or even hundreds of times······.
“······What is that?”
Each soldier’s body was connected by vague, black magic threads.
But then, one particularly thick, rope-like line slowly pulled upward.
The horizon of the pit that formed the Byungma Yong.
What emerged from that underworld was······.
“A······ carriage?”
It was a magnificent carriage drawn by four horses.
They were all made of clay, but one thing was different.
While the other soldiers looked like pale paste, the horses and carriage were covered in splendid silver.
Chuck!
Purur!
As soon as the carriage reached solid ground, its door flew open.
What emerged from it was······.
“······Emperor Qin Shi Huang?”
This time, it wasn’t dirt—it was pure white bones.
A large crown with strings of beads and a dragon robe embroidered with gold.
It was clear to anyone that Barnaul had resurrected that historical figure from China.
And that wasn’t all.
Kim Sol, who had been smashing the workers’ heads nonstop, blinked with half-open eyes.
“The material is a bit different?”
The skeleton’s facial bones wiggled like slime.
A liquid—ripple-like yet solidly concentrated at the same time.
A brilliant silver substance coated his pale corpse.
This time, Unyang clicked his tongue.
“Mercury······ As expected of Qin Shi Huang.”
An excessive obsession with eternal life.
And his mistaken beliefs about mercury.
The black magic of Barnaul was realizing both of his dreams at once.
Yet, as a product of black magic, Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s dream had undeniable power.
“······.”
He raised one arm, revealing his hollow eyes······.
Swaaaaaaah!
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
Tens of thousands of liters of silvery water poured from both sides of him, beginning to envelop the soldiers’ bodies.
Slowly.
At the same time, the silver-coated earthenware soldiers shone like mirrors.
“······Uh?”
They began to resist the Paxmen’s attacks.
Taaang!
Teeing!
A mirror that wouldn’t break even under punches or hammer strikes.
They weren’t completely indestructible, but the soldiers had gained durability incomparable to before.
And the effects were immediately apparent.
“It’s pushing through!”
“Oh no, we can’t stop it!”
The Paxmen screamed.
Thick waves of mercury spread through the formation, creating dazzling reflections.
Then, like a broken dam, they burst past the soldiers and surged outward.
Kugugugugu······!
A heavy torrent of liquid engulfed the Pax FC crew.
Kim Sol deployed a defensive shield, but it wasn’t enough.
Just as she was about to be swept away like a rubber duck in a flood of soldiers and mercury······.
“They’re here! They’re here!”
Someone pointed to the sky.
The subspace portal—now a symbol of Pax FC.
Another blue, vertically elongated oval was forming another wave.
Great bluebird—Great bluebird—
An unfamiliar bell rang from inside.
A clear sound that resonated with the souls of the dead.
Not only did Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who had crawled out of the underworld, turn to face it, but even the soldiers guarding the tomb stared blankly at the portal from which the sound flowed.
What emerged from that portal was······.
“······Hmm?”
Jeonggyeom’s face, casually peeking out.
He locked eyes with the towering skull of Qin Shi Huang, surrounded by the Terracotta Army······.
“What do you think you’re doing, getting up without notice and going to someone else’s funeral?”
Jiiing.
New subspace portals deployed all around the battlefield.
Portals surrounded Byungma Yong on all sides.
And pouring out from them was······.
WHACK! WHACK!
Dalgrararaak!
Thousands of skeletons, armed with weapons.
A white waterfall made of bones.
Swaaaaaaaaaah!
The soldiers’ pit quickly filled.
Sending all of Barnaul’s black magicians back to their graves.
Because that was the true purpose of the funeral Jeonggyeom had prepared.
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