Chiiik! Chiiik!
Yoo Seong-cheol picked up the receiver of the radio.
The communication counterpart was the 17th Division in Incheon.
Originally, the transmission range of the radio wouldn’t have reached that far, so it would have required a cumbersome relay process… Fortunately, there was an awakened individual here at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters who could enhance the performance of the communication equipment.
And it happened to be someone I knew well.
Lieutenant Colonel Han Kyung-ho, in charge of the 50th Information and Communication Battalion of the DCC, whom I had rescued in Gwacheon.
It was truly an ability befitting a communication battalion commander.
Meanwhile, Yoo Seong-cheol had a deeply tense expression.
By now, Incheon must be in complete chaos.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the connection with the 17th Division was established.
“Com… communication security.”
“Communication security, my ass. What’s going on? What’s the situation?”
“Sir. I apologize, Director. We… we couldn’t stand a chance. Currently, a gate has opened for them in Chinatown.”
The voice was completely filled with fear.
“How many of them are there? Are there a lot?”
“Yes, there are many. Wyverns… and creatures like lizards are pouring in continuously. They’re called Lizardmen from the dimension of Sabros, and there are quite a few of them.”
Wyverns.
They weren’t unfamiliar monsters.
I had seen those creatures plenty in the logistics center tunnels and in Gwacheon.
But they weren’t particularly troublesome creatures.
We’d been able to handle them just fine with rifles.
However, according to the Chamber of Commerce’s announcement, among the monsters, there were some of the 8th Order, and possibly even some of the 7th Order.
Sure enough, the officer from the 17th Division added more information.
“Some of them are moving while riding wyverns. It looks like there’s even a leader among them.”
Swarming wyverns and Lizardmen.
And on top of that, higher-ranked individuals riding wyverns.
Imagining Incheon covered in reptiles made me frown automatically.
Yoo Seong-cheol belatedly inquired about the 17th Division’s situation.
“So what’s the status of your forces? Are you engaged in combat?”
“For now, the artillery brigade has been completely wiped out. The direct air defense company has also been obliterated. Other than that… we’ve temporarily ceased combat.”
“…Ceased combat?”
“Yes, the creatures seem to be focusing on reorganizing their forces rather than fighting. But… that doesn’t mean it’s safe. A company that got too close was completely annihilated.”
Reorganization of forces.
It wasn’t hard to guess what the creatures were rushing to prepare for.
“They’re planning to head straight to Seoul soon.”
They don’t even have the time to completely trample over Incheon.
They’re aiming to seize Seoul immediately and build on their momentum.
Yoo Seong-cheol nodded as if he understood.
Then he left a message for the 17th Division.
“For now, maintain your current position. Don’t attack recklessly and lose troops. I’ll check in regularly, so report the situation every hour.”
“Understood. Sir…!”
“Hoo…”
After finishing the communication, Yoo Seong-cheol let out a long sigh.
Of course, it was the expected invasion of Seoul.
But now that it was confirmed as fact, it was impossible to suppress the tension that crept in.
Soon, those creatures would be squirming their reptilian scales as they arrived here in Yongsan.
Meanwhile,
Bang! Bang!
The sound of fierce hammering came from beyond the window.
Led by my father, awakened individuals with construction abilities had gathered and were building defensive facilities.
Originally, it would have required a crane to assemble and transport the structures, but thanks to the shipping skill, materials could be dispatched to their needed positions, which significantly saved time.
The astounding construction speed of the ability awakened individuals was also a factor that couldn’t be overlooked.
However…
“We can’t defend all of Seoul.”
Yoo Seong-cheol added with a bitter tone.
No matter how much they encircled the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters and the entire Yongsan Park with walls, it was impossible to defend the entire city of Seoul.
It was obvious as day that many lives would be lost during the creatures’ invasion of Seoul.
All they could do was try to minimize those numbers.
I said,
“We’ll have to tell people to avoid coming out of their homes for the time being.”
As for the Lizardmen, we still couldn’t be sure.
They were new enemies, and we had no information on them.
However, at least we knew that wyverns didn’t attack humans sheltered under roofs.
As long as people didn’t wander around needlessly, they could avoid the creatures’ attacks.
Moreover, the creatures’ primary objective was to capture Seoul.
Judging by their focus on reorganizing their forces even now, it was reasonable to assume that they would advance straight towards Yongsan rather than engage in unnecessary slaughter.
Mass killing would come later.
Only after I was dead would a portal gate open in Seoul, allowing them to set the stage for their mayhem.
Ultimately, what they were after was me, the representative of Seoul.
Because of that…
[Seoul Representative]
In large, obnoxious letters, a massive holographic arrow hovered above me in the sky.
The text was clear enough to be visible from several kilometers away.
“……”
I had become a human version of Seoul itself.
Despite the dire situation, my family couldn’t stop laughing.
“Congratulations on your election, Representative.”
My eldest sister, Kim Joo-yeon, offered her congratulations on behalf of the National Medical Association.
“I’ll risk my life to protect you, Representative. You are the pride of Seoul, the face of ten million citizens, a mascot that puts Hechi to shame, the miracle of the Han River, the very essence of Seoul, I Love Seoul…” (TL: Hechi is the Mascot of Seoul)
Kim Sol went on and on in a second and third round of praise, practically showering me with flattery.
“Master is both Seoul and Camelot’s…”
“Stop it.”
Lancelot demonstrated his loyalty.
No matter how many times I went in and out of subspace, that damn holographic arrow showed no sign of disappearing.
One thing was certain: that holographic arrow was visible to the creatures too.
And it would serve as a beacon, drawing their frenzied army towards me.
“Still…”
It wasn’t entirely a disadvantage.
While it was unsettling to have my location blatantly revealed, it also meant I could lure the creatures in easily.
Naturally, the setup for a siege began to take shape.
A scenario where we could defend against the enemy’s attacks at a position of our choosing.
I added one more thing.
“We’ll need to evacuate at least the residents nearby.”
The long boulevard stretching from Samgakji to the Han River Bridge.
If nowhere else, this area was certain to become a battlefield.
The creatures’ target and their forces had been identified.
Now, all that was left was to wait for them in the meticulously prepared trap.
Kraaak!
A wyvern let out a cry.
Flap.
Riding between its wide-spread wings was a single Lizardman.
He was Rakis, a 7th Order warrior from the Sabros dimension and the air battalion commander.
“Now…”
Following the orders of Commander Costas, who had arrived in Incheon with him, he was leading a significant number of troops in an advance towards Seoul.
Clank! Clank!
A massive cart was rolling at the forefront.
On it was a gigantic lizard, “Yatu”, its entire body bound in chains, and beside it marched elite Lizardmen of the 8th Order in formation.
An army combining both aerial and ground forces.
In truth, if they had mobilized only their air forces to launch a sudden strike on Seoul, it would have been faster.
However, the wyverns lacked repulsion capabilities, and there weren’t enough wyvern riders of the 8th Order to make up for it.
They had received reports from the Emes dimension that the Earthlings possessed weapons capable of piercing through repulsion.
Thus, they placed the formidable 7th Order creature Yatu at the front, relying on his durability, and accompanied him with a substantial ground force.
Their speed couldn’t be considered fast, but they utilized the Sabros dimension’s unique endurance.
They marched tirelessly day and night, stopping only for short one- or two-hour breaks here and there.
They had long since passed the city humans called Bucheon.
In a few more hours, they would reach the location of Seoul’s representative.
“Those Emes bastards…”
Rakis clicked his tongue.
If Emes had won the bidding war in the first place, none of this would have been necessary.
Sabros and Emes were closely allied dimensions, and they had planned to strengthen their influence together in this bidding war.
But with Emes unexpectedly losing the bid, their entire plan had gone awry.
Although the Seoul forces had managed to overcome Emes against all expectations, Rakis didn’t think much of it.
“Well, Emes was just a bunch of idiots with high defense anyway…”
The specialty of the Emes dimension was building construction and weapon crafting fortified with divine buffs—not combat itself.
Thanks to that, they had always been a pretty good match with the Sabros dimension, which boasted overwhelming numbers and aerial forces. But now, that was a thing of the past.
“All they know is defense, yet they failed a defense mission… They won’t be able to show their faces in the Multidimensional realm for a while.”
If he’d been in the leadership of his dimension, he would have severed ties with Emes a long time ago.
Rakis mused over these thoughts.
“Stop!”
Flap.
Rakis flapped his Wyvern’s wings and glided down in front of his forces.
Ahead of them lay the long Han River Bridge, leading directly to the enemy’s main stronghold.
In clear view above it, the words [Seoul Representative] were written in red letters.
“…The bridge is still intact?”
The humans might have considered blowing up the bridge.
It was the only crossing point over this long river.
However, Rakis would welcome that just as well.
“Let them try if they dare.”
The Lizardmen were creatures that could move freely in water.
If the humans thought collapsing the bridge would boost their morale, it would actually serve as an opportunity for Rakis’s forces.
Before launching into the full-scale battle, Rakis addressed the thousands of troops following him.
“Listen well! We’re here to clean up after the fools from Emes… but perhaps this is our chance. Without needing to split anything with them, we can cover this entire Earth with Sabros. And that’s not all. Our pockets will be filled, too. I know you all want to strike it rich and go home loaded, right?”
“Failure is something I, Rakis, and Commander Costas will not tolerate. If you don’t want to die, fight with everything you’ve got.”
Kaaaaa!
Shriririririk!
The 8th Order intelligents among them, along with the wyverns who merely shared their bloodthirst, extended their snake-like tongues and roared in approval.
“Let’s go! Warriors of Sabros!”
With that, they charged across the Han River Bridge.
Clank, clank, clank, clank!
At the forefront was the frenzied ‘Yatu,’ freed from its chains, hurtling forward.
Surprisingly, the Han River Bridge wasn’t destroyed.
Instead, it lay wide open, almost as if welcoming their advance.
Screeeeeech!
Rakis flew quickly through the sky on his wyvern, surging ahead of the rest of the forces and arriving in Yongsan, where the Earthlings were located, a step ahead of the others.
But…
He couldn’t help but make a baffled expression.
“…Didn’t they say Emes was defeated?”
The holographic letters reading [Seoul Representative] floated above it.
But beneath it was unmistakably an Emes fortress.
Every element, the walls, the steel frames, even each individual brick that supported the structure, was imbued with the blessing of the Emes goddess.
And not just a little bit…
“They plastered it completely? With that expensive stuff?”
It was expensive.
Extremely, outrageously expensive.
While it was known for its top-notch performance, the construction materials from the Emes dimension were infamous for their exorbitant prices.
Even the Emes dimension itself used these materials sparingly, so there was no need to mention how wasteful this seemed.
But…
“Are those Emes bastards completely out of their minds…?”
This was pure extravagance, with no practicality whatsoever.
The blessed structural steel, something that most lower dimensions wouldn’t even see in their lifetimes, was wrapped in layer upon layer, forming a fortress wall.
It was an absurd display of poor cost-efficiency, so bad it was almost painful to look at.
Dudududu!
The army of Sabros was slowly approaching.
Just as Rakis let out a sigh and held his forehead in exasperation…
Shwoosh.
A massive shadow descended upon them.
“……”
It was a gigantic H-beam, blessed by the goddess herself.”
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