Chapter 110
There were several countries in the western part of the Isocian continent. The region's key figures, including representatives from Bilone, Stan, Aman, and Cormir, gathered in one place through telecommunication.
Being the leading country of WOFP (World Organization For Peace), even Meldeuren in the eastern part of the continent had joined this conference. The faces of many figures floated in the air as the conference began.
- WOFP is about to collapse because of that guy named Lee Shin!
- The alliance in the eastern continent has already been divided in half. Lee Shin’s power is beyond imagination. What has Meldeuren done so far?
- I agree with you. Why isn't the United States helping? This alliance was formed under your leadership.
The representatives of Stan, Aman, and Cormir shouted at Meldeuren’s representative angrily.
- We used to lead, but Bilone was supposed to handle the western continent, and Meldeuren had to handle the eastern continent. Don’t you guys have Bilone there?
- This is ridiculous! We are putting all our efforts into stopping the demon attacks. The other countries with less on their plate should step forward and take care of it.
- Do you think we're fools? That has also increased your national combat power, hasn’t it?
- If another country joins Merteng, it will be difficult to stop them.
- All right, Meldeuren will also send support. However, just know it won’t be easy for us to join because we have to go to the western part of the continent.
Aman and Cormir's representatives looked at Bilone's representative with unpleasant faces, even with the support of the United States.
- Windsor and Stan share a border, so if Lee Shin goes all the way to Windsor, he will target Stan next. How about we attack Wildes and Tetir?
- Are you trying to say we should avoid Lee Shin?
The representatives of Cormir and Aman, who had faced Lee Shin before, frowned at Bilone's representative, whose pride seemed hurt.
- Do you even know how strong Lee Shin is?
- But isn’t he just one person? If it's our continent, we can easily handle one Qualified individual like him.
- Bilone wouldn’t know because you haven't faced him yet. Lee Shin is on another level.
- Stop it, everyone! Don’t enter a fight without a winning strategy.
Aman's representative stopped speaking at Meldeuren’s mediation. Bilone's representative had an unhappy face but did not say anything further.
- I think it would be great if Bilone could bring back their Qualified individuals from the demon zone.
- I agree
- I agree as well.
- Do you know how much of a loss it would be if we lost the Qualified individuals with the Black Pattern?
- That is common knowledge, and it’s not like we can do anything about it. Bilone and Meldeuren have monopolized the demon zone, making it difficult for other nations to produce Qualified individuals with Black Patterns.
- Yeah, that’s right. And it’s not like we are asking for Qualifieds with the White Pattern. At the very least, we should get Qualifieds with the Black Pattern to stop Lee Shin.
- The representative from Stan sure wants a lot of things.
The Bilone representative seemed annoyed at all the requests put forth by the Stan representative. If Stan failed to capture Windsor, the enemies’ next target would surely be them, so this time, they had to get Bilone's support.
- Meldeuren will also send qualified individuals with Black Pattern. What about you, Bilone?
Meldeuren's bold move made it hard for Bilone to back down.
- Okay, Bilone will dispatch two more Qualified individuals with the Black Pattern.
- All right, good. So, we’ll have two from Bilone and one from Meldeuren. With three Qualified individuals possessing the Black Pattern and support from other Qualified individuals with varying Pattern levels, it should be possible to defeat Lee Shin.
WOFP began preparing another giant trap to capture Lee Shin.
***
Lee Shin had assumed the challenger shooting arrows at him was the most skillful here. So, he was a little surprised to see Natasha take care of her in one shot. Even if the opponent was tired and focused on fighting Lee Shin, Natasha’s top-notch skills were undeniable.
"Natasha!" Lee Shin called after her, warning, "Don't do anything I didn't ask you to."
"Yes, Sir," Natasha replied.
“Don’t kill the Qualified individuals. Just capture them, all right? Plus, don’t do anything else because I’m going to capture and kill the rest of them,” said Lee Shin.
“Understood,” Natasha replied.
Since Lee Shin had to accumulate merit points quickly, the regular soldiers and knights held more significance to him than the Qualified individuals.
The undead were rampaging through the battlefield, and Lee Shin joined the fray with his magic flashing. As the death toll piled up, innards of various creatures and corpses filled the area.
Lee Shin easily walked through such a battlefield because it was a familiar sight to him. Natasha looked at him and engraved every piece of info about him in her brain.
As for Lee Shin, he was focused on the figure of Aderta in the Demon Realm.
‘Hmm… a False Demon Realm in the Green Zone?’
This was the second time Lee Shin had encountered a False Demon Realm since coming here. He had discovered the first one in the Colorless Zone before entering Merteng. Generally, the False Demon Realm demons were much stronger than those in the Origin Demon Realm.
In addition, the False Demon Realm surrounding the citadel was the most difficult among them. The Demon Realm was so perilous that it usually required an army from the citadel of the Yellow Zone or a group of Qualified individuals to clear it.
‘The task force members better be on standby.’
The land was soaked with the blood of the Aman and Cormir soldiers. The Task Force members who walked on it gulped when they saw Lee Shin standing before Aderta's Demon Realm.
‘The inside of a Demon Realm is definitely different from the outside.’
Despite knowing that Lee Shin was a powerful wizard and a necromancer with a massive army of undead creatures and outstanding physical abilities, Natasha thought he would give up this time.
After all, manipulating mana in the Demon Realm was a challenging feat, to the extent that it was often referred to as the "Hell for Wizards." The summon line wizards felt like fools whenever they entered the Demon Realm. And Natasha thought that was why Lee Shin was hesitating in front of Aderta's Demon Realm.
"I’ve gathered all the enemies’ Qualified individuals there," said Natasha.
Lee Shin turned his gaze to that place upon hearing Natasha's words. Compared to the dead, only a handful of Qualified individuals remained, including some whom he believed had already perished.
Among them was the blond woman who had shot arrows at Lee Shin. He felt lucky that she was still alive because she possessed some great skills.
"Stay here and watch these guys," Lee Shin said.
"But shouldn’t we move the captives?" Natasha asked.
Lee Shin looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Aderta is right in front of us, so should we go all the way to Narden?" Lee Shin asked Natasha.
"Are you saying you want to go in here?" Natasha asked.
"Didn't I say I would reclaim Aderta?"
Lee Shin had said that, and Natasha had heard him say that. Nevertheless, she had assumed it to be a metaphorical expression about dealing with the enemies surrounding Aderta. When Natasha looked into Lee Shin’s eyes, she found them calm, with no fear or tension.
Lee Shin’s calm face made it seem like he was discussing washing up before sleeping. She wanted to argue but decided to keep quiet, as she realized that she couldn’t judge the man using conventional standards.
"You’re right," Natasha answered his question after organizing her thoughts.
"Then wait here." Lee Shin smiled lightly.
Natasha was intrigued by Lee Shin, but he was proving difficult to understand. She hadn’t encountered anyone like him before, so she did not know if it was simple curiosity or something else.
"Can I come with you?" Natasha asked Lee Shin.
Natasha’s unexpected question made Lee Shin look at her once again. Her pupils seemed very calm, without any sign of wavering.
‘Is she serious?’
Lee Shin wondered why Natasha would want to follow him, but since he had no intention of hiding his combat power from her, he agreed.
"Thank you," said Natasha.
The reply was blunt and unemotional, but he could sense the hint of delight hidden in her words.
While the Task Force members guarded the captives, Lee Shin and Natasha entered the Demon Realm.
Before long, the familiar thick black fog disrupted their sight, but it did not affect Lee Shin. Natasha frowned and had difficulty finding the way out, while Lee Shin calmly found the way out. This prompted more questions in Natasha's mind.
"How did you find the way out so easily?" Natasha asked Lee Shin.
"Because it is?easy," Lee Shin replied.
Natasha knew she couldn’t get the answer she sought from him, so she just followed him without asking any more questions, assuming the other answers would be similar. After walking a little, they could see the castle wall in the distance.
Suddenly, numerous arrows flew toward them. The arrows were so fast that dodging them would have been nearly impossible had Natasha not sensed them with her mana. Barely managing to evade one that grazed her neck, she broke out in a cold sweat.
Dozens of arrows were coming at them. If they did not dodge or block them, they would die. Besides, the man in front of her seemed to have no intention of helping her. Lee Shin did not even tell her to follow him.
This was something she had to endure alone. The Demon Realm encircling the citadel city had a slightly thinner fog compared to the Origin Demon Realm, making the figures of the demons faintly visible through the black haze.
Crack—! Baaang—!
Lee Shin repeatedly and incessantly aimed and fired his gun. He was relentless, and one of the blurry figures in the distance disappeared every time he shot.
Baaammm—!
Natasha's eyes flickered open at the ear-piercing noise, and she turned her head toward the sound. A huge steel fist pounded the castle gate. The fist made citadel’s gate—which had seemed quite firm—crumble like mashed potato.
Natasha could not come up with another word to describe Lee Shin besides “monster.” He was using such incredible magic in this Demon Realm without having much trouble.
"Fight for your life. Or else you will really die," said Lee Shin in a cool and indifferent voice.
Those words struck Natasha deeply. Lee Shin had seemingly said that he did not care whether she died or lived and that she shouldn't rely on him.
However, Natasha was already used to it. She had survived in enemy territory many times by only trusting herself. Moreover, she had not even used all her strength in the fight with the soldiers of Cormir and Aman. Therefore, she was in peak condition.
Lee Shin was moving in front of her, sweeping away most of the demons. Watching him in action, Natasha felt confident that she could withstand this level of danger. She made up her mind and covered her body with mana.
A small handgun popped out of her Subspace Pocket, and she held it tightly.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every time a gunshot rang out, bullet holes appeared on the heads of many demons. When Lee Shin saw Natasha’s skill, he expressed inaudible admiration.
‘That’s quite impressive.’
Lee Shin knew that the fog here severely limited Natasha's vision. Moreover, detecting anything using her mana wave would become increasingly difficult with distance. Still, Natasha shot with remarkable accuracy, not missing a single target.
‘Killing just these small-sized demons won’t take me anywhere…’
Lee Shin wondered what difference there could be between the medium-sized and large-sized demons.
Kuoooo!
As the ground began to shake, not just one or two, but a horde of medium-sized demons let out a deafening scream as they charged toward them. Even by rough estimates, they had at least 20 medium-sized demons darting toward them.
‘Twenty might be a bit overwhelming for Natasha.’
Lee Shin quietly slipped out of Natasha's sight and, hidden within the Demon Realm, dropped thunderbolts on the demons.
Rumble— Crack!
"Kuueeak!" the demons screamed in pain.
The golden spears rained down from the sky, incinerating over ten medium-sized demons instantly. However, ten still remained. These medium-sized demons looked like oxen but were five times larger than an actual ox.
These demons could not be killed with just a few gunshots. Lee Shin wondered how Natasha, as a gunwoman with limited vision, would deal with them.
‘Will she call for help or reveal her hidden power?’
Even if she asked for help, Lee Shin was not planning on helping her immediately. He wanted to push her to the absolute limit, to the brink of her capabilities, because he wanted to see her go all out.
Crack—!
A rough metallic sound echoed in the darkness. The sound of Natasha loading her gun conveyed her determination to survive in this hellish place.
Swoosh—
Natasha pulled a grenade from her Subspace Pocket and yanked the safety pin. With all her strength, she threw it ahead and started running toward it.
‘Whoa…’
The sound of the grenade exploding rang in the area. The shards did not fully penetrate the medium-sized monsters but caused fatal injuries when they got stuck in their bodies.
Despite the monsters swarming from all directions, Natasha managed to take down two medium-sized ones. Natasha knew the shards couldn’t pierce through the body of the medium-sized monsters, so she climbed up the tallest building.
Bang—!
A large sniper rifle bullet burst the head of a medium-sized monster and got embedded in the ground.
Crack—! Bang—!
Shooting a sniper rifle with that kind of power in rapid succession with only a slight delay was not easy. She was sniping the enemies by controlling her mana to the extreme limit; she felt like her head would explode.
Having a good understanding of firearms was also crucial. If she did anything wrong, the mana circuit of the gun would deform and explode on the spot. After seeing such moves, Lee Shin revised his evaluation of her.
‘She is a monster, not only in the future but also in the present.’
Besides, Natasha had yet to use her unique ability. Even though she was a Qualified person with a Purple Pattern, this fight wasn’t easy for her. However, she still seemed calm, only sweating slightly.
"You're quite good." Lee Shin complimented her.
"Thank you," Natasha replied.
Her attitude suggested she had completed a necessary task, but her response made Lee Shin uneasy.
‘Shall I increase the difficulty a bit?’
Lee Shin unleashed his mana. He could sense the movements of demonic beasts flying in the sky.
‘Come down.’
[Psychokinesis]
He pulled down hundreds of demonic beasts with Psychokinesis.
"The flying demonic beasts are coming in droves."
Lee Shin threw the hundreds of demonic beasts he had pulled down toward Natasha.
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