Chapter 410: The Hidden Truth Of Gangnam
[Some Minutes Ago.]
[Edge Of Gangbuk.]
[Banpo Bridge.]
Once a beautiful landmark that entertained tourists with its rainbow fountains, Banpo Bridge was now a grim, blackened chokepoint suspended over the dark waters of the Han River. It was the only viable path left between the shattered districts of Seoul, and it was currently swarming with the undead.
"We must defend this bridge, No matter the cost!!" The Commander of the protectors yelled, landing heavily before the stunned Soldiers and cracking the asphalt.
"Yes!"
The other two ladies nodded, their expressions hardening as they landed swiftly behind him, their eyes fixed on the horde of mutated zombies running towards them from the bridge. The stench of rotting flesh was suffocating.
"They should be in thousands." The mage, Xinyi, muttered, calculating the grim odds as volatile purple lightnings started emanating from her hands, casting an eerie glow over her pale face.
"Why don’t we just destroy the Banpo Bridge? That way, we will separate the two districts." The lady with the sword stated, and pointed her gleaming blade at the turbulent Han River:
"We are still safe because there aren’t any monsters that can swing. So we should use this opportunity, destroy the bridge, and buy ourselves some time. Once we get our defenses up, we will find a way to the other side." She explained, her mind entirely focused on preserving the surviving stronghold.
The Commander lightly shook his head, his eyes reflecting the burning fires of the distant ruins: "Out of the 27 bridges, this is the last bridge still standing. Not only that, The Leader specifically told us to protect it, not destroy it." He said, picking up his massive sledgehammer with a heavy sigh.
"How can we do that, with so many zombies? We will surely damage this bridge if a battle breaks out." The mage yelled at him, frustrated by the suicidal nobility of the order.
"Xinyi is right, if we plan to stop this without placing the soldiers’ lives at risk, the bridge--"
"---Shanshan, Xinyi." He called the two, his deep voice immediately silencing their protests. He looked at them, his gaze softening into a plea.
"Just do your best, but remember... The Bridge shouldn’t fall. There are still people in Gangnam, we can’t simply blow up the bridge and abandon them in that hell." He said, tightening his grip on his hammer.
"Let’s hold the line still the Boss returns! Can you two help me?"
The two ladies looked at one another, sharing a look of shared resignation and loyalty, then sighed helplessly:
"When you place it like that." Xinyi stepped forward, standing proudly beside him, her lightning flaring brighter.
"We don’t have a choice, do we, Zexuan?" Shanshan added, drawing her sword completely as she stepped forward to form a vanguard.
The normal soldiers behind them looked at one another, drawing courage from the three towering figures of the Protectors, and also nodded their heads with determined, grim expressions, aiming their heavy caliber guns at the encroaching zombies horde.
"Protectors!! It’s time we earn our name!" Zexuan yelled, and shot forward like a fired cannonball.
"Right behind you!!"
The two lethal women followed closely behind him, charging fearlessly towards the horde of zombies.
"Aim at the enemy!! Avoid shooting the protectors!!" A soldier yelled at the hundreds of men behind him, who nodded in unison, and opened suppressive fire on the zombies, filling the air with the deafening roar of artillery.
_
High in the cloudy sky, two otherworldly figures stood with folded arms staring down at the desperate battle on Banpo Bridge.
"Humans are so entertaining." The cat lady said, licking her lips with a sadistic hunger, her glowing red eyes fixed intently on the protectors scurrying below like ants.
"Do you think those three will make good toys?" She asked, turning to the imposing man beside her. As the 11th Aeon, she viewed all lower lifeforms merely as temporary amusements.
"Why ask me such a thing?" The man snapped at her, his massive arms crossed on his broad chest, right under his huge, luxurious red fur overcoat. He radiated an oppressive, ancient authority.
"These humans who called themselves protectors, aren’t strong enough to take down the Gatekeepers." He added, shifting his red gaze to the distant northern district, completely unimpressed by their struggling abilities.
"Maybe this leader they spoke of is the one responsible for it." He added, a hint of genuine curiosity piercing his arrogance.
"Why are you so serious?" The Cat lady moved gracefully behind him, affectionately wrapping her arms around his thick neck. Before the 8 feet tall man, she was small and delicate, looking like a 15 years old teenager, a deceptive facade masking a terrifying monster.
"We aren’t here for those Gatekeepers, why mention them?" She added, playfully moving her arms on his body.
The man narrowed his eyes, his mind focused entirely on the grand chess board: "That is the only excuse I could come up with... As the Fifth Aeons, I can’t simply reveal my purpose for coming to Seoul." He said, turning his head to face the southern district of Gangnam.
"Okay, then why are we here? We should be heading straight towards our destination."
"Can’t do that... The 20th, and 10th Aeons are close by... Those guys might be weak, but they are cunning, especially the 10th." He said, fully aware of the treacherous backstabbing that plagued the Aeon ranks.
"Gosh! I hate him the most, Because he is one level above, he always looks down, and bully me... It’s only thanks to you, I am here." She said, pouting childishly and hugging him tightly from behind.
"Hahaha! If he bullies you again, just let me know. I will show him the difference in our levels." He said confidently, basking in his absolute superiority. Then, he suddenly froze; the threads around them violently snapped. Not only him, even the Cat lady froze in sheer, unadulterated shock.
The two sharply turned their heads to the distance, staring at the massive explosion of energy far away, their eyes wide:
"The 20th Aeon, dead?" The Cat lady muttered in profound disbelief. A true Aeon falling on a backward planet was an impossibility.
"Impossible, he is an Early king stage cultivator, are you telling me the humans already have King stage cultivators amongst them?" She asked, and moved quickly around, floating in the air to face the 5th Aeon directly.
"Should we check it out?" She asked, her playful demeanor replaced by a predator’s caution.
"No, I can sense 10th Aeon, he should be able to handle it... Come on; while he is busy, we should complete our goal and leave this place... When the Lord is ready, we will descend and wipe out this planet." He said, making a ruthless tactical decision. Grabbing the Cat Lady’s small waist, and they vanished seamlessly into red smoke.
_
Back on the blood-slicked bridge, the battle raged on.
"Keep fighting!! They mustn’t get past us!!" Shanshan yelled, twirling elegantly and sending a massive, crescent wave of razor-sharp sword energies, effortlessly killing hundreds of zombies in each swing and tossing their severed parts into the river.
’I don’t get it, why only send these zombies? Aren’t they simply too weak?’ Zexuan thought, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. He was effortlessly smashing his hammer on a group of zombies, sending them all flying into the sea like broken dolls.
’Are the main enemies hiding in the shadows? What’s the plan?’ He thought, staring warily at the endless sea of mindless zombies slowly walking towards them.
’What am I thinking? Maybe I am just being paranoid, anyway! We will know once every single zombie here is taken care of!’ He nodded to himself, suppressing his dread, and lunged forward into the fray again, powerfully leaping high into the air.
"DIE!!!"
BOOOOM!!!
___
[Southern District, Gangnam.]
[Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs.]
The sacred burial grounds of the Joseon Dynasty kings had long been twisted by the apocalypse into a terrifying, corrupted domain.
WHOOSH!!
The 5th and 11th Aeons suddenly appeared in front of the heavily destroyed entrance, stepping out of the red smoke.
"Is this the place?" The Cat lady asked, moving her glowing gaze all over the overgrown, ominous forestry.
GRAAAAAA!!!
A terrifying World Boss wolf, a creature mutated beyond recognition, roared loudly in the distance, spotting the two fresh meat which appeared out of thin air. With insatiable Bloodlust, it lunged towards them, its jaws dripping with acid.
"My goodness! Is Lamashtu’s pets so annoying?" She muttered in deep annoyance, and with a casual, almost bored flick of her fingers, a small, highly compressed ball of destructive light flew towards the massive Wolf. The very moment it touched the creature’s thick skull, the whole world Boss instantly shattered into a gruesome shower of blood and bone fragments.
"I hate dogs the most." She complained, wiping a speck of dust from her outfit.
"Let’s go, we can’t do anything about it." The 5th Aeon’s words slice through the quiet air like a cold blade, as he confidently walked inside the corrupted perimeter.
"Right away, My love!" The cat lady quickly rushed towards him, happily holding his thick arms as they walked together inside the ancient field.
"This?"
The two invincible beings were instantly stunned, stopping dead in their tracks. The whole grand tomb structure was completely gone, excavated and completely destroyed; clearly, someone had found the hidden relic first and beaten them to the prize.
"Who are these kids?" A raspy, ancient voice suddenly echoed, carrying an aura that dwarfed even the Aeons.
"....?!"
Before the two elite warriors could even attempt to turn towards the source of the terrifying voice, massive, dark tentacles shot violently out from the ground, instantly binding all their limbs, and holding their bodies firmly in place.
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