TTOA Chapter 125

#125

Kiiiik!

Shishishit, shishishit!

Beyond the outer perimeter wall, a jet-black wave surged towards the 2nd Frontier District.

The black wave, rising, falling, and crashing, was none other than a horde of advancing creatures. Creatures of all shapes and sizes swarmed like ants, moving south en masse.

The group following behind still seemed distant, but the vanguard had already crossed the threshold of the 2nd Frontier District. The Espers guarding the perimeter were holding them back, but they were woefully insufficient.

The stench of the creatures assaulted the nose, vegetation was trampled, and the painstakingly prepared roads were overturned. The land, so hard-won, was ruthlessly swept away.

Originally, the Frontier Districts were meaningful areas.

Symbols of victory and beacons of hope.

Because they were areas once seized by creatures and devastated, but reclaimed by humanity’s strength.

Espers on long-term assignments were stationed there for months in harsh conditions, searching for and killing creatures that had occupied the area, disposing of the non-biodegradable remnants of old-era human waste such as concrete, plastic, and scrap metal, and adding outer perimeter walls to the outskirts. Only through such a process of endurance could a Frontier District be born.

After a grace period, buildings were constructed, and immigrants were settled, finally allowing it to function as a general residential district.

Therefore, for the sake of humanity’s prosperity and development, the Frontier Districts were areas that absolutely had to be defended.

Not only because of the symbolism of the Frontier Districts, but also because of the enormous budget required to prepare a single Frontier District. Not only the cost, but also manpower, time, resources, and all elements could not be wasted.

Rumble!

Dark clouds poured down heavy rain. Following the unusual war situation, the weather was also deteriorating.

Dark clouds obscured the sun in the sky, and the ground was covered by a swarm of black creatures forming waves.

In the pitch-black darkness, transport planes flew in a row, cutting through the gloom.

They looked like warships sailing through the darkness.

The transport planes stopped above the outer perimeter wall without delay, and the hatches opened. Trained elite Espers descended in droves, sliding down the lowered ropes.

Those who landed on the ground amidst the heavy raindrops formed a massive formation. It was unprecedented for so many units to join a single mission.

-Multiple β-creatures approaching from the front!

-Cannot identify the type. The number is… at least several hundred.

-The outer perimeter wall is breached! It’s collapsing. Give us instructions!

Urgent communications and reports flew back and forth.

The commanding officers who knew about the Creature Wave might have been aware, but the field combatants who had no information at all could not help but be extremely embarrassed by the situation.

No matter how accustomed to combat the Special Task Force members were, they had never had to face such a large number of creatures at once. Moreover, since different types were mixed in, even distinguishing them was a challenge.

Monsters that had taken the form of various animals swarmed below the perimeter wall. They stepped on each other’s bodies and began to tear at the barrier.

They clawed, bit with fangs, and pecked with beaks.

-Shoot! Kill the creatures!

In the end, they had no choice but to jump into battle without even grasping the calamity before their eyes.

A chaotic battle began.

Special Task Force members fired at the creatures, and countless bullets rained down.

-Straighten the ranks and advance!

-Drive the creatures out of the Frontier District!

-Push the front line forward! Advance!

Corpses piled up like mountains, and black blood flowed like rivers.

The creatures had to be pushed out of the Frontier District. If they could be driven out of the Frontier District and into the Uncharted Territory, then they could be bombed with fighter-bombers.

Kieeeee!

At that moment, a flock of black birds fell vertically from the sky.

Creatures resembling giant eagles extended their claws and charged at the transport planes. The thick armor of the airships easily withstood the clawing, but the propellers did not.

One eagle-type β-creature was drawn into the propeller, and the aircraft lost its balance.

The transport plane crashed to the ground, and the perfect ranks were scattered.

The middle of the front line was divided, and the momentum of the advancing Special Task Force members was broken.

Taking advantage of the gap, the creatures began to counterattack.

“Ugh!”

“Get out of the way! Fall back!”

“Fill the gap! Straighten the ranks immediately!”

Screams were heard, and blood flowed from everywhere.

The creatures climbed over the wreckage of the transport plane and leaped onto the outer perimeter wall. The support troops positioned in the rear were bitten. Heads were torn off and arms flew away.

As the battle situation quickly turned unfavorable, the use of abilities became noticeably more frequent.

Invisible forces surged and raged, sparks flew, and wind blew. Explosions were heard, and cracking sounds were also heard.

It was a bad sign.

The more an Esper used their abilities, the more severe the imbalance became, and the more they craved Guiding. And if they exceeded the limit, only a Runaway would follow.

There was a Guiding substitute drug, but that was also a consumable like the Healing Factor. Resources were always limited.

Therefore, the principle was not to overuse abilities in battle. The use of abilities should be carefully considered and used with a long-term perspective. Especially when so many enemies were gathered like this.

The rain intensified, and the battle gradually descended into chaos.

Despite the commander’s efforts to straighten the ranks, the divided formation did not return. It was as if the waist had been severed. The creatures that penetrated the gap and the Special Task Force members became entangled and mixed together indiscriminately.

Eventually, a retreat order was issued.

-Retreat! Retreat!

Then, the creatures began to hunt the retreating Espers.

They were attacked while using the Healing Factor, or attacked when the imbalance intensified due to the use of abilities, or attacked while retreating…

Human red blood was added to the black blood puddles of the monsters.

Flesh was torn and bones were ground. It was a scene of utter chaos.

Just then, thunder and lightning struck.

A clear white lightning bolt, cutting through the deep darkness, connected the sky and the earth.

The light flashed and flickered, and a thunderclap roared like the howl of a savage beast.

When the trumpet sounds, it is a time of war and judgment.

The incessant rain stopped all at once. It was as if time had stopped. Water droplets hung in the air like jewels, and then exploded and scattered in all directions with a burst of brilliant light.

In the midst of it, two people who had teleported appeared.

Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin stood in the middle of the horrific battlefield.

Around the two, the remnants of the teleportation, light droplets, scattered in mysterious colors like an aurora.

The Espers who were retreating and being attacked froze for a moment because of the dramatic appearance of the two.

Then, several Special Task Force members who recognized Seo Eui-woo widened their eyes. They were the Special Task Force members who had barely survived and returned from the Kwon Jae-jin capture mission.

When they recognized Kwon Jae-jin standing next to Seo Eui-woo, they could not help but be shocked as if their eyeballs would pop out.

It was as if they were seeing a replay of that day.

Seo Eui-woo, and Kwon Jae-jin…

Just as they had no prior information about the Creature Wave, they did not know that Kwon Jae-jin had officially received a rank test and was judged to be an S-rank Guide.

They had only been informed that the search unit had been disbanded, but they could not know the detailed inside story, such as the negotiations of the military leaders.

Therefore, they could only be astonished.

‘Why is a Mutant here…?’

Moreover, Kwon Jae-jin was wearing combat gear and holding a rifle. Goggles were placed on his smooth forehead. He was dressed the same as the official Espers who were here now. He looked like a perfect Special Task Force combatant.

‘How could a Mutant possibly…?’

Before they could resolve their questions, a storm raged. A massive amount of Seo Eui-woo’s ability surged like lava.

As Seo Eui-woo lightly reached out, the rain miraculously parted, and the creatures that had climbed onto the outer perimeter wall were swept away in an instant. The extraordinary telekinetic power slammed the struggling creatures to the ground.

However, it was not possible to cull all the creatures at once. This was because there were individuals that had attacked and pressed down on Special Task Force members and were stuck together like a lump. If they were all thrown away, there was a risk of killing the entangled people.

Seo Eui-woo did not particularly want to show Kwon Jae-jin people dying. Therefore, he had no choice but to leave a few on the outer perimeter wall.

That became a perfect target for Kwon Jae-jin.

Kwon Jae-jin, frowning, shouldered his rifle and aimed.

The visibility was poor due to the weather, and the terrible smell of blood stung his nose. His hands trembled, and his body felt hot. He felt like he was sweating.

Honestly, he still did not dare to look down at the bodies piled up below.

But Kwon Jae-jin moved.

He aimed at the creatures remaining on the outer perimeter wall and pulled the trigger as he had practiced countless times. He fired as he intended.

Bang!

The muzzle flashed. A faint smell of gunpowder rose.

A hole was drilled in the middle of the head of a creature that was chewing on the thigh of a stunned Special Task Force member.

It was an incomparably cleaner hit than when he had randomly fired bullets when he had encountered a creature before.

Effort did not betray him.