TTOA Chapter 145

The air around Seo Eui-woo changed with the words I finally blurted out.

It was tense, as if sparks would fly if I threw a match. It felt like my breath was being held back.

“At first, I dismissed it as just a dream. But it kept repeating, and it felt unsettling, and…”

It was like a warning that some terrible thing remained.

“I wonder if it’s still connected…”

“Connected?”

“No…”

Seo Eui-woo grabbed both of Kwon Jae-jin’s cheeks with his hands. Then, he pressed down hard, causing Jae-jin’s head to tilt back. Kwon Jae-jin couldn’t struggle and his back was bent in a dangerous position.

“What is.”

“…”

“With Jae-jin?”

Seo Eui-woo lowered his face closer. Because he was facing away from the light shining down from the ceiling, a dark shadow fell on Jae-jin’s face as he approached.

He met my eyes and stared intently, and I could fully feel Seo Eui-woo pouring his attention on me.

Kwon Jae-jin belatedly realized that the pounding in his ears was his own heartbeat. The throbbing gradually increased, and his chest felt heavy as if it was being crushed. He couldn’t avoid the gaze that was fixed upon him.

The eyes of the two men, meeting each other, shared an uncomfortable tension and nervous emotions. The psychology of lost certainty was clearly revealed.

Right then. Both of their pagers went off in unison.

Beep, beep, beep… at the same interval. It was an emergency call alert.

They reached out their arms at the same time to read their pagers and confirmed that the time they had been waiting for had come. It felt like destiny’s call.

*

Beyond the distant horizon. A cloud of dust rose dimly. In the Uncharted Territory, a ruined building was sinking underground.

Like a passenger ship sinking deep into the ocean. Like a caravan wagon sinking into a quicksand desert. The massive steel-framed structures were successively submerging below the surface.

There was a black hole there.

It was a huge sinkhole, so massive that it was hard to even estimate its circumference. Furthermore, there wasn’t just one, but four or five of them. Vertically drilled tunnels blocked the light and reached the end of darkness.

From that far bottom, a horrifying, dull roar could be faintly heard. There was something down there. And that sound was getting closer.

Treading on crumbling soil, climbing up the cliffs, black monsters were swarming up. It was like a horde of monsters that appeared from the depths of hell.

Among the Beta Creatures, the ones that remained and dwelled inside the Gate and saw the light of the world for the first time were more ferocious and violent than the ones that roamed the surface like ghosts. Unlike the humid and dark underground environment, they had to adapt to the new and dazzling terrestrial environment, so they were more vigilant and agile.

Grrr, grrr…

The Beta Creatures that poured out of the Gate raised their heads in one direction. Then, as if they had received some kind of revelation, they all jumped up and started running. They joined with other Beta Creatures that remained in various parts of the building to form a single swarm, and moved south in groups like migratory birds or schools of fish.

And behind them, from the bottom of the sinkhole, a creature with a distinctly different appearance soared up.

It was an Alpha Creature.

The last creature to surge out broke down the sinkhole’s outer wall as if tearing the entrance of the Gate. The hazy dust covered the sky.

The Alpha Creature reigned like a king, joined the swarm of Beta Creatures, and began to head south with dignity.

[ Urgent! ]

A patrolling unmanned reconnaissance aircraft captured the movement of the creatures. According to the input system, it displayed a danger warning, and the screen in front of the controls turned red. Immediately, an emergency communication was sent to the Center headquarters.

The reconnaissance aircraft circled over the heads of the monsters, tilting the controls. This was to vividly transmit the surrounding situation as video recordings.

At that moment. A column of rising whirlwinds was seen on the back of the ridge, at a very distant distance. Not just one, but several of them stretched out to the sky and touched the clouds.

Whirlwinds of dust were rising like tornadoes from various places, and this was a sign that multiple Gates were opening simultaneously.

[ Urgent! ]

[ Urgent! ]

[ Urgent! ]

The number of whirlwinds kept increasing.

The wind that swept up from the deep sinkhole shot dust high into the sky.

It looked like signal flares were being fired everywhere.

It was a signal flare to start the war.

The unmanned reconnaissance aircraft continuously made calls to the Center headquarters. At that very moment, a flock of bird-shaped Beta Creatures soared through the clouds.

Crash!

The reconnaissance aircraft’s propeller was brutally destroyed by the swarm of creatures that flew in.

Trampling and stepping over the wreckage of the falling reconnaissance aircraft, the monster army advanced endlessly.

Creature Wave.

Second Wave.

The black wave was getting higher and fiercer, rushing to engulf the outer perimeter wall.

Screech-

Crack, crackling!

Grrrr…

However, this time, they were prepared.

The reconnaissance aircraft had captured the start of the war, and all the Espers were aware of the Creature Wave and were ready to sortie.

Bombers and missiles were already on standby.

The Healing Factor, alternative Guiding drugs, and the management of the Espers’ runaway risks were also perfect.

The Center, upon receiving the communication, immediately summoned the special task force members and swiftly ordered them to sortie. Not only the army but also the air force and navy were drafting manpower, and transport planes were successively taking off into the sky, transporting the members to the outer perimeter wall.

“Form ranks and work in three shifts! Front row, kneel and fire, back row, stand and fire, rear, reload!”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Jang!”

“A large cluster of creatures is approaching at high speed 20km ahead.”

“The sky is also covered with swarms of avian Beta Creatures.”

“The Air Force Special Task Force will take care of the sky! We will take charge of the ground and do our best to defend the outer perimeter wall!”

“Yes! We will follow your orders!”

The special task force members moved in perfect order, forming the optimal formation.

In the previous battle, they had to jump straight into the war without even having time to grasp the situation, but this time, they were able to establish a defensive posture with some leeway.

Seo Eui-woo and Kwon Jae-jin also teleported into the midst of the chaotic situation in the previous battle, but this time, they were able to join the front lines earlier.

Seo Eui-woo, who no longer tried to hide it and used teleportation anywhere, appeared with Kwon Jae-jin. Bright droplets of light flickered, and the figures of the two men appeared on the outer perimeter wall.

“……!”

The special task force members who recognized them flinched reflexively. They glanced with some unfamiliarity, but no particularly serious problems arose.

This was because Kwon Jae-jin was wearing a newly issued combat uniform and goggles, holding a rifle, and the issued Esper Registration Code embedded in his identification tag indicated that he was currently an ally.

Of course, it was also because Seo Eui-woo, with his huge, muscular body like a beast, was sticking right next to Kwon Jae-jin, glaring with wide, blue eyes.

At the forefront, Lieutenant Colonel Jang Tae-san slowly bowed towards the two men. Following him, the 1st Special Task Force members also cautiously saluted their old comrade, Seo Eui-woo, in turn.

In the rear, where the 7th Special Task Force members were stationed, Captain Ma Tae-o gave Kwon Jae-jin a nod, and even the unknown, unfamiliar members standing beside him nodded and greeted him in succession.

They were probably the comrades of Lieutenant Park Ho-won, who had run away. Judging by their friendliness towards Kwon Jae-jin, it seemed that Captain Ma Tae-o had told them a good story.

Around that time, Seo Eui-woo suddenly blocked Kwon Jae-jin’s view with his broad shoulders.

“Stop looking.”

His voice was quite firm.

“It’s over now. Don’t give them your attention.”

“……”

“It’s hard for me if you keep stirring things up.”

Seo Eui-woo earnestly pleaded. It was hard to tell whether he was begging or threatening. Although he was suppressing his emotions as if trying to maintain his composure, his unpleasantly twisted feelings could not be hidden.

Kwon Jae-jin swallowed a slow sigh. The reason for Seo Eui-woo’s twisted mood wasn’t just because of the Espers scattered around here.

‘The Seo Eui-woo from the first round……’

‘I wonder if it’s still connected…’

‘Connected?’

‘Does he also think that this isn’t just a simple dream, like me?’

Or, does he have something specific in mind?

‘I want to deny it, but Seo Eui-woo and Seo Eui-woo are the same person… it’s only natural that he knows himself better than I do.’

The corners of Seo Eui-woo’s eyes, which were glimpsed, were dark like the deep sea.

His gray eyes were drier and more parched than usual, and with the addition of the murderous immersion just before the battle, he was much more ferocious than usual.

‘Ha……’

Kwon Jae-jin gripped the rifle firmly in his hand. He tightened his grip tightly on the gloved hand.

The unmanned bombers began to fire missiles at the creatures approaching the Frontier District, and the vanguard of the approaching black monsters was crushed. The situation of the numbers dwindling felt as distant as a dream, and the loud firing sounds and explosions stirred his mind chaotically.

“Jae-jin.”

“……Huh?”

“I’ll just say one thing.”

Seo Eui-woo drew up his ability. A tremendous power gathered around him, and the air froze. His clothes and hair were overturned, swept away by the swirling ability.

“I won’t share your heart, Jae-jin, even if the opponent is myself.”