Chapter 58 – Skirmish #3

“What’s this?”

It was a question from Yuria, who had been examining the cylindrical grenade with only her eyes.
Sehwa answered right away.

“It’s a flash grenade, developed by the doctor and modified by Jihyeok. Most monsters can temporarily blind them. It helps a lot when fighting.”

“You mean all of this goes inside the device?”

“Yes. Are you curious?”

“Would you call it magic…? It’s like shrinking magic.”

Sehwa’s eyes were full of life.

“Can you use magic too?”

“I can’t write. Even if it could be used, it would be impossible here.”

“Why is that?”

“Nature has been destroyed so much that I have no energy. But if you go to something like Amazon, you might be able to collect some.”

“Ah… It’s a pity… I missed you…”

“I’ll show you later when we get rid of Tairat and restore our country. I hope you come to see it. I don’t know about anyone else, but I want to invite you somehow.”

“I really want to go too.”

While the two of them were talking in detail, I was having an important conversation with her in the doctor’s private laboratory.
That conversation was about Yuria’s sense of justice.
I gave the doctor the answers to the questions Yuria had at home.

“Okay…? Didn’t it look like a pretense?”

“I am only twenty years old. I’m not old enough to figure that out. But I think I could feel the sincerity in YuRia’s way of speaking.”

“Okay…? Then, can you say that you care more about people than your parents’ enemies?”

“It is just a prediction. Think carefully and decide.”

“Okay. I will take your words into consideration.”

You’d better decide quickly.
Astaroth will soon come out and spread great energy throughout Seoul.

Beep-! Beep!

A beep is heard from outside the room.
You’re here. Astaroth sucked the energy of life from the depths of the Antarctic sea.
I made eye contact with the doctor and immediately bolted outside.

“Jihyeok!”

Saehwa, who was looking at the situation board, exclaimed urgently.
I asked as I opened the hangar door.

“Percentages and locations?”

“75%… The location is Mok-dong, Seoul.”

“75 percent? Is it already grade B?”

“Gee, now it’s 81 percent… Grade A.”

Sehwa’s voice trembled.
The highest grade of the Evelyn Gates that have appeared so far.
So, it was understandable to be upset.
The gauge stopped at 87%.
I put on a serious face and said to Sehwa and YuRia.

“Get ready to jump right out. YuRia is a fighter with me…”

Coo-goo-goo-!

At that time, a tremendous pressure weighed on everyone in the lab.
I couldn’t finish my speech because of that, so I lowered my upper body as if something intangible pressed my shoulder.

“Keugh!”

I feel my strength draining away.
It was Astaroth’s characteristic to make living beings within a large range fall into lethargy and lose all motivation.
If it had been a modified body, I would not have been affected, but now I am a human.
Being affected was a natural step.

Dr. Was worse than me. As he jumped out, he collapsed and looked around with a helpless face.
It’s like finding a good bed.
There must have been all sorts of accidents and uproar outside by now. Astaroth would have appeared without a chance to evacuate.

“Such crazy… So…”

I spat out a low curse word, and was a bit surprised to see that Yuria was in good condition.
Although he fell into lethargy, he had the energy to move, and he was supporting the struggling Sehwa.
She knew it would last, but this much? She must have underestimated Yuria’s strength of mind.

“It’s Sehwa…! It’s okay?”

“Sister… You… I… Have no strength… I don’t want to… Do anything…”

“This… The energy of Astaroth, one of Tyrat’s minions…! Jihyeok Song! Doctor! Calm down…! Being weighed down by these feelings…”

I raised my head with difficulty.

“Sehwa… I have to transform…”

“How do I do it? Tell me how… Tell me!”

Gripping my teeth, I picked up a ballpoint pen lying on the floor.
Then he stabbed her thigh deep.
Hooked! My thighs were pierced with a shallow sound, and blood leaked out from there, and I came to my senses.
Hurrying up to Saehwa, I lifted her weak hand and placed it twice on the device on her arm opposite her.

Dig-!

Sehwa transformed into Leona as light blue streaks radiated out.
The eyes that had lost focus came alive again, and the body was full of energy as if energy had returned.

“Jihyeok…!”

Leona, who was looking at her lofty eyes, was startled when she saw the scar on my thigh.
I gritted her face in her pain and gritted my teeth.

“Go…! Go ahead and stop it…!”

“Ah Okay!”

Sehwa immediately went out to the hangar, broke the closed ceiling, and soared into the sky.
YuRia, who was looking at him, was restless.

“Song Ji-hyeok…! Astaroth is a high rank monster. Leona alone…!”

“Help me, Dr. And to the hangar…”

“Yes! But you…”

I didn’t pretend to hear YuRia’s concerns and limped toward the fighter plane.
After that, I roughly pushed the fragments of the destroyed hangar ceiling aside and opened the cockpit.
YuRia heard what her doctor said and she went with her to her private laboratory.
After a while, the doctor who came out of the lab with support had a device in his hand.
Did you bring it because you didn’t know? Great.
But doctor, keep your mind straight.
YuRia might think of you as pitiful. Should the lab leader be like that?
I started flying as soon as the two got into the fighter jet.

**

Astaroth, who gained strength, became a muscular humanoid monster.
About 2 meters tall. It’s not as big as the bosses that have appeared so far, and it doesn’t look like a monster.
They didn’t even make a fuss by destroying buildings when they appeared.
Just looking down with indifferent eyes.
On the ground, gray sand-like dust was moving toward his chisel.
It was the lethargic energy of life.

-…..-

Such Astaroth showed strange behavior.
It happened right after Leona arrived.

-My King…-

Astaroth knelt down on one knee, speaking the common language of Aerandel.
A polite attitude, like a knight kneeling before the king.
As I flew to Mokdong and watched the scene on the monitor, I felt my heart pounding and falling.
The target he bowed to was not me flying in from afar, but Leona.

‘What the fuck…!’

An alarm bell rings in my head.
Astaroth noticed my energy, which took root inside Leona and increased her size.
This is unexpected.
Glancing at YuRia, she was taking care of the doctor.
You don’t have time to look at the monitor. I was the only one wearing the communicator, so I couldn’t even hear the common language of Erandel.
Leona and Astaroth’s words will sound like an alien language… It’s really fortunate.

-…. What…?

Leona is confused.
Not even that. After the battle, you’ll think more strangely.
However, it is not work to solve the transformation and return to Sehwa.
Let’s get over the situation. That’s urgent
I poked her in the thigh one more time and shouted.

“What are you doing!? You’re asking for an attack! Will you stay still?”

– Oh, yes!

“Take me away! To a deserted place!”

-Okay!

Leona, who had regained her senses, moved.

Pew-!

Ripping through the air, she approached Astaroth in an instant, grabbed him by the throat and disappeared into the distance.

**

The place Leona chose was in the middle of the West Sea, where there were no humans.
There she started her battle with Astaroth.
No, rather than starting a fight, it was more correct to say that she was attacking one-sidedly.

Kang! Caang!

She swings her sword across Astaroth’s body with incredible speed.
Astaroth was blocking Leona’s sword attack with her bewildered eyes.
It’s an expression that doesn’t understand why he is pointing a knife at himself.

I absolutely do not think of Leona as me.
However, I consider her to be my subordinate and a colleague of Astaroth himself.
Now that figure is puzzled by her colleague’s attack.

Kaaang! Perseok!

Astaroth’s arm that blocked the sword was torn off a little.
Then, the guy twisted his expression and waved his hand.

Roaring!

Then, a black flame rose from his arm and blew Leona away.
Astaroth, who was emitting her anger without filtering, opened her mouth to Leona, who corrected her posture.

-Turncoat! You are a traitor!-

이런 씨발… 목소리 좀 낮추라고 개새끼야.
Marcella! Do something! Use magic to seal that bastard’s mouth!
YuRia will hear this and be suspicious!
Ah, Marsella must be busy now dealing with Astaroth’s behavior in the shepherd’s house.
I got up from my seat and went over to the doctor who was still stuttering and slapped her on the cheek.

Damn!

“Ah!”

It hit pretty hard, so the doctor let out a loud scream.
Yuria opened her mouth in surprise.

“Cow, Song Ji-hyeok…! What now…!”

Leaving behind the flustered YuRia, I slapped the doctor’s cheek once more.

Damn!

The doctor turned his head.
I shouted.

“Doctor! Hand over the device to YuRia right now!”

The doctor, who had been fiddling with his blushing cheeks with a blank face, regained his focus.
Your mind is back.

“What…? Ha, but…”

“Leona can’t do it alone! Too strong! We need one more!”

“… How is the war situation…?”

“Even if it is disadvantageous, it is too disadvantageous.”

“Shit…!”

He is a doctor who believes in my words.
Can’t you just skip it?
The doctor seemed lost in thought for a moment.
However, when Leona and Astaroth began to stick together over the cockpit, she sighed and took the device out of her pocket.
And handed it to Yuria.

“Just wear it on your arm. Then you will transform.”

YuRia made a surprised face as if she hadn’t expected to receive a device in this situation.
However, the device was handed over with hard eyes.
I said as she was about to take the device into her arm.

“I’ll open the cockpit, so go out and transform. If the fighter plane is destroyed, the doctor and I will become fish food. The second device doesn’t have much capacity. It means that the transformation time is short, so don’t be embarrassed by unfamiliar emotions and powers, and get rid of that monster right away. Do you understand?”

“Ah yes…! I know!”

I run to the cockpit and bang the button! Pressed.
Then the cockpit opened its mouth with a pushy sound.
The moment the smell of the sea stung her nose, Yuria stepped out of her tall legs and jumped, using the cockpit as a stepping stone.
Then he put the device on his arm.
OK,

Dig!

YuRia’s body, which had been falling into the sea, soared up to the stratosphere and began to radiate green light in all directions.
My eyes trembled as I watched it.

‘Finally…!’

Finally, the appearance of the second Beast Slayer.
For the first time, two people will work together to protect the earth.
The situation itself is a little unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.
No, it’s rather good
Because it induced a natural transformation in an urgent situation.