Chapter 163 – Light Demon (4)

The new dawn yeared with hail. From the first day of the New Year, when we had to talk about our dreams and hopes for the future, the whole world was in turmoil. It was because of the super-large gate that occurred in Taiwan.

The early days of the gate crisis. The time when China, which was called G2, collapsed miserably, Africa became a living hell, and the territory of mankind was infinitely narrowed.
At the time, nationalism was in vogue. It was natural. Because no country wanted to shed blood on someone else’s country.

So many countries perished, and mankind realized through countless trials and errors. Depending on national power, even large gates can be blocked somehow.

However, the monsters pouring out of the super-large gate were too overwhelming for a single country to stop. Even if it is not properly stopped, the aftermath is directed to other countries.

The act of trying to respond alone will only accelerate destruction. Humanity has finally come to that conclusion.

After. The UN has been transformed from a formal international organization into a group with a huge military organization called the Human Army. An international law was enacted to force international cooperation against S-rank monsters and super-large gates.

Protestantism also grew in numbers amidst the tribulation. Merging the land and assets of the destroyed country. Received support from numerous countries entrusted to Protestantism for defense. To be honest, I didn’t think that the headquarters of the Protestant Church was in Jeju, it was just a forced setting in the game. It was the same even where I am standing now.

The third Jeju-class ship, Avesta.

A super carrier with a full capacity of 100,000 tons. She was the flagship of the Shinkyo-affiliated Pacific Fleet, which returned to Jeju shortly after the outbreak of the Taiwan Crisis. Looking at the size of the fleet, it clearly exceeded the level of a single country.

On the vast flight deck, the New Year’s ceremony was held for a long time. The horse was a New Year’s event, and in fact it was like a military parade. Tension was on the faces of the people who were supposed to enjoy the festival. I stood on the bridge, looked at it for a moment, then turned around.

“The situation in Taiwan is not good.”

Ryu Eun-chae, who was waiting, reported immediately.

“No good news.”
“Yes. The Taiwanese government seems to have been taken over by the Blood Religion.”

Ryu Eun-chae put a video on the display in the bridge.

[Notice from the Gate Authority. Currently, the monster is running away. Don’t leave the city. Citizens, please engage in your livelihood with peace of mind. The government and military will defend the entire country with you.]

It was a broadcast from the Taiwanese government that rang loudly.

The monster that was said to be running away was still active in the city.

In such a situation, it was impossible for people to just trust the government and stay still, so the confusion in Taiwan reached its limit. Gray smoke continuously rose from each city in the video. It felt like watching the process of civilization collapsing in real time.

The screen changed, and the image of the unmanned people fighting fiercely with the demons was reflected.

“Soldier?”
“Yes, Taiwanese warriors who were not seduced by blood ties are resisting by joining forces with some soldiers… “
“Because it is an island, the places to escape are limited. Even ten hands would be insufficient to protect even civilians.”
“That’s the problem. The Taiwanese military has placed all the equipment around Mount Jade, as if they were completely in collusion with the blood ties. Even the air defense batteries are all near Oksan. Of course, all access is denied.”
“What about the response between the UN forces and the U.S. Forces?”
“We are preparing for the landing step by step, but what should we do with the Taiwanese army? It seems that there is no clear conclusion. In any case, it is correct to defend the vicinity of Oksan.”

There was a bitter taste in my mouth. A sudden outbreak. It still took about a month for Shinkyo to fully prepare. This wasn’t something that could be done at once, like the Tangmun situation.

Subdue the resisting soldiers and unmanned soldiers.
Destroy the truth of the Blood God Advent, and protect tens of millions of civilians.
An enormous amount of material was required. It was, in the true sense of the word, a war on a national scale.

It was hard to even imagine what would happen if he lost. I don’t think I’ve ever been as unsure as this time. That’s how complicated things were.

‘We have to win.’

With minimal damage.

I stared at the Blood Demon Palace somewhere across the sea.

***

So, a month passed.

“⋯Captain.”

Someone whispered in my ear. A low voice, scarlet eyes and light blue hair. Enemy I lifted my closed eyelids. I didn’t know if I would be able to sleep properly in the future, so I rested as much as possible before departure. Thanks to that, the body was perfect.

“Thank you.”

After lightly washing my face, I walked down the long corridor inside the ship. Within a month, things got worse. The UN forces had prepared a bridgehead, but it was not easy to provide humanitarian aid due to the huge number of refugees.

“No.”

The enemy following me was uncharacteristically quiet.

“Are you nervous?”
“Seeing that they gathered, I thought it was a real war. It wasn’t like this at the time of the visit…”
“This is a real war. It was actually close to a struggle between the Murim people at the time of the party.”

The flagship of the fleet departing for Taiwan was the Avesta, where I was still. As I approached, the bridge door opened, revealing what was inside. It was quite crowded. They looked at me and bowed their heads at the same time.

“All other places, including Ohdaemajeon, have been prepared. Now only Avesta remains.”

As soon as I settled down on the bridge, a report came in.

The launching ceremony has already been completed. Only the final boarding process remained. The other ships had already sailed out and put to sea. The appearance of ships filling the sea to the horizon was quite spectacular. The flag representing each ship’s affiliation fluttered softly.

After waiting for a while, a familiar wave approached us. I greeted the blonde woman entering the bridge.

“Come on. It’s a little late.”
“⋯I’m late because I was talking to the Ice Wizard.”
“I heard that Mafu is staying at the main school.”
“Something’s wrong…”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s a secret.”

Chun Ha-yeon slightly averted her gaze. Among the Five Wars, the Ice Horse Battle was the only place where the owner did not directly participate. The owner of Bingmajeon, after the Bingma, was the mother of Cheon Hayeon and also a wife from my point of view. She was a very difficult opponent.

“What do you want to hide so tightly?”
“You will find out soon.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a ‘very familiar’ energy coming this way. The brow narrowed naturally.

Eventually, the bridge door opened, and a woman entered proudly. The sleeves of the thin bridesmaid’s dress, unsuitable for midwinter, swayed whenever she walked. Except for her black hair, it was like pure white snowflakes.

“Long time no see.”

The one who smiled at me was midsummer when the museum was closed just in time for departure.

“⋯ Long time no see.”
“Have you grown a little?”
“It’s not a little. Did you take an elixir instead of rice?”

Even compared to Cheonhayeon, the air wave in midsummer was not pushed back. I wasn’t sure if the real state was Hwagyeong or not, but anyway, even for me, when I received all kinds of buffs at the time of transcendence, the ability itself was at the peak of Hwagyeong. Midsummer felt just like that.

“It’s not an elixir instead of rice, it’s an ice crystal. It worked.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“It’s not overkill. It was possible because Bingmahu helped me both physically and mentally. It would have been impossible alone.”
“Is this the reason that Ice Mahu couldn’t participate?”
“It was okay until the middle, but it was a bit overworked at the end. It happened because I was half-forced during breakfast, so there was no time to stop it.”
“Is that so? Good job.”

I gently stroked the hair of the midsummer that had approached me.

“Yes.”

Maybe it’s because I’m not married. The growth rate in midsummer was also at a level that made no sense.

“Master, everything is ready.”

Ryu Eun-chae, who was busy moving, bowed her head politely. Cheon Ha-yeon looked at me blankly.

“Let’s go.”

There were no grandiose speeches, grand departure ceremonies, or resounding shouts. The departure took place quietly. As the flagship of the fleet, Avesta, went out to sea, all the ships moved around it.

As they left the territorial sea and went out to the distant sea, other ships waiting in advance joined them one by one. Moorimmaeng, Republic of Korea Navy, all kinds of civilian ships for support. Even academy professors and cadets volunteered to join.
Thanks to this, the number of ships gathered quickly exceeded a thousand. Historically, how many times has such a large fleet been gathered? Including the UN and US forces operating in Taiwan in advance, it was right to say that it was the largest maritime operation since Normandy.

[It’s cool.]

Hiding in my shadow, Beatrice, who had become a half-hikikomori these days, spoke to me.

[Wouldn’t it be better for you to just come out, too? They’re all familiar faces anyway.]
[I’m comfortable here.]
[Isn’t it frustrating to stay there for so long?]
[Nope. When I’m here, I feel like I’ve become one with my juniors. How nice. Feel like being hugged?]
[⋯You didn’t do anything strange to the method, did you?]
[If that’s the case, my junior would have noticed. Do you think you can fool your senses?]
[Wouldn’t it be possible if it was senior?]
[Impossible. If my junior hugged me a little more, I wouldn’t have been so obsessed.]
[Who was the one who gave me a hug every time I slept? Everyone else was busy, so I couldn’t even hold them.]
[Not enough.]
[Later. End of this day⋯]
[Shh. No flags.]
[That’s right.]

I nodded and looked outside.
The flag of Cheonhwajeon, which symbolizes the small school principal.
And the flag of Black Dragon Pavilion, which symbolizes me, fluttered under the gloomy sky.