The Golden Magic Tower in Korea.
Yoo Seolha, the Tower Master, took her place at the center of a massive magic circle and placed her hand on the necklace hanging around her neck.
Hum!
A blue energy shimmered within the cat-eye-shaped ornament. The closed eye snapped open, sending out a powerful wave of energy.
‘This is a Sacred Relic called the Eye of Bluecat. Using this, I should be able to find the High Apostle.’
With Cheon Yongje’s help, she had learned how to handle the Sacred Relic and discovered a way to utilize its power efficiently. Originally, its use involved picturing a specific target and tracking them, but that method was inefficient in this situation. If she used that power when no High Apostle was present, it would simply be a waste of energy.
Therefore, she had devised a new method.
“…Whew.”
Yoo Seolha delicately spread the power of the Sacred Relic, opening a surveillance network across the entire Korean Peninsula. She changed the application of the artifact from tracking to monitoring. A surveillance web was established that would last until the energy within the relic was completely depleted. Any existence related to the High Apostles would surely be caught in this net.
Yoo Seolha calmly maintained the power of the relic, keeping the surveillance network open.
‘……’
Some time passed.
An unspecified number of beings appeared within the network Yoo Seolha was maintaining. She identified all of their faces. At the same time, she attached tracking magic to them so that the Wizards of the Golden Tower could easily pursue them.
Soon after, information about those beings came in from the Tower’s mages.
[They are all prisoners who were held in Barten Prison.]
[Joo Wonseong and Yoosaki have been confirmed.]
She immediately relayed the report received through the crystal ball to Cheon Yongje.
[Let us proceed according to plan.]
“Understood.”
Ending the telepathy, she gave instructions to the Wizards of the Golden Tower through the crystal ball.
“Activate the Illusion Magic Circle and eliminate all of the Apostle’s forces.”
[Understood.]
Yoo Seolha focused on the Sacred Relic again to check on the prisoners. Though she was not seeing them directly, the aura they exuded was immense. They were at least as strong as an S-rank Hunter.
Since a High Apostle had intervened, it was only natural. If they hadn’t made any preparations, the damage would have been catastrophic. However, the Wizards of the Golden Tower had not been idle.
They had selected talented mages with strong loyalty and formed a combat organization. To train them, she had obtained permission from Cheon Yongje to use the training rooms in the Dragon Lair.
After approximately three years of honing their skills, the mages used Teleportation Magic to close in on the prisoners. Mages could be seen confronting the majority of the escapees. They chanted their spells to activate the Illusion Magic Circle, a spell that opened a sub-space to prevent civilians from getting hurt.
Freed from the restraint of worrying about collateral damage, the mages unleashed their magic upon the prisoners.
“Just do as we practiced.”
“Yes, sir.”
The teams consisted of one S-rank mage and several A-rank mages.
The S-rank mage took the lead in confronting the prisoner, while the A-rank mages provided support, cornering the criminals.
Multiple attribute spells targeted the prisoners.
Boom!
Crash!
The prisoners did not go down easily. They were once notorious Hunters, and having received power from a High Apostle, they were not easy opponents. They pushed back against the mages using that borrowed strength.
However, they weren’t the only ones who had received special power. This side had received the Dragon’s Blessing from the Gold Dragon. They were also equipped with high-level gear crafted in the Gold Dragon’s lair, which included dark attribute resistance enchantments.
“…What the hell are these guys!”
The prisoners panicked when they saw their attacks failing, and the Wizards of the Golden Tower moved to finish them off.
Kaboom!
Powerful magic obliterated a prisoner clad in the Apostle’s power. Simultaneously, the Illusion Magic Circle shattered, and they returned to the real world. Having finished the battle, the mages drank potions and began clearing away the corpses.
‘…Some areas are being pushed back.’
The mages weren’t winning every battle. Yoosaki, Joo Wonseong, and several other notorious figures were proving difficult. The mages fighting them were barely holding their ground.
“Redeploy the mages who have finished their battles.”
Yoo Seolha dispatched the available mages to the locations where fighting was still ongoing. She coordinated the battlefield while observing the situation. If she had moved personally, she could have finished it quickly, but the most important target — the High Apostle — had yet to appear. She had to hold her position until that being showed itself.
“Gah!”
“Aaaaagh!”
Just then, an Illusion Magic Circle was shattered, and several Tower mages were swept away. The two Association Directors had turned into monsters rather than humans. They burst out of the Illusion Magic Circle, smashing nearby buildings and attempting to massacre helpless civilians.
“Block them!”
“We must stop them at all costs!”
The Wizards of the Golden Tower urgently tried to restrict their movements, but the time they could hold out was limited. Mages who arrived as reinforcements used a large-scale teleportation circle to evacuate all the civilians to safety.
‘At this rate… they’ll be wiped out.’
The energy radiating from those two was at a level that far surpassed an S-rank. It was too much for the Wizards of the Golden Tower to handle. She had to step in herself to stop them.
Just as she was about to inform Cheon Yongje of the situation, he sent a telepathic message.
[Go and stop them. Since the High Apostle has revealed his power, he has descended into this world. You can find him again by refilling the power of the Sacred Relic later.]
“Yes.”
Yoo Seolha severed her connection with the Sacred Relic, drank a potion, and immediately used Teleportation Magic.
She appeared at the scene where the two monsters were rampaging. Rotating the magic circles in her heart, she resonated with the mana in the surroundings.
“Explosion.”
She triggered a massive blast to attack the two monsters.
Kaboom!
The explosion hit them dead-on, swallowing them in flames. The two writhed in agony within the blazing fire. Two shadows could be seen struggling amidst the flames, yet no screams were heard.
‘…What is this?’
The doubt Yoo Seolha harbored was soon resolved. A chilling energy poured down from the sky, seeping into the two beings.
“High Apostle.”
A figure clad in a black hood floated in the sky. He was raising the two dying Association Directors back to their feet.
“Hehehe, power is overflowing. I can’t contain it.”
“I agree.”
Joo Wonseong and Yoosaki, who had shed their human forms to become even closer to monsters, released their explosive power.
“Aaaaaah!”
Boom!
Crack!
Black lightning fell in all directions, targeting the mages.
The power was such that they would have died instantly if Yoo Seolha had not deployed a barrier.
She could kill those two, but she needed time to prepare a spell that powerful.
However, it was difficult for the Wizards of the Golden Tower to buy her that time right now.
While it was possible to block those two, stopping the High Apostle in the sky as well was a tall order. Cheon Yongje had to appear here.
‘Can I stall for time until then?’
Currently, Cheon Yongje was moving to deal with the special monsters that had appeared all over the world. Even if he finished them all and came here, it would take at least ten minutes. Yoo Seolha prepared her magic, prepared to risk her own life.
“…I can see everything.”
As if he had read her intent, the High Apostle floating in the sky laughed.
Thump!
Along with that, a powerful force weighed down on Yoo Seolha. The resonating circles within her twisted under the sudden, crushing pressure.
Cough!
Yoo Seolha spat out a mouthful of blood, her vision blurring. In her hazy sight, someone’s back appeared. A warm energy flowed into her, healing all her injuries.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“What about the other places…?”
Cheon Yongje grinned.
“I left them to others.”
Special monsters had appeared all over the world.
They were so powerful that individual members of the Twelve Constellations could not defeat them.
The only ones capable of taking them down were the Dokkaebi and the Cheonma. Such boss-level monsters had appeared simultaneously across the globe.
– What are we supposed to do about that? Can they even kill them all?
– If it’s the Dokkaebi, he can definitely handle it. The ones in China will be dealt with by the Cheonma.
– The countries with the Twelve Constellations can at least stall for time.
– He can just wipe out the ones in places without the Twelve Constellations first and then deal with the others.
The community did not view the situation too grimly. This was because the Dokkaebi was capable of killing those things, and they had seen him do it quickly before. However, that atmosphere didn’t last.
– Korea_RealTime.jpg
A photograph was uploaded showing the two former Association Directors of China and Japan appearing in Korea. Following that, a very short video clip of them battling the Wizards of the Golden Tower was uploaded.
– Weren’t those guys locked up in Barten Prison?
– This video is fake.
– Fake. Totally fake!
– Why would anyone fabricate something like this in a situation like this?
– What do you mean by ‘a situation like this’?
Just as people were about to dismiss it, the atmosphere turned serious as witnesses at the scene began to testify in real-time.
– It’s real. It’s not just those crazy bastards; there are tons of other lunatics too.
– I’m an employee of the World Association. Barten Prison has been raided.
– Don’t lie.
– Is this for real?
– How could that place be raided? Isn’t it impossible to get out once you’re in there?
– Then does this mean those two in Korea are real? But weren’t their skills as Hunters pretty mediocre?
Everyone was in an uproar upon hearing the news. When the confusion reached its peak as truth and lies spread rapidly, a video was broadcast to everyone in the world.
The Dokkaebi had appeared in a region of Korea. Standing before him was a figure in a black hood. Beneath the hooded figure, monster-like beings were exuding a ferocious aura.
“The Dokkaebi you all love so much has returned to Korea, abandoning all the other countries.”
The black hood let out a bone-chilling laugh. Along with that, the video showed images of the special monsters appearing across the globe.
– How are we going to stop that? Even if the Dokkaebi moves immediately after clearing that up, can he stop them?
– …It’ll be hard.
– Is there any place besides China that can block them?
– We have the Cheonma. Can’t we just call him to clear it up?
– That guy needs to rest for several days after catching just one. He can’t kill all the ones that appeared globally. The Dokkaebi has to come to stop them.
– Then that means at least one country is going to be erased from the world?
Everyone began to tremble in fear as they imagined what was about to happen.
The special monsters in the video began to move. Various Hunters, including the Twelve Constellations, were struggling to stop them, but they were simply outmatched.
Except for the Cheonma in China, no other country could stop the special monsters.
“Skreeeeeeee!”
Just as the special monsters let out a grotesque roar and took a step forward to begin their full-scale destruction, something appeared.
A white-haired, middle-aged man in medieval attire drew his sword and sliced a special monster in half.
In another location, a silver-haired beauty appeared and killed a special monster.
Elsewhere, an elf-like being appeared and took care of the special monster.
With the appearance of these unidentified individuals, the special monsters across the world were killed in an instant.
– What did I just watch?
– Who are those people? Their skills seem to rival even the Dokkaebi’s.
– …This is insane.
The beings who had vanished reappeared at the Dokkaebi’s side in Korea. Those who had sliced through the special monsters in a single blow stood behind the Dokkaebi, staring at the hooded figure.
“Wipe them out.”
At the Dokkaebi’s command, the beings behind him all charged forward. Under the watchful eyes of the entire world, the war between the Dokkaebi and the High Apostle began.