Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 683

Chapter 683

Rumble!

Though there was no sea, the sand surged like waves and crashed over the monsters.

The monsters swept away by the towering sand waves were erased without even having the chance to scream.

A second wave, then a third, rolled in one after another, smashing into the monsters.

Only the mid-sized species and larger managed to endure to some extent thanks to their enormous bodies, while the lower-ranked monsters were crushed beneath the overwhelming mass of sand and buried deep below.

In an instant, hundreds of monsters vanished from the surface.

But Zeon had no intention of being satisfied with just this.

Rumble!

A massive pillar of sand lifted Zeon more than a hundred meters into the air.

Standing atop the sand pillar and looking down upon the battlefield, Zeon exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The tremendous presence radiating from him drew the attention not only of the Awakened nearby, but of the monsters as well.

The Awakened's eyes turned bloodshot.

None of them could even blink.

Something about Zeon's presence forcibly prevented them from looking away.

The senses of the Awakened were exceptionally sharp.

Their highly developed perception granted them insight bordering on foresight.

The higher an Awakened's rank, the sharper that insight became.

And that insight was warning them that something tremendous was about to happen.

The ones who sensed the ominous future were not only the Awakened.

The monsters sensed it as well.

—Kraaaah!

—Gwooooh!

The B-rank and higher monsters unleashed their Fear and reinforced their force fields, while the lower-ranked monsters frantically tried to flee.

At that moment, hell opened upon the sand.

"Sand Mixer."

Gaaaaang!

The sand suddenly leaped into the air as though it had begun to dance, then immediately started spinning violently.

The sight of all the sand within a radius of several hundred meters rotating at once was utterly surreal.

The rotating sand resembled an enormous circular saw blade, making it seem as though hell itself had opened in the mortal world.

And for the monsters standing upon that sand, hell truly had opened.

Kwagagagak!

Thousands of monsters were being buried in the sand and ground to pieces.

They struggled desperately to escape the sand, but the more they struggled, the deeper they sank.

Their hides were shredded.

Their flesh exploded apart.

The lower-ranked monsters with weaker defenses were the first to be turned into bloody sand.

The sight of living creatures being transformed into blood-soaked sand in an instant was truly horrifying.

Splaash!

Blood flung from the sand flew all the way to the Awakened standing far away.

The droplets scattered through the air like a light drizzle.

"This is insane!"

"What the hell...?"

The Awakened trembled as they watched thousands of monsters being shredded all at once.

It was happening far away from them.

Thanks to Zeon using sand waves to separate the Awakened and the monsters by a great distance.

Even so, they couldn't shake the sensation that it was their own bodies being ground apart.

—Gwooooh!

Terrified cries echoed from within the sand.

The desperate screams of monsters—creatures said to know no fear—made even the Awakened feel pity.

Even the bipedal monsters, Ogres and Cyclopes, struggled helplessly after being trapped in the sand before they too were transformed into bloody sand.

They had known that Zeon possessed powers rivaling those of a god while standing upon sand.

But knowing it in theory and witnessing it with their own eyes were two entirely different things.

In an instant, everything within several hundred meters of Zeon had become nothing but bloody sand.

When the Sand Mixer subsided, the only living being left in that stretch of land was Zeon himself.

Standing atop the sand pillar, Zeon shifted his gaze toward the monsters elsewhere.

The monsters that felt his gaze visibly flinched.

Rank didn't matter.

Whether they were enormous or small, every monster felt the same fear.

Because death was the thing all living beings feared most.

Kwaaaaa!

Zeon unleashed Sand Mixer once again, slaughtering hundreds more monsters.

Even as they watched the monsters trapped within the violently spinning sand and instantly reduced to bloody sand, the Awakened could not cheer.

The scene was simply too horrific.

Even the humans fighting on Zeon's side trembled in fear before his transcendent power.

His strength was that overwhelming.

Just as Zeon's eyes moved in search of the next sacrifice—

Rumble!

The monsters suddenly retreated all at once, fleeing beyond the reach of Zeon's influence.

Zeon frowned at the unexpected sight.

It wasn't only the lower-ranked monsters that withdrew.

The A-rank monsters retreated as well, and even the S-rank monsters that had been fiercely battling Levin and the Numbers pulled back as though they had planned it beforehand.

The ones who had been locked in desperate combat could only stare in bewilderment.

"What?"

"Huh?"

High-ranking monsters possessed pride just as high-ranking Awakened did.

The stronger their sense of self, the more disgraceful they considered retreating before an enemy.

For S-rank monsters to all fall back simultaneously was something that could never happen under normal circumstances.

Zeon's expression hardened.

'Could there really be something controlling all of these monsters?'

Otherwise, there was no way to explain what was happening.

—Grrrr...

The monsters standing far away glared at Zeon with bloodshot eyes, letting out warning growls.

Levin descended beside Zeon and asked,

"What the hell's with those bastards? They all retreated at once. Are they actually following someone's commands?"

"It seems there's an individual commanding the monsters."

"Is that even possible? Monsters obediently following orders? If even S-rank monsters obey it, just how strong is this thing?"

"At least SS-rank. Otherwise, none of this makes sense."

"Fuck!"

The curse burst from Levin's mouth the moment he heard Zeon's answer.

The Numbers and the other Awakened felt exactly the same.

Ever since countless monsters had surged toward Neo Seoul all at once, they had thought something was strange.

Because under normal circumstances, such a thing could never happen.

Even if the monsters had sensed that Neo Seoul's anti-monster barrier had disappeared, it was completely unnatural for countless monsters of different species and ranks to gather together at once.

The Numbers, including Seong Hoyeon and Grain, approached Zeon.

"It looks like they're reorganizing their formation too, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"For monsters to regroup instead of acting on instinct. This is driving me crazy."

Just as Seong Hoyeon scratched his head in frustration—

—You've all done well. We'll use the time before the monsters attack again to reorganize our own lines. Leave only the minimum number of personnel on watch and get some rest.

Using the twin sisters' abilities, Kim Mu-Young relayed the order for everyone to rest.

Following Kim Mu-Young's instructions, the Awakened withdrew behind the second defensive line and began resting.

Seong Hoyeon patted Zeon on the shoulder.

"Good work. Let's get some rest too."

"I have somewhere else I need to go first."

"Hm? You're leaving the battlefield?"

"I need to go to City Hall immediately."

"What do you mean? Explain it so I can understand."

"The Mayor is in danger."

"What?"

In an instant, all color drained from the faces of Seong Hoyeon and the other Numbers.

Every member of the Numbers had been deployed to the battlefield and knew nothing of Jin Geum-Ho's situation.

Zeon calmly explained everything that had happened the previous night.

"That insane bastard Seden Price dared to do that to the Mayor..."

"Where is that son of a bitch? I'll tear him apart right now!"

"Aaargh!"

The Numbers raged as though they were about to hunt Seden Price down immediately.

Zeon felt the need to calm them.

"Compose yourselves."

"Compose ourselves? We should kill that bastard!"

"I've already subdued Seden Price and handed him over. Right now, focus only on the Mayor."

"Right! Where is the Mayor now? How bad is his condition?"

Seong Hoyeon barely regained his composure and asked.

"Come with me."

No matter what, the Numbers—who shared a special bond with Jin Geum-Ho—needed to see his condition with their own eyes.

Before leading them away, Zeon turned to Levin.

"Levin."

"Yes, hyung."

"While we're gone, you're in charge here."

Once the Numbers left, there would be too few people capable of stopping the S-rank monsters if they began moving again.

Especially since Levin was the only one who could deal with the giant bat, the flying S-rank monster.

The responsibility resting on his shoulders was enormous.

With a resolute expression, Levin replied,

"Don't worry about this place. Go. Until you all return, I'll hold the line."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. It's simply what I should do as a member of Neo Seoul."

"Good. We'll be back soon."

With that, Zeon headed for City Hall together with the Numbers.

Not a single member of the Numbers spoke during the journey.

As though they already sensed what awaited them.

Zeon understood exactly how they felt.

Because he knew he would feel the same in their place.

So he remained silent as well.

The silence was broken only after they arrived at the underground laboratory beneath City Hall.

"Mayor!"

"Damn it!"

The moment they saw Jin Geum-Ho lying upon the worktable, the Numbers rushed toward him without a second thought.

Jin Geum-Ho's pale, bloodless face made him look like someone already on the verge of death.

His eyes were tightly closed as he held Seo Tae-ran's hand.

Seo Tae-ran, who had been maintaining the Soul Transfer skill for some time, turned to face the Numbers.

"So you've come."

"The Mayor...?"

"He's going to die."

Seo Tae-ran answered coldly, without the slightest attempt to conceal the truth.

There was no point in hiding it.

Grain's jaw twitched as he asked,

"Is there... no way to save him?"

"There isn't."

"Not even one percent?"

"No."

"Damn it!"

"But the Mayor will be reborn."

"What kind of joke is that?"

"I'm going to transfer the Mayor's soul into Divine Judgement."

"What?"

Grain and the other Numbers blinked in disbelief.

The words were so absurd that it took time for them to process.

The first to recover was Seong Hoyeon.

"Is that even possible? No... more importantly, why Divine Judgement...?"

"It's what the Mayor wanted. Even if it's in this form, he wants to continue protecting Neo Seoul and humanity."

"Damn it!"

Seong Hoyeon couldn't bring himself to accuse her of lying.

Because he knew Jin Geum-Ho well enough to believe he truly would make such a decision.

"So... you're transferring his soul right now?"

"Yes. Thanks to all of you protecting us, we're nearly finished."

"Then if the transfer succeeds... the Mayor will awaken inside Divine Judgement?"

"If it succeeds, yes."

"...Ha."

"Don't sigh like that. And don't despair. If the Mayor wakes up and sees you all looking so defeated, how disappointed do you think he'll be? Don't forget—you are the Numbers, the people he trusted more than anyone."

Seo Tae-ran's voice carried an authority that was impossible to defy.

Seeing this side of her—a side none of them had ever witnessed before—the Numbers forgot their grief for a moment and simply stared at her in silence.

No one had to tell them.

Instinctively, they understood.

The one who would succeed Jin Geum-Ho and lead Neo Seoul from this point onward...

...was Seo Tae-ran.

Overwhelmed by her presence, they continued staring at her for a long while.

Seo Tae-ran closed her eyes once more and focused entirely on the Soul Transfer.

The process seemed to be reaching its final stage, for sweat poured from her entire body like rain.

At that moment—

The mana throughout the laboratory suddenly began to churn violently.

Then a blinding light burst forth from Divine Judgement.