Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 684

Chapter 684

Uuuung!

The Divine Judgement let out a low hum.

The sound of countless parts meshing and turning together felt more beautiful than any musical instrument.

Seo Taeran opened her eyes and looked at the Divine Judgement.

“Mr... Mayor?”

—Taeran.

At that moment, Jin Geumho’s voice came from the Divine Judgement.

The instant she heard his voice, the strength finally left Seo Taeran’s legs, and she collapsed to the floor.

She simply could not believe that she had transferred Jin Geumho’s soul into the Divine Judgement with her own hands.

Overwhelmed by indescribable sorrow, Seo Taeran broke down in tears.

—Do not cry, Taeran. You did nothing wrong. This was entirely my own choice.

“Sob...!”

—I leave Neo Seoul in your hands. I will be watching from space, so speak to me now and then to ease the loneliness.

“I will. Whenever you feel lonely, please talk to me.”

—Thank you.

Whirr!

The lens mounted on the Divine Judgement turned toward the Numbers standing beside Seo Taeran.

—You've come.

“Is it really you, Mr. Mayor? How can this be...?”

“Ugh...!”

Seong Hoyeon and Grain burst into tears.

These men of steel, who had never trembled in fear or shed tears no matter how powerful the enemy, could do nothing but cry.

Jin Geumho simply looked at them in silence.

It was as if he were giving them time to compose themselves.

After a while, Seong Hoyeon and Grain wiped away their tears and looked at the Divine Judgement.

Though their eyes were bloodshot, they no longer wore sorrowful expressions.

Forcing a smile, Seong Hoyeon said,

“Haha! You said you'd bring heavenly punishment upon the monsters, and now you've become Heavenly Punishment yourself?”

—Rather than borrowing someone else's hands, I thought it would feel better to deliver heavenly punishment with my own.

“I suppose that does make it more satisfying.”

—Hoyeon.

“Yes, sir.”

—Take good care of Taeran. Help her the way you helped me.

“Don't worry. I'll devote my loyalty to the second Mayor as well. So don't worry about this place, and take care of yourself in space. If you get lonely, just let us know.”

—If I say I'm lonely, are you planning to come up to space?

“If I could, of course I would. If we ever launch another satellite someday, that'll be my job. I'll continue serving you in space.”

—No need. It's cramped enough already. Why would you come too? One of me is enough up there.

Jin Geumho exchanged jokes with Seong Hoyeon without formality.

Grain joined their conversation.

“So you really have become a star in the night sky. You're impossible.”

—Thank you for everything, Grain.

“Don't talk like we'll never see each other again. Someday, I'll go up to space with the Captain too.”

—I told you, it's cramped.

“Then bear with it. We lived just fine packed together in Neo Seoul, which was even more cramped.”

—You've grown. Now you're trying to treat me as an equal?

“Go easy on me. I'm old enough now, aren't I?”

—Haha! Fine, I will. Treat me as an equal all you want.

“Thank you... hehe!”

Grain smiled through his tears.

Zeon quietly watched their final conversation.

Laughing and chatting so carefree like this would never have happened while Jin Geumho was alive.

Jin Geumho had always been obsessed with protecting Neo Seoul, allowing himself not the slightest weakness.

Because of that, he had never shown weakness or laughed so freely, even in front of trusted subordinates like Seong Hoyeon and Grain.

But because these were his final moments on Earth, he spent the time making jokes he never normally would.

They talked like that for quite a while, and Zeon simply watched in silence.

Kuuung!

At that moment, a powerful tremor shook City Hall.

Jin Geumho, whose soul now resided within the Divine Judgement, spoke.

—It seems the monsters have begun attacking again. We should end our conversation here. It is time for me to head into space. Zeon.

“Yes.”

—Thank you for everything.

“You've worked hard as well, Mr. Mayor.”

—I have one final favor to ask.

“Please tell me.”

—Help me reach space safely. As you can see, this new body cannot properly display its power anywhere but in space.

“So it seems.”

Zeon answered with a smile.

The moment of launch was when the Divine Judgement was at its most vulnerable.

Once it reached orbit, it would wield overwhelming power, but from the instant it launched until then, it would be as defenseless as a newborn.

Until it escaped Earth's gravity and settled into orbit, it had to be protected from the monsters.

Kuuung!

Another violent tremor shook the building.

The monsters, having reorganized their ranks, were attacking the defensive line with even greater force than before.

Jin Geumho spoke.

—Take me to the launch pad immediately.

---

Boom! Boom!

The powerful tremors reached even Tesserina's lair.

Protected by powerful magic circles and barriers, the lair itself suffered no damage, but it was more than enough to irritate Tesserina.

With her brow deeply furrowed, Tesserina looked outside.

Far away, she could see the monsters and the awakened locked in fierce combat.

The monsters that had retreated after suffering heavy losses were now assaulting the second defensive line with even greater ferocity.

The second defensive line looked as though it might collapse at any moment.

Just then, Nigel approached Tesserina.

“You've become more patient.”

“Me?”

“The old you would never have allowed monsters to rampage so close to your lair.”

“The situation has changed. I'm no longer a dragon, and now I coexist with humans. I can't just go on a rampage because I'm irritated.”

“You've made the right choice.”

Nigel nodded.

Even in Kurayan, it was considered taboo for dragons to interfere freely in the affairs of the human world.

Of course, there were a few who broke that taboo and amused themselves however they pleased, but they were only a tiny minority.

Most dragons were extremely reluctant to interfere with humanity.

After all, dragons were beings powerful enough to overturn the very laws of the world.

Though not as powerful as her original body, Tesserina's magic still far surpassed that of any magic-type awakened in Neo Seoul.

If she stepped onto the front lines, it would undoubtedly shake human history and draw immense attention.

Tesserina preferred living quietly like she did now.

She had no desire for that kind of attention.

“Even if I don't step in, I believe the humans can overcome this crisis.”

“In the worst-case scenario, the Sand Mage himself will act.”

“Yes. No matter what anyone says, he's the strongest awakened.”

“Hmm.”

Nigel let out a low grunt.

Even he, a half-demonic dragon, could not confidently say he would defeat Zeon.

With Zeon there, Nigel could focus on his recovery without worry.

Suddenly, Nigel's expression hardened.

“Wait!”

“What is it?”

“I sensed an immensely powerful mana.”

“What?”

“Someone just swept across Neo Seoul with a detection spell.”

“Don't tell me...”

“Raykas. He must be using detection magic to search for me.”

“My goodness!”

Tesserina's eyes widened in shock.

“I can feel the wavelength of his mana. He's definitely searching for me. Then... did he absorb the remaining residual consciousness as well?”

Nigel bit down hard on his lip.

He had no idea how far away Raykas was.

It was beyond the range of his own perception.

When they fought before, the gap between them had not been this great.

There was only one explanation for Raykas's sudden leap in power.

Raykas had undoubtedly absorbed the crystal Dantal possessed.

“Damn it!”

The reason Raykas was searching for Nigel with detection magic was simple.

It meant he was confident he could subdue Nigel and take the crystal whenever he wished.

“Since it's come to this, I suppose I'll have to stay hidden even more thoroughly.”

If he went outside and wiped out the monsters just because he was irritated, Raykas would immediately notice him.

It was humiliating to have to hide like a mole just to avoid Raykas, but this was no time to cling to pride.

“Tesserina.”

“I know. I'll reinforce the barrier so that none of your presence leaks outside.”

“I'm sorry for causing you trouble.”

“It's alright.”

Tesserina shook her head.

If Raykas killed Nigel and became even stronger, then both she and Neo Seoul would be in danger.

If even Nigel couldn't handle Raykas, her chances of defeating him were zero.

For her own sake as well, she had to protect Nigel.

Speaking confidently, Tesserina declared,

“Even if the monsters come swarming in, my lair will never fall. So don't worry, Sir Nigel.”

---

Boom! Kuuung!

Feeling the powerful tremors beneath his feet, Kim Muyeong's face stiffened.

His entire body was drenched in sweat.

The simulations driven by Thought Acceleration had exhausted both his stamina and mental strength to their limits.

monsters were pouring in from every direction.

Commanding every front while keeping track of them all was far easier said than done.

Without Thought Acceleration, he could never have managed every battlefield so efficiently.

Even so, they had somehow managed to endure until now.

At the critical moment, Zeon had stepped in and swept away the monsters.

Thanks to that, they had been able to rest and recover some of their mana and mental strength.

Otherwise, he might already have collapsed from exhaustion.

But the monsters, having rested sufficiently themselves, returned with even fiercer attacks.

Kim Muyeong spoke to the twins.

“Tell everyone to abandon the second defensive line and retreat to the third.”

“Okay!”

“Got it.”

Without hesitation, the twins relayed Kim Muyeong's orders to everyone.

Without them, directing the awakened this efficiently would have been impossible.

Just as Zeon had, Kim Muyeong also questioned the current situation.

He had already personally confirmed the appearance of five S-rank monsters.

Though he had never fought one himself, Kim Muyeong knew very well just how terrifying S-rank monsters were.

Hunting a single S-rank monster was more difficult and dangerous than hunting ten A-rank monsters.

Even S-rank awakened could not hunt an S-rank monster alone.

Only exceptional beings like Zeon could accomplish such a feat.

Most S-rank awakened needed longtime companions working in perfect coordination, and even then, their chances of success were far from high.

Moreover, most of the S-rank monsters that had appeared in Neo Seoul were entirely new species that had never been documented before.

Naturally, there were no established methods for dealing with them.

That was why the casualties were so severe.

The real problem was that the five S-rank monsters attacked the awakened without ever overlapping their routes, as though following a coordinated plan.

Without something directing them, such precision would have been impossible.

‘Where are you hiding?’

He had to find and kill the being controlling all these monsters.

Otherwise, this massive offensive would never end.

Just then, the twin sisters spoke to Kim Muyeong.

“They're launching the Divine Judgement.”

“They're asking us to keep the flying monsters from getting close.”

At their words, delight lit up Kim Muyeong's face.

“At last... the Divine Judgement...”