Chapter 28
This is insane, insane!
He really fights damn well!
Boss! Doesn't this mean we can win?!
With Allah's blessing, morale soared to the heavens. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen faces this hopeful.
Long live Allah!
We can win! Waaaaah!
Since the holy warrior spirits were literally grinding the skinwalkers to dust, there really wasn't anything for us to do.
Before they could even get close, they were all blown apart by the spiritual AK47s, and even if one somehow reached them, it was like leaves in an autumn wind before the scimitars.
And with the dependable Brother Saladin holding the front while running his human blender, we really only had to stand guard in the rear.
Allahu Akbar!
And just like that, we wiped out the pack of skinwalkers.
I wasn't sure exactly, but there had to have been as many as a thousand of them.
We had so easily defeated a huge force that, if we'd tried to take it on with only our survivor group, it would have wiped us out several times over.
Sal-hyung! I had no idea you were this amazing...! This is incredible! Everyone's praising Allah's greatness!
I ran over at once to share my excitement, and Sal-hyung laughed heartily.
Hahaha! Of course, brother! I'm so glad I was able to open my brothers' eyes!
Sal-hyung seemed greatly pleased that our people had all come to praise Allah.
That war chant was so cool too! I'd like to memorize the lyrics as well!
There can be no happier words! I'll let you know once this battle is over!
Once all this is over, I need to learn Arabic first.
But, Sal-hyung. How did you end up like this when you have that kind of power? I don't know the details, but the power of the Islamic holy warriors can't be limited to just this, can it?
Honestly, their combat power seemed to surpass the fake Agency's. Of course, all I'd seen was Assistant Director Lee Do-hyung and his lackeys, but instinctively these holy warriors looked stronger.
You're right. There are many holy warriors like me. But... this was truly something that couldn't be helped.
Sal-hyung's expression grew somber.
A tremendously huge and powerful evil rose up in an instant. At the same time, our connection to Mecca was severed, and countless barriers and spiritual powers were rendered useless in a flash.
Ah.
The mere appearance of those giants caused all of that.
What... those giants nullified even that spiritual power?
Yes.
It seems the giants appeared so suddenly that, once their spiritual power was nullified, they were defeated in no time.
To the point that even a force of holy warriors this powerful couldn't do anything about it.
ㅡGulp.
I swallowed hard and asked.
Sal-hyung. If we went back to the past and tried to stop this, what should we have done?
Hmm, frankly, it's a meaningless hypothetical. But if I had to answer... before they appear. If you wait in advance at the place where they'll appear and annihilate them the moment they emerge, it might be possible.
...
Then it hit me.
Right after I regressed.
If it was then, I could somehow make it work.
But even if I regressed to that point, what could I do? I don't have power this overwhelming.
Which meant I'd need help, but could I just contact the Agency and Sal-hyung as soon as it started? But how would I make that seem natural? Should I at least get their contact info first?
Sal-hyung.
Just as I was about to say something about that.
ㅡThump!
A powerful pulse suddenly echoed.
Gasp!
Tch!
My subordinates clapped their hands over their ears and crouched down. I staggered too, feeling the violent vibration. I'd felt this before. It was the pulse I'd felt inside the building right after that monster went into the wall.
This can't be! Brother! Be careful! A great evil has appeared!
A great evil?!
Don't tell me it's a giant!
Get a grip! Get up! If you don't have your guns out, we'll all die!
Aaaagh!
Everyone screamed and got back to their feet.
And then.
ㅡBOOM!
Smashing through the debris in front of us, something emerged.
ㅡShrrk.
It was about 3 meters tall. Small, yes, but still big enough to be called a giant. It looked like a stretched-out skinwalker... but there was one crucial difference.
ㅡSzzzt.
Bone blades jutted from all over its body. It was a hideous sight, like some bomb that made bone spikes erupt from inside it had gone off.
What a vile aura!
Those things.
ㅡBOOM!
ㅡTHOOM!
Ten of them appeared from all directions.
S-Sal-hyung! Can we win this?!
Tch...! Are they the elite guards defending the nest? They seem to be the enemy's high-ranking warriors! We'll have to fight with everything we've got! There's no other way!
ㅡFlash!
The moment all ten of them suddenly vanished.
ㅡShhhk.
A spray of blood burst out in all directions.
Huh?!
Aaaagh!
Kyaaagh!
Jin-seop, Byung-cheol, and Tae-ho were split apart. The monsters had closed in at a speed invisible to the eye and swung their bone blades.
G-guys!
These bastards... my subordinates!
Damn it!
ㅡRATATATATA!
I aimed at the monsters and opened fire wildly with my K2. The spirit holy warriors also unleashed their spiritual AK47s on them.
But.
ㅡSHWAK!
A single slash split apart several of the holy warriors. Because they were spirits, no blood gushed out. Still, I was devastated that the Islamic warrior spirits had been defeated so meaninglessly.
No, don't! The holy warriors! The Islamic spirits are getting taken down!
ㅡBOOOOM!
The moment I cried out in despair, the split spirit exploded.
Did that blast do the trick?
A huge wound opened in the monster's body.
He only became a martyr! Brother! Fight! Holy warriors must fulfill their duty to the very end!
Allahu Akbar!
Allahu Akbar!
At Sal-hyung's shout, the spirit holy warriors sprayed their spiritual AK47s and charged at the monster. The moment they closed in, a huge explosion erupted.
Suicide bombing...! What the fuck!
There was no way I could respond to the situation quickly anymore.
ㅡShwak!
ㅡKraaaang!
Everyone on the scene fought like mad. Sal-hyung roared like a beast, swinging his scimitar and firing the AK47 with pinpoint accuracy.
As a result, the number of monsters decreased, but there had been far too many to begin with.
With most of the holy warriors sacrificed as well, one of the bastards finally came charging at me.
Aaaaaah! You bastard!
Even while I was spraying bullets, I knew better than anyone that I couldn't stop it.
So this is how I regress.
A little more information.
It would have been nice if I'd been able to get a bit more useful information out of Sal-hyung.
Brother!!!
Sal-hyung?!
At that very moment, Sal-hyung leaped in front of me. It happened so suddenly that there was nothing I could do.
ㅡShwak!
The monster sliced through Sal-hyung's upper body.
Sal-hyung!
Sal-hyung was thrown backward.
Blood rained down along that arc.
Cough...! Holy warriors!
I kicked off the ground and ran. I caught Sal-hyung as he flew through the air, spurting blood. At the same time, the last remaining spirit holy warriors charged the bastard who had attacked him and exploded.
ㅡKRAAAANG!
With that, all the high-ranking monsters that had appeared were dead.
Sal-hyung! Are you all right?!
But we had lost everything too.
My subordinates too.
The spirit holy warriors too.
And Sal-hyung too.
Cough, cough...!
Blood sprayed from Sal-hyung's mouth.
I can't move anymore... ugh, I think this is as far as I go, brother.
Don't say that, Sal-hyung!
Brother... if only we had met earlier...
Sal-hyung...!
Tears welled up.
My connection with Sal-hyung had been short, but he was a true brother.
What was I, anyway?
What was I, just someone who only possessed the black stone!
He died trying to save me!
C-cough... what a shame... I never even got to teach you the true teachings of our Islam... huff, huff! But, brother. Our duty doesn't end here.
Duty.
Take my weapons with you.
Sal-hyung said with determined eyes.
He was telling me to take his scimitar and AK47.
And this too.
With trembling hands.
He handed me dynamite.
I took it.
Brother...! Ugh!
Don't cry. There is no time for tears. You must go at once! Join up with the agent and the nun! Go, brother, quickly! We have to save this world! Hurry, before those vile demons swallow the Earth!!!
Sal-hyuuung!
ㅡWhoosh!
I accepted Sal-hyung's final words and stood up.
That should do it... brave brother... Allah, hu, akba...
I couldn't bring myself to watch Sal-hyung die.
Because I had to carry on his will.
I ran and ran, carrying the sacred weapons of Islam.
Shit!
Grief welled up and tears burst out.
An incredibly intense grief and rage surged up inside me.
Let's go!
What I had to do hadn't changed.
No matter what, I'd find the key to resolving this crisis!
ㅡTap-tap-tap!
I ran and ran.
Maybe because we'd slain so many monsters, none appeared along the way. So I kept running toward the flower visible in the distance.
Ah.
The scenery began to change.
A world that had become even more bizarre.
Twisted scraps of flesh covered the collapsed debris, as if our world had been transformed into the world of those giants.
All over the place, I could see corpses in black suits and sunglasses strewn about.
They looked like they'd died long ago.
Are those the fake Agency's agents...
Did they fight those giants too, like at the hospital?
How long had I been running, watching those piles of corpses?
Ah!
I could see the nun sitting up ahead!
Hey, Sister!
I ran, shouting her name.