Chapter 2
A Gate opened in the heart of Seoul.
That in itself was nothing unusual.
Ever since Gates first appeared all over the world thirty years ago, it had become commonplace for them to open in the middle of cities, like the Jamsil Gate, Namyangju Gate, and Songdo Gate.
The problem was its rank.
"Black..."
A grade deemed "unrankable," beyond even the official ranking system of the World Hunter Association.
Since rankings were based on the amount of energy inside a Gate, the system boasted an impressive 99.9% accuracy rate.
The Korea Hunter Association made full preparations. It requested support from the World Hunter Association and asked the country's leading Hunter Guilds to enter the Gate.
"Those fucking bastards... They only get busy when it suits them."
"Is this the first time the Hunter Guilds have pulled this?"
At Manager Kim Jinsu's words, Han Hari, a Hunter affiliated with the Association, wore an expression that suggested none of this surprised her anymore.
The Black Gate had appeared for the first time in thirteen years. The country's major guilds refused to make the initial entry and chose to wait and see.
In a way, it was only natural. Even A-rank Gates—the scarlet ones—regularly resulted in numerous casualties. And this was a black Gate, an unrankable grade—not even a red, S-rank one.
No major guild wanted to risk its precious forces in a Gate whose danger level couldn't be measured.
In the end, the government-run Hunter Association had no choice but to take action itself and assess the Gate's condition.
The advance team would enter first, assess the danger, and return with as much information as possible to distribute to the major guilds.
It was standard procedure, since having solid advance information gave them a major advantage in figuring out how to clear the Gate.
The problem was the advance team, who had to enter with no information at all.
"Hari... are you sure about this?"
Manager Kim looked worried as he watched Hari, who had volunteered for the Hunter Association's advance team.
It was a dangerous reconnaissance mission. The Association had selected only volunteers, and they'd set out with such grim resolve that they'd even written farewell letters.
It was heartbreaking to see a promising new recruit, barely twenty years old, take on such a mission.
"I'm fine. I'm the only A-rank Hunter among the volunteers, right? We need at least one proper damage dealer."
"Still..."
An A-rank Hunter was certainly a valuable asset. More than anything, the Hunter Association barely had any A-rank Hunters on its roster.
That was because all the Hunters with that kind of talent had joined major guilds.
"For the safety of the citizens and the peace of the nation! That's our Association's motto, isn't it?"
"...You fool."
She was one of the Association's few promising talents.
In modern-day Earth, where the major guilds had absorbed all the best talent, Hunters who chose to become government employees with the Association were usually D- or C-rank. Even after years on the job, they barely reached B-rank.
An A-rank Hunter with enough promise to apply to the Association right after graduating from the Academy. If properly nurtured, she might become the only S-rank Hunter besides the Association's chief.
He wanted to tell her to go back for the sake of her future, but the advance team was far too weak for him to send her away now.
It had been thirteen years since the last black-rank Gate. Even an S-rank Hunter wouldn't have been enough for this advance mission, yet Hari was the team's only A-rank Hunter.
"Phew... Let's just pray you make it back alive."
-We're going in! Everyone, get ready!
* * * *
"Ugh... Of all things, a field-type Gate?"
The inside of the Gate was a complete mess.
Some Gates were desolate, as if their worlds had been destroyed, but the black Gate the Association's advance team had entered was beyond anything they'd imagined.
First, the sky was dyed bright red.
The sky's crimson hue was far beyond anything like the glow of a sunset.
It was a ghastly red, as if the sky had been turned inside out.
Not a single blade of grass could be seen on the ground. It was so dry and barren that it was hard to believe living creatures had ever inhabited this place.
"Goodness, I've never seen a Gate like this before. Where on earth are we?"
"Stay alert, Hari. It's been thirteen years since the last unrankable Gate appeared. We don't know what might come out."
"I know... But what could possibly be in this world for its rank to be immeasurable?"
"Who knows... Maybe there's an upper-tier demon or something?"
"Don't say something so terrifying."
Just then, message windows appeared before Hari and the other Association Hunters who had entered the Gate.
[Gate Mission]
The mission system had appeared after Gates began emerging around the world and Hunters started awakening their magical powers.
It was an invaluable system that provided Hunters entering a Gate with basic information about it and its clearing objective.
"M-Manager..."
"Fuck..."
But the Hunters who checked the system window turned deathly pale and began to tremble.
[Hunt down all demons.]
Demons remaining: 117 / ????????
"Demons..."
A race that occasionally appeared in high-rank Gates among the countless Gates out there.
Six years ago, the upper-tier demon Kanbala, who appeared in a scarlet-rank Gate, had even killed Go Jinhyeok, an S-rank Hunter from Korea.
And that wasn't all. Twenty-two years ago, the appearance of the Great Demon Skajakarier—or a lord-class demon—in China had caused a horrific disaster.
"Fuck! Fuck! We have to get out of here right now!"
"Manager!"
Even Manager Kim, a veteran who'd seen his share of worst-case scenarios, was thrown into confusion.
This Gate was a Demon Gate, one of the many Gates where demons appeared.
"Those bastards won't stay dead!"
It wasn't that they were truly immortal. They simply came back to life.
The Great Demon Skajakarier, who had appeared in the Shanghai Demon Gate in China twenty-two years ago, had been defeated more than five times to date.
But the Demon Gate hadn't disappeared. It reappeared every four years and caused a dungeon break.
"Calm down, Manager. They're demons, but there are only 117 of them. Maybe we can finish this more easily than expected."
"That's the problem! It's only 117 demons, but the Gate came up black-rank! That means we have to assume there's at least one Great Demon!"
Dungeon ranks were determined by the amount of energy within the dungeon.
The fact that the Gate was black-rank despite containing only 117 demons meant that every single one of them was terrifyingly powerful.
More than anything, if this was a Great Demon-class Demon Gate, there was a risk it wouldn't close and would remain permanently, like the Shanghai Demon Gate.
It was horrific. Shanghai had already become a ghost town because of that Demon Gate, hadn't it?
"Retreat for now! We need to tell the Association this is a Demon Gate!"
This wasn't something an advance team of fewer than twenty people could handle.
Just as Manager Kim, the party leader, decided to retreat...
"Manager! Look over there!"
In the direction one of the Hunters pointed, a demon with a huge masked face was looking down at them.
"Damn... It's a Great Sword!"
The lesser demon, Great Sword.
A small demon about 1.5 meters tall, wielding a sword larger than its own body.
But they couldn't afford to let their guard down just because it was a lesser demon. Among demons, Great Swords were especially powerful attackers.
As its name suggested, a Great Sword wielded a massive blade, and even a glancing blow could cause wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding.
"Ah..."
And there wasn't just one Great Sword.
More and more Great Swords appeared. Other demons joined them, and their numbers had already exceeded a hundred.
"A-dungeon break already?"
Every Gate had a grace period before its mission had to be cleared. So why were they swarming out as soon as the Gate opened?
-It's the Gate! The Gate!
-We're saved, we're saved!
-Run! Run!
The demons rejoiced with strange cries of delight. As they charged at the Hunters, the Hunters gripped their weapons.
"E-everyone, get a grip! We can't let the demons through the Gate! If they make it to Earth, they could go into hiding right away!"
That was one of the demons' traits.
They could disguise themselves as humans or hide in human shadows.
Even one demon slipping through could lead to a horrific disaster, so the rule was to always close a Demon Gate from the inside.
"Form up! I'll take the front!"
"Hari!"
Despite Manager Kim's attempts to stop her, Hari drew her sword at the very front.
She wasn't even a tank, so taking the lead was practically suicide. But the Hunters, gripped by fear, needed her to encourage them.
-Run! Run!
-I want to live! I don't want to be annihilated!
The demons came charging while muttering in an incomprehensible language. The first to reach the front line was a Hellhound.
They were the weakest demons, but these four-legged beasts ran faster than cars. Panting, they charged straight at Hari.
-Kyaaaaaaaaa!
The Hellhounds leaped at her. Hari channeled her magic into her sword and cut them down.
Her magic-infused blade sliced through their hides with ease, and the Hellhounds writhed in agony.
'Great! Good start!'
She'd taken out four in one go. Just as she hoped her efforts would lift everyone's spirits, the Hellhounds with their bellies split open began acting strangely.
"W-what?"
The Hellhounds, who should have been mortally wounded, charged stubbornly onward, blood pouring from their bodies. It was as if they were determined to make it through the Gate, no matter what.
"Stop them!"
But the Hunters who had formed a line blocked their path.
It wasn't just the Hellhounds. The Great Swords clashed with the Hunters in front, barely even fighting back as they crawled toward the Gate.
-It's coming! It's coming!
-It's coming! It's coming!
-No! Run! Get through the Gate!
"W-what?"
"Did these bastards all take something...?"
The Hunters managed to defeat the demons with ease, but Hari and the others couldn't shake their unease.
Even if the demons would revive after some time, why were they charging so mindlessly? It was almost as if they were trying to run away.
"Hari, get out of the way!"
Just then, something slammed into the ground with a boom. The shock wave alone swept across the terrain, and its overwhelming force washed over Hari and everyone else.
"Guh...!?"
Hari tumbled across the ground. She struggled to hold on to her fading consciousness and figure out what had happened.
"W-what on earth...?"
Something had fallen. Hari realized that at once.
"Ah..."
Something enormous entered her field of vision.
Tattered wings, and an axe far larger than any human could wield.
Blood-red skin, and the gaze of a demon so hideous she wouldn't want to see it even in a dream.
"Ah..."
A Great Demon.
A winged giant.
The nightmare of Demon Gates, which had torn even S-rank Hunters to pieces while they were still alive.
"Out of the way, you lowly things! Before I kill every last one of you!"
The demon overwhelmed the Hunters with a chilling, air-rending roar.
The Hunters were pinned down by the aura it exuded, unable to move.
"I-it's over."
Their legs wouldn't move, and their breaths grew ragged. Despair and fear pressed down on everyone.
"N-no. If that thing gets to Earth..."
They had to stop it. If a monster like that caused a dungeon break in the heart of Seoul... ten million citizens would be in danger!
"No."
Hari raised her sword. She forced her unresponsive legs to move and stood before an insurmountable despair.
"You pathetic human...!"
The Great Demon clicked its tongue as it looked at Hari standing before it. But strangely, she couldn't sense any killing intent from it. The only thing she sensed was urgency.
"Out of my way, vermin!"
It was a casual swing, as if simply swatting away a bug. Hari focused all her magic on blocking the blow of its axe, and...
"Guh?!"
A single blow sent her flying all the way to the Gate.
"Kh-kugh...!"
The ground itself became a weapon, tearing Hari's body to shreds as she rolled across it. She understood after just one blow.
A monster.
That thing was a monster.
She understood after just one blow.
Its overwhelming power was enough to crush even her will to survive.
"Hhh..."
Just as the dying ember of her life flickered precariously, someone came to a stop before her.
At first, she thought it might be Manager Kim. But in her field of vision, she saw the Association's Hunters, all paralyzed by the Great Demon's overwhelming presence.
Even veteran Manager Kim was trembling, unable to move. And the Great Demon's head was rolling across the ground.
"Huh?"
Was the thing rolling right in front of her... the head of the Great Demon who'd plunged them into despair just moments ago?
"L-Lionheart King! No! No!"
The Great Demon screamed. Its body burned away from the severed neck as it writhed in agony. And it wasn't alone. The surrounding demons were trembling in terror, too.
"Huh?"
The Great Demon looked strange. In the recorded footage, Great Demons usually foretold their revival and spewed curses at humanity.
But what about the demon right before her?
"No! No! The divine law...! My soul... it's being annihilated!"
It screamed and thrashed desperately, as if facing true death.
"Ah..."
I see.
The demons hadn't gathered to cause a dungeon break.
They'd been desperately rushing toward the Gate to survive... to escape from someone.
But who? Who could make those cruel demons, who revived endlessly, tremble in fear?
"So this is the last of you."
A naked man.
Am I seeing things?
In this ruined world, a man stood completely naked, clutching nothing but an old longsword.
Even so, the light radiating from him was so holy and brilliant it felt like a blessing.
"Rise, brave one."
The madman's words came in an archaic, even dignified tone.
His voice, bearing, and posture... everything about him seemed to cloak his nakedness.
Just hearing his voice was enough to rekindle the dying embers of her spirit.
"H-hahaha..."
What on earth was this? Who was the man standing before her...?
"This is no time to fall... Rise and fight back."
Just hearing his voice made it feel as if strength were flowing into her. An abundance of vigor and vitality lifted her injured body.
"Who... are you?"
At Hari's question, the man with brilliant golden hair spoke with a solemn expression.
"I am the Lionheart King. King of the glorious knights and executor of the Pantheon's will. I am Leon Dragonia Lionheart."
The man raised his sword.
[You have defeated all demons.]
Demons remaining: 0 / ????????