Chapter 625

Clank!

With the sound of metal, the mechanized Awakeners took their positions atop the Steel Fortress.

The mechanized Awakeners were covered head to toe in anti-air parts.

They had replaced all their parts in preparation for blocking flying-type monsters.

Armed with mana particle cannons and anti-monster rifles and artillery, they looked closer to human heavy tanks.

Beside them were mountains of spare parts that could be swapped out at any time.

They were the elite Mechanized Corps of the West District.

The commander of the Mechanized Corps, Park Woosik, stared toward the northern sky with a resolute expression.

The rebellion of the Triox-ox had dealt the West District a devastating blow.

If Zeon had not eliminated Trizian, who had seized control of the Triox-ox, the West District might already have collapsed.

After the rebellion of the Triox-ox, the West District entered a long slump.

The damage had been so severe that they had lost the momentum to grow.

They were struggling just to restore the destroyed streets.

What became salvation for them was the portal and the Steel Fortress.

The greatest obstacle for mechanized Awakeners was the desert.

The desert sand corroded their parts, preventing them from operating for long periods.

Because of that, the activity range of mechanized Awakeners had no choice but to remain limited to Neo Seoul and the vicinity of the magic stone mines.

But the portal installed between Neo Seoul and the Steel Fortress had allowed them to break past those limitations.

If they traveled through the portal, they no longer had to worry about corrosion or damage to their parts.

Unlike Neo Seoul, the area around the Steel Fortress was rich in monsters and undiscovered dungeons.

Thanks to that, the West District was able to recover rapidly.

Now, the Steel Fortress had become the most important stronghold of the West District.

If it were taken by El Harun, the West District would suffer greater losses than any other district.

That was why they were stepping forward more aggressively than the Awakeners of the other districts in defending the Steel Fortress.

Mechanized Corps Commander Park Woosik shouted.

“Form the anti-air defense net tightly. Don’t let a single one of them approach the fortress.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t worry, Commander!”

The members of the Mechanized Corps answered powerfully.

Some had even embedded the lower halves of their bodies into the rock itself, while piles of ammunition were stacked beside them like mountains. They had also prepared ample magic stones to serve as power sources.

Park Woosik’s gaze shifted downward beneath the fortress.

Below the fortress, defensive lines had also been established to halt the monsters’ advance.

Countless Awakeners waited behind the defensive lines for battle.

Park Woosik felt his heart pounding fiercely.

He had fought countless battles until now.

To protect the pure-blooded Koreans born in the West District, he had willingly abandoned his human flesh and replaced his body with mechanized parts. Even so, not for a single moment had he thought of himself as no longer human.

Though his body had been replaced with metal, his spirit remained human.

He felt as though blood was flowing through him once more.

This was not some trivial struggle over district interests.

The fact that he was participating in a massive battle that would determine the survival of Neo Seoul—and humanity itself—set the small amount of blood still flowing through his body ablaze.

Park Woosik shouted toward the Mechanized Corps.

“If we win this battle, we will become legends.”

“Uoooooh!”

The Mechanized Corps roared in unison at his words.

As he shouted alongside the Mechanized Corps, a strange light entered Park Woosik’s eyes.

Something was flying toward them from the distant sky at terrifying speed.

Flying-type monsters.

“They’re coming. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

“Yes, sir!”

Clank!

With the reply, the Mechanized Corps loaded mana particle cannons and ammunition.

The first monster to appear in the skies above the Steel Fortress was the Blade Battleship Bird.

Because it was the fastest, it had appeared first.

The impatient Blade Battleship Birds dove toward the Mechanized Corps the moment they revealed themselves.

—Kieee!

—Kraaah!

Their screeches pierced the ears first.

At that moment, Park Woosik shouted.

“Everyone, fire!”

“Yes, sir!”

Tudadadadang!

The Mechanized Corps opened fire all at once.

Specially manufactured anti-monster rounds formed a barrage as they exploded against the Blade Battleship Birds.

Pubububung!

With explosive blasts, the Blade Battleship Birds burst apart.

Blood rained through the sky, and feathers scattered chaotically.

As monsters, the Blade Battleship Birds possessed powerful bodies. But that did not mean they could withstand bullets designed specifically for anti-monster warfare.

And the mana particle cannons fired at perfect timing reduced them to dust entirely.

In an instant, dozens of Blade Battleship Birds lost their lives.

Normally, witnessing their own kind die would have filled creatures with fear, but the Blade Battleship Birds seemed utterly incapable of such emotions.

The creatures that witnessed the deaths of their kin only became more enraged and charged madly at the Mechanized Corps.

“Uahahaha! Come at us all you want, you bird-brained bastards!”

“Die! Just die already!”

Tudadadadang!

The Mechanized Corps stuffed the Blade Battleship Birds full of bullets.

As blood from the Blade Battleship Birds poured from the sky, their bodies were stained red.

And as their bodies became redder, the number of attacking Blade Battleship Birds visibly decreased.

“We’ve almost wiped them out.”

“There are only a few left. Let’s finish them off and take a break.”

Just as expressions of relief began appearing on the faces of the Mechanized Corps—

—Kwoooar!

Another roar echoed through the sky.

Unlike the shrill cries of the Blade Battleship Birds, this one was deeper.

An urgent expression appeared on Park Woosik’s face.

A monster with the body of a lion and the face and wings of an eagle had appeared behind the Blade Battleship Birds.

“Damn it! Griffins.”

Griffins were monsters superior to Blade Battleship Birds.

Though slower in flight speed, they were far more vicious and savage.

Their attack power and defense were also overwhelmingly superior.

The Griffins charged toward the Mechanized Corps.

“Forget the Blade Battleship Birds. Take down the Griffins first!”

Pubububung!

An enormous amount of gunfire concentrated on the Griffins.

The Blade Battleship Birds exploded after only a few shots, but Griffins were on a completely different level physically.

Their massive bodies could not be brought down with just a few bullets.

Their bodies were harder than steel.

Even after being struck repeatedly by bullets, they only received shallow scratches; their muscles neither tore nor ruptured.

The hail of bullets pouring down like rain only fueled the Griffins’ rage.

—Kraaaah!

—Kyaooo!

Screeching wildly, the Griffins closed in on the Mechanized Corps.

At that moment, Park Woosik shouted.

“Frontline! Stop them!”

At his command, the mechanized Awakeners equipped with unusually massive parts stepped forward.

The parts they carried were sonic emitters.

Parts that bombarded enemies with shockwaves.

Wooong!

Condensed ultrasonic waves slammed into the Griffins.

—Kwoooar!

The shockwaves burrowing into their eardrums disoriented the Griffins, causing them to crash.

The moment the Griffins hit the ground, mechanized Awakeners rushed in and drove weapons into them.

The Griffins struggled wildly to shake off the mechanized Awakeners, but it was useless.

The powerful bodies of the mechanized Awakeners tore through the Griffins’ wings like paper, and stripped of their wings, the Griffins were no match for mechanized Awakeners wielding melee weapons.

That did not mean the Griffins went down without resistance.

After crashing to the ground, the Griffins used their powerful bodies to engage the mechanized Awakeners in brutal close combat.

As the Griffins rampaged like that, holes began appearing in the Mechanized Corps’ barrage.

Through the gaps in the barrage, Blade Battleship Birds rushed in and attacked the mechanized Awakeners.

The mechanized bodies of the Awakeners were made of metal, so even the beaks of the Blade Battleship Birds could not easily damage them.

Given enough time, they could have repelled the Blade Battleship Birds without issue.

The problem was that yet another flying-type monster appeared.

—Kwoooooooar!

The moment Park Woosik identified the owner of the savage roar—far more violent and brutal than either the Blade Battleship Birds or Griffins—his expression hardened stiffly.

A long body reminiscent of a dragon, fully spread wings, and four legs.

“W-Wyverns.”

Wyverns—monsters possessing bodies and strength incomparably more powerful than the two previous attackers.

Even a single one could wipe out an ordinary assault squad in an instant.

Everyone froze at the appearance of such a terrifying monster.

If there had only been one or two, they would not have panicked this much.

But there were dozens of Wyverns appearing across the sky.

The creatures immediately dove toward the Mechanized Corps.

Kwaang! Crunch!

The mechanized bodies of the armored corps, made of metal, were shattered or crushed beneath the Wyverns’ body slams.

Kwaaaah!

Some Wyverns even unleashed breath attacks.

Their power was nowhere near that of a dragon’s breath, but it was more than enough to burn a human alive.

Even if that human was made of metal.

The breath of the Wyverns contained heat so intense that even metal parts forged from special alloys melted instantly.

“You unevolved lizard bastards….”

Clank!

Mechanized Corps Commander Park Woosik instantly swapped out the part on his right arm.

The newly equipped part was a chain sword.

Park Woosik drove the chain sword into the body of a nearby rampaging Red Wyvern.

Wiiiing! Pakakakang!

The Red Wyvern’s body was covered in hard scales, so the chain sword failed to cut through easily and only threw sparks.

Still, perhaps it could feel pain after all, because the Red Wyvern went berserk.

“Kugh!”

Park Woosik grabbed the Red Wyvern by the neck and forcibly pried open its jaws. Then he shoved the chain sword deep into its throat.

Kwagagagak!

—Keeeeh!

The Red Wyvern writhed in agony.

But Park Woosik refused to let go until the end.

After a long while, the Red Wyvern finally stopped moving. Only then did Park Woosik rise to his feet, gasping heavily.

“Huff! Huff!”

Suddenly, his gaze shifted downward beneath the fortress.

—Kwoooar!

The roars of monsters could be heard.

Monsters had arrived below as well.

It was a massive force containing everything from giant monsters to small monsters.

While the flying-type monsters had completely occupied the attention of the Awakeners defending above, the monster army had advanced forward.

“C-Commander! There are monsters below too…!”

One mechanized Awakener finally noticed the monsters beneath the fortress and shouted.

Park Woosik restarted the chain sword and replied.

“Stop freaking out, bastard! We already expected this.”

“But…!”

“Leave below to the other Awakeners. We only need to hold the skies. Don’t let a single one enter the fortress. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Instead of wasting time answering, kill one more.”

Tudadadadang!

Bullets erupted from the subordinate’s parts.

Park Woosik also slaughtered flying-type monsters like a madman.

But no matter how many they killed, the flying monsters kept flooding in endlessly.

For a moment, he felt despair at the enormous number of flying monsters covering the sky.

“Fuck!”

They needed a trump card capable of turning the tide in a single strike.

And then—

Kwarrrung!

As though answering his wish, countless bolts of lightning poured down from the sky like rain.

The lightning struck the flying-type monsters directly, electrocuting them in chains.

Countless flying monsters fell like flies.

“What the hell?”

Startled, Park Woosik looked into the air.

At the center of the sky covered by monsters floated a human who had become lightning itself.

It was Levin in his Thunder God Transformation.

“Fuck!”

At this moment, Levin’s appearance was welcome enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Levin asked them,

“Are you alright?”

“We’re fine, so deal with those Wyvern bastards first. We’ll handle the small fry.”

“Understood.”

With that reply, Levin tore through the skies.

Every time lightning flashed from him, Wyverns screamed and fell from the sky.

The sight was unbelievably beautiful.

“Good! Fuck yeah.”