A few seconds before Yu Jitae smacked the assistant’s adjutant’s head down,
Right when the fissure opened, commands were immediately conveyed to each troop of the Association.
[The force [Lycan] will now enter the combat formation. We’re short on time. Hurry.]
Hurry up and kill the monsters.
[Urgent. Cruiser Medic Squad. To frontlines.]
Hurry and heal the guys that get injured before others. So that we can boast later.
[10th Superhuman Infantry Platoon. Extra aid will be there shortly. Demand for perfect management of spoils.]
Watch for the time being but hurry and don’t miss any spoils.
[Central Scouts. We demand a swift discovery of the boss’s location – it’s features and information.]
How much money will the boss net us?
An SS+ dungeon had really appeared without any precedent signs.
It was a surprising event.
But this was this and that was that. Since it had begun in any case, the ones in charge had to think about the next step at all times.
For the heads of the Association that did not even consider raid failures, the appearance of a dungeon was no different from the appearance of a new gold mine.
They were ones who had survived through the warring period. They were ones who had their futures set by dedicating their life to catching monsters.
They were, the Association.
As soon as individual profit was on the line, the operation became queerily twisted. Since they were confident in dealing with it anyways, they had to consider ways to maximise profit.
Even if they took 10 for themselves, if they managed to get 50 for the Association, the fines and punishments won’t be that large.
How could there ever be any problems?
We’re going to annihilate them anyways.
We are the [Association] after all.
Because of that, on the south of the Amazon rainforests, when the troops were set to begin the raid, One (Clone 1) was prohibited from moving.
“Ah. Wait there for a second.”
He was here as a free mercenary sent by the Command Centre, but the commander stopped him from moving with an unfavourable gaze.
“What is this about?” asked One.
“You do not need to participate.”
“I am aware of all the strategies. I won’t bother the operational movements of the–”
“No. No. Just don’t move. Stay here.”
“What?”
Clone 1 turned around and looked directly into his eyes. When their eyes met, the commander felt slightly uncomfortable but tried to ignore it. Therefore, Clone 1 walked towards him.
“What are you trying to do. I am here as a free mercenary and the request just then was to move within the scopes of the operation. This is a fair request. For what justified reasons are you stopping me from moving, commander?”
In response, the commander waved his hands in irritation.
“Please just stay still if I ask you to… Hnn? Why are you like this? It’s not like you haven’t experienced things like this before right? Or what. Did you really stay ignorant of what was happening around the world while you were on your retirement?”
“…”
Clone 1 felt slightly irritated for an instant but that was when the chief advisor supported Clone 1.
“Commander. But One was originally assigned from the start of the operation.”
“So what.”
“He wouldn’t be a detriment to the troops even if he were to fight together.”
“Haa… What’s wrong with you now?”
The commander shook his head and remained stubborn.
Tch. Clone 1 clicked his tongue. Although he could force his way if he wanted to, he decided to watch for the time being.
Both Yu Jitae and Clone 1 had their given roles.
Yu Jitae would now persuade the headquarters of the Association using the same method Clone 1 used to persuade the three hostages of the Association. By shaking the values of the organisation from its core, he would make them ready themselves for the upcoming future.
It might sound ridiculous that a mere individual without any connections until recently would shake the operational values of the organisation that represented global military forces.
But even then, Yu Jitae had to pull it off.
While his lord was working hard, was Clone 1 going to do nothing?
Definitely not.
His job was to make them appear as friendly as possible for the Association. So that Yu Jitae and Clone 1 wouldn’t be seen as mysterious threats, Clone 1 had to show overwhelming power while also demonstrating that his power would be used for the Association.
In other words, Clone 1 had to be a ‘hero’ for the Association.
That’s why he was going to move straight after the fissure was created and yet these humans that were crazy for profit were stopping him. If he ignored them here and dashed out trying to kill monsters, that would deviate the direction of his strength away from the Association’s direction.
A human or two dying wasn’t going to inconvenience Clone 1 in any way.
He asked the commander.
“Are those your direct subordinates?”
With his chin, Clone 1 gestured at the ones on the vanguard that were about to confront the monsters.
“Nn? Well, yeah.”
“…Do not regret it. Commander.”
“What? What misfortune are you trying to bring?! Go away right now!”
Clone 1 took a few steps back. It would be correct to give up for the time being since he wouldn’t listen no matter what advice he gave.
Don’t you think so too? O great overseer of the world’s providence.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] does not reply…>
Right now, what was flying from the far-off dimensions of the Providential World was Hostility, and only the Vintage Clock was able to gather its fragments.
That was why the clone had borrowed the Vintage Clock from his lord just for this occasion but…
For some reason, the Vintage Clock was in a strange state.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] states that it is extremely discontent.>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] signals that it is very unhappy with the situation.>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] claims that itself is not an object.>
What do you mean? Of course your esteemed self is not an object.
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: –3–>
I am not sure, but please let me apologise if I have made you feel uncomfortable.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] asks you to not talk to it.>
I understand. Once again, I am deeply sorry.
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ٩(๑`^´๑)۶>
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ٩(๑`^´๑)۶>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] wriggles its body.>
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ٩(๑`^´ ๑)۶>
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: ٩(๑ `^´๑)۶>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] signals that it wants to go home.>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] is dumbfounded by the fact that it was lent like an object.>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] hates Yu Jitae.>
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (๑ •̀ □•́๑)>
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] demands you to bring Yu Jitae right now.>
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (๑ •̀ □•́๑)>
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (๑ •̀ □•́๑)>
…
Now that Clone 1 was staying silent because he was told to, messages began appearing in his head without an end.
He tried to bear with it at the start, but the Vintage Clock’s messages were extremely burdensome on the mind. At some point, it started making him dizzy.
Left with no choice, Clone 1 had to speak to the Vintage Clock again.
Please calm down. O great overseer of the world’s providence.
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (╬☉д☉)>
I cannot do anything even if you are angry.
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (╬◣д◢)>
Even if you are very angry, I cannot do anything.
My apologies. I have no words to say. However, aren’t you aware of it as well? How important this place is?
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] hates you.>
<[Vintage Clock (EX)]: (´•̥ω•̥`)>
The clone’s conversation with the Vintage Clock was cut short.
The fissure trembled. Bulging and swelling, the sky wriggled as if about to vomit something out. Mana fluctuated and the air weighed down.
A crumbling noise resonated but after concentrating on the sound, people realised that it was the sound of hundreds and thousands of fluttering wings.
“All troops– Ready yourselves–!”
Straight after the commander’s bellow, like the aftermaths of a crumbled dam, filthy mana alongside the atmosphere and monsters of darkish green came flooding out all at once.
Vuuun—
They each had a head, a thorax and an abdomen with shells of a crustacean. With body hair here and there and a large yet thin pair of wings, they resembled insects but were monsters with unprecedented appearance.
Appearing with a jet-black cloud, they covered the skies of the great forest.
Shaped like a dense concentration of thick fog, they covered the sunlight and drew shadows all over the ground. Pure darkness beset the earth like the coming of a night.
The [First Night] had arrived.
“Charge in! Do not falter–!”
Superhumans clashed with the monsters head-on. Immediately after the first clash, the commander widened his eyes and stuttered in grief.
“W, what is happening…!”
Something was off.
*
At the frontlines.
The scouting superhumans were the first to get swept by the deep green aura.
“Uaahhkk!”
“Hak! Huuk!”
From just a simple contact with the mana, they grabbed their own throats and wriggled their bodies. As if in a seizure, they collapsed on the ground as their bodies trembled.
“W, what in the world is that!”
“Poison! Has to be poison-attributed…!”
“Dodge it! Distance yourselves from that mirky aura of mana!”
Since it was unprecedented, the information in their hands was too scarce. Belatedly, the commander ordered the troops to stand away from the fissure.
“Oi! You alright?!”
“Huk, huk…”
“Wake up mate!”
One of the medics was finally able to get his hands on the scout who had been swept by the mana at the frontlines. He poured healing magic across the body of the superhuman scout but he repeatedly coughed out blood. Despite being under the influence of healing magic, his coughs did not stop.
“Hu, huuk… Cough! Cough! Cough! Haa, hak!”
“What’s with these coughs…”
In that moment, the superhuman healer suddenly noticed something filthy penetrating through his respiratory system. Immediately, he stopped breathing and closed his eyes. Manipulating his mana, he pushed ‘that thing’ away while analysing it at the same time.
The aura was filled with [encroaching] and [infecting] elements.
Startled, he hurriedly opened his eyes and shouted at the commander.
“Boss! This isn’t poison!”
“What? What are you saying! Then what is it!”
“This is…!”
Right when he was about to speak, a cough stopped his words. The superhuman medic gripped onto his chest.
“Cough, cough! Ha, aaak…!”
This was no ‘poison’. This wasn’t such a simple mana attribute that merely affected the body.
“Do not go near the fallen superhumans! Control your breath and make sure you don’t swallow the mana–! This, this is…!”
‘Growth’, ‘division’ and a repetition of ‘infection’ and ‘encroachment’. An ancient attribute of mana that was hard to find in the modern days,
“A [Plague]–!”
The medic commander’s shout reverberated across the great forest.
Their plans started off on the wrong foot.
Plague-attributed mana swept across the superhumans whose sense of smell and sight were obstructed. The unexpected turn of events caused 15% of their soldiers to become food for the monsters.
That alone might have been fine. They were the strongest powerhouses of the world and were extremely rapid at adapting themselves to the situation.
However, the 7th iteration being affected by Hostility created events against the expectations and knowledge of humans and the Providential World.
A message of Vintage Clock floated up.
<The Authority, [Vintage Clock (EX)] has acquired 100% of the information regarding the [First Night].>
<7th Iteration’s Throne of Plague, Kyalkaophe: Rules of a fissure backflow were cancelled, allowing the boss type to appear from the very beginning of the backflow.>
The boss, who usually should only appear by breaking the fissure after all the underlings leave – it immediately began shooting out its large beak that resembled a straight spire from within the darkness of the fissure.
“What! Why is the boss coming out already–!!”
They weren’t prepared at all and the battlefield was completely in control of the monsters. The anti-boss weapon they brought wasn’t even fully ignited yet.
Above the despairs of several soldiers, a bluish black bird with a bizarre appearance – the boss Kyalkaophe, revealed itself like the arrival of a disaster.
It had a body length of 25 metres. When it reached its large wings out afar, its unrealistically enormous size visible even under the dark skies oppressed the soldiers.
It flew above the humans and green powders scattered from its wings.
“NOOOOOO–!!”
His troops were going to be annihilated – the commander wailed.
The battlefield resembled a pandemonium. Out of their minds, the humans were simply in a hurry to escape and kicked off even their comrades if they happened to drag behind.
“That is why I told you.”
One man took a step forward among the trees.
“You’ll regret it…”
Half out of his mind, the commander gazed up at him.
“Oi! You run as well! You’ll die if you stay here!”
“Why aren’t you going then?”
“Where will the commander go when all his soldiers are dead! How and where can I possibly go!”
Clone 1 understood it. Commanders with incompetent results were better off dead, but not now.
Thinking he would be a burden, the clone struck the commander on the back of his neck. With a thud, he collapsed. Since the clone didn’t have [Knifehand Strike (D)] the commander might have died there.
Anyways,
At this point, it should be fine to ignore the military commands he received. Coming to that judgment, Clone 1 relaxedly unsheathed the sword he borrowed from Yu Jitae from the alternate dimension.
It appeared like a normal sword on the outside, but was in fact a Level 4 weapon artifact stolen after killing Noah.
[Dream Eater]
Average superhumans won’t even be able to use it, and even if they could the wicked sword would eventually swallow even its owner. Normally it would be an unusable weapon.
However, he was Yu Jitae’s clone.
Within the confusion of the pandemonium, Clone 1 held tightly onto the sword.
As if reacting to his sublime mana, the dark and murky green mana of plague crashing in like a sandstorm started creating a tornado around him, unable to approach him. It was a strong reaction of mana, enough to cover the entire area.
A tornado with a diameter of hundreds of metres trembled the great forest. Bugs were unable to fly properly due to that flow and the humans that had been in perilous situations crawled on the floor to resist the air current of the tornado.
“What is this…!”
“Ah…, it’s there!”
Their eyes gathered to one person.
Standing in the eye of the tornado was the existence responsible for this incomprehensible and imposing feat. At that moment, they unknowingly shuddered. The mana covering the man started spattering with a sharper aura than the killing intent of the mysterious monsters.
Even the flying boss monster was turned rigid and was made to stare at the small human, unable to move.
In the centre of all those gazes, Yu Jitae, created based on the 6th iteration, opened his eyes.
[Ignite]
He then coloured the world in achroma.