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Chapter 336: The Graveyard War

The Graveyard War isn’t just a simple fight happening in one area. It was the term people used for the process where the world began to be engulfed by the Undead, culminating in a full-scale confrontation with the Demon King.

Just like how World War I started between two nations, the Graveyard War transformed into a massive conflict involving countless smaller skirmishes across the globe.

In other words, Yeon-woo had envisioned a simultaneous war set on Earth from the beginning. The decision to utilize Aaron Chester was precisely for that reason. It was meant to serve as a foothold for Noblesse’s expansion into Europe.

For that to happen, Aaron Chester had to become a faction that could split Noblesse. Even though the guild’s finest, the former hero, had retired, their achievements were far from wasted.

All the expansion through Noblesse and Golden Desire Syndicate was for him. Even places that seemed impossible to penetrate, like America, could be accessed by trading on the names of Dragons or Yuri. Indeed, connections were vital.

“Shouldn’t we stay here after all?”

“I’m kind of worried.”

Nephren-Ka was the one who had caused endless trouble for the strike teams even before the return. If he moved to combat, he’d likely have the ability to vanish elsewhere. It was probably akin to the Demon King’s Gate used by Shadow Warrior, Kai.

“It’s a relief to hear from Leviathan that the Demon King’s Gate can only move to marked locations. With the Cult of Oblivion mostly eradicated, the possible destinations must be limited.”

Moreover, Yeon-woo also had a means of transportation. Back when the management rights to Relin’s Archive expanded, they had created a ‘Gate.’

After that, well, the area had only broadened a little bit or so, but the Gate had been saved for testing. Though he got his hands on a method similar to crafting a Demon King Gate, it was best to conserve it since he didn’t know how much he could use it.

“I was really holding it in.”

From now on, he was determined to use it endlessly. To kill that damn Saturday, he would do anything. To eliminate humanity’s worst Demon King, a certain level of resolve was necessary.

“Is mom coming along?”

“Going together isn’t a bad idea. Can you fight, sis?”

“Hmm, surely. I can’t lean too much on the name Dragon.”

“That should be enough…. But can you face Apophis? Do you want Shar to stick to you?”

“Can I really fight alongside mom!? Woohoo!”

“We’ll have to see if the two of you can handle it. Alright, let’s head out.”

“Hmm, if you go together, you might be able to control the situation. Sounds good, have a safe trip.”

“Even if you don’t say so, I’ll go anyway.”

Riley could only offer advice and suggestions. In reality, Yeon-woo had the authority to run wild without paying her mind.

Why? Because Riley was the secretary, and Yeon-woo was the boss. If she didn’t like it, she’d have to get promoted. Whether she could rise higher than the president was another matter entirely. Our company didn’t even have a representative director.

*

“Whoa, this is amazing.”

Cassie Kanari whistled while gazing at the swirling dust rising over the horizon.

Despite being a warm and dry desert, steam rose from Cassie’s mouth. Why was that? As she thought for a moment, the answer was already laid out.

“There are just too many corpses, that’s why.”

In this space, the dead far outnumbered the living. The environment had become half akin to the Underworld. Clearly still on this side, yet this location already resembled the Nether.

“Is it really that kind of sword?”

“Idiot, you don’t know that?”

Laiza reprimanded Bailey, whose face was dim-wittedly asking the question. The top Rogue, ‘Bailey Crawford,’ and the second-best Sharpshooter, ‘Laiza Starwood.’ They were seen as two of the finest marksmen in the West, even in America.

Even now, in their third year, no new students had dared take on their fortress. True to their reputation, they appeared completely unfazed.

Cassie was no different. Even in front of the continuously encroaching lion’s army, her lack of tension starkly indicated that she was indeed a ‘Masterpiece.’

‘Masterpiece,’ referring to the ten sharpshooters hailed as the strongest in the world. In simpler terms, it could be likened to the nickname of ‘Gunstar.’ Some quirky types preferred calling it the barrel out of distaste for the name.

“Alright, everyone? This fight isn’t child’s play, you understand?”

With a clap, Cassie drew the students’ attention. Countless anxious students sat before her.

If possible, she had wanted to avoid taking students out, but there was no escaping it. Experiences like this were valuable too.

“You might die. If it feels like you’re about to die, running away is fine. As a sharpshooter, I won’t say anything for fighting from a bit safer distance. But remember this?”

Cassie smiled as she pulled out the pistol from her thigh holster. However, it wasn’t just a pistol. It was an enormous anti-materiel sniper rifle, far exceeding even standard sniper rifles. The size of the barrel and caliber were from a completely different dimension.

“The only time a sharpshooter can escape a battlefield is when all their bullets are spent. Otherwise, you would have no face to show to the Hunters who lost their lives after their deaths, right?”

With a grin, Cassie placed the weapon against the railing.

She pulled the trigger. Sparks flew, and a round taken from the magazine was propelled out by a massive explosion.

The fired bullet cleaved the air with a tremendous bang. Straight as an arrow, it struck the very heart of the lion’s army.

It was no mistake made by someone touted as one of the world’s greatest sharpshooters. Because it wasn’t a mistake at all.

Bam!

A colossal silver explosion swept through the lion’s army. Students widened their eyes at the spectacle. Cassie whistled. Unlike earlier, there was no steaming coming from her lips.

“Wow, what a killer performance!”

A 30mm round, a type of high-explosive solid armor-piercing round stuffed with purification potions. Commonly known as ‘Purification Rounds.’ They were the ultimate bullets developed solely for exterminating Undead.

“Use them all and get out of here, kiddos.”

Coincidentally, it could be said that Cassie Kanari would never leave this battlefield. The pistol holsters on both sides of her chest, at her waist, on either thigh, and across her arms were artifacts known as ‘Dump Maker.’

Generally, sharpshooters have two dreams. Bullets that never run out no matter how long they shoot, and a rifle that won’t bend no matter how hot it gets. The Dump Maker was the item that makes those dreams come true.

Every time she pulled from the holster, a new gun materializes, so it didn’t matter the rifle or the bullets.

She whipped the massive sniper rifle backward. Sure enough, a new handgun had taken its place in the thigh holster.

Pulling out an automatic rifle from the holsters on both thighs, Cassie Kanari grinned provocatively.

“Alright, let’s find out if I can dash west first, or if these corpses will drop dead again first!”

Here they come. The army of lions advances. Everyone gathered here knows. The moment it passes through this front line, our beloved homeland will come crashing down uncontrollably.

This place will become, for all intents and purposes, just like the Nether. Countless lives will crumble. Laws and order will collapse, and only death, chaos, and destruction will become the utmost values of this vast land.

“Oh, can you hear me, folks of the Underworld? From here on, it’s a no-pass zone.”

With Bailey’s playful voice, crimson flames erupted along with loud gunfire.

*

Even traveling the shortest distance through the Gate, Southern North America is never a distance that can be considered close. Even at full speed, it would take a day and a half.

Though it was a speed incomparable to the leisurely walk taken previously for the sake of making it feel like traveling with children, thinking about how many hundreds or thousands would die in that day and a half made it hard to feel purely positive about it.

Fortunately, reports through Riley indicated that the front line was struggling but holding steady in Central Texas. Though the front line stretched larger than Texas, Yeon-woo had only one destination in mind.

Before clashing head-on with Toyo’s Demon King, the most critical task was to take down Apophis. Just as many gods were restrained from acting in the human realm, Apophis was likewise limited.

The adversary of Ra, the darkness and symbol of chaos in Egypt, had clearly been relegated to merely being a subordinate and a means to transportation for the Demon King.

In other words, Nephren-Ka had merely stripped away the monstrous snake that Apophis possessed to utilize as a familiar. Thus, the once fearsome deity was left capable of little more than a mere destructive act involving the body and poisoning attacks.

Nonetheless, the difficulty lies in how those two methods were still extremely threatening to ordinary aura users. Just sweeping with the body and then sprinkling Apophis’s poison in one spot could kill hundreds.

No matter how they restrained the Demon King, the situation would drastically change the moment Apophis lost control. Seeing someone next to you die from poison, spitting blood before rising again to stab the person beside them with a sword was a horrifying experience on every level.

“Am I glad I arrived in time… or should I say this?”

“How horrific…”

The sounds of suffering echoed all around. Some were frothing at the mouth from poison, while others lay unconscious with severed limbs.

Not a pretty sight for the kids, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that our kids had the toughness of seasoned warriors.

“Let’s treat those we see and keep moving. Tae-oh, can you pull through?”

“Got it!”

Even in such a place, it was fortunate that the kids remained spirited. If they began to wilt in this situation, even someone like Yeon-woo would find it hard to endure.

Char or Nea’s magic wouldn’t significantly affect alleviating the poison, so Tae-oh would extract it and heal the wounds using Dragon’s magic.

“Uh, uh, my Goddess…?”

“Thanks for the compliments, but just sit tight.”

“Hey, don’t throw flirty looks at my sister.”

It was only natural for Hunters to be startled by Nea’s sudden appearance amidst the horrific battlefield. They simply knew no healer with such an appearance existed in the rear of this front line.

As Yeon-woo and the others swiftly proceeded with the treatments, reminding the Hunters who blushed and gazed in awe that no other healer with such a form would exist in the rear.

While hastily treating, they figured that the rear commander would appear soon enough to inquire about their identifications, and they could begin participating in the war from there.

The sight of a kid appearing and licking at the poisoned wounds would surely surprise even veteran Hunters, but treatment proceeded smoothly with the accounts of those Hunters who had already received prior explanations from Yeon-woo. After all, there was no more certain way than experiencing it first-hand.

As they continued, sensing a power that seemed to belong to someone overseeing the rear, Yeon-woo lifted his head to find himself facing an unexpected figure.

“Oh my?”

“…Yang Mi-ryeo?”

What are you doing here in the rear instead of at the front line? Yeon-woo’s expression reflected that query as Yang Mi-ryeo rolled her eyes as if ignoring it.

(To be continued in the next episode.)

 

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