Free Web Novel“Shin.......”
“Sergeant......?”
Before they knew it.
A man had appeared among them.
When several soldiers saw him, their eyes widened as they shouted.
“Did you succeed in escaping!”
To begin with.
The soldiers here had come all this way to rescue Sergeant Shin Youngjun.
“As expected of Sergeant Shin!”
“He was never the kind of person who would just stay locked up......!”
When they saw that he had successfully escaped.
Many of the soldiers’ faces brightened rapidly.
......However.
At that moment.
“......Hey.”
“Everyone, wait a second.”
A few quick-witted soldiers.
Instead frowned and grabbed the arms of the other soldiers who were about to approach him.
“Sergeant Shin?”
Leaving behind the puzzled looks from the other soldiers.
They asked the man in white garments,
“What is with that outfit?”
Yes.
Right now, Sergeant Shin Youngjun was not wearing the Legion’s military uniform.
He was wearing the Church’s white garments.
“What, why ask something so pointless?”
“I’m sure there’s a reason.”
It was nothing.
A truly insignificant question.
He might have stolen their clothes and put them on in the process of escaping from them.
Or he might not have had time to take off the clothes they had forced onto him because he had escaped in a hurry.
“Please answer.”
Since it was an insignificant question.
If there was an insignificant reason...... then all he had to do was answer lightly.
But.
“Mm.......”
At the soldiers’ question.
Sergeant Shin Youngjun scratched his head for a moment.
Then.
“Isn’t it a little too much to ask when you’ve already noticed everything?”
He grinned.
And said that.
Then.
Kwaaaaaaaang!!!
“......!”
Suddenly.
A massive impact roared right in front of the soldiers who had asked that question.
***
The moment Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s answer rang out.
A tremendous blast of wind and impact sounded in front of them.
When the soldiers looked straight ahead at that sound.
There.
Kagagak.......
They saw Sergeant Shin Youngjun swinging a weapon at them.
And.
“Krgh.......”
Corporal Jeon Gwangil.
Barely blocking Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s attack.
'Sergeant Shin and Corporal Jeon Gwangil.......'
'Are fighting.'
This was not a situation where they could be casually sparring as they did back at the unit.
Jeon Gwangil’s expression was also very different from the one he wore during a spar.
'Sergeant Shin.'
This situation was......
Something even the dullest soldier could understand.
'Attacked us.'
And.
“Everyone.......”
The man who had barely blocked the dagger swung by Shin Youngjun.
Corporal Jeon Gwangil’s mouth slowly opened.
“It seems...... Sergeant Shin has fallen into a temporary state of delirium.”
Kagagak.......
Corporal Jeon Gwangil’s body, which had been blocking Shin Youngjun’s knife, began to be pushed backward.
“So.......”
Corporal Jeon Gwangil, who had been blocking that knife with one hand.
Pulled his other hand back and said,
“Keep...... retreating......!”
Then.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!
He swung that hand.
At Sergeant Shin Youngjun with all his strength.
“......!”
As the soldiers watched with shocked eyes.
Corporal Jeon Gwangil shouted with a pale face.
“You don’t have time to stand around watching, so hurry!”
Then.
He swung that fist toward somewhere again.
“I won’t be able to hold out long either!”
Kuuuuuuung!!!
That fist collided with something.
And Corporal Jeon Gwangil’s body was sent flying somewhere.
'Corporal Jeon Gwangil, of all people!?'
A powerhouse who had fought against even mighty monsters.
At the surreal sight of that huge body being sent flying.
Paaaaaaak!!!
All the soldiers.
Began fleeing with all their strength.
“Krwoooooooooooooogh!!!”
As they began to run.
A tremendous roar rang out from behind them.
'One of Corporal Jeon’s skills, the Roar of Frenzy.'
Since its cooldown was on the longer side, it was one of his trump cards, something he rarely used.
It was proof that he was going all out.
But.
“Krrrk!”
Kwaaaaaaaang!
Something slammed into the building in front of the running soldiers.
When the soldiers looked that way.
They saw Corporal Jeon Gwangil falling after being embedded in the building’s wall.
'He couldn’t even last five seconds......!?'
Then.
At the chilling sensation they felt from behind.
One of the soldiers turned his head back.
And then.
Paaaaak......!
Before he knew it.
He saw Sergeant Shin Youngjun approaching at tremendous speed, toward him as he ran with all his strength.
And in that brief moment.
The soldier looked at Shin Youngjun and thought.
'He’s a little different.'
His face was similar to the Sergeant Shin Youngjun he knew.
But it was slightly different.
His swollen muscles, his reddened eyes.
Even the red mana leaking from his body.
How should he put it.
'He seems more [berserk].......'
And.
Just before Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s hand touched the soldier.
Taaaaaaang!!!
From somewhere.
There was a bullet that passed exactly between that soldier and Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s hand.
“......Seo Suhyeok.”
To dodge that bullet.
Sergeant Shin Youngjun had no choice but to pull his hand back.
***
While his body was brought to a stop, the soldier barely managed to put distance between them.
“Hurry, this way!”
Using that opening.
The soldiers running ahead pulled his body in.
As they did, the soldiers looked at Shin Youngjun.
And then.
-Krwoooooooooogh!!!
Red-eyed monsters.
Charged at Sergeant Shin Youngjun.
And they saw them holding back his steps toward the soldiers.
The reinforcements converging from all directions, too.
Were being blocked by those red-eyed monsters, which was the only reason they were able to flee like this.
And.......
-Krrrk......!
Sergeant Shin Youngjun cleared away those monsters.
And approached them at tremendous speed.
'Sergeant Shin Youngjun is attacking us.'
'And those monsters are protecting us.'
For the Legion members, it was an utterly confusing situation.
......At the same time.
It was also a situation in which a predictable anxiety had come true.
'So that unease wasn’t mistaken.'
In truth.
It was something many of them had already guessed quite some time ago.
The ashen-gray light that had appeared above those monsters’ heads.
They had guessed it from the moment they saw that light.
And for good reason.
'That was the light of the Five Loaves and Two Fish.'
For those who had participated in countless battles of the Legion.
It was a light they could never forget.
And.
The same went for the sacred radiance that had burst from the monsters’ bodies.
When the meat that came from that light touched them.
'There’s no way we could forget that light.'
It was the light that had allowed them to fight the queen’s kin.
A light clearly imprinted in their minds.
The problem was.
That light, which had always appeared to protect them.
This time had been used to protect their enemies.
What that meant was simple.
'Is Sergeant Shin really.......'
'Hostile to us?'
Their leader.
Sergeant Shin Youngjun was hostile to them.
A guild master opposing his own guild.
It was an utterly absurd thing.
They could not know why such an absurd situation had come to pass.
'If Sergeant Shin really is hostile to us.'
But.
One thing was certain.
'We cannot win!'
That certainty.
Settled in their minds.
“We only have to go a little farther!”
If they could not win.
The only remaining choice was to flee.
Only then.
Could the soldiers understand why Jeon Gwangil had immediately ordered them to retreat.
He had noticed the change in Shin Youngjun before the other soldiers.
And because of that, he had known that fleeing was their only choice.
“Everyone, run at full speed!!!”
Fortunately.
There were figures visible in the distance.
'The expeditionary main force.'
Sergeant Lee Minjae’s main force, which had set out immediately after receiving the request for support.
They had already entered the Church’s territory.
Since the Church’s forces were scattered as well.
It was hard to believe even they could break through that main force.
As long as they managed to join up with them, their safety would be secured.
......However.
'Fleeing all the way there.......'
Is that really possible?
He glanced back over his shoulder.
The monsters were stepping in and holding him back.
But.
-Krrrk.......
Before they knew it, all those monsters had collapsed.
Wounded, they were hiding back inside the shadows on the ground.
“Stop.......”
Corporal Jeon Gwangil, who had barely recovered his stamina.
Raised black energy from his entire body and returned to the battle.
Tadadadadadang!!!
As if to support him.
Bullets flew in at tremendous speed from somewhere unseen.
But.
“Krgh......!”
Despite that support.
The black energy rippling over Corporal Jeon Gwangil’s body was being pushed back by the red mana rippling over Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s body.
Even though he was clearly going all out, Corporal Jeon Gwangil looked as though he could barely defend against Shin Youngjun’s attacks.
'I knew Sergeant Shin was strong.'
'But to think it was to this extent......!'
The Legion’s greatest warrior, Jeon Gwangil.
The soldiers knew just how strong his power was.
He did not always win.
But even when he lost, he would always fall only after fighting a fierce battle against the enemy.
......They had never seen him.
Being miserably pushed back like this, even with support.
'The only reason this is even a fight is because it’s Corporal Jeon Gwangil.'
A strength that would not have allowed other soldiers to last even one second.
It was power on a level that made it hard to believe they were the same kind of human.
And because of that.
'It’s far.......'
Even though the expeditionary main force was clearly visible.
Even considering the Legion members’ physical abilities.
Even though that distance should obviously close in an instant.
'It’s far too far......!'
They could not imagine shaking off Sergeant Shin Youngjun’s pursuit.
And joining up with the main force.
And eventually.
“Guhak......!”
“Corporal Jeon! Are you all right!?”
Jeon Gwangil’s body flew through the air.
And his huge body fell with a thud into the middle of the soldiers.
“I, I’m...... fine...... so hurry.......”
“You say you’re fine, but.......”
The soldiers hurriedly supported his body.
As they ran like that, several soldiers looked back.
Tadadadadadang......!
Bullets were still pouring in.
And yet.
Ting-ting-ting.......
Those bullets.
Were now being deflected by countless cooking tools flying through the air.
'Ah.'
And.
Through those bullets, Shin Youngjun’s body came flying in.
He was not using any special ability.
He was simply kicking off the ground with brute force.
And yet his speed was tremendous enough to make the air tremble.
Paaaaaaak.......
His body drew closer to the soldiers.
If he arrived.
Now that even Jeon Gwangil had fallen, the soldiers would not be able to put up any proper resistance against him.
Even if they tried to resist somehow.
They would only be futilely cut down by those blades flying through the air.
'......Damn it.'
'We don’t even know why Sergeant Shin ended up like that, and now.......'
With those thoughts.
All the soldiers were sinking into despair......
At that exact moment.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
“......!”
In front of Shin Youngjun.
Something enormous came crashing down.
***
Kwaaaaaaaang!!!
Something enormous flew in from the air at tremendous speed.
And blocked Shin Youngjun’s path.
But.
'......What is that?'
No one who saw it.
Could identify what that “something” was.
Corporal Jeon Gwangil had collapsed, and Corporal Seo Suhyeok’s bullets were failing to show any effect.
The queen’s kin were busy blocking the Church’s forces pouring in from every direction.
There was no powerhouse left among the soldiers who could stop Shin Youngjun’s steps.
Everyone’s puzzled gazes turned there.
And.
Saaaaaaak.......
When the dust cleared.
What stood there was.
“......A staff?”
A long and enormous staff.
Of unknown identity.
“......We did come after receiving a request for help, but I have no idea what this situation is.”
“You there, let me ask one thing. Are you.......”
And.
Standing beside that staff before anyone knew it.
“Truly our ‘benefactor’?”
Were five men and women.
With furred ears and tails.
