The Returner

Chapter 127

Pentagon .

“God d*mn it!! Just what is going on here?!”

“The target is still on the move, sir . ”

“Has there been any word from Korea yet??”

“They said that they can’t give us an answer through official channels . ”

“Those sons of b*tches!!”

“However, we received word through unofficial channels that Yi Ji-Hyuk is on the move, sir . ”

“Yi Ji-Hyuk… . ”

That bloody name “Yi Ji-Hyuk” was the only thing that this high-ranked official had been hearing for the last few days .

“Can his presence really bring about an end to this calamity?”

He couldn’t help but doubt that very notion . The monster they were trying to stop was a true, bona fide devil that easily exceeded X1 from the past in every sense of the word .

No attack worked on it, and it ignored all forms of defences . Literally, it was the god of destruction that had descended to this world .

The monster simply broke past all sorts of defensive blockades set up with everything the American government had, so how could a single man stop such a thing?

If it was true, then wouldn’t it mean this Yi Ji-Hyuk character possessed more power than America? A whole d*mn country?!

“What a nonsensical notion that is… . ”

There was no way that such a thing could be true .

If there were no ability users in the States, fine . But, how could a lone ability user from a country far out East, accomplish something that the America’s ability users, some of the very best in the entire world, all failed to succeed?

However, on the flip side, if he failed to accomplish the mission, that would be a big problem in itself, too .

Forget about his pride, the city of San Francisco would be destroyed at this rate .

The damage to LA wasn’t that bad, but when it no longer moved around randomly and corrected its course, the d*mn thing started destroying everything in its path .

He had no choice but to acknowledge it .

If Yi Ji-Hyuk failed to kill this monster, then the city of San Francisco would be wiped completely off the map .

Beeep!

A loud beep went off and it became rather hectic all of a sudden .

“What’s happening now?”

“He, he came!”

“What? Who?”

“Yi Ji-Hyuk has arrived!”

“Report it upstairs! Hurry!”

God d*mn it!!

The high-ranked official stared at the screen and the sight of Yi Ji-Hyuk captured within, and clenched his fist tightly as two different emotions alternated endlessly within his head .

“You know what, I’d rather prefer if you’ve managed to p*ss me off, instead!!”

*

“Hmm… . . ”

Yi Ji-Hyuk stared at the monster in front of his eyes . However, it was not what one would usually call a ‘monster’ .

“Hey, you . Can’t you, like, control it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Affeldrichae shook her head .

“It’s not possible in my current state . ” (Affeldrichae)

“But, that thing’s basically your family member, isn’t it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I wonder . It’s true that I often prefer to control the ‘spirits’ aligned with light, but it’d be hard to claim that they are my dependants, either . After all, our relationship was one formed through contracts in the end . Let’s not forget, that particular spirit isn’t contracted to me . Even if it was, I wouldn’t be able to control something that high ranking as I am right now . ” (Affeldrichae)

“Hmm… . ”

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched his chin while staring at the bundle of white light just over yonder .

“Well, whatever . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

That creature was a high-ranked spirit of light, ‘Seti’ .

If one were to control it, then it’d become a huge help, but when facing off as an enemy, then it would prove to be one hell of a headache-inducing creature . Especially when it came to Yi Ji-Hyuk .

Now for ordinary folks, a Zombie Dragon would prove to be a harder monster to deal with than a Seti, but for Yi Ji-Hyuk, the opposite was true .

Yi Ji-Hyuk relied most often on the powers of darkness, so a spirit of light was an existence from the far end of the scale, really . It wasn’t as troublesome as a high priest totally wrapped around in divine powers or some such, but well, ‘light’ was supposed to defeat ‘darkness’ after all .

In the past, he’d have dusted his hands and get the hell outta dodge even if he was offered several millions of dollars, but now… .

“But now, my situation is a bit different, isn’t it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk formed an unreadable expression as he stared at the Seti .

“It’s so pretty . ” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Hah… . .

Yi Ji-Hyuk frowned deeply after he shifted his gaze to Jeong Hae-Min next to him, who was way too busy admiring the outer appearance of the Seti .

“You, just go away . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“But, it’ll be hard for you to go back without me, though?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

“Groan~… . ”

Why couldn’t she just shut up and do her job as a shuttle?!

“How can you think that thing’s pretty?! Ah?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“But, isn’t it really pretty, honestly speaking?” (Jeong Hae-Min)

Sure, well, it’s a ball of shining white light, plus the silhouette of a woman with a killer figure, so yeah, it might look pretty to some people .

But, have you thought about just how many people it killed so far?

If the families of the victims heard what you said, they would go absolutely mental trying to rip your tongue out and toast it in hellfire, you naïve little girl . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk tsk, tsked and shifted his gaze back to Seti .

“Hmm, so, it’s not possible to appease it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes, completely impossible . ” (Affeldrichae)

“In that case, time to kill it, then . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A spirit that had left the dimension of spirits would become tainted by the world it found itself in .

If it was under the protection of a summoning contract, and got its Mana supply from the summoner, then it’d be able to maintain its original state, but if, for some reason, it fell into other worlds without a summoner present, then there were only two ends waiting for such a spirit .

Either it ceased to exist after failing to find a source of Mana… .

Or, absorb Mana of the ambient atmosphere and become tainted, instead .

For a spirit that only accepted the essence of the purest Mana, the unclean Mana found in real worlds would be akin to a blood pack filled with impurities .

Either there would be an adverse reaction and the spirit died, or it’d adapt and become tainted . One of the two outcomes .

“But that’s only when there is Mana to begin with . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

This planet didn’t have any Mana . So, the only thing remaining would be its death .

The reason why it was heading towards Korea could be a simple one . Well, the scent of Mana coming from there would certainly be the strongest in this world, after all .

Technically speaking, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s Mana, that was .

‘No, hang on a minute . If I think about the case with the Zombie Dragon, maybe that’s also wrong, too?’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

So what if he was wrong? So what?

“Whatever it is, the answer is simple . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Time to kill it, then .

If it wasn’t here to help, of course .

Wuuuonngg… .

Yi Ji-Hyuk tilted his head while staring at the Seti as it cried in a weird resonance .

‘By the way, weren’t spirits… . ’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Were spirits this easy to encounter?

See, the thing was, spirits were a rare existence even back in Berafe .

Especially so a roaming spirit that wasn’t summoned into this world – now that would be like you walking down the street only to be greeted by a death knight walking right past you .

However, just how many did he encounter already?

‘Could spirits easily cross over to this world?’

While he stood there pondering the meaning of this mystery, something began to flicker dangerously and brightly in front of his eyes .

“It’s coming . ” (Affeldrichae)

As Affeldrichae said those words, a clear barrier formed in front of the group .

She had deployed a shield, in other words .

“As expected of a Lord of all… . . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Eh?

Why isn’t there one in front of me… . ?(Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

*SFX for a beam of light sweeping past*

A giant beam of light slammed into them .

Just as the strange sensation of being enveloped in pure white light shook them up, a rather odd cry could be heard from behind them .

“Hey, you crazzzzzzyyyyyyy………!!”

However, the voice continued to get further and further away .

Once the beam of light dissipated, the group emerged more or less unscathed in the same spot as before . As if blocking that single attack took a lot out of her, Affeldrichae bent over slightly and took a deep breath .

“Fuu… . . ”

Catching her breath quickly, Affeldrichae turned her head to look, only to find the group all looking behind them .

“Mm?”

When she followed after their gazes, she spotted a pair of something sticking out from the ground a far distance away .

“Mm?”

What could those two blue-coloured pillars be?

And those things visible at the ends of them were…

Shoes?

Could those be legs? Legs of a person?

If that was the case, then the protagonist of those blue track pants would be… .

Crack, Craaaack!!

Emitting the cracking noises of bones breaking, the legs seemed to bend at weird angles before they began to rock back and forth .

“Uwaaaahhhkk!”

Yi Ji-Hyuk managed to extricate himself from the earth and, with his hair still caked full of dirt, roared out at the top of his lungs .

“You d*mn rotten lizard woman?! If you were planning to shield everyone, why didn’t you shield me too?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I believed that there was no need to raise a shield in front of you, Mister Ji-Hyuk . That wouldn’t be efficient at all . ” (Affeldrichae)

“Screw your efficiency!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Did that dragon stuff her head with a stupid calculator or something?!

“You could’ve have blocked that rather easily . Besides, you haven’t received any tangible damage, anyway . ” (Affeldrichae)

“I’d much prefer it if you shut up now . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“If that’s what you want . ” (Affeldrichae)

Even until the end, she just had to get the last word in .

Yi Ji-Hyuk cracked his stiff neck this way and that, and glared at the Seti as it slowly floated towards them .

“Looks like it sent us a light greeting, didn’t it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“For the current us, it is indeed a difficult opponent to handle . Speaking objectively, I will not be able to win against it . ” (Affeldrichae)

“Tsk, where’s your pride as the Lord of Dragons?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Well, I’m not a Lord anymore, so . ” (Affeldrichae)

Affeldrichae was asking him with her eyes – ‘Can you win against it?’

Yi Ji-Hyuk smirked and made his reply .

“Of course I can’t . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“…………”

“I can’t win alone, obviously . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

But now, he wasn’t alone anymore, so there was a way .

Yi Ji-Hyuk waved around with his hands .

“Well, it’s not like I don’t want to play around you for a bit longer, but… . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Actually, I’m feeling kinda buzzed today, you see?

It’s been only a handful of months, but it still feels like a really long time – something like that .

That is why… . .

You need to fight against me now . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

WUUOOOO!!

The corners of Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lips arched up as the Seti began crying out in that weird resonance again . Well, that little thing wasn’t going to work on him .

The symbols drawn up in the air by Yi Ji-Hyuk’s right hand coalesced and opened up a huge black hole there .

Yi Ji-Hyuk began recalling the words Affeldrichae told him before coming here .

“I’ve brought them all . They wouldn’t help anyone when left alone in that world, after all . Yes, your demonic servants . Of course, they are those few you left behind in Berafe, but to you, I’m sure that low number is still a number, yes?”

Obviously .

To someone like Yi Ji-Hyuk, who had led an army consisting of not ten thousands, not hundred thousands but millions, this number was pathetically small .

However…

Would they be seen as a small force in this world?

“Open up!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

When Yi Ji-Hyuk roared out, three Gates opened up in the air .

From the middle one, a pair of crimson-red eyes gleamed rather sinisterly, then a lifeform possessing a black body jumped out .

Woof!!

The emerging lifeform was oh-so adorable and perfectly sized .

“Oh-Sik-ah!!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The black tentacle shooting out from Yi Ji-Hyuk’s body stabbed into Oh-Sik’s body and supplied the Ogre with Mana .

ROAR!!

Oh-Sik roared out at the top of his lungs as Oh-Sik regained his former glory .

Mm, that dog collar… . What a smart decision it was to get a ‘special rubber’ version . I might have ended up buying a new one every time Oh-Sik transforms . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

From the left black Gate, Dae-Mang and the Hydra he had left behind in the tropical island jumped out .

“Well now, it’s been a while, so let’s go crazy here . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Oh-Sik seemed to have understood Yi Ji-Hyuk’s words as it took large strides forward .

Meanwhile, the Gate on the right began vibrating harshly now .

“M-mm??”

Jeong Hae-Min stared at that sight with a pair of slightly worried eyes .

The black Gate shook around as if it had met an earthquake or something, and then she momentarily thought that she could see huge shadows lurking beyond it . But, before she could say anything, all sorts of monsters rushed out from it with crazed fervour and foams of blood bubbling near their mouths .

“Kyyaahhhk!!”

Jeong Hae-Min screamed in fright, but those monsters didn’t even spare a second glance and kept on running forward .

Their goal was only one .

And that was the spirit of light with a silhouette of a woman a distance away .

A satisfied smile formed on Yi Ji-Hyuk’s lips as he spectated on this sight .

That’s right .

This is it .

I so wanted to see this sight again . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

Kkkkkeuuuroooaaarrr!!

The monsters piled out from the Gate got trampled by more and more waves of monsters still pouring out behind them, yet they continued to march forward like crazy .

When faced with such a horrifying waves of madness, even the silhouette of the Seti seemed to tremble ever so slightly .

However, there were certain other people who were also getting shocked out of their minds at the moment .

“What the hell is going on here?!”

Every single related party observing the situation cried out in unison and began spewing out various swear words .

How could a human summon monsters like that?!

Could he be a demon, instead?!

Seeing the waves upon waves of monsters pouncing on the Seti, Yi Ji-Hyuk grabbed his belly and began guffawing in honest, a first in a long, long while .

“Kekekekeke . ”

It felt like ‘something’ that went unfulfilled even after he sucked in some Mana and started using magic again, was now finally being satisfied .

This is what it’d been like .

No!! It’s still not enough!

This isn’t really it! Not yet!

I need more!!

Not those low class monsters, but to be able to let loose the apex monst… . (Yi Ji-Hyuk’s inner monologue)

“Mister Ji-Hyuk!!” (Affeldrichae)

Yi Ji-Hyuk sobered up when Affeldrichae called out his name .

“Groan… . ”

Why did it feel like something had possessed him just now?

Just as Yi Ji-Hyuk raised his head, the near-endless waves of monster pounced on the Seti .

At the same time, a massive shockwave of light exploded out .

< 127 . Well now, been a while so let’s go crazy -2 > Fin .