Chapter 82

Chapter 82
Chapter: 82

Chapter Title: Dawn Offensive

—

As the sun began to crest the horizon, the backup units made their appearance.

The Seagull technicians immediately picked up the transmissions through their headsets and passed the word along.

“So, Jeong No-hun is holding his ground after all.”

Han Sang-ah spoke under her breath.

“What’s the matter, bummed out that he’s still breathing?”

“Hardly.”

Han Sang-ah unsheathed her weapon, running a focused eye over the edge of the steel.

“If he falls, we’re in a world of trouble. He’s our only set of eyes inside the perimeter.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Han Sang-ah watched the light play off the blade’s cloudy engravings before speaking again.

“What’s your honest appraisal of my combat level? I’m curious where I stand in your eyes.”

I gave her a blunt assessment.

“If you and Nanami threw down with everything you had, it would be a coin toss. Hard to say who walks away.”

Han Sang-ah let out a soft “Oh” of surprise.

“That’s higher than I thought. And what about Jeong No-hun?”

“Well, if the stars align and the setting is right, he’d actually be a decent challenge.”

Han Sang-ah gave a slow nod at my evaluation.

“So the takeaway is that I’m still the top dog for the moment.”

“More or less.”

While Han Sang-ah and I exchanged words, the area was a hive of activity as hundreds of personnel prepared for the grand sweep of Harbin.

—Reiterating the mission parameters: Hunter Yoo Chan-seok and Hunter Han Sang-ah are cleared for autonomous movement.

The primary battalion began their push into Harbin from the eastern side, utilizing the perimeter highway. That was the cue for Han Sang-ah and me to deviate. She was tasked with taking the northern route of the ring road, clearing the sector from the top down.

My path took me toward the southern breach to press upward from the base.

“You good with this?”

“No complaints here.”

Both Han Sang-ah and I possessed the raw talent to handle it. In my particular case, I didn’t even anticipate breaking a sweat. I cast a silent look at the band encircling my finger.

The undead tides choking Harbin were primitive. They lacked the will to withstand the influence of this ring. I could essentially take a leisurely walk while tapping into its essence, and any corpse that dared approach would turn into a block of flash-frozen meat.

“Don’t put your faith in the others. Act as if you’re the only one on the field.”

Relying on others is a shortcut to being let down. Operating under the assumption that the rest of the pack would pull their weight alongside me was a dangerous gamble.

“These people volunteered to stand on the front lines with us.”

“I’m aware.”

However, if a sudden crisis erupted, expecting them to provide significant cover was wishful thinking.

“We have everything to lose here. The mercenary hunters? Their stakes aren’t nearly as high.”

If the situation turned sour, their first instinct would be to flee. Han Sang-ah returned her sword to its scabbard and focused on a discarded bottle on the asphalt. With a sudden, explosive movement, her hand became a blur, and the glass disintegrated into an X-shaped pattern on the ground.

I inspected the remains and offered my critique.

“Top-tier condition. You’re moving roughly 20% faster than your usual pace.”

“Yeah. I’m feeling sharp. Just watch me work.”

—All units ready. The time is 05:38. Engagement begins in 7 minutes. Hunter Yoo Chan-seok and Hunter Han Sang-ah will proceed on separate paths. Designating call signs: Yoo Chan-seok is Left Wing, Han Sang-ah is Right Wing.

A faint “Ugh” escaped my lips at the names.

“I’m not a fan of the political overtones there.”

The Seagull technician ignored the comment. Evidently, they weren’t in the mood for my brand of humor.

—The combined designation for the pair is: Clipped Wings. Out.

“Zero sense of humor, that one.”

I finished my preparations, rose to my feet, and took a final gulp from my water flask. Nearby, the Seagull coordinators were busy organizing the hunters into squads and handing out identifiers.

Adakawa Nanami was labeled Cannon. Jeong No-hun, maintaining his isolated vigil atop the Harbin Lungta Tower, was dubbed Lighthouse. The remaining hunters were sorted into units of twenty, each assigned specific team codes and digits.

—Operation is live. Move to your starting marks.

“Catch you at the finish line.”

The gears began to turn. As we neared the city limits of Harbin, a voice crackled through the ear-piece.

—Update from Lighthouse: The bulk of the Harbin host is pivoting toward the east.

They had caught wind of our movement. It wasn’t a shock. When you move hundreds of hunters at once, you aren’t exactly being stealthy; they would have to be braindead not to notice.

“Keep the original plan.”

—Understood.

It was expected. No reason to pivot.

“Time to let the leash off.”

The enemy had clocked our push and was throwing waves of ghouls to intercept us. We would carve through this initial surge, and then Han Sang-ah and I would break off for our primary objectives.

This was the perfect window to display overwhelming force and lift the spirits of the other combatants. I likely wouldn’t get a better chance to make a statement—to make victory feel like an inevitability.

“That’s a massive crowd.”

The first rays of dawn struggled against the heavy, dim morning sky. In the distance, the sea of undead began to take shape.

—Threat assessment: Roughly 150,000 hostiles detected.

Against our few hundred. The sheer scale of the numbers was staggering. In engagements of this magnitude, the psychological weight of being outnumbered can break a line.

That was precisely why I told Han Sang-ah we needed to be the tip of the spear.

“Adakawa, give us an opening volley.”

Nanami reached out her hand. A shimmering, somewhat juvenile-looking magical staff manifested in her grip.

It looked like something that would play a jingle if you toggled a switch.

Nanami took a firm hold and leveled the tip at the horizon.

“Impressive.”

A massive, incredibly detailed magic array composed of neon pink geometric patterns formed in front of her. It looked flashy—perhaps overly so—but it was just raw energy molded for aesthetic effect.

Yet, the power churning within that circle was lethal. One look told you that anything caught in its path would meet a gruesome end.

Against the disorganized mob we were facing, one precise strike could delete thousands of targets instantly.

“Once the dust settles from this, don’t sweat this sector, Adakawa.”

Once we moved into close quarters, her long-range capability would be a liability. Instead, Jeong No-hun, perched on Lungta Tower with a bird’s-eye view, would call out high-value targets for her.

She would simply drop shells wherever he pointed. Nanami gave me a silent thumbs-up in response.

“Initiating!”

She brought the staff down with force against the glowing, ornate array.

A torrent of energy burst forth in a colossal pink pillar, roaring toward the enemy. It was like a tidal wave of mud sweeping away everything in its path.

“Total carnage.”

Truly. Of course, since they were already walking corpses, “killing” wasn’t the right word. Those caught in the radiance simply crumbled into dust. The relentless surge of pink energy carved through the horde like a blade, splitting the mass in two.

Time to move. Han Sang-ah and I bolted forward simultaneously, our weapons at the ready.

“Right then, boys.”

These things weren’t worth overthinking. They had no real advantage beyond their staggering count.

We were like predators entering a defenseless nest.

Regardless of how much they clawed, they were powerless to stop us. I could have used the ring to freeze everything in my vicinity in a matter of heartbeats…

But that lacked the necessary theatricality. To properly motivate the other hunters, it was better to use the spear and reap them by hand.

I swung my weapon in wide arcs, leaving trails of blue light in the air.

“…”

Static hissed in my wake, incinerating dozens of corpses in an instant.

No lightning sparked from Han Sang-ah’s blade, yet every strike she made sent out arcs of pale energy that resembled bolts of thunder.

“Ah, no time for sightseeing.”

I picked my trajectory, identified the next cluster, and lunged.

Undead caught in the path were shredded, decayed remains scattered to the wind.

It was as effortless as a blade through silk.

“The rest of you planning on watching all day?!”

The other hunters finally found their courage and dove in. It was a simple realization: once you actually engaged one, you saw they were weaklings—despite the numbers.

“Focus on the kamikazes—only the ones glowing!”

Keep them from reaching the line. Just kick the living bombs away before they blow. Their detonations would end up taking out their own kind instead.

“The blast radius is roughly 5 meters. You’ve got 5 seconds before they pop.”

So, you handle the bombers by closing the distance and punting them within that window. Anyone who had survived long enough to be here was capable of that much.

Fail the timing? It would hurt. You might even end up dead.

The field of battle doesn’t offer do-overs. You mess up, you’re gone. If you live through a mistake, call it luck and be thankful.

—Lighthouse reports a second wave of hostiles closing in.

“Great, it’s a snow-clearing job.”

That’s exactly what it felt like. You clear a section, and more falls to fill the gap—like a blizzard. We were like soldiers in a winter storm, shoveling through piles of dead weight.

As I’d predicted, there was no clear end. The sheer population of undead in Harbin made this inevitable.

“Which is why we’re breaking away now.”

I keyed the radio to inform Seagull of our departure.

—Copy that. Left Wing is pulling out. Right Wing, disengage and move to your secondary coordinates.

This whole spectacle was a diversion. The real mission belonged to Han Sang-ah and me. While getting Jeong No-hun into position at Lungta Tower earlier, I had traced the magical signature controlling this legion back to its source.

Which meant I knew exactly where the puppeteer was hiding.

“I’ll let you know when we’re in position. Keep Cannon on standby.”

—Understood.

While the main army kept the horde busy, we would pierce into the heart of Harbin. The source of the undead was burrowed deep beneath the Science and Technology Museum on Taiyang Island.

Once we reached the perimeter, Nanami would provide a heavy breach from her distance.

Then we would drop in and take the commander’s head. Without a central brain, the undead would lose their cohesion.

They would still be mindless predators, but there would be no more calculated waves or tactical maneuvers.

The cleanup would be a simple matter of time.

“Still plenty of them wandering around.”

Even with the main group thinned, the streets were crawling. I didn’t need to put on a show anymore. There was no one left to impress.

The ring on my finger began to pulse with light. I didn’t bother with spear strikes.

Once the power was fully unleashed, every creature that stepped into my aura froze solid and shattered into pieces without me lifting a finger.