Before the sun rose the next day, the alliance summoned us.
As we hurried to the alliance headquarters, it was bustling with numerous awakened individuals and staff, unlike the quiet of the previous day.
It seemed even those on leave had been called in.
They were busily moving items, their faces etched with deep tension.
I approached Lei Fu, the alliance leader, who was issuing commands at the center of the scene.
“What’s going on?”
“The Second Shelter was overrun early this morning.”
“Shelter?”
“…A refugee shelter.”
Lei Fu explained with a grim expression, and Lao Ying, who seemed to grasp the situation, translated with a bitter smile.
I had already heard most of the details from Mirien last night.
Only Yoo Junseo frowned, tilting his head in confusion.
“The refugee shelter was overrun? By whom?”
“Who else? The Calamities.”
“…Isn’t that dangerous?”
Of course, it’s dangerous.
The Second Refugee Shelter, essentially a human bait tower, collapsing means the Calamities have begun to move in earnest.
Calamities never move on their own.
Unless provoked, they settle in one place, expand their territory, and create dungeons.
Only after a dungeon is formed do Calamities emerge, but their numbers were never this large.
In other words, a mass migration of Calamities like today’s incident is almost unheard of.
Well.
Almost unheard of, but not entirely.
[5★ Mirien of the North Sea’s Storm activates the skill ‘Eye of the Storm’!]
Ding!
[5★ Mirien of the North Sea’s Storm is watching 5★ Mother of Omens, Karne!]
[5★ Mirien of the North Sea’s Storm sees through the skill ‘Mother’s Call’!]
Status windows popped up in quick succession.
As expected, Mother of Omens, Karne, had begun her full-scale invasion.
As Selene had said, Karne could have overrun Beijing if she wished.
Yet, she chose to act the day after I arrived in China.
Which means….
‘She was waiting for me.’
I don’t believe it’s a coincidence.
Karne has a higher tracking skill aptitude than Mirien.
From the moment I set foot on Chinese soil, she must have been following my trail.
‘Unintentionally, I’ve become the catalyst for China’s downfall….’
Even if Karne hadn’t been involved, China would have fallen to the Calamities eventually.
But there’s no denying that my actions hastened its demise.
I can’t escape responsibility.
A pang of guilt surfaces.
But now is not the time.
I forced myself to push those thoughts aside and patted Lao Ying on the back.
“Ask Lei Fu what the plan is from here.”
Lao Ying asked Lei Fu, who, instead of answering, turned his head resolutely toward the west. Lao Ying shrugged.
“That’s what he said.”
It meant they would fight with everything they had.
“From now on, all awakened individuals affiliated with the alliance will head to the First Refugee Shelter. The Calamities will undoubtedly target the shelters. It’s far more efficient to set up a defensive line at the shelter than to defend here in Beijing.”
Lao Ying went on to explain the outline of the operation.
Lei Fu glanced at me and Yoo Junseo with a hint of expectation.
Though we’re of different nationalities, we’re fellow awakened individuals, even S-rank.
Lei Fu seemed to want our assistance.
“…No choice.”
Whether Lei Fu asked or not, I had already decided to head west with the alliance.
Mother of Omens, Karne.
Since I was the one who unleashed this great calamity, it’s my responsibility to clean up the mess.
“I’ll join you.”
“Huh?”
Lao Ying’s eyes widened at my sudden declaration.
He must have assumed I’d give up on tracking the Actor and return home.
Of course, Yoo Junseo was equally surprised.
“N-Nam Jooyeon… this isn’t our problem. Whether these Chinese bastards live or die, it’s none of our concern. The Calamities won’t cross the sea. Even if they do, our country’s small size makes it easier to defend….”
“…Well, you’re not wrong.”
The problem is, I’m not entirely free of responsibility for their deaths.
Karne began moving to find me, and coincidentally, her location is here in Beijing.
But I can’t exactly say that. I came up with a plausible excuse.
“I can’t turn a blind eye to a crisis where countless lives are at stake. Let’s do what we can.”
Lao Ying didn’t bother to translate my words, but the atmosphere alone seemed to convey my intent.
The awakened individuals in the alliance headquarters all turned their gazes toward me.
Even those who had looked at me with disdain the day before, as a Korean awakened individual, now regarded me with admiration, as if I were a hero.
“….”
I wish they wouldn’t look at me like that.
It makes me feel like a bad person.
*
‘Fuck, fuck.’
Sitting silently in the back seat of the van, Yoo Junseo cursed inwardly.
How did it come to this?
Nothing was going as planned.
This trip to China was Nam Jooyeon’s idea from the start.
Yoo Junseo had followed along, excited that he was being treated as an equal, an S-rank awakened individual.
But what the hell was this situation now?
“We’ll arrive soon. The crow army is about 70 kilometers from the shelter.”
An awakened individual of Chinese descent briefed Yoo Junseo.
He didn’t want to hear it.
The reality he was facing.
Defending against outbreaks in South Korea wasn’t difficult.
But the situation in China was on a completely different scale from Seoul.
The number of Calamities counted was in the tens of thousands.
And among them, there were even three 4-star Calamities.
On the other hand, the Chinese Awakened Alliance, even if they gathered everyone, had less than a thousand members.
Each person would have to take down at least ten Calamities.
It was practically suicide.
‘That bastard Nam Jooyeon….’
Yoo Junseo grimaced and cursed Nam Jooyeon, who was in the vehicle behind him.
He couldn’t understand Nam Jooyeon at all.
During the tower raid, he had acted heroically.
But a few weeks later, he started threatening the government and doing whatever he wanted.
Sometimes he seemed like a hero, other times like a villain.
To Yoo Junseo, Nam Jooyeon was an enigma, impossible to predict.
But one thing was certain.
‘In the end, everything turned out well.’
What Nam Jooyeon did might seem reckless at first glance, but in the end, it always produced the best results.
So maybe his decision to assist the Chinese alliance wasn’t just meddling, but part of some deeper plan.
‘I don’t know. I’ll just stick close to him for now.’
There was only one way.
Yoo Junseo decided to latch onto Nam Jooyeon.
Better to be a well-fed mosquito than a hungry butterfly.
Just as Yoo Junseo was stealing his resolve…
Rumble.
The road shook.
The awakened individual in the passenger seat exchanged words over the radio, then made a surprised expression.
“What’s going on?”
“Well… the S-rank awakened individual who was with us suddenly got out of the moving vehicle and flew off on a dragon….”
“…What?”
Hearing that, Yoo Junseo quickly stuck his head out the window.
The Tempest Dragon, Tempestra, was flying gracefully, its massive wings spread wide.
“…That bastard, is he really….”
Is he running away?
Leaving me behind?
“….”
Yoo Junseo felt his chronic condition flare up.
*
[4★ Tempest Dragon Tempestra activates the skill ‘Flight’.]
Flying through the smog-filled sky was decidedly unpleasant.
The silver lining was that I had experience riding Tempestra’s back during Mirien’s rampage.
Instead of panicking, I gripped Tempestra’s scales tightly with my left hand and manipulated the status window with my other hand.
[5★ Scorched Saint Selene has been summoned.]
“My lord, you called for me?”
“You can see the situation, right? We’re heading straight for Karne at full speed. If the Calamities see us as enemies and attack, I need you to intercept them.”
“…Isn’t it too dangerous to charge into enemy territory alone?”
“Of course it’s dangerous.”
But I don’t have the luxury of leisurely driving with the alliance’s awakened individuals.
Even now, Karne’s minions are advancing toward the human bait tower.
I need to get there first and resolve the situation to minimize unnecessary casualties.
But my altruistic actions didn’t sit well with Selene.
“As a lowly being, I cannot comprehend why my lord cares for these inferior creatures. But… since it is your command, I will follow without question, even at the cost of my life.”
Selene drew her Pyre Spike Sword.
The flames on the sword, bound to the Holy Flame Mark, burned with a golden light.
Soon, the sky darkened with the swarm of Omens’s minions.
[5★ Mirien of the North Sea’s Storm is watching you.]
A few kilometers above, Mirien was observing the situation through magic.
Even if those minions attacked, as long as Karne herself didn’t appear, we weren’t in danger.
[2★ Remnants of Omens scatter.]
But all our preparations were for naught, as Karne’s minions didn’t attack us.
Instead, the Calamities parted to either side, clearing a path for Tempestra.
It was reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea.
Like a black sea opening up.
“Looks like Karne wants to meet me too.”
“…My lord, you must not leave my side.”
Tempestra slowed its speed, and Selene kept her Pyre Spike Sword drawn, ready to fight at any moment.
How long had we been following the path of crows?
[5★ Mother of Omens, Karne, is watching you!]
“Actor.”
“….”
“You’ve come a long way. You must be tired.”
Finally, I came face to face with the third 5-star Calamity I had unleashed, Mother of Omens, Karne.
Her wings flapped silently as she hovered, a sinister smile playing on her lips.
“…My child. This pitiful, wretched mother has so much to say to you.”
At the very least, the emotions Karne held for me were not friendly.
[5★ Mother of Omens, Karne, activates the skill ‘Black Nest’.]
The pair of wings at her waist began to glow an even deeper black.