"Jesus…"
The soldiers clad in black armor or wreathed in black smoke stretched on endlessly. Each one was a being of tremendous mana, but what truly made the Hunters doubt their eyes was something else entirely.
"Th-That, no way?" "That thing at the very end—you see it too, right?" "…Yeah. I see it."
The Hunters, faces pale, pointed toward the rear. Behind the soldiers, three black dragons stood with their heads bowed meekly, like beasts before their master. When the Hunters spotted dragons mixed into the ranks of the black soldiers, they were left speechless. Kamish—the first and last dragon in the history of humanity. A single one of those had nearly annihilated the top-tier Hunters and plunged the entire world into an apocalyptic inferno. That was why they had named the dragon after an unquenchable flame. Yet here, three of these creatures—each one capable of threatening humanity's very survival on its own—were gathered together. The Hunters who had come here ready to fight them felt the strength drain from their entire bodies. What would have happened if they had clashed with those things? Imagining a battle against the black beasts who were now calmly lowering themselves made their skin crawl. At the same time, they grew curious about the identity of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, who stood before those creatures as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jin-Woo looked out over the Shadow Army—the endless number of them kneeling before Commander General Bellion.
*'So this is the true Shadow Army…'*
Igrit had been right. The day before, Igrit had called Jin-Woo aside and spoken politely.
—My Lord, the Shadow Army has completed all preparations.
It had taken a while for Jin-Woo to fully understand those words. That was just how astonishing the claim was. So he had hesitated. Even he—who understood the Monarchs, the Rulers, and the Gates more thoroughly than anyone alive—was only half-convinced. Could he possibly make others understand a story he himself still doubted? No. That was impossible. Convincing Hunters who had gathered from every corner of the globe to stop what might become the worst disaster in human history… And if, by some slim chance—no, one in ten million chance—information from Igrit turned out to be wrong, how could he deal with the aftermath? So Jin-Woo had waited. Without confirming the truth with his own eyes, he refused to commit to anything, simply biding his time until the moment the Gate opened. And the result was now right before him.
Jin-Woo swallowed hard and surveyed the soldiers. Even though he hadn't raised them with his own hands, he could feel that every single one of them was connected to him. A web of connections as intricate and tangled as a spider's silk. Through that web, he could vividly sense how overjoyed they were at reuniting with their master.
*'This is the inheritance the previous Shadow Monarch left me…'*
They were swearing total obedience to their new master. Just as their hearts beat with passion, Jin-Woo's own chest swelled with emotion.
Then. After briefly glancing at the dragons behind him, Jin-Woo shifted his gaze back to the front. Commander General Bellion. True to the title of Commander General, the warrior before him possessed both majesty and overwhelming presence. Behind his armor, the marks of torn wings were visible.
*'Four wings…'*
Recalling that ordinary soldiers had two wings and Rulers had six, Jin-Woo could gauge roughly how formidable Bellion must be. Focusing his sense of mana, a sharp light blazed in Jin-Woo's eyes. That allowed him to peer past the restraint the Commander General had been holding back in the presence of his Lord, and see the terrifying mana concealed within.
*'So that's his power…'*
Only with this level of strength could he be worthy of leading a Shadow Army that included dragons. Jin-Woo lifted his head. The Shadow Army. A king who desired war had reclaimed his soldiers. Thump, thump, thump. Jin-Woo's heart began to pound fiercely as he looked down upon his soldiers.
However. The ones kneeling here were not the only Shadow Army. If these were the soldiers of the previous Shadow Monarch, Ashborn, then Jin-Woo, too, had his own loyal soldiers.
*'Come forth.'*
At Jin-Woo's call, another Shadow Army materialized silently behind him. Their numbers had grown to nearly two thousand soldiers. Beru, Igrit, Greed, Number Six, Fang, Iron, Guma, Tank, and others filled the ranks at Jin-Woo's back.
Then. Thud. Just like the soldiers who had emerged from the Gate, they too knelt and bowed their heads. Every one of the shadow soldiers surrounding Jin-Woo conveyed a vow of loyalty forged in silence.
Jin-Woo nodded. Now the scattered Shadow Army had become one. A powerful force capable of standing against the enemies' army had been forged.
Everything was going smoothly. Only—
Jin-Woo felt gazes piercing into the back of his neck and turned around.
'…' '…'
There, tens of thousands of Hunters and hundreds of reporters—who had risked their lives to reach the battlefield to record this historic combat—all wore the same bewildered expression, unable to comprehend what was happening before them.
*'So now…'*
Looking at their frozen faces, Jin-Woo managed an awkward smile.
*'…How am I supposed to explain this?'*
* * *
Naturally, the world was thrown into chaos. The scene of every single monster from the Super-Archetypal Gate kneeling and bowing its head to Hunter Sung Jin-Woo had been broadcast live to the entire globe—so the uproar was only to be expected. Viewers who had been anxiously watching the moment the Gate opened could not shake off the shock, as if they had been slapped across the back of the head. Every online community was ablaze with discussion.
—Wait, what was that? Those black beasts just now—what the hell happened? Someone explain in a way I can understand! —You're saying all those monsters were Sung Jin-Woo's summons? └Crazy… They said the number of monsters that came out of the Gate was over 100,000. └No way, how do a Hunter's summons come out of a Gate? At least make sense. └Well then, why don't you explain it properly? └First off, they looked exactly like Sung Jin-Woo's summons. But how did summons come out of the Gate?
Most reactions were of disbelief, though there were quite a few who saw things from a different angle.
—Still, aren't we lucky those beasts aren't enemies? └That's 100% true. └Otherwise we'd all be dead already. Heard on an interview that among the monsters, there were three dragons alone. └Three dragons lolol insane insane lolol └Kamish would have to take one look and turn back around lolol └Uh, it's been almost 9 years since Kamish died, what Kamish is coming out and going back in? └You must not have a single friend lol. —Ah, I'm going crazy, really… If only Hunter Sung Jin-Woo would just come out and give us a straight explanation…
The broadcasting stations replayed the scene over and over, trying desperately to analyze the situation. But there was no expert who could convincingly explain this unprecedented crisis—monsters from an impossibly massive Gate, except they weren't monsters but an individual's summons, with dragons thrown in for good measure.
"Hah…" "How is something like this even possible, I just…" "Mmgh…"
Everyone was at a loss for words, simply shaking their heads. Especially at the sight of over 100,000 summons kneeling in unison before Jin-Woo, groans escaped their lips. That was, to anyone's eyes, the image of subjects bound in servitude to their master. So much so that people began floating the idea of giving Jin-Woo the nickname "Demon King." Surrounded by the black soldiers, Jin-Woo did radiate an imposing presence strong enough to earn such a title. The experts spoke in one voice, defining the event as follows: a marvel.
"As shocking and bewildering as this is, from our perspective, it can only be considered fortunate." "Fortunate?" "Do you see the number of those beasts—or rather, summons—over there?"
On the screen the expert pointed to, the Shadow Army stretched out behind Jin-Woo as far as the eye could see, all bowing their heads. The anchor, who had been unconsciously trying to count them, swallowed dryly at the sheer enormity of the number. Not to mention the fact that three dragons were included among those forces.
"Had the Hunters been forced to fight those things, this wouldn't be a question of winning or losing. All of humanity would have been scrambling to calculate how long it would take for those creatures to reach the opposite side of the planet and annihilate mankind."
The anchor nodded along without realizing it.
"Fortunately, those were Hunter Sung Jin-Woo's summons, and Sung Jin-Woo appears to be able to command them."
However, that was all mere speculation.
"The truth is known only to Hunter Sung Jin-Woo himself."
The expert concluded. Just then, on cue, the final scene that had left everyone stunned appeared on screen.
"This is the moment."
Jin-Woo, who had been surveying the Hunters, melted into his own shadow and vanished without a trace. Jin-Woo disappeared just like that. The anchor shook his head and, straightening his glasses, delivered his commentary.
"Where on earth has Hunter Sung Jin-Woo—the man at the center of all this controversy—disappeared to?"
The Korean Hunter's Association, which was being inundated with inquiries from around the world, could offer nothing but "we don't know." Naturally, this only poured fuel on the already blazing fire of public interest. The anchor stared into the camera, his face still showing lingering excitement, and spoke.
"We can only hope he returns soon and clears up the mounting questions."
* * *
Leaving countless people's curiosity behind him, Jin-Woo had come to a disaster-stricken area in Japan. This vast, abandoned land was the perfect place to test the entire Shadow Army's movements. At a distance before Jin-Woo, an army of 130,000 stood divided into two flanks.
*'Go.'*
As Jin-Woo issued the command in his mind, the two separated armies charged ferociously toward each other. Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—! The sound of their feet striking the ground shook the earth. The distance between the two forces shrank in an instant, and when the soldiers finally clashed—
Jin-Woo teleported units that had fallen behind to the rear of the opposing force, surrounding them. And that wasn't all. Where gaps appeared in the ranks, he deployed reinforcements; soldiers in isolated areas were dismissed from the shadow and re-summoned at a more advantageous position, ensuring the flow continued like water downstream. His smooth troop management, honed through countless battles, applied even to an army of over 100,000.
"Stop."
Even at Jin-Woo's quiet voice, every shadow soldier who had received his will froze in place. Thud! Perfectly synchronized movement. Jin-Woo halted the mock battle and looked to his side.
"How was it?"
Commander General Bellion spoke in an admiring tone.
"I had never conceived of troop deployment in this manner. I can only say I am amazed, My Lord."
Even Bellion—who had roamed countless battlefields alongside the previous Shadow Monarch—found this level of army control novel. The sheer advantage of freely summoning and dismissing soldiers at will was, to him, a revelation. Igrit, who had long stood at Jin-Woo's side and grown accustomed to his fighting style, couldn't help but puff out his chest with pride. Jin-Woo smirked at the smug-looking Igrit, then picked up his ringing phone. Brrrr—brrrr—
—Hey, hyung. It's Jin-Ho. "Yeah."
According to Jin-Ho, with Jin-Woo having disappeared so suddenly, calls had been flooding in—not only to the Hunter's Association but to the Ahjin Guild as well—to the point where every phone line was jammed.
"…Sorry. Just give me some time to sort my thoughts out." —No, hyung. Wasn't the whole purpose of the Ahjin Guild to let you focus on raids without worry in the first place?
As Jin-Ho said that with a laugh, Jin-Woo smiled silently too.
—Oh, hyung, did you contact your family? "I told them I'd come by after clearing my head a bit." —Then they must be a bit less worried. That's a relief, hyung.
After the call ended, Jin-Woo put the phone away and let out a heavy sigh. He knew this wasn't something he could just avoid. But if he started explaining about the Gate and the shadow soldiers, the story of the Monarchs and the Rulers would inevitably come up. How was he supposed to tell them that soon, soldiers of the Monarchs would pour out of the remaining eight Gates, and the entire world would be turned into a battlefield? Jin-Woo had had no choice but to remove himself to sort out his thoughts. This was the best he could do. He wanted—even if just a little longer—for people's peace to hold on.
*'So I can put it off for a few more days at least.'*
While Jin-Woo was steeling himself with that resolve, Beru—who had been notably quieter of late—quietly approached him.
"Your Majesty…" "Hm?"
When Jin-Woo turned, Beru knelt and bowed his head, speaking.
"Please test whether I am qualified to serve as Commander General." "Commander General?"
Was there not already a Commander General? Confused, Jin-Woo suddenly recalled the System information he had read once about Marshal-grade titles.
*'Could it be…?'*
Sure enough, Beru raised his head.
"I, the Legion Commander, would like to challenge Commander General Bellion."
=