FLIA 86

Yohan poured as much purification into Lee Hyunmook as he could while running. Even as he did, monstrous shrieks echoed from all directions, and heavy impacts thudded against the ice walls. In the blink of an eye, they had covered half the distance to their target through the ice corridor. But the real problem came next. Before they could break all the way through, the ice wall came crashing down. Monsters of unidentifiable origin howled as they poured into the corridor.

“Yohan-gun!”

As Lee Chanha quickly deployed a shield shimmering with blue energy, Yohan layered a sphere of light over it. In that brief moment, Lee Hyunmook managed to regain his senses. With a brief glance at Yohan, he threw himself outside the barrier.

Crack! Boom! A thunderous barrage of lightning rained down indiscriminately. The monsters that had surged forward spasmed and burned black. The ones that hadn’t died immediately were taken down by Yoon Seungryong’s poison. Occasional sparks flew but were blocked by Lee Chanha’s shield, causing no damage. When Ju Hoyoung froze the melting monsters, others rushing in slipped and fell over them. Seo Yakrin hurled them away with telekinesis. It was a brutal, desperate battle on every front.

Because they were within Yohan’s sphere of light, their corruption levels rose more slowly. But the problem was the sheer number of monsters flooding in. At this rate, Yohan’s purification would run out before they even reached the target. As the monsters kept coming and the distance remained daunting, Lee Hyunmook, who had been calculating something while watching Yohan, gave his next order.

“Seo Yakrin.”

“Got it!”

Seo Yakrin bolted out of Yohan’s purification range. A ruthless storm of telekinetic energy swept through the monsters. As her corruption level spiked in an instant, her eyes flared red. Crunch, crackle…! Her body swelled, and then massive wings burst from her back like an explosion.

“Aaaagh! You bastard freaks! Die, all of you!”

Her voice, full of rage, rang out with ferocity. Transformed into a monster herself, with multiple legs and wings, Seo Yakrin soared upward. A storm of dark golden telekinetic force tore through the battlefield mercilessly. She had lost half her reason to rage, and the rest of the team covered the areas she missed. Occasionally, Yoon Seungryong or Ju Hoyoung’s limbs would be torn away in the fray, but they regenerated quickly. The telekinetic blast also slammed hard against Lee Chanha’s shield, but fortunately, it held.

With Yohan safely protected under Lee Chanha’s shield, the team unleashed their full firepower. It was far more intense than anything before.

And yet, the endless wave of monsters remained a dire problem.

Unable to resist the contamination, Seo Yakrin, who had grown more wings, started attacking even her allies. Lee Hyunmook mercilessly seared her wings with lightning to stop her. Once she reentered Yohan’s purification range and regained some clarity, she dashed out again. This cycle repeated three times.

Lightning poured down like countless spears. Deadly poison surged like waves. An icy chill slowed the monsters’ movements, while savage telekinetic force scorched the ground. Still, the closer they got to the core, the more ferociously the monsters attacked. Noxious breath, acidic fluids, and ear-splitting screeches filled the air.

Despite the relentless attacks, some monsters managed to reach the barrier. Even with regeneration, Lee Hyunmook and the others were getting visibly worn down. Flesh and blood, whose origin was unclear, splattered with every strike, and Yohan’s hands trembled.

So this is why Lee Hyunmook said the chances of failure were high. Only now did Yohan understand. Drenched in sweat, he lifted his face. The barrier of light shone even brighter. Between the nightmare-shaped monsters pouring like rain and surging like waves, the core came into view.

“Team Leader! Shouldn’t we… fall back?” Ju Hoyoung shouted, blocking several monsters with ice pillars that erupted from the ground. The water from the lake had long since run dry. What he was using now came from monster fluids or his teammates’ blood. The dark red ice shattered on impact, scattering everywhere.

“Not yet.”

At Lee Hyunmook’s words, no one complained. They pressed forward in silence. Seo Yakrin trampled and crushed the monsters with her massive body. But for every monster she crushed, several more bit, pierced, and clung to her like ants. Lee Hyunmook’s lightning rained down on them. Seo Yakrin spasmed in pain but charged on in fury. Feathers and blood sprayed everywhere, it was a horrifying sight.

To hold back the swarm, Yoon Seungryong released a thick poisonous fog. Outside the purification range, Lee Hyunmook’s skin turned red before healing again. The same happened to Ju Hoyoung. Watching his comrades suffer endlessly, Yohan clenched his teeth.

Even so, they pressed forward. Each time the barrier was engulfed in monsters, Yohan’s light flickered, briefly illuminating the heart of the abyss before going dark again. The poison and fluids that slipped into the purification range disappeared without a trace. Yohan’s light still held.

Just a bit further…

“Yohan-ah.”

Even through the monsters’ deafening howls, Lee Hyunmook’s voice rang out clearly. Yohan turned away from the core he had been glaring at so fiercely. He couldn’t even tell what kind of expression he had on his face. He only felt overwhelming desperation. Without Yohan saying a word, Lee Hyunmook spoke as if reading his mind.

“That’s right.”

Yohan’s eyes widened as he panted for breath. Sweat stung as it ran into his eyes.

“Let’s go a little further. I still have strength left.”

Then, Lee Hyunmook turned his back. A shadow rippled at his feet and stretched forward. It brushed past his shuddering teammates, then began swallowing the monsters one by one. The onslaught paused for a moment as if even the monsters were startled.

A path, like a carpet made of shadows, unfurled. No, it was more like a sheer cliff than a road. Gritting his teeth, Yohan overcame his fear and leapt onto it. Lee Chanha followed, breathing hard. His steps on the shadowy path trembled.

Yohan ran with all his strength past Lee Hyunmook, Yoon Seungryong, Ju Hoyoung, and Seo Yakrin. Now, the monsters seemed to focus entirely on shielding the core with their bodies. They crowded together, using their own flesh as a shield. Lee Hyunmook’s shadow licked them up greedily like ice cream. Its movements were terrifying.

“Yohan-gun, keep your eyes on the target.”

Lee Chanha called out from behind, pushing Yohan forward. As a dark blue energy surged from his body, the monsters faltered. The intense hallucinations not only engulfed them but also began to affect Yohan.

A towering monster so massive that its head couldn’t even be seen appeared and stomped forward. Even knowing it was an illusion, the killing intent and presence felt too real to dismiss. Elsewhere, molten rain surged as if about to fall. The core, which had been in place, suddenly appeared somewhere else. The monsters screamed and charged after the hallucination. A path opened. As Lee Chanha had said, Yohan kept his eyes fixed on where the core had been.

He felt Lee Chanha’s body shifting behind him. He also felt the desperate grip on his ankle as Chanha collapsed. The moment he used the hallucination, Chanha’s corruption skyrocketed. Yet, with his unwavering will, he maintained the protective barrier around Yohan.

Just a bit more… just a bit!

We’ve come this far. We can’t turn back without trying!

Yohan frantically searched for an opening among the monsters clinging to the core like melting wax. The wall of living flesh sizzled, burned, froze, shattered, and scattered under the team’s attacks. Yohan didn’t blink.

There must be an opening, somewhere…

From behind, he heard his teammates begin to scream one by one, no longer able to hold out. Gritting his teeth, Yohan prayed silently.

Please, please, please…!

At last, he spotted a gap in the writhing mass of monsters. The moment he saw it, he thrust the white-hot tip of his spear into it.

“…!”

Swoosh! A brilliant light exploded outward. Vile, tar-like corruption spilled over his feet and hissed as it melted away. He had pierced it! He had found it! This was it! Yohan unleashed all his purification power into the gap without hesitation.