Chapter 210

In the back streets of Imphal. If you walk through the shadowy alleys, ignoring the splendor of the downtown area, you will discover a rundown village of old boards that wouldn’t seem out of place, no matter how long you linger. A few years ago, businessmen came to this area, and a new sign was put up.

[Planned Redevelopment Site]

Now, this shabby back alley has become a land of gold, just like the beautiful front streets. However, if the redevelopment proceeds, the poor people living here will lose their homes and will have no choice but to end up on the streets. Naturally, those residents protested, so the government and businessmen evicted them, either by persuasion or intimidation.

That was just three years ago.

Now, all it took was to redevelop the city, but even the best businessmen could not have predicted the global natural disaster known as "The Cataclysm."

The city of Imphal was transformed into a field dungeon overnight. Ultimately, the investors’ grand plans were completely delayed. Of course, the businessmen had no intention of sitting idly by. Time was money for them, so they couldn’t place their trust in the hunters of Imphal to devise a strategy for dealing with the gate.

In the end, the businessmen decided to collectively absorb some losses. They entrusted a commission to the Asura Guild, India’s strongest force, and determined that it would be more cost-effective to attack the dungeon as soon as possible rather than wait for the Imphal guilds to handle it.

Siddharth Bachchan gladly accepted their invitation. On the surface, he was ostensibly trying to save the poor citizens, but behind the scenes, the logic of capital was being thoroughly applied. And since the input was large, the output was equally satisfying.

As soon as Siddharth Bachchan was involved in the attack, one of the many gates at Loktak Field was quickly captured.

'....So far, so good.'

Manu Kijal, the governor of Manipur, who had negotiated between the businessmen and Siddharth Bachchan, was now biting his lips in anxiety.

Snap.

Until now, he had felt peace when he touched the Stardust necklace around his neck, but today it felt different. 'How the hell did this happen?'

Siddharth Bachchan had been stalling for a long time without attacking the remaining dungeons at all. Of course, he would still lead his guild members in and out of the gates, but he already knew that the purpose was not to attack.

'I don’t know what the purpose of such an experiment is…' While Manu Kijal didn’t know the specific reason, he did realize that Siddharth Bachchan was conducting some kind of biological experiment in Imphal, with the subjects being the poor residents. As the governor who had to continue the redevelopment alongside the businessmen, this seemed like a reasonable solution to address the poor in advance, so Manu Kijal tolerated it until now.

And yet something held him back. 'These days, you’ve been giving me little orders here and there. As if you were the governor.' The strategy was delayed, and the resentment of the businessmen was piling up, but it was somehow manageable. Rather, what he was dissatisfied with was the way Siddharth Bachchan treated him. However, from the moment he turned a blind eye to Siddharth Bachchan’s actions, he had also become an accomplice. Now he could only wait for Siddharth Bachchan to achieve his goals and resolve the field dungeon as promised.

Woosh.

Suddenly, a soft glow emanated from the necklace he was fiddling with. Then, as if by a lie, his discontent began to dissipate little by little. '...Well, after all, what Siddharth Bachchan is doing isn’t particularly bad for me.' Good, this is good. The thought crept in naturally, and he finally nodded. 'Could it possibly be that the reason for the secret army through biological experiments is to make Manipur independent from India? Starting with Loktak Field. Imphal is going to be the capital of that independent state. And what would that mean for me?'

It was obvious.

'King.'

Suddenly, Manu Kijal’s heart began to swell. Siddharth Bachchan possessed unrivaled strength, but he was never a statesman. You need a politician to run a country. 'In the end, I’ll be in charge of politics, and he’ll manage national defense...' In other words, if Siddharth Bachchan's goal succeeds, he will become the head of an independent state, not just a governor!

Though the land they ruled was the same, the meanings of a governor and a king were completely different. As he finished pondering this, the corners of Manu Kijal’s mouth crept up. He looked up proudly and forward again, and a blue essence flowed from his eyes. 'I get it now.' In the distance of his vision, foreign enemies had suddenly invaded Imphal and were slaughtering the hunters.

"Kill the invaders."

For our grand goals!

Smirk.

Manu Kijal, who continued his delusions as if he had lost his intellect, finally came to a decision that defied common sense.

"Ha, China’s Liu Zhigang crossed the border and invaded Imphal? Kill him and his men with all your might!" Even if Liu Zhigang is a Six-Star hunter, he is still a human being with blood running through him. Keep pushing until you’re exhausted, and he’ll eventually die!

"On the contrary, if it becomes known to the whole world that we killed Liu Zhigang with our own hands, from that moment on, we will be recognized as an independent country that no one can ignore!" Manu Kijal eventually declared an all-out war against the Liu Zhigang gang that was ravaging the guilds of Imphal. The hunters they hunted were unfinished test subjects. Fortunately, their egos had not collapsed, but they were half-mutants who had only absorbed a few drops of hemolysis! Yet even Liu Zhigang would never be able to defeat the complete Dragonfolk Army!

"Kill them!"

RAAAAHH!!

* * *

Suho healed a beggar kid they had picked up in the back alleys, who had been found by Beru and learned about the events happening in the city. "So you don’t know where Siddharth Bachchan is?"

"...No, I’ve been locked up in a cage all this time. All I know is that it’s somewhere in the dungeons." As he answered the question, the boy was miraculously recovering from the healing potion. Born in the slums, this was seen as a divine blessing for him.

[Master, the Star Piece has been removed.]

Harmakhan's treatment had been completed, and the boy was able to return to his pre-experimental self. However, Harmakan himself healed the boy and discovered why the hunters were pursuing this little boy so fervently.

[This young human’s constitution seems to be better suited to hemolysis than any test subjects we have found so far.]

"So you mean he was their favorite test subject?"

[Yes, if he had remained locked up, he would have successfully been turned into one of them.]

"..." With that, Suho turned his gaze and looked at the mutants that had suddenly swarmed towards them. Each one exuded at least the power of a C-rank, B-rank, or even more. That number was in the hundreds now. Even at this moment, considering the endless swarming, it seemed that there were more than a few thousand.

But the real frightening aspect of them wasn’t their numbers, but their intelligence, akin to that of the ice elves, unlike the beasts driven by instinct.

"That’s enough to overthrow a country. Siddharth, what the hell is this guy doing..." Liu Zhigang clicked his tongue. At this point, isn’t it safe to assume that the Asura Guild is a large guild composed entirely of villains? And the fact that these new dragon folks had lost their humanity made them even more terrifying and destructive as a group.

However, to someone else, this situation was an extremely satisfying sight.

[The King of Dragons, the Destruction Monarch, is hungry.]

[The King of Dragons, the Destruction Monarch, claims that absorbing dragon blood from their bodies will increase the amount of Ragnar's magic.]

And will also help in leveling up.

Suho’s eyes flashed as he nodded at Antares’ words. The job change quest to become the Destruction Monarch. Reaching level 100, which is the primary goal, may be possible by the end. Suho looked at the dragons as they attacked and summoned all the soldiers, who had scattered and sought the Void Gate, into his shadow.

"Arise."

Shwaaaaaa!!!

At that moment, the Shadow Soldiers who rose from Suho’s shadow unleashed their momentum and overwhelmed the battlefield. Seeing their enormity, Liu Zhigang was shocked, even though he was on the same side. 'Holy fuck! So these weren’t all the summons I’ve seen so far!' Not to mention Greed, whom he had met with his own sword, and the momentum exuded by the other soldiers was unusual.

Gulp.

Liu Zhigang’s throat grumbled as he swallowed his dry saliva. More than anything else, he already knew the true horror of Suho’s summons. They were an immortal legion that could regenerate infinitely, no matter how much they were hurt. "What a frightening power."

Liu Zhigang had met Sung Jin-Woo in his previous life, but he had never truly witnessed his true face. That’s why he instinctively followed Sung Jin-Woo’s figure behind Suho’s back. But one thing was for sure. "Compared to Sung Jin-Woo, you’re still not strong enough."

They were vastly outnumbered by the onslaught of enemies. Currently, there are only 50 of Suho’s troops. It was the largest combined force of all the saved soldiers and the instant mercenaries he had recruited to get here.

It even included ordinary shadow infantrymen who had become soldiers themselves for revenge. On the other hand, the number of enemies increased every moment, by 20 or 30 times or more. With no idea how much Siddharth Bachchan, who must be lurking behind this, might have strengthened himself through the divinity of the outer universe, it was hard to guess the odds. At least from Liu Zhigang’s perspective.

But.

Smirk.

"We just need to make up for the lack of power."

[Number of extractable shadows: 50/100]

[Number of Saveable Shadows: 8/10]

"I’ve invested a bit in my intelligence."

And one more thing.

Weak soldiers can be strengthened!

"Harmakan! Strengthen the shadow infantrymen!"

[Yes! I’ll activate the Death Knight’s armor!]

The Death Armor, which Harmakan had developed in the past for the demonic specters, was summoned. The shadow infantrymen willingly donned it.

RAAAAAHRRR!!!

The original souls who had been reborn as shadows were still shedding tears in their armor. But all that sorrow was directed at the dragonfolk who had experimented on them. At that moment, the shadow of Suho darkened all around.

[Use 'Skill: Monarch's Domain.']

Wooosh!

[Shadow Soldiers who fight on the caster's shadow have their stats increased by 50%.]

RUAAAARRRRR!!!

In his shadow, all the soldiers began to roar, swaying in a seething shiver. A full-scale war began.

[Harmakan uses 'Skill: Amplify Damage.']

[Harmakan uses 'Skill: Thorns of Pain.']

[Increases the damage to those who receive the curse.]

[Normal attacks will also inflict fatal wounds.]

[Mirrors all pain and damage taken by Shadow Soldiers to the target they attack.]

The results were devastating.

[The King of Dragons, the Monarch of Destruction, bursts into madness.]

[The King of Dragons, the Monarch of Destruction, hastens Ragnar.]

[The King of Snowfolk, the Frost Monarch, inflicts a blizzard of bitter cold...]

"...Is this really Sung Jin-Woo's son?"

Liu Zhigang couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

And neither could Governor Manu Kijal, who was watching the devastation from the top of a tall building in the distance, unable to come to his senses. "Wha– what is that?!"

This was happening in his own city... It was being devoured by evil spirits!

Without hesitation, he turned around and began to run away.