68 The Destroying Angel
“…One more outta do it…” Korain muttered, gathering his heavy breaths before raising his large blade above his head again.
He made sure not to meet eye-to-eye with the entity, this time invoking a different amplification as an illustrious, divine wind formed around his blade before he slammed it down with such a powerful force that the tornado itself was forcefully dissipated, causing the airborne vehicles to crash down like meteors on the ravaged block.
“Holy crap…! Is this how Korain always fights?!” He asked in surprise, only being used to the man’s training mode.
“Hell yeah!” Yeong-Un pumped his fist in the air.
The asphalt cracked and cratered beneath the eye after having the light-infused claymore slammed into it, managing to pierce it at last.
“…He did it?!” He realized, seeing the blade embedded into the eye.
Even Eunji and Moon seemed to take notice of Korain’s successful assault, though he did it on his own.
“…That man is always so extra…” Moon spoke boredly, scratching his scruffy beard, “Chimera came out for no real reason.”
“It’s better safe than sorry, right?” Eunji smiled meekly.
They all watched in anticipation while Korain caught his breath, still standing on the eye as he slowly withdrew his blade.
“–“
Cracks began to spread across the shape of the enigmatic eye, allowing a blinding, heavenly light seep through its unnatural form.
“Get back!” He called out to the man.
Even the boisterous man seemed to take that warning to heart as he leapt away, meeting back up with the vanguard as he ruffled the chimera’s fur, keeping his eyes on the bizarre entity.
“Did ya’ get it?” Yeong-Un asked.
Korain held a serious look, “…Can’t say. But, I can’t shake this ominous feeling.”
“What do you mean?” He asked, looking up at the well-built man.
“When my sword was inside of it…I felt something–it was beyond human; something that shouldn’t be touched. I was frozen until you called out–there’s something inside of it,” Korain said.
“Hold on…”
Eunji and Moon had met back up with them, with the glasses-wearing, short-haired woman speaking up.
“Huh? Did you find something?” Korain looked at the tiny, skirt-wearing woman.
Eunji adjusted her glasses, “…The way it’s cracking all over…more than an eye, it seems like…an egg.”
Those words brought a realization to the entire group as their eyes widened, moving to the cracking, shattering eye with full intent now.
…That can’t be it, right? He thought, or more so wished.
At once, as enough cracks stretched across the spherical form in the eye like an array of cobwebs, it peeled, falling apart as an eye-filling radiance obscured the entirety of the street block.
Following the breaking of the egg-like eye, a massive pulse released outwards, propelling a wave of obscene, unseen force in the form of a shock wave.
Korain didn’t waste a moment as he protected both Eunji and Moon with his body from the incoming wave of released energy.
“Ghh…!”
“Gk—!”
“Argh—!”
They were blown back by the widespread shock wave that blasted away the nearby windows as well.
Luckily, the defensive spell used on them earlier had protected them from taking much damage, but it still had an effect.
He held his head, laid out on his back against the asphalt as glass from the shattered windows of the towering buildings rained down.
“Man, what the hell…?” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Laying there for a minute, he picked himself up with ringing ears, extending his hand down and helping his spiky-haired companion back to his feet.
“Damn, that rattled my guts!” Yeong-Un yelled out.
“Not a visual I needed…” He replied wryly.
The other three were fine, but that was due in part of Korain, who wasn’t even moved by the shock wave.
“Phew…That was close,” Korain smiled, looking down at the two he protected.
Eunji looked worried, “Korain, are you alright…?”
“Ha-ha! Never been better! That spell of yours definitely saved my ass!” Korain slapped his own bicep.
Moon didn’t say anything, simply moving away as he looked past the black-and-white haired, burly man at what came from the shattered eye.
All of their sights set in that direction.
What was felt from the shattered entity was something distinctly potent; an aura that could only be described as “beyond human”.
A pair of beautiful, yet ominous wings stretched out, and in the heavenly light, a humanoid figure stood, walking towards them from afar.
“Beautifully done, humans…”
The voice of a man spoke from the enigmatic humanoid figure, still shrouded in light as they walked towards them.
“It really was some sort of cocoon?” Korain asked, gripping his claymore.
“The eye itself seemed alive…How odd,” Moon muttered.
“I wouldn’t try too hard to find reason with something like this…” He added.
“I think…I know what this is,” Eunji said quietly.
They all looked at the round-glasses wearing woman as she adjusted nervously.
“You do?” He asked.
“It’s just a guess…I don’t want to believe I’m right, though…” Eunji mumbled.
“Then spill it!” Korain commanded, ruffling the hazel hair of the girl.
Eunji blushed as her hair was messed with, “…Alright! I think…this is an “Angel” itself…”
“An Angel…?” He repeated, then looking forward at the winged being shrouded in light.
It fit the bill: holy radiance and grandiose wings stretching from their back.
“A full-blown Angel? Hah! That’s one helluva opponent!” Yeong-Un laughed in excitement, “Imagine the experience we’ll get from this guy!”
“Well said!” Korain agreed with an excited smirk, “I bet this guy came down because the six months are reaching their end—I guess we might be reaching the “endgame” or something like that.”
Finally, the almost blinding radiance settled down as the shrouded form of the Angel was revealed to their curious eyes.
He was thin, but packed with perfect, optimized muscle and golden-brown, tan skin.
What stood out immediately was his seeming height, compared to Korain who was over two meters, the mysterious Angel seemed to possess a superior height, by quite a bit as well.
“Are you going to just stare with your mouths open?”
The Angel spoke, coming to a stop a dozen meters away from the group.
Golden bands could be seen, worn on his biceps, neck, and legs, alongside his white, holy uniform that matched the feathers of his illustrious wings.
Even just standing there, an immensely dense aura exuded from the position of the Angel who simply stood, staring towards them with odd, rectangular irises of a golden shade, with black sclera.
Korain was the one who managed to step towards the Angel, pushing past the immense, suffocating aura that naturally exuded from the being.
“Who the hell are you? If you’re stepping into our home, dragging your feet across the floor, you should at least properly introduce yourself,” Korain said with a sly smile, staring down the Angel.
The mysterious Angel looked at the man for a minute before releasing unrestrained laughter.
“Oh, man, that’s good! I like you—you’ve got some spirit!” The Angel jabbed his finger against his own chest, “I’ll let you know my name then, the one given to me by the Holy Father! I am Radueriel, the “Destroying Angel”, burn it into your memories!”