In the Name of God - vanish into fiction

I hardened my expression as I received repeated scan data from Echo.

The direction the monsters were moving after bursting out of the dungeons was strange.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed this.

“The nearby monsters are coming this way all at once!”

One of the Horizon investigation team members shouted with a pale face. It seemed he was an Awakener with an ability to detect the vicinity, similar to Echo’s scan.

It wasn’t very difficult to guess the reason the monsters were swarming here.

A monster’s favorite food ingredient is an Awakener with mana. According to analysis, do they not say that monsters perceive mana like a very appetizing, sweet scent?

As the fragments that made up the Holy Land were all annihilated here, their mana was now completely scattered in the surroundings. The monsters were likely running toward this place by chasing that mist of mana.

It was actually a relief for us.

Since we didn’t need to go looking for the monsters one by one, we just had to deal with the ones swarming here.

“Lee Sunho, I need you to give me some painkillers.”

I leaned my head on Lee Sunho’s shoulder and caught my breath. My head was still spinning and my body ached, but I had no intention of using that as an excuse to sit out.

Lee Sunho wrapped one arm around my waist and let out a dissatisfied voice.

“Reducing the pain doesn’t mean the body’s fatigue disappears.”

“I know.”

Even if the fatigue remained, I at least had to be able to move. It didn’t seem like a situation where I could just quietly shoot from one spot like before, so I wanted to at least reduce the pain in my ankle and the aching of my entire body.

Just as I was about to urge the silently brooding Lee Sunho, Seong Do-wan, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward.

“I will handle the swarming monsters. I ask the rest of you to request support and assist with the evacuation of residents along with the Daejeon clans.”

Everyone’s gaze turned toward Seong Do-wan.

With the number and rank of the monsters unknown, he was suddenly saying he would stay behind alone to handle them.

If anyone else had said such a thing, people would have scoffed, but since there was no one who didn’t know the renown of Seong Do-wan, the Vice Clan Leader of Horizon, a moment of silence ensued.

“Are you truly saying you will stay behind alone?”

“Others would only be a hindrance if they stayed.”

Seong Do-wan answered without hesitation even to the cautious question from our investigation team leader. Despite being treated as hindrances, none of us tried to point out Seong Do-wan’s remark.

The members of the Horizon investigation team whispered something to each other at Seong Do-wan’s words, then soon gave him a deep bow before approaching us. The man from before, who utilized briar vines for attacks, stepped forward as the representative.

“As the Vice Clan Leader said, let’s focus on resident evacuation and support requests.”

Our investigation team leader looked at Seong Do-wan once at the man’s words and then nodded. There was no more time to dither.

“Understood. I’ll make the rounds and contact the Daejeon clans.”

“Thank you. Then, right now…”

While the situation was being settled with the leader and the man at the forefront, Seong Do-wan approached me.

“You won’t have much mana left, so don’t overdo it and rest. Don’t collapse from trying to force yourself to endure.”

It was a voice quite different from when he spoke to the others. Warmth was seeping out as much as his worry, making me feel embarrassed for some reason.

“And… later, I will help you increase the mana in your body.”

Seong Do-wan, who let out a small sigh while looking at the exhausted me, then glared at Lee Sunho. He stared with a sharp and heavy gaze as if to press him down, but Lee Sunho was taking it head-on with an unfazed face.

When a considerably heavy and stinging atmosphere swirled between the two, our investigation team leader, who had just finished talking with the Horizon side, gestured to us.

“Let’s go! We’ll move quickly!”

Lee Sunho, who had soothed my pain like the painkiller he was, supported me as we moved.

I caught a glimpse of Seong Do-wan, who was left alone watching us distance ourselves, before soon averting my gaze.

***

After the investigation teams of the two clans had distanced themselves to a certain extent.

Seong Do-wan let out a laugh he had been holding back.

“Ha…. Haha, ha….”

Even though he knew monsters were swarming, his head was filled with nothing but thoughts of his younger brother.

“If you just shy away because something looks dangerous, you can’t accomplish anything.”

The younger brother, who had always seemed soft and fragile, was colder and stronger than anyone.

The ability he had considered merely a case of having somewhat good eyes was so sharp that no one present could replicate it, and the operational skill of compressing mana into weapons and bullets could only be described as genius.

Beyond just ability, the insight and intuition he used to analyze monsters and find weaknesses were also incredible.

And what about his boldness and resourcefulness?

Even upon seeing a monster pop out right next to him, far from being panicked or hesitant, he even handled it alone in an instant by pulling out a dagger like a seasoned combatant.