Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 104.
To be honest, Ha Gyeong had held little expectation for Rokan.
If Cha Min Woo simply kept pace, that would have been enough.
But unexpectedly, he’d accomplished something quite significant.
Tracking Blight Shaper was that important after all.
Still, it wouldn’t come free.
As expected.
Rokan lifted his head with a crisp snap and spoke.
―There’s a condition, though.
“I thought as much. What do you want?”
Ha Gyeong nodded readily.
Of course, he had a rough idea what this creature would ask for.
Probably wanted to return to the Zardor Empire.
But he could do that anytime now.
Rokan wasn’t exactly restrained.
After a moment, a hesitant voice flowed into Ha Gyeong’s mind.
―I… want my strength back.
“Fine by me.”
―No, it’s not that simple.
“Then tell me exactly what you want.”
―When you capture Blight Shaper, give me his body.
“What?”
It was far more unexpected than Ha Gyeong had anticipated.
He made a bewildered expression, then suddenly remembered something.
When he’d first brought Rokan back.
He’d left only the head intact.
Rokan had taken on that diminished form.
Ha Gyeong posed a question.
“Is it something like an emperor granting a nobleman a new body?”
―Not quite that formal, but similar in principle. A vessel to contain Abyss Energy is what matters.
“So if you take Blight Shaper’s body, what happens?”
―I’d inherit some of the Duke’s strength.
“Not a full hundred percent?”
―Of course not. There’ll be considerable loss.
Looking back at Rokan’s track record, there didn’t seem to be much cause for worry.
He’d been helpful in various ways after all.
What mattered was his conduct after regaining his strength.
What would this creature actually do?
Doubt was unavoidable in such a situation.
But Ha Gyeong nodded.
“All right. Let’s do that.”
―…Really? You really mean it?
“When you regain your strength, you’re going back to the Zardor Empire? To fight me?”
―No.
“Then we have a deal. What else?”
―Thank you.
“Let’s start with location tracking right away. We need to find his actual base. Can you do it?”
―Of course. My future’s on the line—I’ll give it everything.
Rokan flew in circles around the area, expressing his joy.
Meanwhile, Ha Gyeong wore a meaningful smile.
‘I never said I’d give him everything.’
* * *
After the operation to apprehend Blight Shaper.
Ha Gyeong’s office filled with heavyweight figures from the Awakened One industry.
They’d gathered less to point out the failure than to discuss what came next.
Association Chairman Jin Hyung Gyu opened his mouth with grim resolve.
“I never imagined the Grand Duke of the Zardor Empire had penetrated this deeply. Reading the report, I was genuinely shocked.”
“It seems inevitable that we’ll face a full-scale conflict with the DRC.”
Vice Chairman Jang Myung Chul added his thoughts.
Soon, Deputy Director Jung Tae Won delivered his briefing.
“The DRC is currently assembling near the gate. It appears they’re preparing a counterattack.”
“If they cross over, the situation becomes simpler. We just push back with military force.”
Everyone seemed to share that sentiment.
No matter how strong an Awakened One, fundamentally they were still human.
Against artillery and missiles, they were nothing but meat.
But the moment Ha Gyeong spoke, complacent opinions shriveled away.
“It’s not that simple. Blight Shaper will definitely trigger a Gate Break alongside his forces. Didn’t he do the same in the United States?”
“Hmm….”
Even the Awakened One superpower of the United States had faced an enormous crisis.
The diversionary tactics of the Zardor Empire were that terrifying.
This time, they’d almost certainly come more thoroughly prepared.
They’d tasted failure repeatedly because of Ha Gyeong.
“Once the Gate Break begins, modern weapons become useless. We’ll have to win using only Awakened One forces.”
“Current intelligence puts DRC troop strength at over ten thousand.”
“….”
At Deputy Director Jung’s words, the room fell silent.
In fact, South Korea’s Awakened One population approached one hundred thousand.
One could argue that was sufficient.
But the breakdown told a different story.
Over half had never experienced the Unknown Grade level.
Deployable forces numbered only about thirty thousand.
Beyond that, sheer numbers weren’t everything.
Surely the Gate Break would come as well.
Ha Gyeong laid out the situation cleanly.
“It’ll be difficult for us to win alone. We need to request support.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
Association Chairman Jin Hyung Gyu excused himself to make a phone call.
Vice Chairman Jang Myung Chul did the same.
After some time passed.
The two men returned simultaneously.
But their expressions weren’t favorable.
“Sigh… It doesn’t look promising.”
“The Gate Break phenomenon has worsened globally, so nobody has spare capacity.”
“All we managed to secure was material support.”
Blight Shaper was a meticulous one.
The recent increase in Gate Break incidents.
Surely no coincidence.
They’d pooled their thoughts but found no clever solution.
It seemed South Korea would have to repel the DRC invasion alone.
Association Chairman Jin Hyung Gyu spoke with a heavy expression.
“I’ll issue a mobilization order for now.”
“Please do.”
“Ah, what position would you like to take on, Ha Gyeong?”
Before, he’d been hastily assigned titles like Defense Commander or Special Acting Commander.
But they’d been largely meaningless positions.
After all, Ha Gyeong operated with a small elite force.
And he specialized in hunting Guardians of the Abyss.
He shook his head.
“Just let me operate an elite Subjugation Team. I think that will be most effective.”
“Understood. We’ll have it prepared.”
Association Chairman Jin Hyung Gyu readily nodded.
Ha Gyeong left the rest to the Association staff.
And headed toward the place where the Gate Break was scheduled to occur.
The battlefield.
* * *
As Ha Gyeong had requested, the Subjugation Team was the elite of the elite.
The Mad Dog—Kang Woo Jin.
Cold Optic—Ryu Jung Hwan.
Diamond Body Wall—Yoon Chang Ho.
And Dae Hyeonja besides.
A true gathering of the named and famous.
Though there were a couple of somewhat lesser-known members.
John Neigar and Yu Se Ha fell into that category.
Still, they had solid skills, so they wouldn’t fall behind.
The problem was the master of the Raiders.
Violet Magnum, Choi Hyun Ki had joined the team.
The moment he saw Ha Gyeong, he made his displeasure plain.
“Having to work under some young punk like this, the Association really doesn’t use their heads.”
Choi Hyun Ki griped loudly.
The atmosphere turned strange.
Everyone simply stared at Ha Gyeong.
No one stopped Choi Hyun Ki.
Ha Gyeong calmly turned his body and spoke.
“Command dispute. Do you want one?”
“Wh-what’s that?”
“When conflict arises between Awakened Ones, we settle it by duel. With the Gate Break, this place is no different from the Abyss. Shall we try?”
“No, there’s no need to—”
“I have no problem even if conditions favor the Ranged Dealer. Should we fight at a distance?”
“….”
Finally, Choi Hyun Ki fell silent.
This wasn’t a situation where he had his guild backing him.
Everyone on the Subjugation Team was favorable to Ha Gyeong.
Just then, Kang Woo Jin smoothly interjected to mediate.
“Normally that’d be fine, but we’re facing formidable enemies right now. Better to settle the duel after this is over.”
“I’d prefer that too, but if he keeps acting like that, it’ll only cause problems.”
“Fair point. Hey, Choi Hyun Ki! You tone it down too.”
“…Fine.”
It came out grudging, but it was the answer they wanted.
Ha Gyeong immediately expressed his thanks to Kang Woo Jin.
“Thank you for preventing unnecessary trouble.”
“Haha! I just saved a pathetic friend from disaster. If he’d tangled with the number-one Melee Dealer, what kind of beating would he take?”
“You’re too kind. Let’s move.”
“Right then.”
The disruption seemed to end at a reasonable point.
But Yu Se Ha’s behavior was unusual.
He’d suddenly pulled out a notebook and was frantically writing something.
It seemed he was recording the recent incident.
Ha Gyeong tilted his head in puzzlement.
‘Why?’
Then he suddenly recalled a specific scene from an AI video.
He suspected Yu Se Ha was quite eager to provide tips as well.
Ha Gyeong smiled faintly.
‘Choi Hyun Ki’s going to have a lot of stories to tell after this.’
Spreading stories was everyone’s prerogative anyway.
He had no intention of stopping it.
Ha Gyeong began advancing toward the heart of the Gate Break.
With Rokan leading the way.
―This way.
“We need to conserve power, so we can’t encounter anyone. Got it?”
―Of course. Leave it to me.
Today Rokan was remarkably proactive.
It made sense.
To regain his strength, he had to win this fight.
He absolutely wouldn’t waste effort.
Ha Gyeong moved in Rokan’s wake.
‘He’s reliable. Really good at dodging.’
Through Soul Imprint, he could perceive things to some degree.
But Rokan alone couldn’t cover a wide area.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Heavy tremors and thunderous roars echoed from everywhere.
The Monster Wave was beginning in earnest.
Ha Gyeong shifted his focus.
‘It’ll be hard, but we have to let them handle it themselves.’
The victory or defeat of this battle ultimately hinged on Blight Shaper.
Only by capturing him could they overturn the unfavorable tide of battle.
The Gate Break phenomenon progressed far faster than usual.
The area near the Northern Gyeonggi gate was already consumed and advancing.
The thick fog and Abyss Energy made breathing difficult.
But Rokan, flying ahead, suddenly stopped his movement.
―As expected, there’s a separate Guardian of the Abyss. What will you do?
Ha Gyeong’s senses also picked up a formidable presence.
Silent Ruin—Barkaaron.
The Guardians of the Abyss he’d faced thus far had all been enormous powers.
But on this side, the masters of the Four Great Guilds were fully mobilized.
Surely it would be a worthwhile fight.
Ha Gyeong made his decision.
“I’m splitting the team. Myself and John—Dae Hyeonja—will continue forward. The rest of you handle the Guardian of the Abyss.”
“Your group has fewer people though. Will you be all right?”
Kang Woo Jin asked with concern in his expression.
He’d heard that Blight Shaper was far stronger.
But Ha Gyeong’s thinking was different.
‘These people have never faced a noble of the Zardor Empire.’
Even the finest of South Korea would find it difficult.
He couldn’t break their morale before the fight even began.
So Ha Gyeong gave a vague excuse.
“This time he brought something stronger. The aura is more intense than the Guardian we faced before.”
“That explains the decision then.”
“Please be careful. I wish you well.”
“Good luck to you too.”
He exchanged nods with his team members.
Then pushed onward into deeper territory.
Rokan’s guidance was precise.
Beyond the heart of the Abyss.
The space that had once been the gate’s threshold.
Blight Shaper was there.
Hovering in mid-air.
He radiated Abyss Energy from his entire body.
Like a sacred messenger of a god.
Then Blight Shaper opened his eyes.
―Truly incredible response speed. Is it thanks to the traitor?
Suddenly his sharp gaze turned toward Rokan.
Whoosh!
Tearing the gate asunder.
Author |
Morae Tob
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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7th Floor, Gwangsung Building, 28 Bongeunsaro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
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Submissions |
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No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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