CHAPTER 22: APOCALYPSE LIGHT!
"APOCALYPSE LIGHT!"
Andre focused all his power and raised his left arm. Instantly, a ring appeared in the sky—much larger than before. So large that it reached the city's entrance.
Then, from the four corners of the ring, vertical yellow beams descended, covering everything. It was a cage. Escape was impossible.
Master Woli shouted.
"Everyone, activate your Zan immediately! This is a powerful technique—hurry!"
Master Woli and the team activated their Zans at once.
At that moment, the ring glowed with a yellow light. Suddenly, hundreds of beams began to fall rapidly across the entire area enclosed by the cage. Each one reached up to ten thousand degrees.
Bumb's eyes widened.
"Th-this is impossible!"
Just then, a beam pierced through Bumb's shoulder, evaporating it instantly.
"AHHH!! How many degrees are these beams? He had no Ren left?! His Kyu is too strong! I have to escape!"
Bumb tried to flee at high speed. But beams of ten thousand degrees fell everywhere. Escape was nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, beams were also falling at the entrance of York City.
Commander Garm shouted.
"Stay away from the city entrance! It's going to be destroyed! Retreat to the center of the city, quickly! Soldiers, help the people at the entrance!"
Beams fell rapidly. Most buildings at the entrance were riddled with holes and began to evaporate. Many civilians had already died.
Bumb had reached the edge of the cage. The moment he tried to escape, the pillars of the cage burned him instantly.
"N-no! I can't get out?! It's too hot!"
Master Woli and the others were also struggling.
"Hold on! We must endure! Don't deactivate your Zan. Otherwise, you'll evaporate instantly. Each beam is ten thousand degrees. Do not deactivate your Zan!"
Kaito was breathing heavily.
"Master, when will this technique end? I can't hold on much longer."
Ren agreed.
"Neither can I."
Aiko added.
"Same here, Master. My Zan could break at any moment."
Rin confessed.
"I'm not sure about myself either, Master."
Woli assessed the situation.
"Judging by Andre's condition, it should be over soon. Hold on a little longer."
Just then, something happened. Bumb suddenly fell to the ground, and beams pierced through his body. He was completely riddled with holes.
Kaito pointed.
"Master, look! He's dying."
But Woli remained suspicious.
Bumb spoke through the pain.
"Y-you left me no choice, human. You may be one of the strongest humans I've ever faced. But I am also the strongest you've ever faced. And I will kill you, no matter what."
The moment Bumb said this, his body began to transform. But the beams continued to pierce through him.
Suddenly, a cloud of steam spread across the area, covering almost the entire cage.
Meanwhile, panic still gripped the city. The entrance was almost completely destroyed.
Commander Garm asked.
"What's the outcome? How many did we save?"
The soldier hesitated.
"C-Commander… almost everyone at the entrance is… dead…"
Garm's voice was cold.
"How many?"
"An estimated three hundred people, Commander."
Garm straightened his posture and spoke coldly.
"Secure the remaining civilians immediately. This incident will not be disclosed. Master Andre did everything he could to protect us. But to defeat that damned Djinn, he had to use this technique. We cannot blame him. Follow my orders."
"Yes, sir."
Kaito and the others were still struggling.
"M-Master… I can't hold on…"
Just then, Master Woli's Zan suddenly expanded. It grew so large that it covered Kaito, Ren, Aiko, and Rin as well.
Woli gave the order.
"Deactivate your Zans and rest."
Aiko was worried.
"Master, will you be okay? This must be draining your Ren heavily."
Woli's voice was firm.
"I am your master. It is my duty to protect you. Now do as I say."
They all deactivated their Zans.
The steam cloud had cleared. The inside of the cage was completely riddled with holes. Even the barren land was beginning to evaporate.
And from within the steam cloud, something emerged.
A figure with yellow hair, four meters tall, with a pitch-black body. His severed arm had regenerated and was now so long it nearly touched the ground. In the center of his long, black body, a yellow eye gleamed. His mouth was fully stretched, his teeth sharpened like a demon's. His eyes had turned from red to a pale yellow. Long black horns had grown from his forehead.
He had become a true demon.
Kaito was stunned.
"Master, what is this? What happened to him?"
Ren observed.
"Did he transform?"
Aiko trembled.
"Th-this is terrifying!"
Bumb moved instantly. The falling beams no longer touched him.
Ren noticed.
"His speed increased?"
Bumb appeared before Master Andre in an instant. He concentrated Po into his right fist and struck Andre with full force.
Andre was sent flying meters away. The moment he lost focus, the technique deactivated.
Andre struggled to his feet but was completely exhausted.
At that moment, Master Woli acted. He sprinted at high speed while shouting orders.
"Don't move from there! You're not at this level yet!"
Then, something heartbreaking happened.
Bumb straightened his hand and thrust his demonic claws through Master Andre's chest.
Andre's already wounded chest was pierced completely. Blood poured onto the ground.
Master Woli froze in place.
Andre whispered something.
"Do you think you've won? Look—you couldn't harm the city. You have to settle for me. I'm sorry for you."
Bumb formed a sword from black earth and swung it at Andre.
Just as the sword was about to sever Andre's head, another sword blocked it.
It was Master Woli.
"You will pay for what you've done!"
At that moment, Andre collapsed to the ground.
Bumb scoffed.
"So you want to die too? Fine by me."
THE DORN KINGDOM
In the northern mountains of the Dorn Kingdom, a man with red hair and a red beard walked along a long, narrow path.
This was Raimen.
After a while, he reached the entrance of a cave. Two guards stood there, both wearing purple robes, their faces hidden. One of them spoke.
"Welcome, Lord Raimen. They are waiting for you inside."
Raimen entered the cave, carrying Hunter Risk on his shoulder.
In the center of the cave sat a man with brown hair and purple eyes, though his face was obscured. To his right and left were three small chairs each. Two were empty.
The man spoke in a cold, harsh voice.
"Sit in your designated seat. Leave the body over there."
Raimen placed Hunter Risk in a coffin behind the man and sat down.
Raimen noticed the empty seat.
"One seat is empty. Bumb isn't here yet?"
The man replied.
"Not yet."
Raimen expressed his doubt.
"I don't trust him, you know."
The man's voice remained firm.
"He may be a Djinn, but he has been very useful to me. Don't go after him. He will complete his mission, no matter what."
The faces of the others sitting in the chairs remained shadowed. Their expressions were unreadable.
YORK CITY
Master Woli attacked Bumb with a swift strike. Bumb blocked with the sword he had already formed. The two swords clashed in midair.
CLANG!
The sound echoed everywhere.
Bumb said coldly.
"Sorry, but I can't waste any more time with you."
He raised his hand. The earth swallowed Andre's body instantly.
Woli attacked again, aiming his sword at Bumb's head. Bumb countered with his own sword. The two clashed in the center.
Then Woli noticed something. On Bumb's massive black neck, there was a purple mark.
Woli recognized it. He was stunned.
That moment of distraction was a fatal opening.
Bumb struck Woli with his claws—but the attack didn't land. Still, Woli was pushed back two meters.
Bumb then dove into the ground and vanished.
Kaito and the others rushed to Woli's side.
"M-Master… where did he go? Where's Master Andre?"
But Woli was still in shock. After a moment, he finally answered, his voice cold.
"We're not stopping in York City. The commander will handle things there. We're going straight to the capital."
Kaito pressed.
"Why? What's wrong, Master?"
Woli's voice was ice-cold.
"Nox has made his move."