Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 74

074 – Battle Beyond Boundaries

“Captain!!”

Looking back at Ho-chang, who was waving at him with an almost tearful voice, Myung-jun roughly assessed the condition of the shield in Ho-chang’s hand, grasping the general situation.

How strong the opponent was, how well Ho-chang had been able to defend against their attacks.

Myung-jun knew well just how sturdy Ho-chang’s shield was because even though it was Myung-jun who had crafted the shield, using materials pounded meticulously by him with a hammer, designed to withstand attacks from at least a Rank 7 Monsters. The fact that it was in such a state meant…

The conclusion Myung-jun drew was that the opponent possessed at least an rank 8 level of strength, prompting him to casually crack his neck as he glanced at Banara.

Banara, looked at the human who had suddenly descended from the sky standing boldly before him with a disappointed expression.

“This? The mightiest in this planet? Looks like a slight tap would make you burst like a rotten fruit.”

Sure, the ‘Assembled Prison’ that had once intercepted his charge was quite impressive.

But that was it.

Even after his attack had shattered it into pieces, Banara couldn’t bring himself to believe that Myung-jun could defeat him.

Unlike Ho-chang, who was clad in a massive shield while donning a thick armor suit covering his entire body, Myung-jun wore only a slightly rough full-body suit with detachable parts for descent. Despite some metal parts, the mostly black attire made of special fibers was designed to withstand friction with the air during descent and lightly absorb the impact of 50-caliber sniper rounds. However, it was grossly inadequate to block Banara’s attacks, which could create massive craters with just a punch, given his defense.

But in the mind of Gelectus, the strategist of this beast legion, insane warning signals were ringing.

‘Danger from the opponent, immediate recommendation to retreat.’

“What?! Why?! He looks incredibly weak at first sight?”

‘Duration of engagement between the opponent and Agalipha, 3 minutes 20 seconds, excluding intermediate rest time. 20 seconds. Expected specialization in attack power.’

However, Banara’s delayed judgment was a fatal mistake.

During the brief moment he conversed with Gelectus in his mind, additional turrets ejected from Shadow Hawk were pouring down like rain.

Banara, about to move instantly upon seeing the ominous boxes falling to the ground accompanied by deafening explosions reminiscent of aerial bombardment, was slower than the boxes exploding all around before he could react.

– Ratatatatat! –

“Damn it!? Surrounded!?”

Moving at a speed matching his own, Banara, who was about to charge towards Myung-jun’s location, was stunned upon seeing the turrets rotating in unison.

Then, standing in place, he shot a fierce glare filled with immense rage at Myung-jun.

“You.”

“Why.”

“Why do you possess Cain’s legacy?”

‘Cain’s legacy? Is he referring to the Captain’s turrets?’

As many aspects of Myung-jun’s abilities remained veiled, Ho-chang blinked, focusing on the opponent’s words, perhaps hoping that Myung-jun’s strength might be revealed right here.

Paused for a moment, contemplating Banara’s question, Myung-jun redirected a question back at the opponent.

“Cain’s legacy? Do you know about my abilities?”

“That is a power not permitted in this universe.”

“Well, then, is your strength within the bounds allowed in this universe? Three among those considered strong in this star have already fallen. And the person here, touted as having the greatest durability in this star, is holding a shield on the verge of breaking down behind me. It’s blatantly a collapse of balance, isn’t it?”

“We were just preparing, we hadn’t started the ‘festival’ in earnest yet.”

“Ah, the ‘festival’. But you see, arriving prematurely before the food is even prepared and loitering around is just bad manners. Besides, it doesn’t seem to be the right timing for your appearance, from what I see.”

Said Myung-jun with an endlessly cold gaze while looking at Banara.

“Oh really? The King of the Beast’s from Beast Universe among the Twelve Heavenly Lords. King Banara?”

Instantly, from Banara’s a fierce vigour erupted upon realizing that the opponent knew his true name.

“How do you know my name?”

However, faced with overwhelming vigour that seemed enough to overwhelm him just by being in the same space, Myung-jun responded to the opponent’s question without changing a single expression.

“I’ve encountered other Heavenly Lord before. Maybe… it was King Enclave?”

“That bastard!”

As a member of the Twelve Heavenly Lords involved in this operation, King Enclave should have informed his fellow Heavenly Lord in such situations. However, more shocking than being betrayed by an ally was the fact that the human in front of him, who had encountered a Heavenly Lord, was still perfectly alive.

‘Come to think of it, King Enclave didn’t intervene during the recent erosion. Could it be because of this guy?! That guy?’

At that moment, Ho-chang, who had been listening to the conversation between the two from behind, approached Myung-jun.

And he inquired about the perplexing points.

“What are you talking about now? What are the Twelve Heavenly Lords and who is King Enclave? Is there something I don’t know?”

“Well, it’s not something to hide, I was planning to explain it soon. But now isn’t the right time. After expelling that guy back to his original world, we’ll have a thorough discussion.”

Banara was greatly irked by Myung-jun’s nonchalant mention of ‘expulsion’, but he refrained from acting rashly. If the turret summoned by Myung-jun truly was the legacy of ‘Cain’ he knew, it was an unstoppable force.

Banara concentrated his mind and closely examined the turrets surrounding him from all sides.

Then, he identified the difference between what he knew and ‘it’.

“The appearance is similar, but it’s a bit different. Primitive, should I say? A minor copy, perhaps? It feels similar to Cain’s legacy, but it’s equipped with a much more deteriorated item. Almost like someone clumsily copied it…”

As Banara thought up to that point and smiled to himself, implying a single hypothesis.

“Huhuhu… I see… that’s what it is…”

“What are you mumbling about to yourself again?”

“A weak being like you couldn’t have inherited Cain’s legacy properly. On closer inspection, it’s merely similar in form, but different from Cain’s legacy. His was much bigger and more powerful. You inherited ‘that’? Mostly with sealed functions and knowledge.”

As Banara mentioned ‘that’, Myung-jun, who knew its identity, flinched. Banara laughed loudly, then, with fiery determination burning in his eyes, addressed Myung-jun.

“Since I’ve discovered that fact, I cannot possibly spare you. Even if you completely relinquish the authority of erosion until the start of the festival, I must eliminate the threat.”

Banara’s next action was something even Myung-jun hadn’t anticipated.

Because one of the two Banaras, divided to face Ho-chang, suddenly extended its arm and pierced the heart of the clone. The clone with its heart pierced stood silently, looking at its own heart held in the hand of the other clone.

And then, it turned to dust, crumbling down.

At that moment, feeling an unknown sense of foreboding, Myung-jun shouted loudly.

“Commence firing!”

[Attack process initiated, targeting elimination in automatic aim mode.]

Dozens of turrets surrounding Banara began their assault simultaneously.

Some turrets fired ultra-high-speed penetrating rounds at over ten times the speed of sound, some unleashed rapid-fire volleys from ten barrels, and some launched massive artillery-like shells.

Among them was Myung-jun’s Relic-Rank turret, the Hell Blaster, used when melting buildings in Sejong City.

– Boom! Ratatatat! Ratatatatat! –

Apart from radiation, it was nearly an attack on the scale of tactical nuclear bombs, spreading enormous flames and debris in all directions.

However, amidst that brutal assault, Myung-jun sensed the presence of the opponent firmly standing at the core.

“Summon Turret!”

As Myung-jun realized the insufficiency of the turrets sent by Senior Soo-jeong and attempted to summon all the turrets in the subspace…

“Captain!”

Ho-chang, beside Myung-jun, suddenly struck Myung-jun’s body.

Not to attack but to protect.

Having propelled Myung-jun away, Ho-chang gathered all the determination he could muster and transmitted it to the shield.

– Aaaaaaaahhh!!! –

The defense was flawless.

The energy emitted at maximum output from the crystal stone was creating a defensive barrier on the shield’s surface. Moreover, the gravity anchors whirling crazily within the shield were firmly anchoring the shield’s coordinates as if placing the weight of an entire planet upon it.

However, despite all these measures, the opponent’s attacks were easily surpassing the defense limits of Ho-chang’s Relic-Rank shield, the Aegis Guardian Shield.

[Danger of energy shield collapse]

[Gravity anchor limit breached]

[Coordinate fixation is being released.]

[Warning, attack surpasses defense limits. Immediate evacuation requested.]

The shield was advising him to abandon it and flee, but Ho-chang couldn’t bring himself to do so.

For him, this shield had become as precious as his life itself.

As he gazed at the shield gradually turning golden, memories surfaced in Ho-chang’s mind from when he received the shield from Soo-jeong.

‘Mr. Ho-chang! Look at this! This is the sturdiest shield in the world, no, in this universe! It’s a whopping Relic Rank! Isn’t this truly a gift from the gods for you, Mr. Ho-chang?’

‘This shield becomes even stronger depending on the strength of Mr. Ho-chang’s will to protect something. It’s a dedicated weapon responsive to Mr. Ho-chang’s abilities.’

‘May this weapon become a guardian deity protecting Mr. Ho-chang and our clan members.’

According to her wishes, the Aegis Guardian Shield had safeguarded Ho-chang’s life several times, effortlessly repelling attacks from 6th-Rank monsters and protecting clan members from thousands of hostile monsters.

Recalling his past self who had resolved to share his destiny with the shield, Ho-chang tightened his grip on the shield, pouring more strength into the hand holding it.

However…

[User’s evacuation recommendation ignored. Forced evacuation initiated.]

With an enormous explosion between the shield and Ho-chang’s Armor suit, his body was thrown backward.

Even in that moment, the shield, exploding its handle to release its owner, stood in place, guarding its owner until the end.

Named after itself and also the class name for Ho-chang, Guardian.

Ho-chang and Myung-jun.

The shield that safeguarded both their lives stood in the same place until the aftermath of the attack subsided.

– Whizz –

And finally, the shield, having completed its mission, shattered into countless fragments along with numerous cracks carved like decorations.

“Come back, Bangi!!!”

Instead of calling it the Aegis Guardian Shield provided by Soo-jeong, Ho-chang affectionately referred to it as ‘ Bangi’, crawling toward where the remnants of the shield lay, crying out in tears.

Covering his face with the visor lifted, he hugged the fragments of the shield, tears streaming down his face.

At that moment, Myung-jun approached Ho-chang, touching his shoulder.

“Don’t be too sad. We can make another shield. I’ll make an even stronger one for you. The ultimate shield that won’t break, no matter who the opponent is.”

Saying so, Myung-jun also knew deep inside.

Even if he made an incredibly sturdy new shield, he would never forget the shield that saved his life in the most difficult times․

That’s the kind of person he knew Ho-chang to be.

However…

“The toughest in this star. Ridiculous. Try it again. I’ll show you what true universal strength is, not some planetary-level strength.”

Even after unleashing such a powerful attack, Banara stood there completely unwavering, as if he could launch the same attack countless times over at any moment.

However, even Banara, poised to speak the next words, couldn’t help but seal his lips shut.

Because even he, with an appearance of undiminished stamina, was silenced when she tried to speak next.

Myung-jun, infuriated by the fact that his right arm, essentially a precious equipment to his clan had been shattered, glared at Banara with cold eyes that could even intimidate the master of the universe.

Staring at Banara, Myung-jun spoke to Ho-chang beside him.

“Mr. Ho-chang.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Take the injured from the other clan there and get as far away from here as possible, right now.”

“Are you telling me to run away leaving you?”

“I mean to avoid interference while fighting.”

Ho-chang couldn’t refute any longer.

Within Myung-jun’s following words lay an immense anger that even Ho-chang, who claimed to be Myung-jun’s guardian, couldn’t resist.

“Perhaps today, humanity might have to erase the Amazon region from the map.”

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