The Heavenly Demon Can't Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 500

Los Angeles, USA.

The sun was warm, making the city glow. People strolled along the streets, laughing and chatting. The smell of hot dogs from a nearby stand mixed with the sweet scent of flowers in window boxes. A little girl, holding her mother’s hand tightly, skipped happily. “Mommy, Mommy, look!” she cried, pointing up. “What is that, Mommy?”

Her mother smiled down at her, then followed her daughter’s finger. “Hmm? What is it, dear?” She looked up at the clear blue sky.

Then she saw it.

Her smile vanished. Her face went white. “Run,” she gasped, pulling her daughter. “Run, Ru— Aaaagh!”

*WHAM!*

A dark shape swooped down. It grabbed the mother in an instant. She was lifted into the air, screaming. Then, in a horrible moment, her body was ripped apart. Darkness seemed to spill across the bright, sunny city.

There were hundreds, thousands of monsters.

Monsters with dark, leathery wings like bats and sharp claws attacked. Their faces were like birds, but with cruel, sharp eyes. They attacked people without caring who they were, and the peaceful feeling of Los Angeles was gone.

Weeeeeooo!

The emergency alarm wailed.

The United States, the world’s leading superpower, had teams ready to respond in every city. As soon as they heard about the monsters, they moved fast.

Steven, the leader of LA’s response team 2, stared at the dark sky and picked up his radio.

“This is Steven! We are under attack! Harpies! Many of them! Hundreds, maybe thousands! It looks like… like a sign of something bigger! We need backup now! C-rank monsters, harpies, are attacking the city in swarms. It looks like a sign that something bigger is coming. For now, we will use LA’s response team 2 to handle this. Central Headquarters, find out what’s causing this and send help. Merlin.”

“Yes, sir,” Merlin replied.

Merlin was right next to him, a member of the response team.

Steven ended the call, walked past Merlin, and pulled out his sword.

“I’m counting on you to watch our backs. Keep the people safe while dealing with the monsters.”

“Understood.”

Whoosh!

Steven ran forward. He jumped into the air where the harpies were flying and started fighting them.

Squish.

Kraaah!

Steven was a very skilled fighter, an A-rank Hunter. People thought he might become an S-rank Hunter in a few years.

Steven was strong and knew how to fight well.

He defeated many harpies and didn’t stop. Hundreds of team members, including Merlin, joined the fight to keep people safe.

They were able to stop the monsters at first.

This showed why the United States was a superpower. They could respond so quickly when something happened.

Then, Steven, who was cutting through a harpy’s head, felt a huge power in the sky.

Whoosh!

Rumble!

“Ugh.”

A bright beam of light shot from the sky, smashing into the street. The ground exploded, sending pieces of road and cars flying.

Steven barely dodged it and looked up at the sky, his face pale.

A giant monster, bigger than any building, filled the sky. Her feathers were black as night, and her screech was like thunder. She was flapping wings the size of skyscrapers and looking down at Steven.

“…A harpy queen, no less.”

He felt scared all over.

He realized that an S-rank monster, the harpy queen, had appeared.

Steven picked up his radio and spoke.

“An S-rank monster has appeared. This is probably the start of a big disaster, not just a sign. I repeat, an S-rank monster, the harpy queen, has appeared, so send troops quickly…”

At that moment…

Wham!

Boom boom boom!

A devastating force struck the ground once more.

Steven couldn’t finish his report.

His death was the start of a full-scale great disaster.

News from the United States.

South Korea quickly announced a state of emergency.

President Kim Jeong-tae called a meeting with the central government, and they quickly shared the information they had received. Urgent reports came in one after another.

“Mr. President, an S-rank monster, the harpy queen, has appeared in Los Angeles, USA. Also, monsters are appearing in Chicago, New York, Houston, and other cities. It’s clear that the 6th Great Disaster has begun.”

“That’s not all. An S-rank monster, the elemental golem, has appeared in Madrid, Spain. This is different from the great disasters we’ve seen before. Usually, multiple S-rank monsters don’t appear at the start of a great disaster, but this time, two S-rank monsters have already appeared. We don’t know how many S-rank monsters will show up.”

“We have already moved troops in the capital and are ready to defend. Please give us your orders.”

Kim Jeong-tae answered calmly.

It was a bad situation, but South Korea wasn’t about to be destroyed right away.

“Director of Intelligence.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What is happening in South Korea right now?”

The most important thing was South Korea itself.

No matter what happened in other countries, they weren’t the main concern.

The Director of Intelligence said.

“Right now, there are no signs of trouble in South Korea. It seems we are not the country that will be attacked the most in this disaster. Since American cities are being attacked, we think that the United States or Spain, where the S-rank monsters have appeared, will be attacked the most.”

The country that will be attacked the most.

This was something they learned as the great disasters happened again and again. There was always a country that suffered the most during a great disaster.

People called it the country that will be attacked the most.

That country was attacked a lot from the start of the great disaster until it ended. The ‘boss monster’ that showed the end of the great disaster also appeared there.

So, it was a little comforting.

If South Korea was the country that would be attacked the most, the weak nation’s forces wouldn’t have lasted long.

Kim Jeong-tae said.

“Even if South Korea isn’t the country that will be attacked the most, we can’t relax yet. We don’t know when, where, or what kind of problems will happen. Everyone in the intelligence department and other departments should watch South Korea closely. If there’s even a small problem, respond quickly to stop it from getting worse. Remember, during the five great disasters, some countries that weren’t careful faced the worst outcome: destruction. We need to be more careful than ever so that South Korea doesn’t end up like them.”

“We will remember that.”

“We will follow your orders.”

Their voices were strong.

Kim Jung-tae had a presence that filled the room. Everyone there felt it instantly – a powerful charisma that made them trust him completely.

Then, it happened.

Just as Kim Jung-tae was about to finish the important meeting, the door crashed open. An intelligence officer stood there, his face pale and eyes wide with fear. He gasped, “Terrible news! A monster wave… in Incheon!”

*Monster wave.* The words hung in the air, heavy and cold. A chill went through the room. Everyone understood at once: South Korea was facing a disaster.

The room became very cold and quiet.

Monsters were coming.

That was the monster wave.

Monsters were attacking in huge numbers, like a flood. Several assembly members spoke, their voices full of worry.

“A monster wave? Now, South Korea isn’t safe anymore.”

“Incheon is close to Seoul. If Incheon falls, Seoul will be attacked right away. We have to send soldiers quickly. We need to stop the monsters in Incheon to lose as few people as possible.”

That seemed like a good idea.

Deal with the problem now, and then get ready for what comes next.

However.

Kim Jung-tae glared at the assembly members who had spoken.

“Are you serious right now?”

“W-what do you mean…?”

Kim Jung-tae’s voice was cold. “We must follow the rules to protect our country. This is Red Time. For the first three days of the Great Cataclysm, monsters will attack everywhere. We need to defeat all these monsters, including the strongest one, before we can say we are safe from this disaster. And you’re telling me to open Seoul’s gates and help Incheon when the first day of Red Time isn’t even over? Incheon is near Seoul, but it’s not Seoul. It’s not our problem right now.”

It was a cold response.

The people in Seoul thought Kim Jung-tae was a smart leader.

Because he was there, the people in Seoul felt safe even during the Great Cataclysm.

However.

People outside Seoul felt differently.

There was a clear divide between Seoul and the rest of the country, leaving those outside Seoul in danger.

Some people called him heartless and uncaring.

That was President Kim Jung-tae.

Kim Jung-tae looked away from the worried assembly members and spoke firmly to those who supported him.

“If Seoul falls, South Korea is finished. We will focus on keeping Seoul safe until Red Time is over. It’s actually a good thing. The Incheon government and Roman Dmitry rebelled and didn’t listen to the central government. If they are destroyed, it will teach others a lesson.”

He smiled.

Leaning back in his chair, he showed his cruel side.

“We should relax now, because we won’t get to later.”

At that moment, in Incheon.

Kim Jun-hyuk understood what was happening.

“A monster wave has occurred. Scouts say that monsters will reach Incheon in the next thirty minutes. There are so many that we can’t count them all,” his secretary said.

It was terrible news.

Kim Jun-hyuk accepted it calmly.

He had hoped the Great Cataclysm wouldn’t be too bad, but he had expected something like this might happen.

Click.

He turned on the microphone.

Speaking through this, everyone in Incheon could hear him.

[This is Kim Jun-hyuk, the mayor of Incheon. I just got news that a monster wave is near Incheon. The Great Cataclysm has begun. It’s the sixth Great Cataclysm that has almost destroyed humanity, and we have to fight again to survive, like we have for the last twenty years. Don’t panic. Stay calm. We have been preparing for the Great Cataclysm, and being afraid won’t help.]

His voice was steady.

Making problems sound small, Kim Jun-hyuk continued to speak in a calm voice.

[From now on, all citizens of Incheon should go to the places they have been assigned. People who aren’t fighting should go to shelters. The vigilantes should protect everyone and help them get to the shelters safely. And remember, no matter what happens outside, don’t come out. Usually, it becomes safer about fifteen days after Red Time ends. Even if you’re worried, trust me, the mayor of Incheon, and stay safe. Control yourselves and don’t give up. I promise you, I will never leave you and run away. So….]

He held the microphone.

With his hand on the button to turn off the broadcast, he spoke his last words.

[I will see you in fifteen days.]

Thud.

He turned off the microphone.

Kim Jun-hyuk stared at the microphone for a moment without speaking.

This Great Cataclysm.

From the start, two S-rank monsters had appeared, and the first monster wave in South Korea was near Incheon.

Maybe the central government and other local governments, too busy trying to save themselves, wouldn’t help.

Could they really survive with just Incheon’s strength?

He knew it was impossible, but he wanted to prove everyone wrong this time.

‘We’ve had a tough three months.’

Roman Dmitry.

He trusted him.

In the time he had spent with him, hope had grown in Incheon.

‘At first, I had doubts. Even after seeing him destroy hundreds of monsters at once, even if he is an S-rank hunter… Is it right to trust only Roman Dmitry and face the Great Cataclysm without the central government? But now it’s different. The more I know him, the more I believe that he is the one who will protect Incheon, not the central government. If it’s not him, no one can keep Incheon safe.’

“Hoo.”

He took a breath.

His heart was racing, but his face was calm.

“If we survive, South Korea will be completely different.”

He took out a pistol from his pocket.

After checking the bullets, he stood up and went outside.

Creak.

Outside the office.

His assistants were already waiting.

Kim Jun-hyuk walked through them calmly and asked Park Cheol-min, who was right behind him, “Where is Roman Dmitry?”

“He is at the first defense line with Commander Lee Tae-sung.”

“I see.”