Chapter 97
The Inazuma raid team blinked in confusion.
“What the… is that?”
“Isn’t he a fire mage? Or is he actually a summoner?”
Soldiers that resembled Zeon stood around him.
Though their features were rough and indistinct, being made of sand, their physiques closely mirrored his.
Sand Soldiers.
Soldiers formed from sand.
Zeon had summoned exactly as many Sand Soldiers as there were members in the Inazuma raid team.
“Shall we begin?”
The moment he finished speaking, the Sand Soldiers charged.
“You think we’ll lose to something like this?!”
“Haah!”
The Inazuma raid team unleashed their skills.
Crunch!
Bairun’s axe buried deep into a Sand Soldier’s chest.
After staggering for a moment, it collapsed back into sand.
“Heh! That was nothing.”
He grinned—
But then something shocking happened.
The Sand Soldier reformed and stood back up.
“What the—?!”
Boom!
The revived Sand Soldier struck Bairun while he was defenseless.
The blow to his abdomen sent him flying nearly ten meters before crashing to the ground.
“Ugh!”
He struggled back to his feet.
The Sand Soldier was already charging again.
No fear. No emotion. A lifeless summon—so it doesn’t even fear death.
That was precisely why Zeon favored using Sand Soldiers.
And Bairun wasn’t the only one in trouble.
“Damn it! They keep coming back!”
Yuri, the wind mage, cried out in alarm.
She had clearly shredded one with razor winds—yet it had fully restored itself.
Shuhan and Komain were no different.
Shuhan, who had been trying to analyze Zeon’s abilities, was pushed into danger by a Sand Soldier, and Komain had to save him.
Komain’s ability was Blink—a rare power allowing instant movement within his line of sight.
But it wasn’t unlimited.
Its range and number of uses were restricted by his rank and mana.
Roughly twenty meters per jump, about thirty times a day.
He had used only ten times during the hell mole fight—
But already fifteen times against the Sand Soldiers.
Only five uses remained.
“Captain! Do something!”
Komain shouted to Koji.
“Damn it!”
Koji cursed.
He hadn’t expected to struggle—not even against Zeon himself, but against mere summons.
No matter how many times they were cut down, the Sand Soldiers rose again.
A nightmare.
“There has to be a core.”
Every non-living summon had one.
Koji closed his eyes and heightened his senses.
He activated one of his swordsman skills—Body Analysis.
It might not work on something lifeless like a Sand Soldier…
But it was better than nothing.
Fortunately—
He found it.
“The core is on the right side!”
Slash!
He cut through the Sand Soldier in a single stroke.
This time, it didn’t regenerate.
“Good!”
“The right side!”
The others followed his lead.
Slash!
With their cores destroyed, the Sand Soldiers collapsed into sand—and did not rise again.
“Haah… haah…”
“Shit… thought I was dead.”
Yuri panted heavily, and Bairun cursed as he lowered his axe.
Komain and Shuhan had also defeated their Sand Soldiers.
All of them turned their gaze toward Zeon.
“Now it’s your turn.”
“I’ll strip you down to the bone.”
Their frustration burned fiercely after struggling so much.
Meanwhile—
Zeon had been watching calmly, both hands tucked inside his robe.
Even after all the Sand Soldiers were destroyed, his expression didn’t change.
“Seems this is the limit against Awakeners.”
He hadn’t expected the Sand Soldiers to match real fighters in the first place.
Even if they followed his will, they couldn’t think or fight independently like true Awakeners.
That difference was now clear.
All his Sand Soldiers had returned to sand—
And the Inazuma raid team charged at him.
Whoosh!
Koji’s katana cut through the air toward him.
Yuri’s wind blades closed in from all directions.
Bairun’s axe followed close behind—
And Komain blinked into position in an instant.
Every movement was crystal clear in Zeon’s eyes.
And yet, his voice remained calm.
“If five wasn’t enough… how about twenty?”
The moment he spoke—
Twenty Sand Soldiers rose around him.
“Are you insane?!”
Koji’s eyes shook violently mid-swing.
Even five had nearly overwhelmed them.
Now twenty—four times as many.
His heart dropped.
“You… what are you?! What the hell are you?!”
The cold mask Koji had worn shattered completely.
His real face twisted in rage and fear.
Zeon studied his expression carefully and said—
“Did you rush in without even knowing that?”
“You bastard…!”
Boom!
With a loud explosion, sand scattered in all directions.
One of the Sand Soldiers had blocked Koji’s katana with its body.
The attacks of the other Awakeners were also completely neutralized by the Sand Soldiers.
They threw themselves in the way without hesitation.
Even if their bodies were blown apart, they didn’t care.
Their only purpose was to protect Zeon.
The Inazuma raid team aimed for the Sand Soldiers’ cores—their right flanks.
But—
“There’s no core!”
“The hell?!”
The destroyed Sand Soldiers instantly restored themselves and attacked again.
They had become a nightmare.
“Argh!”
Shuhan was the first to fall with a scream.
As the weakest among them, he was the easiest target.
Next was Komain.
With his Blink uses exhausted, he was nothing more than prey.
“Ghk!”
He collapsed with a cry—and didn’t move again.
Koji, Yuri, and Bairun’s eyes turned bloodshot.
The death of their comrades had stripped away their reason.
Raid teams, once formed, usually stayed together.
Naturally, they grew deeply bonded—like family.
And now that they had lost that family—
Their rage exploded.
They abandoned defense entirely and charged.
To Zeon, they looked like moths.
Moths flying into fire, fully aware of their fate.
Zeon raised his hand.
“Fire Rain.”
This time, the flames were on an entirely different level.
Combined with the relentless assault of the Sand Soldiers—
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion shook the entire dungeon.
***
Rumble—!
Outside, Jack and his team lost their balance and dropped to their knees as the ground trembled violently.
“Ugh!”
“What is this? Is the dungeon collapsing?”
When a dungeon disappeared, it sometimes caused powerful aftershocks.
But nothing like this—this was like an earthquake tearing the land apart.
“What’s happening? What about the people still inside?”
If the dungeon vanished, anyone inside would vanish with it.
They had to escape before that happened.
Jack’s voice trembled.
“Don’t tell me… they didn’t make it out?”
“Who… didn’t make it out?”
A voice came from behind.
It was the old man Clexi, whom Jack had been carrying.
“Guildmaster!”
“I handed the guild over to Sehui a long time ago. Still calling me that?”
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Jack hurriedly lowered him to the ground.
Clexi shook his head.
“What do you mean?”
“…Huh?”
“You said someone didn’t make it out. Who?”
“That’s…”
Jack couldn’t answer immediately.
Clexi pressed him.
“What happened? I remember being captured by the hell mole… but how did you rescue me? Your team shouldn’t have been capable of that.”
Though he had just regained consciousness, Clexi’s sharp mind returned quickly.
Even his own team had failed this dungeon.
It made no sense that Jack’s weaker team had succeeded.
“…Well…”
“Speak properly.”
In the end, Jack told him everything.
After hearing it all, Clexi clicked his tongue.
“So you left Zeon behind?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Was that Sehui’s decision?”
“As guild leader, she had no choice. There weren’t enough Awakeners—others were already deployed to different dungeons…”
“And so she partnered with Xiao Lun? That man is far too cunning. He’s not someone she can handle.”
“Technically, it wasn’t Xiao Lun—it was someone named Tajik…”
“He’s Xiao Lun’s protégé. You could call him his mirror image. And she took the bait so easily… Maybe I passed the guild on too soon.”
Clexi wasn’t worried about Zeon.
Zeon was interesting—but not more important than his granddaughter.
What bothered him was Sehui’s inexperience in accepting Tajik’s offer so easily.
“Still… what a waste. He had more value left in him.”
Clexi muttered, clicking his tongue again.
He was already convinced Zeon was dead.
No matter how strong Zeon might be, there was a clear gap between slum Awakeners and those of Neo Seoul.
The Inazuma raid team was highly regarded even within the city.
Against their teamwork, Zeon wouldn’t stand a chance.
As Clexi gazed toward the dungeon with distant eyes—
BOOOOM!
A massive pillar of dust suddenly shot into the sky.
“…Hm?”
“What is that?”
People murmured in confusion.
Then—
Something burst out of the rising dust.
It shot rapidly toward them.
Clexi’s eyes widened.
“…Don’t tell me?”
He wasn’t the only one.
Jack and his men also stared, eyes wide in shock.
The object flying toward them like a bird—
Within seconds, they realized—
It was a human.
Thud!
The figure landed lightly in front of them.
“H-How…?”
Their voices trembled.
Because they all recognized him.
Clexi spoke.
“You’re alive… Zeon?”
The one who had flown out from the distance—
Was Zeon.
He smiled casually.
“Oh? You’re awake?”
“Did you rush in without even knowing that?”
“You bastard…!”
Boom!
With a loud explosion, sand scattered in all directions.
One of the Sand Soldiers had blocked Koji’s katana with its body.
The attacks of the other Awakeners were also completely neutralized by the Sand Soldiers.
They threw themselves in the way without hesitation.
Even if their bodies were blown apart, they didn’t care.
Their only purpose was to protect Zeon.
The Inazuma raid team aimed for the Sand Soldiers’ cores—their right flanks.
But—
“There’s no core!”
“The hell?!”
The destroyed Sand Soldiers instantly restored themselves and attacked again.
They had become a nightmare.
“Argh!”
Shuhan was the first to fall with a scream.
As the weakest among them, he was the easiest target.
Next was Komain.
With his Blink uses exhausted, he was nothing more than prey.
“Ghk!”
He collapsed with a cry—and didn’t move again.
Koji, Yuri, and Bairun’s eyes turned bloodshot.
The death of their comrades had stripped away their reason.
Raid teams, once formed, usually stayed together.
Naturally, they grew deeply bonded—like family.
And now that they had lost that family—
Their rage exploded.
They abandoned defense entirely and charged.
To Zeon, they looked like moths.
Moths flying into fire, fully aware of their fate.
Zeon raised his hand.
“Fire Rain.”
This time, the flames were on an entirely different level.
Combined with the relentless assault of the Sand Soldiers—
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion shook the entire dungeon.
***
Rumble—!
Outside, Jack and his team lost their balance and dropped to their knees as the ground trembled violently.
“Ugh!”
“What is this? Is the dungeon collapsing?”
When a dungeon disappeared, it sometimes caused powerful aftershocks.
But nothing like this—this was like an earthquake tearing the land apart.
“What’s happening? What about the people still inside?”
If the dungeon vanished, anyone inside would vanish with it.
They had to escape before that happened.
Jack’s voice trembled.
“Don’t tell me… they didn’t make it out?”
“Who… didn’t make it out?”
A voice came from behind.
It was the old man Clexi, whom Jack had been carrying.
“Guildmaster!”
“I handed the guild over to Sehui a long time ago. Still calling me that?”
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Jack hurriedly lowered him to the ground.
Clexi shook his head.
“What do you mean?”
“…Huh?”
“You said someone didn’t make it out. Who?”
“That’s…”
Jack couldn’t answer immediately.
Clexi pressed him.
“What happened? I remember being captured by the hell mole… but how did you rescue me? Your team shouldn’t have been capable of that.”
Though he had just regained consciousness, Clexi’s sharp mind returned quickly.
Even his own team had failed this dungeon.
It made no sense that Jack’s weaker team had succeeded.
“…Well…”
“Speak properly.”
In the end, Jack told him everything.
After hearing it all, Clexi clicked his tongue.
“So you left Zeon behind?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Was that Sehui’s decision?”
“As guild leader, she had no choice. There weren’t enough Awakeners—others were already deployed to different dungeons…”
“And so she partnered with Xiao Lun? That man is far too cunning. He’s not someone she can handle.”
“Technically, it wasn’t Xiao Lun—it was someone named Tajik…”
“He’s Xiao Lun’s protégé. You could call him his mirror image. And she took the bait so easily… Maybe I passed the guild on too soon.”
Clexi wasn’t worried about Zeon.
Zeon was interesting—but not more important than his granddaughter.
What bothered him was Sehui’s inexperience in accepting Tajik’s offer so easily.
“Still… what a waste. He had more value left in him.”
Clexi muttered, clicking his tongue again.
He was already convinced Zeon was dead.
No matter how strong Zeon might be, there was a clear gap between slum Awakeners and those of Neo Seoul.
The Inazuma raid team was highly regarded even within the city.
Against their teamwork, Zeon wouldn’t stand a chance.
As Clexi gazed toward the dungeon with distant eyes—
BOOOOM!
A massive pillar of dust suddenly shot into the sky.
“…Hm?”
“What is that?”
People murmured in confusion.
Then—
Something burst out of the rising dust.
It shot rapidly toward them.
Clexi’s eyes widened.
“…Don’t tell me?”
He wasn’t the only one.
Jack and his men also stared, eyes wide in shock.
The object flying toward them like a bird—
Within seconds, they realized—
It was a human.
Thud!
The figure landed lightly in front of them.
“H-How…?”
Their voices trembled.
Because they all recognized him.
Clexi spoke.
“You’re alive… Zeon?”
The one who had flown out from the distance—
Was Zeon.
He smiled casually.
“Oh? You’re awake?”