The Breath traveled in a straight line, vaporizing several high-rise buildings . The outer wall of Armstrong city was very sturdy, but as for whether the wall could withstand the Breath or not, it was up in the air .

  Suddenly, someone jumped into the air to get in the Breath’s path .

  Puh-uh-uhng!

  A large wall of energy expanded in the air to block the Breath . Thankfully, the Behemoth’s Breath couldn’t destroy Armstrong city .

  “Who’s that?”


  “Probably a Connector working under Armstrong city . ”


  Even if a good amount of their main fighting force had been drained out of the city, this was ’the Armstrong city’ . Here, plenty of Connectors were capable of blocking a Behemoth’s Breath .

  Koo-uhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

  The Behemoth found it displeasing that someone had blocked its attack . It took a threatening step forward . Armstrong city shook as if a quake had hit it . The huge monster started running toward the Connector who had blocked its attack . Its enormous body crushed all the buildings in its path .

  Puh-uh-uhk!

  Koo-ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!

  The Behemoth reared up as it raised both its front legs . It then let out a roar while blood dripped down its leg . Another Connector had intercepted and injured the Behemoth . It seemed enough Connectors capable of defeating a Behemoth had arrived in the streets .

  However, the problem was the fact that the Behemoth wouldn’t be the only monster to come out of the Great Labyrinth .

  Koo-oong! Koo-oong!

  More monsters stepped out of the Great Labyrinth . Large, medium, small, all kinds of monsters were mixed in with the group .

  Sungyoon immediately made a decision .

  Ooh-ooh-oong!

  The Royal Gem swallowed his magical energy as he activated its ability . A blue portal appeared next to Sungyoon . The group that wanted to kill Plu-El came to a halt, and it was the same for the man who kept attacking Sungyoon .

  Were they take aback by the appearance of the portal? The group that had been trying to recover Plu-El charged forward with all their might to attack Sungyoon .

  “Run in!”


  Sungyoon yelled . He then took out an item from his storage Gem and tossed it to Chelsea . Chelsea quickly put on the magical energy suppressor .

  ‘I stored one for an emergency . If I hadn’t, we would have been in trouble . ’


  The location he and the others were about to enter was very dense with magical energy . It wasn’t a place Chelsea could enter without any preparations .

  Kwahng! Kwhang!

  Sungyoon and Tim stepped forward to block their pursuers . The time they bought allowed Grace, Emily, Chelsea, and Plu-El to pass through the portal . Even as Sungyoon blocked the attacks, he kept an eye on the man that had kept attacking him . Thankfully, the man wasn’t moving .

  “Mr . Sungyoon!”


  Tim shouted as the other four had already passed through the portal .

  “You go first!”


  Sungyoon replied while slowly retreating . Tim did as told and disappeared into the portal .

  Woo-oong!

  Puh-puh-puhng!

  Gravity increased, and stalagmites erupted from the streets . Sungyoon had tried to decrease the intensity of the pursuers’ attacks, and it worked . The spells slowed down the attacks from his pursuers, and Sungyoon used this opportunity to jump into the portal .

  Even as he moved, his eyes remained on the man he suspected to be Hyunwoo .

  Glance!

  The man raised his hand . Was he going to stop Sungyoon from escaping? Sungyoon’s mind became tense . The man did not attack . He just waved his hand into the air as if to say goodbye . Even though the man had a helmet on, Sungyoon was sure he was smiling right now .

  ‘What’s he up to?’


  Sungyoon felt icky as he disappeared into the portal .

  As if he wanted to attack through the portal, the archer shot a final arrow toward the portal .

  Paht!

  However, the portal blinked out of existence, and the arrow went on to pierce a building .

  ***

  Koong!

  The blue light all over his vision disappeared . Sungyoon arrived in a room within the ancient city and saw his comrades waiting for him . He then quickly shut the portal .

  Paht!

  With the portal closed, he no longer had to worry about any pursuit . Sungyoon then spoke .

  “Are any of you hurt?”


  “I’m fine . ”


  “I’m also fine . ”


  “I’m good . ”


  “I’ve received no injuries . ”


  Thankfully, none of his comrades were injured, so Sungyoon finally relaxed . However, that relief lasted only a moment .

  “What should we do now?”


  They were alive, but things were getting progressively worse in Armstrong city . Sungyoon picked up Plu-El, who was on the floor, and slung her around his shoulder .

  “We have to go back . We can’t let Armstrong city go down . ”


  The two pursuing groups might attack them again, yet there was no hesitation on Sungyoon’s face . This had nothing to do with his morals . If Armstrong fell, his livelihood would be at stake and he would have no way to return to Earth .

  In that case, their only hope would be to wait for a rescue from Earth . If Earth did nothing, they would have to stay on the Moon and let their body waste away like Plu-El . The Moon would become their cemetery .

  “Shouldn’t we leave behind Ms . Chelsea and that woman?”


  Tim asked .

  In terms of safety, no place was better than this city . However, Sungyoon shook his head from side to side .

  “What happens to them if I die?”


  “.……”


  The only one who could access the ancient city was Sungyoon . If he died in battle, anyone left behind in this city would die .

  “Of course, someone else might be capable of activating this Gem, but it took me a very long time to activate this Gem at will . By the time someone else would learn how to use this Gem, Ms . Chelsea would probably be dead . Isn’t that the reason they stopped researching the ancient city?”


  When Sungyoon had started monitoring Plu-El, the research within the ancient city was temporarily paused . That was why the ancient city was empty right now .

  “Then where should we go…… . ”


  Tim’s voice contained hesitation .

  “We’ll go to the city hall . That place will be the safest location within Armstrong city . ”


  Sungyoon immediately opened a portal to the city hall .

  ‘I knew it . ’


  The ease with which he had opened the portal was proof that the city hall was also covered with magical energy .

  “Let’s go . ”


  Sungyoon’s party once again stepped into Armstrong city, where confusion and violence were running rampant .

  ***

  Sungyoon’s sudden appearance shocked the Mayor . However, the shock immediately faded away to reveal a bright smile . The crestfallen Mayor’s face had done a 180 as it showed an expression that was even rare for him .

  Sungyoon put Chelsea and Plu-El into the care of the city hall’s employees .

  “How’s the current situation?”


  “It’s the worst . ”


  The Mayor answered without any hesitation .

  “Monsters keep coming out of the Beginner’s Labyrinth and the Great Labyrinth . Moreover, monsters are amassing outside the city too . ”


  ‘This is worse than I imagined . It reminds me of what happened to Gagarin·Yang city . ’


  It was a terrifying thought, but the city being wiped out was now a possibility .

  “What can we do for you?”


  “Please join up with the other Connectors and defeat the monsters . ”


  “Do you want us to roam around and kill all the monsters on sight?”


  The Mayor shook his head from side to side .

  “No way! We don’t have that many troops left . We have to be careful in how they are used . Mr . Sungyoon and the other Connectors must defend the most critical infrastructure of the city . ”


  “What do you mean by the most critical infrastructure?”


  Sungyoon could immediately come up with several locations that might fit the description . The city hall, the largest hotel at the center of Armstrong city, the two labyrinths, etc .

  ‘However, he said the ‘most’ important…… . ’


  Sungyoon’s eyes sank as he realized it .

  “You’re referring to the Aldrin spaceport . ”


  “That’s right . It’s the most important place in Armstrong city . ”


  If the spaceport fell, the people inside Armstrong city couldn’t return to Earth .

  “We’ve gathered the most powerful Connectors there . I would like your party to go there and join them . That place has to be protected at all costs . ”


  The Mayor let out a weak laugh .

  “We have to do it even if we have to give up on all of Armstrong . We have to be prepared for that possibility . ”


  ***

  Sungyoon assumed it would be pandemonium inside the spaceport and that people would be lined up and fighting to escape the Moon . However, the Aldrin spaceport was empty .

  “Where are the civilians?”


  The surprised Grace asked .

  “They are all inside the shelters . They are still there because this mess started as a simple terrorist attack . ”


  Terrorist attacks were dangerous, but everyone knew terrorist attacks couldn’t bring down the city . Therefore, Armstrong’s residents had headed to the shelters to weather this temporary storm . The monsters’ appearance was the unexpected blow that had started the countdown for Armstrong’s destruction .

  Spaceships kept departing, but none were arriving .

  ‘They all probably changed course . ’


  No one wanted to land in the middle of a battlefield .

  “Let’s go and do what we were sent here to do . ”


  ‘Yes . We have work to do right now . ’


  Sungyoon took out a picture of his family and brushed it with his hand . Then, he led his party into the fierce battle .

  ***

  The war had arrived in Armstrong city just a short while ago, yet the whole city was embroiled in the fight .

  There weren’t enough Connectors stationed within Armstrong city to be effective against the monsters . Moreover, there were still the monsters that were merely being kept at bay by Armstrong city’s outer defense .

  Thankfully, the Mayor was very set in his views . Connectors and governments from numerous countries had mocked him for spending so much on defense, but the Mayor hadn’t listened to them . Armstrong city’s defense was enormously powerful .

  For a while, the monsters outside the city couldn’t even reach the city’s vicinity . However, no matter how strong the defensive measures were, they still had a limit .

  Puh-uhng!

  A thick needle shot by a monster destroyed a cannon . The number of cannons going silent kept increasing with time .

  Then . . .

  Puh-uhhhhhhng!

  An attack from inside the city broke through the outer wall as if the wall were paper . The attack kept going until it dissipated into the darkness of space .

  Ehhhhhhhhhhhhng!

  A new emergency siren rang out as the space sucked out the air inside Armstrong city . A barrier descended from the ceiling to seal the hole in the outer wall .

  Puh-ung! Puh-ung! Puh-uh-ung!

  Several more beams of light created numerous holes in the outer wall, and one even destroyed the barrier that had come down from the ceiling . This signified that the Connectors could no longer handle the monsters within Armstrong city .

  It was like watching a dam collapse . Armstrong city had started to fall .

  ***

  Sungyoon’s party was in a desperate struggle to stop the monsters’ advance .

  According to the Mayor, the Aldrin spaceport would be their last stand . He hadn’t lied . All the highest-ranked Connectors were gathered here, and they fought the monsters to a standstill . The desperate struggle went on, but the Connectors were succeeding in their mission .

  However, in the end, the event that Sungyoon and his party members feared the most happened . Armstrong city lit up . Every light still under Armstrong city’s control sent out a signal . The lights blinked red three times, then blue two times . The pattern kept repeating .

  Sungyoon’s face hardened into a frightening visage when he saw the light . This pattern delivered one message .

  ‘We’re giving up on Armstrong city . ’