Chapter 23: The Black Sentinel's Public Debut (Busan Defense)
[The Cataclysm in Busan]
The A-Rank Gate in the Busan metropolitan area wasn't a static portal; it was a wound in reality, vomiting chaos and contagion into the world. The emerging entities, Chaos Spore Entities, were not high-rank individually (mostly C-Rank and D-Rank), but their threat lay in their sheer numbers and the spiritual spores they released, which caused widespread panic and rapid mana corruption in low-rank Hunters. This was the start of the Continental Contagion.
Grand Marshall Sung-Hoon was desperately coordinating the defense from Central Command. His orders were to hold the perimeter, but the defense was already buckling.
The Immortal Sepulchre's silence was broken by the roar of its customized transport—a heavily armored troop carrier secured by Sera. Rudraunsh, cloaked and radiating the contained power of his Low C-Rank core, sat beside Sera as they sped toward Busan.
"The Stellar Halo is mobilizing their own A-Rank assets, but they are focused on structural defense," Sera reported, her voice calm despite the urgency. "Our mission isn't defense, it's psychological domination. We clear the most terrifying zones, proving that only the Sentinels of Necessity can handle the spiritual contagion."
[Arrival and Chaos]
The scene in central Busan was horrific. Buildings were smeared with viscous, green spore matter, and hundreds of panic-stricken civilians and overwhelmed D-Rank Hunters were fleeing the epicenter. The air was thick with the suffocating, sickly sweet scent of the Chaos Spores.
Rudraunsh stopped the transport right at the edge of the collapse zone, a place the Stellar Halo considered impossible to hold.
"Legionnaires One through Four," Rudraunsh commanded, channeling his will into the four B-Rank Death Knights. "Form a perimeter. Show them the order of death."
He materialized the four warriors in the center of the street. Their deep black steel armor, trimmed with the chilling steel-blue aura of commanded souls, was a terrifying contrast to the sickly green chaos. The Death Knights radiated a powerful Aura of Dread, causing the closest C-Rank Chaos Spore Entities to momentarily seize up in spiritual terror.
The mere presence of the Death Knights brought a stunned silence to the immediate area.
Rudraunsh himself stepped out, his cloak swirling around him, his face obscured by shadow. He was not wearing ceremonial armor; he was wearing the aura of absolute, terrifying necessity.
[A Demonstration of B-Rank Power]
The Chaos Spore Entities, driven by instinct, launched a wave of acidic mana projectiles at the invaders. The projectiles struck the B-Rank Death Knights, but were deflected by the Undying Authority (Grade 3) with barely a flicker of light. The Death Knights remained pristine.
Rudraunsh gave the first attack order, simple and devastating.
"Legionnaires One and Two: Soul Strike Wave. Legionnaires Three and Four: physical suppression."
The two designated Death Knights raised their great swords. They did not swing physically; instead, they channeled their internal Soul Dominance power. Two massive, concentrated waves of steel-blue Soul Mana erupted from their blades.
The Soul Mana was non-physical, ignoring the Spore Entities' thick chitinous plating and striking directly at the fragile, chaotic spiritual cores within.
The effect was horrifyingly efficient. The Chaos Spore Entities did not explode or burn; they simply ceased. Their spiritual cores were instantly corrupted by the ordered, focused Soul Strike, and their physical bodies collapsed into inert, non-contagious dust.
The first wave of C-Rank entities—hundreds of them—was annihilated in less than ten seconds.
[Confounding the Stellar Halo]
The devastation was witnessed instantly by the nearby field commander, A-Rank Hunter Min-Jae, who was reporting back to Grand Marshall Sung-Hoon.
"Marshall! The U-Rank entity—the Black Sentinel—is here! His constructs... they aren't C-Rank! They are overwhelming the contamination zone! Their attacks are spiritual! They ignore physical defense!" the A-Rank commander yelled over the comms.
Grand Marshall Sung-Hoon watched the live feed from Central Command, his face grim. "B-Rank constructs, armed with spiritual attack... and only four of them. He has gained power exponentially. This is the consequence of the Necessary Pact."
"Marshall, the contamination is halting!" the A-Rank Hunter reported, his voice tinged with grudging awe. "The entities are falling, converted to dust! The Black Sentinel is creating a safe zone!"
Rudraunsh maintained the assault, strategically guiding his Death Knights to cut off the main vector of the Contagion spread.
[The Sovereign's Soul Strike]
As the Death Knights dominated the field, a singular, massive B-Rank Chaos Alpha emerged from the Gate—a towering, four-armed entity whose spiritual aura was dense enough to resist the Death Knights' passive Aura of Dread.
The Chaos Alpha immediately focused its rage on Rudraunsh, sensing the true source of the Necrotic Order. It launched a colossal wave of condensed, toxic spiritual despair directly at the Black Sentinel.
Rudraunsh did not move. He was using the fight to solidify his B-Rank power and his Sovereign's Soul Strike.
"Order from chaos," Rudraunsh stated, raising his two hands toward the incoming spiritual attack.
He channeled the last of his 200% E-Rank Core capacity, converting his entire remaining reserve into a focused, targeted spiritual counter-attack. A blinding bolt of steel-blue Soul Mana erupted from his hands, meeting the toxic spiritual despair head-on.
The two spiritual energies clashed in the air above the street. The Sovereign's Soul Strike did not overpower the Chaos Alpha's attack; it ordered it. The pure, Necrotic order of the Immortal Dao instantly imposed the Soul-Corruption Status onto the chaotic mana of the Alpha.
The Chaos Alpha roared in sudden, overwhelming pain. Its spiritual defense, the source of its B-Rank power, was collapsing inward.
Rudraunsh pulled his energy back, his core now critically depleted at less than 10%. The Chaos Alpha, though not destroyed, was paralyzed, its spiritual will shattered.
"Legionnaires," Rudraunsh commanded, the effort visible. "Final order. Cleanse the source."
The four Death Knights focused their combined Soul Strike Wave onto the Gate itself, not the monsters. The massive wave of spiritual energy slammed into the dimensional fissure, forcing the chaotic portal to close violently with a sickening, grinding sound.
The A-Rank Gate was forcefully sealed.
[The Cost and the Glory]
Rudraunsh staggered slightly, caught by Sera as the last of his core mana was drained. He had personally neutralized the main B-Rank threat and sealed the A-Rank Gate, all while maintaining four B-Rank Death Knights.
"Core depletion critical. We need to move," Sera urged, securing him in the transport.
The Stellar Halo A-Rank commander arrived moments later, surveying the scene—the perfectly cleansed zone, the inactive Gate, and the inert dust of the Chaos Spore Entities. He saw the retreating figure of the Black Sentinel, flanked by his four silent, imposing B-Rank guards.
The commander immediately filed his final report:
> [FIELD REPORT: BUSAN DEFENSE]
> Outcome: A-Rank Gate sealed. Contagion contained. Casualties: Zero (Sentinels of Necessity).
> Conclusion: The U-Rank entity possesses A-Rank Functional Combat Capacity and B-Rank Army Sustained Capacity. The Sentinels of Necessity are the only force capable of handling high-grade spiritual contamination. They are absolutely necessary for the Continental Contagion.
>
Rudraunsh, recovering in the transport, checked his internal system.
> [Victory Reward: Busan Defense]
> Threat Neutralized: A-Rank Gate / B-Rank Threat.
> Reward: 1x A-Rank Mana Core Crystal (Highly Refined), 1x Fragment of Chaos Essence (Catalyst Grade 3).
> Personal Capacity Upgrade: Mana Core Capacity \rightarrow 210% of E-Rank Base. (Solid Low C-Rank)
>
The battle had exhausted him, but the reward was immediate: a further core increase and a highly refined A-Rank Mana Core Crystal—the next stepping stone to his true A-Rank ascension.
"The world saw it, Rudraunsh," Sera said, looking at the distant chaos in the city they had just saved. "They saw the terror, but they also saw the order. The Black Sentinel is now a hero."
"A necessary evil," Rudraunsh corrected, his voice a cold whisper of triumph. "And the price of that necessity is control."
The stage was now set for global recognition and the inevitable, desperate full-scale alliance demanded by the Stellar Halo.