The Spatial Ability User Who Puts Safety Above All – Chapter 56

Author: Cireng

White Tiger (1)

Having become aware of the enemy’s existence, Baekdu Bloodline immediately began to respond.

First, all citizen users gathered at their main hideout, the People’s Hospital.

In the process, three more citizen users were struck down by unidentified long-range attacks… but that was unavoidable.

Now, excluding the four citizen users who were outside, 67 remained.

After ordering the citizen users to take up combat positions and stand by, White Tiger looked outside through the window of his room.

Since he did not know the true nature of the long-range attacks currently flying toward the People’s Hospital, he did not approach too close to the window. However, his room had been remodeled from a VIP hospital ward, so there were many large windows, making the outside clearly visible.

“Which bastards dared to attack us….”

He still did not know the enemy’s exact identity or scale, so he had not yet begun a full counterattack.

‘First, I should confirm who they are.’

White Tiger gave a small nod and extended his hand into the air.

A translucent brush appeared in his grasp.

Using that brush, which was formed entirely of mana, White Tiger activated his awakened ability.

He moved the brush and painted a single image in midair.

The image taking shape in the air was that of a bird.

Thus, a crude-looking small bird was created in the space.

The small black bird… upon closer inspection, looked somewhat different from an ordinary bird. As if it were the kind of result one might get if a god had created a bird in a hurry. However, unless one stared closely, or viewed it from nearby, it simply looked like a normal bird from a distance.

After creating a crude little bird with his awakened ability, White Tiger gently sent it flying out through the slightly open gap in his window.

Naturally, this small bird was a virtual construct he had made for reconnaissance.

Its precise name was ‘Real Painting’[Spike Crow.]

The Spike Crow, a virtual mana lifeform created through White Tiger’s awakened ability Real Painting, transmitted to White Tiger the sights and sounds it perceived once every thirty seconds.

White Tiger’s awakened ability… unknown to everyone, was called ‘Real Painting.’

It was an awakened ability that used a mana-created virtual brush, the’Mana Brush,’ to paint in midair and infuse those drawings with mana, turning them into virtual mana lifeforms.

Strictly speaking, White Tiger’s awakened ability belonged to the summoning category.

Its rank was ‘SS+’.

Among the Twelve Heavens, there were quite a few individuals who possessed SSS-ranked awakened abilities, so the rank of his awakened ability itself was nothing particularly extraordinary.

Instead, White Tiger had secured the eleventh position among the Twelve Heavens through his high level and exceptional control over Real Painting.

Yet White Tiger himself did not believe he was truly ranked eleventh among the Twelve Heavens. It was merely that he had never felt the need to prove otherwise… in his own estimation, he believed he could rank within the top five.

‘Now then, crow. Go find the enemies.’

White Tiger issued his command to the Spike Crow and calmly waited.

Once the Spike Crow located the enemy, he intended to immediately launch a counterattack together with the subordinates waiting below.

***

When White Tiger released the Spike Crow, Seon Yul had already finished organizing the first phase and was preparing for the second.

Seon Yul had divided his battle plan into roughly three phases. The goal of the first phase had been to reduce Baekdu Bloodline’s numbers while simultaneously forcing them to gather in one location.

Any faction confronted with an unidentified threat would, by instinct, gather together first… so achieving the objective of the first phase had been easier than expected.

The objective of the second phase that followed… was to deliver a massive blow to the gathered enemy.

Of course, the ‘massive blow’ referred to here was not something like the ‘Hammer of God.’

Rather, it was a far more realistic but still devastating strike. For that purpose, Seon Yul had already opened an entrance to Absolute Space on high ground approximately 20 kilometers away from Samjiyon.

‘Okay, this should be enough.’

After inputting the firing data into the K-9X, Seon Yul completed the target configuration through several manipulations.

Since the K-9X was equipped with a highly advanced fire control support system, setting the People’s Hospital in Samjiyon as the target was far easier than he had expected.

Without such a highly developed fire control support system, Seon Yul would likely have been unable to use the K-9X properly.

Or rather, to be precise, it was because it had that system that Seon Yul had chosen the K-9X in the first place.

In any case, after finishing the targeting process, Seon Yul selected rapid-fire mode and configured it to fire three high-speed glide munitions within ten seconds.

Not just firing them, but setting up an MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) bombardment… automatically calculating each trajectory so that the three glide munitions would strike the target at the same time.

Three rounds per volley, seven volleys total.

A total of 21 high-speed glide munitions were scheduled to bombard the People’s Hospital.

That marked the full extent of the K-9X’s role.

Without resupplying ammunition, the K-9X could fire exactly 21 rounds in automatic mode, so nothing more could be expected from it.

However, the devastating blow Seon Yul envisioned did not end with just the K-9X.

After completing all bombardment settings for the K-9X, Seon Yul immediately moved to the hotel rooftop.

He cleared away all other weapons and, in front of the Absolute Space entrance opened on the rooftop… positioned a K3 Stealth Tank.

After acquiring the K-9X, Seon Yul had even purchased a K3 tank.

This had consumed a considerable amount of intermediate-grade magic stones… but he was already earning more than enough by killing Baekdu Bloodline users.

In fact, it felt as though he was earning more magic stones than he was spending.

On top of that, he was gaining a substantial amount of experience. At least for Seon Yul, this war was not proving to be a loss.

Seon Yul had prepared the K3 tank along with APFSDS (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) rounds.

In automatic firing mode, the K3 Stealth Tank could fire up to ten of these rounds per minute.

With minor continuous adjustments, it could fire a total of 40 rounds over four minutes. Seon Yul intended to use the tank’s automatic firing mode to launch direct-fire APFSDS rounds at the People’s Hospital.

The K3’s automatic firing mode functioned almost identically to that of the K-9X. Inputting firing data and designating targets could be pre-configured, but it did not operate 100% unmanned.

The distance from the hotel rooftop to the People’s Hospital was approximately 1.5 kilometers.

No obstacles were blocking the line of sight between the rooftop and the hospital, so there was absolutely nothing preventing direct fire bombardment.

Seon Yul even planned to synchronize this attack with the moment the K-9X bombardment began to fall.

It was a TOT (Time On Target) strike that Seon Yul had orchestrated alone… and its power would certainly not be negligible.

After completing all bombardment settings, Seon Yul stepped out of Absolute Space and stood on the hotel rooftop, looking down toward the People’s Hospital.

Preparation was complete. Only the commencement of firing remained.

To utilize both Absolute Space entrances simultaneously, Seon Yul had no choice but to step outside and manipulate the entrances through subspace control.

Naturally, before stepping out, he had fully equipped all his gear.

“Well then… shall we begin?”

The moment he emerged from Absolute Space, Seon Yul murmured and nodded.

He then focused his mind and activated the K-9X’s automatic firing mode within Absolute Space… now, technically, subspace.

Thus began the K-9X’s bombardment.

Boom… boom-boom-boom!

From the Absolute Space entrance located 20 kilometers away, three high-speed glide munitions burst forth.

Fired at different angles over ten seconds, the three glide munitions sliced through the air and precisely fell toward the People’s Hospital.

Confirming their descent, Seon Yul then activated the K3 tank’s main gun through the Absolute Space entrance opened on the hotel rooftop.

Controlling two subspaces (Absolute Spaces) simultaneously was mentally taxing, but this much was still within his capability.

Some might assume that since both the self-propelled artillery and the tank were in automatic firing mode, he could simply activate them and release his concentration.

Seon Yul himself wished that were the case.

But of course, it was impossible. Maintaining the act of attacking outward from subspace required continuous mental focus.

Especially since operating the self-propelled artillery and tank involved far more complex mechanisms than something like a Gatling gun… the moment his concentration faltered, the automatic bombardment would cease.

Boom! Boom-boom!

As Seon Yul activated the K3 tank’s automatic firing mode, the tank’s main gun erupted in flame, and the APFSDS rounds it fired streaked directly toward the People’s Hospital.

From the sky, glide munitions descended.

From the front, armor-piercing rounds flew in.

Yet the Baekdu Bloodline users inside the People’s Hospital were completely unaware of this.

And being unaware meant they could not prepare.

The result was…

KWA-A-A-A-NG!! KWAGAGAGAGAGAGA-GWANG!!!

The high-speed glide munitions falling from above burrowed into the hospital building, releasing the kinetic energy contained within their warheads in explosions. The APFSDS rounds from the front likewise penetrated deep into the building before detonating.

A perfectly executed TOT strike.

In an instant, the People’s Hospital was reduced to devastation.

Naturally, the Baekdu Bloodline users inside vanished into smoke without ever knowing what had hit them.

Not every single user was eliminated, but those who survived were either gravely injured or too disoriented to recover quickly.

And more despair awaited them… the bombardment was not yet over.

Swoooosh! KWAGWANG!! KWAGAGWANG!!

Following the first barrage, another wave of shells fell simultaneously.

It was the second barrage.

The collaboration between the K-9X and the K3 Stealth Tank was nearly flawless. The dozens of shells pouring forth in automatic fire mode delivered utter despair to Baekdu Bloodline’s citizen users.

‘Perfect.’

Maintaining the bombardment through mental focus, Seon Yul wore a satisfied expression as he watched shells continue to rain upon the People’s Hospital, engulfing Baekdu Bloodline’s citizen users in explosions that caused them to vanish.

At this rate, he thought, the third phase might not even be necessary.

Even White Tiger likely could not escape such concentrated bombardment without suffering any damage.

Indeed, as Seon Yul kept his gaze fixed on the hospital, no one seemed able to properly escape from the building.

Inwardly, he even thought that if not for the limitations of his concentration, he could simply purchase ten K-9Xs from the All-Goods Shop and unleash a simultaneous barrage—hardly needing the Hammer of God at all.

But even now, operating just two (the self-propelled artillery and the tank), he was struggling to maintain two subspace attacks simultaneously. Adding more would be impossible.

Operating something simple like a Gatling gun was not difficult… it required little more than a passing degree of focus.

But clearly, handling weapons like self-propelled artillery or tanks demanded significant mental concentration. Even now, he was devoting his entire focus to maintaining the two subspace attacks.

Thanks to that, however, the bombardment was proceeding smoothly.

KWAGAGWANG! KWAGAGAGAGWANG!

And then…

Behind Seon Yul.

More precisely, from the hotel rooftop entrance behind him…

Clank. Creeeak.

The sound of a door opening.

Fortunately, even amid the chaos, Seon Yul heard it. The moment he did, he immediately ceased his mental focus and turned around.

As his focus broke, the two Absolute Space entrances closed, and the bombardment halted… but at this moment, the uninvited guest behind him was the greater priority.

Clap, clap, clap.

A man slowly stepped out from the doorway, applauding.

It was, of course, White Tiger.

“One person… I did not imagine that the one who attacked us would be a single individual.”

He spoke while looking at Seon Yul, as if acknowledging him.

In truth, he was extremely angry.

The citizens he had painstakingly gathered and meticulously trained over several years had been nearly annihilated… how could he not be furious?

He also felt a measure of disbelief.

How had they been so completely devastated by a single person?

That was the question troubling him.

In fact, even White Tiger himself likely would have suffered massive damage had he not possessed the technique Real Painting [The Door]

Perhaps for that reason, White Tiger felt certain he knew exactly who the user before him was.