Chapter 42 - Hero (5)
“Ughhh!”
Lee Sang-hoon, leaning against the railing, vomited up a gush of black blood.
His guts felt like they were being torn apart, and his limbs were as cold as ice.
Having spewed so much blood, his head spun, and he could feel his body gradually cooling.
Even the golem that had been pressuring Ga Hwa-ryong faltered for a moment.
In that interval, the flames that had erupted began flooding over the city once more, expanding their scale.
Grinding his teeth, Lee Sang-hoon raised his hand again with darkened eyes, commanding the golem to move.
“...Kuh.”
But soon, his mana was completely depleted, and with a brain-splitting pain, he collapsed to the floor.
Superpowers were a gift from the world, awakened postnatally.
The more powerful the ability, the more precise control and regulation it required.
Drawing forth strength beyond one's limits could cause permanent disabilities or severe aftereffects.
Lee Sang-hoon could barely see out of one eye already, and his ears were ringing dully.
Thus, he could sense it.
One more step forward, and aftereffects would be the least of his worries.
...But how could he give up?
I'd rather die.
Gritting his teeth, he gripped the railing and struggled to his feet.
The five minutes he'd told Kim Sun-woo was the limit he'd thought he could hold.
Common sense dictated that evacuating tens of thousands couldn't happen that quickly.
So Lee Sang-hoon had sent a small golem separately to relay that the evacuation was complete.
With its characteristic speed, it could probably escape Ga Hwa-ryong.
“......”
Resigning himself to death brought a sudden realization that it was a foolish act.
In a dungeon break, civilian casualties were inevitable.
No one would blame him for fleeing now.
Holding someone accountable before a natural disaster would be idiotic.
Yet Lee Sang-hoon couldn't tear his feet away from his hometown.
This is truly the last.
Drowsiness overwhelmed him.
His nose stung, his breathing slowed, and his body grew heavy.
The moment he felt that even a brief lapse in vigilance would send him crashing into sleep—
Flash!
A brilliant light surged between the buildings, and he widened his eyes.
“...Sun-woo-ssi?”
He could clearly see Kim Sun-woo dashing forward, a vivid orb of light in his hand.
How dazzling it was—a long trail lingered in his wake.
He hasn't given up yet.
For a C-rank hunter, his skills were exceptional, but against Ga Hwa-ryong, the boss of a B-rank dungeon, it was still insufficient.
Especially with the field expansion deployed, binding their movements—what gave him the confidence to charge so boldly?
“......”
Biting his lip, Lee Sang-hoon clung to the railing. His gaze fell on a single potion bottle placed there.
It was the one Kim Sun-woo had left earlier.
He'd overlooked it because one eye was blind.
He hurriedly reached out, uncapped it, and downed it in one gulp.
...Please.
Lee Sang-hoon prayed fervently.
That his reckless charge wasn't in vain.
That the radiant glow would be the lifeline of hope pulling them from this abyss.
While Lee Sang-hoon prayed desperately and maneuvered the golem—
Crackle.
Kim Sun-woo was sprinting toward Ga Hwa-ryong.
Even with Illusion Flow Step deployed to its limit, his body felt unbearably heavy.
The weight of the Black Flow Sword, concentrating all his internal energy, defied imagination.
Any lapse in focus, and it seemed it would dissipate entirely—there was no choice but to maintain it.
Yet he couldn't let go of this power, brimming with sharpness that could cleave anything.
It was the only card that might fell Ga Hwa-ryong here.
It's not true Sword Gang.
The energy flow and overall form were utterly unstable.
Probably a derivative of the Sword Gang his master had described.
The condensed internal energy frayed like threads, scattering and refilling repeatedly just to hold form, consuming vast amounts.
It couldn't last even a minute—he had to end it swiftly.
—KABOOM!!!
At that moment, the golem launched itself, wrapping around Ga Hwa-ryong like an embrace.
Planning to bury it under the peak again and halt its steps?
Doesn't matter—perfect.
Nice assist.
Glancing at the rooftop where Lee Sang-hoon was, he kicked off the golem's curved back—ideal for ascent—and soared upward in one leap.
The instant he reached its shoulder—
—Requiem.
Ga Hwa-ryong's heavy voice echoed through the air.
Fwwoosh!
A massive pillar of fire erupted from the ground, engulfing the golem.
Under the immense heat, its earthen feet melted, and the colossal body began crumbling rapidly.
No longer regenerating—Lee Sang-hoon had reached his limit.
...But.
“This is enough.”
Kicking off the golem's shoulder with all his might, Kim Sun-woo hovered above the cityscape, gazing down at Ga Hwa-ryong.
A pitch-black sky without a speck of moonlight.
Amid it, a white glow flashed vividly.
The fourth form of the White Flow Sword Technique left in his master's notebook.
He could easily guess what had inspired it.
First time trying it, but...
He cast aside any fear of failure.
With the sole intent to cleave, he swung in a graceful arc.
Moonlit Night
—...What.
Ga Hwa-ryong, belatedly sensing Kim Sun-woo's presence and looking skyward, froze in place.
A full moon appeared vividly against the murky sky.
...But tonight, there was no moon?
In that instant, mesmerized by its eerie allure—
Crack!
The moon's form distorted.
As if diagonally slashed by an unseen blade.
—...!!!
Ga Hwa-ryong's eyes flew wide.
Splat!
Its left eye burst, plunging into instant darkness—and that wasn't all; its face tore open massively.
Whoosh!
Not even the curtain of flames could block the pouring light.
The slashing beam swept half its face, carving deep into its throat in a flash.
—Creeeak!
From the upper face to half its neck severed, creating a grotesque spectacle.
Yet Ga Hwa-ryong's breath didn't cease.
—KYAAAAAAAHHH!!!!
Like the diagonally split full moon, its head and neck were obliquely cleaved.
Blood and flesh rained down, exposing the innards rawly.
Unable to endure the unimaginable agony, Ga Hwa-ryong unleashed a sky-shattering scream.
—Thud.
Kim Sun-woo plummeted limply to the ground, exhaling raggedly as he sprawled out in a starfish pose.
Internal energy depleted, stamina gone.
He tried to fetch a potion from his pouch, but his arm wouldn't move.
Glancing down, his veins had burst blackish, and the fall had snapped bones.
“...Hah.”
Kim Sun-woo groaned bitterly.
More painful than his wrecked body was failing to finish Ga Hwa-ryong.
A slight twist of the sword could have severed the neck entirely.
First time using Moonlit Night, his control was clumsy.
He'd sensed the error at the end and strained desperately, but lacked the power to correct it.
...If he'd truly manifested Sword Gang, could he have beheaded it?
—Where! Where are you!!!
Boom! Kaboom! KABOOOM!!!
Ga Hwa-ryong had partially regenerated the Moonlit Night wounds in the interim.
Severed parts reattached, spilled blood and flesh turning to flames that seeped back in.
Yet the pain lingered unforgivingly, driving it berserk in search of Kim Sun-woo.
Fwwoosh!
Lava from the field expansion surged toward him.
He needed to rise and flee, but his overtaxed body betrayed him.
Sang-hoon-ssi is...
The golem had vanished long ago.
Had it escaped on its own?
No, probably collapsed on the rooftop.
Over five minutes had passed—he needed to hurry, grab him, and escape...
Can I even manage in this state?
Breathing desperately to recover even a scrap of internal energy, he tried shifting his legs as strength trickled back, dodging the lava—
—There you are.
Ga Hwa-ryong leered down at Kim Sun-woo with rage-twisted mirth.
“...Damn it.”
Its eye hadn't regenerated—one remained, making it even more chilling. Kim Sun-woo muttered a low curse.
Using the Black Flow Sword as a crutch, he struggled to rise—but Ga Hwa-ryong lifted a foot to crush him.
“......”
Grinding his teeth, Kim Sun-woo shuffled forward.
If he reached the edge, he could hurl himself off...
...Impossible.
No matter what, his body couldn't flee.
Thus, kneeling on one knee, gasping—
Whoosh!
Something scarlet streaked across the road, scooped him up, and kicked off the ground again.
—KABOOOM!!!
A beat late, Ga Hwa-ryong's foot pulverized where he'd been, grinding mercilessly.
Staring at the full-plate armored figure cradling him, Kim Sun-woo's eyes widened.
“...Team Leader Robert?”
“You've done well, Sun-woo-ssi. Leave the rest to us.”
Robert grinned, eyeing Kim Sun-woo's battered form.
External reinforcements had finally arrived.
More surprising—Mugung had come to save him.
“No need to be so shocked. Your battle was being broadcast live.”
“...Broadcast?”
“Yes. You might've noticed—a stealth helicopter hovering above. From the broadcast station. Thanks to it, we rushed straight here. Monsters clogged the city outskirts, slowing us, but Mugung doesn't abandon comrades.”
Robert's reassuring smile felt profoundly solid.
Staring blankly for a moment, Kim Sun-woo snapped to, pointing at Ga Hwa-ryong and shouting.
“Dangerous, it's dangerous! That's a B-rank dungeon boss—don't approach rashly...!”
“It's fine.”
To his desperate cry, Robert looked skyward.
“The Guild Master came personally. No need to worry.”
—KABOOOM!!
As if in response, a barrage of attacks poured onto Ga Hwa-ryong.
The beast rampaging through downtown was blasted back, tumbling across the ground in a pitiful heap.
Thud.
Amid the rubble of a shattered building.
A man with overwhelming presence landed atop it.
“A mere lowly wyrm dares.”
Mugung Guild's Master.
A-rank hunter Han Kang-seok raised his sword, azure Sword Gang blooming, aiming at Ga Hwa-ryong.