Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Even If I've Regressed 13 Times, This is Bullshit
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This wasn't the time to be sitting around.
[Angel Wings, Demon Wings—Reverse Acceleration.]
Ju Gonghyeok shot into the air like he'd been launched.
But someone shadowed his every move.
"I've been waiting for you to spread such a massive dark curtain."
Edwin ('E'), the assassin who'd been humiliated by Ju Gonghyeok, unfurled his enormous shadow.
He was a weapon crafted to counter the Progenitor's dark veil.
His grinning face reflected from shadows all around.
[Mosaic Organ activated.]
[The soul-pledged grimoire, 'Tale of the Reaper Shadow', activates.]
[The heart-implanted 'Predator Auriel' awakens!]
Crunch—
Two monsters emerged from Edwin's body.
Ancient demons dwelling in the rifts of dimensions, in the void and abyss.
'Shadow Reaper, huh? Guess something's getting sliced off.'
The Reaper cackled as it swung an intangible scythe at Ju Gonghyeok's neck.
He caught it barehanded.
'Can't let them have my neck.'
Slash—
His arm and fingers were shredded like smoked meat by the powerful curse.
The Shadow Reaper that severed his arm turned away with a regretful glance, and next came Predator Auriel.
A monster with a massive maw latched onto the right side of Ju Gonghyeok's face, devouring Ra-Djehuty's sacred flames.
Crack!
A savage pain as flesh was torn away.
Predator Auriel gnawed at Ju Gonghyeok's face like maggots.
Hideous wounds spread across his face like hydrochloric acid burns.
"Hah! Thought it was gonna end there? That would've been boring!"
The beastman Kuroshi leaped forward.
He extended his sharp claws to full length.
Mystic Divine Technique: Empowered Body, Void Path Heavenly Traverse.
He even shouted the name, advertising the attack loud and proud.
No way he was taking that hit.
Ju Gonghyeok intercepted with Zeus's 'Flash'.
Just as Yodo Muramasa wailed a divine shriek,
A peacock merchant wove a sparse net in front of Ju Gonghyeok.
Peacock Merchant Technique 1—Jabberwocky Patchwork.
'Tch.'
Pushing forward like this would dice his whole body into checkerboard chunks.
[Gigantification released.]
He shrank his body to create a gap in the massively spread net.
Then he scraped the thinnest part with his blade.
Protective Technique: Severing Strike, One Blade Gut-Ripper.
Crack!
Ju Gonghyeok punched a small hole in the net and slipped through.
What awaited him was a ferocious assault from the assassins.
"Nice of you to come! Villain!"
Ape Divine Technique: Joint Lock, Toad Four-Limbs Twist.
Kuroshi, now in close range, moved his hands like lightning.
'Not bad completion on that Ape Divine Technique.'
He didn't know how much practice, but the form was solid.
But at that skill level, her next move was predictable.
He sheathed his blade and counterattacked.
Liang Family Style: Destruction Technique, Toad Four-Limbs Twist Reversal.
Crunch!
"Eh?"
Kuroshi blurted in confusion at his shattered wrist.
He was about to smash her whole body next, but a blade came from behind.
"I'll cut one more spot."
Slash—
The blade grazed his lower back.
'Damn it.'
Slash!
The Shadow Reaper claimed his right eye.
The round eyeball spilled from the socket like it had been scooped out.
The one who'd struck his back was assassin Edwin.
With the Dimensional Clown's Achilles Tendon, he could slip in without a sound.
Even a graze anywhere triggered the 'Tale of the Reaper Shadow' to sever body parts.
'It's the dark curtain and Drakenstein's Night.'
Progenitor's skills were actually amplifying Edwin's curse.
That's what he was built for—a weapon like that.
"Ooh! Missing one eye and you fumble right away!"
Crunch!
The fingers of his repaired prosthetic hand were all bent backward.
No more fine motor skills now.
Full body check, excluding fractures and lacerations—self status scan.
'Left leg severed, left arm severed, right eye lost, lungs shrunken with pneumothorax, internal organ bleeding, all prosthetic fingers destroyed.'
His condition was critical. They were cornering him bit by bit.
Ju Gonghyeok gritted his teeth.
'Time to counterattack!'
For a counter, he'd need multiple techniques at once.
[Avatar swap 「Progenitor (SS----)」 -> 「Asura King (SS)」]
Even if it strained him, he'd suppress them with Asura King's Eight Arm Gourd and Twelve Divine Techniques.
[『G』: No can do, nope. Ju Gonghyeok.]
[Vulcanus: Secondary system intrusion detected, responding.]
[Vulcanus: Avatar code theft—To counter enemy intrusion, summoning 「Apocalypse God Vulcanus」 is requi……]
No avatar swap—just a stream of messages.
[Control System 「G」—Hunter Ju Gonghyeok 'Avatar Swap Locked'.]
[Avatar swap impossible.]
[Avatar swap impossi……]
Same intrusion from 『G』 as before.
He didn't know the principle, but his functions were blocked regardless.
"You fucking bastards!"
Before he could even unleash his rage, Kuroshi and Edwin's combo poured in.
"What's wrong? Most vicious monster in history! Squirm some more!"
"We'll make this your grave."
They attacked with full intent to kill.
No—they'd always intended to kill.
It just felt far more dangerous now.
Finally, Ju Gonghyeok admitted it.
'These guys could take down Cluesti.'
Too many varied abilities.
Too well-prepared.
On par with him, even.
'Need to buy time for my next move.'
He still had two trump cards left.
'No choice.'
Maintaining Drakenstein's Night was costing him.
Releasing it would weaken Edwin's curse and spells, and Ra-Djehuty's flames could handle the rest.
[「Dark Curtain」, 「Drakenstein's Night」 released.]
Darkness lifted from the sky.
"Huh, what the hell?"
"The curse is gone."
"Won't forgive the bastard who stabbed my leg."
The hunters snapped to attention, eyes converging.
Not a giant, but a normal human Ju Gonghyeok was locked in fierce combat with three hunters.
Amid them, the blue falcon colossal god rose.
[『Ra (SS)』's third ability 「Ra's Sun」 activates!]
[The pinnacle of sun worship, Sacred Sun, is summoned!]
A small sun floated above Ju Gonghyeok's head.
Hunters recoiled from the blinding light and scorching crimson flames.
Only Alpard, Kuroshi, and Edwin grimaced and pressed forward.
= Vermin! To ashes before the sun!
Ra-Djehuty's roar echoed.
[『Ra-Djehuty (SSS)』's fourth ability 「Black Hole Burst」 activates!]
Ra's Sun swelled, spewing nuclear-explosion-like inferno.
The three other future folk retreated from the serpent-tongue flames.
As the fire died down, Ju Gonghyeok emerged.
Deep in enemy lines, he was blatantly surrounded and in peril.
'Fought longer than I thought.'
Nonstop battles since Cluesi, no rest.
Mana and resources were hitting bottom.
"Ju Gonghyeok."
Alpard, leader of the future folk—no, the hunters—spoke lowly.
"We've won. Humanity isn't as weak as you think."
Proclaiming the side of justice, plain as day.
Ju Gonghyeok was the obvious villain.
"Won, huh……"
Gonghyeok seized Predator Auriel burrowing into his face.
Crushed it outright.
Squeee—!
Predator Auriel spewed fluids from its maw, reduced to ash by sacred flames.
'27 seconds left.'
Two means remaining.
『Progenitor』's final ability: 「Unknown Super Hidden Card」.
It could probably dominate this scene for sure, but too much sacrifice right now.
So one left.
The city-sacrifice item left by the fallen congregation.
Scorched Earth Defense (U.SSS).
He pulled out the forbidden crimson metal bracelet.
'Desertio had about 70,000 people, right?'
Minimum activation: half the city population.
Sacrifice them for 4 seconds of invincibility and SS durability.
Sacrifice all 70,000……
"10 seconds is plenty. You damn bastards."
He wiped the blood trickling to his chin and grinned wide.
Cheek flesh gone from Predator Auriel, exposing red muscle and white teeth.
Empty socket, missing ear, tattered right face twisted grotesquely, remaining eye blazing with fearless madness.
"Wanna see who wins?"
No more room to retreat.
More lives spilled until one side crumbled.
In the end, the one who'd gone madder would remain.
"If that's what you want."
Alpard raised his hand.
Tension ignited, on a knife's edge.
"Let's go."
The tank with 『Typhon (SS++)』 and 『Guardian King (S++)』, Soma Sangai, stepped forward.
Nirvana's next leader, Guardian Saint Esu, stood beside him.
Two iron walls rising in Babel.
With them in front, the rest of the hunters formed ranks.
The other future folk were no exception.
Thud, thud.
The two giants of equal height advanced with heavy steps.
The longer it dragged, the better for them.
Ju Gonghyeok didn't rush in first.
The encircling hunter horde tensed, awaiting the clash of Soma, Esu, and Ju Gonghyeok.
Finally, the two giants faced Ju Gonghyeok.
Just three steps apart.
"What're you waiting for? Come on."
Soma nodded.
"Indeed."
"Right you are."
Soma and Esu turned their backs.
Hundreds of surrounding hunters filled their view.
Soma spoke, feeling a profound emotion.
"Hunter comrades. My apologies, but……"
With resolve set, he clenched his pot-lid fist.
"If you wish to harm him, you must first take the life of this Soma Sangai."
"Though lacking, I, Esu, stand the same."
The unbreakable iron walls shifted direction.
From sturdy shields against foes, to absurd cliffs blocking the path.
"You two, have you lost your minds?"
Edgar stared in disbelief.
They clearly hadn't.
No sane mind would side with Ju Gonghyeok now.
"You betraying that side this time?"
Ju Gonghyeok asked the two giants planted firmly before the enemy.
Esu turned, smiling brightly.
"We've never betrayed from the start. The only one to bring true salvation to the world is none other than Lord Ju Gonghyeok."
Soma silently pressed his palms together.
"Your karma cannot end here. The justice you promised remains unfulfilled."
"Ah…… yeah."
Gonghyeok let out an involuntary chuckle.
"I'll kill you all someday."
Soma replied.
"It matters not. I might even kill you myself."
A conversation between madmen, sanity long flown.
Flutter—
A light landing sound.
Ha Yeonsi gripped Ju Gonghyeok's shoulder.
Gonghyeok gave a hollow laugh.
"You poison and then cure?"
"Sorry."
She bowed her head.
Flesh Mending Flower and angelic power healed his wounds.
Couldn't offset the curse, but the bleeding stopped.
"I thought I had to stop you, oppa."
"So this time?"
"Felt like I had to protect you."
"Hah, switching sides now just hurts you guys."
To Ju Gonghyeok's sigh, Ha Yeonsi answered firmly.
"Just doing what I want, like you, oppa."
"Like me?"
Everyone here shared one thing.
None were sane.
And only the insane could uphold their own justice.
As they talked, hunters raised hands one by one.
"Beelzebub, Legion of Decay."
"Zodiac, gather the meteor shower of the twelve constellations."
"Saint Beorc, who slays distant dragons alone."
"Artemis, grant me arrows to pierce heroes……"
Their maximum skills gathered in the air.
Christina, supported by Benher, stepped forward too.
"I don't know what came over you, Soma and Yeonsi."
Her avatar formed bullets of destruction as she spoke.
"But I can't let this slide now."
Destruction God Shiva's first ability, Pasupatastra.
The weapon that scorched asuras' cities cleaved heaven and earth as it fired.
"Hmph!"
Soma braced and took it head-on.
Even with Guardian King's 'Diamond Indestructible' active, his body shuddered like it would shatter.
"They're coming nonstop, Lord Soma."
Esu spread wide to block the next wave.
Holy arrows, profane monster fangs, burrowing insects, familiar lightning and fire bullets.
Avatar powers even a boss mob couldn't endure rained down ferociously.