Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Betrayal
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“Where is he? Is he coming now, Damo?”
X shrugged his shoulders as he called out to D.
When they first entered the fortress, the two of them had progressed through quests together under the names Damo and Omer Ashk.
“I’m here to help. Omer Ashk.”
Damo slowly backed away toward ‘X’.
X spread his arms wide to welcome Damo.
“Of course. If you’re here to help, I’ll gratefully accept. Then...”
X trailed off as he raised his spear.
The tip of the spear was aimed at Ju Gonghyeok.
“Fire.”
“Fire?”
Damo hesitated for a moment, puzzled by the situation, then exclaimed “Ah!” and raised his gun.
“Attack, commencing.”
[Erosion Invader Kochzion 『FULL Road』]
- Ammo remaining: 18 rounds
- Maximum performance.
- Extreme overheating.
- Bullet velocity increased by 2.11 times, erosion power increased by 14 times.
- Firepower increased by 66%
Keeeeeng!
The large handgun, 37 cm long and weighing 14.1 kg, glowed red hot.
Bang!
A special alloy bullet rode the acceleration rail—a pinnacle of magic and science—and launched with heavy force.
Hontar met it head-on, matching the bullet’s trajectory.
Kwaang!
The hammer was pushed back by a mere finger-sized lump of metal.
The problem was...
Tududududeng!
It didn’t end with one shot.
There were too many to block with the hammer.
He dodged to the side, avoiding a frontal clash.
At that moment, a shadow rose from behind.
[Maik Transformation - Piercing Hero Black Sword (A)]
X’s attack closing in from the rear.
An avatar materialized on Gonghyeok’s unguarded back.
[Great Sage Equal to Heaven (SS) First Ability ‘Art of the Doppelganger’ activated!]
[Doppelganger created! 1 body! Mana split ??%!]
[Great Sage Equal to Heaven (SS) Second Ability ‘Art of the Muscle Cloud’ activated!]
[First form Muscle Cloud generated on the back of the weapon accelerates its speed!]
Kagagang!
The doppelganger that appeared on his back swung the cloud sword, deflecting the attack.
“Scary stuff. Attacks aren’t getting through.”
X made a helpless gesture and floated back slightly.
“I’ll grab some backup. Buy me time.”
Leaving those instructions to Damo, X shot away at high speed.
He landed in front of Lilianne, who was circling the area in her bunny girl outfit.
“Oh? You’re here? Round 2 odds are 1.23x~ Top dog Ju Gonghyeok, underdog X. Tips welcome on the chest, the hips, anything~”
“Yeah?”
He stepped on the tail of Lilianne, who was playing round girl.
“Kyaaah! Tail! My tail hurts!”
“Whether you’re doing bunny girl or round girl, I don’t care. But don’t use someone else’s item as a picket.”
“Do you know how important a tail is to a succubus? It’s the measure of beauty! The measure!”
“I know it’s a weak point too?”
“Kyaaah!”
Stepped on once more, Lilianne coiled her mangled tail and glared resentfully.
Ignoring her, he snatched the picket she held—also a wing.
White paper reading “Round 2” was stuck to Lucifer’s third wing, being used as a picket.
“Combine.”
Attaching the third wing to his shoulder, it melted into the others.
The wings on both sides folded, aligning three in a row on his right shoulder.
[Three wings combine into one item.]
[‘Fallen Lucifer’s Right Wings (SS)’]
[Half of the six split wings have been gathered!]
[+Buff added to all demon items.]
[+Buff added to all demon skills.]
[Maik Transformation - Black Feather Flying Blade (A+)]
[Maik Transformation - Severing Axe (A+)]
[Maik Transformation......]
[+Buff, ‘Demon Sword Shrouded in Red Mist (A+)’]
[+Buff, ‘Chains that Strangled the Saintess (A)’]
[+Buff.......]
[Unique Skill, ‘Manifestation of the Fallen Morning Star (S+)’ added.]
An asymmetrical form with three wings spread only on the right.
He flapped them experimentally to loosen up.
“Alright. Let’s try it out right away.”
[Unique Skill ‘Manifestation of the Fallen Morning Star (S+)’ activated]
[Borrowing part of the authority of the Fallen Archangel, Lucifer.]
[Resistance to all angel skills increases by 30%!]
[Power and control of all demon skills greatly enhanced!]
X’s body glowed golden.
It resembled the halo of a typical archangel, but within the halo swirled a black, ink-like aura of corruption.
“Ugh, uwaaah!”
“He’s coming!”
[Angel Wings - Stage 4 Acceleration!]
[High-Speed Flight (S) applied! Breaking the sound barrier!]
Kwaaaang!
Ju Gonghyeok charged at X, who had just acquired the item.
Their collision unleashed a deafening explosion.
An SS-grade item, Demon-Slaying Hammer Hontar, versus a charge exceeding the speed of sound.
Yet as the dust cleared, X’s demon sword and Gonghyeok’s hammer were locked evenly.
“He... he blocked it properly!”
“No way?”
The refugees fleeing between them trembled in terror.
X had always been pushed back in direct confrontations.
But now, having absorbed the third wing, he wasn’t yielding an inch.
“Missed. Sorry about that.”
D, who had unleashed tremendous firepower, aimed at Gonghyeok’s back.
The tide had fully turned.
“Hmm.”
Ju Gonghyeok scratched the back of his head.
“Suddenly it’s 2:1, and my confidence in losing just shot up?”
[Necromancer Secret Art activated ‘Black Flame Secretary - Cauldron of Superheated Hell (S-)’]
[Rankcaster Marksmanship activated ‘Rankcaster Triple Drill (A)’]
A barrage erupted from both sides.
[Angel Wings - High-Speed Flight (S) applied!]
[‘Art of the Muscle Cloud’ Second Form - Full Body Manifestation! Acceleration greatly increased!]
Gonghyeok’s form vanished in the blink of an eye.
Incredible acceleration beyond human limits.
X closely pursued.
Following Gonghyeok’s tail, X muttered.
“One. Two. Three.”
“Now!”
Gonghyeok, flying at ultra-high speed, spun 180 degrees and swung his hammer.
[Dual Extreme Five Elements Strike - Blazing Inferno Impact]
Kwaaaang!
A strike defying physics through martial harmony and mana exploded against X’s wings.
“He’s falling!”
“Keep it down. It’s undignified.”
Kung!
Two shadows crashed into the fortress floor.
Gonghyeok on top, X pinned below.
Click.
At that moment, a large handgun was aimed at Gonghyeok’s nape.
“Ju... die. Die.”
Gonghyeok in peril once more.
This wouldn’t end the fight.
Yet Gonghyeok, with a gun to his head, smirked faintly.
He sensed not his own, but his avatar’s use.
[Godly Stride Great Bell (A-) Final Ability ‘Shrinking Earth Technique’ activated!]
[Teleporting the marked Ju Gonghyeok’s body!]
Gonghyeok’s body shifted 30 meters away.
“Ugh, my specialty’s command, not combat. Guess I’ll have to roll in the dirt.”
“Command using ability users as your specialty? With only that one subordinate, what good is it?”
“You sure have a way with words.”
The owner of Godly Stride Great Bell, Special Forces Captain Jeong Hyeondo.
He grumbled as he stood beside Gonghyeok.
Click.
No questions asked.
Damo’s gun barrel rose, trigger about to pull.
X raised a hand to stop him.
Meaning: don’t shoot.
Damo looked puzzled but lowered his gun silently.
Ju Gonghyeok and Jeong Hyeondo.
The two, shoulders touching amiably, began talking.
“Where’s Sesk?”
“Hidden well out of sight.”
“I’ll trust you.”
Jeong Hyeondo drew his dagger and club.
“Hey. Just to say it now—I didn’t hate you or treat you badly out of personal dislike.”
“I’ve always respected you too, Captain.”
“You spew bullshit even in a situation like this?”
Jeong Hyeondo let out a deep sigh.
“You go first. I’ll support from behind. I’ll keep the gun guy in check as much as I can while you run. Focus on the masked one.”
“Thank you. I’ll head out first.”
“Go.”
Their touching shoulders parted.
Ju Gonghyeok spread his wings wide, preparing to advance.
“Haa~ Just to say it one more time.”
Jeong Hyeondo’s sigh echoed.
Stab.
“I didn’t particularly hate you.”
Squelch, flap.
[Flesh Durability Penetration! Ignores 99% of flesh durability value.]
[‘Quetzalcoatl’s Curse’ spreads through the body.]
[Death mark nullifying all resistances is engraved.]
[Target dies instantly when the mark reaches the heart.]
Unbelief spread across Ju Gonghyeok’s face.
Jeong Hyeondo spoke bitterly, looking at it.
“It was just an order to eliminate you.”
A sky-blue dagger was embedded in Ju Gonghyeok’s back.
The demon unique weapon ‘Quetzalcoatl’s Ritual Dagger (U.S-)’.
The Aztec sky god who granted heart, blood, and civilization.
A weapon symbolizing Quetzalcoatl.
Low durability, no combat functions, blade just 15 cm—like an awl.
It couldn’t pierce shields or armor, but its durability penetration and instant-death curse—applicable even to scratches—were devastating.
“Urk... C-Captain...”
Ju Gonghyeok spat blood, voice anguished.
“...It hurts too much?”
“You’ll be like that until you die.”
Jeong Hyeondo’s wry smile turned to exasperation.
“I knew you weren’t right in the head, but I didn’t know you were this insane.”
“Not... insane. Just... laugh a lot... that’s all?”
“Fine. I’ll send you off smiling.”
Jeong Hyeondo twisted the blade.
Grind.
Blood seeped as the curse mark reached the heart.
Gonghyeok’s expression hardened, color draining from his face.
[Instant-death curse reached the heart.]
[Failed to overcome curse! Target dies instantly from curse.]
“Phew.”
Jeong Hyeondo pulled out the dagger and wiped sweat.
With target Ju Gonghyeok dead, time for cleanup.
He shouted toward X.
“Contractor X! No, Omer Ashk! I am Contractor Jeong Hyeondo of the unique city ‘Halloween Nightmare’!”
“Captain Jeong!? What the hell are you saying?!”
Sudden betrayal declaration.
Surviving mercenaries stared in disbelief.
But Captain Jeong ignored them.
“Ju Gonghyeok killed the great summoner, Isaac Gerolbane, and the cult issued an extermination order on him!
Ten apostles of the cult and demon contractors gathered as a company, vowing to kill him! And I was one of them!”
“So?”
Undeterred by X’s cold response, Captain Jeong pressed on.
Here, showing weakness meant death.
“It’s a negotiation! I’ll hand over all coins and items from Ju Gonghyeok to you! Plus, I’ll report your merits to the Reaper Cult! You’ll achieve feats and get separate rewards!”
“That’s... thoughtful of you. Thanks.”
“What city do you belong to? I’ll report it officially!”
As Jeong Hyeondo negotiated with X.
D sensed something off.
‘Is that... really the final main body?’
Doppelganger arts didn’t multiply lives infinitely.
The one with the most mana was the main body.
If five 10% doppelgangers and one 50% main body, killing the 50% erased the five.
[Mosaic Organ activated]
[‘Shadow Fairy Antennae’ functions.]
The implanted fairy antennae in his body perked up.
If the dead one was a doppelganger, its power would flow somewhere.
He traced the power flowing from Ju Gonghyeok’s corpse in the darkness.
‘Reveal yourself. You can’t hide anymore.’
Laplace’s Demon. Omer Ashk and himself now allies with Jeong Hyeondo.
Even for Ju Gonghyeok, escape alive was impossible.
Damo calmly tracked the power flow.
But the flow was wrong.
It flowed where it shouldn’t.
‘Why?’
He thought it was just the path of power.
That power shouldn’t belong to ‘that one’.
Yet it pooled there, unmoving.
“Omer... Ashk?”
Damo stared at the flow’s endpoint.
The ‘main body’ yawned naturally.
“So. Where are Ju Gonghyeok’s coins and items?”
“Where else? Right under this!”
Jeong Hyeondo pointed at the corpse—then froze.
Not just coins, the body was gone.
X snapped his fingers.
[Great Sage Equal to Heaven (SS) First Ability ‘Art of the Doppelganger’ activated]
A white shadow rose behind Jeong Hyeondo.
The white shadow’s mouth tore into a long grin.
“Captain. I don’t die that easily.”
“Damn...”
Kwajijik!
No time for a scream.
Jeong Hyeondo’s body, struck by Hontar, slammed into the wall.
Damo turned to X.
“No way?”
Ju Gonghyeok’s two hands reached for Damo’s waist and ribs.
“Shall we use some strength?”
He invested blue coins from killing the progenitor into strength.
Current strength: 501, A-rank. Plus Great Sage’s 100-point strength bonus: 601. S-rank entry.
From S-rank, it exceeded biological limits, interfering with the physical world.
Ambient space coefficients assisted, letting him output his full strength value.
Crunch.
Gonghyeok’s fingers easily dug between Damo’s bones.
“Why... you?”
“Can’t you tell?”
Kiiii—
“I’m Ju Gonghyeok.”
Like a child ripping a cotton doll, he hooked fingers on ribs and pelvis, pulling apart.
Splash!
Damo’s abdomen tore, brown fluid spraying skyward instead of cotton.
“Smells like oil.”
Gonghyeok complained lightly, then snapped the dangling spine.