Chapter 193
Chapter 193
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: The Mad Saintess
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Yura!’
Kim Taejin couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.
He had known lately that something was off.
He had even noticed she was struggling with some mental issues.
But he had chosen to ignore it.
He figured getting involved might drag him into something he couldn’t handle.
‘I should’ve done something!’
How could he have ever imagined Seong Yura would pull off something this insane?
Kim Taejin turned to the side with a face full of regret and shock.
There were Park Jin-han and Im Tae-eun, equally stunned.
“W-Why would Yura...?”
Park Jin-han clutched his head in confusion.
Im Tae-eun said nothing, but her expression clearly showed she couldn’t accept it.
“We have to stop her.”
Park Jin-han took a step toward Seong Yura.
“Stop.”
But Kim Taejin held his friend back.
“Hey, if we don’t stop her now, Yura will...!”
“Can you stop her?”
Even in this chaos, Kim Taejin kept his cool.
Letting her spiral this far without intervening had clearly been a mistake.
But that was that, and they couldn’t stop her on their own.
Park Jin-han had no answer to Kim Taejin’s question.
“W-What if the three of us team up?”
Im Tae-eun mustered her courage to speak.
“Impossible.”
It was an objective assessment.
If they fought Seong Yura?
Even giving them the benefit of the doubt, it would end in mutual destruction.
Better to stay out of it and wait for someone who could actually resolve this to arrive.
‘Sorry, but no choice.’
He hated leaving the knights to die in the meantime.
The heroes fighting her now might die too.
Whatever had happened, Seong Yura was far stronger than before—beyond comparison.
Even the familiar heroes combining their strength to block her were getting overwhelmingly pushed back.
‘Still, we can’t step in now.’
With Baek Siwoo gone.
He couldn’t afford to lose Seong Yura or the other friends too.
“If the Chairman or one of the Empire’s Guardians shows up, they can handle it. Just hold out until then.”
“B-But...”
Im Tae-eun pointed to the knights lying dead as corpses.
“The casualties could get even worse.”
“...Sadly, there’s nothing we can do.”
Kim Taejin forced himself to look away from those killed by Seong Yura.
“Keheok!”
Along with a choked groan, Goo Dong-hwan in his yellow dress came flying through the air.
It was hard to believe given his bulk matching Park Jin-han’s— he crossed the sky all too lightly.
Kuuwaaang-!
And Goo Dong-hwan wasn’t the only one.
Those rated higher than any other heroes except them were swept away like fallen leaves in the wind.
‘Damn it.’
Why had it come to this?
Kim Taejin racked his brain for why Seong Yura had suddenly changed.
‘It was right after that bishop and cardinal showed up.’
He had no idea what they talked about.
The Holy Knights had blocked the door, refusing entry.
It made him a bit uneasy, but he didn’t dwell on it.
They were high nobles from Iair supporting Seong Yura, after all.
He just assumed they had private matters to discuss.
But that had been a mistake.
After the bishop and cardinal left.
Not even 10 minutes passed before Seong Yura lost it.
She had finally stepped out of her lodging after so long and snapped the necks of the guarding knights.
Then the massacre began.
Having witnessed it from start to finish, Kim Taejin naturally suspected the bishop.
‘And...’
He had overheard it.
The cardinal woman muttering softly.
“As His will.”
‘She definitely said that.’
He didn’t know who “He” referred to, but it was worth investigating.
Just then, he saw Kang Byung-gyu grabbed in Seong Yura’s hand.
Seeing that, Kim Taejin bit his lip and took a step back.
‘He’s dead.’
Others rushed in late, but Kim Taejin was certain.
That hero would die.
Casualties would emerge even among the heroes in the end.
He had no choice but to think that way.
That was when it happened.
A familiar face suddenly entered Kim Taejin’s view.
Kwaaaang-!
Seong Yura went flying.
“Seo Woojin!”
* * *
‘She’s fine.’
Seo Woojin was a bit surprised to see Seong Yura crawling out unscathed.
It had been a sudden strike packed with no small amount of chaos energy.
He figured at least a couple bones would break...
But astonishingly, Seong Yura showed no injuries.
“You’re here? Why’d you take so long? I was looking for you.”
Her expression as she spoke to Seo Woojin was strange.
Happy, yet sad.
‘No, is she angry?’
It was a face mixed with complex emotions impossible to pin down.
As if she’d been manipulated by something...
Something flashed through Seo Woojin’s mind.
Bishop, cardinal, academy visit.
And now the deranged Seong Yura.
‘It’s not certain, but they might be connected.’
If Drunak hadn’t visited yesterday, he might not have thought this way.
But having heard that talk, it wasn’t hard to suspect the bishop’s visit had a purpose.
And that purpose was likely tied to Seong Yura’s madness.
Seo Woojin narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“The bishop?”
A probing question.
If the bishop was behind it, there’d be some reaction.
But Seong Yura tilted her head as if she had no idea what he meant.
“The bishop? Why would he come up?”
She truly seemed clueless.
Seo Woojin shook his head and stepped forward.
“Whatever. Doesn’t matter anyway.”
Seong Yura was dying today.
Once Seo Woojin decided to kill her, no one could stop him now.
Srrrrung-
‘Karaniel’ was drawn.
Its black blade rippled with purple chaos energy, announcing its presence to the world.
“Is that the power of the ‘Black Existence’? Not mana, not demonic energy. It really is you.”
Seong Yura, sensing Seo Woojin’s chaos energy, rambled on disjointedly.
“That power let you beat our Siwoo, right? And you’re not even a hero. Or are you? Whatever. It’s all because of you. You killed them.”
Her words were utter nonsense.
But one thing was clear: Seong Yura was convinced Seo Woojin was the ‘Black Existence’.
“So you die too, you damn bastard.”
Seong Yura’s eyes flashed, and murky holy power erupted.
‘Hmm.’
He didn’t know what they’d done, but Seong Yura was several times stronger than before.
In terms of raw energy alone, she surpassed even pre-corruption Baek Siwoo.
But...
“You’re no match for me.”
Seo Woojin swung ‘Karaniel’.
It looked like a casual slash through empty air, but it carried the full essence of Anti-Slane swordsmanship.
Seogeok-!
Blood sprayed.
“Huh?”
Seong Yura staggered.
She turned her head to look at her left arm.
“It’s gone? My arm’s gone.”
The arm that had been there moments ago was severed, gushing blood.
“You dare cut off my arm! ‘Grand Cross’!”
Seong Yura showed no sign of pain, no scream.
Just a face full of rage as she unleashed her skill at Seo Woojin.
Gooooooo-!
A murky cross of light—far from holy—came crashing down toward Seo Woojin.
Like divine punishment from a god itself.
Its majesty felt transcendent.
“SS-grade lives up to the hype, at least.”
The massive cross descended precisely toward his crown.
Seo Woojin thrust ‘Karaniel’ into it.
Jjeeerrrreong-!
A piercing noise tore at their eardrums.
“Aaak!”
“Kuuh!”
Nearby knights tending to wounded heroes clutched their ears and collapsed.
The sound was too intense for their bodies to endure.
But only for a moment.
Pasaak—like shattering glass, the massive cross truly broke apart like fragile panes.
“Still no good against me.”
Seo Woojin withdrew ‘Karaniel’, which he’d thrust upward, and looked at Seong Yura.
“You, you! A mere D-grade trash! How dare you against me!”
“What good’s a high job rank when your personality’s trash-tier.”
Seo Woojin smirked mockingly at Seong Yura.
If she’d been even a bit reasonable.
If she hadn’t drowned in arrogance and superiority.
He wouldn’t have thought to kill her.
Even if she was tied to the Apostles and knew a sliver of his secret.
He’d have found another way instead of killing.
But Seong Yura had crossed the line.
She’d already rubbed him the wrong way, and now she was practically begging to die.
So he’d grant her wish.
“Come on, try killing me! If you can!”
As Seong Yura shrieked hysterically, Seo Woojin kicked off the ground.
Sssuk-
He slid forward like on ice, reaching her in an instant.
“I was gonna kill you anyway.”
‘Karaniel’ slashed diagonally toward her throat like a beam of light.
“Where!”
Startled, Seong Yura belatedly activated a skill.
“Divine Barrier!”
A circular shield about a fist thick formed.
“Nice try.”
‘Karaniel’ sliced through the skill like paper.
Sugaak-!
“Kyaaaak!”
Her remaining right arm was severed too.
With both arms gone, Seong Yura panicked and screamed.
“I’ll expose everything! Who you are! What you’ve done!”
She flopped backward, yelling at Seo Woojin—less saintess, more madwoman.
Seo Woojin slowly approached as she writhed to put distance, bleeding.
“Doesn’t matter. You’re dying here anyway.”
Seo Woojin’s killing intent reached her throat.
“W-Wait...”
Had the fear of death finally hit?
Fear began frosting over Seong Yura’s face.
Too late for regrets now.
Seo Woojin clicked his tongue inwardly and infused chaos energy into ‘Karaniel’.
Gray aura surged, ready to sever her neck any second.
That was when it happened.
“Stop!”
Yorn’s voice came from behind.
He was rushing over, gripping his beloved green sword ‘Purna’.
Relief washed over Seong Yura’s eyes at the sight.
The Chairman Yorn could save her from Seo Woojin, she thought.
No matter how reckless Seo Woojin was, he couldn’t kill an SS-grade hero in front of him!
But that was a delusion.
“I made a promise to myself just now.”
Seo Woojin whispered lowly to Seong Yura.
“No matter who comes to interfere, I’ll kill you for sure.”
Seo Woojin’s ‘Karaniel’ cleaved through space without hesitation.
Seogeok-!
Seong Yura’s head hit the ground.