Chapter 47
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Kyokushin Karate Secret Technique
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「You... are... what?」
Amaterasu was utterly baffled.
She had thought there would be no one to rival her in this world, now left only with lowly beasts after the era of ancient myths had ended.
She was a being who could annihilate the entire world if she so desired.
And yet, what in the world was this thing?
「No... myth... ever mentioned... the likes of you.」
"Grrr..."
「What... in the hell... are you?!」
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pitch-black monster charged forward at terrifying speed, offering no reply.
She mustn't let it close the distance.
Sensing this instinctively through all her senses, Amaterasu twisted the directions of the wooden tendrils extending in every direction, aiming to impale the beast as it rushed toward her.
But—
Clang!
「...Huh?」
The predator of nature.
Any sturdy object pierced by the sapling's roots would sprout and devour all life within.
In the past, Amaterasu's wooden tendrils had transformed the entire Japanese archipelago into an ecosystem akin to the Amazon.
Yet a single blow capable of creating an entire ecosystem failed to penetrate the pitch-black monster's flesh.
「It... won't... pierce?」
"Grrr..."
Crunch. Snap.
If she couldn't destroy it, she'd at least bind it eternally.
But even that failed as the tendrils began to envelop her—the pitch-black monster forcibly tore them away and drew ever closer... closer still.
「You...! Insolent... offspring of a god... a half-baked... creation born... afterward!!」
Enraged at the reality of this upstart, barely over 2,000 years old, daring to challenge her, Amaterasu felt a scratch on her divine dignity.
Rrrrip!
"Grk?!"
Fueled by the giant who birthed the forest's fury, the surrounding tree roots began growing at an alarming rate.
The forest that had turned the entire amusement park dome into a jungle exploded in growth, soon reaching ever higher, ever grander toward the sky.
Not just roots—leaves began to sprout, transforming into a colossal sapling vast enough to blot out the skies over Songpa-gu.
「I am... the Sun Goddess... Amaterasu.」
"Grrr."
「My... life force... is nature... itself. My... sustenance... is every... life form... that enters... my shadow.」
"Grurk?"
In other words.
If the sapling growing in the amusement park spread beyond Songpa-gu to engulf all of Seoul, then continued expanding to cover the entire Republic of Korea, becoming a 'World Tree'...
「You... will face... all 50 million... souls of this land!」
Win or lose, Korea's entire population would perish.
「My... victory! Your... defeat!」
Amaterasu cackled triumphantly.
Empowered by her glee, the sapling accelerated its growth.
In less than a minute, it rivaled the 500-meter height of Seoul's Lotte World Tower, gauged by eye.
Seeing the colossal tree swelling before them, every hunter and civilian outside the park held their breath, regardless of status.
No one could believe such rampant growth spelled anything but doom.
They sensed its danger viscerally, yet had no idea how to contain its horrifying speed.
"Mommy..."
"What about Branch Chief who went inside?"
"We can't reach her..."
"Haha... it's all over... everything's fucked...!"
Some despaired.
Others gave up.
Tears flowed from many.
In the peaceful 21st century, after the Industrial Revolution and two world wars, humanity knelt and begged for mercy at the sudden arrival of a god.
All but one.
"Grrr!"
「...What... is that...?」
Save for the single human-turned-monster poised to leap.
"Grurk..."
'Kyokushin Karate kicking technique...'
Shin-woo confirmed the wooden tendrils sprouting around him.
He crouched low, body coiled like a spring for maximum rotation, ready to launch.
Meanwhile, the monster...
His own kin, no less!
「Could that... be a human... 'technique'?」
Amaterasu's skull face twisted in shock at the frail human mimicking their motions.
"Grrruk."
'Don't get surprised yet.'
Shin-woo vaulted five meters into the air.
"Gruk, guk!"
'Now for the real show!'
Releasing the rotation gathered from the ground through one leg, he spun 360 degrees, whipping it across the tendrils encircling the park.
Kyokushin Karate - Aerial Spinning Kick
Sharp full-power impact slices through surrounding tendrils like invisible blades, propagating outward beyond the park.
The shockwave barely altered the park interior by the time Shin-woo landed.
Rum-rum-rumble...
「The... tree...!」
"I can see the sky...!"
The severed tendrils halted their growth.
The 500-meter sapling, detached from its roots, began toppling sideways, losing balance.
Through the gaping wound poured the blue sky.
"Grurk."
'Time to finish this.'
「Don't... get cocky. I am... a god!」
Amaterasu's symbol—the World Tree reaching to the cosmos—had been pruned in an instant.
Yet Japan's worst and strongest evil god remained defiant.
「I am... the Sun Goddess... Amaterasu!!」
Shin-woo charged madly at the shadowed sun goddess, just as before.
Crushing the nascent tendrils creeping from the ground, he arrived and struck first with—
Kyokushin Karate - Basic Straight Punch
A straight punch blasting a massive hole through her solar plexus.
Bam!
「Useless.」
As her gaping chest began regenerating, he next thrust his hand blade skyward.
100 Board-Breaking Knife Hands!
A diagonal hand blade cleaving Amaterasu in two.
Slash.
「Useless!」
Roots sprouted from the severed parts, reconnecting her body. Undeterred—
Kumite... Thrust Form.
「?!」
From the Sanchin stance's straight punch prep, he pulled his arm back further, channeling power.
Faster, stronger—for a killing blow!
Extreme 'Kyokushin' intensity, dislocating shoulders if needed.
Kyokushin Karate Secret Technique
Piercing Straight Punch
「Y-You bastard!」
Shin-woo's all-out, heartfelt piercing straight punch.
It obliterated the stockpiled life force Amaterasu had drained from the Kitsune clan over 2,200 years in one strike.
Kaboom!!
With a crisp sound, the evil god's upper body exploded away—revealing, beyond her back—
"Whoa..."
"T-The sky...!"
A pristine blue sky, not a wisp of cloud, sliced in half alongside the atmosphere by the aftershock.
"What the hell is that...?"
Korea's hunters, barely holding back the collapsing 500-meter sapling, stared in disbelief at the punch's ripple.
"Is the machine busted?"
"What's up?"
"Well... I brought a portable hazard meter just in case, but maybe it's faulty."
The research team monitoring the park with high-end monster radars frowned at impossible readings.
Lee Hee-jung, the machine handler, scowled.
"It suddenly flashed 'All Stats: 17.' Probably just old gear crapping out."
Meanwhile, outside the chaos—
"...Ah."
Amaterasu's corpse began dissolving into the body of Kurumi, who had summoned her.
A standard phenomenon for a Beast Hunter unsummoning their beast.
But no Kitsune record mentioned reverse-summoning Amaterasu like this.
Regardless, Kurumi had triumphed over the evil god.
Thump! Thump!
She felt her once-still heart racing back to life.
"Ah... Aah! Aaaaaah!"
She wouldn't die.
She'd live past a year from now.
Overjoyed, Kurumi hugged herself and sobbed.
And perhaps he'd overdone it this time—
Shin-woo's battered body heaved a weary sigh.
He turned from the rejoicing princess.
Time to bolt.
But then—
Grab.
"Thank you, Shin-woo."
Kurumi rushed and hugged the monstrous him without prejudice.
He'd expected eternal hatred as a Monsterization Hunter once exposed.
"Grurk..."
"Really! Truly... thank you!"
Instead, she turned him to face her.
Discarding the eyepatch she'd worn to avoid the world's gaze, she met pitch-black Han Shin-woo's eyes without disgust.
Mwah.
"!?"
With heartfelt emotion.
Even in monster form.
As thanks for saving her, Kurumi pressed her lips to his as tenderly as possible.
"Urgh..."
"......"
"W-Was it... bad?"
Looking up at the unresponsive black monster, the princess blushed to her ears, embarrassed.
But anything he said would just sound like "gruk."
Pat, pat.
Instead, Shin-woo stroked her waiting head.
Then, bracing for incoming hunters—
"D-Don't move!"
"Branch Chief, you okay?!"
"That's... the Jamsil Monster?"
As they stormed through the main gate, Shin-woo slipped out via the park's outer wall—punched open by his own fist moments ago.