#49 Advent of the Demon Wolf
#49 Advent of the Demon Wolf
"......!"
Eun Ja-rim, back in Sector 1 now, glanced behind her at the rift. It had already sealed shut. Returning had been easy, but getting back into Sector 2 would mean fighting through the plaza all over again. Strictly speaking, she didn't have to. But if the Executioner showed up? That meant guaranteed, absolute death.
'Swordmaster...'
For all his shabby, careless manner, those remote eyes unmistakably belonged to a man who had already made his peace with dying.
'...It isn't over yet.'
What Alpha the Jirisan Warg had said carried a different weight now. Alpha was surely still somewhere in Sector 2. There had to be something else—something beyond the mage cloaked in dark clouds and the Flesh-Heap Armored Monstrous Figure. Because this suffocating sense of dread still hadn't lifted.
"Disciple of the Spear Saint. Let's hurry and regroup with the assault team."
At Kim Joo-seop's urging, Eun Ja-rim hesitated a moment, then nodded.
***
"—You've come."
Kang Tae-ho, who had been sitting casually on a rock, rose to his feet. Kang Hoon watched him yawn, twisting and cracking his stiff neck like a man working out a sore muscle, and asked,
"Why didn't you run?"
"Figured I might try doing a bit of filial piety. First time in a long while."
Scrrrape— The Conqueror's Great Sword dragged across the ground. His tone was light, but Kang Hoon couldn't tear his gaze away. Those eyes held the same resolve he himself had possessed a very long time ago: the acceptance of death. Looking into that steady, determined gaze, Kang Hoon felt there was no need for words. Though the outcome was as clear as watching a fire. The fight wouldn't last long.
Kang Hoon swung his sword, and the Blue Flame roared to life. Strangely, every time their blades clashed, the temperature dropped. Kang Tae-ho, forcing back the blazing Blue Flame, swung his sword with everything he had. This was quite possibly the strongest power humanity could bring to bear. Even Kang Hoon couldn't take it lightly.
The moment Kang Tae-ho tried to kick, Kang Hoon had already stomped down on his foot, suppressing it. Even so, Kang Tae-ho simply powered through, lifting his foot by brute force and breaking his opponent's balance. He spotted an opening and pressed forward—only for searing Blue Flame to erupt out, making Kang Tae-ho click his tongue and pull up his mana.
Give flesh, take bone. The Blue Flame blazed, gnawing away at the mana armor encasing Kang Tae-ho. Before it could be consumed entirely, Kang Tae-ho charged in shoulder-first. An overwhelming rush. By the time Kang Hoon twisted his body to evade, the sheer wind pressure had scattered the Blue Flame. Kang Tae-ho's magical power was an unknown quantity, but his physical prowess alone was honed to the level of the Seven Heroes in their prime. But still...
"You are clumsy."
At least, that was how it looked in Kang Hoon's eyes. Because at the root of it, their understanding of the sword was fundamentally different. Sharing the same roots doesn't make two trees the same. That was the most extreme difference between them.
"Damn it..."
He'd dodged, but his abdomen had been sliced open. The skills he possessed would slowly knit the wound shut, but no one was going to give him the luxury of time. The moment their blades clashed again, both men simultaneously widened the distance. In that gap, a massive paw slammed down onto the ground, and an enormous explosion erupted.
"――――――!"
The enraged White Lion shook heaven and earth with its roar. Snowell, the master of Sector 2, had pursued Kang Hoon and intruded onto the battlefield. Kang Tae-ho clicked his tongue and rolled clear.
"......."
Instead of bothering to chase Kang Tae-ho, Kang Hoon crossed the dimensional rift. Seeing this, Kang Tae-ho ground his teeth. He had to make a choice. Should he chase Kang Hoon back into Sector 1? Or stay and fight the monsters until the dungeon closed, dying a valiant death? The circumstances were different, but the thought that he might end up left alone in Neverland—just as Kang Hoon had been once before—made him let out a hollow laugh.
"Fuck this."
Of course, he'd do both. He'd stop that senile old bastard and every last monster crawling out. Without a moment's hesitation, Kang Tae-ho threw his body toward the dimensional rift, swinging his mana-filled sword. At the very least, he'd make sure they couldn't follow immediately. The frenzied monsters howled at the sight of the closing rift and the vanished Kang Tae-ho.
***
The instant Kang Tae-ho crossed the dimensional rift, he threw himself into a roll.
"......!"
A flying sword stabbed into the floor exactly where he'd just been—as if Kang Hoon had been waiting for him. He was following. Kang Tae-ho hurriedly laid the Conqueror's Great Sword sideways to block, but the powerful impact tore through his muscles.
"You left in such a hurry. Weren't you busy?"
"It won't last long anyway."
Kang Hoon swung his greatsword, and Kang Tae-ho met it. The shock numbed his wrist, but worse was the state of the Conqueror's Great Sword. It had gone beyond cracking; he wasn't sure how much longer it could hold. As if deliberately targeting that weakness, his opponent was persistently aiming for the core of the blade. When their swords clashed and rang out, Kang Tae-ho clenched his teeth, unable to hide his dismay.
'When the hell does it close? Or has it already closed?'
—He didn't know. From here, there was no way to tell when the dungeon would close. All he could do was struggle with everything he had to stop Kang Hoon—his father—from escaping. Kang Tae-ho's mind was filled with that single thought. There was no way Kang Hoon didn't know it. A minute at most. It would be settled within that. Either the Conqueror's Great Sword would break, or Kang Tae-ho, his patience gone, would lunge. Kang Tae-ho chose the latter.
A destructive charge. The instant their swords met, he threw his body forward. Pinning Kang Hoon to the ground and instantly taking the mount position, Kang Tae-ho brought his fist down packed with mana. The impact shattered the plaza floor. The moment the armor broke, Kang Tae-ho's eyes flashed.
'This is my chance!'
A golden opportunity that might never come again. He pulled his arm far back behind his shoulder and thrust it forward, but at the sight of something emerging from Kang Hoon's armor, Kang Tae-ho hastily withdrew.
"From Sector 3...!"
Shades. Monsters that eroded the mind and showed horrific illusions. For some unknown reason, Kang Hoon was cloaked in them. Kang Tae-ho was sure he'd dodged, but his vision had gone blurry.
'Damn it...'
He hadn't dodged. The Shades must have permeated the armor itself. The thought that Kang Hoon might have deliberately taken that punch made Kang Tae-ho grind his teeth.
'This wily old snake of a man...'
It was impossible to fight Kang Hoon while seeing hallucinations and illusions. Forced back, step after step, Kang Tae-ho ultimately had his abdomen pierced through.
"......It's over."
At the voice announcing the end, Kang Tae-ho twisted his lips into a grimace. If there was one thing Kang Tae-ho uniquely excelled at—amid being inferior in every other respect—it was pure physical strength. A monstrous grip closed around Kang Hoon's greatsword, refusing to let go. Pulling his arm far back behind his shoulder, he thrust his fist forward and detonated his mana.
'I'll end this with this...!'
The desperate strike was, predictably, caught.
"Damn it..."
The true nature of the blazing Blue Flame was a Frostbloom that held the cold of absolute zero. Ice sprouted instantly from his pierced abdomen, beginning to freeze his entire body. There was no way he could muster the same strength he'd had at the start—not in this state. Just as he thought it was over, a single bolt of lightning flew in from somewhere, and Kang Hoon violently yanked the blade from Kang Tae-ho's abdomen to block the bolt. In the time that bought, Kang Tae-ho's eyes bulged.
"Why—why! I told you to go!"
It was thanks to her that he'd been saved, but Kang Tae-ho shouted in frustration. Even if she helped him, the outcome wouldn't change. It would just be a dog's death. Did she not understand that? Eun Ja-rim reached out her hand, and the spear that had been deflected flew back into her grasp. Kang Hoon's expression flickered with interest at the sight.
"...I see. You are Chang-seon's disciple."
Kang Tae-ho yelled at Eun Ja-rim, shoving her shoulder.
"Go! I'm telling you—go, even now!"
No one else should die. The honor of his father, who had remained a hero, and the rightful responsibility he had to bear as the man's flesh and blood. Old man Muno and granny Ju-gyo had already died. No more should die because of him. Kang Tae-ho gritted his teeth, but Eun Ja-rim's eyes shone with a strange certainty.
"Don't worry. I'm not alone."
Footsteps echoed behind her. A figure emerged through the maze's fog into the plaza. Seeing the silver sword hanging at his side, Kang Tae-ho murmured in shock.
"...Brother?"
—While heading back through the maze to rejoin the assault team, she had regrouped with the Dawn members. Kang Tae-jun's gaze flicked briefly toward Kang Tae-ho before settling on Kang Hoon. With eyes cold as frost, he stared at the man who was once his father and raised his sword.
"Surrender."
At the coldly spoken command, Kang Tae-ho looked around. His brother and himself. And Baek Gun-tae, who had roused late. The Disciple of the Spear Saint and Ha-yeon, along with other Dawn members, were gathering one by one. No matter who he was, he wouldn't break through this encirclement. Kang Tae-ho was certain the fight was over, and in the silent plaza, Kang Hoon's voice resonated lowly.
"Haven't you forgotten one thing?"
—In that moment, a voice began echoing across the plaza.
{Эми тест тапшыруучу келгендиктен, тест башталат!}
Because there was exactly one person in this plaza who had not yet paid the price, who had not taken the test. Kang Tae-jun frowned. Did the plaza function normally even during the frenzy? From the plaza walls, monsters—Tauruses, Stalkers—began emerging one after another.
{Өзүңүздү кан жана өлүм менен далилдеңиз!}
Judging that there was no more time to delay, Kang Tae-jun rushed at Kang Hoon. Kang Hoon knocked away the sword swung at him after closing the distance instantly and wreathed himself in Blue Flame, forcing Kang Tae-jun to retreat. As the two Swordmasters began their fight, Kang Tae-ho, fending off the plaza monsters alongside Dawn's clan members, gritted his teeth. The dimensional rift he had slashed with mana was restoring itself, and monsters were beginning to emerge from it.
Amidst the rapidly shifting situation, Kang Tae-jun chewed his lip, realizing that bringing down Kang Hoon wouldn't be easy. There wasn't much time left until closure. If that was the case, perhaps they should fall back first and block the entrance. If they could stop Kang Hoon from escaping Neverland...
"We're retreating!"
At those words, Kang Tae-ho, having cleaved a Taurus with his half-broken Conqueror's Great Sword, clutched his pierced abdomen. Thanks to the freezing, he wasn't bleeding, but the agonizing pain was unavoidable.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Ah, you cheeky bastard. Do I look alright?"
Kang Tae-ho chuckled wryly at Lee Gi-jun's support. He'd been ready to die alone... Lost in thought for a moment, he hurriedly shoved Lee Gi-jun away. He grabbed the hilt and braced it with his wrist, barely blocking the grey slash, but vomited a mouthful of stagnant blood.
"Shit, the Executioner..."
The boss of Sector 1. The Mountain Goat's head tilted as it observed them. While Kang Tae-jun kept Kang Hoon occupied, just as everyone was about to escape the plaza—a massive White Lion emerged from the maze.
"...Snowell?!"
Why from the maze? Just as Wolf had been dropped into a random spot in Area 2 when Baphomet's mana-infused slash split the dimensional rift, the White Lion had also fallen somewhere unintended. The strike Kang Tae-ho had launched to buy time had indeed bought a few moments as intended, but it had also dropped Snowell into the maze. The returned White Lion blocked the maze boundary and roared.
"――――――!"
The White Lion at the front. The Executioner at the rear. The worst dungeon. The bosses of Neverland were positioned ahead and behind them, while an endless horde of monsters swarmed. A frenzy of hunters and monsters clashing violently had begun.
"We can't escape...!"
While the two Swordmasters fought, the White Lion slammed its paws down, driving them back. As the encirclement tightened, the hunters gritted their teeth. —Now they were completely surrounded with no way out. The worst-case scenario. A situation where they could neither advance nor retreat. Just as they thought this place would become their grave,
"......Fog?"
The interior slowly began to darken. Sensing a chilling bloodlust, Kang Tae-jun reflexively turned his head. The moment his eyes landed on that entity, his glasses—the masterpiece of Square that infused mana and allowed him to use D-rank Appraisal—shattered into pieces.
—[Swallower]
That single word was the only information he could read.