Chapter 97
Chapter 97
Turning the Tables
***
“Ugh…!”
Lexa, back in her true form, knelt, clutching her wounded abdomen.
A gaping hole oozed blood.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.
Her illusions, her ability to copy personalities and toy with humans, were her specialty, the trademark that solidified her identity as the Azure Witch.
She had never been seen through, never lost the upper hand in a one-versus-many fight.
In one-on-one combat, she crushed her opponents with brute force.
But,
She had been so easily defeated.
It was more than humiliating; it was baffling.
Her high-fidelity copying ability, perfectly replicating thoughts and emotions, had occasionally been guessed correctly in desperate, life-or-death situations, but never before had it been so thoroughly exposed.
Lexa gritted her teeth and scanned her surroundings.
There were still plenty of targets to copy.
But,
‘He’ll see through it again.’
Han Tae-jin would undoubtedly expose her immediately.
The fact that he had identified the real Renia without a single question meant he had a trait or skill that allowed him to detect doppelgangers.
She wanted to ask him how he had done it, but her pride wouldn't allow it.
The shame of her defeat was already enough to make her want to bite her tongue off.
She quickly activated her regeneration ability, stemming the flow of blood from her abdomen.
Staggering to her feet, she glared at Tae-jin.
She wanted to copy that smug brat and reclaim her lost pride, but the fact that she had been exposed so easily, for the first time in her life, created a nagging hesitation that shackled her resolve.
Flare—!
Lexa ignited her mana, a dark, swirling mix of blue and black.
The dark mana engulfed her like flames, and a venomous aura emanated from her.
“You insignificant insects dare to humiliate me?!”
If this humiliation reached His Majesty’s ears, it wouldn't be humiliation she felt, but despair.
Despair so profound she would want to bite her tongue off and end it all.
So, she would bury them all with her, in this cave.
Her shame, her disgrace, her rage.
And those insignificant pests, she would bury them all in this cave.
Her eyes, burning with blue-black flames, fixed on Han Tae-jin and his group.
Lexa gathered the dark flames in her hand, then scattered the condensed mana across the cave floor, chanting,
“Arise, eternal souls.”
Rumble…
The cave floor cracked and shuddered, and grotesque ghouls and monstrous forms began to emerge from the fissures.
“You arrogant fools. I’ll show you what hell truly is.”
“Everyone, be careful!”
Though the grotesque forms were crude and misshapen,
The amount of mana each possessed was considerable.
Each one was at least B-rank Hunter level.
Individually, they would be easy to defeat, but their numbers were quickly growing into the dozens, then hundreds.
Long ago, the great American metropolis, “Steelitan,” a city considered an impenetrable fortress, had fallen not to a colossal monster, a mutated beast, or a horde of villains, but to a swarm of B-rank and lower monsters.
Tens of thousands of them.
So, they couldn’t afford to be careless.
KABOOM—!!
Moments later, the clash began, and the cave shook with the force of the battle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Ugh! Is everyone alright?!”
It felt like thirty minutes had passed since the battle began.
But the grotesque monsters continued to pour out of the fissures.
It was like being trapped in the heart of a zombie horde.
Exhaustion began to set in as they fought the endless waves of monsters, and the number of hits they took steadily increased.
“Eek!”
“Oof!”
“Why won’t they stop coming?!”
And,
KABOOM—!!!
Lexa’s merciless magical attacks landed occasionally, inflicting heavy damage.
The longer the fight dragged on, the worse their situation became.
They needed to find a way out, but the relentless onslaught of monsters made it impossible.
“Hohoho! You’re trapped like rats in a cage! How pathetic!”
Damn it.
Was there no way out?
Clang—!
Growl—!
Crack—!
I looked around.
Everyone was struggling to fend off the relentless monsters.
My younger sister, in particular, seemed to lack real-world combat experience.
She looked terrified by the grotesque monsters.
If she collapsed, the party would crumble like a cart rolling downhill.
I had to find a solution, and fast.
I glared at Lexa, who was hovering in mid-air.
“Hohoho!”
She laughed, clearly enjoying the situation.
If someone handed her a teacup, she would probably transform into a noblewoman watching a circus.
“You’re like little ants struggling in vain. Hohoho!”
That crazy bitch.
Just how strong was God R’hell if he had someone like her as a subordinate?
I shifted my gaze to the right.
About 200 meters away, I could see the small orb floating within the blue barrier.
Screech—!
Growl—!
Cough—!
This wasn't working.
I had to take out the summoner, not the endless stream of summoned monsters.
But in my current state, it was impossible.
I couldn’t even aim at Lexa while she was airborne.
And if I jumped into the air, I would be a sitting duck for her attacks.
Without the ability to fly, jumping would be suicidal.
‘Damn it… Is there no other way?’
If I could just reach the center of the chamber, where Han Chang-ho’s inheritance was located…
Whoosh!
Crack!
Clang!
Was there a way to bypass the swarm of monsters and reach Lexa?
Covering 200 meters in a single jump was still beyond my capabilities.
And falling into that swarm would be a gruesome death.
Then,
Buzz~buzz~
I felt a strong vibration from my waist.
‘Oh, right.’
I had Roque.
With his flight ability, Roque could probably cover 200 meters while avoiding Lexa’s attacks.
Thanks to my diligent feeding (mostly villain corpses), we had developed a decent master-pet bond.
Buzz~buzz~
‘Alright, Roque. I’m counting on you.’
I gripped the dagger.
And,
“Hang in there, everyone.”
I said to my party members, with my voice filled with determination.
There was no time for a response.
Thwack—!
I threw the dagger into the air and jumped with all my might.
I heard a mocking laugh behind me.
“Hohohoho! A Hunter attempting aerial combat? My, my. I thought you were a smart guy, but it seems you’re just a stupid boy. Now, die…!”
Her laughter abruptly cut off.
Whoosh-Whoosh!—
Roque, now a massive black dragon with powerful wings, appeared in mid-air.
“W-what…!”
I landed smoothly on Roque’s back.
I had done this several times before, using Roque to scout areas with limited visibility.
Whoosh-Whoosh!—
“Over there!”
I pointed towards the center of the chamber, and Roque stretched out his neck and began to fly.
At the same time,
I felt a surge of mana behind me, so powerful it sent shivers down my spine.
“Did you think I’d let you get away?! I’ll wipe you all out—!!”
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Blue fireballs, like projectiles launched from catapults, hurtled towards us.
But Roque dodged them effortlessly, as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
“Die! Die—!!”
Lexa screamed in frustration.
Large mana spheres engulfed in blue flames flew towards us, but Roque dodged them with ease, even performing aerial spins as if taunting her.
Krrr! Krrr!
He even chuckled, seemingly enjoying himself.
I could practically feel Lexa’s seething rage.
We were closing in on the center of the chamber.
Less than 50 meters to go.
I shifted my position on Roque’s back, preparing to land.
There was no time for a leisurely descent.
I planned to jump off at the closest point and use a roll to break my fall.
At about 10 meters, I bent my knees, preparing to jump.
And,
‘Now!’
I jumped from Roque’s back
KABOOM!!!
At that moment, a massive impact slammed into my back, sending me flying forward.
I couldn’t even cry out.
The force of the impact and the searing pain in my back made my head spin.
Splash!
I plunged into the water below.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Kyaa! Tae-jin—!!”
Even in the midst of battle, Renia’s eyes followed Tae-jin.
He precariously dodged the fireballs as he flew towards the center of the chamber.
When he was within 10 meters, Renia felt a surge of relief, believing his plan had succeeded.
But when the last fireball struck Tae-jin’s back, she screamed.
At the same time,
“Tae-jin?!”
“Han Tae-jin!!”
“B-Brother!”
“My son—!”
“O-Oppa?”
All eyes turned towards the center of the chamber.
And as they watched Tae-jin flung forward like a projectile, they all cried out in horror.
Then, as they saw him plunge into the pool in the center, despair washed over them.
A massive column of water erupted, far larger than anything a human body should have been able to displace.
But even as they watched in horror, the relentless monster attacks continued, forcing them to fight on without a moment’s respite.
They could hear Lexa’s sharp laughter.
“Hohohoho—!! Did you really think you could escape my grasp? Such foolish arrogance leads to an early grave!”
Renia tried to fight her way to the center of the chamber, but the monsters blocked her path.
“Tae-jin—!!”
All she could do was call out his name.
“Hohoho! Don’t worry. If you wish, I can drown you with that stupid boy…”
But then,
Lexa frowned, her eyes fixed on the center of the chamber.
“…What?”
She had clearly seen the fireball hit him directly and seen him flung away like a broken puppet.
The impact and the intense heat of the flames should have been enough to knock him unconscious.
It was a concentrated blast of mana, powerful enough to kill an ordinary Hunter instantly.
But,
The surface of the water was rippling.
The still water was now churning.
Lexa’s eyes widened.
“It’s… gone?”
She instinctively looked at the statue in the center of the chamber.
It was empty.
The object that had been floating within the double-layered blue barrier had vanished.
“No…! How…?! When…?!”
The ripples grew stronger.
The water churned like a stormy sea, then erupted in a massive geyser, like a volcano spewing lava.
Joy turned to despair.
Despair turned to joy.
The tide of the battle had turned.