Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Clash in the Ruins of Tokyo
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In the ruins of shattered Tokyo, Yoo Seongwon faced off against a woman radiating a bizarre aura, their weapons locked together, as he urgently shouted toward the children she had originally targeted—now collapsed behind him.
The children, dressed in special forces uniforms with restraint collars around their necks, were the very S-rank hunter kids he had seen at the strategy meeting not long ago.
‘Damn it! My crazy nosiness!’
The moment he had been about to leave, he spotted them on the verge of being reaped by a massive scythe. Unable to ignore it, Yoo Seongwon had grabbed his weapon, leaped down, and wedged himself between them.
“Are you okay? You... S-rank little friends? Ah, no! I don’t speak Japanese, but you get the gist, right? And you there... pretty big sis? Could you cut these kids some slack? Yeah, the Japanese pulled some dogshit moves, but responsibility—that’s strictly something the adults have to shoulder!”
[…Target language analysis complete.]
“Ah... You speak Korean? So~”
[Step aside. You are not a ‘disposal’ target.]
“Putting kids on the ‘disposal’ list doesn’t sit right with me. For now... Yucheong! Gaulf! Take them to the sanctuary and get out of here! I authorize it as ‘prisoners’!”
Sensing movement from behind, Yoo Seongwon immediately ordered Yucheong and Gaulf, who had followed him down. They scooped up the three collapsed special forces S-rank kids, each opened a dimensional gate to the ‘sanctuary,’ and slipped right through.
The woman before him, gripping her massive scythe, unleashed a terrifying killing intent as she glared at Yoo Seongwon. Bracing himself for the inevitable fight, he steeled his resolve.
“Hah, even if it’s a country guilty as sin, you’ve got to pin down exactly where the blame lies! Driving that brutal scythe of judgment even at children... Ah! Ma’am! At least hear out a knight’s declaration!”
[Classified as interferer with the Underworld’s Judgment. Dispose immediately.]
“Freeze my ass! Is this the underworld or what?”
Clang!
Sparks flew as the Titan’s Stake clashed with the massive scythe.
A scythe shouldn’t have had such durability, yet it matched the Titan’s Stake without yielding an inch.
Yoo Seongwon’s raw power seemed superior; he stood firm, swinging his weapon to parry the assault. His opponent darted nimbly, unleashing a barrage of attacks.
‘Like a mayfly?’
[…Kuh!]
‘But how fast does she get?’
Boom!
Of course, the power gap sent her flying, but she showed no panic, readjusting her stance and swinging the scythe even faster.
Shockingly, when the scythe’s blade grazed the golden beast’s armor, it began to scar the surface.
“…Scratches on the armor?”
[What? Thanatos’s Scythe... couldn’t pierce it?]
“That scythe... what is it?”
Yoo Seongwon and even his attacking foe alternated stunned glances between him and the scythe.
Both sides appeared equally shocked.
Realizing the other’s weapon and armor performed beyond expectations, they heightened their focus, acknowledging this was no pushover.
‘Well, she took down three S-ranks, kids or not... She’s no ordinary foe.’
[Adjusting response level to match enemy strength.]
Click.
Seeing her grip the scythe and assume a stance, Yoo Seongwon tensed up as well.
But his tension wasn’t a heavy burden—it was the thrill and excitement of facing a new powerhouse.
The man inside the armor was ordinarily human in sensibility, but the skills he’d chosen warped every reaction.
‘There’s this creepy feeling like I’m becoming someone else... But it’s better than cowering and shaking.’
[…….]
The two stared each other down, weapons poised.
At a glance, the fight seemed paused, but she was already simulating the battle in her mind, while Yoo Seongwon waited like a beast eyeing prey, senses razor-sharp.
In that standoff, she moved first.
The scythe whipped toward him at a speed invisible even as a trajectory, but his martial talent skill blocked it with the Titan’s Stake as if grateful.
As metal screeched against metal, Yoo Seongwon’s body accelerated too. He usually relied on strength in combat, but his agility wasn’t low either—they clashed in afterimages.
‘The more we exchange, the more I can kinda see it...?’
[Adaptability... beyond imagination... Terrifying foe.]
“Thanks for the compliment!”
[Must guide to the underworld swiftly before further adaptation. Requesting ‘Throne of the Underworld Queen.’]
Swooooosh......
Suddenly, a chair wreathed in black energy materialized in the air. The dark aura enveloped her as she sat, armoring her up.
Meaning she hadn’t been at full power until now.
Emerging from the black smoke, she no longer wore burial clothes but pitch-black armor that devoured light. Her now longer, larger scythe brimmed with deathly energy.
‘This is no joke.’
[I’ll instant-kill you.]
“…Think it’ll be that easy?”
His words were calm, but Yoo Seongwon felt the same chill as when he first witnessed Regkhon’s ‘Phoenix Ascension.’
He’d thought himself among the world’s elite, yet ceilings remained—and Olympus Guild likely had more than one such monster. Goosebumps prickled.
‘Damn! Won’t even let me catch my breath! And this...’
[…….]
‘What? She vanished?’
The instant she began moving, no trace, presence, or energy registered.
One might think she fled, but his inner skills and instincts detected killing intent, raising his weapon to barely defend.
A battle where only the pressure of weapon on weapon registered—no sense of the opponent. To onlookers, it’d look like Yoo Seongwon shadowboxing alone.
Yet the fight was real.
“Damn... Hah~”
He endured the invisible onslaught admirably, but scratches marred the armor here and there—it was grueling.
Her concealment transcended mere stealth or invisibility; it erased her very ‘existence.’ No trick could expose her.
Her weapon had grown stronger too—the gouges were deeper, some attacks grazing flesh to draw pain.
‘No choice... Time to commit.’
Seeing no end otherwise, Yoo Seongwon steeled for pain and damage, waiting for the next strike.
Detecting killing intent, he sensed the attack and caught the scythe’s blade in his left palm—not the Titan’s Stake. It sliced through armor and forearm alike, but judging the distance, he surged in and swung the stake fiercely at where her head should be.
Flesh for head—a strategy trading arm injury (fixable later) for the kill shot, pain be damned.
“Got you...!”
Vroooom!
But the Titan’s Stake, swung with certainty, merely cleaved empty air with a vicious whoosh.
Yoo Seongwon couldn’t believe it.
His martial talent had calculated perfect distance and timing, sacrificing his arm for the strike. A miss was unthinkable.
“What? Damn it!”
[…….]
Clang!
Denying reality changed nothing.
Parrying the returning scythe with the Titan’s Stake, he rolled back, jammed the stake into the ground to mend his armor and hand as it self-repaired, and chugged a potion.
‘...What the hell just happened? Damn!’
[Contractor, that woman is no longer a living being. She dwells in the realm of death.]
As the question burned, Gaulf burst from the sanctuary with advice.
But Yoo Seongwon only blinked in confusion.
Not a living being? Realm of death? Nothing but baffling nonsense.
“What? Argh! Shit!”
[…….]
Clang!
No time to think—she exploited the opening, swinging relentlessly for the finisher.
Having squandered his one-armed attack chance, Yoo Seongwon wielded the Titan’s Stake one-handed against the blistering speed—barely enough.
Even foreknowing attacks, one hand fell short; he needed another gambit.
‘Dunno what death realm means... but she’s hiding in some other space, right?’
[Persistent. You’d go to the underworld painlessly...]
‘Got one idea... but its range is the problem...’
A useful technique from his Paehwang Heavenly Sword Style came to mind, but its scale made landing it doubtful.
Untested too—uncertain impact on Tokyo gave pause, but with life on the line, no room for hesitation.
‘Gotta survive first. Casting’s tough anyway...’
[Some scheme, huh.]
“To cleave the unseen chaos...”
His ominous intent clear, her scythe strikes intensified.
Yet that made sensing attacks easier—defense smoothed out.
Finishing the cringe-worthy incantation, he gathered power into the Titan’s Stake, poised to swing true.
Then, an unfamiliar voice boomed from above.
“Whoa whoa! Both of you, stop! Perseia sis! Halt! Golden Knight Yoo Seongwon, you halt too! I’ll negotiate in sis’s place now. Sis, release ‘Throne of the Underworld Queen’ and fall back. Impressive as rumored—still alive after facing Perseia sis with ‘Persephone’s Blessing’ and the throne this long.”
“So? You taking over?”
“No way. I’m not combat personnel. Allow me to introduce: I’m Hyphsis, under Constellation Hades in Olympus Guild, blessed by Hypnos. No intent to fight—lower your weapon and heal up.”
“…Fine. I’ll do that.”
Perseia’s unexpected prowess offered no clear win, so retreat was the play.
Stowing the Titan’s Stake, Yoo Seongwon released the scarred forearm armor and began proper treatment.