Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Compromise with the Underworld Queen
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“Hoo… Ugh! It hurts like hell. And this wound… what the hell? My flesh is all blackened? What did she do? Come to think of it, all the injured spots look like this? Damn it! Should I cut out the rotten parts and then heal them?”
Seeing the spots where he’d been struck by the woman called Perseia’s scythe turning pitch black and rotting away, Yoo Seongwon cried out in shock.
At a loss, he started debating whether to pull out a separate knife and carve out the decayed flesh. But Hephsis, who had witnessed the scene, provided the answer.
“Ah… That’s what normally happens when you get touched by Thanatos’ scythe. And as for treatment, you could cut away the rotten areas like you said, but…”
“I’ll… do it.”
At that moment, Perseia—the very one responsible for his injuries—suddenly approached Yoo Seongwon and placed her hand on the wounded area.
The blackened, rotting flesh instantly turned a fresh crimson as life returned to it.
She did the same for the other decayed spots, restoring them to normal.
“Now you can heal it.”
“So it doesn’t even handle the healing part. But now that the vitality’s back… it hurts even more!”
“…Getting off that lightly from Thanatos’ scythe is actually fortunate. Anyway, heal yourself while you listen. Hunter Yoo Seongwon, the reason you came here to Japan from Korea must be because of the colossal screw-up those Japanese idiots pulled, right?”
Yoo Seongwon nodded as he poured potion over his wound.
Yeah, the original reason for coming here was because those damn Japanese had the audacity to ship an army of the Constellation Sixty-Six Thousand Demons across the sea to Korea.
Especially now that it had even spawned a core dungeon, which made him even more pissed off.
“Yeah, that’s right. Ow, ow, ow! It stings like crazy! Seriously!”
“As expected. Well, in that case, there’s no reason for you to be hostile toward us… so why did you interfere with Sister Perseia?”
“Because in a situation overflowing with adults who need to take responsibility, how could I just stand by and watch them take the lives of kids who couldn’t make any judgments and were just used by the adults as payment? To begin with, Japan has sixteen S-Ranks! If they’re targeting eight, they should cut them starting from those with the most responsibility and authority!”
“…Hmm. So for something as trivial as that… you fought the ‘Queen of the Underworld,’ our sister?”
“Yeah!”
Hephsis stared at Yoo Seongwon, who declared it boldly, with a look of utter disbelief.
No matter how confident an SS-Rank Hunter he was, taking on Perseia—who bore Persephone’s blessing—the Queen of the Underworld? It seemed nothing short of reckless bravado.
But people have different values and thoughts, so there was nothing to be done about it. Hephsis resumed the conversation.
“Fine, whatever. So if we exclude those kids, you won’t interfere with our work anymore, right?”
“While we’re at it, I’d appreciate it if you showed some mercy to the civilians too.”
“That might be difficult. Our goal is to exact a proper blood price and instill fear here, after all.”
“Then… Hoo~ At least make sure the kids you’re taking now and the Japanese government stay quiet about it. Got it? Otherwise, I’ll have to stick around and clean up after you.”
“Very well. Negotiation complete.”
There were plenty of regrettable points, but Japan was the one at fault first. Plus, the opponent was the massive Olympus Guild, and even Perseia—a Hunter blessed by Persephone, whom they’d just clashed with—couldn’t be perfectly defeated right now. Yoo Seongwon had no choice but to exchange demands at a compromise level and back off.
“Oh, right. And we’ll need to talk separately later about the Constellation Sixty-Six Thousand Demons issue, so expect contact again soon. Let’s get along better next time.”
“Yes, of course.”
And so, what had seemed like it might erupt into a massive fight ended with the two clearing up the misunderstanding, reaching an agreement, and parting ways.
Afterward, as he returned to Korea with Eldraen, Yoo Seongwon gazed at his hand. The wound had healed, but a faint pain lingered.
That bizarre scythe that pierced right through the golden beast’s armor, and a skill that transcended normal laws. Today might have truly been his last day.
“Persephone’s blessing, was it? That… Hades’ wife, right?”
[The Queen of the Underworld, with a divine-level blessing. Of course, a human body can’t draw out its full power. Contractor, you came dangerously close to disaster there.]
“I know. I really thought, ‘So this kind of thing can happen.’ If I could’ve definitely won, I wouldn’t have backed off at this point.”
Rumble!
Even after Yoo Seongwon left, Tokyo’s flames and the sounds of war hadn’t ceased.
But there was nothing to be done.
They knew the opposing force was stronger, and now their lives weren’t just their own anymore, so they had to retreat.
“By the way, isn’t having ‘divine rank’ blessings among them too much? It’s straight-up cheating, right? Underworld this, realm of death that—what the hell?”
[Exactly as it sounds… She can probably hide her body in the underworld. Think of it as shifting to another dimension, Contractor.]
“That’s why the Olympus Guild is so strong. For reference, she’s likely a direct apostle of the Constellation Hades… Zeus or Poseidon’s direct apostles would be far superior. The problem is always finding suitable recipients for the ‘blessings’ they bestow.”
The downside of the Olympus Guild, which could produce such powerful Hunters simply by granting blessings, was that they absolutely needed suitable candidates.
But once they found one, the power was guaranteed.
“Anyway, Japan… this should finish them off.”
“They have to show the price of betraying humanity properly, so they’ll be thorough.”
“Probably.”
Rumble!
The sound of buildings collapsing reached even here.
Every nation had chosen to protect and preserve humanity over their own interests, but Japan had betrayed that history, sowing seeds of endless war across continents to preserve its own power and national strength.
“Still, it’s a relief that the Olympus Guild steps up properly in situations like this, showing that perception.”
“If they didn’t move, the bond of ‘humanity’ would crumble.”
To show the world what happens when a nation betrays ‘humanity’ on a state level for its own gain, the Olympus Guild was taking extraordinary measures now.
With the U.S. West Coast already suffering massive damage, the American government had grudges to settle too. And to prevent any other nation from joining evil-aligned Constellations for national gain in the future, they had to demonstrate ruthless punishment.
***
“Hmm, with the obstacle cleared, we can get back to work now. Speaking of which, those SS-Rank rumors seem full of hype. Looks like he just padded his status with gear to reach SS-Rank and marketed it that way, but he couldn’t even match our S-Rank sister.”
The giant rookie who’d suddenly risen after nearly a year. The hero who’d recaptured Korea’s safety by taking down the Constellation Slaughter King’s apostles one after another, yet a wild horse who ignored government control and gave them headaches—that was the intel they had.
And hearing he was SS-Rank had them rushing out, fearing they might lose their S-Rank Hunter Perseia. But the fight was essentially her victory, so they judged him less impressive than expected.
“That’s not true.”
“Huh?”
“My arm… it’s twisted.”
With those words, she cautiously showed her arm. The elbow bone was protruding, and the forearm was bent in a grotesque direction.
Blood was seeping out, but she showed no concern. Hephsis was startled by the sight.
“If our weapons had clashed even a bit more and the force transferred… my arm, no, my whole body would’ve shattered… and I’d be combat-ineffective.”
Separate from the scythe’s effects of rotting flesh through armor or shifting to the underworld, the physical act of wielding the weapon relied on the body. Yoo Seongwon had kept up offense and defense with the power of his martial talent.
“Well, he’s a guy swinging around a Titan stake… it figures. Anyway, you should’ve said something sooner if it was that bad.”
“But because I endured… we won, right?”
“…Ah, well, yes.”
Thanks to Perseia quietly keeping her composure and maintaining the weight of the situation, Yoo Seongwon had conceded to his demands and backed off. At that point, they’d secured a clear decision victory.
Anyway, Perseia pulled out a potion, drank it, and forcibly straightened her twisted, swollen arms.
It must have been agonizing, but she completed the treatment while maintaining her expressionless mask beneath the mask.
“Then I’ll get back to work.”
“Yes, Sister. Anyway~ They’re idiots who pitifully get caught by monsters, so no worries, but just in case cornered dogs lash out, watch out for that.”
“Yeah.”
With treatment done, Perseia picked up her scythe and headed off somewhere again.
Likely toward another Japanese guild’s S-Rank Hunter.
Having missed the chance to take out three at once, she’d have to hunt the remaining three one by one, which was a time sink. But with the promise already made, Hephsis had no choice but to accept it.
***
Yasuda Guild.
A traditional Japanese building amid flashy structures.
Guild Master Fujiwara, barely freed, was inside, drenched in cold sweat and trembling.
He knew the Japanese government wouldn’t abandon him, and returning safely was good. But he’d never imagined the Hades faction of Olympus Guild would judge them.
The government said they’d handle it somehow, but their negotiation stance seemed to have only provoked them further. Now Tokyo was being reduced to ashes.
Starting with their guild, multiple guilds were battling the Constellation Hades’ Hunters.
“Damn… This can’t happen. No, we only saved them because S-Rank Hunters are precious—why are we the ones branded as betrayers of humanity? This can’t be. It can’t…….”
“Guild Master, they’ve breached the second defense line, and two bases have fallen. We can’t hold out like this.”
“Ugh!”
“The enemies started with the one bearing ‘Achilles’ Blessing’ and three S-Ranks… We can’t stop them. Guild Master! Request aid from the government or come up with a plan…….”
His subordinate urged him, but there were no sharp countermeasures to be had.
The subordinates of Olympus Guild’s Constellation Hades were literal reapers of death. Fighting them was unthinkable.
Resisting the power packed with divine and demigod blessings was utter folly.
“Grrrrr!”
In the end, only one path remained.
Better to die by Hades’ hand than seal himself and remain eternally at Yasukuni Shrine—but if he had the resolve for such honorable death, he would’ve shoved the generals aside on the transport plane and sacrificed himself long ago.
“Damn… Damn…….”
“Guild Master, time is…….”
“I… I, I… I… I!”
But taking his own life was never easy.
Fujiwara, an S-Rank Hunter who’d enjoyed power, wealth, and glory in the guild, wasn’t steeped in nationalism or madness enough to seppuku. He knew it was the best choice, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He didn’t want to die.
His honest desire was to cling to this position of money, power, and everything else, lording over it until death, eating and living well.
[…Target… found.]
Dragging it out like that, the reaper come to claim his life finally appeared.
Black robes, white mask, massive scythe. Perseia, the Hunter blessed by Persephone.
“Uwaaaah!”
But that wish would never come true. Pushed to the brink, Fujiwara desperately pulled out talismans and spammed skills in resistance—but it was a fleeting struggle lasting barely ten seconds.
In the end, his head was swiftly severed by the scythe-wielding Perseia, and his soul dragged to the underworld.