Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Victory Over Amy
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My burst of cold air froze Amy's body for a split second.
Seizing that fleeting opening I'd barely created, I slammed my fist into her side with all my strength.
Spotting my incoming punch, Amy conjured a shield of compressed lightning around her flank, blocking it.
Boom!
My fist shattered the shield and plunged into her waist, sending her flying.
"Cough..."
Amy steadied herself mid-flight and hovered in the sky, vomiting blood.
"Surrender."
I hadn't used my sword, not wanting to kill her, but I never expected her to still be conscious after taking a punch from my upgraded self.
She didn't respond to my call for surrender and ascended even higher.
Knowing I couldn't fly, she planned to attack from above. If she could move as swiftly in the air as she did on the ground, this fight would drag on.
She wasn't someone I could hit by throwing my sword or forming a spear to hurl.
I considered converting my vitality into aura and firing it like a beam, but that felt too risky—if I missed the mark, she'd die—so I held it as a last resort.
Dodging her attacks raining down from the sky, I racked my brain for a solution.
Taking a few minor hits from her strikes brought back what Rose had told me recently. After fighting the Americans and getting chewed out by me, she'd felt crushed by an intangible force when I got angry, like she couldn't breathe.
What Rose had sensed was similar to the suppressive attack Eres had used on me.
I dredged up the memory of how it was done and practiced. I'd invested a lot of time, but it had failed spectacularly.
Still, I grow stronger in crises like this.
Even as these thoughts swirled in my head, her small attacks kept peppering my body.
The more I watched, the more impressive she seemed. Someone like her must have been why, in my previous life, humanity held out for ten whole years against the Destruction God's forces without collapsing immediately.
It hit me again just how much of a frog in a well I'd been—both past me and the me up until now.
I stopped chasing Amy and focused my mind.
Fall. Fall. Fall.
Crackle!
Fall!
Crackle!
Fall!
"Damn, not working."
No matter how hard I concentrated or imagined crushing her, nothing happened. Standing still just meant eating a barrage of lightning. No major damage, but still.
Amy paused her assault, eyeing me curiously, like she was wondering what I was up to.
And she was shocked by my durability. No matter how many bolts she landed, I kept charging like it was nothing.
"You're really tough.... Mind if I get a little serious?"
Amy raised her right index finger skyward like a stab, and storm clouds gathered around it. The amount of electricity discharging in the air was ominous.
"You won't die on me, right?"
With those words, she swung her raised hand down toward me.
A bolt several meters thick came crashing down.
Rumble-crackle!!!
It wasn't just big—the power was immense, piercing my armor and scorching my body. Worse than the physical damage, though, was how the lightning invaded my brain and muscles, leaving me unable to think or move properly.
"Argh!!!"
In my dazed state, I roared in resistance, desperate to escape the lightning.
"Urk..."
Amy's body stiffened for a moment. My shout had done it. It carried a property similar to the lion's roar and Eres's suppressive attack.
I'd experiment with the details later. For now, I kicked off the cratered ground and launched myself upward. I had to grab her before she recovered. Thanks to my strength and elasticity, I shot up like a bullet.
Post-roar, Amy was rigid but hadn't plummeted. The stun didn't last long—she was already shaking it off.
I enlarged myself mid-flight. No need for it until now, but this would extend my reach.
Fast and now gigantic, the sheer intimidation paled her face.
I caught her leg as she tried to flee higher into the sky.
"Let go!"
Crackle!
Amy poured full-power lightning directly into my body once more.
But after taking so many hits in a row, my body was starting to adapt.
I grinned, and lightning crackled across my skin—not enough, apparently, as sparks danced in my mouth too.
Amy stared at me like she'd seen a ghost, and we plummeted together.
Swinging my arm on the way down, I slammed her into the ground.
Boom!
She blacked out and didn't get up.
Looking around, the area was a wasteland of ruins. But no lightning had struck near Allen and Peter—they were unharmed. Even in that chaos, she'd protected them. What incredible women.
As we fought, crowds from the academy had gathered, and noticing that, the special forces had vanished.
* * *
"Bureau Chief, do you know why treaties exist?"
Awakener Management Bureau Chief Baek Youngshin asked the US Secretary of State.
"Ahem..."
"Oh, do you not know what a treaty means?"
"No.... It's just..."
"Who came up with the idea of human experimentation on another country's soil?"
The Secretary, getting thoroughly dressed down, could say nothing. Normally, he'd bully through with power or play dumb, but they had evidence, witnesses, and caught red-handed.
If it were out in the open, the US might have gone all-in and brazened it out. But for some reason, Korea hadn't publicized the incident.
"Bureau Chief Baek, you're a real hardass. Why not just tell me what you want?"
"Let's start with the obvious. End the experiments immediately and send your special forces back to the US. If they're spotted on Korean soil again, the US won't set foot near the World Tree. And we'll release all this evidence."
"Understood. Then return Hunter Amy and Hunter Allen."
"That's a separate issue. They attacked Korean hunters on Korean soil for unjust reasons—they'll pay for that."
"......"
Bureau Chief Baek Youngshin secured massive compensation and converted several key patents that the US had used to control Korea into joint Korea-US ownership. Now, Korea could produce them without US permission or royalties. The economic benefits were incalculable.
It was an unimaginable sum, but with two S-Rank Hunters detained, the US couldn't stomach it and accepted, swallowing hard.
"You're human, right~?"
I asked as Amy was released.
"You're one to talk."
"You denied I was the world's strongest when you said it~, but deep down, you thought no one could beat you~"
"Ditto."
"Let's go another round sometime."
Amy crossed to the US side and took her shortsword and dagger from the American military, sheathing them at her waist.
Allen wielded two daggers too—must be their family style, dual-wielding.
"Hope we never have to fight again~"
"With your weapons back, that sounds like 'next time, I'll definitely kill you.'"
"Oh my~ No~"
"I'd rather not fight either, so keep your people in check."
Amy waved and left.
* * *
The US forfeited from the World Tree League, handing the win to Korea.
They cited Peter's health issues, but no one bought it.
Thus, the US got pushed to the fringes for hosting the league in the first place. Allen was surely done for any real respect back home after this mess.
Korea claimed the prime spot through sheer strength, silencing complaints.
* * *
"Jaein."
"Yes...."
Jaein replied, having given up on nagging me about all the stuff I kept bringing in.
"Analyze this and start production."
I handed her a blue potion vial.
"..... Isn't this the potion they used in the US? How'd you get it?"
"Snuck in and grabbed one."
"What for?"
"Gather trustworthy researchers and form a dedicated team. Resume animal testing and squeeze out as much data as possible. I'll spare no support—keep going even if you fail. But no human trials."
"Will we ever need it?"
"Hope not. But if it can mass-produce A-Rank Hunters by sacrificing humans, it might come in handy later."
"So I should form a team to minimize side effects?"
"Exactly."
"Sigh.... Already stuck, and you pile on more."
"Stuck on what?"
"The Dragon Heart."
"Oh, making a core from the Dragon Heart?"
"We have the theory, but can't test it."
"Why not?"
"It's one-of-a-kind. Fail, and that's it."
"Just do it. I trust you, Jaein."
"Chairman. Beyond wasting the Dragon Heart, remember what happened when Japan messed with that unknown magic circle?"
"....."
"And the core you tossed into the Gate was insanely powerful, right?"
"Yeah."
"If it succeeds, it'll be dozens of times stronger than Japan's. The damage would be catastrophic."
"Underground?"
"Earthquake city-scale."
"In the sky?"
"Even more unstable—higher failure rate."
"Hmm.... What then? I'm no developer."
"So I thought about it. Take me to Tellus."
"Ah, to learn their tech?"
"Right. What I picked up from Sonorim before was a huge help. Even ideas would be good, and if we're lucky, someone there might know how to handle Dragon Hearts."
"Sure. I'll tell Bureau Chief Baek. I'll go too. We'll set up the mana stone essence potion team after."
"Why are you going, Chairman?"
"Need to see Eres."
I knew too little—about my own abilities included.
"With you along, I feel secure."
Jaein and I planned to go alone, but Nayoung fretted about sending me through the Gate solo, so she joined. With Hunter Jeong Mingi and Hongryong there anyway, no big issues.
* * *
Jiseok, Nayoung, and Jaein headed to the bridge Gate reserved for Tellus exchanges.
The one Sonorim and Blitz had crossed—easy monsters only, no burden on Sonorim's nation, Malbokia.
"Loyalty!"
The guarding soldiers and hunters saluted the trio.
"At ease."
"Please cooperate with entry procedures, though it's a hassle."
Following orders: fingerprints, retina scan, full-body X-ray, and a magic dispel spell. Only then cleared. With all the incidents, Tellus travel had top-tier security.
Tellus visitors to Earth, like Sonorim, underwent the same rigorous proof process—only a few approved for Korea.
The three entered the Gate amid salutes.
On the Tellus side, Malbokian guards stood by the Gate: not humans, but lion beastmen and lizardmen.