Chapter 571
Chapter 571
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 571
Chapter Title: The Savior of the Academy
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"Behold with your eyes and marvel with your soul. This is the Fire Heart, forged from the souls of twenty thousand humans and sixty-six fire spirits."
Harteng grinned with ecstatic delight.
Puuk.
A blade came flying from somewhere and embedded itself in Harteng's neck.
Harteng staggered backward, his massive body twisting awkwardly.
I panicked. Without thinking, I activated Moment.
The world slowed, giving me time to gather my thoughts.
'A bit earlier than planned. The idea was to strike when Harteng was basking in the crowd's cheers, his ego at its peak.'
The sword that pierced Harteng's neck wasn't Yuria's doing. She wouldn't attack so straightforwardly by hurling a sword. Yuria favors daggers and strikes with stealth and precision.
I glanced up at the ceiling, where Yuria lurked, cloaked in shadows with her presence perfectly concealed.
'The sword came from behind me.'
I shifted my position.
Moment released.
The people around me didn't scream. Instead, they stared toward where the sword had come from. No half-baked amateurs who would shriek and panic at the sight of murder were invited here. Harteng's invitations went only to the real players.
'Who the hell is that?'
A man stood poised in a sword-throwing stance, wearing a flashy red mask.
No one around stepped up for Harteng. Quite the opposite—they clamped their mouths shut and watched the man with keen interest.
They didn't care if Harteng lived or died.
"Interesting."
Harteng's voice emerged. Despite the sword through his neck, he didn't collapse. He spoke calmly as an ominous aura emanated from his body. Those who had remained composed until now flinched and backed away from him.
"Tough bastard. Still bluffing after taking a holy sword hit. I know you're a demon. And I know that's your real body."
"Holy sword? This crude piece of junk?"
Harteng grabbed the blade in his neck with his bare hand. A pure white light flared from the sword, resisting him. But Harteng ignored it scorching his flesh and yanked it out. The sword vanished in an instant.
Green hellfire bubbled from the wound in his neck instead of blood. His skin darkened like volcanic rock, and horns sprouted from his head.
"How repulsive. You've gorged yourself plenty in the human realm. Time to pay for your sins."
The red-masked man didn't flinch. He conjured swords in both hands—identical to the one that had struck Harteng's neck.
I activated Moment again to accelerate my thoughts.
'That red mask... I know who it is.'
Jen Height.
An S-rank hero who operated in secrecy, never revealing his identity. Well, at this point in the timeline, he might not be S-rank yet.
He was a hero specialized in slaying demons. Nicknamed the Devil Hunter.
His trait, Holy Sword Incarnate (S+), let him manifest holy swords temporarily and imbue his body with their power.
A perfect ability for his Devil Hunter moniker.
'But why is he here? No info in the original routes about him crashing Harteng's party.'
The answer came easily.
This world was veering off the original routes entirely.
'Well, the original didn't have Sung Ha-ri's son to begin with. The moment I was born, the story twisted.'
That butterfly effect might be at play now.
I tuned it out. Rationally, this worked in my favor. With Jen's power, we could take down Harteng without Yuria needing Limit Transcendence. She was probably thinking the same.
Limit Transcendence was her one-minute last resort. She'd save it for later—when she had no choice or a sure kill shot on Harteng.
'Perfect. Everyone's eyes are on Harteng and Jen. Time for me to snag the Fire Heart.'
The Fire Heart hovered in midair, burning steadily even after falling from Harteng's hand.
The moment I got within five meters of Harteng...
Yuria moved.
Black shadows erupted from the ceiling and floor, lunging at Harteng.
"What?!"
Harteng, focused on Jen, took the shadow assault head-on. A shadowy hand snatched the Fire Heart and hurled it toward me.
I caught the incoming Fire Heart in my right hand. Heat seared my palm. My hand wasn't burning—I checked with my own eyes, and it was fine.
'Damn it.'
Spirit Eye (S) activated involuntarily. My eyes stung.
'Rejection reaction. The plan was for me to absorb the Fire Heart. But with Spirit Eye kicking in... is it because it's made from sixty-six fire spirits?'
According to the original, there were three ways to use the Fire Heart: absorb it, use it as material for weapons or armor, or sell it.
'Moment.'
I triggered Moment for the third time. I stowed the Fire Heart in my inventory and bolted with everything I had.
"Ha. Thieves, eh? How many years has it been since I got played like this? Forty?"
Harteng's voice boomed from behind. A quick glance showed him unscathed despite the attack. Yuria emerged from her shadowy cloak, dagger in hand wreathed in pitch-black aura.
"Plenty have stolen from me. I lopped off their hands and feet and hosted them in hellfire's coziest spots. Heh... been a while. I'm almost excited to entertain some thieves again."
Green flames surged around Harteng's body. His bloated form swelled into a giant over three meters tall.
I confirmed the entire yacht was under Harteng's domain. No escaping this.
And he was locking onto me.
'Didn't expect him to drop his pride and go all out. He values the Fire Heart more than I thought.'
I pulled a teleport scroll from my pocket and tore it. Nothing happened.
'Shit! His authority's blocking it?!'
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
"Hand over the Fire Heart. I'll show mercy and send you somewhere slightly less toasty."
Harteng lumbered toward me, but Yuria and Jen attacked in unison. Surprisingly good teamwork.
'Yuria must've sent Jen telepathic instructions.'
I halted my escape.
No point running outside; his gaze would track me. Plus, his minions infested the yacht. With him going all-in for the Fire Heart, fleeing now would just prompt him to sic them on me.
"Damn demon scum... Duke title must be for show. Who knew you could unleash this much power in the human realm."
"You're qualified just for surviving my hellfire. Look—those fools can't even scream properly as it burns them."
The burning ones were the former audience—Harteng's invited guests. Some had fled, but most writhed in green hellfire.
'I'm alive because of the Fire Heart, probably.'
If I waited for Yuria to exploit an opening and use Limit Transcendence...
'Hold up.'
Yuria and Jen were getting pushed back.
Jen's holy swords barely scratched Harteng's blackened hide, and Yuria's shadows couldn't even approach his blazing body. Her only damage came from sporadic black lightning strikes, but nothing lethal.
'This bastard's getting stronger?!'
Thud. Thud.
Harteng's slaves around us collapsed one by one, strongest first.
I realized immediately.
'Sacrifices. He's using his contracted slaves as fodder.'
Unlike the original, Harteng had shed his arrogance. Missing that initial opening had been a big blunder. If Yuria had used Limit Transcendence then...
'No way to know. Didn't expect this obsession with the Fire Heart.'
"That Fire Heart mean so much to you?"
"Two hundred years. Two centuries of trial and error to create it. With it, I can break some constraints and enjoy the human realm even more freely."
"You're already playing free as a bird, but your greed's bottomless."
"Desire for freedom has no end. Humans are the same, no? Hm. Guess this is the limit of sacrificial output."
Harteng swung his fist. Jen rocketed upward through the ceiling into the night sky. The shockwave sent Yuria tumbling across the floor, blood streaming from her face.
I clicked my tongue sharply.
"No need."
I stood tall.
"On second thought, I gotta kill Makin too. Running from this punk would be bullshit."
Harteng paused as he approached me. He seemed intrigued.
"Makin? The Fifth Legion Commander? Ambitious brat—it's downright shocking. Thief, what's your name?"
I scanned the area.
Only Yuria and I remained alive here. More like, the only ones he was sparing.
"Sung Yu-jin. Man under the protection of justice."
"Kekeke. What a riot. I'll remember that name."
I retrieved the Fire Heart from my inventory. My eyes forcibly opened wide with Spirit Eye. It still burned hot. No miracle cure for the rejection.
"Handing it over so easily? Disappointing."
"Who said it was for you? I'm using it myself."
Harteng's mouth split into a jagged grin. His sharp teeth blazed with green fire.
"You? Fine, I'll wait. Give it a shot if you can."
His arrogance returned. From his view, the fight was already won. I must look like a wriggling worm.
"Might kill you in an instant, so listen up."
"I enjoy deathbed confessions. Speak."
"Your Fire Heart's badass."
I activated Genius Time.
The Fire Heart no longer burned. The rejection vanished. Still, full absorption was impossible. No way to suck it all in during Genius Time's duration.
First, I resonated it with my mana and invoked Spirit Contract (A).
Spirit Contract (A)
'In exchange for the contract, I offer the Fire Heart. Any spirit craving it, come get it now.'
Using the Fire Heart would draw a fire spirit.
We were on a yacht at sea, but no issue. Volcanoes lurked underwater.
Even dozens of kilometers away, a top-tier fire spirit would sense it.
'Connected.'
A gravelly voice rumbled, and a massive turtle of molten lava materialized before me.
"You bastard! Think I'll let some puny spirit have my Fire Heart?!"
Harteng bellowed in shock at the top-tier spirit's arrival and charged. Too late. The contract with the lava turtle was sealed before it even appeared.
The lava turtle sneered at Harteng and swallowed the Fire Heart.
'Come on.'
Only eight seconds had passed. Genius Time held.
'Spirit Possession (B)!'
Spirit Possession (B)
The lava turtle surged into my body.
A colossal presence flooded me.
Lava Turtle.
This thing wasn't benevolent. If it had even a shred of conscience, it wouldn't have entered me without hesitation. Logically, I'd have a near-100% chance of failing to contain it and dying.
'If I die, it'll snag the Fire Heart and bail. What a charming spirit. I'll remember this.'
The immense presence and power settled inside me.
Nothing more, nothing less.
My body blazed bright red. But it didn't hurt. Through Spirit Possession, I had become a spirit. It looked like flames consuming me, but they were actually shielding my body. These flames were my power.