Chapter 938
Chapter 938
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 938
Chapter Title: Savior of the Academy
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'Got you.'
My hand, wreathed in black flames, shot out and seized the heart of the hidden bastard. The organ throbbed frantically against my palm before I crushed it into a pulp.
"Gaaahhh!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the hall as the amalgamated mounds of flesh began to liquefy and melt away.
Whew.
I let out a long sigh of relief. Was it just a good matchup, or had the enemy acted too rashly? Either way, I was lucky to end it that quickly.
'Now, to mop up the remaining demonkin... and get out of here.'
I spotted Kim Cheon-woo a short distance away. He was locked in a fierce duel with a single demonkin, while the rest were busy clashing with the auction house's elite security forces.
- "Ajumma's fighting too, you know? Shouldn't you help? She’s got four of them on her!"
I looked up. Sung Ha-ri was facing off against a group of villains, but none of them could even graze the hem of her clothes. Her movements were a blur of lethal grace.
'Who should be worrying about whom? Let's wipe out the demonkin first and bail.'
I’d been feeling her gaze on me for a while now. She likely hadn't identified me yet, but hanging around her while wearing these "enemy colors" was a recipe for disaster.
"This isn't over! Not like this!"
The gloomy, spectral voice of the demonkin I’d just 'killed' reverberated through the air. My head snapped toward the source.
The charred lumps of flesh burning in black flames were wriggling across the floor, drawing toward one another to merge once more.
'Resisting the black flames? Was the heart not the weak point? ...Damn it. No wonder he went down so easily.'
- "Round two? You wrecked your suit earlier, and your mana is bottoming out!"
'I’ve got about 30% left. Plus, I still have Complete Recovery. I just need to fight smart and keep my identity hidden.'
I coiled black flames around my left arm.
"Udrest! As per our sacred contract, I offer the remainder of my life! Descend and eliminate this hated demon hunter!"
"A demon summon? You think I'll just stand by and watch?"
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Dragon Fist.
I unleashed a Dragon Fist infused with the blaze of the black flame dragon. The compressed inferno streaked toward the flesh, but space itself warped in front of the projectile, catching and nullifying the strike.
- "Eek! Something really creepy is coming!"
Makina shuddered. My body froze instinctively. I sensed it too—the descent of a true demon, a being that fundamentally did not belong in this realm.
"Form a vessel."
A heavy, booming voice emanated from the distorted space. The flesh reacted instantly, drawn toward the rift as if by telekinesis, adhering and shaping itself into a single, terrifying form.
Aside from the wings, it resembled a monstrous lizardman—a demon manifested through a direct human sacrifice.
"It has been ages since I last manifested... the air here is sweet. You are the demon hunter? I sense a foul aura coming from you... but it matters not. Per the contract, I will end you and then enjoy this world."
The demon took a step forward. Thud. A heavy footfall that made the ground tremble with raw power.
Power surged through me as Demon Hunter (S) kicked in. I felt my stamina rapidly replenishing.
"Udrest, huh."
"Oh? You know my name?"
I didn't, obviously. I’d just read the system prompt.
"A Demon Baron from the 4th Legion."
"Impressive insight. I like you. As a reward for your knowledge, I shall be merciful: your death will be swift and painless."
Udrest launched himself off the ground. In a flash, he was in my personal space, swinging a massive clawed hand that whistled through the air.
'Moment.'
I dodged using Moment and counterattacked instantly, burying my fist into the side of his head. His skull tilted slightly from the impact.
"Your punches are weak. How disappointing."
"Is that so?"
"Hm?"
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Essence Infusion.
Boom!
The Heavenly Demon energy I’d injected into his skull detonated. A shockwave exploded from within his head. Combined with the Demon Hunter (S) bonus, even a demon couldn't shrug that off. Udrest spewed black blood and toppled sideways.
'He's not dead. Time to finish this—!'
Before I could follow up, his thick tail whipped around and constricted my waist.
"Guhk!"
The pressure was bone-crushing, threatening to snap my spine. The stone spikes on his tail had already pierced my armor and were digging into my flesh.
- "What kind of monstrous strength is this?! Get out of there! You're going to get crushed!"
'You think I don't know that?!'
I hammered at the tail with everything I had, but it wouldn't budge.
"That sting in my head... was unpleasant. But now that I have you, it's over. Die."
I couldn't afford to go down here. I had to break free, even if it meant pushing my suit to the breaking point.
Click!
The blade extended from my gauntlet, enveloped in a thick, black sword aura. Thanks to my trait, the energy was more stable than ever.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Heavenly Demon Sword.
Slash!
The blade sheared through Udrest's tail, and I used Moment to lunge for his exposed neck.
"My tail regrows in an instant."
He was right. The regenerated tail whipped out, coiling around my left leg and crushing it with a sickening sound of metal and bone breaking.
'Damn it. Should I just retreat?'
Udrest was oozing confidence. Even with Complete Recovery, I couldn't see a clear win condition. To make matters worse, he hadn't even used his Authority yet.
- "There's no shame in a strategic retreat! Bounce now! Kill him later when you're leveled up!"
'...Honestly, I wasn't going to run... but if even you think it's bad, Makina... fine.'
Just as I prepared to warp out, two lightning-wreathed spears rained down from the ceiling. One impaled the demon's shoulder, and the other severed his tail once more.
Sung Ha-ri appeared at my side, delivering a brutal roundhouse kick that sent Udrest crashing through a stone wall.
"Are you alright?"
- "Ajumma! I knew she was a beast!"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine."
I almost used my real voice, catching myself at the last second. My normal speech pattern would give me away instantly.
"......"
Ha-ri stared at me with an intensity that made me sweat. Had she noticed? Fortunately, she turned back to face Udrest as he emerged from the rubble.
"I could handle this alone... but it would be more efficient with your support. Can you keep up?"
"Understood."
Ha-ri yanked a spear from the floor. Crackle. Blue lightning arched across her body, and she vanished, already thrusting at Udrest before the sound of the sparks faded. The demon began to fight back in earnest.
I followed her lead, analyzing the flow of combat.
'Ha-ri's Thunderbolt... it's fundamentally superior to my Moment. Moment is a single burst, but Thunderbolt is a sustained state of hyper-acceleration.'
She’d tried to teach me that technique years ago, but my lack of talent had made it impossible. She was a combat god, but a terrible teacher.
- "Ajumma's wrecking him! Just sit back and eat some popcorn!"
'No. We cooperate. We end this quickly, just like she said. And... I’m taking the finishing blow.'
- "Ugh, you're such a vulture! But can you even survive that crossfire?"
'Against anyone else, maybe not. But this is Sung Ha-ri. I know her rhythm.'
I’ve trained with her my whole life. I knew every tell, every shift in her weight. I could weave into her blind spots without slowing her down.
We fought Udrest in perfect, unspoken synchronization. When she struck high, I went low. When she prepared a massive attack, I fell back to draw his attention. I even used her repulsion fields as footholds to increase my own mobility.
"You pests! Stop flitting around and die!"
Udrest slammed both palms into the earth, activating Superhuman Strength. The entire floor erupted upward like a tidal wave of concrete.
"Evade!" Ha-ri commanded, deploying repulsion barriers to shield us.
'Perfect. He's wide open. This is it!'
- "Finisher incoming!"
'Complete Recovery.'
My stamina and mana refilled to the brim instantly. [Genius Time] activated for 10 seconds.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step.
I closed the distance at full speed, appearing directly in front of Udrest's snout.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Heavenly Demon Sword — Nine Strikes, Five Kills.
I targeted his head, shoulders, and sides in one simultaneous blur of motion.
"You brat...!"
Even my sword aura couldn't shatter his skull entirely; it was too dense. He swung a massive palm toward my head, but I was already gone, using Sovereign Step to circle behind him.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Heavenly Demon Sword — Demonic Wind.
Black winds shredded his back, and I drove my left fist into the base of his skull. This was the moment.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art: Dragon Fist.
Compressed energy detonated against his brain, sending black streaks of lightning through his entire nervous system.
'Jackpot!'
I engaged my jet engines and bolted before Ha-ri could even land. I snatched the exhausted Kim Cheon-woo, smashed through the ceiling, and rocketed into the clouds at full throttle.
- "Yu-jin! Ajumma is calling!"
'...What? Uh, handle it! Do a voice modulator or something!'
- "It’s a video call, genius."
'Damn it. Did she figure it out? No, she’s checking if I’m in two places at once!'
I dived and hit the ground at high speed.
"Yu-jin... slow down... my side... bleeding again..." Cheon-woo wheezed.
"No time! Here, rip this. It goes straight to the academy grounds. Move!"
I shoved a warp scroll into his hands and tore my own, warping back to my dorm room in a flash.
I shed the armor in a heap, slumped onto the sofa, and hit 'Accept' on the call.
"Hey, Mom. Why the video call? And what's with that weird wolf mask?"
???
"......"
Sung Ha-ri felt a chilling sense of déjà vu. Every movement Red Light had made seemed tailored to her own. At times, the way he shifted his weight overlapped perfectly with her son, Sung Yu-jin.
The suspicion was a gnawing ache.
She had tried to rip his helmet off to be sure, but he’d vanished before she could touch him. She’d tried to pursue, but the combat backlash had finally caught up to her. Left with no other choice, she called Yu-jin.
No matter how fast Red Light was, he couldn't have crossed the distance from the island back to the mainland instantly. If he didn't answer...
"Hey, Mom. Why the video call? And what's with that weird wolf mask?"