Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: The Fourth Night (17)
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It was slow.
Lee Hyuk-soo's sword.
And so, he was certain.
He could dodge it.
But then the sword's trajectory suddenly leaped.
Much faster than any human could think.
As if the sword itself had become him, targeting Han Shin.
'No way.'
Han Shin denied it.
Lee Hyuk-soo was an excellent talent, but he couldn't compare to Han Shin.
There was an unbridgeable gap, even in pure swordsmanship, not just raw power.
If Han Shin couldn't reach it, how could Lee Hyuk-soo?
'The sword became me?'
One with the Sword.
He knew such a realm existed.
But Han Shin had no intention of equating himself with a mere sword.
A sword was just a tool.
A lethal weapon to swing, thrust, and kill.
A blade that moved according to his will.
Now, Lee Hyuk-soo had become that sword, that tool.
'Am I supposed to lose to a mere tool?'
How absurd!
The level difference was clear, as was the gap in their equipment.
He had nullified the power of shadows.
It meant he'd been defeated by Lee Hyuk-soo's 'pure power.'
Incomprehensible.
What even was that 'purity'?
As a half-demon, Han Shin couldn't accept such a result.
'Must I abandon one or the other?'
A half-formed state, neither monster nor human.
Discussing purity in this condition was impossible.
If this was truly the difference...
Should he abandon the power of the monster?
Or give up being human?
The chance was only once.
Split in half by Lee Hyuk-soo, Han Shin could make one final choice.
Abandon one to survive.
Or...
'I can't give up either.'
Han Shin grew greedy.
No, not greed.
It was only natural.
This world revolved around him.
A world without him was a dead world.
Thus, whatever he desired would come to pass.
It had always been that way since childhood.
He'd never given up a single desire, never failed to achieve one.
'I will have it all.'
Wriggle! Wriggle!
Han Shin felt a strange power stirring within.
Demon God Belial's shame.
The homunculus trapped in the flask!
This was the final legacy left by the Moon's Lord, Aheta.
'Aheta was researching the creation of a new race alongside Demon God Belial.'
The product of that research.
Created together with Demon God Belial.
But the homunculus became 'Belial's shame.'
The reason was obvious.
'Because the homunculus resembled him too closely.'
Sealed away in the flask.
Demon God Belial couldn't tolerate a mere homunculus bearing his likeness.
Han Shin had found it and devoured it.
Though Kim Byung-han had stolen the flask.
Its contents had already become part of Han Shin's flesh and blood.
A homunculus was merely potential.
An incomplete species.
However...
'I will surpass both monster and human to become a god.'
Wriggle! Wriggle!
His bisected body knit back together.
Revived in an instant, Han Shin looked different from before.
Both eyes had become 'Eyes of the Death Spirit.'
Vast demonic power surged, black wings sprouting from his back.
"...Thank you. I feel reborn thanks to you."
"......In the end, you've become a demon, Han Shin."
Lee Hyuk-soo gritted his teeth.
He was now in a state too ambiguous to call human.
Han Shin denied it.
"I'm not a demon. I'm a god."
"Don't make me laugh. You're no god."
"It doesn't matter what you say. Everyone will worship me in the end anyway."
A world where demons were worshipped shouldn't exist.
Lee Hyuk-soo poured everything into becoming the sword once more.
This time, he aimed for the neck to finish Han Shin.
But...
Pffft!
Instead, Lee Hyuk-soo's neck burst open.
His carotid artery severed, blood spraying like a fountain.
In his falling vision, Han Shin muttered boredly.
"Too slow."
"Hyuk-soo. What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Live with Mom."
"No, what you want to be. Don't you have any dreams?"
"Dreams? Just living like this with Mom is already great."
Childhood memories surfaced.
Lee Hyuk-soo had always worried a lot from a young age.
His shoulders heavy, leaving no time to look at himself.
That had hindered his growth.
It became the decisive obstacle to overcoming walls and breaking limits.
But there was no helping it.
'Mother...'
Even as he lay dying, his mother's figure in the hospital bed flickered before his eyes.
She needed to be healthy.
She needed to live well even without him...
A sudden thought struck him.
In the end, what was his dream?
Having no dream was his dream.
He didn't want to become anything.
Just living with his mom as if time had stopped—that was enough.
But the world wouldn't leave him be.
-Hey.
-......
-What's your name?
-......Lee Hyuk-soo.
-Lee Hyuk-soo. Can you drive a bus?
-......A bus?
The day he first met the Prophet in the Abyss.
That was the beginning.
The starting point of all change.
The Prophet had stood behind with hands clasped, making him fight.
He could barely remember how many skeleton soldiers he'd felled.
-Lee Hyuk-soo. You will kill the Dragon God General.
-......Can I really kill it?
-If things go according to my plan, you can kill the Dragon God General within the 3 seconds Indomitable activates.
-You're not telling me to court death, are you?
-Oh, you're quick on the uptake.
It was reckless.
An overwhelming gap.
How could he bridge an impossible difference in just 3 seconds?
Yet he did it.
Activating 'Indomitable' from the Lion King Set, he reached the Dragon God General.
Thinking back, it was the most dangerous moment since the Abyss appeared.
The day he overcame the most absurd gap.
'Indomitable.'
After that day, Lee Hyuk-soo changed.
Indomitable.
A heart that never falls.
The courage to never give up amid any hardship.
It was the first time.
The first time he'd lived with such resolve.
The first time a real dream was born.
'There are things only I can do.'
Savior? Hero?
Nothing so grandiose.
Just...
'I want to make the world a little better.'
Create a peaceful land for him and his mother to live in.
To do that, he couldn't fall.
He couldn't give up.
And losing to the likes of Han Shin would leave him too ashamed to face the Prophet.
Lee Hyuk-soo opened his eyes.
Before he knew it, he had become the 'Lion King.'
Park Chan-woo watched the two duels quietly.
Han Shin, thought dead, revived. Lee Hyuk-soo, thought dead, revived.
'They're spurring each other on.'
Despite their extreme compatibility, clashing evolved them.
Both unleashing hidden powers, growing stronger by the second.
But the most surprising part...
'Neither has abandoned their humanity...'
If Han Shin had revived by forsaking humanity, he planned to eradicate him completely through Aorum and Yujin-seo.
Yet he still met the criteria of a human.
Whether he could be called a 'complete human' was debatable.
If Han Shin helped Lee Hyuk-soo grow, he'd watch for now.
About 5 minutes remained.
Whoosh!
Shing!
It was then.
"Demons?"
"W-what is this?"
Demons appeared everywhere.
Fully armed, no less.
'...They've changed course, it seems.'
The moment the casino dealers turned into armed thugs.
The Demon King of Delusion must have been quite desperate.
Unable to act directly, he began moving the demons.
To settle things before the fourth night forcibly ended.
Not just the VVIP room—the entire casino was likely in chaos.
"If you don't want to die, pick up a weapon."
He spoke while drawing his sword.
...All the better.
Slicing through charging demons, he thought.
'Have to meet dirty with dirty.'
Han Min-o's eyes shook violently.
"Aaaagh!"
"D-damn demon bastards!"
"We shouldn't have trusted demons!"
The dealers had begun attacking people.
Slaughtering mercilessly.
'W-what do I do?'
His master, Lee Hyuk-soo, wasn't here.
He had to survive alone.
...No.
Clang!
'Counter!'
"Kaaack!"
As one demon took the attack in reverse and fell, Han Min-o snapped to his senses and shouted.
"Everyone, stay calm! If we scatter, we're all dead!"
"H-Han Min-o! You're Lee Hyuk-soo-nim's disciple, right?"
"Yes! Everyone, gather to me! We need to form ranks!"
Finally recognizing him, people began gathering around one by one.
Scattering in panic would just make them demon fodder.
But united in formation, even demons couldn't approach easily.
In moments, over a hundred clustered around Han Min-o.
As the demons slunk back, people said,
"Sh-should we hold out until time's up?"
"The demons are too strong!"
"What about the other places..."
No need to see—it was obvious.
A scene from hell.
True pandemonium.
"Let's hold as best we can like this?"
"Yeah. Seems the demons have gone elsewhere."
Safety first.
But Han Min-o thought differently.
"If we stay, the demons will swarm us. We need to quickly join the others."
Demons weren't idiots.
Knowing they were grouped here, they could bring more.
It was then.
"Ho, you all look quite worried. My fellow humans."
"...Wait, you're... that demon merchant from before...?!"
A demon merchant approached out of nowhere.
Seeing him, Han Min-o scowled.
The demon merchant he'd seen before.
The one who'd tried to cut and kill him...
"Dagon!"
"Hm? Ah, could it be Han Min-o?"
"I'll kill y—!"
"Wait. I've come to help you all."
"What scam are you trying now!"
Han Min-o was filled with distrust.
He'd been thoroughly tricked once before.
But this Dagon was worlds apart from the one back then.
"Come now, you want to live, right? Then from now on, become 'avatars' for us."
"......You're joking."
"No need to worry. Just lend your names. The contract will naturally dissolve after tonight."
"Why should we?"
"So that Lady 'Adora' can descend here."
"Adora...?"
Dagon grinned slyly.
"The Creator of Death, the goddess who will save you from this despair."