Chapter 45: Reality (14)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: Reality (14)
BOOM!
The beast charged at me again. A fist, filled with flawless killing intent, flew toward me.
"Keuk!"
I tried to block it with the katana, but his fist shattered the cracked blade. The broken pieces of the sword scattered in all directions.
The moment I lost my weapon, his second fist shot toward my chest. It was already too late to dodge.
THWACK!
"Kuh!"
A massive impact slammed into my entire body. My body flew through the air, wracked with a pain that felt like every bone was breaking.
CRACK!
My body crashed through a building wall and tumbled across the floor. Blood burst from my mouth.
"Honey!"
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
I heard the urgent voices of Jeon Do-eun and Im Hwa-yeon, but I had no room to answer. A gut-wrenching pain, as if his attack had twisted my insides, swept through my body.
BOOM!
He gave me no time to recover, chasing after me instantly. The steel-colored monster burst through the collapsed wall and charged.
"Lightning!"
"Flame Burst!"
The two women launched a volley of attacks, but he paid them no mind. His eyes, filled with nothing but a murderous desire for me, raised a fist.
'At this rate...'
I barely managed to try and push myself up, but my broken ribs made even the slightest movement agonizing.
Just as his fist was about to descend on my face—
SMACK!
Right before the steel-like fist could land, someone shoved me out of the way.
"Ack!"
It was Im Hwa-yeon. After pushing me aside, she took the full force of his punch. Her body was sent flying, tumbling across the floor.
"Hwa-yeon!"
Im Hwa-yeon lay motionless on the ground.
BOOM!
He charged toward the fallen Im Hwa-yeon. With a crazed look in his eyes, he raised his fist once more.
'No!'
I forced myself up, ignoring the pain. The agony of my broken ribs digging into my flesh shot through my body, but I had no time to worry about that now.
Just as his fist was about to come down on Im Hwa-yeon—
SCHLICK!
I grabbed a sharp fragment of the shattered katana and plunged it into his arm. The shard of the blade, imbued with my internal energy, pierced through his steel-like skin.
"Kuaaargh!"
For the first time, a scream of pain erupted from his mouth. Blood flowed from the arm where the blade fragment was embedded.
Not missing the opportunity, I grabbed Im Hwa-yeon and leaped away. While he was busy pulling the shard from his arm, Jeon Do-eun quickly moved toward us.
"Are you... okay?" Im Hwa-yeon asked in a faint voice, bleeding.
"Is this really the time to be worrying about someone else?"
Holding her carefully, I scanned our surroundings. He had pulled the blade out of his arm and was now glaring at us with an even more ferocious gaze.
KRAAAAAH!
With a beastly roar, an even more intense killing intent radiated from his body.
Jeon Do-eun's lightning attack flew toward him.
"Honey! Get back!"
With Jeon Do-eun's shout, an even stronger bolt of lightning rained down. But the attack had no effect on him at all. If anything, it only provoked him.
BOOM!
He suddenly changed direction, heading for Jeon Do-eun. He charged at a speed that seemed faster than lightning—
THWACK!
"Kyaaak!"
With Jeon Do-eun's scream, her body was sent flying. A single blow from him sent her crashing through a building wall and out of sight.
"Ms. Jeon Do-eun!"
Kim Jeong-hu and the other ability users appeared after having evacuated the civilians. The moment they saw us, they charged at the monster.
Kim Jeong-hu immediately manipulated shadows to bind his legs. The other ability users also unleashed attacks with their respective abilities.
But none of it worked.
"Kikikikik."
A laugh escaped his lips. He instantly shattered the shadows restraining his arms and legs and rushed toward the ability users.
"Uwaaah!"
"Help me!"
Two men's torsos exploded in an instant, killing them. Blood and flesh flew through the air.
Without stopping, he immediately charged at Kim Jeong-hu. He hastily wrapped himself in shadows, but the monster's fist broke through the shadow barrier in a single blow.
"S-Save... me... Keok."
Kim Jeong-hu's face contorted in terror as he was caught in the monster's grip. But it was only for a moment.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
He slammed Kim Jeong-hu's body against the ground over and over like a rag doll. With sickening sounds, the floor was stained red.
In an instant, he began to slaughter the ability users.
I took the opportunity while he was distracted to carry Im Hwa-yeon and run toward the rubble of the building where Jeon Do-eun had been sent flying. I could see her through a gap in the collapsed wall.
"Do-eun, are you okay?"
"Hah... haah... Honey... I think I'm going to die..."
Jeon Do-eun, bleeding, barely managed to push herself up. Her body was a wreck, but thankfully, it didn't seem like she had any fatal injuries.
"Hnngh... I think my arm is broken," Im Hwa-yeon said from my arms. Both of them looked like they could barely move. On top of that, my own condition wasn't good.
"For now, run..."
Before I could finish my sentence, I heard the screams of the ability users in the distance. And I could feel his presence heading this way.
"Do-eun."
"Haah... what is it, honey," Jeon Do-eun answered, breathing heavily.
"Take care of Hwa-yeon."
I said, handing Im Hwa-yeon over to her.
"What are you going to do...?" Jeon Do-eun's voice trembled.
"Get as far away as you can while I hold him off. I'll follow you right after."
At my words, the pupils of both women trembled.
"...Alright. We'd only get in your way right now. But you have to survive. If you do, I'll do something that feels really good for you."
Jeon Do-eun nodded and helped Im Hwa-yeon up.
"Hey, are you going to be okay by yourself...?" Im Hwa-yeon asked with worried eyes.
"Don't worry, just go. I'll catch up soon."
The two women slowly backed away and disappeared from sight.
Now, I truly needed to play my last card.
I dropped the katana fragment and picked up my smartphone. Even though I was far from that gay bastard, a notification popped up saying it couldn't be used during combat.
'So this won't work, huh?'
I checked my inventory list. And I clicked on the Flying Heaven Sword.
[Inventory List]
[Flying Heaven Sword (飛天劍)]
A sword materialized in the air.
The scabbard of the Flying Heaven Sword was made of white gold, carved with images of clouds and wind.
'Thank god. It looks like I can take out items from my inventory even during combat.'
I reached out for the Flying Heaven Sword floating in the air.
The moment I grasped the Flying Heaven Sword—
"Kuh..."
An immense pain shot up from my hand and through my entire body. It felt as if the sword had a will of its own, a crushing pressure that seemed to reject me as its master.
"Kuuugh..."
I gritted my teeth and gripped the hilt and scabbard of the Flying Heaven Sword. Then, I slowly drew the sword from its sheath.
SHIIIING
With the faint sound of wind, the blade was revealed. Its silvery-white blade shone with a transparent gleam, as if it held the sky within. A golden engraving, symbolizing the patterns of the heavens, was etched along the center of the blade.
At that moment, an even more intense energy flowed from my hand. A force as violent as a storm wrapped around my body. It felt as if the sword was testing me with its own will.
And then—
THUD!
The giant man dropped from the sky. He looked down at me with a sickening smile.
"Kikikikik."
That fucking laugh spilled from his lips.
"Alright, you gay bastard. Let's see who dies first, you or me."
I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the sword. The more I did, the more my hand felt like it was being torn apart by something sharp.
Kikikikik!
He charged. He raised his steel-like fist.
'Fuck it... I don't know anymore.'
Blood from my palm trickled down the blade. Despite the tearing pain, I swung the Flying Heaven Sword.
The thin, sharp blade bent naturally, cutting through the wind. It was as if it moved along the flow of the air itself. A faint blue trail lingered wherever the blade passed.
The Flying Heaven Sword collided with the charging monster's steel-like fist.
SLICE
It felt as smooth as cutting through empty air. And in that instant, his fist was cleanly severed. The arm that had been as hard as steel was sliced off as neatly as a block of tofu.
"KIEEEEEEEK!"
For the first time, a scream of agony erupted from his mouth. Crimson blood spurted like a fountain from the severed limb.
Before I could even marvel at the sword's performance, he attacked with his legs.
Seeing his attack, I surrounded my body with internal energy to protect myself.
THWACK!
"Kugh."
His attack pierced through my Qi barrier and struck my torso directly.
A gush of blood poured from my mouth. My already broken ribs dug even deeper. The pain caused the strength to drain from the hand gripping the Flying Heaven Sword.
He seemed furious that one of his arms had been cut off, his face contorted with rage. The face covered in steel-like skin twisted as he raised his remaining arm.
Enduring the pain that felt like it was piercing my lungs, I barely managed to stay on my wobbling legs. Every time my broken ribs moved, it felt like my whole body was being stabbed.
"Heh heh, you gay bastard, I'm going to mince that fucking face of yours. Come on."
I endured the pain of the Flying Heaven Sword digging into my palm and curled my lips into a smirk.
As if he understood my taunt, his eyes twisted even more. Pink energy erupted from his remaining arm, causing the air around us to vibrate.
"Hoo..."
I took a deep breath and composed myself. The sound of my heart pounding echoed in my ears, and the last dregs of internal energy and essence in my dantian churned violently.
As I gripped the Flying Heaven Sword tightly, the blade trembled with a low hum, and I heard the quiet sound of wind. The blade of the Flying Heaven Sword began to glow with a white light. Ignoring the pain of my tearing palm, I gathered every last bit of my remaining energy into the sword.
"Iron Mountain Shattering Heaven (鐵山破天)!"
With a loud roar, I kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. The pain from my broken ribs was so intense it felt like they were screaming, but I gritted my teeth.
All of my remaining internal energy gathered in the hand holding the Flying Heaven Sword.
BOOM!
The energy released from the tip of the sword formed the image of an iron mountain. It swallowed the pink energy erupting from his arm and pierced through his body.
"KIEEEEEEEK!"
An explosive shockwave swept through the area. The ground cracked, and debris shot into the sky. A cloud of dust swirled like a storm.
"Kugh..."
I fell to my knees, groaning in pain.
"Haa... haa..."
I collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
The power of Iron Mountain Shattering Heaven just now was far stronger than I had imagined. It was a level of power I shouldn't have been able to produce at my current stage.
It seemed the Flying Heaven Sword had amplified my internal energy.
I looked at my hand; my palm was completely split open. The place where I had gripped the sword was torn to the point of exposing raw flesh.
'I don't think I can even move now...'
It was then.
Rumble....
The ground had cracked from the explosive shockwave. Dust and debris scattered in all directions.
As the dust settled and my vision cleared, I saw him. I could see that the blow from Iron Mountain Shattering Heaven had gone straight through his body. His steel-like skin was shattered, and a huge hole was bored through him.
"Ki... kii..."
His mouth twisted as he staggered toward me, bleeding. Even with a hole completely through his midsection, he was still moving.
"Just... fucking... die already..."
The words, uttered with the last of my strength, came out as my knees buckled.
My palm was completely torn, and my internal energy was depleted. I was in a state where I could do absolutely nothing.
He was still approaching, one step at a time. Even as he bled from the hole in his body, it seemed he wouldn't let go of his obsession with me until the very end.
The moment he reached me.
THUD
His massive body fell backward. There was no more movement.
'Is it over...?'
Confirming he was down, the tension left my body, and I slowly began to tilt.
'Ha... I really thought I was going to die.'
My consciousness faded as I fell to the ground. The Flying Heaven Sword slipped from my hand and clattered to the earth.
Just before I lost consciousness completely, I heard someone calling my name from a distance. Looking toward the voice, I saw Im Hwa-yeon and some people I didn't recognize.
I could feel the unique aura of ability users. The ability users from the Association had finally arrived.
'Fucking late... When I wake up... I'm filing a complaint...'
My vision grew blurry. With that final thought, I lost consciousness.