Chapter 534: Human World[R-18] (64)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 534: Human World[R-18] (64)
“When did this happen?”
I paused the screen and looked at Im Hye-rin.
“According to the Association, it was a week ago.”
Im Hwa-yeon played another video.
“And look at this.”
In the new video, the monster that escaped the lab had a completely different appearance. It showed a muscular black man roaming through the city. Instead of attacking people indiscriminately, it seemed to be searching for something.
It was filmed grabbing people's heads on the street and sucking out their brains. And it was the same pattern every time. After absorbing a brain, it would pause for a moment, shake its head, and then move on to the next target.
“The man's name is Marcus Wilson, an S-Class ability user.”
“It absorbed an S-Class user that easily?”
“…That's right. The situation is extremely serious. After absorbing people's brains like that for a day, it went into hiding.”
Im Hye-rin continued her explanation, swiping through the tablet.
“Marcus Wilson was a spatial ability user. He could teleport, of course, but also freely cut and connect space. The monster absorbed that ability completely.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Then, that monster can now…”
“It can appear anytime, anywhere.”
Im Hye-rin's voice sank heavily.
“Marcus originally had a distance limit… but if that monster keeps absorbing powerful ability users, there's a high chance that limit will disappear.”
Im Hye-rin added with a grave expression.
“What's more serious is that at least three other S-Class users besides Marcus have gone missing. It's highly likely they were all taken by the monster.”
“Three of them…”
“If it absorbed their abilities… that's telepathy, mind manipulation, and matter transformation. The monster can now use all of those powers at once.”
Spatial movement, mental attacks, reality manipulation… Just imagining it was a disgusting combination.
“And the most worrying part is…”
Im Hye-rin brought up the last video.
“After it absorbed the telepathy user, the monster's behavior pattern changed completely. It went from randomly absorbing brains to moving with a specific target in mind.”
“A target?”
“As you saw in the video, it keeps calling your name.”
Just then, Im Hye-rin's smartphone rang.
At the same time, the door burst open and someone rushed in.
“Master! It's an emergency! You need to see the news!”
Im Hye-rin's face hardened as she grabbed the remote. When the TV turned on, a reporter's breathless voice came from the news channel.
[Do you see this! Five beautiful women are currently engaging the monster! Citizens are in the middle of an emergency evacuation, and fighting against the monster are—]
On the screen was a monster covered in black skin with a large, exposed brain, and in front of it, familiar faces fighting fiercely.
“…Huh, girls…?”
“Seo-yun, do you know those women?”
Im Hwa-yeon asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Haha… well…”
Just as I was trying to laugh it off awkwardly, the anchor's voice cut in.
[Look! The angel-like female ability user has split the monster in half with a giant golden sword! Oh, wait a moment… the monster isn't dead!]
The monster's bisected body regenerated, and at that moment, it let out a monstrous scream. A black rift tore open in the air, and similar-looking monsters poured out from within.
But despite the overwhelming number of monsters, my daughters and Bi-yeon weren't pushed back at all. In fact, it was closer to a one-sided slaughter.
Lucy created a massive number of spears made of blood in the air to pierce the monsters, while Sora cut down dozens at a time with her giant sword. Ha-young transformed her arms into scythes to counterattack, and Ha-yul spread her wings and swung her sword.
And Bi-yeon…
“Hey! You rotten insect bastards! Don't interrupt my shopping!”
She was slicing up the monsters, unleashing sharp gusts of wind.
…No, what's more important is—
'I told that bitch to look after the kids... Why the hell is she out there having the time of her life fighting?!'
Im Hye-rin, who had been watching the screen, narrowed her eyes at me.
“Seo-yun… those women are connected to you, aren't they?”
“Well… um…”
“And that woman attacking with wind, isn't that Bi-yeon?”
At her words, Im Hwa-yeon's eyes widened as she stared at the screen.
“Mom, that is Bi-yeon! And those kids' powers are no joke! Especially the one who looks like an angel…”
[Ah! This is bad! Monsters are continuing to appear from the sky! Other nearby ability users are providing support, but their numbers are just too great! What is the Korean Association doing!]
I shot up from my seat.
“…First, I'm going to head over there.”
Im Hye-rin sighed and said.
“Haa… I'll go with you. The Association just contacted me anyway. It's an emergency dispatch request.”
“I'm going too!”
Im Hwa-yeon jumped up to follow.
While Im Hye-rin instructed an employee to prepare a helicopter, I checked on my daughters on the screen one more time.
Thankfully, they were fighting well, but the problem was that my daughters had no official identities. My head was already starting to hurt thinking about what excuse I'd have to make to the Association this time.
'I need to get there fast.‘
[The entire Gangnam district has now been designated a combat zone. All citizens are advised to evacuate immediately.]
As the news continued to blare warnings, we headed for the rooftop of the Halcyon Guild headquarters.
*
Jin Ha-young transformed her arm into a giant scythe and lopped off the head of an approaching monster.
“Sisters, but… Dad told us to stay put. Is it really okay for us to be rampaging like this?”
-Splat!
Lucy slit her palm and instantly condensed the dripping blood. With a flash, a spear of blood formed and pierced through a monster's torso.
“We can't help it~ They're the ones who attacked first.”
Ha-yul, glancing at Bi-yeon who was gleefully slicing up monsters nearby, nodded.
“That's right. With Sister Bi-yeon running wild like that, we couldn't just stand by.”
At that moment, Sora swung her massive greatsword and shouted sharply.
“Stop chatting and put some power into it!”
“If we use our real power, I think Dad will scold us later.”
Ha-young replied with a sigh.
“It's fine~ He'll forgive us in the end anyway. Besides… we just have to provide good service later♡”
Lucy grinned, her eyes narrowing, and whispered.
“Stop playing around and get them!”
“Ah~ I get it. Just wait, I'll give them a real blast.”
In that instant, Lucy's blood-red eyes began to glow. Simultaneously, the sky was covered with clouds, and day turned dark as night.
And as her body slowly rose into the sky, the corpses scattered on the ground all began to twist, their blood surging madly upwards to gather around her.
“Now then… struggle all you want, you insects.”
Thousands of spears and swords, solidified from blood, floated chaotically in the air. And when Lucy lightly flicked her finger—
-KABOOM! KRA-KA-BOOM!!
The crimson weapons rained down like a torrential storm. They pierced and tore apart everything in sight, whether monster or building, staining the ground red.
The monsters' screams didn't last long amidst the sea of blood. As the countless spears and blades tore the very last monster to shreds, the weapons that had filled the air slowly vanished.
Lucy licked her lips with her red tongue and smiled sweetly.
“All done~♡”
“Sigh, you really went and did it…”
Ha-young sighed and looked around. The corpses of monsters, collapsed buildings, and even civilians who couldn't escape Lucy's attack were all tangled together.
“Eh, they're just insects anyway.”
“I don't think that's the problem… Well, Dad will take care of it.”
Just then, Bi-yeon and Sora, who had been rampaging, came over, looked at the scene, and clicked their tongues in unison.
“Didn't you go a little too far?”
Despite Bi-yeon's scolding, Lucy just shrugged.
“Let's run for now. If we stay here too long, it might cause trouble for Father later.”
At Ha-yul's words, Bi-yeon shuddered as if she'd just remembered something.
“Ah…! Girls, get ready to run—”
She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly trembled, and shouted.
“It's coming!”
The four sisters seemed to sense it at the same time and immediately fell back. And in that instant, space tore open, and a giant arm shot out from within.
KWAAANG—!
As the grotesquely distorted arm and palm slammed into the ground, a shockwave spread out, causing buildings to collapse one after another.
Then, the same monsters Lucy had just dealt with began pouring out in massive numbers.
[Jin... Seo-yun... I smell... him...]
“Ugh, disgusting… Sister Sora, you take care of it!”
“No way. Ha-young, you melt it.”
“I don't want to either… it's gross. Youngest, you do something about it.”
“It stinks, so no.”
The four sisters turned their heads at the same time. And, in one voice, they shouted.
“Mother, you'll take care of that for us, right?”
“…Fuck off.”
Bi-yeon scowled and took a step back.
Just then—
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!!
A shadow fell from above as a helicopter's propellers whirred loudly in the sky.
“Father has arrived.”
KWAAAAANG!!
Jin Seo-yun leaped from the helicopter, landing squarely on the ground.
“It's Dad!”
The sisters cheered in unison.
“Haa… Girls. Didn't Dad tell you to stay put?”
Lucy smiled slyly.
“Hehe~ Those monsters were shameless enough to attack us first.”
Ha-yul bowed her head and said quietly.
“I apologize, Father.”
“Dad, behind you!”
Ha-young's urgent shout burst out. But Jin Seo-yun didn't even turn his head, simply waving a hand at the empty air.
-CRUNCH!
In an instant, an invisible force exploded outwards, shattering the monster's upper body and sending blood and flesh flying in all directions.
Immediately after, two red figures descended from the sky. Landing with their red hair flying, they were none other than Im Hye-rin and Im Hwa-yeon.
Im Hye-rin narrowed her eyes, scanning the four sisters one by one before muttering under her breath.
“Seo-yun… I heard that correctly, right? It sounded like those girls just called you Dad…?”
“I'll explain later. First, we need to clean up what's in front of us.”
Jin Seo-yun turned his gaze and called to Bi-yeon.
“Bi-yeon, come here.”
“Hehe, you're not going to scold me, right?”
“Yeah, I won't scold you.”
“Liar! You're still mad on the inside!”
“Shut up and get over here. We're going to end this in one go with Spirit Fusion.”
“Tch…”
Bi-yeon's body was instantly sucked into Jin Seo-yun's. At the same time—
-Fwoooosh…!
Jin Seo-yun's hair turned teal and began to fly about. An icy blue light flashed in his eyes as an explosive energy erupted from his entire body, causing him to slowly levitate.
Just then, Jin Ha-yul lifted a camera she'd pulled from who-knows-where and pointed the lens at him.
-Click!
“Haa…♡ Father's other form… so cool…♡”
Ha-yul was even drooling, snapping picture after picture with a perverted look on her face. Seeing this, Sora, Lucy, and Ha-young all made strange faces and subtly distanced themselves from her.
Im Hwa-yeon stared blankly at the scene before whispering to Im Hye-rin, who was standing beside her.
“Mom… no matter how I look at it, those kids don't seem normal…”
Im Hye-rin nodded with a dumbfounded expression.
“…I agree.”
Meanwhile, Jin Seo-yun was glaring at the rift.
*
[Jin... Seo... Yun...]
“So you were after me, just as I thought. Hey, you… are you Alexander?”
[H... hehehe... Al... Alexander... that child is already dead...]
“Then you must be the otherworlder boss Alexander was talking about.”
[C... correct...]
“So, what business does this boss have with me?”
A sinister black light flashed in the monstrous black man's eyes.
[I... will... devour... you... and your power... will become... mine...]
“Bullshit.”
I felt the monster use an invisible power. And a message appeared before my eyes.
[Absolute Resistance has defended against the opponent's mental attack.]
“A mental attack, huh…”
It was worth spending 30,000 points to enhance Complete Resistance.
[Absolute Resistance]
Completely nullifies all status ailments, debuffs, and mental/physical restraints.
Unaffected even by the authority of transcendent beings.
[Additional Effect: Can grant the same effect to designated targets within 10m of the user.]
A new trait I gained from enhancing Complete Resistance.
The creature's eyes wavered greatly. But it soon bared its teeth and reached out its hand again.
[Spatial... Disintegration...!]
Rifts spread through the air as a power that seemed to split existence itself radiated outwards. Space fractured, sound distorted, and it closed in around me like an invisible prison.
But the attack never reached my body. The moment the teal sword that appeared in my hand was swung lightly—
-Pzzzzzt!
A crescent-shaped, teal sword force tore through the rifts and flew straight at the creature.
[Gaaahk...!]
The monster's black torso split open, and a sticky, dark blood splattered out from within. It staggered, trying desperately to hide itself within the rift.
I let out a smirk and raised my sword again.
“You may have come as you pleased, but you'll need my permission to leave.”
Moon Shadow Sky Sword Dance - Thousand Moon Afterimage.
In an instant, dozens of phantoms cut through space, cascading in layers like afterimages of moonlight.
The creature's body, half-torn, was caught in the rift, screaming.
[KRAAAAAAAK!!]
The rift wavered unstably.
[Jin... Seo-yun...! You... will soon find out... Our... 'King' will...!]
“King?”
-CRUNCH!
The creature's upper body exploded apart, and the rift was forcibly sealed, shattering into pieces. All that remained in the space was the smell of blood and the creature's final words before it died.
[...descend...!]