Chapter 171
Chapter 171
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Kyushu Crisis (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Japanese Hahoe Mask pursuit team was no pushover from the start, having been assembled with clear intent.
Not only did all dozens of members seem like elites, unbowed by Hans's intimidating presence, but five of them—including the man who'd shouted skill names—were skilled enough to hold their own against the barbaric warrior Hali.
Even the man who appeared to represent the government agents and the woman leading the Guardians boasted combat prowess on par with the Imperial Guard Captain Conwell.
'Somehow, that old man's always the benchmark for combat power.'
Of course, that didn't mean those Awakened were on the same level as him.
They could inflate their combat strength using their unique 'Unique Skills'.
In terms of tier, they were at the pinnacle of the Extreme Realm, much like Hali.
And that meant...
"Gahk!"
"What kind of monster is..."
...they alone couldn't block the Hahoe Mask—Hans's—path.
[Kehhehe— Indeed, a decent diversion. Still far from challenging this body!]
The ninja-clad woman, who darted through space unleashing bizarre attacks, got tangled in the abyss threads densely woven across the air like spiderwebs.
The muscular man, who charged relentlessly ignoring all strikes, finally knelt under the relentless barrage of overwhelming black magic firepower pounding his body.
As the fierce battle raged, scattering them everywhere, the two leaders joined the fallen.
Now, only one remained...
Kaang—!
At that moment, a sudden ambush—undetectable until the brink of impact—clashed against Hans's abyss and fizzled out.
"Kuh! Damn it!"
The young swordsman in his twenties who'd initially impressed him deeply.
Disappointingly, he'd accepted his limits, ceasing to shout skill names after his initial assaults.
It felt like watching a modern youth compromising with reality and abandoning dreams, leaving a slight unease.
[Grasp of Death.]
Kwang!
"Gek!"
Of course, that didn't mean he'd go easy.
Nor was his apparent youth among them a pressing issue now.
'What matters is I've finally taken down all these nuisances.'
Subduing without killing had taken longer than expected.
They were just dutifully following orders—couldn't slaughter them for being annoying, right?
It'd only tarnish the Hahoe Mask's reputation.
'Planned to wrap everything up today and leave Kyushu, but wasted time on this.'
Still, with only one goal left, it wasn't too late.
He moved to the battlefield's edge and touched the surrounding barrier.
Activated simultaneously with the assault—likely to contain fallout—it had impressively held until now.
Before shattering it to leave, Hans glanced back.
The Awakened sprawled miserably, groaning.
After watching briefly...
[Heh— It was fun enough. I'll be off then. I handled your job this time, but manage on your own from now on? Kekeke!]
Leaving sincere encouragement, he pierced the barrier and soared into the sky.
Worried his tone might sound mocking, but true intent always conveys.
Surely his feelings reached them.
Having upended the Awakened's formation, he sped toward his target.
But not everything went his way...
As half-expected, their hideout was deserted.
'Well, with a fight erupting right nearby despite the barrier, no reason to stick around.'
He was the enigmatic reaper hunting criminals, now a top underworld alert target, clashing head-on with their natural enemies, the Awakened.
Seizing the chance to flee was obvious.
They were underground dwellers who hid by default.
'Troublesome. Wanted to finish quick, but tracking scattered remnants one by one takes too long. Skip them?'
Japan was just a light sweep of major players anyway.
Better to move to Shikoku or Honshu than get bogged down by one group.
'Incidents like this mean I should expand my range next time, even if bothersome. With "Eyes of the Abyss," finding careless targets won't be hard.'
Underground groups were tough to decapitate due to their nature, but "Eyes of the Abyss" detecting unholy power and evil deeds was a huge aid.
Combining intel from purging others enabled near-perfect tracking.
Best ability amid lacking Korea-style surveillance.
'Hmm, just to be sure, one more check.'
Hans's eye sockets filled with abyss again as he slowly scanned the hideout.
Linking "Path of the Archmage" and "Mana Dominion," he probed lingering traces.
But he held little hope.
Inferior to Hans, yet survivors from various worlds with savvy to build power on Earth.
They'd have trace-erasing means from diverse worlds, hard to overcome by level alone.
Yet...
'...It worked?'
He paused at faint traces from the empty hideout, scanning anew.
Faint enough only he'd notice—attempts to erase had been made.
'Many scattered, but most are grunts. Heavy evil ones grouped separately. Cadres?'
"Eyes of the Abyss" absorbed light, extracting info from fragments; his abilities analyzed instantly.
Confirmation yielded the same conclusion.
'Shall we?'
Clutching the lead he'd nearly ignored, Hans pursued immediately.
Leaving would nag; chance to cleanly eliminate cadres was unmissable.
'Their safehouse, huh. Typical.'
Tracing led to a small building in nearby mountains—private property, only their presences inside, no other humans nearby.
'No need to wait. Finish quick and head to next area. Hiroshima first, then...'
But as Hans charged in with plans...
'Hm?'
His senses caught an anomaly.
Something off instinctively prickled.
Pajijik—
Micro-tears sounded as he reacted simultaneously.
GoOOO—!
Black mana flared from Hans like flames; air plummeted below freezing.
Abyss tendrils swirled around him, baring fangs everywhere; the landscape darkened instantly, like filtered.
Changes in a blink.
And finally...
Pajik— Jinggrang!
Cracks rang out; sky, earth, all space shattered like glass.
Beyond that space...
Nearly thirty in perfect combat stance glared with sharp auras.
[...A pocket dimension, then. A trap?]
Probing with mana at the unforeseen anomaly, Hans inwardly clicked his tongue.
This fractured realm wasn't a mere barrier.
A sealed world, connections severed.
Like his Demon King's 'Eternal Labyrinth'—a mini-world.
Escape required slaying the caster or dimensional interference.
He rescanned the safehouse group.
They hadn't budged amid chaos.
'These newcomers used them as bait. Pulled the whole area upon my arrival? Such spatial mastery.'
He'd suspected a trap when tracking but dismissed with confidence it'd be futile.
Didn't expect this scale.
"Indeed... Thought the 'Demon King class' talk was hype, but it's not baseless."
"Crazy, saying that so calmly? Just revealing presence warped reality!"
"...Uh, is this really okay? That thing's a real Demon King... This death aura isn't just undead transformation...!"
"@#$%#! %$#!"
"Don't panic. We anticipated this."
Likely one of their Unique Skills created this realm.
Hans eyed the chattering group.
'Impressive bunch, every one unordinary.'
Unique Skills and realm variances hindered precise gauging, but Hans could estimate from auras...
'All Extreme Realm or above. Front five reached Transcendent.'
Not mere power boosts like the pursuit duo—their very tiers transcended limits.
Even without Unique Skill synergy factored; combat would amplify further, unpredictable.
A unit that could fell even a Demon King—unseen elite even in Outerica.
Momentarily thought Japanese special forces, but no.
'Suspected since Heavenly Death Sorcerer.'
Demonic auras and evil deeds wafted freely, ratio higher than normals.
'Beyond expectations. Reverse Heaven Society must've just started in Korea. This gap with other regions.'
Mostly Japanese, but ample Chinese—reinforcements prepped.
Somehow conversing despite languages.
[Oh ho— You're from the Reverse Heaven Society, right? Done chatting?]
Having assessed, Hans arrogantly addressed them.
They fell silent mid-debate, then raised auras, murmuring.
"...Waited while we talked. Proper Demon King virtues too?"
"Cut the crap. They needed time to assess too."
"Tch, meant to ambush on entry. Timing slipped—his reaction too fast."
The cold-faced suited man, leaderly, tsked at Hans's writhing abyss.
It writhed like sentient, exuding nauseating lethality, deterring rash moves.
"Doesn't matter what the Hahoe Mask really is now."
But with the board set, retreat impossible.
Especially with forces exceeding imagination—not just aversion, but raw power.
Night emperors from regions united, plus Chinese reinforcements?
Ludicrous to fear.
"...Just kill and check the corpse."
"Mm, planned that anyway."
"Uh... Still uneasy..."
"@#%$$%#!"
Thus, the suited man declared boldly.
This spot would be the Hahoe Mask's end—their plan's saboteur.
'Hm... Overkill for a gift set. Unknown extra abilities make it hard to gauge. Only fighting reveals.'
To Hans, mere barking.
Even if threatening, spatial severance meant nothing to him.
[Hehhehe— Bold presence. How long till it crumbles against me? Let's see.]
And Hans never whimpered—that wasn't his character.