Chapter 192: The Bullet That Pierces the Sky
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: The Bullet That Pierces the Sky
[ Kang Ha-chan. ]
“Yeah.”
There was no more time to waste.
Sensing this, I turned my head.
Heuksan, Eunnamu, Ji-eun, and even Catherine were there.
Their eyes met mine, and they nodded before placing their hands on the Brain Thunder bullet I held up.
“I'll go first.”
Fzzt!
Heuksan was the first to begin pouring her red aura into the Brain Thunder bullet.
Her red aura was the most similar to Baeksan's.
That was only natural. After all, she was Baeksan.
The red sparks that erupted as her power flowed in were distinctly Heuksan.
Her white hair swayed faintly with the red sparks.
Her silver hair, fluttering beneath the night sky, seemed to shine with a particular brilliance.
As Heuksan's power surged in, the red glow of the bullet—which had been an even mix of blue and red—intensified.
But that was only for a moment.
Soon, my own blue aura began to shine brighter, as if responding to the power she'd given me.
Her aura was mingling with mine, drawing out the strength in both.
I had already synchronized with Heuksan before.
No, I had been in sync with her longer than anyone, ever since I first started wielding aura.
To be precise, it was Baeksan, who was lending me his strength now.
As proof, the moment Heuksan's aura flowed in, Baeksan began to seamlessly weave her power with mine.
As if he'd handled an aura of this magnitude countless times before.
His skill was so profound it left me speechless.
Fzzt!
“Ugh.”
As the light from the Brain Thunder intensified, Heuksan let out a pained grunt.
Her face was scrunched in pain, and beads of cold sweat dripped from her brow, as if she had poured every last drop of her aura into it.
A moment later, her aura began to fade, and the red glow that had tinged her hair slowly receded.
“...If you shoot this at the wrong place, I'll kill you.”
Even her parting words were just so Heuksan.
And in that instant, a golden light began to seep in.
The source of the golden light was none other than Ji-eun.
Next to Ji-eun, whose blonde hair seemed to illuminate the very air, was Geumjok.
Clinging tightly to Ji-eun's side, the spirit began to help her channel her power, and a remarkably pure energy seeped into the bullet.
The golden light wove between the red and blue, shining brilliantly.
It felt so warm.
That feeling was just like Ji-eun herself, and I was able to channel the power into the bullet with a familiar ease.
I caught a glimpse of Ji-eun's smiling face.
Her smile, as warm as the sun, always brought me a sense of peace.
Moreover, her power output was immense.
I had experienced her power once before, but in terms of raw output, she was nearly on par with me.
I guess that's how incredible the power of a nascent Spirit King is.
A moment later, Geumjok, looking exhausted, leaned against Ji-eun's cheek.
With that, the golden glow in Ji-eun's hair began to fade, slowly returning to its original dyed blonde.
The piercing in her ear was briefly visible before being covered again by her hair.
Her face was slick with sweat, but Ji-eun gave me a bright look and said,
“I poured everything I had into it, too!”
There was no time to thank her for her hard work.
Because a streak of blue lightning immediately shot through the aura.
[ Just a trickle. ]
And it didn't last long.
It was Catherine, transferring her aura to me.
Her aura was instantly swallowed up by my own and vanished.
It probably settled somewhere in the mix.
The amount was far less than the previous two, but Catherine was sweating profusely, as if she had given it her all.
This was the full extent of Catherine's power.
But setting Catherine's contribution aside, the auras from the first two were so immense that I felt like I was about to be devoured by the power myself.
[ Focus. ]
But it was Baeksan who steadied my hand.
[ Think of it as holding the sky in your hand. Right now, you are someone who can hold the very heavens in your palm. ]
What a way to boost my confidence.
But I thought I understood what he meant.
A drop of sweat trickled down the tip of my nose.
“Last is me, then.”
Just then, Eunnamu gently placed her hand over the swirling mass of colors.
She gave me the same gentle smile she always did.
But within that smile was a deep affection for me.
“Ha-chan.”
Perhaps because I was concentrating on containing such a massive amount of aura, Eunnamu's voice reached me clearly.
“Thank you for cherishing even my memories.”
At the same time, Eunnamu's jet-black aura began to flow in.
But as it entered, its color naturally began to change, becoming identical to my own aura.
Fzzzzzt!
Was it because such a powerful mass of energy had gathered? The space around us began to distort.
I could see hunters and returnees alike staring our way in astonishment.
It was only natural. Beneath the night sky, this spot alone was blazing with blue and red light, like a sun.
“I'll never forget what happened today, not for the rest of my life.”
Eunnamu poured her power in, giving me a bright smile.
Seeing that smile, I felt a momentary sense of unease, but she simply sent me a look full of affection.
“So please, Ha-chan, don't you forget it either.”
With that last look, Eunnamu's aura was depleted.
As if she had poured out everything she had, Eunnamu took two steps back.
“Don't worry.”
I said to her as I gripped the Brain Thunder bullet.
The mass of erupting aura was so powerful it felt like it could blow my consciousness away.
“I have a good memory.”
Hearing my answer, Eunnamu gave me a smile brighter than any I had seen before.
But with Baeksan steadying my hand, I pushed the bullet, now containing everyone's power, into the chamber.
Click-clack—
The sound of the bullet locking into place echoed clearly.
Hearing it, I aimed the muzzle toward the sky.
The entire sky was covered by the Lurker of the Boundary, so no matter where I aimed, the bastard was in my sights.
With my gun trained on it, I opened my mouth.
“Juksim!!!!”
My voice boomed, echoing throughout the entire area.
Hearing me, Juksim's gaze flickered in my direction for an instant.
We had synchronized our timing countless times in the game.
From my shout alone, Juksim knew what I meant.
I caught a glimpse of Juksim's nod.
Seeing it, I took a deep breath and placed my finger on the trigger.
Thunderbolt was unbelievably heavy, as if an elephant were stuffed inside it.
But Baeksan was there, helping me bear the weight.
A surge of energy as intense as the bullet itself coursed through my entire body.
In this moment, when even my breath felt scorching hot.
Juksim lowered her staff.
Ruuuuuumble!
At that moment, I felt the heavens tremble.
The instant Juksim vanished, the Lurker of the Boundary turned its gaze toward me with an intensity that seemed to tear at the very sky.
The night clouds began to shatter and rip apart.
If that attack reached the ground, it felt like not only buildings but people, too, would be ripped to shreds.
But something even greater now resided within Thunderbolt.
A halo like starlight appeared behind my back.
The air in the area began to flow backward, as if in reverse.
[ Pull. ]
Baeksan's short command echoed.
The moment I heard his voice, I pulled the impossibly heavy trigger.
Fwoosh—
And all the light in the area was sucked into Thunderbolt's muzzle.
Bang—
The sound of the shot followed a moment later.
And when the sound ended.
KRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
A bolt of lightning, a mixture of red and blue, pierced the sky.
The heavens ignited with a roar, as if a great dragon were ascending into the firmament.
In that space filled only with light, the shockwave unleashed by the Lurker was met by the Brain Thunder bullet and completely torn apart.
At the overwhelming sight, hunters, returnees, and even the dimensional entities stared blankly up at the sky.
The bullet that would end everything pierced the heavens and finally reached the Lurker of the Boundary.
In that final moment, I saw the Lurker's pupil turn pitch black.
And then, its entire eye was pierced by the flash of light.
Crack—
The sound of something cracking echoed from high in the sky.
Hearing it, everyone held their breath as cracks began to spread across the Lurker that had covered the sky.
C-c-craaaack!
Even for the Lurker of the Boundary, known as an Evil God in another world, my ability was the ultimate counter to all dimensional entities.
Perhaps that was why. Faced with my power, even the Lurker had no way to respond.
CR-CR-CR-CR-CRACK!
The cracks spread everywhere, and then, as its pupil contracted, the eye shattered.
KABOOOOOM!
With a deafening explosion, the Lurker of the Boundary began to disintegrate into dust.
The scattering dust glittered in various colors in the light, reminiscent of the Milky Way.
And soon, where the Lurker had vanished into dust, the moon peeked through.
The moon that the beast had been obscuring was finally showing its face.
“Ha, haha.”
A hollow, exhausted laugh came from somewhere.
The Lurker of the Boundary, which had seemed impervious to any attack, was dead. It was a sight no one could believe, even seeing it with their own eyes.
Kwang!
But the fight wasn't over yet.
The dimensional entities from the Divine Realm were still running rampant.
“The rabble is being noisy.”
But their cries soon subsided.
Because a woman had landed gracefully before them.
Her mere appearance was enough to render all the dimensional entities speechless.
No, to be precise, they were no longer able to make a sound at all.
Because red camellia petals were fluttering before them.
Ahyu had arrived.
“Silence.”
In that instant, the dimensional entities surrounding Ahyu were all torn apart by unseen blades.
“Push forward!”
Seeing this, a returnee shouted, and everyone else joined in, unleashing their attacks on the remaining entities.
With the most reliable reinforcement in the world now on their side, they had nothing left to fear.
It was over.
Following the Lurker, the dimensional entities from the Divine Realm would soon be dealt with.
This long, long battle was finally over.
“Eunnamu!”
And so, I called out to Eunnamu in joy.
The Evil God that had bound her for her entire life was dead. She was finally free.
But in that moment, my body froze.
Because something like dust was scattering around Eunnamu.
“Eun... namu?”
The moment I called her name, Eunnamu faced me.
Looking at me, she slowly smiled.
As if she had already expected this.
A faint tear welled in her smiling eyes.
And that teardrop vanished, just like the dust of the Lurker scattering in the sky.
Seeing that, I slowly began to realize a certain truth.
The memories implanted in Eunnamu were none other than those given to her by the Lurker of the Boundary.
The one who had implanted those memories, the Lurker, was dead.
What did that mean?
It meant that the memories from the worldline connected to Eunnamu would also disappear.
The connection point was gone, so there was no longer any reason for those memories to remain with her.
As I realized this, my eyes began to widen.
“No.”
The word escaped my lips, far too late.