Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: The Saintess for One Person Only (4)
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Choi Si-hyeok and the Hwamyeong Guild.
The situation was worlds apart from when he'd faced them as enemies.
Whether they stole someone else's girl and threw tantrums.
Or pulled troll moves while raiding gates and towers.
No matter how trashy Choi Si-hyeok and the Hwamyeong Guild were, they weren't on the level of the Dowon Truth Church.
Compared to the Dowon Truth Church, Choi Si-hyeok and his crew could at least be seen as recyclable trash.
In contrast, the Dowon Truth Church—a mere band of vagrants—was pure societal poison.
Slash!
It wasn't unreasonable for Kang Woojin to devise and execute a rather bold plan.
Splurt!
He swung his dagger relentlessly, staining his hands with blood as he cut down this world's vagrants one by one.
"Gaaah?!"
Looking back, this was the first time Kang Woojin had ever killed a person.
Whether it was Jung Il-hoon or Choi Si-hyeok.
Kang Woojin didn't kill people lightly, but this time was different.
From the start, he'd planned to wipe out the Dowon Truth Church's leadership and key disciples in one fell swoop.
They were irredeemably vile, like cancerous tumors with no hope of recovery.
A few of the church's disciples were decent-looking—pretty girls and handsome guys—which was a bit regrettable, but there were no exceptions.
The men, their minds shattered by the cult, wouldn't even glance at Kim Chang-sik.
Whish! Thud!
Gripping the dagger in reverse grip, Kang Woojin stabbed the nape of a Truth Church follower without a hint of hesitation.
The unfamiliar sensation of killing flesh came warm and sticky.
But surprisingly, it didn't faze him much.
The grand disciple with the Jeong surname.
Even when he'd chosen that roughly handled Jeong guy as his first kill, it had been the same.
Kang Woojin, already drenched in the blood of countless monsters, didn't shy away from human blood on his hands.
Slash!
After slicing down three or four more vagrants, Kang Woojin surveyed the underground auditorium where the battle had just begun.
Boom!
This place, resounding with explosions, was a veritable hellscape.
The battle was evenly matched for now.
The awakeners Kang Woojin had brought in threw the church leadership into temporary chaos, but they weren't pushovers either.
Above all, they had numbers.
Over two hundred disciples, practically quasi-awakeners.
And the church leaders who'd molded their bodies and minds for years were each skilled awakeners in their own right.
In terms of force, Korea's top vagrant mob was not to be underestimated.
Flick!
Kang Woojin swung his dagger through the air to shake off the blood and caught his breath briefly.
Rumble!
Then, another massive tremor shook the ground.
In the no-holds-barred clash of awakeners, the vast underground hall echoed endlessly with blood and screams.
And.
Thud!
As time passed, corpses piled up, and amid the blood-soaked battlefield, a few figures stood out starkly.
Whoosh!
One was none other than Choi Si-hyeok.
"Tch, the space is too cramped."
He grumbled pointlessly, adjusted the size of his fireball, and hurled flames at a clustered group of church disciples.
'That punk. Looks like he fixed his mana circuits pretty well.'
Kang Woojin gazed at Choi Si-hyeok's unfamiliar, improved form with mixed feelings.
Flinch.
Meeting Kang Woojin's eyes, Choi Si-hyeok shuddered involuntarily.
Sweating bullets, he glanced nervously at Kang Woojin like he'd encountered his natural predator, fidgeting restlessly.
And as Choi Si-hyeok averted his gaze left and right to escape the discomfort.
"Chang-sik hyung, Si-hyeok's staring at other girls."
Choi Si-hyeok jumped at Kang Woojin's playful tattling, eyes bulging.
"W-When did I..."
"You've been eyeing the female disciples since earlier. Oh, and just now, Sia and Harin too."
"You bastard!"
At Kang Woojin's follow-up snitching, Kim Chang-sik—who'd just cut down a vagrant—flashed a beaming smile.
"Is what Woojin boy☆ says true? Si-hyeok booooy~☆?"
It was a truly chilling expression.
"N-No, it's not like that! It's a misunderstanding!"
"See me after this, Si-hyeok boy☆."
"Nooo!"
Kang Woojin chuckled at the sight of their chummy banter.
Watching them somehow softened the tense battlefield atmosphere.
And it wasn't just Kang Woojin keeping an eye on those two.
Crunch!
A man crushed a vagrant's skull with raw grip strength.
Yu Won-sik, leader of the White Tiger Guild and one of Korea's rare S-rank hunters, clicked his tongue and muttered.
"That kid's done for."
He'd once thought Choi Si-hyeok would make a fine match for his daughter.
But after crashing to rock bottom with the Hwamyeong Guild, there was no sign of recovery.
'That confident kid... Of all people, to end up in Kim Chang-sik's hands. Go figure humans.'
Shaking his head, Yu Won-sik naturally shifted his gaze.
Shing!
What caught his eye was Kang Woojin.
Splatter!
Wearing a ridiculous mask, he carved through groups of vagrants.
'Impressive.'
His scheme to infiltrate the Dowon Truth Church and execute the plan step by step was cunning, but his visible prowess was the real deal.
No hesitation in killing, fluid movements without waste—like a seasoned hunter.
'At that young age...'
Smooth.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over Yu Won-sik's side.
Still watching Kang Woojin, he asked Yoo Harin who'd approached.
"That guy? The one you picked, Harin?"
Yoo Harin's face flushed instantly as she leaped up.
"I-It’s not like that, Dad!"
"What do you mean not? Honey's dripping from your eyes."
"Ugh, seriously! You're so embarrassing!"
Dismissing his daughter's outburst lightly, Yu Won-sik stroked his chin.
"Hmm."
No matter how he looked, his daughter was in for some hardship.
There were already multiple women eyeing Kang Woojin.
The pink-haired girl behind him with an indescribable expression.
And the black-haired girl healing the wounded while constantly glancing at him—not pushovers either.
But Yoo Harin's rivals—no, love interests(?—didn't end there.
'That ice-cold girl joining this mess was suspicious from the start.'
Feeling inwardly surprised, Yu Won-sik eyed one woman.
'Even her taking an interest in him.'
She was an S-rank hunter specially invited by the Hunter Management Bureau, known as the "Sword Princess."
Her frosty expression like a winter blizzard gale was striking as her white hair whipped while she darted through vagrants.
Swish! Whoosh!
Yet she occasionally peeked toward Kang Woojin—a recluse who rarely left her tower.
Following her gaze between her and Kang Woojin, Yu Won-sik patted Yoo Harin's shoulder.
"Hang in there, sweetie."
"W-What do you mean hang in there..."
"Next time, ask that guy to grab a meal together."
This dad would lend a hand.
Wrapping up the brief chat, Yu Won-sik rejoined his White Tiger Guild members to clear the vagrants ahead.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The fight raged on for about an hour.
'D-Damn it!'
Han Jong-hoe clenched his fists, his facial wrinkles refusing to smooth out.
The situation was beyond bad—it was disastrous.
'How the hell did this happen...'
From the moment the Hunter Management Bureau burst in, the Dowon Truth Church's fate was sealed.
Their ability to operate as vagrants wasn't just due to strength.
No one knew their true nature.
Not even Korea's four major guilds or the Hunter Management Bureau knew their dark side.
They'd masqueraded as a righteous religious group while running shady operations in the shadows.
"Damn... Four S-ranks..."
Unable to continue those operations now, Han Jong-hoe stared at the auditorium in disbelief.
Kang Woojin, Kim Chang-sik, Yu Won-sik, and even the Sword Princess.
The four S-rank awakeners displayed overwhelming power, sweeping through the disciples.
'That bastard!'
The root of it all was, without question, Kang Woojin.
'All this because of that traitor!'
He wanted to tear that one man apart, even if it meant sacrificing all the other leaders and disciples.
But even that was far from easy.
No, practically impossible.
Not just Kang Woojin's personal strength, but the maniacs rampaging around him were all top-tier.
Excluding the standout S-ranks, there were at least ten A-ranks.
Not to mention the B and C-ranks below.
Breaking through them to sink teeth into Kang Woojin's neck was impossible.
If the battle hadn't tipped yet, maybe.
Sensing defeat, Han Jong-hoe had no choice but to retreat.
He'd decided to escape this place.
'I may retreat now, but someday I'll definitely...!'
No sense of responsibility as cult leader.
He abandoned the still-fighting elders, regional chapter heads.
And the disciples struggling without proper weapons.
Valuing only his own safety, Han Jong-hoe swallowed his vengeful fury toward Kang Woojin and quickened his pace.
Step!
Of course, the anti-Dowon Truth Church alliance wouldn't let him go easily.
"Halt!"
"Stop right there!"
Awakener auditors from the Hunter Management Bureau blocked his path.
"Leader! Escape now!"
"We'll hold them!"
His two loyal secretaries volunteered as shields, never showcasing their combat skills properly.
At least some shred of human conscience remained.
"...Sorry."
Han Jong-hoe bid them a curt farewell.
His two secretaries, brainwashed inside and out for years by his powers and gaslighting.
Bound to him for years by his awakening ability, they fulfilled their roles to the end.
Tat-tat!
Leaving them behind, Han Jong-hoe bolted through an emergency exit.
A contingency passageway.
But pursuers followed swiftly.
"Damn it, get lost!"
Whirling around, Han Jong-hoe's eyes flashed as he unleashed his brainwashing ability.
'You vermin!'
Precious mana expended.
Having already used plenty in the prior fight, his face paled as he leaped away.
"Urk!"
Regrettably, the pursuit didn't stop.
"Harm yourselves!"
He used his power again.
"Kill each other now!"
Fortunately, most pursuers were B-rank or lower.
Stab!
Unable to resist his brainwashing, they stabbed themselves with possessed expressions.
"Huff, huff! Huff!"
Finally, Han Jong-hoe escaped the secret passage.
Tilting moonlight in the early dawn.
Shhh—.
Cold wind swept over him.
But no time to savor the long-missed night air.
Thud!
Once outside, he moved without hesitation.
Impressive stamina for a potbellied middle-aged man.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Panting roughly as he crossed the mountain path, he reached one of his secret hideouts.
An abandoned house in the woods.
Inside was surprisingly well-kept; he collapsed on the floor, shoulders heaving.
Step.
Right then.
Step.
An unexpected footstep echoed.
'W-Who...'
In this life-or-death moment, Han Jong-hoe looked into the darkness in shock.
"...It's me, Father."
The figure emerging from the shadows was none other than Han Ye-eun.
"Ye-eun?!"
Reuniting with his daughter, Han Jong-hoe's eyes widened.
"Ye-eun, it's you! Oh! My girl! My good girl! Any injuries?"
Fussing suddenly, he tilted his head to check her all over.
"This worthless father failed to look after you. I'm so relieved you got out safe."
Playing the good dad belatedly, hope filled Han Jong-hoe's eyes.
"As long as I have you, Ye-eun. With just us two, our powers—we can start over anytime."
The cult could be rebuilt.
With Han Jong-hoe's brainwashing.
And Han Ye-eun's hypnosis, gathering fanatics was child's play.
But.
"Father..."
Han Ye-eun's dead eyes were shadowed heavily.
"Why, what's wrong?"
A flicker of unease crossed Han Jong-hoe's mind.
"Why look at this father like that?"
Perhaps her brainwashing had broken.
In truth, her ability far surpassed his.
He'd known that since childhood, suppressing her powers.
In other words, he subtly feared her true strength.
And sure enough.
Her brainwashing long broken, Han Ye-eun gathered mana and slowly raised her hand.
"Shut up, Father."
She activated her mind control.
"...!"
Han Jong-hoe couldn't resist her power at all.