Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: Hydra Under Siege
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The massive screen filled with the image of the Hydra.
Kim Il-su sat there, watching the screen as if he were immersed in a movie. Just moments ago, he never would have imagined himself getting so absorbed in something as trivial as a stream.
Especially if it was some clown imitating the dead Lee Soo-hyuk.
But regardless of whose stream it was, he couldn't look away.
Hydra.
It wasn't just a monster tied to the deceased Lee Soo-hyuk—it held special meaning for Kim Il-su as well.
'That thing might still be alive somewhere.'
No.
Judging by the circumstances, it was almost certainly still alive.
Probably holed up somewhere, gathering strength and growing larger again.
So, how many heads had it regrown by now?
Five? Six? Or maybe eight, like the one on the screen?
In the worst case, all nine heads might have fully regenerated. The thought made him frown involuntarily.
"This could get annoying."
He watched the screen with keen interest.
On the screen, Lee Soo-hyuk was walking toward the Hydra. Lightning writhed at his fingertips, and rain began pouring from the sky.
Then came the next scene.
Kwarung-!
The Hydra's poisonous breath, and Lee Soo-hyuk bursting through it to blow off one of its heads.
Zzirit, zzirit-.
For the first time in ages, Kim Il-su felt pain on his face.
Unlike Lee Soo-hyuk, who had worn a mask out of necessity, Kim Il-su needed one to hide his own hideous visage.
No medical technology in the Tower could heal his scars. There was no reason for the wounds to ache now, yet watching the stream, the pain suddenly flared.
Lee Soo-hyuk and the Hydra.
The battle from the past had reignited.
...And perhaps.
"...Is that really you?"
Even until the day he thought it had all ended.
His hand, touching the aching face, trembled.
Overcome with unease, Kim Il-su closed his eyes for a moment.
And he remembered.
The moment Lee Soo-hyuk died. The instant he plunged a blade into his heart and confirmed his last breath.
Then, slowly, the trembling stopped.
"...Yeah."
His voice shook, despite his certainty.
"That guy's dead. Definitely."
Keyaaaaa-!
The six remaining heads howled in unison.
As soon as one head fell, the others all focused on Soo-hyuk. They no longer ignored him.
One head was preoccupied with Thor and Hermes.
Soo-hyuk had to face the other six.
Flash-!
Soo-hyuk unleashed lightning to create a blinding light.
A few heads squeezed their eyes shut. But blinding all those eyes wasn't easy.
One head that hadn't been blinded shot venomous stingers at Soo-hyuk. He leaped upward, riding the lightning, and charged straight at the attacking head.
Bwoong-.
Kwang-!
In that instant, the Hydra's tail whipped past Soo-hyuk's head, crumbling the valley cliff.
Dodging the tail, Soo-hyuk swung his sword with all his might. A thunder-wrapped slash hurtled toward the Hydra's head.
Kwaung-!
Katsutsutsu-.
Scales shattered, sending fragments flying into his face.
It was tough. But not impenetrable.
A bit more power, and he could break through.
But that wouldn't be enough.
'A minor wound like that will heal in no time. No, it won't even be minor.'
This was a Hydra—the insane creature that regenerated even severed heads. Peeling off scales wouldn't cut it.
He had to sever the head completely and cauterize the stump. That was the best, and only, way.
If he could slip into its mouth like before, it'd be much easier, but the Hydra's instincts made that impossible now.
'Good thing I took one out early.'
Soo-hyuk kicked off the Hydra's head and leaped higher.
The six heads tracked his movement. Some spat poison, others bared fangs and lunged.
Shiiik-.
Kwagagak-.
Soo-hyuk raised his sword to block the incoming fangs. Combined with that massive bulk, the force nearly shattered his blade.
Tudududu-.
Puhwaaa-.
Venomous stingers from the Hydra's heads shot toward him.
Soo-hyuk kicked the fangs away with his foot and dodged. To block the stingers along his path, he fired lightning from his fingertips.
Kwaung-!
Chiiiii-.
This poison dwarfed even the Tang Clan's toxins. The lightning's heat incinerated it, producing thick black smoke.
Dodging and blocking the stingers, Soo-hyuk raced across the Hydra's body.
Kadduduk-.
A long line appeared along the Hydra's neck.
Split scales. While evading and parrying stingers, Soo-hyuk had peeled away the tough scales.
And in the next moment.
Flash-!
A single streak of light slashed across the sky.
Kwarung-!
Jjeok-.
One strike severed the Hydra's neck. Following the split scales, Soo-hyuk thrust his sword.
The severed head tumbled downward. It didn't lose consciousness immediately, shrieking even as it fell.
Soo-hyuk ignored the falling head.
What mattered wasn't the head—it was the remaining body.
Kwajijiji-!
He cauterized the wound thoroughly to prevent regeneration. Even after decapitating it, Soo-hyuk couldn't escape yet.
And this was the most dangerous moment.
Kyaak-!
The remaining Hydra heads unleashed their poisonous breath in unison.
His body was instantly engulfed.
Soo-hyuk's figure on the screen was completely obscured.
But no sooner had the doubt arisen than—
Katsutsutsu-.
Bursting through the black poisonous breath, Soo-hyuk soared upward.
Lightning coiled around his body. It was a technique unleashed in the split second after severing the head, just as the breath engulfed him.
"Two down now."
Kya aaaah-!
Had it realized this wasn't the time to worry about Thor and Hermes? Finally, all the heads turned to Soo-hyuk.
Standing atop the Hydra's body, sword embedded in its scales, Soo-hyuk looked up at the remaining six heads.
"You should've all grown out together, you arrogant bastard."
Chii-.
Black smoke rose from the back of Soo-hyuk's neck. The result of failing to fully block the first and second waves of poisonous breath.
He had severed two heads in quick succession.
This was the limit— the first phase of the plan Soo-hyuk had envisioned while mentally simulating the battle with the Hydra.
Chirp, chirp chirp-.
Birds sang outside the window. The Murim Alliance's quarters were as peaceful as ever.
Birds perched on the trees groomed each other's feathers leisurely.
Then.
Kwarung-!
Pududuk-.
Startled by the thunder from one of the residences, the birds fled into the sky.
In the Murim Alliance guest quarters.
Inside, Jin Do-ha watched the stream while steeping fragrant tea.
Thump-.
Jin Do-ha felt his heart race.
The screen filled with a colossal monster.
Hydra.
The moment he heard that name, Jin Do-ha knew this was a stream unlike any he'd seen in his life.
How could he forget? That day.
'It was incredible.'
Lee Soo-hyuk had faced the Hydra head-on.
He rode lightning through the air, dashing across its body, severing heads repeatedly and cauterizing the stumps.
In the process, he got drenched in poisonous breath and struck by stingers. His body nearly impaled by fangs several times.
Yet he survived. And won.
Just imagining that day sent shivers down his spine. Closing his eyes even now, it felt vivid.
And yet.
"To think I'd see this again."
The Lee Soo-hyuk on the screen moved exactly like the one from that day—uncannily so.
Identical enough to believe they were the same person. If Jin Do-ha hadn't been there that day, he surely would have.
That the two were one and the same.
But Jin Do-ha was one of the people present when Lee Soo-hyuk died. That's why he could be certain they weren't the same.
Logically, that was the right conclusion.
But why?
Jin Do-ha, the War God. The instinct that had elevated him here—the deadliest weapon in his arsenal—was screaming that this man was the same Lee Soo-hyuk from that day.
Kadduduk-.
Puhwaak-.
On screen, Lee Soo-hyuk severed another head.
That made four heads down.
He didn't stop there, using lightning to cauterize the stump and prevent regeneration.
That follow-up was more crucial than the decapitation itself. And Lee Soo-hyuk seemed to know it better than anyone.
Jin Do-ha stared into the eyes of the on-screen Lee Soo-hyuk and wondered.
'Is this really your first time fighting it?'
His movements looked like those of someone who'd tackled the Hydra multiple times.
Dodging the myriad heads. Handling the breath and stingers. Severing heads and cleaning up after.
The battle unfolded like a perfectly scripted play, enabled by Soo-hyuk's seasoned skill.
So that's why ridiculous comments like this appeared.
Jin Do-ha frowned instinctively. No matter how loose-lipped—or loose-fingered—someone was...
If the idiot spouting that nonsense were in front of him, he'd snap their neck in an instant.
'What do they know.'
He surely wasn't the only one watching this stream.
Anyone from that day, that place, would be drawn to it. Jin Do-ha was certain Kim Il-su was watching, at minimum.
Of course, no matter how well he fought, soloing a Hydra was impossible.
Even through the screen, this Hydra felt weaker than before. It was missing a head, and smaller than the one he'd faced.
Even accounting for that, Soo-hyuk's performance was impressive.
Kadduduk-.
Another head's scales split. The Hydra thrashed wildly, but Soo-hyuk severed it without a millimeter of error.
Kweeit-.
Puhwaaak-!
Blood venomously laden sprayed skyward again.
But Soo-hyuk didn't dodge it, focusing instead on cauterizing the stump.
In that moment.
Peok-!
A venomous stinger from the Hydra pierced his back.
Thanks to the lightning armor he'd prepared, it didn't penetrate. But the stinger's size bent his waist, delivering a heavy impact.
Eudeuk-.
The sound of grinding teeth echoed beyond the screen.
He wasn't just skilled. The reason he could perform like this was that molten, steel-hot willpower burning within.
Watching such a Lee Soo-hyuk, Jin Do-ha asked.
"So, Hwa-young. Can you handle it?"
Behind him stood Namgung Hwa-young.
She had come to see Jin Do-ha directly and asked, casting aside the Murim Lord's decorum.
"Handle what? Lee Soo-hyuk? Or our incompetence that can't progress without him? Or perhaps..."
Her gaze on his back held enmity.
"You, Lord War God Jin Do-ha?"