Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: The Meaning of Life 4
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"Yuseong...!"
While the vampires attacking Mount Hua gazed at the pillar of light in a mix of bewilderment and fear, Sword Flower felt an inexplicable, powerful pull drawing her in that direction.
"Hold on, Flora! Where do you think you're going? Your mission isn't that way!"
"I smell Yuseong...! He's over there...!"
-Thud!
"Are you refusing your assigned mission right now?"
Regreta grabbed Sword Flower, who was about to bolt straight toward the pillar, and deliberately laced her voice with menace.
It was an attempt to seize control of the situation and intimidate her, but Sword Flower didn't even seem to hear it as she shook off her arm.
-Crack
"You mongrel bitch. Getting all high and mighty just because the Lord shows you some attention? No enemies around right now? Perfect time to teach you a lesson..."
Furious at having her arm flung off, Regreta channeled magic into her right hand, heating up her circuits in an instant. But she never got the chance to unleash it.
"Don't get in my way!!"
-Slash
'Huh?'
A chilling voice rang out, and her vision flipped upside down as she plummeted to the ground.
"Yuseong... you're there, right? Big sis is coming, so just hold on a little longer... I'll be right there, so don't run away... okay?"
-Tadadak!
As her consciousness began to fade, Regreta thought to herself.
'Why'd they give me a mission like this...'
Shouldn't they have warned her in advance about how dangerous this woman was, instead of waiting to assign surveillance?
Feeling a deep sense of injustice toward the handler who'd omitted the most crucial detail, her awareness sank into darkness.
-Gulp
"You...?"
Dang Ayoung couldn't even think of standing from her collapsed position. Trembling, she stared at him with eyes wide, his aura utterly different from his usual self.
Suddenly, a white pillar had descended from the sky, effortlessly wiping out the vampires she'd been certain would kill her—no matter how desperately she'd flailed, urging even him to flee.
For a split second, she wondered if it was one of his bizarre artifacts, but it felt different somehow.
His appearance just now had been completely unlike his normal self.
Strands of white streaked his hair, his eyes had turned gray, and he'd used some strange sorcery that defied any explanation from the Central Plains...
'What in the world just happened...'
Before Dang Ayoung could gather her chaotic thoughts, an even more bewildering scene unfolded, deepening her confusion.
"Haa... haa... this is the Hero's body... finally..."
Suddenly, he hugged himself, rubbing against his own form before lifting his shirt to his nose and inhaling deeply.
It was impossible to believe this was the same person who'd just exterminated those vampires with such a menacing presence.
"Huu... now I get why everyone else went crazy over it. Watching from screens all the time, but feeling it up close like this... this is heaven..."
"Um, excuse me?"
"Oops, look at me. Sorry about that. I've been leaving my patient hanging."
Something was definitely off.
Not only was he embracing himself like he'd developed narcissistic personality disorder overnight and sniffing his own scent, but he was also spouting nonsense she couldn't comprehend.
Even his speech had taken on a strangely feminine lilt...
"Who... are you?"
For an instant, she recalled those sinister spells from old tales where an evil sorcerer seized another's body.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
The man before her looked the same on the outside, but someone—or something—else inhabited the shell.
"Mm... detailed explanations later, when you hear it straight from him. My descent time is limited..."
"What happened to him?! Is he alive?!"
"He's sleeping right now. He'll be back to normal once I leave, so no need to worry."
"Th-that's a relief..."
He approached Dang Ayoung as he spoke, placing a hand over her wound. She felt a warm energy flow in, and the injury healed completely before her eyes.
"Th-thank you first off. You saved my life."
Her mind was a whirlwind from all the reality-shattering events piling up, but since this... person? had kept her alive, Dang Ayoung expressed her genuine bewilderment.
"Oh, no need for thanks. I've already been paid plenty. If anything, I'm grateful."
"...Huh?"
"I know you've got a ton of questions, but could you hold off a bit? Seems like some bugs are sniffing around, drawn by the scent."
After finishing the healing, he turned his back to Dang Ayoung and scanned the surroundings.
The rain had only been a brief shower, not enough to fully extinguish the flames engulfing the village. Now that it had stopped, the fires were creeping back up.
And amid those flickering flames, figures were cautiously approaching...
"Oh my. So many familiar faces. All ganging up just to take me down?"
"State your identity. How can a creature like you wield that power in this world..."
-Boom!!
Before the vampire could finish, its head exploded clean off.
He'd closed the distance in an instant and pulverized it with a single punch.
Such physical prowess would have been impossible for Dan Yuseong's normal body, even in his wildest dreams—but not now.
"Why bother chatting idly? You're not worth a friendly conversation."
"...Attack!!"
All the vampires nearby had gathered their kin to investigate the surge of holy power in this world, but wiping them out didn't take long.
She was already a master at handling undead, and while an overwhelming horde might have been trouble, this middling force was child's play. Each swing of her arm vaporized them outright, and the matchup favored her heavily.
Even if she'd failed to stop the world's end in her final stand—succeeding only in taking down the Transcendent alongside the Hero—she wasn't about to fall to these small fry.
She'd brought the maximum holy power possible to ensure his protection.
"Mm... maybe the body enhancement was too much? The Hero's frame is so fragile... he might suffer muscle pain for days after I leave..."
She'd cut loose a bit upon reuniting with old foes, but now she wondered if she'd overdone it.
Still, compared to casting spells to eradicate them—which consumed more interference and risked detection by the dimensional barrier—reinforcing the body and smashing them was the more efficient, safer choice.
Any overt magic might alert the barrier to the distortion, expelling her before she could finish.
"I tried to ration it carefully... but I'll probably get booted soon."
Strong-arming a descent like this couldn't last.
Her painstakingly gathered interference was nearly depleted; three minutes at most remained.
"Um, excuse me. Is it over now?"
"Yeah... I think so?"
At least all the nearby vampires seemed dealt with, so she could relax.
Now, then...
-Gulp
There was one thing she hadn't done yet, having finally entered the Hero's body.
If she carefully lifted his pants just enough to peek...
"W-wait a second. What are you—"
It was at that moment.
-Flinch!
A single vampire hurtling toward them at high speed.
She spread her magic to probe the killing intent's direction and, realizing it targeted the woman beside her, acted swiftly.
"Danger!"
Infusing the remnants of her body-enhancement spell, she shoved the woman out of harm's way and confronted the incoming vampire.
Its aura suggested pureblood lineage.
Turning to face it fully, she couldn't help but freeze.
'Her?!'
The creepy woman stalking the Hero.
The second-most dangerous connection he'd forged in this world.
She'd panicked upon being knocked away from her original target and tried to sheathe her sword, but she wasn't allowed that mercy.
'With the energy left, one shot.'
Considering her personality, she'd never leave the Hero's concubine in peace after she departed—and that would breach the pact.
She had to eliminate all threats while she could.
Barging right into the guard of the withdrawing swordswoman, she poured every last drop of holy power into one hand.
It seemed to fluster her further—having her prey yanked away only for the foe to dive into her embrace—but her shocked expression hardened in an instant.
Those red eyes gleamed with bloodlust, brimming with the intent to tear her apart.
'She noticed?'
To discern she wasn't the Hero in this fleeting exchange...
Her beastly instincts, unbound by human limits, deserved recognition.
Curious as she was about the woman's thoughts, resolving the immediate crisis came first.
'Eat this...!'
-Bang!
The strike, channeling her final sliver of holy power, slammed into the woman's dantian.
Partly vengeance for the Hero, but as one of the body's vital points, it was the optimal target with her remaining strength.
-Boom!
-Rumble
She crashed into the opposite wall and crumpled. A faint smile crossed her lips.
'She won't be getting up for a while...'
-Tremble
"What... did you do to Yuseong..."
"?!"
Even she—who'd witnessed the unbelievable on battlefields for centuries—couldn't suppress her shock.
'How...?'
It had hit dead-on.
As a vampire now, she shouldn't be shrugging off holy power like that.
Not disintegration, but she should at least be immobilized for minutes...
'What is that woman's deal...'
But that thought marked the end of what she could do in this body.
The interference limit hit, her consciousness yanked back to her origin world in a flash.
And so, once the saintess's awareness fled, all that remained was...
"...What the hell. What's going on here?"
Dan Yuseong, who'd reclaimed his body before the fight even fully wrapped up.