Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Horizon of Promise, Now I Come to You (6)
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17.
“That bastard, I’m gonna rip that fucking mouth off!”
Jeong Ha-kyeong gripped her demon blades in reverse grip, lowering her stance into position for a charge.
Zzzzzzzzzz………………
Destructive demonic energy billowed from each blade. A light that could rot all creation in a single strike.
Piriiriiriiriirik────
Seo Hwa-yoon’s Gundam struck first.
It unleashed buzzsaw discs indiscriminately, then fired the massive cannons on both shoulders.
────Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-bam!
Suffocating smoke.
A skull-shattering roar.
Well……
Shalluan’s divine rank was the fourth.
No matter how much the enemy before her was an apostle of an absolute god, it shouldn’t be enough to overwhelm Shalluan’s divinity.
Alright then…… Here I go.
Jeong Ha-kyeong kicked off the snowy ground.
Thwack──! The frozen earth crumpled under her heel.
She amplified her focus with pure humanity.
Her vision instantly turned ashen, and she plunged into the smoke in one breath.
Chachachachachachachang────!
At that moment.
The crystal swords floating at Choi Sin-yul’s sides flew in all at once to intercept her like striking vipers.
Let’s see……
Fourteen blades in total.
She saw them in an instant. Thought. And made her judgment.
Seven were for defense.
Positioned to predict where she’d charge, sealing off the surrounding space.
The other seven were for offense.
Flying at her limbs from all directions at terrifying speeds to sever them.
In that case.
In a flash, she thrust <Shalluan> and <Karizeryu> into both sides of her heart.
“Always stay by my side, said Kim Baek-jun.”
Thump.
Thump, thump, thump.
“The school we’ll build, he said excitedly, Kim Gye-sang.”
Her heart.
Her brain tore with agony as the demon blades cried out in delight.
“………………!”
The dance of blood and iron stench.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Along the path the blades had carved.
Spraying blood rippled with the abyss, dancing in ecstasy.
Fwoooosh──────!
Short swords and daggers were short in reach.
But that was fine. The short distance was compensated by the blood spraying out, unfurling in deep blue-black along her sword path.
──────Chwaaaaaak!
The blades she’d stabbed into her body.
She drew them out savagely in an instant.
Spraying that bursting blood everywhere as she charged.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Five crystal swords evaporated the moment they touched the blood.
She missed the other two.
But that was okay. Jeong Ha-kyeong wasn’t alone.
“《Protective Lotus Current》!”
Lotus petals swirled around her body like a vortex. The crystal swords crashed into the petal barrier and bounced far away.
The next instant.
Kaaaaaaaang!
A crystal sword struck at her demon blade.
But was that enough? The crystal sword began evaporating in an instant under the power of decay.
“So that’s how you reached that level…… I see.”
Choi Sin-yul fell back for a moment, then snapped his fingers to summon dozens more crystal swords.
“You synchronized with a Holy Apostle?”
“Yeah, you fucking bitch!”
“Not bad. At least you’re fun to fight, unlike the others.”
It wasn’t much of a secret.
Just looking at Jeong Ha-kyeong’s level [Lv: 316] put her above Kim Baek-jun. Anyone could guess.
Again, again, again.
The abyss boiled endlessly in her mind.
The intoxicating rot scent vibrated so intensely it numbed her sense of smell.
“But why are you so pissed? Because of that dimwit Kim Baek-jun?”
She swung the short sword <Shalluan> forward in a wide arc.
Fududududu-duk──────!
The widely spreading blood.
Evaporated the incoming crystal swords in a single blow with her blood sword arts.
“You think I wouldn’t know?”
“……?”
“Your stance is so simple it’s childish from all that rage. Keep fighting like that, and you’ll die.”
The dagger <Karizeryu>.
She pulled it back hard, then thrust it forward with a fierce kiai in an instant.
─────Chwaaaaaak!
The blood coating the blade.
Formed into a wedge-shaped sword beam and exploded, engulfing Choi Sin-yul.
“Shut your disgusting trap─────!”
Every time she swung her blade.
Every time the blood sword beam tore through dimensions in dark crimson dance.
“──────And for fuck’s sake!”
Two pains.
Pierced through Jeong Ha-kyeong’s mind.
“Just stop──────!”
One was the physical agony of the blade tips gouging her body.
“Hong Byeong-gyu singing drunk.”
“Cha Seung-hyeon’s adorably smiling face.”
The other was.
The pain of memories being carved out in chunks.
Ah…… Fuck……
That one just now.
A memory I wanted to cherish forever.
“──────Go die!”
That one just now.
The memory that always brought a smile without fail.
“You fucking bastard────!”
What made.
Jeong Ha-kyeong into Jeong Ha-kyeong.
Memories, emotions fading away. One, one, another one.
“───────Because of you.”
Chiiiiiik───!
The earth rotting away in the blood.
“Those idiots─────!”
Chachachachachachachang───!
Frost blades flying wildly from all directions.
“─────If I forget even one of them!”
Chwak, chwaaak, chwaaak───!
Jeong Ha-kyeong’s secret art 《Blood Flow Vanquishing Blade》.
Kaaang── Kaaaaang──!
Choi Sin-yul casually parried, constantly resummoning fresh crystal swords.
“You gonna take responsibility────!”
Screaming like that.
Jeong Ha-kyeong stabbed both demon blades into her neck, then drew them out hugely forward.
The demon blades laughed at the swordmaster’s fury.
And.
In response to that rage.
Compressed the blood with overwhelming heat, then released it in an explosive burst.
────Fwoooooosh!
Unreal power of decay.
An inescapable range. The blood sword beam rose like a tsunami, crashing over Choi Sin-yul.
“…………?!”
At that moment.
Right then.
Choi Sin-yul’s evasive stance against the wave wavered.
Opening.
He showed an opening.
End it. Here, right now, end it.
Jeong Ha-kyeong, frantic from her repeatedly torn memories, lunged forward……
“This game ends here.”
……And that became her downfall.
In that instant, everything happened in a single moment.
Dull sword.
Choi Sin-yul casually blocked the thrust of <Shalluan> and <Karizeryu> with one strike.
Kaaaaaaaang────!
The crystal sword touching the blood.
Split into a hundred crystals in an instant before it could decay.
And.
Controlled those crystals with sword arts.
───Quaaaaaaaak──
Without a chance to stop it.
In a flash, they surged toward Yi Seong-mi and Seo Hwa-yoon.
─────Fwoooooosh!
Yi Seong-mi stood dazed for an instant.
Then slowly lowered her head.
The crystal edges piercing her body…… And the abyss of decay still clinging to their tips.
“Huh……?”
《Lotus Cloud Mantle》 was the ultimate protective technique that countered momentary damage.
But.
《Deep Blood Erosion》. Jeong Ha-kyeong’s unique skill didn’t end with instant damage.
Simply put.
A sustained damage skill, the natural counter to momentary defenses.
……Chiiiiiiiik……
Even after 《Lotus Cloud Mantle》 vanished, 《Deep Blood Erosion》 lingered in her body…… And immediately began rotting Yi Seong-mi’s abdomen.
Clang.
The mystical pink-glowing sword, Lotus Sword, fell limply to the ground.
Cough.
Yi Seong-mi vomited blood and collapsed on the spot.
Her leather coat.
Her skin, bones, organs rotted in an instant……
“Ah…… Aah……………….”
……She let out a feeble groan of agony, but even that cut off in a flash.
“Seo…….”
Seo Hwa-yoon.
From within the Gundam rotting into scrap metal, she moved her lips, then unleashed a scream close to a wail.
“Seong-mi! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa────!”
At that moment.
As the scream echoed.
Jeong Ha-kyeong couldn’t see Yi Seong-mi or Seo Hwa-yoon.
Because.
When the crystal swords split earlier.
“Huh……?”
The counterforce vanished abruptly, unbalancing Jeong Ha-kyeong……
What the…… What kind of insane……?
……A frost blade had burrowed deep into her right leg.
Sgaaaak──────
Tearing flesh, muscle, and tendons, the blade sharply sliced her femur and protruded.
Then.
It severed her left leg the same way and burst out.
───────Fwoooosh!
The next moment.
Jeong Ha-kyeong was staring up at the ashen sky as her blood sprayed long and far.
What?
Why am I sprawled out spread-eagled in the snow?
And when did I drop them?
Her demon blades <Shalluan> and <Karizeryu> were rolling in the snow over there with the [Grotesque Eyebone Helmet].
[Goddamn it, you stupid bitch……!]
Agony.
Unbearable pain surged up.
And the cheeky Holy Apostle’s nagging echoed deep in her mind.
[I warned you at the end…… Don’t fight the Sword God yet……!]
Splash.
Choi Sin-yul’s approaching footsteps.
Death’s fishy taste filled her mouth, and now she even heard Seo Hwa-yoon’s desperate voice.
“……You, stop there, I said stop……!”
Splash, splash, splash.
But he didn’t stop.
By then, a piercing beep…… rang in her eardrums.
“……Touch Ha-kyeong even with a fingertip! If you do, I’ll, I’ll kill you, got it? Got it, you dog bastard……!”
Splash. Splash. Splash. Splash. Splash.
Her vision…… Her vision grew bloodier and hazier.
“……Ha-kyeong! Hey, Jeong Ha-kyeong……!”
Am I…… dying now?
Strangely, that realization of death brought no resentment. It even felt peaceful.
“Haa…….”
Like the long game of hide-and-seek was finally over?
The tagger called death, always hot on her heels…… Had finally caught Jeong Ha-kyeong.
No regrets about life.
This world had ended long ago.
And Jeong Ha-kyeong’s world had ended three days ago with Kim Baek-jun’s death.
But. Why. Why then.
Was something hot flowing from her eyes?
A memory flashed before her eyes.
- Ah, that’s the one Baek-jun gave you?
The day before the Gonaam-dong siege.
The memory of rowdily drinking coffee by the pier with Hong Byeong-gyu, Kim Gye-sang, Cha Seung-hyeon, Yoon Geon-woo, and Kim Baek-jun.
- Just…… Thought it’d be nice if we could keep gathering like this.
- Bro, your wish is so simple it’s easy to remember.
- Hey, if I really die, eat 20 sets of Huangol chicken legs for me.
Ahahaha…… A hollow laugh burst out.
If I die.
If I die, it all ends?
Even remembering those fools…… Even recalling that day’s warmth……
- I knew right away.
And.
Kim Baek-jun’s ever-familiar.
Clear, warm, cozy smile in her memory.
- It was you, Ha-kyeong…… My first love.
I get it.
That’s what pisses me off.
That’s what makes me want to cry……
At that moment.
Finally, a long shadow fell over her vision, darkening the world.
Choi Sin-yul had arrived.
As Choi Sin-yul’s shadow extended his left hand, a flash of frost light gleamed, and a crystal sword formed in his grasp.
I……
Kim Baek-jun, I……
Killing intent concentrated on the blade.
Seo Hwa-yoon and the survivors desperately called Jeong Ha-kyeong’s name. And at the very moment Choi Sin-yul swung down.
Chararararang──────!
Dawn struck.
Scattering brilliant radiance, it knocked Choi Sin-yul’s sword far away.
───Chaaaaaaaang!
Did it sense the overwhelming threat?
Even Choi Sin-yul recoiled, opening up nearly 50 meters of distance in an instant.
“This is……?”
That moment.
In that single moment.
No one knew what had happened.
That light.
That clear chime.
Everyone remembered who had always used it.
But.
But it was impossible. Unbelievable.
Hallucination?
Am I seeing things……?
A breathless silence blanketed the world for an instant.
What, what…… This light……?
Jeong Ha-kyeong felt an eerie tickle up her spine and, collapsed as she was, barely, somehow craned her neck back.
“Ha-kyeong.”
There.
A ghost was walking toward her.
What……?
How…… How is this……?
A ghost clutching a greatbow gleaming in twilight glory. A ghost with the face of the man Jeong Ha-kyeong had missed to the point of madness……
Kim Baek-jun…………………?
Even after his form fully entered her vision, her mind remained locked in chaos.
“Kim…… Baek…… jun……?”
Plenty of reason to doubt.
Kim Baek-jun was definitely dead. And…… His presence was utterly different from before. Not human.
A presence like dawn itself.
Not overwhelming the world around him, but warmly embracing it…… Yes, not pushing away and crushing like Choi Sin-yul, but drawing in.
“Yes, it’s me.”
The ghost knelt beside Jeong Ha-kyeong.
Draped [Shadow Exoskeleton Cloak] over her battered shoulders, and smiled the smile she’d desperately sought in her dreams.
“We had a promise, Ha-kyeong.”
In that instant.
Her vision whitened.
“I’d come back…… Sorry, I’m really late keeping it.”
It’s him……
The real Kim Baek-jun……
Her solar plexus ached with sorrow and relief, eyes closing on their own. Pent-up sobs leaked through her teeth.
“You…… You fucking bastard…….”
“…….”
“Why…… Why’d you come so late…… You shitty jerk…….”
Jeong Ha-kyeong pounded Kim Baek-jun’s chest with her fist as she sobbed.
That question.
Was what everyone in the Association desperately wanted to ask.
How did you survive?
And why now, why so damn late?
Kim Baek-jun responded with a wistful smile, then pulled Jeong Ha-kyeong into a deep embrace.
“Sorry. I’ll explain later.”
He gently laid Jeong Ha-kyeong in the snow, stood, turned to the Association members.
“Everyone, leave this guy to me.”
“What…… That monster! How alone?!”
“It’s fine, Hwa-yoon.”
“……What?!”
“Trust me.”
And finally.
He gave orders to Gong Min-young, who had come with him.
“Gong Min-young.”
“Yeah~ Oppa~!”
“Take Ha-kyeong and all the survivors to safety.”
That vixen dared…… Flirt with Kim Baek-jun right in front of Jeong Ha-kyeong.
“On one condition~ Promise to hold me gently like Ha-kyeong unnie~?”
“You…… You…… Fuck───”
“──Kidding, got it!”
Finally, Kim Baek-jun.
Glanced quietly at Yi Seong-mi collapsed far away in the snow.
“Let’s go, Choi Sin-yul.”
Choi Sin-yul.
The Sword God of Outer Heaven staring at him suspiciously from 30 meters away…… Faced him, transcending 23 days of time and space.
“Seize the momentum.”