Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Axe Gang Takedown
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The first one to charge was Do Kang-cheol.
“Die, you bastard!”
He came rushing at Lee Jae-hyun, screaming as he brandished his hand axe.
Because of his sudden lunge, the axe-tattooed thugs behind him reacted a beat late.
Lee Jae-hyun didn’t dodge the hand axe. Instead, he stepped forward to meet it.
No matter what was in the guy’s hand, if it was a weapon, you had to close the distance.
The enemy’s attack range was long, while Lee Jae-hyun’s was short.
Get close, and it evened the odds.
Whoosh!
The axe whistled past his ear, slicing the air.
Lee Jae-hyun watched it pass right by his head before shifting his gaze.
Do Kang-cheol’s eyes wavered slightly as he confirmed Lee Jae-hyun had leaned back to avoid the hand axe.
The guy had aimed to bury it in Lee Jae-hyun in one go.
He hadn’t even considered failure.
Lee Jae-hyun raised his fist and drove a short jab into the man’s side.
Thud.
“Urk.”
Do Kang-cheol let out a small groan but swung the hand axe again at Lee Jae-hyun.
Lee Jae-hyun ducked forward to evade it.
Then he grabbed the arm of another thug approaching from behind Do Kang-cheol and spun his body.
Bam!
One axe-tattooed guy slammed into the floor.
His face twisted in agony.
Lee Jae-hyun raised his foot to stomp the man’s face, but the others were already closing in.
In the end, he dodged another punch and had to plant his foot right next to the fallen thug’s head.
Instead of crushing it underfoot, he kicked it aside to reposition.
“Not bad, huh.”
Do Kang-cheol muttered with a sinister grin.
He readjusted his grip on the hand axe and glared at Lee Jae-hyun.
The thug who’d been kicked in the head after hitting the floor writhed, trying to get up.
But it wasn’t a hit he’d recover from quickly.
He hadn’t just been thrown—he’d been slammed and then booted in the skull. Of course.
Lee Jae-hyun clenched and unclenched his fists, checking his condition.
His body felt insanely light.
He’d been exhausted, but now it moved better than even at his peak.
This was insane.
To think the demon’s help was this potent.
He’d received Serhen’s aid multiple times so far.
Her eyes that saw Evil Karma had helped him track down criminals.
She’d shown ridiculous tailing skills to assist him.
And the full power of her demonic authority? That had been during the Park Chun-beom case, tied to Song A-ram—the red thread.
As a cop, it was an ability that made his eyes gleam with envy, and it had helped immensely...
‘But now, it feels completely different.’
It wasn’t superior to the red thread that revealed fateful connections and led to evidence.
None of the demon’s powers ranked above the others.
Still...
Lee Jae-hyun couldn’t help but feel it differently.
The red thread was an absurd ability that flat-out defied logic, guiding him to Song A-ram with her evidence.
But now, he was directly experiencing the demon’s ‘authority’ through his own body.
It felt like he’d popped some awakening drug from the movies.
‘Is this what drug highs feel like?’
Endorphins surged, bringing a strange euphoria.
In that moment, Lee Jae-hyun understood why narcotics were called devil’s drugs.
A substance that let you feel this sensation, only possible through demonic power.
What else could it be but the devil’s brew?
“Guys, rush him all at once!”
Do Kang-cheol flicked the hand axe like a snake’s tongue, biding his time, then shouted.
Two axe-tattooed thugs and Do Kang-cheol charged together.
This time, the two thugs led.
Lee Jae-hyun closed the angle meticulously, denying them the chance to surround him.
Once they were nearly in a straight line, he kicked off and lunged.
‘Three left, including Do Kang-cheol.’
He’d take out two here.
Decision made, Lee Jae-hyun moved fast.
He feinted a head-on charge at the frontmost thug, then spun into a roundhouse kick as the guy hesitated.
The same kick that had disarmed Park Man-seok’s bottle.
It slipped through the thug’s guard and slammed into his solar plexus.
Boom!
The rotational force sent him flying into the counter.
Crash!
He shattered the fixtures on top and buried his head in it.
Head limp, he wasn’t getting up—probably knocked out from a bad hit to the skull.
Good for Lee Jae-hyun.
But no time to rest.
Do Kang-cheol and the last thug barreled toward him.
“Dong-jin! That bastard dared touch Dong-jin...!”
Were they close? The remaining thug flipped his eyes back in rage and charged.
Lee Jae-hyun evaded the axe-wielding Do Kang-cheol and met the berserk thug head-on.
The guy had dropped all defense, wildly swinging a knife clutched in his hand.
‘Practically begging to be taken down.’
Lee Jae-hyun lowered his stance and powered his legs.
What he was about to do would’ve been impossible if the fatigue from the club and gukbap joint fights had him—his legs wouldn’t have held.
But with Serhen’s power amplifying his physical abilities, it looked feasible.
It felt like shedding a layer of skin that had weighed him down.
Trusting his enhanced body, Lee Jae-hyun timed his rush to match the thug’s outward knife swing.
Thud!
They collided.
Lee Jae-hyun hoisted one of the thug’s legs and shoved forward.
“Hah!”
“You bastard...!”
The thug yelled something, but it cut off.
Lee Jae-hyun clamped down and drove forward with his legs, shoving the man back helplessly.
He slammed back-first into the wall.
Bam!
“Gah!”
Lungs crushed, the thug folded forward and blacked out.
The explosive burst left Lee Jae-hyun staggering under the thug’s collapsing bulk.
That instant.
His sharpened instincts screamed of danger approaching from his blind spot.
Already moving on pure reflex, he rolled across the floor without hesitation.
Crash!
An axe embedded where he’d been, right after.
He didn’t need to look.
Do Kang-cheol.
Chills racing up his spine, Lee Jae-hyun sprang up.
“...Old man’s got stamina.”
“Die!”
Lee Jae-hyun backpedaled from the red-eyed Do Kang-cheol.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The axe slashed past his shoulder, then his chest. A far cry from the head-hunting swings earlier.
Do Kang-cheol had switched tactics the moment he realized Lee Jae-hyun wasn’t easy prey.
‘Hard to close in like this.’
Not a knife—an axe.
Unlike a blade that just cut flesh, one hit anywhere shattered bone.
Every strike was a potential kill shot.
That’s why axes terrified.
But...
‘Only if it lands.’
Lee Jae-hyun waited calmly.
If he had one edge over Do Kang-cheol...
Endurance.
The older man’s stamina wasn’t what it used to be.
“You fucking dog...!”
Frustration bred haste, wasting energy.
His swings grew wider as his breathing turned ragged.
Whoosh.
Clack.
Lee Jae-hyun caught the axe handle.
He smirked.
“Tired already?”
“You... bastard...!”
Panting, Do Kang-cheol yelled as Lee Jae-hyun booted his gut.
Exhausted, he lost grip on the axe and tumbled across the floor.
“Told you I’d explain why you’re Hell Faction.”
“W-Wait...”
Lee Jae-hyun reversed the axe and approached.
Do Kang-cheol scrambled backward on the floor.
Too late—Lee Jae-hyun pinned his chest with a foot.
“You die here today.”
“No, don’t!”
Like a death sentence, the axe fell.
* * *
“...Out cold.”
Lee Jae-hyun muttered, looking down at the unconscious Do Kang-cheol.
The axe was buried blade-deep right beside the man’s head.
All that talk of toughness.
Yet here he was, eyes rolled back from an axe next to his skull.
“Well, I’ve done it, but...”
Lee Jae-hyun surveyed the wreckage.
Thugs sprawled on the floor, one face-planted in the counter, another crumpled in the corner from a kick.
No one left who could spill Choi Su-jin’s whereabouts.
‘Serhen.’
“Truly... impressive.”
Serhen gazed at him, genuinely awed.
In her black dress, hands clasped, eyes sparkling—Lee Jae-hyun gave her a strange look.
She’d boosted his condition to make victory possible.
But that adoring gaze from his helper felt absurd and burdensome.
‘...Can you help find Choi Su-jin too?’
“Of course. Gotta pay for the show.”
Serhen nodded matter-of-factly at his cautious question.
She smiled, waved her hand.
Black energy formed again, seeping into him.
The sensation of it absorbing into him was starting to feel familiar.
Third time now—Park Chun-beom, just now with Axe Gang, and before.
Lee Jae-hyun took a deep breath and turned to her.
‘No real change, huh.’
With Park Chun-beom, a red thread to Song A-ram appeared.
Just now, it was physical.
He’d half-expected another red thread like before, but glancing at his hands yielded nothing.
“Just catch that guy this time.”
Serhen pointed at the fallen Do Kang-cheol.
Lee Jae-hyun placed his hand on the man’s head as instructed.
And in that moment.
Gravity flipped, and Lee Jae-hyun’s world turned upside down.