Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Sudden Retaliation
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“Leader!”
“Jumper! You ready?”
“We can open it right now.”
Jumper replied to Geon-woo’s question with a tense expression.
“Then what’re you waiting for? Open it up!”
Cheon Su-wan bellowed at the hesitant Jumper.
“Fuckin’! Fuck! Fuck fuck!”
“Speak properly if you’re gonna curse, Tucker. What the hell’s a ‘fuck’?”
“Ivan, you motherfuc— Mmph!”
“That’s going too far.”
Tucker and Ivan traded their usual banter, completely out of sync with the mood.
Muhammad shot them a heavy warning in his deep voice.
“Tucker, Ivan. Cut the joking around! This isn’t the time to loosen up. We need to be tense—and furious.”
“Tch, way to kill the vibe.”
“It’s our way of psyching up for battle. Who knows when we’ll bite it? Gotta keep the spirits light to reach heaven, right?”
Ivan and Tucker grumbled, lowering their voices at Muhammad’s scolding.
“Preparation complete.”
At that moment, Jumper finished manifesting a gate at the center of the magic circle.
“Coordinates exact?”
Geon-woo asked.
“Of course. Not a single inch off.”
Jumper guaranteed no error at the gate’s destination.
Geon-woo locked eyes with Muhammad, Cheon Su-wan, Tucker, and Ivan in turn.
“We’ve been over this, but the second we arrive, unleash your strongest attacks, then haul ass back through this gate. Got it?”
“Got it, Leader.”
“We’ll follow orders.”
“No worries.”
“No insubordination during the op.”
“Good. I trust you. And obviously, don’t stray too far from the gate!”
“Mm. Understood.”
“Will do.”
“Shame.”
“Yeah.”
The four implantees wore disappointed looks at Geon-woo’s order not to wander.
They’d planned to push farther out to maximize enemy casualties.
It’d raise their own risks, but they were willing to take them for a real blow.
While they’d been away, these bastards had trashed Teopoli’s clinic, left Paeng on death’s door, and kidnapped Ilryeong.
They deserved payback for that.
But Geon-woo had anticipated as much and insisted they stick close to Jumper’s gate.
“Paeng’ll recover fast. Henesis’s [Growth] has that kind of power.”
Geon-woo spoke as if calming their frustrated faces.
“Plus, everyone knows Ilryeong let herself get nabbed on purpose to expose the culprits behind this.”
No need to get overly worked up, then.
“True, but they still attacked us clear as day.”
“Exactly. We gotta show ‘em what happens.”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“If we’re retaliating, we do it right—half-assed is worse than nothing.”
Muhammad, Cheon Su-wan, Tucker, and Ivan spoke up one after another, demanding a harder hit.
“Who said we’re holding back? I told you to go all-out with everything you’ve got. Just don’t get yourselves in a spot where you can’t retreat. Remember, I can only assign two elite jiangshi per person to escort you.”
The enemy raid had reduced the clinic to rubble and Paeng to critical condition.
The White Guard jiangshi fighting to stop it were wiped out, and Ilryeong—their commander—abducted.
That left just two elite jiangshi each to protect the four implantees for this revenge strike.
Geon-woo worried what might happen if they burned all their chaos mana and collapsed.
“No need to fret. I’ll obliterate everything in front of me.”
“Same here.”
“If we each take one direction, we could level a city.”
“Hard to gauge the power, but it won’t be anything small.”
The four implantees brimmed with sky-high confidence.
A testament to their faith in the chaos mana surging inside them.
“That’s why there’s no reason to stray from the gate. Just turn your backs to it and blow ‘em away. No more talk—I’m ordering you!”
Geon-woo finally issued the command in a firm tone.
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Roger, Leader.”
The four implantees acknowledged once more, no rebellion.
“Then let’s go.”
With their vows secured, Geon-woo plunged straight into the open gate.
The four implantees and Jumper followed right behind.
* * *
Tebrus faction territory.
Geon-woo appeared in the basement of the western command tower overseeing that region.
- My lord, you’ve come.
Ilryeong’s telepathy immediately rang in his mind.
‘You okay?’
Geon-woo rushed to her, chained against one wall.
- I’m fine. It’s just a body made of multiplication metal. I can shut off the senses anytime.
Ilryeong tried to reassure him in a calm voice.
‘It’s not just that. These necromancy pricks must’ve messed with your soul too.’
They couldn’t have handled her easily, but tormenting her spirit was certain.
- Child’s play to me. You’re here, my lord. You know the realm you’ve reached with Heavenly Brain Division Heart Subjugation Art bolsters me too.
As Geon-woo freed her wrist restraints, Ilryeong kept soothing him.
She sensed his rage boiling to the brink, even if it didn’t show.
“Then we’ll step out for a bit.”
“Be back quick.”
“We’re off.”
“Move out, move out!”
After Geon-woo removed all her bonds and set her down, Muhammad and the others reported and dashed from the stone chamber.
This was Tebrus faction’s western command tower.
Linked to Rapin’s central tower, it formed one of four pillars defending the faction’s domain.
Ilryeong had been tortured here by Tebrus disciples probing the clinic’s secrets.
She’d sent Geon-woo the coordinates mid-interrogation, enabling this raid.
“Looking forward to it.”
Ilryeong spoke aloud, seemingly back in control of her body.
“Looking forward?”
“To that no-holds-barred chaos mana barrage? Makes my heart race wondering how strong it’ll be.”
“Drop the cutesy talk. Even joking about it now has my heart skipping—worried something’s wrong with you.”
“Hohoho. My lord cherishes me so. I don’t know where to put myself. But as I said, I’m perfectly fine.”
As worry flickered in Geon-woo’s eyes, Ilryeong beamed, reaffirming her well-being.
Then.
Boom, rrrumble, crash! Roooar!
“Whoa!”
A sudden explosion rocked the earth, and Ilryeong gripped Geon-woo’s shoulder to steady herself.
Geon-woo used his mind power to suppress the chamber’s shaking.
“Impressive.”
Admiration slipped from Geon-woo’s lips.
“Barely the command tower left standing?”
“Guess that leaves it for me.”
Ilryeong sensed the outside devastation through Geon-woo’s mind power and let out her own gasp.
“We’re back.”
“Returning now.”
“The recoil’s no joke.”
“Heading straight to Maheolsan Range.”
The four implantees returned to the chamber, cradled princess-style by their elite jiangshi.
They passed right through Jumper’s gate to Teopoli.
“So now it’s just my turn?”
Once the implantees safely crossed, Geon-woo began his task.
Ruuuumble!
He channeled mind power to uproot the command tower from its foundation.
Craaaack! Crumble!
The tower embodied Tebrus faction’s essence.
Necromantic energy dwelled in its structure as mind power.
Ordinary mind power couldn’t damage it.
But Geon-woo wielded [Growth] mind power—the nemesis of necromancy.
He infused his mind power with [Growth] and assaulted the tower.
Unable to withstand the life-brimming force amid stone and undead aura, it crumbled.
Ruuuuumble! Crash!
The tilting tower suddenly collapsed fully, sprawling across the ruined city.
“You bastard!”
Craaaackle!
As it fell, massive white spears erupted from the top floor.
Bone spears, piercing multiple sublevels to reach Geon-woo’s chamber.
Snap! Boom! Slash!
Few posed real threats, and the elite jiangshi swatted them aside effortlessly.
The attacker hadn’t expected gains from them anyway.
Just punching a hole to Geon-woo’s location.
Swoosh.
A man descended swiftly, stepping on air.
He wore a belt woven from walnut-sized black skulls.
“You!”
White hair, pale face.
Red lips parted over fangs.
“Undead vampire?”
Geon-woo identified the race instantly.
Earth’s fictional vampires, made real.
“That’s Rapin Tebrus’s second disciple.”
Ilryeong whispered his identity.
“Vladikrau, right? The spirit hiding in Marake’s staff too.”
Geon-woo knew Rapin’s disciples well.
Vladikrau was the second.
But the black skulls felt more familiar than the name.
“How dare you! How dare you!”
Vladikrau trembled with rage, glaring murderously.
Geon-woo watched his eyes shift from brown to blood-red.
“Jumper, let’s go.”
But Geon-woo had no unfinished business with Vladikrau.
They’d caused enough chaos; more foes would swarm soon.
Even Rapin Tebrus himself might show.
Time to withdraw per plan.
“Wretch, halt!”
Vladikrau bellowed as Geon-woo entered the gate.
But protected by elite jiangshi, Geon-woo vanished inside with Ilryeong and Jumper.
Vladikrau stood frozen, losing all drive as Geon-woo departed—even as the elite jiangshi followed through the gate.
Soon after, back in Teopoli rebuilding the clinic, Geon-woo heard Vladikrau had been ousted and exiled from the faction.