Chapter 97
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Four Cardinal Gods (7)
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In front of the Hyeonmu's corpse, a man and a woman stood facing each other.
What have you been up to all this time?
...Well, Ive been keeping busy with this and that.
Meidens expression was a complex tapestry of emotions: longing, sorrow, anger, pity.
They all swirled together, creating a look that was impossible to describe.
...Um, sis. Do you know this person?
Yuhwa approached the two of them.
Yeah. Allen Velvet. Well, hes a piece of trash.
Haha.
Hermit gave an awkward laugh at Meidens scathing remark.
...Is he a villain?
Yuhwas eyes sharpened.
She lowered her stance, gathering her mana so she could attack at a moments notice.
No. He wasnt that kind of trash. At least, not until eleven years ago.
Meiden looked at Hermit with a distant gaze.
Theft, fraud, backroom deals. He was trash whod do anything for money, but he was recyclable trash. He never crossed the line.
...Haha. You really know how to twist the knife, digging up my dark past like that.
And Mr. Sangjae had nearly made a decent man out of you, too.
Meiden and Hermits history was intertwined with her late husband, Kim Sangjae.
Kim Sangjae had met Hermit during his active years as a hunter.
After a series of events, Hermit had ended up working under him.
That was already more than ten years ago.
Of course, its been eleven years. He could have become a villain for all I know.
Meiden glanced at the tattered remains of the Hyeonmu and chuckled.
But a villain wouldnt be stopping a Hyeonmu in a situation like this. So I guess thats not it.
...Thats true.
Yuhwas guard lowered slightly.
It was unheard of for a villain to help during a national crisis.
Alright, you ungrateful bastard. I have a lot of questions for you.
Meiden clicked her tongue and surveyed her surroundings.
But given the circumstances, Ill put them on hold for now.
The man named Allen Velvet had been quite devoted to Kim Sangjae.
What kind of life had he lived after Kim Sangjae's death?
What was he doing now?
She was bursting with questions, but she decided to save them for later.
But I have to ask this one thing before we move on.
This, however, she had to ask.
Allen, you. What is your relationship with that kid... with Kang Seoyul?
The reason Meiden had headed for the Hyeonmu as soon as she arrived in Australianot the Jujak or any of the other Cardinal Godswas none other than Kang Seoyul.
Meiden recalled the conversation shed had with him on the transport plane just a little while ago.
Ill handle the Jujak somehow.
Its fine. I can handle an incomplete Cardinal God on my own.
But just in case, could you send Cheonbyeon via MK-3? You collected my biometric data last time, so it should be possible, right?
How he knew about the MK-3 was still a mystery.
In any case, Kang Seoyul had said one last thing.
Ah. And you won't have to worry about the Hyeonmu either. I've sent an acquaintance of mine.
So, Ms. Meiden and Ms. Yuhwa, please head to what you think is the most dangerous area in all of Australia to provide support. Im counting on you.
She had agreed, but the more she thought about it, the most dangerous threat was the Hyeonmu.
She could believe that Kang Seoyul might somehow manage to deal with the Jujak, since he was heading there himself. But she didn't think the same could be said for 'Kang Seoyul's acquaintance' who would be facing the Hyeonmu.
That was why, right after dispatching the MK-3, Meiden had made her way to the Hyeonmu at the first research lab.
It was to stop what she believed to be the most dangerous threat in Australia, just as Kang Seoyul had asked.
And there, she had found Hermit, toying with the Hyeonmu as if it were a plaything.
The kid facing the Jujak and you facing the Hyeonmu. Youre not going to tell me you have no connection in a situation like this, are you?
Hmm.
Hermit briefly collected his thoughts.
With him and Kang Seoyul handling the Hyeonmu and Jujak respectively, it would be a stretch to claim they had no relationship.
But he couldnt very well reveal that he was an executive of the Seekers of Truth to Meiden, who harbored a deep grudge against the organization.
Lets just say we have a mutually beneficial relationship.
This was the best way to hedge.
...Right. Its a secret, is that it?
Meiden smirked.
Fine. Well leave it at that for now. We dont have time.
Meiden checked her smartphone and other communication devices, which were still not functioning properly, and clicked her tongue.
Still, she had a rough idea of the situation.
The immense magical energy and fierce flames she had sensed from afar, separate from the Hyeonmu, had subsided.
That kid is really something else.
Meiden shook her head in disbelief.
Kang Seoyul must have dealt with the Jujak on his own.
In any case, that left only the Baekho and the Cheongryong.
Once those two were dealt with, the rampaging monsters would be taken care of soon enough.
Were heading for the Baekho and Cheongryong. What about you?
Ill be heading to Kang Seoyul for now.
***
The S-rank weapon, Cheonbyeon.
A masterpiece crafted by the world's greatest artisan, Elder Jeong Ilyong.
It was a ridiculously overpowered weapon whose performance easily crushed other S-rank weapons, having been built purely for power by discarding all cumbersome attunement conditions.
Its cutting power, the most basic function of a blade, was a given. Its strength, mana conductivityevery aspect was overwhelming.
*Shhhk!*
Guaaaargh!
Thanks to Cheonbyeons overwhelming power, my D-rank attack sliced through the Beast Master's skin, fortified with the Hyeonmus carapace, as if it were a radish.
You... piece of trash!
The Beast Master charged, surrendering his body to his rage.
This could be dangerous.
I shrouded Cheonbyeon in mana.
Boost.
I activated Cheonbyeons unique ability, a trait that could accelerate my body for a little over a second.
*Whoosh-*
The Beast Masters attack sliced through empty air.
I feel like a bullfighter.
A reckless charge.
His movements were becoming more and more bestial.
Unlike his earlier, amateurish moves, his rage-fueled, beast-like actions made his attacks harder to predict.
If I didn't have Cheonbyeon, I probably would have been minced meat long ago.
Die! You goddamn Seed of a Transcendent!
He kicked off the ground, radiating a chilling killing intent.
Fast.
He was starting to get used to the Baekhos legs; he was so fast I could barely see him.
But it wasn't impossible to counter.
I quickly changed Cheonbyeon into the form of a dagger.
Cheonbyeons unique ability.
A Thousand Arms.
A versatile armament that instantly changes its form according to the user's will.
The transformation speed was less than 0.01 seconds.
*Whoosh-*
The sword instantly morphed into a dagger.
In that moment, the paths of the wind opened.
Red trajectories.
There were ten times more of them than usual.
Thanks to Cheonbyeons diverse transformations, my options for evasion had increased dramatically.
I chose one of those paths.
Slightly twisting my body, I simultaneously changed the dagger into a shield.
I angled the shield to meet the Beast Masters charge.
*Kiiiiiiiing-!*
A fierce, scraping sound rang out.
It was the sound of the Beast Masters body grazing past my shield.
Having perfectly deflected his charge, I changed the shield into a whip.
*Chwaaaak-!*
Just as the Beast Master, carried by inertia, was about to land, I used the whip to bind him.
You bastard!
He strained to break free from the whip, but it was useless.
Cheonbyeons durability was on another level compared to the degraded Hyeonmu carapace.
With him bound, I slightly altered the whip's form.
New tendrils sprouted from the whip coiled around the Beast Master, spreading out in all directions.
*Thud!*
They took root in the ground.
The binding was complete.
Krrgh!
Simultaneously, I changed the whip's handle in my hand into the shape of a bow.
I drew the string.
*Fwoooosh-!*
Arrow of Wind (?)
Flames of the Imprint.
Flames of the Spirit.
Spiral Arrow.
An intangible arrow began to condense in a swirling vortex, a complex combination of four different traits.
Uwaaaah!
Perhaps sensing the power of my arrow, the Beast Master expanded the Jujaks wings to break free from the whip binding him.
At the same time, he formed a carapace on his back, increasing his bulk.
*Creak. Crack!*
Cheonbyeon began to creak and groan.
The limit to Cheonbyeons transformation was about twenty meters.
And that was only possible if it was shaped into something thin like a sword.
If its volume was forcibly increased like this, it couldnt hold, no matter how durable it was.
Hraaaagh!
*Snap!*
Ultimately, the Cheonbyeon, which had formed the whip, came undone with a sharp crackle.
*Thud-!*
The Beast Master immediately kicked off the ground.
Ha!
He shot me a smirk.
He must think my ultimate move was rendered useless.
...But that's just what you think.
I returned his smirk.
Dodge this if you can.
My goal from the start was to buy time to gather power for the Spiral Arrow.
The whip had served its purpose perfectly.
*Fwoooosh-!*
The translucent spirit flames flickering on my arrow caught the wind and blazed even more fiercely.
*Fwoooooosh-!*
The wind began to swirl more violently in the heat of the flames.
I gently released the bowstring.
*Paaaaang-!*
A deafening sound, as if it were piercing not the air, but space itself, echoed out.
The advantage of the wind attribute was speed.
Combined with Cheonbyeons powerful performance and the synergy with the fire attribute, the arrow accelerated even further.
The most powerful technique at my disposal.
It shot toward the Beast Master like a beam of light.
And the next moment.
*Kwwaaaaaaaang-!*
Kraaaaaaagh!
The formless arrow had pierced straight through the Beast Masters chest.
*Whoooosh-!*
In that instant, a vortex erupted.
A vortex carrying flames.
It was a small vortex, barely large enough to envelop the Beast Master, but the power it contained was immense.
Guaaaaaah!
The Beast Masters body was on fire.
The spirit flames, imbued with clear killing intent, blazed to incinerate everything.
It burns! Gack! Aaaargh!
The flames, seeping through the gaping hole in his chest, were burning not only his skin but also his internal organs.
*Squirm, squirm.*
He regenerated even as he burned.
*Fwoosh-*
He burned even as he regenerated.
S-save me! Guaaah!
The Cheongryongs trait was regeneration.
The Cheongryongs genes were likely fighting for survival.
But even that had its limits.
The gene transplant, a product of incomplete research, couldn't replicate even 10% of the Cheongryongs regenerative power.
*Fwoooosh-!*
Soon, the rate of burning began to outpace his regeneration.
Even though my flames had weakened considerably, his regeneration couldn't keep up.
Grrrgle... gkk.
Strange sounds began to pour from the Beast Masters mouth.
He had probably lost his mind from the pain.
But it was too early to let my guard down.
The Beast Master carried the genes of the Four Cardinal Gods.
There was no telling what might happen.
I reverted Cheonbyeon, which had temporarily ceased to function from the strain, back to its original sword form.
Then, transforming it into a twenty-meter-long greatsword, I swung it at the Beast Masters neck.
*Slice-*
With the sound of something being severed.
*Thump, roll.*
The Beast Masters head rolled across the ground.
*Thud-*
After a slight delay, his body collapsed.
Even so, I didnt let my guard down.
There was no telling if he could revive even from this state.
I remained vigilant, observing the situation.
About a minute passed.
Whew.
Only then was I certain of my victory.
The Beast Masters severed head and body remained motionless.
They were still in the process of disintegrating.
The only one who could survive this was the Immortal King, who wouldn't appear for a long time yet.
In that moment, the tension drained out of me.
Im dead.
Capturing Baek-nyang.
Fighting the Jujak, and then the Beast Master on top of thatit was exhausting.
If Lucifers spear hadnt restored my mana midway through, I wouldn't have been able to hold out.
Even that last Spiral Arrow had been fired by wringing out every last drop of my mana.
...Hm?
It was while I was checking my remaining mana.
Suddenly, the flow of mana quickened.
Is this... did my mana increase?
Is this some kind of reward for working hard?
This was a pleasant miscalculation.
It was then, as I was smiling to myself.
*Bzzzzzzzt-!*
Sparks suddenly flew from the Beast Masters body.
Sparks of blue, white, red, and black light shot out in all directions.
While I was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Khuhuhuhu.
A laugh escaped from the half-remaining head of the Beast Master.
This wor...ld... is wrong.
His voice was filled with ecstasy.
A world like this... doesnt dese...rve to exi...st.
His lips, turning to ash and scattering, spoke their last words.
Try and dodge this, brat. A dissociation-type biological bomb... that reverses the resonance of the Four Cardinal Gods. At least half of Australia will be blown... away, so try to escape if you ca...
That was the end.
The Beast Masters head crumbled into ash and scattered to the wind.
The sparks on his body began to intensify.
Damn it!
To think hed prepare such a twisted contingency for his death!
How did a piece of trash like this die without even making an appearance in the original story?
*Bzzzzzzzzzt-!*
No.
This wasn't the time to be thinking about that.
I had to think of a way to stop it
Just then.
*Piiiiiiing-!*
The Beast Masters body began to swell.
It inflated like a balloon about to pop.
Vein-like patterns glowed red on the balloon, which shone with four different colors.
It looked exactly like a bomb about to explode.
The mana in the surroundings began to distort.
Damn it!
What do I do?
What can I do now?
Could I use the spirit flames to burn only the genes?
No, there isn't enough time.
Then what about cutting it with Cheonbyeon?
Impossible.
Well, it might be possible, but I couldn't guarantee it would stop it.
I'd be lucky if it didn't detonate on impact.
My mind raced. It couldn't have been more than a second.
*Piiiiiiing-!*
The Beast Masters body glowed even brighter.
...Theres no way.
I had no means to stop that explosion. I was certain of it.
Just as I was succumbing to despair.
Seoyul!
Ha Siyeons voice called out from behind me.
Turning around, I saw Siyeon and Geumho approaching.
...Ah. The increase in mana I felt earlier must have been 'Communion' activating because Siyeon was getting closer.
A question from moments ago was answered.
But why were they here?
I had told them to look after Baek-nyang and, if she seemed able to move, to deal with the rampaging monsters.
No, more importantly, where was Baek-nyang?
It was then.
Grrrrrrr!
Behind me, from where the biological bomb was flashing, I heard the Baekhos cry.
I quickly turned my head back.
Baek... nyang?
The Baekho, with a pained expression, was enveloping the Beast Masters body.
She looked at me, her face set with resolve.
Grrr.
Was I imagining it?
It felt like the Baekho was smiling at me for the first time.
And in the next moment,
*Piiiiiiiiiing-!*
The sound of distorting mana rang out.