Chapter 46
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: CDT (7)
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Cat form.
Immense mana.
And the scent of a powerful aura.
Kirius was certain.
"Spirit...?"
Spirit.
A spirit that could only be encountered in a handful of dungeons, at extreme odds.
Back when Yoon Ji-yeon was traveling the world as a hunter, she'd run into the fire spirit Ifrit while clearing a dungeon.
Contracting with them required clearing quests of hellish difficulty, or so the story went.
When Yoon Ji-yeon first met Ifrit, she was nothing more than a super rookie.
But the moment she embraced the spirit and gained its power, she was chosen for the Twenty Heroes.
That was how extraordinary a spirit's strength could be.
"...Spirit. Ifrit...!"
Kirius ground his teeth.
His emotions shifted.
The instant he heard that name, the rage he'd buried deep in his chest surged forth.
"Hoh, you know who I am, worm?"
"...I know all too well... Heh heh heh... This works out perfectly. I was planning to wipe you all out anyway."
Kirius stripped off his upper shirt.
Thump. Thump.
Embedded in his heart was a massive chunk of ice.
Every beat of his heart made the ice shift along with it.
Ifrit took notice.
"...Hmm... Some kind of sealing stone? From the look of it, that guy's handiwork, huh?"
"...Fuck. You know him? Your buddy."
"Ah, sorry, but he's not my friend."
Yoon Soo-ah flew up beside Ifrit.
"...Ifrit. That wound."
"Yeah. Probably that guy's doing. Aigoo, that crow bastard's kinda pitiful. Just a tiny bit."
"Blah blah blah. Shut the fuck up."
Crunch, crunch!
Black wings sprouted from Kirius's back.
"I'll kill you all. I'll rip your bones from your flesh...!"
Dash.
Kirius charged forward.
She cast a defense formation right away.
Boom-
Kirius's body slammed into the defense formation, pinned in place.
Summoned barriers popped up all around him.
Yoon Soo-ah formed a box-shaped sealing array.
Cube
Craaack, craaack!
The barriers surrounding Kirius shrank steadily, crushing him flat.
Kirius was the one whose bones and flesh tore apart.
But he wasn't going down that easy.
Another Kirius came charging in.
And not just him—all the regular crows started shifting into human form.
Innumerable black wings swarmed forward.
Yoon Soo-ah gathered her mana once more.
Colossal summoning arrays materialized around her.
Meteor
8th Circle Magic
A massive meteor shower rained down from a summoning array linked to outer space.
8th circle magic.
The sky blazed over in seconds.
Some crows looked like they'd dodge the incoming meteors at first, but they got pulverized and incinerated soon enough.
Kirius threw more crows at it to block the shower, but no dice.
Rumble...!
The meteors hammered down relentlessly.
"Uwaaaaa!!!! Spirit...! Spirit...!!!!"
Kirius met the meteor shower with a look of utter despair.
It was a scene straight out of nightmare.
Incoming meteors, melting earth, flames choking the sky.
Crows stood no chance against the meteor barrage.
They got buried under it and smashed into the training ground.
Boom...! Boom! Boom!!!
Yoon Soo-ah didn't let up.
She unleashed mana again.
Hell Wave
8th Circle Magic
Lava surged up, swallowing the entire training ground.
The spirit's power was unreal.
A colossal tsunami of molten rock barreled toward the city next.
The crows crushed by meteors twitched, trying to rise, only to get smothered in lava and erode away.
"Kuuh...!"
Kirius's skin sloughed off under the lava.
He'd completely misjudged.
S-rank wasn't just a step above A-rank—it was a whole other dimension.
This felt like divine wrath.
Flap-.
Kirius spread his wings.
'Damn... Got my target. Time to bail.'
He'd nabbed Kang Tae-hyun, his goal.
Still too much for him against S-rank Yoon Soo-ah.
At minimum, he needed to yank out that sealing stone in his heart.
Escape and regroup first.
Kirius beat his massive wings and shot into the sky.
The surviving crows clustered around Kang Tae-hyun's barrier, hauling it away.
'Damn, damn... damn...!'
Running was his only shot at survival.
That kind of power—even the 'Joker' would have his hands full.
Kirius streaked across the sky to the far side of the training ground.
"...Hah... hah... ugh...!"
Right then, his wings froze mid-flap.
His whole body locked up—he couldn't even turn his head.
Not just him.
All thousands of his crows halted in an instant.
Kirius managed to crane his neck toward Yoon Soo-ah.
Sweat pouring off her.
Hands shaking.
Supreme earth-affinity magic.
Gravity
8th Circle Magic
A skill that locks onto targets and yanks them to a set spot with crushing gravity.
Yoon Soo-ah forced the words out.
"...Disappear."
Rumble!
The earth cracked open.
Gravity dragged Kirius and his crows down to the lava with brutal force.
The summoned crows plummeted straight into the melt.
Thousands turned to instant barbecue.
"...Ugh... ex..."
Crack!
Kirius's bones snapped as he tried to hold out, piercing through flesh.
"...A... aaak...!"
Spurt!
Blood vessels ruptured, blood gushing from every hole in his body.
"...Kuh... I will... definitely...!! Some... day... revenge...!"
Snap!
Kirius's neck bone finally broke, head lolling back.
Drained of strength, he couldn't fight the gravity and dropped.
He sank slowly into the bubbling lava.
...In those searing depths, Kirius would melt down to nothing, not even a shred left.
As long as Yoon Soo-ah drew breath, he'd never see daylight again.
"Cough...! Cough!"
Yoon Soo-ah clapped a hand over her mouth, looking queasy.
Ifrit and the flame dragon spun anxiously at her side.
"Grrr... grr..."
"You okay...? Wasn't that pushing it?"
"...I'm fine. This much is nothing."
The training ground was a lava ocean now.
Without her barrier, nothing alive could survive that.
Scattered meteors sank into the lava bit by bit; the red-hot flow never stopped.
Yoon Soo-ah hauled herself onto a nearby building's rooftop.
'...Oldman.'
His presence was gone.
He'd probably chased off after another intruder.
But a vanished presence meant one of two things.
Either he'd shifted to another space at the same time.
Or he'd fallen.
Yoon Soo-ah dragged her weary body along, shifting the skyborne barrier.
The one holding the saint slid slowly toward the safe zone.
That's when squadrons of transport ships filled the sky.
Hunter Headquarters' support squad, arriving on the report.
"...Family Head."
Ah-young emerged from the barrier and hurried to her side.
She looked utterly spent, barely able to muster words.
But they had to keep moving.
Oldman was still fighting.
Kyaak- caw-!
Suddenly, a crow screeched.
'...Some still alive?'
Yoon Soo-ah lurched toward the rooftop railing.
Ah-young supported her.
The cry came from a barrier.
But cracks spiderwebbed it, golden light spilling out.
That was Tae-hyun's prison.
Cracklerumble.
The barrier exploded into shards, spewing a mountain of crow corpses.
They piled high, sinking into lava.
And something writhed free from the pile.
Stat buffs last 30 minutes total.
Can't fight forever.
Had to end the bastard quick and clean.
Another crow flock burst from the wall.
My body's in prime shape.
Piece of cake to handle.
I cleaved them down as they spawned.
But way more swarmed in than my blade could swing.
With eight clones now, battle got a lot smoother.
Still, too goddamn many.
Over 800 crows sliced already.
Slash!
My sword halved a crow mid-leap; it crumpled.
A blade gleaming gold.
My whole body wrapped in golden aura too.
This was transcendent awakening.
Absolute power reserved for the chosen few.
Crows kept screeching.
Full-on desperate howls.
"Why would the king stoop to a worthless human's level!!! Don't you crave greater strength? Perfect power?"
I tuned them out.
Swing only.
...Dozens of crows merged into a massive one.
"Caw-!!!"
Whoosh.
The crow balled a fist and hammered at me.
I barely parried with my sword.
Still drove me crashing through the floor.
Insane force.
"I don't want to kill you. What a shame to waste that talent."
"...I wanna kill you, though."
Craaackle-!
I surged lightning through the sword, zapping the giant crow.
As it reeled from the shock, I lunged and lopped both legs.
Slash-.
Thin legs sheared right off.
Hunting style like orcs.
Cripple the legs, rush vitals.
Stab!
Bigger the body, bigger the holes.
More crows mobbed the downed giant.
Endless waves.
I wiped my mouth.
"...Damn, filthy numbers."
"...This is an infinite crow hatchery. Infinite stamina or not, you ain't escaping."
Their hits never land on me.
My attacks couldn't wipe them for good either.
No clue on outside, so stuck fighting here.
Just pray everyone's safe.
[Weapon Form: Sword → Spear]
Slime weapon form shift.
Now max damage on minimal stamina.
Got the crows' patterns down.
Ranged weapon means they won't graze me.
Spear saves more stamina than sword, drags it out long-term.
Question is when I tap out.
They rushed again.
One by one.
Kept pouring in.
Spear tip never rested; foes never tired.
But I thrust again.
Battle end unknown, just slaughter what's in front.
Thrust till my body's pure thrusting instinct.
Form shift again.
Blades both ends—no spin needed for attacks.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Way smoother now.
Just time the thrusts.
Crow kept yapping.
Like it was trying to sway me.
"Why crawl in the dirt with summit-tier power? Crave strength? Desires? I'll deliver!! Only I can crown you a great king!"
Stab!
Pierced the talker's heart.
Heart ripped clean out.
Ten minutes left, give or take.
...Maybe my imagination, but numbers thinning.
All small fry now.
Brain flash.
'Caster's weakening...!'
Kirius, right?
I chuckled.
Power drop means hunters winning outside.
Crows faltered, snarling from afar.
Even closing in scared 'em now.
Floor choked with unrespawning corpses.
No mana left to regen monsters.
"...Stupid! So stupid! Why are humans this dumb! I! Will make you king!"
The crow bellowed.
First real emotion since start.
Emotional shift signals battlefield flip.
Toward victory.
I recalled spear to bracelet, fingers splayed.
Time to test.
Can I nuke every crow here at once?
Past life, one spell meant thousands of swings.
That kept me alive.
Great Fireball
Fireballs coalesced into a blazing behemoth.
Golden rays coiled around the sun-hot core.
Transcendent awakening boost.
"Stupid fuck! Way too dumb! I'll end you. Just wanted the 'key' in ya anyway... Won't be quick. Gonna devour your flesh bit by bit. Grind your bones, stuff 'em down your throat. Shred brains and guts for goblin chow."
Curses flew; I didn't flinch.
Every crow charged.
Barrier split sharp—light half, dark half.
Crows dove in.
Suicide-rushing the fireball.
Burn one flock, spawn another, crash repeat.
I hurled the great fireball.
Flames erupted, torching everything in a blink.
"Caw-! Caw!"
Boom boom-!
Crows thrashed in agony, body-piling to cancel it.
Hundreds, then three, kept slamming in.
...Till the fireball splintered into embers, crushed.
Crow laughed its ass off.
"Hahaha! Gonna rip you to shreds!"
Crows swarmed the fireball's wreckage.
I just watched.
No counter needed.
Whoosh-!
Five great fireballs ignited at once.
Five simultaneous casts.
"...Ah."
Crow locked up solid.
Five orbs rocketed their way.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM-!!!
First flawless five-cast chain.
Transcendent might crushed it.
Great fireballs annihilated the rest.
Not one spared.
"Uwaaaaaaaa-!!!"
Hellscape pure.
Shrieks? Sweet symphony.
Kwaaaaang-!
Fireballs purged all without mercy.
A charred crow stumbled forward.
"...Never thought Lord Kirius would fall... ."
Reached to snag me.
Kneecap torched first—down it went.
Still clawing my way, rasping on.
"...Your... fate... is... set... Remaining... eight kings'... loyal... minions... will... drag you... away..."
"..."
No words needed.
Crow smoldered slow, collapsing at my feet.
Then the eternal black barrier cracked.
Shattered soon after.
Sunlight warmed my face through the breach.
(To be continued)