Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Silent Battlefield
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At the very least, this train—one equipped with a barrier generator—was completely engulfed in Paradox Flame. Even the noise that should have been rattling from the speeding locomotive had all burned away, leaving nothing behind.
I swung the gayageum at high speed, but instead of sound, all that poured from it was black flame—the evidence that the sound itself had been incinerated.
In this silence, our blows were exchanged. The gayageum, which had unleashed powerful impacts with its grating shrieks, had half its power muted in the quiet.
The chants—whether spells or incantations—that had been buffing Seo Yeon-ju and hindering my movements had vanished.
And above all...
These guys had no experience fighting in such a hushed battlefield. You could tell just from their movements.
The gayageum and spear clashed. Unlike before, when the spear couldn't even touch the gayageum, they now clearly collided.
"...!"
Seo Yeon-ju gritted her teeth and shouted something, but no sound came from her mouth—only black flames trickled out. It looked just like a monster spewing fire, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
Even spoiled fish is still fermented properly; the power riding the gayageum was still fierce, but it no longer had that overwhelming sensation of crushing my spear.
These bastards were desperately trying to produce a massive sound strong enough to overcome the Paradox Flame.
The harder they tried, the more fiercely the black flames devoured the sound and spat out mana. And that mana flowed straight through my body, steadily reinforcing my meridians even faster.
It wasn't a massive transformation like awakening all at once. But slowly, steadily... like rocks eroded by crashing waves, or lakes dried up under relentless sun.
The situation shifted bit by bit. Blue trajectories floating around me continuously deployed Fourfold Spears and Cannons, restricting Seo Yeon-ju's movements.
Seo Yeon-ju blocked the thrusting spear while hastily lifting her leg to dodge a blue trajectory aiming for her ankle.
What the hell is this guy doing? she screamed, but no sound emerged. Nothing could be heard. Not even the pounding of her own heart in this vanished world.
Her opponent showed no signs of tiring. If anything, the longer the fight dragged on, the more momentum he gained.
This wasn't normal. Incredibly sharp and precise attacks, defenses, and evasions kept coming.
He charged ferociously only to scatter like a spring breeze, then struck like lightning when she thought he'd dispersed. Each exchange imposed more restrictions on her actions.
It wasn't that her mana output was being outmatched. If anything, she had the edge there.
But she couldn't break free, and the longer it went on, the more dangerous it became.
Quagmire. Carnivorous plant. Mousetrap. Poison. There were too many words that perfectly described her current predicament.
The more she struggled, the deeper she sank. Staying still meant being pulled in immediately.
The positions of the blue trajectories laid across the air by his spear tip grew ever more threatening. She had to pay attention to them, and the moment she did, his spear exploited the opening with ruthless precision.
While defending against another sharp thrust, an even more lethal trajectory spread out. The fight repeated this pattern endlessly.
I know it.
Even knowing the pattern, she couldn't escape. All that remained was the warning bell that this was getting too dangerous. Irritated, Seo Yeon-ju plucked the gayageum strings once more.
The gayageum coughed up thick black flames like phlegm instead of sound.
He's getting stronger.
Little by little. Very little by little. But the guy named Yoo Chan-seok in front of her was undeniably stronger than at the initial clash. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but the longer the fight went, the better his condition became.
Seo Yeon-ju instinctively glanced back. For Lee Ha-yoon to fight, she needed to open her mouth and recite incantations...
Hundreds of talismans burst from the sleeves of Lee Ha-yoon, whose face was twisted in frustration. It was the same method that had once sealed Lee Se-eun's movements.
No, don't—that's what the boss said not even to attempt. Seo Yeon-ju shouted urgently, but her cry went unheard.
The hundreds of talismans positioned themselves around Yoo Chan-seok's body, instantly forming a seal. At the same time, Lee Ha-yoon's face drained of color.
"Damn it, Lee Ha-yoon! The boss ordered you not to do that!"
"We have no choice! If we can just hold him for a moment, hurry and recover the barrier generator...?"
Sound transmitted. The complete silence from moments ago was broken.
The black flames wreathing the spear tip melted through the violet barrier—built from hundreds of talismans that had held even the famous Candy Lady at bay for nearly an hour—and emerged.
It looked just like a heated chopstick piercing a plastic bottle.
"Ka... hack!"
Lee Ha-yoon shuddered and vomited up dark red blood. And beyond the melted barrier, Yoo Chan-seok grinned wickedly.
Of all people, trying that stunt on me.
"You gotta pick your targets."
The seal at the spear's impact point couldn't withstand the Paradox Flame and melted away. Soon, the black flames spreading from the pierced spot incinerated the entire seal.
Another torrent of dense mana poured out. Since the seal had been strong enough to restrict Lee Se-eun, the amount of mana it released as it burned was tremendous.
The ambient mana surged into my body, and with a grinding sound, my meridians toughened even further at rapid speed.
"Hngh... haa... huff..."
The shaman-like bastard was neutralized the instant the seal broke. Now, only the woman strumming her gayageum remained.
"One down!"
At my shout, the gazes of Dan-gun's Descendants and the opposing hunters turned our way.
"Lee Ha-yoon...?"
What they saw was Lee Ha-yoon, pale as a dying patient, spewing blood. Their leader was losing it.
No matter how pumped they were on nationalism, morale couldn't hold when one of their bosses was fresh-producing blood from her mouth.
"Alright, back to the library we go."
Paradox Flame spread once more along the train, devouring sound. Seeing it, Seo Yeon-ju hurriedly touched her ear, doing something.
The plan ahead was simple: target Lee Ha-yoon, who could barely stand.
Then Seo Yeon-ju would have no choice but to protect her if she didn't want to watch her comrade die. In this soundless world, Seo Yeon-ju and I had traded evenly matched blows.
Now I was a bit stronger from the mana of the burned seal, while she had to fight while guarding Lee Ha-yoon.
Just now.
She touched her ear. Probably requested something right before sound fully vanished. And unlike before, her movements were passive.
She's looking for an opening to bolt. I pressed the attack, then seized a moment to aim my gauntlet at the shaman imposter.
The small capsule I fired embedded deep in his gut. Immediately after, I targeted the outer wall of the nearby train car with my gauntlet.
A small marker etched itself, and the anchor from the capsule in his body locked onto the wall.
A simple restraint device. If I captured him alive, I'd get tons of intel.
Taking that guy along for escape would be tricky...
The pale, trembling bastard raised a new blade and gouged his own abdomen. His mouth gaped wide, spewing Paradox Flame. His screamed agony was burning as he stabbed his gut.
You... crazy son of a bitch.
The capsule was deeply embedded. Yanking it out crudely would drag out his innards too. But he didn't hesitate for a second.
His guts spilled from the ravaged wound. The capsule was lodged in them. Without a care if he died right then, he sliced off the section containing the capsule.
Seo Yeon-ju scooped him up and leaped from the train. I muttered in disgust.
"Fine, go. Get lost, you tough bastard."
I had to let them go. No choice. I wasn't in a position to chase them right now.
The remaining Dan-gun's Descendants were still gunning for the barrier generator, and we were outnumbered—they had the edge in numbers. If I chased, we'd likely lose the generator.
"I'll clean up here first."
Rendezvous with Lee Se-eun in the Netherlands. With that decision, I turned to dealing with the leftover Dan-gun's Descendants grunts on the train.
Lee Se-eun's swung sword exploded, vaporizing an entire building without a trace. A figure burst from the blast, unleashing a barrage of arrows that turned the street where she stood into a bombed-out wasteland.
Hamburg was already a wasteland, barely a trace left. It looked like a nuke had hit—craters everywhere, collapsed buildings, shattered streets. No one would believe this devastation came from just two people.
"What are you?"
Lee Se-eun drew her greatsword, questioning the man before her.
"You're leading Dan-gun's Descendants."
That much she could guess. A powerhouse like him wouldn't work under just anyone.
"How about using that strength for something more helpful to humanity?"
She checked her body and gear as she spoke.
Her mana reserves were still ample.
Muscle enhancement, acceleration, mana amplification, impact mitigation, rapid healing, mana resistance...
The gear functions secured from her Partner Hunter days were operating normally. But the soldier in uniform with the bow facing her wielded an equally diverse array of equipment.
I'm on the back foot.
Above all, that was the biggest problem. Lee Se-eun was being pushed. It wasn't a total mismatch, but she was definitely losing ground.
"Something helpful to humanity, huh."
The bowman glanced around and spoke.
"We've already wrecked about 80% of Hamburg."
"Thanks to you."
She had no spare attention for collateral damage. The silver lining: Hamburg had been evacuated due to the sarin gas he and his grunts dispersed, so no civilian casualties.
Someone of Lee Se-eun's caliber wouldn't be affected by sarin anyway.
"Never intended to kill you from the start."
"What are you getting at?"
In response, the man spun an arrow in his hand and continued.
"Dan-gun's Descendants are proud of you. Proof of Korean superiority."
Meaning he'd only planned to hold her.
Lee Se-eun's greatsword whistled through the air, exploded, and carved another massive crater.
"You can't seriously believe that crap?"
The uniformed man answered her question.
"That Gojoseon ruled all Eurasia 60,000 BC, inventing submarines, printing presses, telephones back then?"
He laughed.
"No one's sane enough to buy that."
"Then why...?"
"Does it matter if I believe it? What matters is those who do are with me, and that faith makes them share my grand vision."
He lowered his bow and went on.
"Faith doesn't need proof. You just believe. And that's what counts."
"You're a con artist."
"No, just a patriot putting national interest above all else."
He clicked his tongue curtly.
"Things aren't going as planned again. Time to head back."
"Who said you could...?"
He unleashed a sudden volley of arrows at Lee Se-eun, then vanished. Staring at the ruined Hamburg district, her face hardened.
She slammed her greatsword into the ground and squeezed her eyes shut.
"What a disgrace."
She was alive because he hadn't meant to kill her. There was a clear skill gap between her and the man who'd just vanished.
Pushing aside the shame and anger for now, Lee Se-eun turned her steps toward the Netherlands.