Chapter 170

Huaaaa!

A black steam rises. The shock wave spreads like ocean tides around the place where Suho's fist struck.

[Ka-heok!]

Javier's scream of pain pierces the air, his heavy body trembling terribly. This was the start of Suho's earnest attacks.

Bang! ¡Pooh!

Kwah kwah kwah kwah!

One shot, two shots, all of them heavy attacks. Suho's fists that are wrapped in giant gauntlets start beating Javier mercilessly.

[Ak-This! This!]

But Javier wasn't alone in the suffering.

Kwah kwah kwah kwah kwah!!

Dozens of giant tentacles rained down from all sides, fiercely striking upon Suho's body. However, this didn't stop Suho at all. He kept enduring all the brutal attacks with his bare body and focused solely on attacking repeatedly.

A head-to-head match.

Although, matter how tough one's skin is, it doesn't completely reduce all the pain.

It hurts. Everything hurts.

His intestines are shaking.

He can feel the blood rising in his mouth.

His HP is decreasing steadily in real time.

Suho still didn't stop, and he had no intention of doing so anytime soon.

This is a test.

My father's watching.

Because I was given permission to leave the work behind and run amok as much as I wanted!

So I'll show you.

I will proudly defeat the quest my father gave me!

Suho tore off the tentacles wrapped around his body with force and clunked the demon, ‌launching yet another attack.

Bang!

With his strength and tenacity, those fierce attacks that didn't retreat even a single inch were poured into each other.

The appearance of this fight was unlike any other raid from an ordinary Hunter.

This was a bloody battle between two monsters.

And they only had one thing in common: They were not alone.

Kiekiekekekeke!

Skeletons attacked from all sides to grab at Suho's ankles. Suho ignored all of that and kept attacking Javier. After all, his side was following the same strategy.

Whoosh — Bang!

Just in time, Quay's spear had flown through the air and hit Javier's eyeball.

[Aagh!!]

Enraged, Javier grabbed Quay's body and mercilessly crushed him.

BAM!

[!!!]

Javier's tentacles, which turned Quay's body into mush, ruptured at the exact time.

[Harmakan uses 'Skill: Thorn of Pain' on all shadow soldiers.]

[All pain and damage that Quay receives is shared with the attacking target.]

All damage received by the Shadow soldiers is reflected back. Of course the results weren't exactly the same because of the differences in defense and stamina, but Javier had still lost one tentacle due to that.

Pwah—!

Furthermore, Javier's wounds were being forcibly opened, black blood gushed out like a fountain.

['Skill: Damage Amplification' increases the damage relieved by 'Javier: The Demon Illusionist'.]

Javier mended his wounds and gnashed his teeth. On the other hand, Harmakan happily mocked him with the most sinister grin. Joy and sorrow crossed between those two.

[You traitor! Even though you are known as a great sorcerer in the demonic tribe! You aren't even the least bit ashamed!]

Bang!

Suho's attack exploded again towards his muscle.

Javier gnashed his teeth again and growled.

[Cough! That's quite… strong…but it's still useless!]

Nothing has changed. Thanks to Sung Jin-Woo, Javier's confidence had overflowed due to the advanced magic.

[Muahaha! Pour as much strength into it as you want! The more you do that, the faster you will get tired, but even at this moment, I'm constantly filled with magical energy! Muahahahaha!!]

His words roared through the sandstorm.

[In this place, I'm invincible!]

"Invincible…"

At that, Suho showed his teeth and replied. He didn't know much about witchcraft like his father, but he could roughly understand it.

"...So you are still gathering mana from the hunters that have fallen into your illusion, like a battery charge?"

Suho smiled and continued.

"Then I'll just send my shadows to cut your power off."

He will need to get rid of the battery first.

*****

Fire.

"Ouch… Ka– Agh..."

Numerous hunters struggled inside the summoning circle. Lim Tae-Gyu, who was the strongest among them, was still crying while holding on to his deceased wife.

However, his tears had vaporized and flown away as soon as they came out. He was caught in a fierce heat, already on the verge of passing out from the severe burns of his body.

In his heart, he only wished he could die alongside his wife, but the S rank magic within him was preventing that, protecting his life at all costs.

[Honey, I want to live, I need you to give me more mana.]

The wife that he held in his arms, whispered to him with an affectionate smile.

[I need more mana.]

He gave in more strength with the hands that hugged her tightly, as if he would never let go until all of his magic had run out.

[Honey, let's die together this time.]

Lim Tae-Gyu thought himself to be so lucky due to all the mana reserves he had. As long as the magic coursed through his veins, the illusion will never end. He already knew that death was waiting for him the moment his fantasy came to an end, but even so, the thought of this being his atonement for killing his wife made him feel comfortable.

In a way, the burning pain in his body was also beautiful on its own.

How long has it been since he heard the kind voice of his wife that kept whispering in his ear.

[Honey, let's die together this time.]

Tsk.

[They all say the same thing.]

!?

Suddenly, a clicking sound appeared from the empty air. Something unbelievable unfolded in front of Lim Tae-Gyu's eyes.

Slice!

His wife's throat was cut.

[Ah…]

"...Ah?"

In an instant, Lim Tae-Gyu's eyes were stained with astonishment.

Tuk tuk…

His wife's head rolled on the floor.

The fire roared. Her figure disappeared in the blue flames as if it never existed in the first place. At the same time, countless stabs began to hack into the body that Lim Tae-Gyu's wife was holding.

Slice! slice! slice!

His wife's body began to disappear from his arms.

"Ah!– No. No no no…"

Lim Tae-Gyu searched for her in his hands, kneeling in confusion as the flames scattered.

In front of the empty eyes, an appearance slowly revealed itself.

Kira the shadow assassin.

He was looking down at Lim Tae-Gyu and clicking his tongue, holding the dagger that killed Lim Tae-Gyu's wife.

[Finally. Ugh, why is an S-rank hunter like you so obsessed with the illusion of memory now? What's so important about this love?]

"…You!"

Lim Tae-Gyu's eyes were bloodshot when the existence of the murder of his wife appeared for a moment.

His bloodlust soared.

Immediately, his powerful hand reached out and grabbed Kira by the neck.

Kira was helplessly grabbed by the hand, breaking his neck.

But he still didn't die, even with a broken neck.

[Hmm. As expected of an S-rank]

Rather, he mocked him in a calm tone.

[If you still have this strength, why don't you go find your son instead of dealing with me?]

!!!

Lim Tae-gyu's eyes widened at the words.

[What kind of trauma do you think your son is dealing with right now?]

"...!"

At the word "son" that flowed out of Kira's mouth, his eyes, which had fallen into madness, returned quickly.

"Oh, no! Do-Gyun!"

[It's that way.]

Lim Tae-Gyu ran without hesitation in the direction pointed by Kira.

Kira, who was left behind, looked back at the hunter, shrugged his shoulders with an expressionless thought.

[...Parents like that exist after all, huh?] (1)

I think I'm the only one who doesn't have good parents.

Anyways…

[Hold him well because he… is someone I can't chase.]

Kira said that as he hid himself in the air again.

At the same time he also visited the visions of the other hunters and began to murder them relentlessly. Kira killed regardless of the will and feelings of the people who were stuck in that illusion. All of it done in a brutal manner.

***

During that time Lim Do-Gyun was… running away again today.

This time from the vision of his mother chasing her.

[Do-Gyun...]

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

[My son...]

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Running and running.

He did his best to run away just like those other times when he was being trained by Ammut.

Lim Do-Gyun's running speed was already far beyond the level of an E-class hunter.

However, his mother's vision, which he created, was following him at the same pace.

I remember being chased by my mother.

The image deeply embedded in Lim Do-Gyun's memory was reflected.

Watching the fierce and endless chase in the sandstorm, Kira gave up saving Lim Do-Gyun early on and turned his back somewhere else.

He thought it would be more efficient to get other hunters at that time.

Instead, he passed on Lim Do-Gyun to his father, Lim Tae-Gyu.

"Oh, no...…."

Lim Tae-Gyu, who found Lim Do-Gyun as Kira intended, had no choice but to make a desperate look. "What the...…."

His son was being chased "again."

From one's own wife.

From his mother.

And "Again, like then," Lim Tae-Gyu had a crossroads of choice.

He has to kill his wife himself to save his son.

Of course, I knew it in my head.

The answer is the same as back then.

Rather, it's only my wife's illusion now, so the choice is clearer than back then... No, even then, my wife had already turned into a Mist Burn.

However, sometimes it is still difficult to make a decision even if you know it with your head.

"Do-Gyun...…!"

But just like then.

He did not hesitate.

Woosh!

Lim Tae-Gyu's body bounced forward.

After Lim Do-Gyun ran far away.

But suddenly he noticed something

Wait, what's going on here?

He saw quite a formidable sight up ahead.

"How?!"

"Wasn't Do-Gyun just an E-rank hunter??!"

The distance was getting shorter and shorter between them, but by no means was this a normal pace.

"Cough!"

In case Do-Gyun was caught and spotted, he eventually raised the bowstring.

His aim is set directly at the center of his wife's heart, which closely followed Lim Do-Gyun by a narrow margin.

No, that's not my wife.

"It's a Mist Burn."

A human being turned into a mist bun is no longer a human being.

It's an illusion. It's just that!

Swiish!

The bowstring is released, and the magic arrows are fired, blown away.

They pierced the Mist Burn's heart. Lim Do-Gyun, who stopped running only then, breathed heavily and looked back.

"Oh, Father...…?"

And when he found Lim Tae-Gyu, he opened my eyes wide.

Lim Tae-Gyu, who was relieved at that appearance, collapsed on the spot, but his eyes were still looking at his son.

"...Are you hurt anywhere?"

Tears began to well up in his eyes as a sense of relief crashed down on him.

Meanwhile, another illusion was looking from above at the whole scene that played out.

– Hmm.

Sung Jin-woo was watching Lim Do-Gyun with an interesting expression.

– I didn't expect to see this.

-…Well I was once an E-rank hunter. So, no wonder this scene felt so familiar.

Sung Jin-Woo smirked. Suddenly, his hand manipulated a new magic wand in the air, out of nowhere opening a new gate.

[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?]

(Y/N)

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1: In case anyone forgot, Kang Tae Shik /Kira, had an abusive father.