Going Beyond I

"…Ha."

A chuckle escaped Ohjin's mouth.

Crimson flames that blazed radiantly.

A woman standing heroically inside the fluttering ash and dust.

"Heun."

Just like eight years ago.

No, even before then, just like when he had met her for the first time.

Her figure that shined like jewels.

Even inside the scene filled with blood and flesh, she was as beautiful as ever.

"Stay still."

Heun took out a potion from her jacket and poured it over Ohjin's shoulder that had a handful of flesh torn off.

A radiating pain spread out from his shoulder.

It wasn't like the injury recovered like time flowed in reverse, but it was able to at least stop blood from gushing out.

Anyhow, It seemed to be a very valuable potion.

"That's expensive."

"Hah?" Heun frowned deeply.

"Is that what's important right now?"

"Pfff! I'm just kidding."

Ohjin shrugged as he laughed.

No matter how crazy he was about money, he wasn't mental to the extent he thought it was a waste of money in the current situation.

'I was saved thanks to her.'

And thanks to her coming, he could take some time to catch his breath.

'In addition…'

What her arrival meant was…

Fwoosh!—

"KiaaaaA!!"

A demon beast that jumped past the wall of flame used its bulky build to charge forward. A protruding spike shone briefly.

When their distance with the demon beast shortened—

"Hmpf!!"

Boom!—

—A youth that was holding a massive shield in one hand blocked the path of the demon beast.

Its sharp spikes were pushed back from the shield. The demon beast tried to twist its body in an attempt to break through the shield, but—

"You dare!!"

—with an angry shout, a hammer filled with mana struck down on the demon beast's head.

Crunch—

As its head exploded, its cerebrospinal fluid dripped down as its eyeball popped out.

"Mr. Ohjin! Are you okay?" shouted Park Changhyun as he looked back at Ohjin.

Ohjin's lips curved into a smile on their own from how relieved he felt.

"Yes. I'm okay."

"B-By the way, did Mr. Ohjin kill all these demon beasts alone?"

Park Changhyun's mouth opened wide as he observed the demon beast's corpses that filled up the surrounding area.

From just a quick glance, it seemed like there were over a hundred corpses laid on the ground.

'What the hell…'

Park Changhyun looked at Ohjin in disbelief.

Even if he was a North Star's apostle, an Awakener that was naught but a 4-Star defeating over a hundred 6-Star demon beasts alone?

If he had heard the scenario from someone else, he would have snorted, ridiculing them for speaking nonsense.,

'Is he really a human?'

Gulp—

Park Changhyun gulped as he looked at Ohjin with a nervous expression.

"First, let's deal with that bastard."

Whirling his spear, he headed towards the demon beasts that started to crowd up.

Although it was nothing but a short break which didn't even last one minute, it was enough time for him to calm down his ragged breathing and roiling mana.

"I've contacted the subjugation force in advance. Other Awakeners will come here soon."

"As expected, you're the best, Heun."

Once the other Awakeners who participated in the subjugation operation joined in, things would become much smoother.

"…So don't overdo yourself; buy time in moderation."

"Fuu."

After taking in a deep breath—

Click—

—Heun removed the eye mask she was wearing.

Her vicious eye shone.

"Heun?"

"Ugh. I didn't want to use this because I'm not used to it yet…"

Heun suppressed her groan and stepped forward.

A pupil that was slit vertically.

Her eye that was akin to a snake's swivelled towards the demon beasts.

"Kiruk?!"

Flinch!—

The demon beasts that met eyes with the Dragon Eye took steps back as their bodies shook.

"Ugh!"

Heun squinted as she groaned in pain.

Dru-du!—

Unsightly sprouting veins around her left eye became one level thicker.

"Fuck. It seriously hurts!"

Biting her lips, Heun spread her arms out.

Owoooong!—

Out of the stigma engraved on her left chest blazed out an intense light he had never seen before.

"Heun, this is…"

"Heh. I wasn't playing around for the past three months, either."

She smirked as she crossed her arms down into an X shape.

Fwooooosh!—

A crimson flame dragon soared out of the ground and coiled around her body.

"I still have way more experience than you as an Awakener."

Heun, who was wrapped around in flames, took a step forward.

Bang!—

As if a volcano erupted, a massive flame soared into the skies.

As the ground where her foot landed split apart, crimson flames surged up from the gaps.

"—I can't hide behind your back forever, can I?"

Fwoooooooosh!!!—

Her tied up maroon hair fluttered.

"K-Kruk."

"Karark!"

Was it because they were afraid of the powerfully burning force or because they felt instinctive danger from the massive flame dragon that was sweeping the surroundings?

The demon beasts studied the atmosphere and started to back off slowly.

"You."

Heun's eyes locked onto a demon beast that had bloody flesh in its mouth.

It was the demon beast that had taken a bite off Ohjin's shoulder earlier.

"Do you know whose flesh you're biting onto?"

Ferociously baring her teeth, Heun stretched out her hand as if she was aiming a gun at the demon beast.

Click!—

With a clear sound, she snapped her fingers.

The flame dragon that was coiling around her body flew at the demon beast.

Fwooooosh!—

Opening its mouth composed of flames, it chewed and swallowed the demon beast whole.

"Kruuuuuuuk!"

"Kishat!!"

The other demon beasts that were in the path of the flame dragon were swept up and turned into ash.

"…Woah."

Ohjin looked at Heun, who was sweeping away the demon beasts with overwhelming firepower, and let out an exclamation.

'Is that the Dragon Eye's power?'

Ohjin couldn't be certain of the specifics, but…

He felt like the flames surrounding her body after using the Dragon Eye moved as if they were 'alive'.

Well, in any case…

'The situation was alleviated thanks to her.'

He smirked as he stood next to Heun.

"Hey, if someone else heard, they'd think it was your shoulder that got bit off."

"It might as well be my shoulder, since that belongs to me."

"…Why does it belong to you?"

"Kyaha! Don't you know everything the younger brother has belongs to the sister?"

"What kind of—"

"You shouldn't eat, drink, or breathe without my permission."

'Not even the Nazis were to that extent.'

"—You shouldn't get hurt either, okay?"

"I think I'll get hurt from my hands and feet curling from cringe."

"This motherfucker?"

"They were truly moving words, Miss Heun."

"Y-Y-You're the one who said those cringy words like nothing back then!!"

"Pfft!!"

He cackled out as he roughly pulled her waist close.

"U-Uhh?"

Bam!—

He kicked the head of the demon beast that managed to pass through the flames.

"Well, I'll try."

'I shouldn't get hurt when she's this worried.'

"…You two seem to be really close."

Park Changhyun looked their way as he feigned laughter.

Lightly shrugging his shoulders, Ohjin kicked off in the direction the demon beasts were gathering.

Crackleeee!!—

Blue lightning sparked as it pierced through the flames.

The demon beasts that had gathered with frightening momentum started to gradually be pushed back.

As a little more time passed—

"W-Why are there so many demon beasts!"

"Huh, isn't that the Lightning Wolf?"

"Holy shit. Were they holding off these numbers with just the three of them?"

"My god. This isn't at the level of a rookie."

—the Awakeners that headed over after receiving contact joined in the fight.

"Kieeeeek!"

"Karak! Kak!"

The monsters started to get pushed back at a quicker pace.

'Nice.'

Victory was slowly becoming guaranteed.

[Haa, haa, haa!]

'It seems that our Goddess has also reached her limit.'

'Should I end things?'

Ohjin's eyes shone as he moved closer to Choi Jungchul.

"Ah."

Choi Jungchul's body shook as he looked down onto the demon beasts that were getting plowed through.

"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

He nervously scratched his cheeks.

Without stop, his nails scratched over his cheeks that were dripping blood from the ripped skin.

Continuously…

Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch—

"Why are they losing? Huh? Why?"

His flesh that was ripped by his fingernails started to tear off.

"I did as you ordered, didn't I? Didn't I do everything as asked?"

Crack, crunch—

Twisting his neck at an abnormal angle, he poured out questions that were without answers.

"But, but, but…"

Creak—

His head twisted like a broken wooden doll and faced Ohjin.

"Whyyyyyyyyyy—!!! Can't you kill himmmm—!!!"

As excessive amounts of flesh were torn off, his cheekbones started to become exposed.

With Choi Jungchul not being satisfied with all the skin on his cheeks being torn off, he shoved his hand up into the soft flesh around his eye sockets and started to dig into his eyeballs.

"O-Ohjin. W-W-What the fuck is wrong with him?" asked Heun with a pale expression.

"Ahh—Why? Why? Why? Why? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!"

"Kyaaaaa!! Fuck, he's actually pulling out his eyes!!"

"Krrruk! Kuk! Kill! Kill! Kill! I said kill himmmmmmmmm!!"

Guzzle—

Shouting out a scream full of madness, Choi Jungchul placed his eyeball in his mouth and started to chew it.

"Shit!! That Xiahou Dun piece of shit is eating his own eye!!!"

※Xiahou Dun: Chinese military general and politician in the late Eastern Han Dynasty who was shot in his eye with an arrow, removed his eye, declared that it was a gift from his ancestors, and ate it.

"Calm down, Heun. And stop pulling on my clothes."

"W-Was he always that kind of maniac?"

"No way."

In any case, it seemed like his mind had been completely eroded by the black star relic.

Ohjin gently bit on his lips as he ran at Choi Jungchul, who was in the middle of a seizure.

'I don't know what else he'll try to do.'

It was best to eliminate him quickly when the opportunity was given.

Step!—

After approaching Choi Jungchul—

'Lightning Charge.'

Tenfold…

Crackleeeeeeee!!!—

Putting in the maximum amount of strength, he thrusted out his spear.

"Ah, ahh."

However—

Crack—

Owoooong!!—

"Argh!!"

—as the marble inside Choi Jungchul's hands cracked, black energy poured out explosively.

Ohjin's body was unable to retaliate as he got flung away.

"—Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Choi Jungchul suddenly raised both his arms up.

Black energy spread out.

And then…

"H-Huh?"

"W-What's that?!"

A black cylinder soared up at the center of the city and mixed with the energy flowing out of Choi Jungchul.

The ground trembled as if an earthquake occurred.

No.

It didn't simply tremble.

Rumble! Rumble!—

"I-It's collapsing!!"

"Avoid it!!"

The earth's crust twisted and tore apart and started to slosh like waves.

Buildings that were dozens of floors high tumbled down like dominos.

"…Holy shit."

Ohjin looked at the city that was in the midst of destruction with a pale expression. Where the destruction occurred the most severely was the center of the city.

'If I was in that place…'

He would have been buried alive without being able to retaliate, squashed between the fallen buildings.

'Fuck, just what is going on.'

"Kugk! Kurak! H-Hihihi! Yeah, yeah, yeah!!"

Even in the midst of destruction, Choi Jungchul continued to laugh like a lunatic.

"I… I… I just have to directly? Kill? Him? My? Self? Right?"

Rumble! Rumble!—

The black energy that was spread out wide started to gather with Choi Jungchul at its core. His body puffed up like a balloon that had been blown up to its limit.

Soon…

"Kurk! Kisahaaaat!!"

The lower body of a snake and the arms of a mantis appeared.

Choi Jungchul, who had become a 'demon beast' that had its mouth split up into eight sections, let out a creepy shriek.

"…The hell."

With a stiff expression, Ohjin looked at Choi Jungchul, no, what 'used to be Choi Jungchul'.

'A human… became a demon beast?'

An ominous feeling like no other ran down his spine.

"Argh."

Ohjin added strength to the spear grasped in his hand.

'Quick.'

His instincts alarmed him. They cried out that he had to kill that monster as soon as possible, that not killing it would result in—

"Huh? Me? Why? Why, why? Why this? Body? Became? Kruk?"

"Vega! Hold on a little longer!!"

An answer didn't return.

"…Vega?"

He turned his head around and looked back at Vega.

[Sorry… My—child. Any further…]

Vega's body turned into silver rays of light and dispersed.

The blessing disappeared.