Chapter 44
"You're still a long way off! BOY! Twinkle Divine Crescent!"
Each time his fists came raining down, I met them with my sword. Whenever a strike infused with internal energy collided with his steel fist, the underground shopping arcade shook.
'This is getting dangerous….‘
Every time I blocked one of his attacks, my fingertips went numb. His attacks were growing stronger by the moment.
I swung my sword, cloaked in sword aura, at his fist flying toward me at high speed.
-Screeeech!
The tip of my sword grazed his skin, producing a spine-chilling sound. His steel-like skin was scraped by the sharpness of my sword aura.
I put strength into my arm and drew up even more internal energy from my dantian.
The katana wrapped in sword aura cut across his skin again. This time, it left a deeper wound. Fresh blood welled beneath the pink dress.
"Graaagh!"
He screamed in pain. His face contorted as he raised his bleeding arm.
"I'm seriously disappointed, BOY… "
His voice changed. The disgusting tone from before disappeared, replaced by a deep man's voice.
Just as he was about to charge at me again—
"Dodge!"
Right then, Im Hwa-yeon's voice rang out. I immediately threw myself aside.
"Infernal Requiem!"
As I dodged, her cry rang out at the same time.
Dark red flames exploded outward with tremendous force. Like fire rising from hell, they filled the underground shopping arcade. Intense heat that seemed capable of burning everything swept through the surroundings.
-Boom!!!
"Graaagh!"
A scream rang out within the flames. The dark red fire completely swallowed him.
The pillars of the underground shopping arcade began to melt, and cracks spread across the ceiling. Im Hwa-yeon's flames threatened to bring down the entire space.
”Everyone, get outside!“
At Im Hwa-yeon's shout, everyone began fleeing outside.
Through the blazing flames, the gay bastard's figure emerged. Im Hwa-yeon's dark red flames had melted half his face and skin away.
He knelt on the floor, touched his melted face, and trembled.
"Huff, huff… my lovely face…“
He ran his fingers over his melted face and shed tears.
"Oh, fuck, we're screwed. The gay bastard's having a fit."
A masked man who had appeared behind the gay bastard before anyone noticed spoke in a flustered voice.
"I can't forgive you… How dare you… how dare you scar my lovely face!“
His eyes filled with madness. The air around us instantly grew heavy.
An immensely powerful aura, incomparable to before, poured from his body. The floor began to tremble, and an even more steel-like sheen began to show through the gaps between his melting skin.
I had an ominous feeling that something serious was about to happen. Im Hwa-yeon, too, was clearly tense instead of wearing the relaxed expression she'd had moments ago.
"Ah, this is annoying. This wasn't part of the plan. The Master is going to give me an earful. The gay bastard's having a fit. Retreat immediately!"
The Twilight Fangs hurriedly backed away. The air around us grew even heavier as a threatening aura surged from his body.
"How dare you turn… my beautiful face into this!!! I won't forgive you!"
Along with his scream, an explosive aura burst out. The walls of the underground shopping arcade shook and cracked.
"Graaaargh!"
A powerful steel-colored glow began to show through his melted skin. The aura he gave off was on an entirely different level from before.
I looked at the gay bastard screaming in front of me. Something felt seriously wrong. An overwhelming aura poured from his body, just as when I first met the Sword Empress.
'The Hwagyeong realm…?'
I could once again feel the imposing force and pressure I'd sensed from the Sword Empress coming from him.
’No. If I sense it carefully, he's far below the Sword Empress.‘
Though the pressure and presence I sensed from him were inferior to the Sword Empress's, he was dangerous all the same.
"I won't forgive you…!"
Along with his mad muttering, the air around us grew even heavier. At this rate, it seemed the entire underground shopping arcade would collapse.
"Do-eun, get outside!“
I called out to Jeon Do-eun, then picked up Im Hwa-yeon and leaped through the broken ceiling. Jeon Do-eun followed me up.
Behind us, I could feel his aura growing stronger. The energy that had burst from the underground shopping arcade was growing increasingly ferocious.
-Boom! Boom!
The pillars of the underground arcade began collapsing one by one. Chunks of concrete rained down from the ceiling.
"Kieeeek!"
His crazed voice rang out. Aura exploded from his steel-colored body like a detonation.
-Boom!!!
Once we reached the surface, an enormous boom came from below.
"Honey, look at this."
Jeon Do-eun approached, dragging along one of the criminals belonging to the Twilight Fangs, whom she had apparently grabbed at some point.
"Let's ask this guy why Gayman is acting like that."
Jeon Do-eun spoke with a smile, but her eyes were cold. The criminal she had caught wore a terrified expression.
"W-we have to… run right now! If that bastard goes berserk, it's over!"
The criminal spoke in a terrified voice. Cold sweat ran down his face.
"We don't have time. Cut the bullshit and tell me why he's acting like that."
I held my katana right against his neck and spoke coldly. When the cold blade touched his skin, the criminal began trembling even more violently.
"I'll… I'll tell you! He's our test—"
-Pop!
The man's words were cut short. His head exploded from an attack that flew in from somewhere. The corpse collapsed limply to the ground.
"That won't do. You shouldn't be spilling the organization's secrets like that."
I looked up toward where the voice had come from and saw a masked man.
"You!"
Im Hwa-yeon sent flames toward him. Blue fire flew through the air.
"Oh dear. How frightening."
He casually twisted his body to evade the attack, then turned his back and said,
"Heh heh, have fun with the gay bastard!"
With those words, he disappeared into the darkness. And at that moment—
-Rumble!
With an even greater explosion from below, the ground shook violently. The windows of the surrounding buildings shattered and fell like rain, while sharp fragments scattered in every direction.
A gigantic figure rose from beneath the broken concrete floor. His body was completely different from before. His steel-colored skin looked as hard as armor, and his muscles had swollen even larger.
He glared at us with eyes filled with nothing but madness.
"Kikikikik, BOY…! "
A chilling voice spilled from his mouth.
"You're going to die… e-everyone's going to die!"
A man cried out in a terrified voice, then ran away without looking back.
His gaze quickly turned toward the fleeing man. A grotesque smile spread across his lips. Watching the man run, he slowly raised his hand.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Appearing behind the man, he swung his enormous arm. The man's head shattered as if it were a watermelon. Red blood scattered through the air.
The headless corpse collapsed limply to the ground. Then his gaze turned toward us.
-Boom!!!
His fist slammed down where we had been. The asphalt was gouged deeply.
His movements had also become rough and beastlike.
His twisted muscles and steel-colored skin had become grotesquely deformed.
”Kikikiki“
Instead of words, a chilling laugh rang out. The aura pouring from his body weighed heavily on the air around us.
'This is driving me insane. I should reach Hwagyeong already. There's a bastard like this wherever I go.'
-Rumble!
The moment our eyes met, he vanished. He appeared in front of me in an instant and threw a steel-like punch.
I barely saw and reacted to his attack. I blocked it with my aura-cloaked sword, but the tremendous impact numbed my arm. I heard the sound of a crack forming in the blade.
"Hwa-yeon, fall back!"
At my shout, Im Hwa-yeon fell back. A continuous barrage of his attacks rained down.
-Thwack! Thud! Boom!
Fists flew at me like a rainstorm. I was barely blocking them with my katana, but every block sent a shock through my entire body.
'I can't hold out against this…'
The blade was cracking rapidly. His attacks grew more intense, and his speed increased as well.
-Graaaargh!
With a beastlike roar, his fist flew toward my face. This attack was somehow different.
An instinct told me not to block, so I quickly twisted my body aside. Pink energy pouring from the fist as it grazed past melted the surrounding buildings.
'This is seriously dangerous…'
I looked down at my cracked katana. It seemed able to withstand only one or two more impacts now.
-Rumble!
With another beastlike roar, he charged at me. This time, he attacked by swinging both arms wide. Spraying pink energy like a millstone, he tried to grind everything away.
I barely ducked beneath it. The energy pouring from his arm as it passed over my head melted the surroundings.
-Boom!
And then, in an instant, his foot came flying at me.
'Fuck…'
"Flame Surge!"
"Thunder!"
Im Hwa-yeon's blue flames and Jeon Do-eun's lightning flew at him simultaneously. The two abilities intersected and caused a green-tinged explosion.
-Rumble!
A massive explosion engulfed him. The attack, a mixture of flames and lightning, scorched his steel-like skin.
"Grrr!"
He staggered for a moment. His steel-colored skin glowed red-hot, but only for a moment.
-Graaaargh!
With a beastlike roar, his killing intent grew even more intense. The ground trembled as an enormous pressure bore down on the surroundings.
"Everyone, scatter!"
At my shout, we scattered in different directions. He seemed to hesitate briefly over whom to chase.
-Rumble!
But soon he charged toward me. In the blink of an eye, his fist came flying at me.
-Boom!
I barely dodged, but the impact was enormous even though it only grazed me. The air where his fist passed split apart, and the wall of a building caved in.
"Inferno Burst!"
"Lightning Strike!"
Im Hwa-yeon and Jeon Do-eun's attacks flew in from both sides. Blue flames and lightning crossed and engulfed him.
-Rumble!
But he broke straight through the attacks. His steel-colored skin glowed red-hot, but he didn't appear to have suffered any significant damage.