Chapter 85

<Chapter 86> Ah, crepes are a serious matter, no matter the fight.

– Sky Piercing Sword, Crescent Moon Flying Thrust

A blue sword qi rapidly slashes forward.

The discarded blade of sharp sword qi cuts through the air.

Jae-il narrowly dodges it.

The flying sword qi cleanly slices through the outer wall like a saw.

“Wow, I’d say you’re blessed with magic power. You should’ve been loved like that by Young-hee too.”

“Shut up.”

Chul-soo swings his sword again.

This time Jae-il also summons magic power.

The whip-like magic power collides with Chul-soo’s sword.

The clashing magic power crackles, vibrating the surrounding air.

Taking advantage of the moment, Jae-il leaps forward.

“You know, even doctors in this line of work have ways to protect themselves!”

Around Jae-il, a translucent red barrier unfolds.

The stones on the ground touched by the barrier emit screeching sounds and smoke.

Chul-soo swings his sword at the barrier.

But the counterforce from the barrier repels the sword.

Jae-il then crashes into Chul-soo with the shield still up.

– Sky Piercing Sword, Raindrop Glide

Chul-soo’s body gracefully rotates.

The force flows out, causing the shield to slide along the sword.

Seizing the chance, Jae-il throws a scalpel.

But Chul-soo easily evades it as well.

An overwhelming swordsmanship skill that would make even an average hero concede.

Jae-il bursts into maniacal laughter.

“Haha! Excellent! Absolutely excellent, Mr. Chul-soo!”

The two momentarily create distance between them.

Jae-il smiles as he looks at Chul-soo.

“But it seems you’re human after all.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The sword you’re holding – isn’t that Black Heaven’s property?”

“…”

Jae-il’s words were true.

This sword was something provided by Secretary Park,

Accompanied by information about a Black Heaven executive and him.

Strictly speaking, it was a form of commission fee.

“You and Black Heaven were supposed to be enemies, right? But in the end, you bowed your head due to your own weakness and ended up under them, didn’t you?”

“I don’t remember going under those bastards. It was merely cooperation because our goals aligned.”

“Tsk! That’s just a cowardly excuse!”

While speaking, Jae-il gathers magic power in the hand behind his back.

“In the end, you’re nothing more than a tail-tucking dog bowing its head due to lack of strength.”

“……Sounds like someone who ran away from said dog shouldn’t be talking.”

“Is there such a thing as a hunter afraid of a mad dog?”

His sarcastic smile deepens as he continues.

“The woman you loved fell to hypnosis, went berserk wanting to die… And you could do absolutely nothing, powerless.”

“Each time, it was Mr. Yu-jin who saved Young-hee!”

Jae-il extends his arm forward.

The Pain Field compresses into one hand.

The red energy shoots forth like a spear.

“Can someone who couldn’t even protect the woman they love do anything?!”

The red spear heads straight forward.

Without a word, Chul-soo swings his sword.

– Sky Piercing Sword, Cloud Breaking

Swinging the sword sideways shatters the red spear.

At that moment, Jae-il opens his palm.

His specialty – hypnosis.

Though it doesn’t work well on someone as strong as Chul-soo…

Even stopping movement for just a moment would be enough.

– Sky Piercing Sword, Swift Strike

However, Chul-soo pays it no mind,

Rather, he waits as if expecting the veil to disappear,

And instantly charges in.

The distance between the two closes so much that swinging the sword would reach.

‘Not affected by hypnosis?!’

Could he really possess such mental fortitude at this age?

What kind of absurd talent does he hold?

“Well, I’m neither as smart as the Class President, as kind as Young-hee, or as strong as Kim Yu-jin…”

Maintaining his attacking stance,

Chul-soo firmly grips his sword again.

“But I can kill you.”

– Sky Piercing Sword, Lunar Slash

He swings the sword diagonally.

Jae-il hastily jumps back.

But he doesn’t evade properly and gets slashed across his body.

Half-flying back, Chul-soo follows up with a kick to Jae-il’s chest.

-BANG-

Jae-il spurts blood and flies into the wall.

Slumping down, he smirks.

“Haha, truly impressive. I didn’t expect this level.”

Easily deflecting attacks from the Pain Field,

Completely ignoring his own hypnosis,

And judging the situation to immediately counterattack.

He’s become stronger since stopping Young-hee’s rampage last time.

There’s no other way to describe it but monstrous growth speed.

“Because I imagined killing you thousands of times every day.”

The one who hurt Young-hee’s heart,

And eventually shattered it completely.

How to kill such a person.

He’s thought about it a lot coming here.

Considered countless strategies the opponent might prepare.

Ultimately, the difference in preparation

Created this result between the two.

“I thank you for underestimating me. Unlike you, I didn’t let my guard down at all.”

“…..Ah, maybe not?”

Jae-il shrugs.

At that moment, a syringe pops out from Jae-il’s sleeve.

Chul-soo quickly takes a defensive stance.

But it wasn’t a weapon meant for attack.

“…..!”

With a ‘pok’, Jae-il injects the needle into his wrist.

‘Whatever this is, it kills!’

Judging by the timing, it must be his trump card.

There’s no reason to let it go unchecked.

Chul-soo swings his sword forward.

-KWAGGAK!

But Jae-il has already disappeared.

The sword shatters the unfortunate wall.

Chul-soo looks up.

Jae-il hasn’t vanished.

He’s simply jumped upward at an even faster speed than before.

“What is this? Some kind of doping?”

“It’s far greater than that. Though I never wanted to use it.”

Blue veins pop out on Jae-il’s face.

A sight reminiscent of a monster.

Definitely not in a normal state.

But if this gives him such speed…

Jae-il is several times stronger now than before.

If Chul-soo had time to talk with the Class President or Yu-jin,

Images of humans turning into tentacle monsters would come to mind.

“If I use this, Black Heaven will probably track me down no matter what.”

“But dying here and now would be worse.”

Jae-il suddenly pulls out a remote from his coat.

He presses it.

At the same time, the walls break apart.

It feels like an explosion,

But it’s different.

Something is bursting out from inside.

‘These things…’

Unfolding before him are grotesque monsters.

They look somewhat human, but have wings on their backs and elongated limbs.

Various chimera-like creatures of different shapes.

There are over thirty at the very least.

“Well, to explain now, the reason I got tracked by you was because I had to move these together.”

Chul-soo grinds his teeth.

He can sense it.

The enhanced Jae-il and the monsters before him.

Facing all of them… Honestly, his chances of winning are slim.

“Ah, don’t worry. Most of these don’t follow my control anyway.”

“What?”

“Of course, if these spread throughout the city, dozens of civilians will die, but hey, not my problem.”

The maniacally grinning Jae-il spreads his arms wide.

As if proudly showing off his own artwork.

“Come on, let’s start the battle, Mr. Chul-soo!”

Jae-il’s biological weapons simultaneously roar and take flight.

****

“Mmm~ So delicious!”

Young-hee trembles as she takes a bite of the crepe.

She happily enjoys it, shaking her legs while sitting on the bench.

Next to her, Yu-jin and the others are also tasting their crepes.

“Occasionally relaxing like this isn’t bad, huh?”

“Yes! It’s fun!”

Many people walk around on the streets besides the group.

Couples on dates.

A newlywed couple pushing a stroller.

An elementary school girl running while holding her mother’s hand.

Just looking makes you feel your love for humanity recharge.

Among them, Young-hee’s gaze fixes on a boy and girl.

The two laugh brightly, chatting loudly as they run somewhere.

Young-hee simply gazes at them.

Certainly, a common scene in any town.

Still, Young-hee can’t tear her eyes away until the children disappear.

“Younghie!”

“Huh? Yes, yes!”

Only when the Class President speaks does she snap back to reality.

“Are you okay? Don’t feel unwell anywhere?”

“Yes! I’m fine.”

“If you don’t feel well, tell us immediately. We came here to relax today.”

“Hehe yes! Understood!”

……

…..

Young-hee playfully salutes.

As they spend this peaceful time, Lime suddenly turns her head.

“Hey, isn’t that chocolate flavor? Give me a bite.”

Apparently, her target was the crepe in Yu-jin’s hand.

Yu-jin casually pushes it forward.

“Sure.”

“Ah~ mmm.”

After chewing for a bit, Lime wrinkles her nose.

“Ew, too sweet. How do you eat something this sweet?”

“I like chocolate. Hey, you got some on your mouth.”

“Huh? Wha–!”

Yu-jin reaches out and wipes Lime’s mouth.

Then he licks the cream off his own finger.

Seeing this, Lime’s face turns bright red,

While the Class President’s face freezes coldly.

But this dense idiot doesn’t notice.

Watching from the side, Young-hee giggles and says,

“Hehe, Mr. Yu-jin seems very kind.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I hear Black Heaven consists of bad people, but Mr. Yu-jin always cares for others.”

“Hmm, not really.”

At this response, Young-hee shows a disappointed expression.

Still hiding it, huh.

Young-hee knew from before that Yu-jin was pretending to be bad on purpose.

Continuing to hide it feels somehow disappointing.

No matter how tough things get, we can overcome them together.

The one who taught her that was Yu-jin himself.

Thinking deeply, Young-hee quietly looks at Yu-jin and speaks.

“Um, I actually know.”

“Huh? Know what?”

Yu-jin genuinely seems confused.

Young-hee smiles softly, as if understanding.

“Mr. Yu-jin is actually—”

Just as Young-hee was about to talk about the conversation she overheard last time,

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

A sudden sharp scream rings out.

All three turn their heads at once.

Lime is still half-heartedly munching on her crepe with an uninterested look.

“……What’s that?”

What catches their eyes are humanoid monsters.

Clearly not human.

Long limbs, wings, and grotesque faces.

Its brutish arm is reaching toward a woman pushing a stroller.

“Ahh!”

Young-hee and the Class President leap to their feet.

Someone runs out faster than them.

– Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority, Winged Destruction

With a thunderous sound, the monster is launched into the air.

“Oh, thank you!”

“No problem, step back.”

Having sent the monster flying with one strike, Yu-jin looks up at the sky.

Several more monsters are flying around.

Looking blankly at them, Yu-jin mutters,

“…I was going to get another crepe.”

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