Chapter 89

<Episode 90> Save Chul-soo

Let me give you an example.

You’re fighting a car moving at 80 km/h.

It’s coming straight for you, ready to crush you in seconds.

You need to destroy it with your sword, but the blade doesn’t even scratch it.

Even if you manage to break it, it regenerates within a minute.

This is exactly what Chul-soo is facing right now.

-BANG

Chul-soo gets slammed into a building wall.

Glass shards and concrete dust fly everywhere.

Clearing away the rubble, Chul-soo looks ahead.

“Hah! Didn’t I tell you you’d cut me?”

The monster – no, what used to be Jekyll – sneers at him.

Nearby float two smaller monster lackeys.

They may not be as strong as Jekyll, but they still regenerate.

‘This guy’s personality keeps changing, doesn’t it?’

Is it because of the monster transformation?

Or did someone force his personality to break like Young-hee?

Not that it matters when he’s going to die anyway…

Having an intelligent monster is definitely annoying.

“You’re human too, just like me.”

Before Chul-soo could think further,

Jekyll grinned and spoke up.

“What the hell are you talking about now?”

“Look at this scene. This is all your doing.”

The city is in chaos.

Monsters smashing buildings, throwing cars around.

People desperately evacuating.

Heroes struggling against monsters.

Complete pandemonium.

Their battle has dragged innocent civilians into it.

“Are you satisfied? Dragging innocents into your revenge?”

“For villains, using civilians as hostages is common.”

“But you didn’t come to save them.”

Jekyll looked at the scene again and laughed.

Like he was proudly showing off his own personal hell.

Mockingly looking at the hero who had turned away.

“You could have saved them. You could have let me escape and prioritized the citizens’ lives. But you chose revenge instead.”

“…”

“If Hyunghee were dangerous, would she have stayed put? Would you have kept chasing me? No way! In the end, you’re just another person!”

Jekyll swung his fist, blocked by Chul-soo’s sword.

Meanwhile, one of the lackeys’ attacks hit Chul-soo’s shoulder.

Gritting his teeth, Chul-soo ignored the pain and swung his sword forward.

“Yourself first, others be damned! Disgusting human nature! You’re the perfect example of that!”

Jekyll’s punch smashed down on Chul-soo.

This time, Chul-soo flew through the air and crashed into a parked car.

“Humans are ultimately just that. When faced with ugly truths, humans evolve. You’ve done the same. That’s how you got stronger, isn’t it? All while making excuses for your obsession with revenge!”

“…”

“Making alliances with enemies, killing unrelated people, ignoring good people’s dangers! All for your own revenge!”

Jekyll spread his arms like an actor finishing a performance.

The grotesque monster arms continued to twitch.

“Accept it. You and I are the same. Equally disgusting humans.”

Jekyll’s words were nothing but sophistry.

No matter how great a hero, saving everyone is impossible.

Even Kim Tae-Jin would say that much is unreasonable.

Using that to criticize Chul-soo is nothing but hypocrisy.

Especially from the one who put those civilians in danger in the first place.

Of course, it’s true that Chul-soo prioritized personal revenge.

Even if everyone else denied it, Chul-soo himself thought so.

“So what do you want me to do about it?”

“Huh?”

“I never claimed to be a hero. Why are you spouting nonsense?”

Chul-soo didn’t come here as a hero.

Purely and simply.

He came to kill Jekyll.

Fought for personal revenge.

And he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

“Say I abandon my revenge for the citizens. But if I let you go, you’ll just do the same thing again. Isn’t it better to capture you?”

“Hah! So you’re choosing the future over the lives of ordinary citizens? Can you really say that while watching people die?”

“No one’s dying.”

“…”

At that, Jekyll looked around.

Indeed, there were no dead or fallen bodies anywhere.

Despite such fierce monster battles, not a single person had died.

Thinking it might be other heroes doing rescue work…

“This flashy fight without any support means others are diligently working on rescue operations. Though, calling those people real heroes wouldn’t be a problem.”

Jekyll might not have noticed, but Chul-soo had realized something.

The familiar energy he’d been sensing since earlier.

‘Why would that Black Heaven successor bother with rescues?’

Anyway, no one’s dead.

Which means he can fight without worrying about anything.

“I’m not a hero, and you’re not some great philosopher. Just a nasty monster.”

Chul-soo raised his sword.

“The only thing dying today is the monster, so relax.”

“Still so arrogant, aren’t you?”

In an instant, Jekyll lunged forward.

Chul-soo swung his sword to block the punch.

But the lackey monsters beside him swung their claws.

‘Damn!’

Just Jekyll alone, he could handle somehow.

Even if at a disadvantage, he could find an opening eventually.

But these monsters are definitely annoying.

Chul-soo turned his body to dodge the monster’s attack.

That created an opening.

Jekyll’s flying kick struck his side.

“Khh!”

Chul-soo rolled across the ground, blood spurting from his mouth.

He was trying to heal the wounds with magic power, but…

The accumulated damage so far was tremendous.

His muscles trembled, his bones screamed.

‘Critical damage to arm muscles and leg injuries. Probably broken bones somewhere too.’

Miraculously winning the fight wouldn’t leave his body intact.

Actually, it doesn’t seem like he can win with this body.

After all this fighting, the opponent is still standing strong.

Swinging wildly won’t do any good.

There’s no leisure to use big skills either.

Of course, regeneration abilities likely have limits…

But continuing like this, Chul-soo would die first.

‘Part-time job?’

Still, Chul-soo raised his sword.

He knew it would be a tough fight from the start.

As long as he can hold a sword, as long as his arms can move, he’ll keep fighting.

That’s all.

‘If I cut off the head with my sword…even that guy will die eventually, right?’

The hand holding the sword trembled violently.

His legs, pushed to their limits, creaked.

Honestly, just moving feels like a miracle.

Still, he can’t fall here.

“I can’t let you go after ruining Young-hee’s mind.”

“Haha! How pathetic! Isn’t this obsession with a stolen girlfriend a bit excessive?”

“It’s not obsession, it’s pure love.”

“Aah, sure! You were just a naive kid! Neither a hero nor a knight! Just a childish kid drunk on himself!”

-Sky Piercing Sword

Chul-soo’s sword moved again.

Twisting his almost broken body.

He just kept swinging his sword.

****

“That guy’s gonna die.”

Watching the scene from a distance,

Rime muttered emotionlessly.

Her tone held neither pity nor joy.

Living things naturally kill and get killed.

Humans are no different.

This fight would be just one of those results.

Of course, this fight isn’t completely meaningless to everyone.

“So, what do you want to do?”

Young-hee quietly watched the scene.

She’d felt something was off for a while now.

The inexplicable fear she felt when seeing Chul-soo.

She didn’t know where it came from.

But now, she feels like she’s starting to understand.

‘I wanted to save that person.’

I don’t want him to get hurt.

I’m afraid of him getting injured.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t prevent it.

Instead, I end up being the cause of his injuries.

That’s why Young-hee ran away.

If I lose my memory and he can’t recognize me, he’ll give up.

He won’t fight anymore for someone like me.

Being away from him means there won’t be any more fights, I thought.

‘Yet you keep fighting…’

Chul-soo fought fiercely.

Receiving terrifying attacks, rolling across the ground, yet never giving up.

His eyes never showed fear, just staring at the opponent.

Never letting go of the sword no matter what.

Humans can become this strong.

‘I was foolish.’

No matter how much I run, Chul-soo won’t stop fighting.

Chul-soo will continue his efforts no matter what happens.

Without blaming me for running away first.

He’ll keep walking forward even when I can’t see him.

“Ms. Rime…”

“Hmm?”

“I was scared of fighting.”

Young-hee carefully opened her mouth.

Realizing it was a choice she couldn’t make twice.

“So I avoided it and ran away, huh.”

The hidden memories, the concealed emotions.

They started returning, filling her chest gradually.

“But I don’t want to run away while hurting important people.”

“…”

“I want to save Chul-soo.”

Young-hee said brightly.

Even if injured, even if scarred, even if losing memory.

There’s someone she wants to be with.

There’s a lover who will walk beside her no matter what.

She seemed to have realized that only now.

“Can you help me?”

“…I hate you humans for being so shameless. Still, I’ll help.”

“Still like me though, right?”

“Shut up:”

While saying that, Rime extended her tentacles.

Soon they reached Young-hee’s hands.

!……..

!.

….

Powerful magic began flowing through her body.

“!”

“Hmph. If you want to prove your resolve, show results. Anyone can eat ‘heart.'”

“I know.”

Young-hee clasped her hands together in prayer.

Soon, a bright light bloomed from her core.

-Moon Hee

The explosively released light filled the city streets.

Its gentle glow didn’t harm anything else.

It only incapacitated the rampaging monsters.

Even Rime’s skin nearby tingled.

‘Could it be that this brat can use blessings that affect even me, a top-tier demon?’

The divine light originating from Young-hee.

With that radiant light, the monsters’ bodies began burning.

*

‘What is this?’

Chul-soo looked at the situation with astonished eyes.

The small monsters were suddenly burning and disappearing.

Moreover, this magical sensation…

Definitely Young-hee.

‘How? She lost her memory, right?’

The situation wasn’t fully understood.

But thanks to this, the annoying underlings disappeared.

Anyway, this is definitely an opportunity…

-BANG

Suddenly, Chul-soo’s body was slammed into the ground.

The heavy monster’s hand crushed his head into the ground.

“You shouldn’t let your guard down, Mr. Chul-soo.”

“Still, how about quickly burning and disappearing?”

“I find it difficult to compare myself to such ordinary monsters.”

Indeed, as he said.

Jekyll didn’t seem completely unscathed,

but neither speed nor power had diminished.

Probably this level of physical body isn’t significantly affected by that light.

“Looks like the situation has changed quite drastically, but the result remains the same. You will die here.”

Grinding his teeth, Chul-soo tightened his grip on the sword.

However, even Chul-soo couldn’t swing the sword properly from this pinned position.

Just when an escape route seemed visible…is this really the end?

‘Quit talking nonsense.’

No, it’s not over yet.

The body still moves.

“Uaaaaa!”

With sheer strength, Chul-soo rose to his feet.

Jekyll’s hand was gradually being pushed back.

The trembling body was moving surely, albeit slightly.

‘Im-possible! How does he still have strength with this condition?!’

The difference in posture and physical conditions is clear.

Not to mention, his entire body must have suffered fatal injuries that should have killed him already.

An ordinary human and a monster.

There’s an overwhelming gap between the two.

‘Can’t waste any more time. I have to kill him here, no matter the cost.’

Jekyll’s other arm transformed into a hook-like shape.

This guy is still dangerous.

A monstrous ability that evolves even during battle.

I have to finish this here and now!

Judging that, he brought down his arm.

-Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority

At that moment, a flying kick came from the side, sending Jekyll flying.

With a loud crash, his body collided with a wall.

‘That technique just now…’

Regaining his freedom, Chul-soo looked up.

His face immediately twisted painfully.

“Did I come too late?”

“No, damnit, you came fast enough.”

Yu-jin Kim.

The man he wanted to defeat more than anyone else was standing above him, looking down.

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