Chapter 90

<Chapter 91> Guess I don’t have a choice. Temporary alliance this time only.

Chul-soo shook off his body and stood up.

He forced his creaking body to move around.

His arms and legs are still good enough to fight.

Most importantly, how could he fall down in front of this guy?

His pride wouldn’t allow it.

“You know, you actually look kinda like a god when I see you now.”

“Huh? Was that a compliment?”

“It’s a compliment, an extreme one.”

Tch, doesn’t feel right though?

With the ambiguous reaction, Yu-jin slightly frowned.

Regardless, there wasn’t time to debate that.

“How did you even know to rush here?”

“I was busy fighting monsters, so I couldn’t come earlier. But for some reason, all the monsters suddenly started dying.”

Indeed, all thanks to this blessing light, huh?

‘Then it’s all Young-hee’s doing.’

Even if he were to die, Chul-soo didn’t want to credit it to Yu-jin.

He slowly gazed at the light flowing through the air.

Just from the magic power alone, he knew who it was.

This warm and delicate magic power belongs to Young-hee only.

‘But how can she unleash such power?’

A city-wide, large-scale blessing attack.

There might be only a handful of people in the entire world capable of this.

Maybe only a saint-level person could pull this off.

How Young-hee is using this kind of strength,

where she got this much magic power from,

there are many questions.

But now isn’t the time to worry about that.

“Why… why would you do such a thing…”

Jekyll rose up after collapsing.

His eyes shone with madness greater than when he turned into a monster.

“Why… Why did you make that choice, Master Yu-jin!”

“Eh, me?”

“You could’ve gone higher! You could’ve embraced ugly feelings, become a monster, gotten stronger, became an even more remarkable human being! So why are you siding with those pathetic humans, why!”

Yu-jin scratched his cheek.

It sounded like some sort of underestimation,

but it was troublesome coming from a monster he just met.

“Hey, that monster’s pretending to know me?”

“Wave back at him at least.”

“Not even I want to be friends with a monster.”

-Said the guy who kissed a brainwashing slime and hated humans.

Well, in this case, it’s probably about appearances.

“Aah, is that so? Do you still lack blood? Is your vessel not satisfied unless it sees something more grotesque, more horrifying?”

“What have you been saying since just now?”

“Fine. Then let me crush the head next to you and show you!”

Jekyll lunged forward.

Chul-soo and Yu-jin reacted simultaneously.

-Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority: Extreme True Thrust

-Sky Piercing Sword: Heaven Slash

KRAK!

The sound scattered as Jekyll’s armor shattered.

However, that was all.

The beast swung its fist.

Yu-jin, who hadn’t expected a counterattack in that state, got hit and flew far away.

“Yu-jin Kim!

“You shouldn’t be distracted either, right?”

-KLANG

Jekyll swung the hook extending from his hand.

Chul-soo hastily raised his sword to block it.

Blood gushed out from the wounds on his legs.

A sharp blade hovered dangerously close to his face.

Grrr…

“To die like this…”

-ZZZZING!

Suddenly, Yu-jin leaped from the ground in just one step, striking Jekyll’s face.

The thunderous sound was as if a hammer had been swung instead of a fist.

Jekyll’s body spun in the air like a top.

“Ah, sorry about that.”

Yu-jin casually stretched his neck.

Not a single scratch on him despite getting hit earlier.

Having sent the giant flying in one punch, he unsatisfactorily glanced at his own fist.

“Ah, if I get hurt, Rime will scold me.”

Perhaps because it was just a normal punch.

His knuckles throbbed slightly.

Had he not been wearing gloves, his hands might’ve broken instead.

“Did you eat a turtle or something? What’s so hard?”

“By the way, it regenerates too.”

“Ehh?”

And he wasn’t some fire-breathing ability user whose right hand burst into flames.

He didn’t want to lose his arm trying to kill a monster.

“But with both our attacks, it should be enough.”

Chul-soo adjusted his grip on the sword while pointing at the rising Jekyll.

“Feels disgusting but I guess I don’t have a choice. Let’s combo.”

They didn’t combo during the fight against the two-headed snake.

But this time, they had no choice.

Because it’d be more infuriating to fail to defeat this Jekyll kid.

“Can you handle it?”

“Our techniques are from the same school. You fight freely. I’ll adjust.” Though, I was asking if your body’s okay.

Well, his eyes don’t seem like they’d listen even if I said that.

……

“Uaaaaaaaah!”

Before they knew it, Jekyll roared in rage and charged.

Swinging his heavy arm again.

In response, Yu-jin punched the arm.

Then Chul-soo’s sword sliced through the creature’s body.

The shell cracked with a loud noise.

“What?! What the…?!”

Jekyll swung his hook towards Chul-soo.

Chul-soo raised his sword sideways and easily deflected it.

Taking advantage of the opening, Yu-jin struck the monster’s face.

‘What the hell…’

Dodge, strike, block, slice, kick, stab.

Their combos flowed like water, naturally and seamlessly.

With their relentless exchange of attacks, Jekyll couldn’t keep up.

‘How… How are these two coordinating to this extent?!’

His jaw cracked.

This won’t do.

You, Yu-jin Kim, aren’t such a weak existence.

Relying on others doesn’t suit you.

The successor of Hwagcheon should always remain a noble entity.

“Uaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Jekyll suddenly unleashed a roar.

A powerful shockwave of magic power pushed them back momentarily.

At the same time, wings sprouted from Jekyll’s back.

FLAP!

The bulky body soared into the air.

‘Is he planning to escape?’

Soon, he realized that thought was wrong.

The massive jaws split open wide.

An enormous surge of black magic power churned within.

Converting bodily energy directly into magic power.

The air trembled from the massive magical force.

If it went wrong, it might obliterate the entire area.

‘Dangerous. There might still be people behind. Maybe even Young-hee…’

Chul-soo gripped his sword tightly with both hands.

If he were alone, there’d be no way to stop it regardless of what he tried.

Chul-soo glanced sideways.

Yu-jin was already stepping forward with his fists clenched.

Aligning himself, Chul-soo lifted his sword.

-KWAAAAAAAAAAA!

A tremendous amount of energy erupted from Jekyll’s mouth.

It resembled a dragon spewing breath.

Both moved almost simultaneously.

Though their styles, processes, and outcomes were different,

they ultimately stemmed from the same root technique.

Their skills resonated with each other as if meant to harmonize.

-Union of Sky Piercing Sword and Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority

-Original Heaven Shattering Technique

The white light and black wave collided.

The two energies canceled each other out mid-air.

Needless to say, it was the perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

Chul-soo shouted to seize the moment.

“Yu-jin Kim!

Yu-jin immediately responded.

Grabbing Chul-soo by the collar and tossing him.

“…What the heck, man?!”

“You can’t run with those legs. Consider it a bus ride.”

Chul-soo rocketed dozens of meters into the air.

Synchronizing with that, Yu-jin also jumped high into the sky.

-Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority: Super Speed

In the blink of an eye, Yu-jin reached Jekyll.

No tactical discussions needed.

They understood each other perfectly after countless fights.

They knew each other’s capabilities better than anyone.

Each already knew their roles.

-Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority: Extreme True Thrust x10 Combo

“!!”

Yu-jin’s barrage of punches hammered Jekyll.

It was enough to shatter the sturdy armor.

With a thunderous crash, fragments scattered into the air.

‘No! Regeneration can’t keep up with the destruction speed! Like this-!’

The armor peeled away.

The vulnerable contents inside were exposed.

And then the boy with the sword soared towards him.

-Sky Piercing Sword Original: Blue Lightning

A streak of blue light flashed across Jekyll’s neck.

The monster’s head was cleanly severed.

As neat as splitting an apple.

Jekyll’s head detached from his body and fell.

‘Why…’

It was supposed to be the perfect plan.

A project solely aimed at completing Yu-jin Kim.

For that, becoming a monster wasn’t even questioned.

But you, Yu-jin Kim.

Why choose such inferior humans when you could truly become a monster unlike me?

‘Ba…stard…’

The monster’s body and head collapsed onto the ground.

They neither regenerated nor moved.

There were no longer any monsters left around.

The dozens of monsters created by Jekyll and the terrorism he caused.

21 injured, 18 lightly wounded, 4 severely injured, 0 fatalities.

Thus, the battle ended.

****

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Young-hee.

Memories of childhood surfaced.

Back when Young-hee used to give him her lap as a pillow,

those happiest and most precious times.

“Young-hee…”

“Yeah, Chul-soo.”

Chul-soo reached out to stroke Young-hee’s face.

Even while crying, she managed to smile.

“I love you.”

All the battles until now couldn’t be called good times, even as empty words.

There were times he wanted to give up.

But he kept swinging his sword.

Because there was a reason he had to.

“You’re more important than anything else.”

“Me too…”

“It’s good that your pain has lessened.”

“Yeah, but now you look sadder.”

“I love you.”

“Me too, sincerely.”

Chul-soo smiled weakly.

“Because of you… I could fight. I really love you.”

So happily.

As if nothing else in this world mattered.

With the most beloved woman in his sight,

Chul-soo closed his eyes.

“…Chul-soo? Chul-soo!”

Young-hee called out his name.

But Chul-soo didn’t move.

He remained still like a puppet with its strings cut.

“No! Don’t do this! Please! I’m sorry! Please don’t leave me alone!”

Young-hee poured all her blessings into him.

But it merely flowed through without effect.

Only her tears dripped onto his face.

“Just… Just now…”

“Move aside for a moment.”

Then a girl stepped forward.

The girl in hanbok placed her hand on Chul-soo’s chest.

Massive energy began to flow through his body.

Life gradually returned to Chul-soo’s face.

Wounds disappeared, and his hair turned white from bleaching.

After some time,

the girl withdrew her hand and stood up.

“I’ve infused him with natural energy. Honestly, his adaptability is astonishing.”

“Huh? So, does that mean Chul-soo…?”

“He’s alive. Don’t worry. When he wakes up, he’ll be stronger than before.”

“Aaaah!”

Young-hee’s expression lit up brightly.

Whoever this person was didn’t matter.

Chul-soo was alive.

That was enough.

“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”

From a distance, Yu-jin watched the scene.

Even he knows better than to interrupt in such situations.

He merely tilted his head and thought:

“Where did the Class President and Rime go?”

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