Chapter 526 – Guild Master, Hanbyeol (2)

Please, I beg that it’s not the person I’m thinking of.

-Boom!

In the separate realm, Hanbyeol trampled on the King’s tentacles, propelling herself upwards, creating distance. The nerve-racking battle was happening in turn-based seconds, every moment vital. Faster than the King, Hanbyeol’s speed was her advantage, but the King had an overwhelming array of attacks.

-Squelch? Squelch!
-Squishhhhhhh!!

The grotesque sound of the King’s massive tree-like tentacles tore through her eardrums. The sharp, pointed tips of the tentacles were flying towards her midriff.

Hanbyeol lowered her center of gravity and charged forward. The King’s tentacles, undoubtedly swift and powerful, were however slower at changing direction. Hanbyeol deemed it a risk worth taking. She sprinted between two tentacles. The hard thorns on the tentacles grazed her calves, leaving a hot, stinging wound behind. If she halted, the tentacles would end her life.

Drawing daggers on either side, Hanbyeol ripped through the tentacles.

-Crack!

As the King reached out, this time a tentacle was launched towards Hanbyeol’s forehead.

‘So slow.’

Hanbyeol dropped the dagger embedded in the tentacle and grasped the chain attached to the hilt in her mouth. The chain wound around the tentacle multiple times, spreading out like wings.

Sliding out by significantly lowering her center of gravity, Hanbyeol emerged.

The two previously dodged tentacles altered their course, pursuing Hanbyeol.

-Whoosh!

Swiftly rising and swerving aside, she evaded the King’s attack, which couldn’t even graze her. During the dodge, she had managed to stick her dagger into a tentacle. The chain linked to the dagger hilt was taut. She could manipulate the chain’s length.

-Creak.

Hanbyeol, with chains wrapped around her arms, yanked them forcefully.

-Squishhh?!

The tentacles, twisted and tangled by the chain, were unable to exert force and fell at Hanbyeol’s feet.

-Thud!

In this separate realm, red chains dangled haphazardly, much like a spider’s web. The ensnared tentacles writhed uselessly; no matter how much they struggled, escape was futile.

“Next.”

Pulling another dagger from her pocket, Hanbyeol turned her head to look at the King.

“You have more, you bastard. Bring them out quickly.”

Despite her harsh provocation, the King maintained silence.

At first glance, it appeared as if the odds favoured Hanbyeol, but in reality, it was not so. The King had a superior reserve and consumption rate of mana. Hanbyeol bore only scratches, but the King had some limbs severed. Yet, no matter how much of his skin was sliced off, the King’s body was ceaselessly regenerating.

The mental strain was significantly higher for Hanbyeol.

Her heart ached oddly as she watched the King’s injuries increase.

Lee Si-heon’s face, body, hands, and feet.

How had he ended up in such a state?

His cadaver could have been used to form an Ent, and it wouldn’t be strange at all.

– Whoooooosh!

From the king’s back, another tentacle erupted. Encased within it was an unusually malicious spell.

Hanbyeol raised her arms to combat the tentacle. In front of her, memories shimmered like a mirage.

– Ka-boom!

The clash between sword and tentacle ensued, an unwavering standoff without an inch of retreat.

Blood seeped through Hanbyeol’s gritted teeth.

‘Lee Si-heon.’

Their first encounter was through a blind date, introduced by a dear friend. Se-Young had a peculiar taste, introducing her own lover to me. NTS? Isn’t it a certain kind of preference? Something the social butterflies would not perceive, but nerds like me understand well.

I attempted to push him away, but somehow, we ended up entangled in a relationship. I was entirely smitten by that dependable yet subtly endearing boy.

I knew little about men. Once I discovered the taste, madness was inevitable. I had braced for some hurt, but I was fortunate that my first encounter was with a good man.

‘But Si-heon…’

There were countless women. If he were still alive, the count would have easily surpassed twenty.

– Bang!

“Ugh!?”

Yet, I still love him. My dream was to be a good wife, but my skills turned out to be too proficient, leading me to take on such a task.

Impressive Hanbyeol. I’m rather exceptional myself. Maybe after this battle, I might be able to see you?

‘…Truthfully, it was this sentiment that made me accept this mission.’

I wiped the blood trickling from my nose and mouth with the back of my hand. Once I realized, my body was laden with wounds.

“Cough, gasp, retch.”

– Splash!

With wobbly legs, I ran, my petite body persevering. Hanbyeol, adeptly finding a gap amidst the countless explosions, plunged her dagger into the king’s chest.

– Whoosh!

From her body bloomed red magical energy. Hanbyeol, pulling the king’s body with a connected chain, produced something from within her bosom and bit into it.

– Cling.

A vial filled with a transparent liquid. The king’s brows knitted in a frown.

“You…”

Exhausted, but with a narrow smile, Hanbyeol said to him.

“Try enduring this.”

She infused the vial with magical energy, causing it to crack and trigger a massive explosion. Regardless, the king’s body was merely part of a tree. One of the reasons the value of ‘human hunters’ has substantially escalated this year. The object that shattered in her mouth was a vial containing the most dangerous variant of defoliant known.

– Flick!

Weapons that had been banned until this year, but were hastily created by an army of geniuses. Although still incomplete, it was sufficient to cripple a man.

Of course, even she…

– Fwoosh!

The ignited liquid exploded, scattering the defoliant around. The king’s hand stretched towards Hanbyeol.

“You’re too late…!”

In that singular moment, an explosive shockwave erupted from the body of the King. A star, unable to mount any resistance, was hurled across the floor, rolling haphazardly. Coated in dust and spewing blood, the star appeared defeated.

Miraculously, Hae-nul remained untouched by even a single droplet of the defoliant. It was as if the heavens themselves intervened on her behalf.

Silence ensued.

The King squinted his eyes in discomfort. The all-encompassing heat of the defoliant seemed, for a fleeting instant, to cause his arms to flail. His body, shedding its magic energy, shook off the defoliant that clung to it.

With a loud *hwareuk,* the flames were extinguished.

Nevertheless, the toll was apparent. The King’s regenerative abilities had drastically diminished, rendering his movements noticeably awkward.

Reaching into her bosom, Hae-nul extracted another dagger, a glimmer of hope kindled within her. The King’s gaze met hers. Hae-nul summoned her magic, ready to charge at any moment, while the King mustered his strength, brows furrowing in concentration.

A low rumble echoed – *kugugugugu.*

The very fabric of the universe seemed to tremble. Tentacles, previously bound in chains, broke free, reclaiming their liberty. They sprouted from his back, ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty in number.

Curses filled Hae-nul’s mind, her lips curled into a pained smile. Had attacking the tower been a crucial mistake? Her expression darkened with this thought.

Suddenly, the King’s tentacles began to stir.

Her tension heightening, Hae-nul readied herself, clutching her dagger, but the tentacles did not aim for her. Instead, they focused their attack on the surrounding barriers, fracturing the very dimensions. The King moved as if attempting to escape the confines of these barriers.

Could he be attempting to puncture a hole through the dimensions?

An unforeseen strategy. Each artifact possessed by Hae-nul was a legacy from the past, a heritage of the heroes. Priceless national treasures that only she, Hae-nul, could wield.

She thought rapidly.

It would take a few more minutes for support to arrive from the Hunter Association headquarters. If the Association President and the church intervened, subjugation could be possible.

The King’s intention to escape the battlefield was clear. She needed to stall him. Hadn’t the demon once hidden even in the dimensions of the World Tree? Just as the thirty-minute standoff was about to lose its meaning, Hae-nul propelled herself towards the King.

*Phwing, pingrrrr!*

Her thrown dagger aimed at the King’s flank. His movements were swifter than anticipated. The barrier emitted a unique scream, teetering on the brink of collapse.

*Gik-gik, gik-gik.*

The ceiling crumbled. The tentacle, having shattered the barrier, greeted liberation, and dozens of them lunged towards Hae-nul.

She dodged the first tentacle, tilting her head. Zigzagging, she evaded the barrage of attacks, her gaze sweeping the surroundings.

Beyond the ruins of the barrier, the world outside came into view. A couple of civilians crossed her line of sight – a boy and a girl, their unfamiliar faces resembling high school students, standing next to a sign on the outskirts of the road.

Why?

There had been ample time for evacuation during the disaster, so why were there still people left behind?

Just before her thoughts could drift away, a tentacle on the king’s back abruptly quickened its pace, reaching out towards the girl.

“…!”

An obligation deeply embedded in a Hunter’s marrow.
The trajectory of the stars abruptly altered, shifting to protect them.

‘Too late.’

It was considerably late. Infused with a dark magical force, the king’s accelerated tentacles surpassed the stars’ top speed with ease.

Attacking the king was out of the question.
The logical choice was to abandon the two individuals to their fate while she devised her own strategy.

‘Isn’t there another way?’

However, the star had long since discarded such alternatives from her mind.
She drew her dagger, severing several tentacles. The tentacles, now more fiercely targeted towards the siblings, whizzed through the air. The sight of the two, impaled on the star’s mind, flitted past.

“No…!”

The moment she strained to even forcibly disperse her magical energy, her attention was completely stolen by the siblings, and a tentacle crept up behind her.

In the end, the tentacles launched by the king did not skewer the young siblings.
The startled siblings collapsed onto the floor as the tentacles stabbed into the rigid earth. A moment of shock overcame the star.

“!”

It was not uncommon for certain disasters to target civilians to lure the Hunters into complacency.

If you were a Hunter with a professional code of ethics, it was an obvious ploy you could not help but fall for.
Especially if the adversary was a demon of trials, it was something you absolutely could not afford to overlook.

-Thump!

A tentacle struck the star’s back.

-Thump, thump, thump!

One, two, three.
The permitted attack effectively severed the uninjured star’s movements.

The star’s body sagged heavily.

-Heehee?! Heeheehee!

The tentacles seemed to cackle with joy.
The star, impaled on the skewer, dangled in mid-air before being flung somewhere.

* * * * * * * * *

Hunters, it was said, were unaware of their own deaths.

Perhaps during the moments of slowly fading away.
In a battlefield dominated by various superhumans, life could be snuffed out in an instant.

“……”

There was nothing around.
The trial’s demon had been watching me intently before suddenly vanishing.

What could it be aiming for? Why would it wreak such havoc around it?

‘Damn. This is rather, impressive.’

In the process of dying, the star, surprisingly, found a sense of wonder.
She was honestly curious. After all, she had given up on life the moment a hole appeared in her body.

‘Se-Young. I don’t think I can keep my promise.’

Rubbing her clouding vision, the star gasped for breath.

While it was regrettable, it was inevitable.
Having died defending the country, those who had cursed her would surely be left scrambling, trying to find another scapegoat.

In Korea, death comes with a host of privileges. This is not unique to Korea, but universal. The privileges are manifold if you are a patriot who has laid down their life for the country.

‘But why does it feel so unjust….’

I can feel the lifeblood ebbing from me, the pulsations of my heart growing fainter. As I attempt to shut my eyes in lonely surrender,

“Ah.”

My eyelids flutter open. It’s due to the man with ebony hair, cradling my head, his eyes brimming with sorrow.

“Si-heon…”

Yes, I am indeed dying. Yet, he’s come to meet me,

A bitter laugh escapes me.

Tears stream down my face even as I fade away, my tears for the face I had yearned to see for three long years.

“Hey, it’s okay….”

I can feel my breath dwindling. My body is aflame. It feels as if my body is filling up with new life. My consciousness grows distant, but I cannot afford to close my eyes here.

Damn it.

While Se-Young is absent, Si-heon is mine alone in heaven.

I tenderly press my cheek into his hand.

“I… Was it terribly difficult for you?”