176 – The Hwa Brothers – 2 –

*Thud!*

Just as the Hwa brothers kicked over the table.

Rohan knocked his chair back, rolling away. He rose, weapons in both hands.

He kicked the nearest chair out of his path.

*Crash!*

The chair the brothers avoided shattered a window. The Hwa brothers’ expressions twisted as if they’d bitten into gall.

Drawing unnecessary attention wasn’t what they wanted.

“So-pyung. End this as quickly as possible.”

“Leave it to me!”

At Hwa Cheon-gang’s words, Hwa So-pyung drew a wide, flat blade.

A rough intensity poured out, like a butcher about to slaughter an ox with a single blow. Rohan enveloped his Luminous Blade with heat.

“…”

A short, silent clash of eyes as they drew up mana.

There was no special signal to begin.

*Boom!*

Hwa So-pyung leaped forward with a speed that belied his bulk.

“Kaaah!!!”

Exhaling in one burst, he swung his flat blade.

Rohan blocked the strike aimed to sever his waist with the flat of his sword.

*‘Heavy.’*

The hand gripping Luminescence throbbed.

He raised the mark on his left hand, aiming the barrel – but Hwa Cheon-gang joined the fray, producing a spear from the corner of the office.

A sharp thrust hurtled in from behind Hwa So-pyung, who was still bearing down with his blade.

*Whoosh!*

The pointed spear flew like a serpent’s head, tearing through the air.

Rohan tilted his head back, evading the blow, and created distance.

The Hwa brothers wiped away the smiles they had shown Rohan. Their faces became utterly serious.

“…He dodged that?”

“Brother. That one’s no ordinary fellow.”

Tall and thin with long limbs, Hwa Cheon-gang. Short and thick with short, stout arms and a sturdy body, Hwa So-pyung.

The Hwa brothers complemented each other’s weaknesses with their contrasting styles.

Their teamwork was exquisite, honed by years spent together.

물러서긴커녕 다시 거리를 좁힌 로한이 검을 휘둘렀고.

형제가 섬뜩함을 느끼고 회피하자. 사무실 벽이 쩍! 갈라지며 깔끔한 검흔이 남았다.

“쯧!”

위력에 놀란 화천강과 화소평이 무구에 바람을 휘감았다.

─탕! 마력이 깃든 탄환을 막아낸 형제가 다시 진형을 갖춘다.

“후읍!”

화소평이 재차 달려든다. 바람의 마력이 서린 박도는 자리에 서서 막을 위력이 아니었다.

캐앵──!

로한은 칼날을 막아내는 동시에 몸을 살짝 띄워 자리에서 회전했다.

직선으로 날아든 참격을 흘리며 허공에서 방아쇠를 당긴다.

탕!

화소평은 머리를 노린 총알을 다급하게 피해냈으나.

총탄에 귀를 헌납했다.

“소평!”

“괜찮수. 씨발, 애새끼 상대로 이게 무슨 쪽이여.”

귀 하나가 날아갔어도 화소평의 기세는 꺾이지 않았다.

피를 질질 흘리면서도 번들거리는 눈동자를 보아하니, 기실 흥분으로 통증을 잊은 상태.

화소평은 박도를 크게 휘두르며 재차 달려들었고.

비어있는 사이로 화천강의 창이 파고들었다.

광휘의 검면으로 찌르기를 막았지만, 바람이 일점으로 모여 강하게 밀어낸다.

“흡!”

쿠당탕! 사무실 바닥을 구른 로한이 벌떡 일어났다.

이어서 쏟아지는 공격을 막아내고 이리저리 발을 움직이니, 사무실은 가구가 전부 박살 나며 한순간에 엉망이 됐다.

전등이 깨져 공간이 어두워졌다.

밤의 도시에서 스며드는 불빛에 의지해야 하는 사무실 안.

째앵! 캉! 투둑! 탕! 탕!

쇳소리와 총소리가 울리고 불꽃이 번쩍인다.

빛을 받지 못해 검게 보이는 핏물이 얕게 튀며 벽을 칠한다.

서로가 유효타를 입히지 못하고 껍데기만 벗겨내고 있다.

[이검(二劍) – 여명낙일(黎明落日)]

Rather than yielding, Rohan closed the distance again, brandishing his sword.

A shiver ran down the brothers’ spines as they dodged. The office wall split open with a *crack*! leaving a clean, sword-cut scar.

“Tch!”

Startled by the power, Hwacheon-gang and Hwaso-pyeong wrapped wind around their weapons.

─Tang!─ The brothers, having blocked the mana-infused bullet, reformed their stance.

“Huu-eup!”

Hwaso-pyeong charged again. The *bakdo* imbued with wind magic wasn’t something one could block standing still.

*Clang*──!

Rohan, parrying the blade, simultaneously lifted his body slightly, rotating in place.

Deflecting the straight-flying slash, he squeezed the trigger in mid-air.

Tang!

Hwaso-pyeong frantically avoided the bullet aimed at his head, but…

His ear paid the price.

“So-pyeong!”

“I’m alright. *Ssibal*, what kind of disgrace is this against some whelp?”

Even with an ear missing, Hwaso-pyeong’s spirit didn’t falter.

Seeing his eyes gleaming even as blood dripped down, he was, in truth, in a state where excitement had overridden the pain.

Hwaso-pyeong swung his *bakdo* mightily and charged once more.

Through the opening, Hwacheon-gang’s spear pierced.

The radiant blade deflected the thrust, but wind gathered at a single point, pushing him back forcefully.

“Heup!”

*Thud!* Rohan, who had tumbled across the office floor, sprang to his feet.

Blocking the subsequent onslaught and shifting his feet back and forth, the office transformed into a mess in an instant, furniture smashed to bits.

The lights shattered, plunging the space into darkness.

Inside the office, they had to rely on the light seeping in from the night city.

*Tchaeng! Kang! Tuduk! Tang! Tang!*

The sounds of metal clashing and gunshots echoed, sparks flashing.

Blood, appearing black in the lack of light, sprayed thinly, painting the walls.

Neither managed a decisive blow, only chipping away at the other’s defenses.

[Second Sword – *Yeomyeongnagil* (Dawn’s Setting Sun)]

Waves of flame erupted from Rohan’s sword path.

Without a word, the Hwa brothers channeled wind into one place, scattering the raging flames.

Tang! *Pababang!*

Rohan poured out bullets through the opening created.

The *bakdo* and spear deflected the bothersome bullets.

“This b*stard…!”

“So-pyeong, calm yourself. Respond deliberately.”

Rohan kicked aside a fragment on the floor, then.

Opened the distance to replace the magazine.

“Brother, now that things have come to this, should we call the boys…?”

Hwasopyeong, who had been staring intently at Rohan, trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

Hwacheongang finally realized it too.

‘Why is it so quiet?’

The chill born of that question sent a shiver crawling down his spine.

With this much commotion, their men should be here from outside. Maybe not bursting through the door, but at least knocking to see what’s happening.

Not everyone would be at the depot. There were always men left in the building.

And so, the brothers understood, with a gut feeling.

Something had happened outside.

‘Unlikely to be the constables.’

A boisterous arrival was their specialty, their hallmark.

Rohan’s lips curved upwards, amused by the unease his foes had finally noticed.

Thanks to his companions, he could focus purely on the fight.

‘The Hwas or the Seops. These b*stards can really throw down, huh?’

Perhaps it was to be expected, running into guys like this in Abyss City, with a proper crew backing them. Rohan was impressed by the Hwa brothers’ skill.

Attacks linked in lines and planes. It was incomparable to the Yarde Pound brothers’ brute force.

Hwasopyeong and Hwacheongang, each individually, were better than that crossbow-wielding, hallucination-using mutt he’d faced the day he saved Sion. Better than that Doberman.

‘And yet, I can manage.’

And so, Rohan could feel himself improving, at a rate that could only be called rapid.

He had the leeway to maintain and regulate his breathing. He could calmly plan his next move.

As proof, he was starting to read their movements.

He was only managing to wound them, for now. But complacency was forbidden.

“Haa…”

Rohan exhaled, resetting his stance.

The brothers, too, refined their killing intent, tightening their grip on their weapons.

The tide of battle could turn at any moment. The space itself gave the brothers an advantage.

If Rohan were alone, he should escape this room through the window.

The Hwa brothers’ cooperative style was easier to deal with in a wide-open space.

They knew it too, which was why they hadn’t left.

But Rohan had his own advantages he was counting on.

To minimize the possibility of uninvolved civilians getting caught in the crossfire.

To prevent the bothersome scenario of those two splitting up and running if they were cornered.

And, finally…

‘I’m not alone either, after all.’

From the building opposite, where Sion was positioned, the view of this side was perfectly clear.

The building across the way.

Sion, who had been holding her breath, checked her scope. The brothers’ concentration was completely focused on Rohan.

‘Target acquired.’

[Heart Sniping]

Based on the pupils that had changed into hearts, the girl pulled the trigger.

─ *Taang!* A sharp crack echoed as a small flame winked to life beneath the night sky.

Sion’s bullet, as though staring down Rohan’s killer, hurtled toward Hwa So-pyeong’s heart.

“!”

Hwa Cheon-gang frantically spun his spear.

The bullet, deflected by the spear shaft, veered from its trajectory towards the heart, but the shot from beyond awareness allowed no perfect defense.

Infused with skill, the slightly curved bullet buried itself in Hwa So-pyeong’s thigh.

“Ugh-guh-guh-guh──!!!”

Hwa So-pyeong shuddered violently, his body seized by Sion’s electrical attack. Muscles twitched uncontrollably, betraying his will.

Sniping fire rained down from the outside, intent on finishing the job.

Hwa Cheon-gang whirled his spear, deflecting the bullets to protect Hwa So-pyeong.

‘An opening.’

Simultaneously, Rohan, eyes fixed on Hwa So-pyeong, still reeling from the electrical aftershocks, relaxed his muscles.

[Three Swords (三劍) – Radiant Wing Thrust (光翼錐)]

A thrust fueled by explosive, instant power.

*Thwack!*

Radiance plunged coolly into Hwa So-pyeong’s chest.

“Kurgh─!!!”

His heart pierced through. The rotational force of the Radiant Wing Thrust utterly shattered it.

Hwa So-pyeong’s pupils trembled, then dulled, losing their light. His life was consumed by flame.

“So-pyeong!!!”

Hwa Cheon-gang’s eyes flared wide. Ignoring Sion’s sniping, he charged towards Rohan.

Rohan, in turn, kicked Hwa So-pyeong’s abdomen, pulling his sword free.

Hwa So-pyeong rolled away, landing limply on the ground, unmoving.

“You, you son of a b*tch!!!”

“You make a living off betraying your own kin, and now you feign brotherhood?”

“I’ll tear you apart and make you eat your entrails!”

Hwa Cheon-gang’s bloodshot eyes unleashed a violent gust of wind, then, suddenly…

*Weeeeeeeeee──!!!*

The wail of arriving enforcers echoed from beyond the gates.

Vehicles, displaying their lights, sped into the parking area.

“Seeking revenge? I thought you’d run.”

“… Killing you is still worthwhile.”

“Fool. All talk, no action.”

Rohan taunted Hwa Cheon-gang, raising his sigil.

And charging a Weakness Infusion into a bullet.

··

··

The law enforcement officers of Samhwa, alerted by a report, had arrived at Cheongrim.

What they encountered was an unexpected horror.

A line of corpses riddled with neat holes through their heads.

There was even a corpse, head stuck in the ceiling by the force of a punch, dangling precariously.

Amidst the carnage, a Tiger Girl greeted the constables with a bright smile, jarringly out of place.

Beside the cleanly bisected remains of another, a young woman – one the constables couldn’t possibly mistake – sat with her eyes closed.

“I’ll explain everything, but let’s go inside first. After you’ve seen it, we can head to the precinct together.”

“…”

Nodding at Ichinose’s words, the constables ventured further in.

They confirmed the shattered door of a room.

Inside lay the bodies of the Hwa brothers, the Blue Dawn’s bosses, along with Rohan’s group.

*

*Vrrrt! Vrrrt!*

Quietly reading in a cafe in Academy City, Jooyeon swiftly checked his vibrating phone.

“…!”

The message’s contents caused him to leap to his feet.