Chapter 96.2

(Continued)

The Iron Dragon Staff clashed with sharp teeth, creating sparks and shockwaves. Another soldier then struck Woo-jin, throwing him violently.

Although Woo-jin blocked with the Iron Dragon Staff, he couldn’t fully withstand the assault.

Boom!!

With the sound of a cannon blast, Woo-jin was hurled away like a ball. Crash!! The derelict building crumbled as Woo-jin tumbled inside.

“Gah…!”

Woo-jin coughed up blood, struggling to move his body.

“!”

There was no time to rest.

In the blink of an eye, Hong Kyu was already upon Woo-jin.

“Resist more, Ahn Woo-jin!!!”

Hong Kyu shouted with laughter. Devourer’s teeth lunged.

Boom!!

Woo-jin swung the Iron Dragon Staff to block, but Hong Kyu overpowered him, blasting Woo-jin out of the building.

Devourer consumed part of the structure, growing larger. Immediately after, Hong Kyu lunged at Woo-jin again. Woo-jin steadied his mind and countered with the Iron Dragon Staff.

Crash!!

The clashes continued multiple times.

Devourer repeatedly chewed on the building’s exterior, enlarging each time. The larger it grew, the harder it became for Woo-jin to fend off.

As the fierce battle raged, buildings crumbled, and a cloud of dust rose.

Hong Kyu’s eyes widened.

“Oh no! The building!”

In the midst of their aerial battle, Hong Kyu finally realized the gravity of the situation when three buildings collapsed around them. He turned his head, horrified, toward the crumbling structures.

“Argh!”

Taking advantage of the opening, Woo-jin fiercely swung the Iron Dragon Staff, striking Hong Kyu’s neck and sending him flying. Crash! Hong Kyu slammed into a building wall.

Woo-jin grabbed onto a window frame to prevent himself from falling.

“Heh! That didn’t even tickle!”

Hong Kyu casually rotated his neck, then kicked off the wall and launched himself at Woo-jin. Devourer shot towards him like an arrow.

Woo-jin let go of the window frame and dropped, evading Hong Kyu’s attack. Crack! Instead of an impact, there was a gnawing sound as Devourer bit into the exterior of the building it touched, swallowing it whole.

As Devourer consumed the concrete wall, it became reinforced with its outer shell. Its size had now grown to a threatening level.

Swoosh! The Soldiers of Gluttony followed, leaping towards Woo-jin. Large jaws simultaneously aimed at him.

It was clear what would happen if he got caught in those jaws that devoured anything. At best, he might escape with only severe bodily harm.

Relying solely on his combat instincts, Woo-jin swung the Iron Dragon Staff in counterattack, then kicked off a Soldier of Gluttony and landed on the ground.

Rolling across the dirt, Woo-jin got up only to be immediately assaulted by the Soldiers of Gluttony. Crack! Woo-jin drew the Lightning Rod with his remaining hand and continued the fight.

“No matter how much you struggle, what’s the point!? Huh!?”

Hong Kyu shouted as he descended to the ground, targeting Woo-jin alongside the Soldiers of Gluttony. But Woo-jin had no time to respond.

He was continuously attacked, knocked back, and charged at again.

“Are you doing this just to protect Kim Dalbi!?”

Boom!

Hong Kyu’s kick sent Woo-jin flying. He hurtled through the air and slammed into the building’s outer wall.

Rumble. Even as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, Woo-jin refused to lose consciousness.

The pain was excruciating. It felt like his bones and internal organs were a mess.

But he didn’t care. Woo-jin gathered the last of his strength and raised both the Iron Dragon Staff and Lightning Rod in his hands.

“I respect your resolve.”

Hong Kyu sneered and walked towards Woo-jin.

“As a courtesy, I’ll crush you first, then go after Kim Dalbi.”

“Yeah… Thanks for that.”

Hong Kyu rushed at Woo-jin again.

Woo-jin had no time to think rationally.

He fought purely on instinct.

Thud! Suddenly, a magic-infused arrow pierced Woo-jin’s thigh. His eyes widened in shock. When he looked toward the direction of the arrow, he saw Hong Bin holding a crossbow.

It was a simple arrow with enhanced penetration through magic. Hong Bin had figured that Woo-jin was at his limit, unable to react even to something as basic as that, and forced him into a corner.

However, Woo-jin pushed himself to retaliate with every ounce of his strength. Hong Kyu intended to toy with Woo-jin and prolong the battle, but Woo-jin’s relentless defiance began to irritate him.

Woo-jin narrowed his eyes.

Memories flashed through his mind. Even the scenery around him seemed to change. Was it his life flashing before his eyes?

Among those memories, his childhood.

He recalled meeting Kim Dalbi in the snow on a day when white flakes gently fell, filling his mind.

Rumble!!

The sound of electricity roared in his ears.

Explosions and impact noises followed one after another.

Amidst it all, Woo-jin found himself recalling Kim Dalbi’s voice.

─ “Is your name Woo-jin?”
─ “Yeah.”
─ “I was bored! Now that you talked to me, you have to keep me company!”
─ “Huh?”

They held hands, walking together until they slipped and fell in the snow.

When they looked up and faced each other, the sound of Dalbi’s joyful laughter filled Woo-jin’s mind.

Woo-jin remembered Dalbi from that day.

Crash!!

He remembered the flowers and letters he had given her when he confessed his feelings.

He remembered the times Dalbi often came over to his house to cook for him.

He remembered how her cooking skills gradually improved, how she blushed and acted proud whenever he praised her.

He remembered pretending to be thrilled when Dalbi gave him a robot as a gift, and how she beamed with pride.

He remembered the countless times he told Dalbi he loved her.

He remembered the frequent hugs they shared.

He remembered the warmth.

He remembered the days they looked at the cityscape together, hoping to be together in the future.

Smash!!

I remember.

I keep the memories of my past with you.

So it’s okay.

I’ll never forget the memories I have with you.

Woo-jin had already fallen.

Unable to muster any more strength, he lay flat on the ground, gazing up at the sky enclosed by the barrier.

He breathed quietly, barely escaping death.

“……”

Hong Kyu looked down at Woo-jin and sighed.

“The last bit of fun ended too blandly…. Whatever, let’s go. The meal’s not over yet.”

The Soldiers of Gluttony lifted Woo-jin up. They began walking towards where the Shikigami was.

Hong Kyu, looking bored, tried to appear cheerful when he spotted Hong Bin.

“Sister! It’s over!”

“Brother, go back to the Shikigami. I’ll take care of Kim Dalbi.”

“Sure, sure, then…”

At that moment.

“!”

Hong Kyu and Hong Bin froze. Their survival instincts screamed at them.

Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of magic engulfed the area, pressing down on their bodies. The magic was so dense that even breathing became difficult.

They realized that something had gone terribly wrong.

Hong Kyu quickly turned his head back. His eyes tried to focus on Woo-jin.

Then.

…Thud.

An abrupt stillness descended.

Hong Kyu and Hong Bin felt as if they were floating in an unknown space. From a distant place, far beyond their reach, an extraordinary creature came into view.

A transcendent being of the 9th Tier.
The moment they saw the vivid golden glow of the creature, they instinctively thought of the name ‘Golden Sheep.’

An overwhelming sense of terror surged, tightening around their hearts.

They trembled violently, blinking their eyes. When they reopened them, the familiar landscape of the Zero Zone returned to their vision.

“What… was that…?”

“Brother!!”

Hong Bin’s shrill scream snapped Hong Kyu out of his confusion.

Nothing was left around them.

The Soldiers of Gluttony were all gone.

Even Woo-jin was nowhere to be seen.

Hong Kyu turned to look at Hong Bin and realized she was staring upward.

He hastily looked up, and in that instant, the hand of a man falling from above grabbed Hong Kyu’s face.

In the blink of an eye, Hong Kyu felt an overwhelming disparity in power that he couldn’t fathom. The man slammed Hong Kyu into the ground.

Boom!!

“Gah!!”

The ground shattered, and dust scattered into the air.

——————

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