Ch.122Past Connections Are Dangerous (9)

Standing at the center of the confronting forces, countless gazes naturally converge on me.

Seoha was looking at me with a worried face, while Yesiel and Lee Jicheol were giving me looks that said “here we go again.”

On the other hand, the S-rank hunters from various countries who came as reinforcements and Ryan’s group showed me nothing but wariness and hostility.

“I had my suspicions, but you really were connected to them.”

“What exactly are you plotting?”

“……”

I frowned thoughtfully at their words.

When the United States and Russia first attacked, I too had no idea what was happening.

It just turned out that they really were my associates after all.

“I’m not plotting anything. We just happen to know each other.”

“Do you really think that makes sense?”

They’re right. At this point, making such excuses won’t convince anyone.

That’s why I decided to face the situation in a completely different way.

“So what?”

“…What?”

“What does it matter whether you believe me or not? If I say I’m not involved, then I’m not.”

Truly arrogant words.

Hearing this, the hunters naturally frowned and increased their hostility toward me.

“How impudent. Has all the recent attention made you think you’re actually somebody important?”

“There are nine S-rank hunters here right now. This is no place for you to act so brazenly alone. I suggest you watch what you say next.”

This reaction was also expected, but they were mistaken about something.

“Who says I’m alone? I’m not.”

By simple calculation, I have Jicheol, Seoha, and also Astride and Henesia—a total of four allies.

Yesiel and Xavier may not be certain, but at least they won’t suddenly attack us.

In other words, there are a total of 5 people opposing us here, including Ryan and Julian.

If we were to fight these five, there’s absolutely no reason we would lose.

Hearing my words, Seoha and Jicheol immediately came to my side, while the hunters raised their tension and prepared for battle.

“Are you defying the judgment of the world organization? This isn’t just an individual’s deviation. Korea will also face severe criticism.”

“Oh, really? And where are you from?”

“I am Gustavo, an S-rank hunter from Brazil. If you proceed with this, I will officially lodge a complaint with the government.”

Toward this Gustavo, I smirked and threw a warning.

“Can you handle the consequences of what you just said?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? I mean your loose lips could destroy your country.”

“W-what?”

Gustavo shot me a murderous glare with an incredulous look.

However, I continued speaking indifferently without even reacting to it.

“This situation is troublesome and annoying for me too, so if you run your mouth carelessly, I might just bury you in the sea over there.”

“…I can only laugh at this. Have you completely lost your mind?”

As if supporting Gustavo, Ryan of the Seven Stars from America, who had been silent all along, opened his mouth.

“Hey, kid. You’ve been crossing the line for a while now. Shouldn’t you be looking for excuses rather than putting on airs?”

Come to think of it, due to the side effects of necromancy, I had never revealed my power in front of these two.

It was understandable that he would look down on me.

And sorry, but I’m not particularly fond of such looks.

“…Right, I did have something to pay you back for.”

He dared to take me away and then, when I said I was hungry, he kept throwing tasteless canned food at me.

Meanwhile, he was gnawing on turkey legs brought in from the city. It was impossible not to be angry.

“Now that I think about it, I’m annoyed. I haven’t tolerated such insults from anyone in the last 50 years.”

“Geez, you’ve been spouting nonsense from the start. Let’s not complicate things. I don’t have a hobby of hitting children.”

“Then keep getting beaten up.”

First, I’ll take down Ryan, one of the Seven Stars, to suppress the momentum of the foreign hunters.

Having calmly calculated my move, I slowly approached him while raising my fighting spirit.

#

Ryan, a first-generation American hunter and one of the Seven Stars, had various questions as he looked at Baek Eunha before him.

‘What’s going on? Her aura is completely different from before.’

When they had Baek Eunha in custody, he certainly didn’t feel any particular threat from her. His instincts, which had reached a transcendent level, had judged that she wasn’t his match.

But what about now?

They hadn’t even started fighting properly yet, but the energy emanating from her felt ominously dangerous.

Ryan could sense it. Baek Eunha’s attack would definitely reach him.

If his opponent were Gustavo, who had been arguing with Baek Eunha, he could have achieved an overwhelming victory without much difficulty, but somehow, he couldn’t envision such an outcome against Baek Eunha.

‘Besides, their reactions earlier…’

Though he couldn’t grasp the exact context of the conversation, Astride and Henesia had clearly called Baek Eunha their teacher.

Astride, in particular, had openly shown eyes full of respect.

If she was someone who commanded such respect from those two formidable individuals, there was a possibility that Baek Eunha was far more powerful than Ryan had imagined.

‘…It’s entirely possible.’

What era are we living in? It’s more than possible to change one’s appearance to that of a young girl or to hide one’s power.

For this reason, Ryan didn’t let his guard down and summoned a bolt of lightning as a warning, shooting it at Baek Eunha to tell her not to come any closer.

And he put real power behind it.

Kwarrung!

Pajijik─!

However, for some reason, the lightning didn’t reach Baek Eunha. It just struck a spot two steps away from her.

‘What?’

As soon as Ryan confirmed this, he immediately summoned another bolt of lightning aimed at Baek Eunha.

Kwarrung─!

But the result was the same. Only then did Ryan strongly sense that something was wrong.

“…What trick are you pulling?”

Even for a veteran and hero of many battles, such a situation could only be confusing.

Ryan too now completely wiped the smile from his face and summoned a dark cloud, striking down dozens of lightning bolts.

Kwarung!

Kwarrung!

Kwajijik!

However, most of them didn’t reach Baek Eunha and only cut through empty air.

A few bolts did manage to go in the right direction, but they were blocked by Baek Eunha’s defense and failed to fulfill their purpose.

‘This can’t be.’

Looking at Ryan whose eyes were beginning to waver, Baek Eunha smirked and continued.

“What’s wrong? Don’t understand what’s happening?”

While Ryan might be an experienced combat genius, that’s only in the context of this Earth.

On the other hand, Baek Eunha had fought daily battles in Thebes for a hundred years, and had exchanged blows with formidable warriors who had devoted themselves to combat for decades or even centuries.

Among non-human races, there were even transcendent beings who had lived for thousands of years, so no further explanation was needed.

Looking at Baek Eunha who had somehow approached right in front of him, Ryan just maintained a stern expression and surrounded himself with an electrical barrier for protection.

Baek Eunha looked up at Ryan and smirked once more. Then she said:

“What are you doing? Are you already done?”

“…As I said, I don’t have a hobby of hurting children, but I’ll have to fix that attitude of yours.”

Contrary to his words, Ryan now had no room to hold back.

Baek Eunha was more threatening than he had thought. If he couldn’t overpower her, he would be the one overpowered.

Pajijik─!

In an instant, powerful magical energy burst forth from Ryan, and the electric current that surged with it began to envelop his entire body.

Eventually, what emerged was Ryan’s figure wrapped in a soft blue light.

Pajik.

The electric current around his body was controlled, with only occasional static electricity sparking, but just by looking, one could tell that its power was incomparably greater than before.

“…I didn’t plan to use this skill unless necessary.”

The commonly called awakening-type skill.

It had an effect like doping, temporarily boosting all abilities by consuming a large amount of magical energy.

Having somewhat shaken off his confusion, Ryan slowly approached Baek Eunha and continued speaking.

“I’ll admit it. You’re definitely not just anyone.”

“I’ll admit it too. I can’t block this like before.”

However, for some reason, Baek Eunha still hadn’t removed the composure from her expression.

The reason could be understood from her subsequent words.

“Of course, that’s only if I use the same method as before.”

Simultaneously, an eye emitting an ominous feeling rose from Baek Eunha’s hand.