Ch.158Chapter 158 – Abandoning One’s Accomplice (4)

Cha Eun-kyung prided herself on having followed an elite path.

After being promoted to A-rank in record time and catching the president’s eye, Cha Eun-kyung grew steadily with the government’s full support. Not only did she receive material resources, but a special class was even established for her, and her impressive performance in the North-South War allowed her to become a disciple of the Sword Demon.

Under the Sword Demon’s tutelage, she received many teachings and eventually succeeded in creating a sword aura, earning her promotion to S-rank. Unlike her first life, which had faced countless hardships, this promotion had been remarkably peaceful and uneventful.

Yet an easy path, while beneficial for one’s physical and mental well-being, doesn’t guarantee growth. In front of the enormous wall that was Kim Jae-min, her resolve crumbled pathetically.

‘I…’

The teleporter who committed suicide by bursting his own heart after being unable to endure torture; the S-rank hunters who mostly died or withdrew. Even the Sword Demon, who had fought with unwavering determination until the end, lost consciousness and was escorted to the rear when hunters under orders from above injected him with anesthetics.

Only a few hunters remained on site to buy time for others to retreat. Cha Eun-kyung was one of them.

‘Can I hold out?’

Even as she asked herself this question, she already knew the answer. Neither the teleporter nor the Sword Demon could handle Kim Jae-min. Cha Eun-kyung, who stayed behind claiming she would stop Kim Jae-min, knew she was merely cannon fodder. She thought she had gained enough practical experience being summoned to various gates in Gangwon Province, Busan, and elsewhere, but she had never felt this powerless before.

Her hand holding the sword trembled with fear. Her sword aura flickered precariously like a campfire in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment. The current Cha Eun-kyung was not the leader of humanity’s last stand who had weathered countless battles, but merely a hunter gripped by fear.

Kim Jae-min was getting closer. Hunters’ heads flew into the air one by one. Spreading indiscriminate hostility and killing intent, death approached to claim their lives.

Now Cha Eun-kyung was the only hunter left alive. Being the farthest from Kim Jae-min, she at least had a moment to think about her last words. Cha Eun-kyung closed her eyes.

“May someone, please, stop Kim Jae-min…”

The next moment, what she expected was the sensation of metal cutting into her neck. She thought this moment would be her last.

However, contrary to her expectation, instead of the sound of flesh being cut, she heard the clash of metal. The sound of sword meeting sword. Cha Eun-kyung cautiously opened her eyes. She saw the back of an unfamiliar figure.

“Who…?”

“…So you had moments of weakness like this too.”

The man spoke without turning around. He was someone who didn’t exist in Cha Eun-kyung’s memory, yet he spoke as if he knew her well.

“This time, I’ve come to protect you. Just as you always did for me.”

Armor deployed over Kwak Tae-woo’s body. Blue mana circuits emitted activation sounds. With explosive strength, Kim Jae-min’s body was pushed backward.

“Kwak Tae-woo. Finally showing your face.”

“I’ve been busy destroying Demon Plants for a while.”

“…Seems you’ve raised your level quite a bit. But numbers alone won’t defeat me.”

“It’s not just my level that’s grown.”

A surprise strike aimed for Kim Jae-min’s neck. Kim Jae-min was casually leaning back when he flinched at the suddenly extending sword aura and kicked himself backward.

“The Sword Demon’s technique?”

Kwak Tae-woo pursued Kim Jae-min immediately and unleashed a flurry of sword strikes. Kim Jae-min tried to blink behind Kwak Tae-woo to strike his neck, but the spell didn’t activate. He frowned and glared at one of the rings Kwak Tae-woo was wearing.

‘A coordinate disruption artifact, I see.’

While Kim Jae-min’s movements were restricted, Kwak Tae-woo threw a scroll to Cha Eun-kyung. He had two spatial movement scrolls left, but he had given one to Shin Jae-hyuk before they parted, so this was his last one.

“It’s an escape scroll! Retreat while I hold Kim Jae-min off!”

“But you—!”

“Hurry!”

Before reluctantly tearing the scroll, she bit her lip hard and shouted:

“Kim Jae-min was hit by a nuclear blast! He’s used up a lot of energy regenerating his body and using magic, so the longer you drag out the fight, the more advantageous it will be!”

A prolonged battle would be disadvantageous for him too. Kwak Tae-woo smiled bitterly under his helmet. He had already fought fierce battles to defeat Behemoth and Leviathan, and his sword aura, while powerful, was inefficient. He had a few potions left but wasn’t sure if he’d have the chance to drink them.

Meanwhile, as if Cha Eun-kyung’s advice had hit the mark, Kim Jae-min’s stance shifted from defensive to offensive. Demonic energy comparable to the Four Heavenly Kings gathered in his single sword, and he counterattacked with an even more terrifying sword aura.

The sight of the fallen hero charging with fearsome demonic energy reminded Kwak Tae-woo of the Dark Knight who had traumatized him.

Memories of the past triggered his fear. Each time the corrupted holy sword came an inch closer, Kwak Tae-woo’s patience was tested. In a moment when he wanted nothing more than to flee, Kwak Tae-woo gritted his teeth.

“This time, it’s different…!”

His first-life self had been powerless. He couldn’t even face the Dark Knight and lost Cha Eun-kyung before his eyes.

He hadn’t forgotten that desire for revenge. After returning to the past, Kwak Tae-woo used all his memories and capabilities to collect artifacts effective against the Dark Knight. Holy items that were specifically effective against Ma-in and the corrupted—he used all of them against Kim Jae-min.

‘Kuk… A curse? No… it would be a blessing.’

A holy aura enveloped Kim Jae-min. What would be a blessing for ordinary people acted as a curse for Ma-in. His movements, already weakened by the nuclear explosion’s aftereffects, became even more sluggish. His strength drained even while standing still, and his entire body felt heavy like a waterlogged sponge.

Kim Jae-min was surprised but his will didn’t break. Such adverse conditions were something he had experienced many times while fighting as a hero. Demons had always targeted Kim Jae-min’s moments of weakness, and Kim Jae-min had always claimed victory in the most difficult moments.

Threads of demonic energy connected various parts of Kim Jae-min’s body like muscle fibers. Instead of his weakened muscles, these mana threads moved Kim Jae-min’s limbs. He had essentially turned himself into a marionette puppet that he controlled.

As their swords clashed, Kwak Tae-woo swallowed his dismay. This was no amateur technique. Even while moving his body with magic, Kim Jae-min’s movements showed the same precision as usual. Thanks to honing his weapon skills against countless demons in hell, Kwak Tae-woo was barely able to respond.

Kwak Tae-woo tried to cut the mana threads, but Kim Jae-min wouldn’t allow it, and even if one or two threads were cut, they would immediately reconnect.

In this stalemate where no significant damage could be inflicted, Kim Jae-min deployed a magic circle in the air.

‘Damn, he was a mage too.’

His swordsmanship was so excellent that Kwak Tae-woo had momentarily forgotten. Before Kwak Tae-woo could feel dismayed, both sword and spell came flying at him. It was a dilemma forcing him to choose which one to counter, knowing he would be hit by the other.

Kwak Tae-woo recalled his master’s advice.

‘Unpredictability… you must create unpredictability that your opponent cannot predict.’

Kwak Tae-woo stomped hard on the ground. The ground collapsed in a circle, momentarily causing Kim Jae-min to stagger. Kwak Tae-woo deflected rock fragments to avoid the spell.

“Futile—!”

As befitting a hero with abundant combat experience, Kim Jae-min quickly regained his balance with a levitation spell. Instead of rushing at Kwak Tae-woo, he made a wiser choice. He flew up into the air out of reach of Kwak Tae-woo’s sword and prepared to bombard him with spells.

Looking at the magic circles brilliantly filling the sky, Kwak Tae-woo took out an artifact.

“Gravity enhancement.”

It was an item prepared for fighting flying monsters. Pressure was applied around Kim Jae-min, forcibly canceling his levitation. As his concentration was disrupted, his attack spells were also canceled. Having successfully bound Kim Jae-min to the ground, Kwak Tae-woo charged with a battle cry.

“KIM-JAE-MIN-!!!”

Two swords collided, carrying anger, lamentation, sorrow, and countless indescribable emotions.

“Why, why did you betray humanity! You were always a hero standing at humanity’s vanguard in the previous cycle!”

“Hero? What you wanted wasn’t a hero, but a convenient slave! I lived as a slave for a hundred years, forced into battles I never wanted! I never chose to become a hero!”

Kim Jae-min roared with resentment, pouring out his anger. His resentment toward the world flowed down as bloody tears.

“I only wanted one thing.”

The faces of two women appeared before his eyes. A lament escaped through his clenched teeth.

“Why do the people I want to protect always leave me?”

Blue sword aura and red demonic energy collided, creating sparks. Collisions too fast for ordinary human eyes to detect repeated, with only the sound of exploding shells constantly echoing.

‘Damn it, at this rate…!’

Though the situation appeared evenly matched, Kwak Tae-woo inwardly swallowed his dismay. While physically Kwak Tae-woo had the advantage, he couldn’t win the battle of wits against Kim Jae-min. The space where Kwak Tae-woo could move was gradually being restricted by Kim Jae-min’s swordplay.

“Don’t stand in my way-!!!”

After reading ahead, Kim Jae-min finally eliminated all of Kwak Tae-woo’s escape routes. A checkmate with nowhere to dodge or block.

Just when Kim Jae-min thought he had seized the decisive opportunity, a double-bladed spear appeared from subspace into Kwak Tae-woo’s hand. It was a move Kim Jae-min hadn’t predicted, and therefore he was able to block Kim Jae-min’s attack.

“…I restructured the world to prevent hell. If something turns this world into hell, I’ll cut it down even if it’s you, Hero.”

“This world is already hell to me.”

Sharp swordsmanship carrying destructive force sought Kwak Tae-woo’s death. Kwak Tae-woo responded by switching weapons from subspace. Since he couldn’t handle new weapons as well as a sword, Kwak Tae-woo lost each tactical exchange. He couldn’t last more than three exchanges with each weapon, and after three collision sounds, Kwak Tae-woo would invariably pull out a new weapon to face Kim Jae-min.

A precarious waltz continued. It was a cliff-edge situation where a single mistake meant death. Despite needing absolute concentration, ironically, Kwak Tae-woo found himself recalling his master’s dance.

The storm of weapons that had moved beyond surprise to beauty replayed in his mind. The ultimate mastery of weapons that could only be achieved by completely mastering each of the 108 weapons and utilizing all their characteristics. At the time, he had watched in awe, wondering how such a thing was possible. Lord Frederick from his memory seemed to ask:

Can you follow that?

‘…I think I can now, Master.’

So he did.

His master’s teachings were absorbed one by one from his subconscious, and all the muscles in his body relaxed comfortably. Though his muscles relaxed and should have lost strength, Kwak Tae-woo’s movements flowed naturally like water breaking through a blockage.

Movements of different weapons connected as if they had always been one, and every small action found its meaning within a single flow. Even Kim Jae-min’s swordsmanship was just one branch conforming to the greater flow.

‘Ah….’

It felt like dancing among clouds.

‘Finally, I understand.’

The Weapon Master danced in a state of transcendence.

How much time had passed? When Kwak Tae-woo emerged from his trance and assessed the situation, Kim Jae-min was already fallen. Kim Jae-min’s sword had failed to touch Kwak Tae-woo, and his strength was spent.

“…Damn it. I thought you were just a meathead.”

On his knees, Kim Jae-min muttered weakly. He truly couldn’t do anything anymore. The damage from two nuclear explosions, the debuff from holy items, and accumulated battle fatigue had left him completely exhausted.

Kwak Tae-woo looked down at Kim Jae-min, who couldn’t move even a finger, let alone cast magic. The ecstasy of reaching a new realm, the sense of achievement from finally surpassing Kim Jae-min, the pride of protecting Cha Eun-kyung—all these emotions faded one by one, leaving a single feeling.

He felt a sense of kinship. As someone who had lost precious people before his eyes. The only difference between them was that he had luckily received a second chance, while Kim Jae-min hadn’t.

‘Perhaps, he…’

Compassion born from kinship made Kwak Tae-woo hesitate. The sword that was about to strike Kim Jae-min’s neck paused in doubt. It was at this moment of hesitation:

[Demonic energy detected. Eliminating source.]

Thud, thud-thud.

Red spears rained down from the sky like a downpour.

[By God’s will, demons and Ma-in shall be eliminated.]

Angels appeared, detecting the demonic energy. These were angels who autonomously patrolled and dealt with demons since the Heaven Gate opened. With mechanical voices, they threw spears at the former hero’s body.

Nothing was easier to hit than an immobile target. Kim Jae-min’s small body was densely pierced with thorns. The angels confirmed the silence of their target and disappeared into the distance without further reaction.

[Life activity cessation confirmed. Resuming patrol.]

In the middle of the ruined city, the boy finally closed his eyes.