Ch.35Aiming for Both the Neck and the Head

I took a big hit.

I never expected to be attacked in such a vulnerable spot.

“That’s… quite a move…!”

If I weren’t a seasoned National Authority-Level Hunter, this momentary lapse in attention would have at least knocked me unconscious.

For men, regardless of race or species, that area was like an internal organ protruding outside the body.

“However, I’m disappointed, Little Monster Girl.”

“Tch…!”

“Compared to all the battles I’ve weathered, I can still endure this much…!”

Nevertheless, I was Russia’s National Authority-Level Hunter.

Barbatov Lorensky wasn’t one to fall from a kick to the groin.

As he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and promptly stood up, the surrounding Hunters—especially the men—looked at him with expressions of disbelief and lost morale.

“To stand up after taking a hit like that…!”

“Monster! He’s a monster…!”

“It seems I underestimated you, Little Monster Girl. I won’t make such a mistake again. If you don’t want to die, back off now.”

“U-unnie…!”

Lorensky warned with complete seriousness, all traces of his smile gone.

In that moment, Lia swallowed hard and called out to Sophia beyond him, overwhelmed by the completely different level of pressure emanating from his body.

Sophia’s eyes met Lorensky’s as he turned his head.

‘Honestly, I thought he’d at least pass out…’

Princess Kurumi, who had been freed during the groin attack distraction, had run through the Hunters in the meantime.

But if he came toward them again, she would certainly be recaptured.

Sophia had instinctively realized that their current forces couldn’t stop this man.

In other words, they were in a situation where they had to defeat an unbeatable opponent.

If there was a way, it would be…

“Everyone, take Princess Kurumi and run to the Association branch!”

“…!”

“Are you suggesting we abandon the mansion?”

“It’s already a compromised position! Better to abandon it!”

“Y-yes! Understood!”

After all, our objective wasn’t to defeat the man before us. It was to protect Princess Kurumi.

Even if all the Hunters here were annihilated, as long as the princess was connected to the Hunter Association—at least to Branch Director Lee Jin-ah—the mission would be essentially accomplished.

In simple terms…

“Run!!”

We flee.

With Princess Kurumi.

While some of the Hunters, including Sophia and at least B-rank Hunters, remained behind, the rest would stick with Princess Kurumi and take her to the Korean Hunter Association branch.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

That was the plan, but…

“What…”

“He flew?!”

Lorensky suddenly caused an explosion beneath his feet.

In an instant, he crushed the concrete floor beneath him and used the elastic force from the explosion to launch himself into the air.

Then, drawing an arc, he landed behind the encirclement that had surrounded him.

He had blocked their escape route.

“Who said I’d let you go quietly?”

“…!!”

“Let’s end this here. I hear that China and North Korea have sent their own ‘fixers’ by now. You’d be better off coming with me than being caught by either of them.”

“Ugh…!”

“W-waaah!”

The reality of top-ranked Korean Hunters being completely manipulated by just one person.

Unable to bear this reality, several Hunters charged at Lorensky.

But.

Thud. Crack.

“Gah?!”

“Urgh…”

These were well-known B-rank Hunters.

Yet Lorensky subdued them easily with just martial arts, without even using his abilities, before their powers or weapons could touch him.

Now with a serious face, he turned to face forward again and said:

“Let go of the princess and leave. Then no one has to die.”

“……”

“I’m restraining myself for the sake of Russian-Korean relations. But if you push me further, I’ll really have to kill everyone.”

There wasn’t a single lie in his words.

This was truly his final warning.

His expression made it clear that if they challenged him again, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn this place into a sea of blood.

At this, everyone including Sophia fell silent, and Princess Kurumi, standing among the Hunters, was about to walk out on her own.

Except for one person.

No, one creature.

“Die!”

“L-Lia?!”

Lia charged at Lorensky without her master’s order, only to have her head completely seized.

“Urgh…!”

“Little Monster Girl… Though humanoid, you’re still a monster after all? What a foolish choice. Why attack me when you know you can’t win?”

“Hey!! Do anything to Lia and I’ll tear you to pieces!”

Sophia summoned her scythe again, ready to charge after the captured Lia.

But the surrounding Hunters held her back, and meanwhile, Lia confidently answered as she met Lorensky’s golden eyes, which looked at her with pity.

“Because you attacked my precious person!”

“…!”

A simple, clear answer.

But he never expected to hear it from a monster’s mouth.

He thought such recklessness was unique to humans.

‘Don’t you think it’s romantic to risk your life for someone precious?’

“……”

Crunch.

“Urgh! Agh…!”

“Lia!!”

Lorensky “empathized” with Lia’s words.

And because he empathized, he intended to show this Little Monster Girl… Lia, how useless such reckless emotion was.

“After I smash your head a few times, you won’t be able to pull such useless stunts anymore.”

“…! U-ugh…”

Sure enough, when facing death, he could see her ruby-colored eyes trembling.

If he killed her a few times while she was terrified like this, she’d come to her senses.

With that thought, as fire was about to ignite in Lorensky’s palm…

“P-please spare me…”

“…?”

“Big brother.”

“…Big brother?”

“UWAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”

Suddenly, a monstrous roar that seemed to tear the sky apart echoed from all directions.

At the same time, by the time Lorensky noticed, “it” had already dropped behind him.

‘I was… caught from behind?’

How long had it been since he’d experienced something like this?

“Th-that’s…”

“The Monster of Jamsil!”

“A National Disaster-Level monster appearing in this situation?!”

“Han Shinwoo…”

Lorensky turned around.

And as he met eyes with the humanoid monster whose entire body seemed painted with pitch-black flames, he involuntarily released his grip on Lia.

Because from now on, he would need both hands.

‘What the hell is this…?!’

Released from Lorensky, Lia immediately ran to Sophia and embraced her.

While relieved that Lia had returned safely…

“Let’s take Princess Kurumi to the Association branch right now!”

“B-but the front is blocked by those two…”

“Then we can break through the back of the mansion and go that way!”

Sophia intended to lead the Hunter forces, who would only get in the way, away from here to create a perfect stage for just the two of them.

But before fleeing…

“…Good luck.”

She left behind that brief encouragement.

***

A nation that existed before Russia was formed.

A superpower that once stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States, created by communist regimes that pursued only the best.

Barbatov Lorensky was a Hunter who had risen to the position of the Soviet Union’s only National Authority-Level Hunter—a position with only one seat for those who pursued only the best.

During the Cold War.

In an era when they could compete with the world’s strongest superpower, the United States.

For the glory of his homeland, Lorensky traveled around the world to exterminate notorious monsters wherever they appeared.

The Soviet Union at that time wanted to surpass the United States, where the Hunter Headquarters was established, especially in “space” and “Hunters.”

Thanks to the Soviet expectations, he was born—a monster himself.

The Immortal (бессмертный) Lorensky.

But now, this immortal only encountered a real monster after his original homeland had disappeared.

‘This one… is strong. Probably among the strongest monsters I’ve ever met.’

The Korean Hunters had called it the Monster of Jamsil, hadn’t they?

Come to think of it, he had heard that name while researching Korea beforehand.

It was… a National Disaster-Level monster that still hadn’t been exterminated despite its numerous appearances.

“Hmm…”

“……”

How long had it been since he’d felt this level of tension and sweat?

Lorensky was on high alert.

But he didn’t feel like he would lose.

“I hear… you understand human language to some extent…”

“……?”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Jamsil Monster. I am Barbatov Lorensky. Since we’ve met by fate, shall we ‘shake hands’?”

With a wide smile, Lorensky imitated the friendly smile of a kind old man as he spoke first.

As they say, you can’t spit on a smiling face.

If this monster was as he had researched in Russia, it would surely respond to such a greeting!

And as expected.

Swoosh.

“Ohhh…!”

Mr. Jamsil Monster calmly raised his hand to grasp the hand Lorensky had extended first.

That was the moment.

BOOM!

“GOTCHA!!”

One thing Lorensky had learned from countless battlefields:

Between equals, the first attack determines more than half the outcome of the entire battle.

Even the most distinguished admiral would lose his head in an instant if caught by an unexpected “surprise attack.”

“You were too naive, Mr. Jamsil Monster!”

The moment the pitch-black monster tried to grasp his hand,

Lorensky suddenly raised the hand he had offered first and struck the Jamsil Monster’s cheek precisely.

The impact ignited fire in his palm, and a mushroom cloud of enormous length, enough to pierce the clouds above, rose from the Jamsil Monster’s head.

“The power of about 10,000 compressed TNT explosives. A National Disaster-Level monster that appeared in Russia three years ago died instantly from this.”

The monster’s head was surrounded by black smoke.

Seeing him not move at all, Lorensky merely shrugged.

“You’re probably already dead, but let me tell you one thing: only fools do what their enemies ask. Consider it a lesson to take to the afterlife, Mr. Jamsil Monster.”

Then Lorensky scratched his head as he looked around at the surroundings, which had turned into a wasteland from the explosion’s aftermath.

‘I wonder if the princess’s side got caught up in this? …Nah, with that many Hunters protecting her, she should be alive.’

What Russia and the rest of the world wanted was Princess Kurumi from Japan.

More precisely, they wanted Princess Kurumi’s precious baby room—the uterus and ovaries that could give birth to future generations.

‘If she gets hurt, it would be a big problem…’

He had heard that around Princess Kurumi’s mansion, buildings were constructed to recreate a normal city landscape, though no one lived in them.

So he had used a big technique thinking there were no people, but perhaps he had overdone it.

While thinking about this…

“…Hmm?”

But why hadn’t this Jamsil Monster fallen yet?

Black smoke was still rising above his head—could this be the legendary scene of “dying while standing”?

“…! I shouldn’t leave this alone!”

Since he’d come all the way to Korea anyway,

Lorensky took out his smartphone to take a commemorative photo, trying to take a selfie with his back to the Jamsil Monster…

“Grrrr…”

“……Huh?”

When he was looking at the phone screen with a V-sign in one hand, thinking the monster was dead…

As the black smoke gradually cleared, revealing the top of the head.

In the selfie screen Lorensky was looking at…

“Grrrrrr…!”

As a martial artist, he had tried to return the greeting properly.

But the Jamsil Monster, who had taken the first hit due to the opponent’s bad manners, was frowning deeply, in a very bad mood.