Chapter 261: The Light of Awakening [R-18]

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Around the time Kim Sang-hyeok was facing Belstid as the Lord of the Domain, Yuuna was heading for a pharmacy.

She had to move alone, as she couldn’t bring the children and the injured blonde nun with her, which was fine, but…

The villain, Kang Si-eun.

Could she be trusted?

Sang-hyeok seemed to trust her, but Yuuna did not.

If Kang Si-eun was looking for a chance to betray us and win her freedom, wouldn’t now be the perfect time?

She would have done it already if she was going to.

Why was she helping us?

Don’t tell me she’s after my boyfriend?

…

“I’ll stay here and watch over Si-eun. You go, Yuuna.”

Yuuna recalled Hena’s face as she said that and let out a small smile.

The girl who used to hesitate and couldn’t even answer properly when someone spoke to her has really grown up.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t all bad news.

This time, neither of us got scared facing a villain…!!

We didn’t leave Sang-hyeok in danger by himself.

Yuuna moved swiftly between the buildings. The villain she’d stabbed in the stomach wouldn’t be showing her face again so easily, but…

They might have a healer on their side, too. I can’t let my guard down.

“This is an emergency. Sorry about this!”

Shwiiik!

Yuuna slashed through the pharmacy’s closed shutter and entered.

Thank goodness it wasn’t a hunter-grade security system.

After grabbing some readily usable medicine and a first-aid kit, Yuuna approached the collapsed, groaning nun.

“Stay with me, Sister.”

Under the worried gazes of the children, Yuuna carefully gave her a painkiller with some water and applied a hemostatic band to the heavily bleeding wound.

“Kushina, are you there?”

“Yes. I’m here.”

The invisible Kushina raised her hand.

“Help me support her. We’re heading to the base camp now. I’ve put on a hemostatic band, but we need to get her to the Angel One Squad to be sure.”

“I don’t really know what’s going on, but I just need to help you get her to this base camp place, right?”

“Yes.”

And…

“Kang Si-eun, you protect the children from the rear while I clear a path.”

Even as she said it, she lacked confidence.

The invisible, onahole-mode Kang Si-eun nodded.

Though she couldn’t be seen, she too was crouched down, watching with curious eyes as the first aid was administered.

Then, she spoke.

“The base camp is a no-go.”

“What do you mean, no? We have to get her wound looked at quickly. Her internal organs might be damaged.”

With everyone having evacuated due to the fog, there was no way anyone was left in the hospital.

But then the children also shook their heads, saying no.

“We can’t go to the base camp.”

“There are hunters there.”

“Who are you all, anyway? What’s your relationship with that priest from before?”

The children flinched as Yuuna questioned them accusingly.

Just then, Kang Si-eun spoke up.

“She’s a wanted villain. This woman.”

“What?”

Yuuna snapped her head toward the source of the voice.

“Ranked 4th on the villain database for danger level, 『Syns Beje』, also known as the 『Drug Saintess』.”

“You mean she’s in league with that priest?!”

“I don’t know if they’re in league. I just happened to see her in passing.”

What was going on?

Yuuna bit her lip.

If this woman was an S-class villain, she had no obligation to help her. In fact, if she couldn’t capture her, the proper course of action was to abandon her and flee.

“Why was this villain lying in the underground parking lot with these children?”

The oldest-looking child, about eleven years old, stepped forward.

“A monster suddenly attacked. So Beje-nuna tried to protect us and…”

“She didn’t do anything wrong!”

A monster suddenly attacked…?

That meant it was unrelated to the fog phenomenon.

Should I wait for Sang-hyeok? Yuuna’s mind instantly became a tangled mess.

“I have no information on this villain… I don’t know how to handle this.”

“She’s not some hazardous material,” Si-eun said.

“She’s a person, just like you.”

“How is she the same? How is she like you people, who kill innocents without a second thought…?”

“…”

Kushina, a B-class serial exhibitionist who became a villain for a relatively trivial crime, nervously squeezed between them.

Not that anyone could see her, of course.

“We shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves right now~! She seems to be regaining consciousness, so why don’t we just ask her?”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Yuuna was still in a state of confusion.

An S-class villain becomes S-class because they’ve committed acts of that magnitude, because they’ve had a profoundly negative impact on society.

The same went for Kang Si-eun, and for Zenobia, who was probably locked up in the Correction Bureau right now.

Their hands were already stained with too many evil deeds.

And now she was supposed to treat them like comrades?

The blonde nun was on the verge of opening her eyes.

What should I do?

Should I attack the moment it looks like she’s about to activate her talent?

She was a pro hunter, but only B-class.

Yuuna, who was closer to a civilian in this context, had no information on the Drug Saintess.

All she knew was that the woman was involved with a major criminal organization.

“The… the children…?”

“Unni!”

“Nuna! We’re here, these people protected us!”

“Jelly Oppa, too! Jelly Oppa saved us! With his Jelly-Jelly Punch!”

“…”

The blonde saintess smiled faintly.

“Thank you. All of you.”

…She’s beautiful. How can someone’s skin be this perfect…?

Yuuna marveled at the saintess’s face.

She was impressed by the bright, lemon-colored hair, untainted by a single dark strand, but it was the combination of her vacant green eyes, which seemed to belong to another world, and her enviably clear, porcelain skin that gave her an air of elegant grace.

Could this bewitching beauty be her talent…?

“Where am I?”

“We’ve left that underground parking lot. What is your relationship with that priest?”

The saintess seemed to understand the group’s dilemma.

“We have to run away with the children. Before he comes after us again.”

“Don’t get up. You’re injured…!”

Frustrated, Yuuna held the nun down.

“Where are we going? You’re a wanted S-class villain.”

“…Yes.”

As Yuuna hesitated, Hena spoke up.

“Let’s help her, Yuuna.”

“But…”

“Sang-hyeok would have.”

“…”

Yuuna let out a sigh.

“Where should I take you?”

“There’s… a safe house… Here… to this…”

Yuuna’s expression darkened as she received the location the saintess sent to her hologram panel.

It’s far from here.

It’ll take an hour and a half to get there…

Could she really make it with all these children and an injured person?

Was helping a villain even the right thing to do in the first place?

Agh! Let’s just save her first and figure it out later!

Yuuna drew the Ebony Blade and Yukihime from the harness on her back.

“Alright, kids. Stick close and follow me. There are monsters outside, so don’t make a sound!”

“Okay!!”

“When is Jelly Oppa coming?”

“Jelly Oppa is busy! We’ll protect you until then.”

I’m worried about Kim Sang-hyeok, too…

Was it the right decision to leave him alone with that woman? Should I go back right now?

According to him, he couldn’t lose against an onahole, but still.

If she hadn’t seen with her own two eyes how the S-class villain Entic was subdued by 「Mid-Air Ejaculation Pervert Sex」, she would have called him crazy when he said he’d stay behind, smacked him on the back a few times, and dragged him away with them.

She would never have left the man she loved behind.

But both Hena and Yuuna instinctively knew that now was not the time to worry about Sang-hyeok.

She didn’t know the mechanics behind it, but when Sang-hyeok was certain of victory, there was a good reason for it.

“Alright. Let’s move!”

The saintess escort mission had begun.

The small children scurried along, escorting the blonde saintess who was being supported by Kushina, while Yuuna took the lead, scouting the route.

I thinned them out earlier, but there are still a lot of them.

…And what in the world is that thing?

In the distance stood a black crystal, towering like a building.

Every time it emitted a wave of magical power, the Galaxy Soldiers could be seen bowing their heads like wild grass swept by the wind.

“I’ll go in first.”

It always took courage to dive in.

Her hands were trembling. To hide that fact, she gripped the hilts of her swords even tighter.

One of them was blocking the path.

Now!

Yuuna threw herself forward.

She’d fought this type of creature several times. She knew its speed, its movements, everything!

The result of her confident swing was unexpected.

It dodged?!

It wasn’t an attack that could be dodged while looking the other way…!!

“Yuuna!”

Kuuuung!!

She didn’t even notice the counterattack coming.

Thanks to Hena instantly creating a Void Tile in mid-air to use as a shield, she escaped unharmed, but…

Hena, in turn, had to pay a heavy price.

Using this for defense consumes too much mana…!

She was just applying a magic spell originally meant for footholds.

It grew harder the more mana she poured into it, but the problem was its terrible efficiency, as it wasn’t a defensive or barrier skill.

“Hmph!”

Yuuna immediately went on the attack.

Nimbly dodging the scythes swung by the giant mantis-like Galaxy Soldier, she closed the distance and swung her swords.

Ugh, this is tough…!

Is it because I don’t have the onahole buff?

No.

That was part of it, but the fundamental reason was that the enemy had gotten stronger!

Not long after Yuuna realized this, other Galaxy Soldiers appeared, tilting their heads.

“Ugh…?!”

This was dangerous.

If three of them gathered, she couldn’t handle them all!

Hena immediately unleashed 『Void: Scattershot』 at the enemies, but the creatures either scaled the building walls or ducked, letting the magic flow past them as if they had predicted its trajectory.

No way!

These monsters weren’t supposed to be capable of that.

Did their detection range improve that drastically?!

Two of the creatures, having patiently waited for Hena’s Claymore-like magic to end, began to cooperatively corner Yuuna.

It was a characteristic she had never seen before.

Teamwork.

The black crystal emitted a wave. Receiving the signal, the creatures pressed Yuuna with even more intelligent movements.

“These things, they’re taking turns!”

Yuuna needed to focus on a single one to wear down its mana shield, but that one would retreat to the back while three others with fresh shields came forward to attack.

Monsters using cooperative play?

Isn’t that cheating?!

This was different from being swarmed by orcs or goblins.

This was clearly high-level, intelligent teamwork!

They were moving to check the mage while cornering Yuuna.

…If I fall here, everyone will be in danger!

Yuuna began to read and dodge all the mantis scythes that rained down on her from every direction.

“Yuuna!”

“Stay back! Mages stay in the rear!”

Flinch!

Hena, who had been about to approach, froze.

Sang-hyeok isn’t here now. I have to do this!

Everyone gets a chance to grow.

When Sang-hyeok was with them, they never found themselves in such a dangerous predicament.

All the experience from fighting monsters since she was young, now ingrained in Yuuna’s body, flashed before her eyes.

A horizontal attack, then a vertical slash, evade the leg sweep with a jump…!!

Faster than thought.

Hena was stunned by Yuuna’s movements.

Yuuna’s footwork, which had already been remarkable during her time as a villain, was being perfected.

And her next attack rent space itself.

[【Awakening of Talent】]

A blue light shimmered from Yuuna’s body.

It was the light of a Second Awakening.

Her stats skyrocketed to S-class. The experience, the preparation—it was all complete. All she needed was a catalyst to awaken…

I need an attack that can cut through the mana shield in one go!

Gripping her two swords, Yuuna forced a breath into her lungs.

“Huuup!!”

She had followed Quintia’s slash with her eyes that day. She felt like she could do it now.

She drew out all the awakening energy that had settled in her body. The sharp aura extending from the tips of the swords Yuuna swung became the slash itself, spreading out like a wave.

A flurry of consecutive slashes erupted, cutting across a wide area of the surrounding space.

The number of attacks increased, overlapping with greater density…

Sssshhh-!

18 hits, 32 hits, 68 hits, 102 hits!

The vibrations shook the ground. The vortex of slashes Yuuna created swallowed all the mantis scythes.

“Kieeeek!”

With a fierce barrage of slashes, Yuuna blew apart the arms, legs, and torsos of the three monsters, sending them flying into the building walls.

It was like a signal flare announcing the birth of a new S-class hunter!

“Cough! Cough! Hieeeek.”

Of course, the technique came at a great cost.

Yuuna bent over, panting heavily like a track athlete who had just finished a race.

“Hah, hah…!”

“Yuuna!”

Hena immediately ran over and hugged her.

“You did it! You awakened!”

“Ah, haha…”

She didn’t even have the strength to be happy.

We still have a long way to go, what am I going to do…?

The black crystal spread its waves.

[Dangerous Entity Detected]

“Ugh…?”

While everyone else felt a ringing in their ears from a signal humans couldn’t interpret, the nearby Galaxy Soldiers began to move.

They’re gathering here…?

“Run!” Yuuna shouted.

If they got surrounded, it was over.

The Galaxy Soldiers summoned by the crystal instantly scaled the building walls and surrounded Yuuna’s group.

“Ah, this is bad…”

“What do we do, Yuuna…?”

“W-we have no choice but to fight one more time, but…”

“I’ll take care of it this time.”

It was then that Si-eun stepped forward.

Sssk…

“…Huh?”

They were retreating.

As if they had received a higher, irresistible command, the Galaxy Soldiers abandoned their previous orders and broke their encirclement.

“What is it?”

Monsters letting go of cornered prey?

That was impossible. Yuuna felt a chill run down her spine.

It means there’s a command entity.

Like, for instance, that woman from before…

Huh? That woman?

Just as Yuuna realized something, Sang-hyeok walked out from between the buildings with an awkward look on his face.

“Let’s take our time from now on.”

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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