Chapter 269: How To Confront One’s Limits (2)

…An illusion?

Yeomyeong frowned as he watched the man soaring toward him between the buildings.

The Keeper of the Holy Relics of the Holy Nation, and the Saintess’ father.

Of all people, why would that elder—who should’ve still been in L.A.—suddenly show up here?

Logically, the most reasonable explanation was that this “Keeper of the Holy Relics” flying toward him was an illusion.

But the dual swords in his hands, the weapons floating behind his back, and the holy blessing radiating from his body… they all felt far too real to be fakes.

After a brief hesitation, he swiftly made his judgment.

Yeomyeong gauged the speed of the incoming figure—then simply decided to ignore him.

If he was a fake, there was no need to waste time. And if he was real, there was no point in getting into a fight right after a corpse explosion.

Besides, Yeomyeong was still masking his face with the Blood Tears illusion. The best option was to stay the course and keep running toward his destination.

– Wait, are you running from your father-in-law? Feeling shy now?!

Mara shouted something ridiculous behind him, but Yeomyeong ignored it and leaped off the road.

He gathered mana in his legs and used the old buildings and structures as footholds to perform the Flying Kick technique.

Leaping. Accelerating. With each leap and burst of speed, walls and windows shattered behind Yeomyeong’s footsteps. Slowly, the distance between him and the Holy Relics Keeper began to widen.

After sprinting like that for a long while, Yeomyeong glanced back to check the gap.

Whether it was because this place made drawing blessings difficult or because the pursuer really was fake, the Holy Relics Keeper’s speed hadn’t increased.

Deciding he didn’t need to worry about it anymore, Yeomyeong turned his focus back to the Dungan Comprehensive Finance building.

First, he had to reach that damn building—only then could something finally—

…?

That was when Yeomyeong’s instincts screamed a warning. Something he couldn’t explain, but so intense it made the hairs on his skin stand up.

Yeomyeong never ignored his instincts. He immediately changed his movement—running along walls instead of leaping, ducking into narrow alleys instead of open spaces…

However, the warning persisted, crawling across his skin—worsening by the second.

Finally, unable to endure the creeping dread, Yeomyeong turned to identify the source.

Thunk!

Something pierced straight through his ankle.

A sniper?

Realizing the nature of the warning too late, Yeomyeong used telekinesis to grab his own body—both to keep from tumbling across the ground due to his speed and to prepare for the inevitable second shot.

Thunk!

As expected, the second bullet tore through the air. It came from the exact opposite direction of the one that had shattered his ankle just moments ago.

“Kuh!”

A hole tore through his chest at the same time as he drew upon Dzhugashvili’s power.

Covering himself in a red haze, Yeomyeong dove into an old commercial building.

Finding the sniper’s location might be impossible—but he could at least buy time to dodge more bullets.

It was a rational decision… but his opponent was far removed from anything rational.

!!!!

Gunshots rang out from every direction at once—north, south, east, west—and bullets slammed into Yeomyeong’s body: thigh, shoulder, neck, ankle.

A sharpshooter?

Yeomyeong shook his head upon recalling the U.S. military’s shooting techniques. A sharpshooter could only turn bullets into guided missiles.

However, the bullets coming at him now were different. These shots were actually “leaping over” space, striking him direc—

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out.

This time, the bullet emerged from behind the wall and came right at Yeomyeong’s face. It wasn’t coming through a window; it literally appeared right in front of him.

The next moment, a bullet the size of a fingertip pierced Yeomyeong’s abdomen, tearing through his insides.

Puhak!

Blood splattered, and flesh ruptured. Yeomyeong fought to suppress the sensation of his guts turning into mush while trying to think of a countermeasure.

However, dodging a bullet traveling faster than the speed of sound, especially one appearing right in front of him, was impossi—

No, wait. He had seen someone catch a bullet right in front of them before.

In the underground of Dreitherial, when Eastern Count Palatine had caught Seti’s bullet with his bare hands.

How was that possible? Even with a superhuman body enhancing his reflexes, a bullet was still a bullet.

Not that he had any method of neutralizing bullets like Demerond or José Aginaldo either.

The only martial art the Eastern Count Palatine practiced was Dzhugashvili, and Dzhugashvili was a martial art that controlled Killing Aura, not one that granted precognitio—

Killing Aura.

Yeomyeong lifted his gaze, taking in the red haze filling the building. The tangible Killing Aura he had manifested.

To him, this haze was nothing more than a disposable tool to replenish mana and a smokescreen to obscure vision. Beyond that, he neither had a reason nor knew any way to use it differently.

But if there were other uses for Killing Aura?

If there were another reason for producing the haze, for example, to extend his senses through the Killing Aura itself—or to manipulate mana through it…

The question didn’t take long to answer, and his actions were swift.

Yeomyeong reversed the usual process of absorbing Killing Aura and turning it into mana—instead, he released his own mana into the gaps between the Killing Aura. It was almost the same method as spreading mana to extend one’s senses, but the key difference was that the target wasn’t empty air but the Killing Aura itself.

Soon, he could feel everything that came into contact with the Killing Aura. It wasn’t quite as sharp as the senses his body directly offered, but it was far more sensitive than simply spreading mana.

Confirming that his assumption was correct, Yeomyeong licked the blood from his lips.

This could work…

And then, as if on cue, the gunshot rang out. This time, the Killing Aura detected it even before his hearing or mana did.

The back of his head. A precise attack aimed at his neck.

Puhak! Blood sprayed from Yeomyeong’s shoulder. He hadn’t been able to catch the bullet. He barely managed to react in time to deflect it toward his shoulder.

However, he had definitely avoided a blow that would have been fatal.

I think I could do it… if I practice a few more times.

Yeomyeong wasn’t sure if his enemies knew he was thinking this, but they generously gave him a life-risking chance to practice.

Bang! A bullet aimed at his balls narrowly missed, grazing his thigh.

Bang! A bullet aimed at his spine, veering off course after passing through his swinging forearm.

Bang! A bullet aimed at his heart, deflected by his palm and sent flying into the ground.

Bang! A bullet aimed at his forehead… he caught it.

Yeomyeong opened his hand, looking down at the bullet. It was stained red with the blood dripping from his torn palm, having been slowed by the force of his hand.

Having accomplished something nearly impossible, Yeomyeong felt a strange sense of achievement as he gripped the bullet tightly.

Bang!

Yeomyeong caught another bullet aimed at his eyes, using the moment to gauge who his enemy might be.

Who the hell is shooting like this? Is it the Church?

A long-distance bullet leaped? He had never heard of any magic or martial art like that before.

And why bullets, specifically? Was there some kind of restriction?

If one could use spatial leaping this freely, wouldn’t it make more sense to use bombs…

Just then, four neatly shaped boxes tightly bound with tape dropped right in front of Yeomyeong.

A bundle of C4 explosives, triggered remotely.

Without hesitation, Yeomyeong launched himself out of the building.

BOOM—!! The explosion echoed, and his nape burned from the heat. Fortunately, his Killing Aura sense minimized the shrapnel that struck his back.

…They say words have power.

Tumbling across the ground outside the building, Yeomyeong swallowed a mouthful of bloody spit, spread his Killing Aura wide, and leaped.

He meant to get high enough to locate the sniper, but all he saw was a lazily approaching Mara in the distance and the Holy Relic Keeper, who had somehow closed the gap.

“The game of tag ends here, necromancer.”

The Holy Relic Keeper was now close enough for his voice to be heard. He swung two shining swords blessed by the Holy Power, unleashing Sword Aura at Yeomyeong.

No, Sword Aura wasn’t quite the right term.

Though they were fired from swords, they were no different from the blessings infused in the Saintess’ bullets—manifested and weaponized.

Yeomyeong, who had seen what happened to beings struck by such blessed bullets, reflexively drew his sword to block the blessings. And then…

Nothing happened.

The blessings simply passed through Yeomyeong like wind. No impact, no burn, nothing.

“…?”

The Holy Relic Keeper, who had fired them, and Yeomyeong, now falling from the sky, stared at each other in confusion.

Bang!

Suddenly, another bullet materialized mid-air, targeting Yeomyeong’s neck. He reached out to catch it—but this one was different.

It was a massive bullet, at least the size of one from the Saintess’ anti-materiel rifle, if not larger.

Because of that, he managed to catch it but couldn’t stop the sheer kinetic force behind it. The impact sent him crashing into the side of a nearby building.

“Ugh…”

Even though he rolled with the fall, his head was spinning. Without Dzhugashvili’s techniques, his head and body would have been torn apart.

Feeling like utter crap, Yeomyeong stood up, brushing himself off. Just then, the Holy Relic Keeper squinted as he looked up at the building and called out Yeomyeong’s name.

“…Cheon Yeomyeong?”

“…”

Only then did Yeomyeong realize that the recent shot had disrupted the Blood Tears illusion. The Holy Relics Keeper gave a wry smile and spoke.

“Why are you here? No—more importantly, how did you use corpse explosion?”

Unlike their first encounter, his tone was now sharp and demanding. Yeomyeong wiped his face and replied.

“Uh… Well, shouldn’t you be the one answering why you’re here, Holy Relics Keeper?”

“Did you learn to answer a question with a question?”

“I was taught to give proper answers to adults. I just don’t know if the adult in front of me is real or fake.”

The Holy Relics Keeper responded as light radiated from his Holy Relics.

“These Holy Relics, and the will of the Holy Ones within them, prove my identity.”

“…”

Yeomyeong didn’t point out that the blessings had passed through him without effect.

No matter how resourceful the Church of the Apocalypse was, it was hard to believe they could prepare five Holy Relics imbued with the exact same energy as the blessings used by the Saintess.

Yeomyeong spoke.

“…Holy Relics Keeper, I came here to stop the corruption stone. And the corpse explosion… was simply the most efficient spell to use at that moment.”

“…”

Even though he had spoken the truth, the Relic Keeper’s expression didn’t soften. He scanned Yeomyeong’s body with a furrowed brow.

A brief silence ensued.

Just as Yeomyeong realized that the shooting had stopped ever since they began talking, the Holy Relics Keeper spoke again.

“Dzhugashvili’s Killing Aura, necromancer’s corpse explosion… Why should I believe a word you say?”

Yeomyeong was about to ask what he’d do if he didn’t believe him, but Mara, who had flown in unnoticed, cut in first.

“If you can’t trust the guy who protected your daughter’s virginity, then who can you trust?”

“…?”

“I mean, sure, I did interrupt, but seriously—kid that age managing to stop in the heat of the moment? That’s impressive.”

“…”

“Unlike you, who couldn’t hold it in and did it in prison. Honestly, compared to you, Yeomyeong’s practically a gentleman.”

A cold glare. A chilling atmosphere. And Holy Relics glowing ever more brightly.

Yeomyeong was now absolutely certain—this conversation was over. Once someone mentioned a daughter’s virginity in front of her parents, only a shotgun followed.

“Mara, shut up.”

Poison Flower, who had arrived a bit too late, tried to intervene, but the damage was already done. The Holy Relics Keeper raised two of his Holy Relics and declared.

“Now I understand why God sent me here. We need a more honest conversation—after I subdue you all.”

While Yeomyeong’s lips went dry with tension, Mara grinned.

“Geez, even after he kept her a virgin, you’re flipping out. This is why you shouldn’t deal with people who have daughters—”

Luckily, she didn’t finish that sentence. A bullet from somewhere silenced her right in the mouth.

“What now?”

Mara narrowly dodged the bullet, spun mid-air, and looked toward the direction it came from.

Her gaze landed on a worn-down rooftop, where a man in a suit stood.

He held a rifle and sported an impressive mustache, radiating an intense, commanding presence.

It was only natural—he was one of the U.S. military’s prized superhumans, one of the legendary “Big Three.” Codename: Browning.

While Yeomyeong shivered, realizing this was the man who had been shooting at him all this time, Browning spoke.

“I was trying to provide light support fire, but… hell, I can’t just watch anymore.”

That was support fire?! Yeomyeong blinked in disbelief—Mara looked equally stunned.

“Browning? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was dragged here while on a mission to capture the Holy Relics Keeper.”

“…”

“And frankly, why I’m here doesn’t even matter. What does matter…”

Browning trailed off, his face now just as furious as the Holy Relics Keeper’s.

What is with this guy now? Yeomyeong rubbed his temple as Browning pulled a shotgun from his subspace—a mana-metal-coated shotgun.

“…is that as a father myself, I can’t stand people like you.”

“…”

Click. Yeomyeong sighed as he saw a magic bullet load into the chamber.

The Holy Relics Keeper and Browning.

Trying to persuade both would take too long. But fighting them? His chances were slim.

…

With tensions sky-high, Yeomyeong glanced at the building tainted by the corruption stone and found his answer—A way to avoid both a fight and wasting time trying to talk.

Just as the Holy Relics Keeper lunged toward Yeomyeong, and Browning aimed his shotgun at Mara…

Yeomyeong clenched his hand and opened his inventory.

What he pulled out wasn’t a weapon, nor a bomb—but two Death Knights.