## Chapter 238 – Roots, Stems, Branches, Leaves, Fruits, Flowers (2)
“…You caught on faster than I thought.”
“I had no choice. You were making such a scene in the middle of the street.”
“That Nigrum pig couldn’t even stall for time properly, what a moron…”
Kin didn’t seem too surprised, as if he vaguely knew I was coming. I walked towards him, rolled up my sleeves, and looked around. A massive laboratory surrounded us, with a giant tree rising from its center. This must be the tree that Creator-nim spoke of, the one sealing the Creators.
“…I think this tree looks much prettier as it is, why bother digging it up?”
“Hahaha, you know why, don’t you? That’s why you came all the way here to stop me.”
While keeping Kin occupied, I used my senses to detect any hidden traps or enemies around us. But in this vast island, inside this large building, the only humans left were the ones in this flower garden.
Did he kill them all before I even arrived? It would have been easier to deal with me if he had left some troops behind. The fact that he got rid of so many humans must mean he’s that confident in his victory.
“…Then let’s cut to the chase and get started?”
This man isn’t as foolish as Nigrum, whom I fought the other day, nor as clever as Theresa. He’s just cunning. The fact that such a man is acting so relaxed must mean he has something up his sleeve. He hasn’t even treated the arm he lost to me, and he has the device Nigrum had. He might be hiding other tricks as well. If that’s the case, I need to end this as quickly as possible…
“That sounds good, but before we start, there’s one last thing I want to ask you.”
“…What is it?”
I was about to lunge at him, twisting my wrist to prepare for the fight, when Kin raised his hand, telling me to stop for a moment, and asked in an indifferent tone.
“You can discern lies, so you know that everything I’m about to say is the truth. …Hir had the conviction to at least protect humans and take responsibility for his mistakes. But what about you, who inherited his power? Why are you interfering with me like this? You don’t particularly want to protect humans, and I know it’s not my place to say this, but you’re similar to me. A person who enjoys controlling humans with the power of flower petals is stopping me? Isn’t that a bit of a contradiction?”
“I don’t care whether you conquer the world or not…”
I was now right in front of Kin.
“I just don’t like you, so I can’t give you Iria’s body. If you give up on that, I wouldn’t bother you no matter what you do. How about it?”
“…Ha, hahaha… Hir must be regretting it in the afterlife. Regretting entrusting his power and woman to a man like you.”
“How can a dead man regret anything? And even if he did, does the world always go the way you want it to? Things like this happen too.”
After our last exchange, Kin and I stared intently at each other, a strange tension flowing between us.
“…You guys, don’t mind us and keep digging.”
“Yes, yes!!”
At Kin’s command, the subordinates who had been standing awkwardly began to dig into the ground again.
“…Well then, shall we put an end to this problem?”
“Yeah.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than I immediately started. I immediately slammed the fist I was holding into his stomach, but as expected, my fist was blocked by an invisible and solid wall. He’s wearing a prison on his body.
“There was one thing I was mistaken about. I mistakenly thought you were an ‘ordinary human’.”
Kin blocked my first attack and immediately grabbed my collar, throwing me into the air. My body, lifted into the air by the strength of one arm, fell towards the ground due to gravity-
“….!”
Kin, who had been waiting for me to fall, kicked me, sending me flying into the interior of the laboratory. My back collided with the glass window and concrete, but the wall behind me collapsed instead of my bones.
“….That’s rough.”
I brushed off the asbestos powder and glass shards from my clothes and got up. I walked out of the chaotic hallway and looked back at the center of the laboratory, where sunlight was shining. Kin was standing in the shade of the giant tree, looking at me, equally covered in dust.
“…So, I’ve decided to treat you not as an ordinary human, but as my ‘enemy’. Just like when I fought Hir that day, I’ll use everything I can to kill you.”
His tone was different from the arrogant way he had completely ignored and belittled others when I first met him. He spoke in a serious voice, without a hint of playfulness, and took something out of his pocket.
“…So you had one too…”
The serum that Theresa used, that Nigrum tried to use, to find the Creator’s original power. He took out the device containing it and pressed the button, causing a thin needle to pop out.
“Consider it an honor, I’m now seeing you as an enemy on par with Hir.”
“That’s nice of you, but who said I’d let you do that?”
I picked up a stone and threw it at Kin, who was slowly bringing the needle to his body. But…
“Of course, I’m not without thoughts on that either.”
“Ugh, ugh?!”
Kin grabbed one of his subordinates and threw him at the stone I had thrown with all my might. The stone I threw hit the head of the man who was screaming and floating in the air,
The man spewed out a spray of blood and fell to the ground, twitching before stopping moving.
“…Damn it…!”
I hurriedly tried to pick up another stone and throw it at Kin, but it was already too late. The needle had pierced Kin’s shoulder, and the serum was flowing through his veins.
“…To be honest, it’s surprising to think that something like this is a human invention.”
Kin threw the empty syringe on the ground and began to touch his body here and there. His silver hair faded even more, turning completely white, and its length also increased. There was no change in Kin’s physique, but the energy circulating in his body was thicker than before-
“…The power of the past… feels good.”
His arm, which I should have cut off, had grown back. An enormous presence, completely different from Theresa.
“…Damn it.”
I untied the tie around my neck and wrapped it around my right fist. Then, I infused it with red and gold and rushed towards him in an instant, but,
“…Ugh?!”
What I was trying to hit was definitely Kin. But what my fist touched was the ground he was standing on, and the dirt that bounced up from the impact got into my eyes.
“I said it before, but you’re not using Hir’s power completely. I haven’t fully regained my old power either, but with this much…”
Kin’s voice came from behind me as I was trying to clear the dirt from my eyes. I hurriedly managed to tear my tearful eyes away and turned around, but-
“Killing you, who has only half the power, is nothing.”
“Ugh?!”
As soon as I looked back, Kin’s fist collided with my chin.
An incredible speed and power that even my danger sense couldn’t detect.
I knew that my head was buried in the ground, creating a cloud of dust.
But is it because I got hit in the chin? My head is spinning.
What’s going on right now? What time is it? Where am I?
I’m sleepy. I’m too dizzy, what’s going on right now?
“…Shi, it…”
“I thought you were dead from that last one, but you’re not. It would have been easier if you had just stayed lying down…”
Even if my head isn’t working, I know for sure that I need to get up now.
I covered my body in gold to fix my dislocated jaw and spat out the blood that was flowing because I bit my tongue wrong. I barely suppressed my wobbly legs and looked at the man coming towards me.
“…If dying is your wish, I’ll grant it to you. But not now.”
“Cough?!”
His leg, as hard as a log, collided with my stomach, and I was buried in concrete again. I barely managed to hold on to my almost-flying consciousness and got up to approach him again.
Is it because the injuries and fatigue from the previous fight are coming up all at once…?
Shaky legs, dizzy vision, a bitter taste and smell in my mouth.
Still… I have to go.
“…Huh?”
But I couldn’t go. A solid wall of light appeared in front of my eyes.
The wall of light, which wouldn’t open no matter how much I pushed or hit it, blocked me.
“It’s a prison made with my original power. You really won’t be able to break this.
Not even with Hir’s, or your disgusting red color, Im Chanwoo. So wait there.
Wait there and watch me take Iria as my partner and watch me become king.
After that, go to the afterlife and tell Hir. ‘You failed.'”
“…..”
Kin said that and walked towards the pit that his subordinates were digging.
“…How much have you dug?”
“Ah, yo, Your Majesty… I’m sorry! We’re currently blocked by a pretty thick root, so we’re cutting it down… just a little…!”
“…A root… we’re almost there, get out of the way.”
Along with Kin’s small voice that went down into the deep pit, the tree standing in the middle of the flower garden shook. Green leaves were falling from the branches, and bright sunlight was leaking from the sky. Another light came to me, who was just watching all of that trapped in prison.
Bright light was pouring out of the pit that Kin’s subordinates had dug,
And Kin was slowly coming out of the pit with that light on his back.
The thing emitting that light was a jewel. A jewel emitting a transparent, silver light.
And inside it was a beautiful silver-haired woman with her eyes closed, asleep. That woman I saw in my dreams.
“…Iria.”
The real Iria that I saw in Hir’s memories, Iria’s lost body.
“…Finally.”
Kin muttered softly, snatched the pickaxe that his subordinate was holding, and strongly struck the jewel once.
Kin put his hands into the crack in the jewel that had slightly cracked with a ‘crack’ and began to put strength into it.
An enormous sound and light poured out, and the silver jewel split into two.
Iria, who had been sleeping inside, gently came down onto the flower garden where white flowers had bloomed and took her eyes off it.
“…….”
Eyes with no light and no will, and Iria’s dried-up expression.
She was definitely an empty shell with her soul gone, Kin took her hand.
“…Ha, hahaha!! Did you see that, Hir! In the end, you lose everything to me!”
“…….”
“Iria, I will give you the opportunity to become my partner. Serve me, and give me everything…”
“Wait, sorry to interrupt when things are going so well, but I also have something to say at the end.”
Kin, smiling unpleasantly at my voice, is coming this way.
“…Okay, I can listen to that much. Do you have any last words?”
“…Um, rather than last words, I have two questions. Can I ask?”
“Are you joking at this moment? Okay, fine. Tell me.”
I smiled back at Kin, who was smiling, and tapped on the wall in front of me.
“…You said I can’t break this with my current power, right? Not even if I use gold, or red.”
“That’s right. You don’t have the energy to do that anymore, why? Do you have any regrets?”
“Haha… there’s no way. Then here’s the last question.”
I looked at him, who was laughing at me, and smiled as I took something out of my pocket.
The moment Kin saw what it was, his pupils contracted slightly,
“…Does this hurt a lot? I’m not good with shots.”
“You, you… wait, Im Chan…!!”
He instantly broke down the prison in front of my eyes and started running towards me.
But I pressed the button on what was in my hand in front of his eyes,
And stuck the protruding needle into my chest. The serum I stole from Nigrum.
I don’t know what effect this will have on me, but it’s all or nothing. This is the last resort.
