Chapter 2138 – 2138. Eternal Eden
Shadow Heaven Style, Azure Stream.
I lunged at the Blader. Or rather, I pretended to lunge. I had no intention of actually attacking. My plan was to feint, draw him in, and then exploit the opening that would appear.
The Blader reacted. His left arm moved. The blade grazed my body. Azure Stream was a technique that used optical illusions. He had fallen for it.
An opening appeared in his side. As tall as he was, the gap was also large. Without a moment’s hesitation, I lowered my upper body, dove in, and swung my sword. A silver flash.
Thunder Heaven Style, Thunder Flash.
Clang!
The fastest strike was blocked by the Blader’s right arm. Though it was a blade, it was not metal but the arm of a living creature, and it easily stopped the cutlass. There wasn’t even a scratch. It was proof that it was far sharper than the cutlass.
The Blader raised his left arm. I stepped back, using footwork. Whoosh. His left arm sliced through the air.
Then the Blader moved. With dazzling footwork, he closed the distance in an instant and swung both arms.
‘Considering his power… I can’t block this attack.’
Thunder Heaven Style, Flying Thunder God.
I narrowly avoided the attack. But I got a cut on my cheek. It hadn’t even touched me, yet the aftereffects alone had sliced my cheek. Ignoring it, I went on the offensive.
Crack.
The cutlass glowed silver and went for the Blader’s neck. My confident thrust was dodged by him tilting his head.
“Kekekekekeke.”
The Blader laughed. As if he was enjoying this situation immensely.
The Blader’s arms moved chaotically. There was no order. He swung his sword according to his mood, as if swordsmanship was something to be thrown away. It was fast and light. But that was all. Without a sharp blade and immense power, the movements were not threatening at all.
I dodged the Blader’s sword as if dancing. Attacks I couldn’t dodge, I deflected with my sword.
Sweat poured down like rain. One mistake and I would die. Next chance? I wasn’t sure. My recovery wasn’t infinite either. There was no guarantee that he would leave my corpse alone. There was a high probability that he would eat it. In the worst case, I could be eaten by him forever. Well, then a missile would come and kill him.
‘This is fucking hard.’
My arms were heavy. Blood was flowing from the palm of my hand holding the sword, where the skin had peeled off. My thighs felt like they would burst, and my calves were cramping.
‘I’m not the only one who’s tired.’
The Blader, who kept swinging his sword, was also tired. His upper body was so hot that I could see heat haze. Even a variant was a living creature. There were limits.
Crack.
I stimulated my muscles with lightning. I used electricity to pull my slowing arms and support my weakening lower body. Even so, my body, pushed to its limits, faltered.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The Blader roared and swung both arms. Not missing the opening, I unleashed my final strike with all my might.
‘I can’t dodge it. Even if I force my legs to move, it’s too late.’
So, I had to block it. I raised my silver sword sideways.
Not deflecting, but blocking head-on. Clang! The Blader’s arms were repelled, but the blade of the cutlass shattered. The fragments rained down.
“Kekeke!”
The Blader laughed, confident of his victory.
“Heh. You idiot.”
I also laughed, confident of my victory.
‘Recovery.’
My ability, recovery, wasn’t just for healing human wounds. It also affected objects. As if time was turning back.
The broken blade of the sword was restored from the hilt. It was as if a new blade was growing.
The Blader’s laughter disappeared. His wide eyes were filled with shock. He flailed his arms clumsily, trying to block my attack, but…
‘Too late.’
Thunder Heaven Style, Thunder Flash.
Blue lightning flashed and sliced through the Blader’s neck. His head fell to the ground, and his torso stood still. A beat later, a fountain of blood gushed from the severed neck.
His powerful body collapsed to the ground.
I quietly caught my breath. My whole body ached. I was tired. I had a strong desire to wash up and sleep. I moved away from the Blader’s corpse and lay down in the shade. It was a little better.
About 30 minutes later, a convoy of vans and trucks appeared. People in black suits got out of the cars and approached the corpse.
“You’ve done a great job.”
Lee Yeon-hee was among them. She approached me and handed me a cold bottle of water.
“I didn’t expect you to come all the way here.”
“Many researchers are paying attention to the Blader’s corpse. It means it’s a strategic resource.”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes. Do you want a part of the corpse?”
“No. Give me the research data on the Blader’s sword. It was a very useful sword.”
“I’ll do my best.”
It was an ambiguous answer. I was too tired to argue.
“You look very tired. Shall I assign someone to you?”
“No. I’ll rest a bit and go back on my own.”
-Yujin! It’s the looters! A group of looters is attacking Seongak Elementary School!
Na Chae-young’s urgent voice rang in my ears. I jumped up from where I was resting.
“How many?! What’s their armament?!”
-50. Their armament is… they’re armed with guns, but they don’t seem like much. I can handle this much on my own.
Na Chae-young quickly regained her composure.
Looters.
They were criminals who specialized in looting. Most looters operated in groups. They were troublesome, regardless of how dangerous they were.
“Looters armed with guns… that’s suspicious.”
“Ah. That’s true.”
“It seems like they’re a group of looters sponsored by the Ilwoo Group.”
The voice of Jin Chung-hyun, the director of the Ilwoo Group who had threatened me, came to mind.
Lee Yeon-hee’s guess that the Ilwoo Group was behind the looters was probably correct.
• • •
Na Chae-young watched the looters riding electric bikes and trucks down the road with cold eyes. She had been flustered at first, but now she was calmly assessing the situation.
“Wow, there are a lot of them. What are you going to do without him?”
Choi Hye-jin said next to her, tapping a baseball bat. After watching the video of Sung Yujin’s fight with the Blader, she was itching to go out and fight.
“We can handle this much even without Yujin. It’s only 50 people. They have guns, but they’re not wearing bulletproof vests. If we take advantage of our defenses, the security team alone can handle it. If we drop bombs using drones and then fight, we can win without taking any damage.”
She had no intention of saving bombs and drones. They were prepared for times like this.
“I don’t think things will go that easily.”
“What?”
“Look over there. That bald bastard sitting on top of the truck in front. He doesn’t feel right. He seems kind of strong, you know?”
Na Chae-young recalled one of Choi Hye-jin’s traits, her instincts. Due to her instincts, Choi Hye-jin’s sixth sense was ridiculously developed. If she said something didn’t feel right, there really was something there.
‘He’s probably an Awakened.’
Still, what she had to do didn’t change. However, she asked one thing.
“Compared to Yujin?”
“There’s no comparison. Sung Yujin is an untouchable monster.”
“…Compared to you?”
“I don’t know since I haven’t fought him. But at least I don’t think I’d lose.”
“Just in case, prepare for battle. If you think you’re going to die, just die. Yujin will bring you back to life anyway.”
“Am I just a disposable item? That’s so harsh.”
Choi Hye-jin had a smile on her face as she said that.
After Na Chae-young left, Choi Hye-jin contacted Son Tae-hyung.
“Mr. Son Tae-hyung. 50 looters are attacking. They haven’t arrived at the entrance yet, but they’ll be there soon. Go out the back door and attack the looters from behind. You can take a few members of the security team with you.”
-Yes, Doctor.
The security team was already moving. Their training had paid off. They built barricades at the school entrance and aimed their guns at the front.
The looters didn’t slow down even as they got closer to the entrance. They drove the trucks they had modified for combat into the entrance. The entrance collapsed, and a gunfight began.
-This is our Bering’s territory!
The bald man who seemed to be the leader of the looters shouted. His skin had turned into gray steel. Even when hit by bullets, they just bounced off.
‘He was an ability user after all.’
The combat drones that had been deployed dropped bombs from the sky.
-Bombs!
-Get under the trucks and lie down!!
The damage to the looters was minimal. The modified trucks had withstood the force of the bombs.
‘…It’s not just a matter of adding steel plates to the trucks. It’s at least the level of an armored vehicle. A professional’s skills were involved.’
She switched the combat drones to autonomous combat mode. The AI controlled the combat drones and engaged in individual battles. The AI’s control of the combat drones was not perfect yet, as not much data had been accumulated. The combat drones were falling one by one.
‘It’s okay. The number of enemies has already been reduced by half. We have the upper hand.’
If there were no variables, it would be an easy battle.
-You bastards! You should have surrendered, but you’re resisting to the end. I didn’t want to take this out, but… I have no choice. Guys, just hold on!
The looter leader took out a morning star from the truck and charged straight ahead. He was charging, trusting in his ability.
Clang!
A clear metallic sound rang out, and the leader’s steel body flew backward and rolled on the ground.
-Hey, mister. You’re fun to hit, aren’t you?
Choi Hye-jin appeared, holding a metal baseball bat. She walked like a delinquent in a T-shirt, denim shorts, an eagle baseball jacket, and a baseball cap in a place where bullets were raining down. Strangely, no bullets touched her body. She was using her instincts to move to places where there were no bullets.
-Kuh. You… You’re an Awakened too! I came because that bastard wasn’t here, but I didn’t expect there to be another Awakened! The plan is ruined! Retreat!
-Who said you could retreat?!
Choi Hye-jin rushed in and fought the bald leader. The looters tried to save their leader, but…
-Behind! They’re coming from behind!
-Damn it! Our escape route is blocked!
-We’ve lost! Surrender!
The looters threw away their weapons and surrendered. Their leader was being beaten to a pulp by Choi Hye-jin’s baseball bat. He was no match for Choi Hye-jin, who had been trained by Sung Yujin.
‘…As expected of a 5-star. It means that she can handle that level of opponent without any problem.’
-Hahahaha! My stress is completely gone! Mister, use your hardening ability!!
The bald leader was beaten for 10 minutes even after the battle was over.
-Aaaargh! Damn it! Someone stop this crazy bitch!!
