Chapter 571 – 571. Savior Of The Academy
571. Savior of the Academy
“Behold with your eyes and marvel with your soul. This is the Heart of Flame, forged from the souls of 20,000 humans and 66 fire spirits.”
Hartung laughed, his face filled with glee.
*Thwack.*
A sword blade, seemingly out of nowhere, pierced Hartung’s neck.
Hartung staggered back, his massive body swaying.
I was taken aback. And without thinking, I used Chronos. The world slowed, giving me time to gather my thoughts.
‘It’s a bit earlier than planned. The plan was to kill Hartung when he was at his peak, basking in the cheers of the crowd.’
The sword that flew and pierced Hartung’s neck wasn’t Yuria’s attack. There’s no way Yuria would attack so simply by throwing a sword. Yuria mainly uses daggers, and she would have ambushed him more stealthily and decisively.
I glanced at the ceiling. The place where Yuria was hiding, her body shrouded in shadows, her presence completely erased.
‘The sword came from behind me.’
I moved my body.
Chronos ended.
The people around me didn’t scream; instead, they looked at where the sword had come from. There were no ordinary people here who would panic and scream at witnessing a murder. Those kinds of amateurs wouldn’t have received Hartung’s invitation in the first place.
‘Who is it?’
There was a man holding a stance as if he had thrown a sword. He was wearing a flamboyant red mask.
None of the people around him stepped forward to help Hartung. Instead, they kept their mouths shut and watched the man with interest.
They didn’t care whether Hartung lived or died.
“Interesting.”
Hartung’s voice came out. Even with a sword piercing his neck, he didn’t fall to the ground and spoke calmly. I could feel an ominous aura coming from Hartung’s body. Those who had been calm until now flinched and distanced themselves from Hartung.
“You’re a tough one. Still putting on a show even after being hit by a holy sword. I know you’re a demon. And I know that body is your true form.”
“A holy sword? This crude sword?”
Hartung grabbed the sword stuck in his neck with his bare hand. A pure white light emanated from the sword, resisting Hartung. But Hartung ignored the light attacking his body and pulled the sword out. The sword vanished in an instant.
Instead of blood, green sulfurous flames flickered from Hartung’s neck. His skin turned black like a volcanic region, and horns sprouted on his head.
“You’re revealing your disgusting form. You’ve had your fill in the human realm, now it’s time to pay for your sins.”
The red mask didn’t panic and created swords in both hands. They looked exactly like the sword that had pierced Hartung’s neck.
I used Chronos again to accelerate my thoughts.
‘That red mask… I know who it is.’
Zen Height.
An S-Class hero who operates secretly without revealing his identity to the world. No, he probably isn’t S-Class yet at this point.
He’s a hero who specializes in killing demons. His nickname is Devil Hunter.
His unique trait is ‘Holy Sword Manifestation (S+),’ which allows him to temporarily create holy swords and imbue his body with the power of holy swords.
As his nickname Devil Hunter suggests, his abilities are specialized for killing demons.
‘But why is he here? There was no information in the original route about him causing trouble at Hartung’s party?’
The answer came easily.
This world is moving along a completely different route than the one in the original story.
‘Well, there was no son of Sung Hari in the original story in the first place. The original story was twisted the moment I was born.’
That butterfly effect could be happening now.
I tuned out. Thinking coldly, the current situation was advantageous for me. If I used Zen’s power, I could deal with Hartung without Yuria using Transcendence. Since I thought this way, Yuria would surely think the same.
Transcendence is a last resort that can only be used for one minute. She would use Transcendence as late as possible, only when it was unavoidable or when she was sure she could kill Hartung.
‘It’s perfect that everyone’s attention is on Hartung and Zen. Good. My job is to steal the Heart of Flame.’
The Heart of Flame was still burning in mid-air, suspended even after falling from Hartung’s hand.
It was the moment I got about 5 meters closer to Hartung.
Yuria moved.
Black shadows surged from the ceiling and the ground, attacking Hartung.
“What?”
Hartung, who had been focused on Zen, was helplessly attacked by the shadows. And a shadowy hand grabbed the Heart of Flame and threw it towards me.
I snatched the flying Heart of Flame with my right hand. I could feel the heat in my hand. I wondered if my hand would burn, but my hand, which I checked with my own eyes, was fine.
‘Damn it.’
The Spirit Eye activated forcefully. My eyes throbbed.
‘It’s a rejection reaction. The original plan was for me to absorb the Heart of Flame. If the Spirit Eye activated… is it because it was made with 66 fire spirits as materials?’
According to the original story, there were three ways to use the Heart of Flame. Absorb it, use it as material for weapons or armor, or sell it to someone.
‘Chronos.’
I used Chronos for the third time. I put the Heart of Flame in my inventory and ran away with all my might.
“Huh. So, you were thieves. How many years has it been since I’ve been caught like this? 40 years?”
Hartung’s voice echoed from behind. Glancing back, Hartung was unharmed despite being attacked. Yuria revealed herself, hiding her identity by wrapping her body in shadows. She held a dagger in her hand. Black aura flickered on the blade.
“There have been many thieves who stole my things. And I’ve cut off all their hands and feet and sent them to the warmest place in hell. Hmm… thinking about it, I’m glad I can welcome thieves again after so long.”
Green flames surged from Hartung’s body. His fat body transformed into a giant over 3 meters tall.
I confirmed that this entire cruise ship was Hartung’s domain. There was no escaping.
And I felt that he was watching me.
‘To think he would abandon his pride and use his abilities to the fullest. Hartung values the Heart of Flame more than I thought.’
I took out a teleportation scroll from my pocket and tore it. There was no reaction.
‘Shit! Is it because of Hartung’s power?!’
Cold sweat formed on my forehead.
“Hand over the Heart of Flame. Then I’ll show you mercy and send you to a slightly less warm place.”
Hartung tried to approach me, but Yuria and Zen attacked him simultaneously. Surprisingly, their teamwork was good.
‘Yuria must have given Zen instructions through telepathy.’
I stopped running.
There was no way to shake off his gaze by going outside. Moreover, his subordinates were all over this cruise ship. Seeing him go all out because of the Heart of Flame, if I ran away now, he would probably order his subordinates to attack immediately.
“Damn demon bastard… The title of Duke isn’t just for show. To think he could exert this much power in the human realm.”
“You guys are qualified to be acknowledged just for not being burned by my hellfire. Look, those guys can’t withstand my hellfire and are screaming nicely.”
The ones burning were the spectators who had been here until just now, the guests invited by Hartung. Some had escaped, but most of the others were burning in the green hellfire.
‘The reason I’m not dying must be because of the Heart of Flame.’
If I waited for Yuria to find an opening and use Transcendence…
‘Wait.’
Yuria and Zen were gradually being pushed back.
Zen’s holy sword was barely cutting through Hartung’s black skin, and Yuria’s shadows couldn’t even get close to Hartung’s burning body. The only way Yuria was damaging him was with the black lightning she occasionally used. But even that couldn’t inflict a fatal wound.
‘This bastard is getting stronger?!’
*Thud.* *Thud.*
Hartung’s slaves around me were collapsing. The stronger ones were collapsing first.
I immediately realized what was happening.
‘Sacrifice. He’s using his contracted slaves as sacrifices.’
Unlike in the original story, Hartung had abandoned his arrogance. Missing the moment when he was off guard at the very beginning was quite significant. If Yuria had used Transcendence then…
‘No. With sacrifices, I don’t know.’
I didn’t know his obsession with the Heart of Flame was this strong.
“Is the Heart of Flame that important?”
“200 years. The Heart of Flame is the result of 200 years of trial and error. With it, I can lift some of the restrictions and enjoy life in the human realm more freely.”
“You’re already playing freely, yet you’re so greedy.”
“There’s no end to the desire for freedom. Isn’t that the same for you humans? Hmm. Is this the limit of the output I can get from sacrifices?”
Hartung swung his fist. Zen, who was hit, soared into the night sky along with the ceiling. Yuria was swept away by the aftermath and rolled on the floor. Blood was flowing from Yuria’s face.
I clicked my tongue briefly.
-Master. I will use Transcendence. The power of hellfire is not compatible with my shadows. It will be difficult to deal with him in one minute, but I think I can send you away. I will send a signal, so prepare the scroll.
“It’s okay.”
I stood tall.
“Come to think of it, I have to kill that Mekin bastard too, so it’s absurd to run away from a guy like this.”
Hartung, who was approaching me, stopped. He was showing interest in me.
“Mekin? Are you talking about the fifth legion commander? The ambition of a young one is so great that it’s shocking. Thief. What is your name?”
I looked around.
The only people alive here were me and Yuria. It would be more accurate to say that we were being kept alive.
“Sung Yoojin. A man under the protection of the law.”
“Heh heh. You’re a funny one. I’ll remember your name.”
I took out the Heart of Flame from my inventory. My eyes forcibly opened the Spirit Eye. The Heart of Flame was still hot. The miracle of the rejection reaction suddenly disappearing didn’t happen.
“To think you would hand over the Heart of Flame to me so easily. Disappointing.”
“Who said I was giving it to you? I’m going to use this.”
Hartung’s mouth stretched wide. His sharp teeth were burning with green flames.
“You? I’ll wait. Try it if you can.”
Hartung’s arrogance returned. From his perspective, the current situation was already settled. In his eyes, I probably looked like a wriggling earthworm.
“I might kill you in an instant, so I’ll tell you in advance.”
“I like listening to the last words of the deceased. Speak.”
“Your Heart of Flame is awesome.”
I used Genius Time.
The Heart of Flame was no longer hot. The rejection reaction had disappeared. But absorption was still impossible. There was no way I could absorb the entire Heart of Flame during the time Genius Time was maintained.
I first resonated the Heart of Flame using mana and then used the Spirit Contract skill.
‘I’ll give the Heart of Flame as a contract fee. Anyone who wants the Heart of Flame, come out now.’
Since I used the Heart of Flame, a fire spirit would appear.
This was a cruise ship floating on the sea, but it didn’t matter. There were volcanoes under the sea too.
Even if it was tens of kilometers away, a top-tier fire spirit would be able to sense it.
‘Connected.’
-I will contract.
Right after a voice like a rock was heard, a giant turtle made of red lava appeared in front of me.
“Damn it! Do you think I’ll hand over the Heart of Flame to a spirit!”
Hartung, startled by the appearance of the top-tier spirit, roared and rushed towards me. But it was too late. My contract with the lava turtle was already complete before it even appeared.
The lava turtle sneered at Hartung and swallowed the Heart of Flame.
‘Come.’
Only 8 seconds had passed. Genius Time was still active.
‘Spirit Possession!’
The lava turtle entered my body.
I could feel a massive presence.
Lava turtle.
This bastard wasn’t a good guy. If he had even a shred of conscience, he wouldn’t have entered my body without any hesitation. Logically, there was almost a 100% chance that I wouldn’t be able to handle it and would die.
‘He’s probably planning to eat the Heart of Flame and disappear if I die. A very likeable spirit. I’ll definitely remember this.’
I could feel the massive presence and power inside me.
Nothing more, nothing less.
My body was burning bright red. But it wasn’t hot. Currently, I had become a spirit due to Spirit Possession. At first glance, it looked like flames were burning my body, but in reality, they were protecting my body. These flames were my power.
