Chapter 938 – 938. Savior Of The Academy
‘Got him.’
I reached out with my hand engulfed in black flames and grabbed the hidden bastard’s heart. I crushed the throbbing heart with the force of my grip.
“Kaaaaaaah!”
With a loud scream, the mass of flesh began to melt away.
Whew.
I let out a sigh. Was it because our compatibility was good, or did the opponent act too hastily? I was lucky to take him down so easily.
‘Now, I just need to deal with the remaining demons… and get out of here.’
I looked for Kim Chun-woo. He was engaged in a fight with one of the demons. The other demons were fighting against the security personnel from the auction house.
-Auntie’s fighting too? Don’t you need to help her? She’s facing four enemies.
I raised my head and looked at Sung Ha-ri. She was fighting against what appeared to be villains. However, the villains couldn’t even graze the hem of her clothes.
‘Who’s worried about whom? Let’s wipe out the demons first and escape from here.’
I had been feeling a gaze from Sung Ha-ri’s direction since earlier. It didn’t seem like my identity had been exposed, but it wasn’t good to be associated with Sung Ha-ri in my Red Light state.
“I won’t! I won’t end like this!”
The gloomy voice of the demon I had killed echoed. Startled, I turned around to find the source of the voice.
The flesh that had been burning in black flames was wriggling on the floor and beginning to reassemble.
‘Is it resisting the black flames? Was the heart not its weak point? …Damn it. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.’
-Are you going to fight again? You overdid it earlier, and your suit is a mess. You don’t have much mana left either.
‘I have about 30% left. Plus, I have a full recovery. I just need to be careful not to reveal my identity while fighting.’
I wrapped the Black Flame Dragon around my left arm.
“O Woodrest! As per our contract, I offer my remaining life! Descend and eliminate the hateful demon hunter!”
“A demon summoning? Do you think I’ll just stand by and watch?”
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Dragon Fist (竜拳).
I used the Dragon Fist, imbued with the flames of the Black Flame Dragon. The compressed black flames shot out towards the mass of flesh. The space in front of the flesh distorted, and the Dragon Fist was caught in it and neutralized.
-I, I feel something nasty!
Makina shuddered. At the same time, I froze. I sensed the descent of a being that shouldn’t exist in this world, a demon.
“Create a body.”
A heavy voice came from the distorted space. The flesh reacted to it. As if drawn by telekinesis, it clung to the distorted space and formed a body.
A muscular giant over 2 meters tall.
Black scales on its skin.
A thick, long lizard tail with red thorns embedded in it.
A snout protruding like a crocodile.
Bat-like membranous wings.
Red eyes.
Except for the wings, it was a demon with an appearance similar to a lizardman. It had descended into the world through the sacrifice of the demon.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been out… Feels good. Are you the demon hunter? I sense a disturbing aura… but it’s all the same. As per our contract, I will kill you and enjoy this mortal realm.”
The demon took a step towards me. Thud. A heavy step with power behind it.
『The Demon Hunter (S) has detected the presence of a demon.』
『All stats are temporarily increased.』
『Attack power against demons is temporarily increased.』
『The Demon Hunter (S) discerns the demon.』
『Woodrest. Demon Baron. 4th Legion.』
『Woodrest’s power is brute strength. He can unleash tremendous power in an instant.』
The effects of the Demon Hunter (S) filled my entire body with power. I could feel my stamina had also been restored.
“Woodrest, huh.”
“Oh? You know me?”
I didn’t. I was just muttering the name as the Demon Hunter (S) told me.
“A demon baron of the 4th Legion.”
“You have a keen eye. I quite like you. As a reward for pleasing me, I will show you mercy. I will kill you instantly without pain.”
Woodrest kicked off the ground towards me. He reached me in an instant and swung his large hand. The sharp claws on his fingertips cut through the air.
‘A split second.’
I dodged the attack by a split second and immediately counterattacked. I punched him in the head. His head turned slightly to the side.
“Your punch lacks power. Disappointing.”
“Really?”
“Hmm?”
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Penetrating Spirit (浸精).
Bang!
The Heavenly Demon energy that had flowed into his head exploded. It was a shockwave that detonated directly inside his head. Combined with the power of the Demon Hunter (S), even a demon wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
Woodrest spat out blood from his head and collapsed to the side.
‘He’s not dead yet. I need to finish him…!’
Just as I was about to prepare the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, his thick tail wrapped around my waist.
“Guh!”
It squeezed with tremendous force, as if trying to break my waist. The thorns had already pierced through my suit and were digging into my flesh.
-What kind of power is this! You have to get out of there! You’ll die if you stay like this!
‘Do you think I don’t know that?!’
I punched and pulled at the tail to get free, but it wouldn’t budge.
“My head was throbbing. Now that I’ve got you, the fight is over. Just die.”
I couldn’t just die so easily. I had to break free, even if it meant pushing myself.
Click!
A blade appeared from the back of my suit’s hand. A black sword aura enveloped the blade. Thanks to the Demon Hunter (S), the sword aura was much more stable than before.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Sword (天魔劍).
Swish!
Woodrest’s tail was cut off and fell to the ground. I used a split second to aim for Woodrest’s neck.
“My tail grows back quickly.”
His tail, which had regenerated in no time, wrapped around my left foot and crushed it.
‘Damn it. Should I just run?’
Woodrest was overly relaxed. Honestly, I didn’t see any chance of winning, even if I used full recovery. What was even more despairing was that he hadn’t even used his power yet.
-There’s such a thing as a strategic retreat! It’s better to run now! You can always get stronger and kill him later! So let’s run!
‘…I actually had no intention of running… Makina, if that’s what you think, then, well….’
That’s when it happened.
Two spears wrapped in lightning fell from above. One pierced his shoulder, and the other severed his tail.
And then, Sung Ha-ri, who had appeared next to me, delivered a roundhouse kick to Woodrest. Woodrest raised his arm to block it, but the shockwave sent him flying into a wall.
“Are you okay?”
-It’s Auntie! As expected, Auntie is strong!
“I, I am fine.”
I tried to speak normally, but I was conscious of my tone. The thought that I might reveal my identity if I spoke normally suddenly occurred to me.
“……”
Sung Ha-ri stared at me intently. Had I been found out? Fortunately, it didn’t seem so, as she immediately turned her head and focused on Woodrest, who was getting up.
“I can do it alone… but it would be faster if you assist me. Can you do it?”
“I understand.”
Sung Ha-ri picked up the spear that was stuck in the ground. Crackle. The moment I felt a stream of lightning flowing through her body, she was already swinging the spear at Woodrest, who was far away. Woodrest began to fight seriously with Sung Ha-ri.
I followed them, thinking.
‘Sung Ha-ri’s Lightning Flash. It’s the superior version of Split Second. Split Second is over after one movement, but Lightning Flash can continue to move for a certain period.’
In the past, Sung Ha-ri had tried to teach me Lightning Flash. But I couldn’t learn it due to my lack of talent. Sung Ha-ri was a genius in combat, but she wasn’t very talented at teaching. One of the reasons was that I was much weaker than her, so the transmission of Lightning Flash was postponed.
-Auntie’s dominating him? She’ll take him down if we just watch. Let’s just grab some popcorn!
‘No. We need to cooperate. That way, we can kill him more easily, as Sung Ha-ri said. And… I need to get the last hit.’
-Ugh, you dirty last-hitter! But will you even be of any help in that fight?
Makina had a point. There’s a saying that the shrimp’s back gets broken in a whale fight. I could get hurt if I just jumped in. Conversely, I could also hinder Sung Ha-ri.
‘It’s okay with Sung Ha-ri, at least.’
I had been training with Sung Ha-ri since I was young. I knew her movements. I was confident that I wouldn’t hinder her, at least.
I fought Woodrest alongside Sung Ha-ri. If Sung Ha-ri aimed for the right, I aimed for the left. If Sung Ha-ri was about to make a big move, I would step back to avoid hindering her.
Most importantly, I didn’t interfere when she deployed her barrier to use as a foothold. In addition, I also used the barrier she deployed, allowing me to move with high mobility. It was much easier with Makina’s support.
“You damn things are moving like gnats! Let’s see if you can dodge this attack!”
Woodrest slammed both hands into the ground. He activated his power, brute strength. The ground shook and then rose up. It was as if he was flipping the table using the ground.
“Let’s get out of the way first.”
Sung Ha-ri stepped back and deployed a barrier around her. It seemed like she was planning to defend first and then continue the attack.
‘That won’t make it easy for me to get the last hit. Now is the perfect time for the last hit!’
-Oh, the last-hitter’s senses!
‘Full Recovery.’
I used full recovery to restore all my stamina and mana.
[The Genius Time is activated for 10 seconds.]
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Descent Step (天魔君臨步).
I used the Heavenly Demon Descent Step at full power to leap across the short space and appear in front of Woodrest.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Sword (天魔劍) Nine Strikes Five Kills (九中五殺).
I stabbed his head, both shoulders, and both sides of his torso simultaneously.
“You…!”
His skull was so hard that even the sword aura couldn’t completely finish him off. His palm aimed for my head again.
I took a breath and stepped on the Heavenly Demon Descent Step again. This time, I got behind Woodrest.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Heavenly Demon Sword (天魔劍) Demon Wind (魔風).
A black wind enveloped his body. The black wind tore apart every inch of his skin.
And then I threw a left punch at his head. The black wind wrapped around my left arm, but I couldn’t miss this golden opportunity.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功) Dragon Fist (竜拳).
The compressed Heavenly Demon energy shattered his skull and stretched out, drawing a black line in the air.
『Karma: Goodness has increased by 4.』
『Successfully hunted a demon. The effects of the Demon Hunter (S) are enhanced.』
『The Demon Hunter (S) absorbs a portion of the power of the demon he killed.』
『Currently absorbed power: Power of Brute Strength (A-).』
『Power of Brute Strength
Rank: A-
Consumes mana to temporarily gain brute strength.
The power of brute strength is proportional to the mana consumed.』
‘I got it!’
The characteristic of the Demon Hunter! It was the ability to obtain the powers of the demons they hunted. Of course, it was only a degraded version compared to the power the demon possessed.
I activated my jet engines and immediately fled before Sung Ha-ri could chase me. I grabbed the back of Kim Chun-woo’s neck, who was exhausted after finishing his fight with the demon, broke through the ceiling, and soared into the sky. Then, I ran away at full speed.
-Yujin! Auntie called you?
‘…What? You, you take it. You can do voice modulation, right?’
-It’s a video call.
‘Damn it. Did Sung Ha-ri realize? No. The fact that she made a video call means she might just be trying to confirm!’
I fell to the ground and landed.
“Yu, Yujin. Let’s go a little slower. I got hit in the side earlier, and the wound seems to be spreading.”
“Damn it. We don’t have time for that. Here, tear this. Then we’ll move to the academy city immediately.”
I handed a space-time teleportation scroll to the staggering Kim Chun-woo, and then tore another space-time teleportation scroll and moved to the dormitory.
I took off all my armor and sat on the sofa, receiving Sung Ha-ri’s call.
“Yes, Mom. Why a video call all of a sudden? And what’s with that weird wolf mask?”
•••
“……”
Sung Ha-ri felt a sense of déjà vu while fighting alongside Red Light. Red Light’s movements were as if he knew about her. And sometimes, her son, Sung Yu-jin’s movements, overlapped with his.
She had her doubts.
Could Red Light’s identity be Sung Yu-jin? On one hand, she thought it couldn’t be, but strangely, she couldn’t completely shake off the suspicion.
So, she tried to forcibly remove Red Light’s helmet and check his face, but he escaped in an instant. She tried to follow him, but the backlash from the battle engulfed her body. She gave up the chase and called Sung Yu-jin.
No matter how fast Red Light was, he wouldn’t be able to escape Baekryeong Island in an instant. So, if he didn’t answer the phone….
“Yes, Mom. Why a video call all of a sudden? And what’s with that weird wolf mask?”
