Chapter 322:
The moment he felt the murderous intent brush against his skin, Kwon Taehyuk instinctively summoned his blade—but he couldn’t bring himself to strike.
'A clone-type monster?'
He glanced at Ryu Sunghyun standing ahead of him. The man’s face had gone pale as he stared at another version of himself—and at Cha Seohu—his eyes full of confusion.
'Then what’s with Cha Seohu? He looks like he’s under hypnosis.'
A monster that could use hypnosis skills, too?
He’d never encountered such a thing before, but this was an Unidentified Rift where no information existed. Any kind of irregularity could appear here.
“Hunter Ryu Sunghyun. Snap out of it.”
Kwon Taehyuk grabbed his shoulder firmly and spoke in a low voice. Ryu Sunghyun gasped, the trembling in his eyes finally steadying.
Kwon turned to Eun Woojeong.
“Can you fight?”
“...Hard to say.”
Cold sweat ran down his jaw beneath the mask.
Eun Woojeong silently watched the other Ryu Sunghyun holding onto Cha Seohu. His mask hid whatever expression he wore.
“I’ll stick to supporting from behind for now. If I rush in carelessly, that ‘Ryu Sunghyun’ over there might take me out. You’re three S-ranks; surely you won’t lose, right?”
He shrugged lightly, and Kwon Taehyuk stayed silent.
Eun Woojeong probably knew everything already and was only testing the situation.
Whether that thing was an exact copy of Ryu Sunghyun didn’t matter. Any experienced Hunter had fought clone-type monsters at least once.
The real problem was something else.
Swallowing dryly, Kwon gripped his blade tighter and fixed his eyes ahead.
Cha Seohu stood there, bright white wings of light spread behind his back. His usually sharp black eyes were now hazy and unfocused.
'The aura coming from that clone is above S-rank. And if Hunter Cha Seohu is under hypnosis and supporting it...'
He remembered how reassuring Seohu’s healing and buffs had always been in battle.
Now that those same skills were aimed at the enemy, a chill crept down his spine.
“Hyung...”
Since escaping the exit, Cha Sahyeon had returned to his normal appearance. His eyes twisted faintly with pain.
Mook Jeongho, stepping forward to stand beside Ryu Sunghyun, spoke calmly.
“Separate Cha Seohu first.”
He looked toward Eun Woojeong and added a command.
“Once he’s separated, use your skill to hold him down.”
It was a request made with Eun Woojeong’s chain-summoning ability in mind. Eun Woojeong smirked and replied lightly,
“As ordered.”
At that, Kwon Taehyuk and Mook Jeongho began walking slowly.
They spread out in a fan shape, keeping the clone and Cha Seohu in the center—ready to strike from all sides and pull Seohu away the moment they found an opening.
While the S-ranks exchanged strategies, “Ryu Sunghyun” gave a short laugh. Lightning flared, and his eyes gleamed gold.
He looked at the younger version of himself standing stiff-faced below and smiled faintly.
“Then... shall we see what you can do?”
“Ryu Sunghyun” slowly raised his hand.
Unlike the real one, who wore the black gloves Seohu had given him, this one’s large, veined hand was bare as it lifted into the air.
At that instant, golden light exploded.
“......!”
Golden radiance burst around “Ryu Sunghyun,” and countless bolts of lightning rained down.
A sharp wave of killing intent swept through the air with a roaring wind. Kwon Taehyuk gritted his teeth and dashed through it, blades spinning toward the enemy.
“Ryu Sunghyun” dodged easily, holding Seohu close as he leapt high. A golden platform formed beneath his feet.
'Fast.'
The real Ryu Sunghyun broke into a cold sweat—his opponent’s skill control was on another level.
Still cradling Seohu’s waist, “Ryu Sunghyun” intertwined their hands. The tightly laced fingers glowed as a buff surged through them.
“Ah...”
“Ryu Sunghyun” smiled softly, his trembling voice faint with delight.
“This feels incredible.”
He closed his eyes briefly, then moved his other hand with a subtle flick.
A fierce golden light spread beneath him, and thick cords of light shot out, coiling around the S-ranks’ bodies.
The moment they tried to leap upward, the cords wrapped tighter. Even when Kwon slashed through them, more light replaced what he cut.
Hovering above, “Ryu Sunghyun” looked down at the real Ryu Sunghyun bound below and laughed.
He raised a finger. A small golden sphere bloomed at the tip like a petal and floated upward.
In the dark sky filled with clouds, tiny lights began to appear one by one—like stars shining brightly in the gloom.
The stars multiplied rapidly. What began as one became hundreds in the blink of an eye.
The real Ryu Sunghyun, trapped and helplessly staring upward, turned pale.
He knew this attack.
He’d used the same skill himself during the competition against the Ronik Guild.
But the star-filled sky now was on a completely different scale.
'This... isn’t the same. Even with Seohu’s buff, it shouldn’t be like this.'
Only then did he realize.
The being above wasn’t just a clone-type monster.
Not some cheap imitation mimicking another’s face and mannerisms.
That thing—that existence—was...
“Ha-ha.”
“Ryu Sunghyun” laughed softly, as if amused that he’d finally caught on.
Then, like a conductor, he swept his ungloved hand through the air.
At that single motion, the hundreds of stars filling the sky fell all at once.
***
A deafening roar shook the ground.
Stars crashed down, the earth flipped, and red petals scattered through the rising haze of smoke.
Quietly gazing at the destruction below, “Ryu Sunghyun” pulled Cha Seohu tighter into his arms.
“You have to withstand at least this much. Don’t you agree, Seohu?”
He whispered gently.
Then something shot up through the smoke. Both “Ryu Sunghyun” and Seohu’s eyes turned toward it.
“...Hyung.”
Cha Sahyeon rose into the air, black wings spread wide behind him. His green eyes, filled with sorrow as they looked at Seohu, turned icy cold when they shifted to the “Ryu Sunghyun” holding him.
“Give him back. Now.”
“That’s not quite the right phrasing,” came the smooth reply. “He was mine to begin with.”
At those words, Sahyeon’s expression hardened to pure indifference.
He gripped the long black sword formed from shadow, and the clash between him and “Ryu Sunghyun,” who held Seohu, erupted.
The moment the clone’s golden light approached Sahyeon, it flickered and vanished. Like being swallowed into an abyss, Sahyeon’s shadow skill devoured every trace of that light.
They fought fiercely—Sahyeon charging forward, “Ryu Sunghyun” creating golden footholds to widen the distance.
The air trembled as their blades collided, the strikes missing by mere inches—until,
“Ugh...!”
Slash—Sahyeon’s sword sliced clean across “Ryu Sunghyun’s” cheek. Blood trickled down as a short groan escaped.
The composure that had clung to “Ryu Sunghyun” finally cracked. Sahyeon seized the opening without hesitation.
With green eyes flashing, he lunged—ready to sever the clone’s arm and take Seohu back.
“Don’t!”
A desperate cry pierced his head.
Startled, Sahyeon froze for a fraction of a second. Before he could react, Seohu moved.
The Seohu who had been quietly nestled in the clone’s arms suddenly threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around “Ryu Sunghyun’s” head, glaring at Sahyeon.
Black eyes met green.
His pale face and those dark pupils brimmed not only with fear—but with something # Nоvеlight # stronger: hatred.
Realizing it, Sahyeon’s breath caught painfully in his throat.
“...Why?”
He lowered his sword, his eyes twisting.
That emotion was too raw, too vivid to come from someone hypnotized. From anyone else, Seohu showed no emotion at all—yet toward him, it was pure hatred. No hypnosis could explain that.
“Hyung, it’s me.”
Sahyeon whispered weakly.
“I’m your brother.”
But Seohu didn’t seem to hear. His eyes stayed locked on him, filled with terror and loathing.
Caught in that gaze, Sahyeon felt a sharp pain seize his heart. He frowned tightly.
'I’m missing something.'
That place built from Seohu’s memories before they escaped.
That overwhelming power, nearing a Catastrophe.
That hatred directed only at him.
Sahyeon blinked, watching Seohu—and the “Ryu Sunghyun” he was trying so hard to protect. Wind scattered his black hair across his face.
Maybe everything had been wrong from the start.
He had thought: take Seohu back from the clone, kill the clone, and everything would be solved.
But now, Sahyeon realized—too late—that the situation was far more deeply twisted than he’d ever imagined.