Chapter 101 : Excitement
Excitement
Kang Minji was being relentlessly burned by the hellfire.
The black flames, as if possessed of a will, seemed to purposely burn only her, leaving the forest's vegetation untouched.
That malicious will gradually began to burn through Kang Minji's bones and flesh.
"Kyaaaaaaah!!"
Her screams echoed like a wail, fueled by the agony of her burning body.
No words would come out other than those screams.
Even if they resounded far and wide, with the guild wars raging, there was no one to listen.
"Help...!"
Calling for help was useless.
No one was coming for her.
No matter how much she screamed until her throat tore, her cries would only be drowned out by the noise of fire and war.
The sound of hunters clashing in the distance turned a deaf ear to her desperation.
It felt as if all the world's malice was purposely gathered to smother her wish.
"Ah... Ahahaha...."
In the end, Kang Minji's scream turned into laughter as she fell into despair.
The whole world was rejecting her.
Even if her husband found out about this, he wouldn't avenge her. That was just the sort of man he was.
There was nothing she could do even as she faced death.
The world had isolated her.
Soon, even the one she loved would abandon her.
"How dare you... come after me like this?"
All she wanted was to look good in front of her family.
What was so wrong about extracting a bit of magic power from a mere concubine?
The more she thought about it, the more unjust it felt, and Kang Minji lost her sanity.
If she was going to die alone anyway, she couldn't just go down quietly.
"You stupid bastard...!"
Kang Minji looked at me, as I had turned into a demon, and spat the words.
Even amidst the agony, a twisted smile curled at her lips.
"If you thought... I was only going to kill you... you were gravely mistaken!"
"...."
"The root must be cut ahead of time. Especially that ominous little lizard...!!"
It seemed Sang-ah was also her target.
It was obvious she would be defenseless while molting.
With no bodyguards around, sending an assassin now would be easy.
"But wouldn't the Hwasan guild's hunters be swarming the area?"
"Hahaha! When did I say I hired the Hwasan guild?"
"...?"
"Did you forget? I told you Poison guild's hunters, those who follow my orders, have infiltrated the Sura guild!"
Currently, using the Hwasan guild's forces wasn't an option.
However, an unexpected hidden force was in play—one no one could have predicted, waiting behind her.
With the guild wars as the perfect pretext, they had all the reason they needed to infiltrate Hwasan Town.
"Ah, is that so?"
"...."
"Well, that's true. Even if there are priests and nuns there with her, they won't be able to protect her."
"Exactly!! That wench is as good as dead now! Plus, the ones under that order are all A-rank hunters or higher!"
Unless someone had already hired someone even stronger, there was no way to stop them.
"You said that wench is molting, right? If Poison guild brings her corpse, my dad and uncle will be delighted!"
"...."
"So, mother and daughter will die together? Hahahaha! Yeah, go ahead and kill me! Those bitches are going to die anyway!"
With her imminent death, she had nothing left to lose.
Seeing Kang Minji brazen and unyielding, I was momentarily lost for words.
And then...
"Pffft...."
"Huh?"
"Puhahahahahahahaha!!"
The more I watched, the more laughable it became.
"Why are you laughing?"
At my reaction, Kang Minji asked in confusion.
How could someone be so foolish?
"You don't need to worry about Sang-ah. `That guy` will handle everything."
"What? That guy?"
Who could that be?
Did he have a mercenary hired somewhere?
Given her own life was at stake, her head couldn't help but be confused.
"And actually, I really shouldn't kill you, lady."
"What?"
What was I saying now?
I had acted up like I would kill her, but suddenly changed my mind.
As I thought about it, I noticed the burning black flames had weakened.
No wonder the pain had lessened, and it was easier to speak.
But why now?
"Instead, you'll come to feel the same pain Sang-ah's mother once did."
"What do you...!"
At that moment.
The boy before her began to transform.
He already looked like a demon, but now his body swelled larger and wings grew wider.
Fangs sprouted from what were once ordinary teeth, and black fur burst from his now huge frame.
And then, his human structure shifted entirely—he took on the form of a massive bat.
"Ah... Ah...!!"
Seeing me transform completely into non-human form, Kang Minji was terrified.
Around this bat-like demon, black energy churned from beneath the earth.
The resentful thoughts of the dead billowed like mist, and the daylight vanished in an instant.
The sunlight around them was wholly blocked, as if night had fallen during day.
"Just what are you...!"
To her question, the bat turned its gaze.
Beneath the dark sky, its sinister red eyes glowed.
If a vampire had been nearby, it would have bowed its head in reverence, worshipping it as a god.
—I told you. I'm not killing you.
Transformed into a bat, I spoke, lifting Kang Minji with my wings.
My wings began to draw something out of her body, and once the extraction was finished, I set her back on the ground.
Looking at the unconscious Kang Minji, I quietly muttered,
—She'll probably die of shock when she wakes.
I'd planted a rather nice gift.
I would have liked to watch her reaction, but I couldn't.
There were things I had to do in this form now.
—A promise is a promise.
I would smash the Sura guild completely and lead the Hwasan guild to victory.
For that, I used my stealth skill and soared skyward.
Come to think of it, I hadn't moved like this since fighting the guardian deity.
****
"We've arrived now at Hwasan Town in Korea."
People with black hoods wrapped over their faces hid among the bushes.
They were observing something and spoke through radio.
"No apparent security."
-....
Hiding like shadows, they were the Poison guild's hunters who had infiltrated China's Sura guild.
Led by executive Yoo Hwayun, they had snuck in to uncover the Sura guild's secrets.
"No problems? Well, there was that sudden, blinding light from the church."
The squad leader reported via radio.
Since the person on the other end was a fellow spy, there was nothing to worry about.
Of course, being technically under Sura guild, this could count as dereliction of duty.
However, with the guilds at open war, they could get away with it, saying they'd returned from enemy territory.
"What was that blast of light just now?"
They'd nearly all been blinded by the sudden red flash from inside the church.
They worried it might be a response to their presence.
"You want us to go in now? Understood."
-....
"Yes, everything by the young lady's order."
For Kang Minji, they immediately drew their cold, blue blades.
Her order was to kill the horned girl inside that church.
They'd already seen her face in a photo.
It seemed she wanted to kill her because she was a concubine's child, but it wasn't a bad thing for Poison guild, either.
The girl was a member of the dragon race, and currently in the middle of molting.
If they presented the corpse of a molting dragon to their guildmaster, who was obsessed with dragons, he'd be thrilled.
Even their secret research would progress more smoothly.
"Let's go!"
"Yes!"
To complete the mission swiftly, they headed straight for the church.
All ten were A-rank hunters, moving with ninja-like agility.
Strike while the iron was hot.
The leader at the front swung his sword in a massive slash.
It was powerful enough to cleave through an apartment building—this little church would crumble like a cookie.
They expected the mission was already as good as done.
"Huh?"
At that moment, someone appeared before the church.
Someone unknown, who appeared at unimaginable speed.
A man with his face covered by a strange mask blocked their attack.
He stood there, taking the A-rank hunter's magic power meant to sever even limbs, completely barehanded.
"What the...!"
He didn't budge an inch, let alone have his body cut.
It was as if a buzz saw that could cut anything had been stopped by a massive iron wall.
As the saw withered and broke, the slash's power simply dissipated.
"...."
The masked stranger brushed his chest casually, as if nothing had happened.
From his body, more muscled than a bodybuilder's, an overwhelming magic power radiated.
"Who the hell are you!"
"...."
Instead of answering, the man showed them with action.
Crunch-!
A sound like flesh being crushed rang out.
The hunter leader turned at the noise beside him, only to see the man had instantly appeared behind a comrade and smashed their head into the ground.
"What the—!"
An invisible, transcendent speed and the power to kill an A-rank hunter in one blow.
The other hunters were shocked, but didn't falter and swung their swords.
"You bastard!!"
Whoever he was, he was clearly a threat.
Anyone who interferes with the mission must die.
With that determination, the remaining nine hunters repeatedly unleashed the same slashes.
Kwoaaaah—!
A gigantic shockwave split the air with a sonic boom.
Even as swords rained down like a storm, the man swung his arm without a scratch.
And then another hunter's head flew through the sky.
"...!"
Then a second.
Realizing something was wrong, the hunters instinctively stepped back.
But their leader refused to give up, mustering all his magic power into his sword.
"Yaaaahhh!"
Still, their opponent didn't even try to dodge.
Not missing the chance, the leader swung a magic-infused slash directly at the man's face.
His unique skill, the vibration wave, pulverized anything it touched.
When the sword hit its mark, his mask shattered.
It seemed they had finally killed him.
"Wow~ I didn't know you had a skill like that?"
"Huh...?"
"Maybe I should've brought a sturdier mask?"
But the man was completely unscathed.
But that wasn't the most shocking thing for them.
The man revealed by the broken mask was someone who shouldn't have been here.
"Why are you...?"
Anyone involved in Korea's hunter world would recognize his face.
The Hwasan guild's leader, Kwon Yongha.
"Surprised?"
He smiled brightly, touching the sword that had struck his head.
With a flick, the sharp blade shattered into pieces.
"Kwon Yongha... Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be fighting Sura guild at the gate?"
What was the grand commander of the war doing here?
The hunters were aghast at this impossible situation.
"You don't need to worry about that. I've placed a rather dependable guy there."
"What are you talking about...."
Just then, Kwon Yongha made a fatal slip.
As if to defend themselves—or rather, to survive—the hunters spoke up.
"And don't get the wrong idea! We're Poison guild, infiltrating Sura guild! We're on your side...!"
"I know."
"What?"
"I said I know."
But faith crumbled in a heartbeat.
If he knew that, why was he doing this?
Didn't he know full well the relationship they had through his marriage to Kang Minji?
"That's why I tried not to reveal my face... but, well, it can't be helped."
Crunch-!
Once more, the sound of flesh being crushed rang out.
In a flash, five of the hunters' torsos had disappeared.
All Kwon Yongha had done was swing the shattered fragments of a broken sword.
"Why... would you do this...."
"It's nothing special."
Kwon Yongha answered.
"I just go with the side that excites me."
With that, he smiled gleefully and swung the sword's fragments again.
The sound of carnage reverberated around the church.