Chapter 30 : The Butterfly Effect. (8)
Chapter 30: The Butterfly Effect. (8)
Just before the lightning struck.
In a fleeting instant.
The three clones wrapped themselves around the main body—namely, Go Ju-hoon.
It looked like a moving sight of them protecting someone they loved.
But in reality, it was nothing more than Go Ju-hoon using his summons to protect himself.
Whether the effect of the lightning would be reduced was unknown.
But since he felt his life was in danger, it was a hasty decision.
With a tearing blast that split the air, sparks flew.
The speed of the lightning that struck down was about 360 million km per hour.
The voltage reached a staggering 1 billion volts.
No matter that he was an S-grade Hunter, Go Ju-hoon.
Before a great natural phenomenon, he had no choice but to be powerless.
“Gaaah!!!”
Go Ju-hoon twisted his spine and suffered helplessly under the lightning strike that slammed down on him.
Shaaah.
Amid splashing raindrops, smoke rose into the air.
The clones that had covered Go Ju-hoon were burned pitch-black, reduced to lumps of charcoal.
They were hardly recognizable as living organisms.
If they were considered human, all three would have died instantly.
The charred corpses slid down Go Ju-hoon’s body and fell to the ground.
“Keugh.”
Go Ju-hoon struggled to breathe with his mouth hanging wide open.
Clear air refused to enter his lungs.
Eyes, nose, mouth, even his ear canals.
Blood spurted from all over his face.
The state-of-the-art equipment he was wearing had all burned away as well.
“…Keuk!”
Go Ju-hoon let out a small breath.
At last, he was able to breathe.
He quickly assessed the situation.
‘I’m conscious. My body isn’t normal, but…… if I buy time, I can recover.’
Go Ju-hoon had never become an S-grade Hunter by luck.
What allowed him to survive countless life-or-death situations was his quick judgment.
He lifted his head and looked at the opponent in front of him.
Purple Devil was gripping his collar.
However, the opponent’s condition was not normal either.
Beyond the purple mask, only the whites of his eyes were visible.
It looked as if he had fainted while standing.
‘If anything, this bastard took more damage.’
He had attempted mutual destruction as a last resort, but the result was horrific.
Purple Devil’s skin was charred black, and a fishy smell like grilled squid filled the air.
It was as if his heart had stopped—he couldn’t even twitch his mouth.
‘You stupid bastard, I won. I won!’
Go Ju-hoon felt relief as he cheered inwardly.
Having narcissistic personality disorder, he was obsessed with categorizing people by ‘rank.’
Standing at the pinnacle of the Dio Guild, he himself was the highest-grade human.
Everyone else was nothing more than those beneath him.
Purple Devil was no exception.
Until just now, he had been a thorn in his side—but not anymore.
‘You can’t even be my opponent. No, no one can defeat me!’
There were many ways to deal with a narcissist, but applying them in reality was not easy.
When dealing with someone who believed themselves superior, one often got swept up by them without realizing it.
‘This proves me once again. Now all that’s left is…….’
Due to the recent clash, mana began to fill Go Ju-hoon’s body.
‘It’s here. Finally……!’
The realm of SS-grade he had longed for so desperately!
By using Purple Devil as a sacrifice, Go Ju-hoon could grow one step further.
‘Kekeke. Thanks. Thanks to you…….’
Ssk.
It seemed as if Purple Devil had moved.
‘No way.’
Go Ju-hoon’s pupils trembled.
Ssssk.
It was no illusion.
Purple Devil, still gripping Go Ju-hoon’s collar, slowly raised one hand.
The dog collar that had been in his right hand was already gone.
Instead, he was clutching a dagger with a gleaming white blade.
Judging by its trajectory, it looked ready to come straight down onto Go Ju-hoon’s head.
Go Ju-hoon flinched and tried to shake the hand off.
But the opponent only tightened his grip.
Moreover.
Go Ju-hoon was practically in the same state as someone who had been hit by a powerful stun gun (Stun Gun).
“Kuk!”
Struggling was useless.
His flesh, shocked by electricity, was stiff like stone.
Go Ju-hoon stood there like a totem pole, staring at Purple Devil.
Purple Devil, with his eyes still rolled back, held the knife in a reverse grip.
‘Ah, no…….’
Go Ju-hoon faced an emotion he had never experienced in his life.
Before a tangible being charging at him with killing intent solely to kill him.
For the first time, he was seized by endless terror.
‘Am I going to die?’
There were various ways to deal with a narcissist.
Not getting swept up and maintaining composure, running far away, maintaining complete indifference…….
However, there was one most efficient method.
Crushing them with overwhelming power.
Before an opponent whose capabilities surpassed his own.
The extreme narcissist fell into despair.
‘……You’re superior to me?’
Another bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky.
As shadows fell, Purple Devil’s form flashed in backlight.
That 모습 was truly the very embodiment of the ‘Purple Devil.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’m special. I’m a chosen being!’
Go Ju-hoon clenched his teeth and barely managed to move one hand.
Fortunately, the glove he was wearing was intact.
The Bronze Knight–grade glove made from the scales of a copper-colored dragon could block most blades.
Go Ju-hoon spread his palm toward the blade flying in horizontally.
Puk!
However, the demon race’s katana.
The blade of White Revenge that Purple Devil was holding pierced straight through the center of the glove.
The protruding blade penetrated Go Ju-hoon’s temple.
“…Huh?”
Go Ju-hoon staggered as he let out a groan.
Just then, the rooftop door opened.
Within his field of vision, he saw the agents of the Dio Guild.
In other words, the ‘underlings’ he had always considered inferior.
In the end, they survived.
And Go Ju-hoon was dying.
The reckless and foolish one—
‘Was it me?’
The light faded from Go Ju-hoon’s pupils.
I looked at the dead Go Ju-hoon.
‘That was close.’
Speeder couldn’t control lightning.
He never had such an ability to begin with.
However, under the setting that he had become a hero after being struck by lightning.
In stormy weather with thunder, he could attract lightning with a high probability.
If it had been a clear sky…….
‘I never would’ve been able to win.’
A godlike move that was close to a gamble.
On top of that, heavenly luck followed, allowing me to barely claim victory.
I pulled out the knife embedded in Go Ju-hoon’s temple.
Blood gushed out from the hole that had been punched clean through.
I quietly looked at the bastard who had departed for the other world.
In the distant future, Go Ju-hoon would enter the National Assembly and become a heavyweight politician.
The Dio Guild would expand its size and develop into an organization that gnawed away at the Republic of Korea.
When the administration changed.
Go Ju-hoon would be indicted on various charges such as murder, attempted murder, and violation of the Public Official Election Act.
He would receive a confirmed life sentence, only to be soon granted a special pardon and commit all sorts of atrocities.
Suddenly, a question arose.
Did I kill Go Ju-hoon out of a sense of justice?
To stop his evil deeds.
Did I eliminate him to change the future?
The blood flowing from White Revenge soaked my hands.
A trivial incident where I punished Seo Gwang-pal, who had harassed innocent civilians.
Ended up causing a whirlwind that culminated in killing even the head of the Dio Guild.
‘No. That’s not it.’
I raised my head.
The endlessly pouring rain soaked my face.
Go Ju-hoon had threatened me.
That if I were to lose, he would remove my mask.
And slaughter everyone around me.
I was afraid.
The words of an S-grade Hunter and the head of the Dio Guild were never light.
I think I was afraid that his prophecy would turn into reality like a nightmare.
That’s why I killed him.
To protect myself.
To protect my family.
Yeah. Maybe I wasn’t an apostle of justice.
Maybe I was just a selfish hero.
If I were to face Go Ju-hoon again, it would’ve been defeat after defeat.
I couldn’t know whether luck would favor me next time as well.
I was still far too weak to preach the punishment of evil and the promotion of good.
If I was to pursue goodness and punish evil.
‘I need to become stronger.’
I heard a presence from somewhere.
When I turned toward the entrance, Dio Guild agents were swarming.
At the forefront stood Lee Yu-seol.
“What happened?”
“T-the chairman…….”
“……He’s dead?”
They were flustered, unable to accept the reality unfolding before their eyes.
Lee Yu-seol’s tightly clenched fist trembled.
Even in the rain, I could see her eyes burning, as if she were consumed by rage.
What she wanted seemed clear.
‘Revenge, I suppose.’
Could I really break through that many people and get down?
[ Awakener’s Balance ]
: ₩985,551,110.
: ₩985,470,750.
: ₩985,352,229.
…….
My body was continuously regenerating, but the speed was noticeably slow.
It was probably because my condition was poor, preventing my ability from being properly exerted.
Not even half of my critical injuries had recovered yet.
‘Fighting like this is impossible.’
Lee Yu-seol shouted, her voice thick with fury.
“That man is the intruder who infiltrated the Dio Guild!”
She pointed at me.
“All units, prepare to fire!”
Chk. Chk.
Submachine guns aimed at me all at once.
The giant scythe of the Grim Reaper(死神) touched my neck.
At the moment, <Aura of God> had no chance of activating properly.
If the bullets were fired, my body would be riddled with holes.
I couldn’t think of any way to overcome this crisis.
I no longer had the strength to fight.
At best, all I had left was barely a handful of mana and enough stamina to walk.
‘Even if I squeeze it all out, using one shot of <Judgment of the Superhuman> is the limit.’
In that case.
I had to win without fighting.
‘No matter what it takes, I have to break their spirit.’
Lee Yu-seol closed her eyes and activated her ability.
“Hold fire! That bastard’s a half-corpse already.”
Her voice tore through the torrential rain.
“I’ll be the one to cut off his breath!”
As she walked forward, seething with rage.
I grabbed Go Ju-hoon by the collar and laid him on the ground.
Lee Yu-seol stopped in her tracks.
“You……. what are you doing.”
Ignoring her, I raised my fist.
“A final gift.”
Without hesitation, I smashed down on Go Ju-hoon’s skull.
Kwa-gwang!!!
The rooftop floor caved in, stone dust scattering in all directions.
Everyone was thrown into panic and terror.
Using the reward voucher I had obtained from completing a mission last time.
I activated <Judgment of the Superhuman(Special)>.
Ku-gu-gung.
Go Ju-hoon’s head vanished without a trace.
The ground shattered into pieces.
Grabbing the collar of the headless corpse, I stood up.
Lee Yu-seol stammered.
“……W-what.”
The wind and rain lashed violently.
Without hesitation, I hurled Go Ju-hoon out of the building.
Hwi-iing.
The dead body fell endlessly.
Lee Yu-seol’s scream rang out.
“No!!!”
Because it was a high-rise building, it took a long time for the body to fall.
“Uaaagh!!!”
Lee Yu-seol collapsed to her knees in despair.
“If you want to find even the corpse, step aside. Otherwise. I’ll send you to join him.”
It was a bluff.
There was no mana left in my body anymore.
But my momentum did not falter.
Even if I were to die here.
I was prepared to grab at least one of them and throw myself off the building.
Lee Yu-seol lowered her head deeply, muttering incomprehensible words like a madwoman.
Having resigned herself to everything, she seemed to have lost all will to fight back.
A mob that had lost its leader reverted to its true nature as a rabble.
“D-don’t flinch!”
“This bastard’s bluffing!”
The hands holding the guns trembled violently.
I took one step forward.
“……!”
The terrified Dio Guild agents hurriedly retreated backward.
The blocked path opened up like the parting of the Red Sea.
I walked proudly through the gap.