How to Live as an Immortal

Chapter 107

The conversation wasn’t continuing.

Kenji, shaken by Ga-on’s unchanging momentum, hesitated for a brief moment. Of course, it was only for an instant.

As if nothing had happened, he quickly regained his composure, but exploiting such fleeting moments was the true essence of Blink.

Slash.

In the blink of an eye, the blade arrived, grazing past the neck and leaving droplets of blood behind. Realizing that the scale he had been tipping at will was no longer his to control, Kenji bit his lip.

Above all, what made it humiliating was that every crisis had originated from his own secret technique.

“You can achieve nothing with something you merely stole and learned.”

“Then show me that isn’t true.”

They stared intently at each other, reading each other’s unconscious. In both of their eyes, the gaps in thought were clearly reflected. The key was who would aim for that point first.

Before the next thought could form, they set every path and put it into action. And until the next thought returned, they entrusted judgment to the instincts of the body—having established that principle, Kenji ran along the wall.

The same was true for Ga-on.

Though they hadn’t agreed on it beforehand, they had reached the same conclusion.

In a way, it was only natural. They weren’t heading toward victory—they were bringing about a predetermined victory. A reversal of process and result. With the opponent’s defeat, and their own defeat, both so vividly visible, the outcome converged into a single point.

Refracted by sunlight, blades shimmering faintly like a mirage, revealing the opposite side, embroidered the air.

Everything was a struggle to seize the initiative before the initiative.

At that moment, nine strands pierced straight through Ga-on’s chest.

Holes opened through his vital organs, yet Ga-on endured the bleeding and continued his charge. For him, the supreme principle on this ground was not to tend to his wounds, but to close the distance as quickly as possible.

This was also the inherent limitation of the steel threads technique, which could not inflict fatal damage in a single strike.

“It’s a technique full of flaws, isn’t it?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

Kenji had abandoned the sword because of its hopeless attack range. A half-baked weapon that couldn’t even stand against firearms. But the steel threads were different. Overwhelming range and countless attack routes. It was almost an insult to compare them to such outdated blades.

Yet despite those advantages, the steel threads that had pierced Ga-on did not budge. They could not be retrieved.

Realizing a beat too late that they had been buried between contracting muscles, Kenji moved his fingers—and at the same time, Ga-on, carrying the obstructive foreign matter, thrust his monomolecular blade forward.

Like a lancer mounting his spear to stab an enemy from horseback.

No matter how many times the threads split, their core remained nine strands. Using his own body as a cage to control the variables, Ga-on extended a decisive killing blow.

The choices of blocking or evading had vanished. Only whether one would be overthrown or not remained. And so, Kenji changed his approach.

If he couldn’t go against the flow, he would ride it.

He decided to pull the threads out through Ga-on’s body. As long as he could achieve the goal of binding him, the order didn’t matter.

“Right.”

Like a seed sprouting and growing stems, the threads extended using Ga-on as soil, wrapping around his limbs and binding him.

Clank—.

Just before the blade touched his heart.

Kenji’s gaze, fixed on Ga-on frozen like a statue, immediately dropped downward. At the same time, the additional threads that had grown followed his will. Their destination was the monomolecular blade.

The threads coiling around the utterly unpleasant blade of severance let out a roar.

Creak, creak.

A brutal act relying solely on sheer strength. Before long, the blade shattered like candy, losing its function and reverting to a dull metallic sheen.

It was now nothing more than a simple blade.

A weapon that could not be trusted.

“It was you who was full of flaws.”

Though Kenji sneered, his voice did not reach Ga-on’s ears. His fierce assault had not even begun yet.

[Arhat First Form False Rotation Axis]

He transferred the axis of rotation onto the steel threads. Those wound clockwise were forced counterclockwise, and those bound counterclockwise were forced clockwise.

Srrrk— as if knots had come undone, the bundles of steel threads instantly lost their strength and fell to the ground.

If one could read the unconscious, then the next task was to guide the conscious. Yes, even pretending to be caught by Kenji had been for that reason. In any case, it had been something he had to pass through at least once because of Blink.

Though fragmentary, Kenji, having read Ga-on’s move, widened his eyes. It was already too late to respond.

A sword strike unleashed at a distance close enough to feel each other’s breath.

Just because it had lost its original brilliance did not mean its power had diminished. To begin with, for Ga-on, even a halved blade was more than enough.

Boom—!

The rotation accumulated at the tip of his foot exploded against the ground and propelled him forward. A natural disaster comparable to a storm. Standing before it, there was nothing Kenji could do. He was simply swept away in the direction Ga-on pointed.

At the end of that violence, Kenji, pinned into the wall alongside the monomolecular blade, coughed up blood.

“This was unexpected.”

It was the same for Ga-on. He had clearly aimed for the heart, yet the blood spilling out was not even a handful. He must have shifted the position of his organs in an instant. This too must have been an extension of ninjutsu.

“Mr. Genji.”

“What’s with that shitty nickname?”

“My own form of praise.”

Kenji’s Slot and protect gear had both been shattered during the fight. The oil and electricity seeping through his coat proved it. Yet even so, his eyes did not die.

“Hah. To be defeated by a fake… perhaps you suit Baekdu better.”

“I told you, I’m not a fake….”

“It might work on others, but not on me.”

Unlike his earlier reproach, this time his tone was like that of scolding a child—at the very least, have some guilt if you know you’ve done wrong.

At that subtle sense of dissonance, Ga-on tilted his head. In that instant, Kenji’s figure melted into the air. A typical phenomenon of Active Camouflage. And something that shouldn’t have been possible with a broken unit.

“You think that’ll fool me—”

Ga-on reached out to grab Kenji by the collar, but his hand caught nothing.

What the—, unlike his startled mind, his body reacted swiftly. Without hesitation, he drew the monomolecular blade.

Soon, using the lingering trace brushing past the tip of his nose as a compass, he threw it.

A throw powerful enough to tear through the air.

Despite there being nowhere to evade in the narrow corridor, there was no response. No—before that—

‘How did he get out?’

It was not something Active Camouflage could accomplish. Of course, it wasn’t something that could be replicated with other technology either. It wasn’t unexplainable. Ga-on already knew. That there existed abilities in this world that defied common sense.

‘An ability? Was he a Meta-human?’

Come to think of it, that guy named Gideon he met in Hyphen Colony had also relied on the advancement of modern technology to conceal his true nature. There was no reason Kenji couldn’t do the same. Perhaps he was connected to the Meta-human side.

Truly—

“Interesting.”

***

Im Sol, advancing in a straight line while dealing with the private soldiers along the shortest path, entered the west wing. If she put her mind to it, annihilating every intruder in the mansion wouldn’t have been impossible, but the mission she had been given was, to the end, to escort Baek Seol.

Just like that day 20 years ago, I did not want to make the same mistake again.

It was that feeling that made my steps quicken.

However, as if to calm my impatience, an unexpected opponent appeared at the crossroads.

A man with long bangs covering one eye. His attire was neat, and his gestures were polite, yet there wasn’t a single part of him—from head to toe—that didn’t feel unsettling. Especially in this situation.

“Are you Baek Gi?”

“You’re not going to call me young master?”

“Nothing has been decided yet.”

“Ah, I see.”

Baek Gi answered with clear disinterest, his expression utterly dry. Even though an unidentified group had attacked the main house. He might have heard something from Baek Ryang.

But his role was to act like a victim and feign ignorance, not to wander around so openly and draw attention like this.

Perhaps because of that,

I couldn’t help but ask.

“Then what are you doing here? If you can’t find the panic room, I can escort you instead.”

“What am I supposed to trust? You could take me hostage and negotiate with hyungnim Baek Ryang.”

Maintaining his crooked posture, Baek Gi spoke. It had been a while since my forehead creased, and I let out a sharp sigh.

“Then what would make you feel at ease?”

“I heard from hyungnim Baek Ryang. You’re Baek Seol noona’s confidant, right? If you die, how would she react? Would she be sad? Sad enough that she wouldn’t be able to focus on her work for a while?”

“The conversation isn’t continuing.”

“No, it is. So what I’m saying is this. If you die, I’ll feel at ease…!”

At the same time, Baek Gi slipped his hand into his coat. It clearly looked like he was about to draw a firearm, so I quickly controlled Comet. He was hostile anyway.

If he was going to take off his mask himself, there was no reason to hold back.

Whoosh—.

The wingless drone shot forward without even circling. I thought that would be the end of it. But to my surprise, Baek Gi caught Comet with both hands.

“Ah, just so you know, you attacked first out of assumption. I was just scratching my chest because it was itchy.”

“You should at least cover your holster before saying that.”

“What matters is that I didn’t use it.”

Baek Gi licked the blood flowing from his torn palms and grinned.

“Ah, this ceremonial model is weak. Maybe because it only has basic settings to avoid detection.”

“So you were hired after all.”

“Isn’t it funny to act all proper now?”

Even though he had revealed it himself, I couldn’t relax. Revealing his identity was also a declaration that he would eliminate me with full force. It meant this wouldn’t end unless one of us died.

“You retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Mars Defense Force? Maybe that’s why your record stands out, being part of a megacorp.”

The moment Baek Gi took a step forward, his body began to swell. Bubbling and boiling, his skeleton, muscles, nerves, and various organ systems moved in concert.

“There happens to be a suitable form.”

Unlimited Indiscriminative Fighting Championship, or UIFC. An unlicensed, illegal mixed martial arts organization where not only unauthorized Slots but also psychotropic drugs—and any foul play except firearms—were permitted.

Out of ten challengers, three would die. A place where madmen obsessed with fighting gathered—and there was an inaugural champion who had conquered it.

His name was Ilya Pavlovich Petrov.

The strongest human.

The apex of primates.

The record of holding that position for 32 years was still spoken of to this day. And rightly so—he had crushed countless competitors and risen to the top using nothing but his pure physical body.

Though it was later revealed that he had been a mutant born through genetic manipulation, his achievements never faded.

So I borrowed it.

The blood of that great warrior.

Looking at Baek Gi, whose build had changed beyond just appearance—even his weight class—I let out a hollow response.

“Who are you?”

If Baek Gi was not Baek Seok-do’s son, then it meant he was someone else’s child. But now, it felt like he might not even be human.

A truly incomprehensible being.

“Does someone who can become anything depending on the mood of the day even need a name?”