Chapter 43

Chapter 43.

 

Choi Su-ho’s face had gone deathly pale.

“Why... Why the hell will you not fall!”

The spike discharge had stopped, but the chain scythe’s rotation did not.

WHOOOOM! CLANG!

He was landing his attacks properly.

And yet Ha-kyung’s advance showed no sign of stopping.

‘This is bearable.’

The chain scythe was considerably powerful.

Its trajectory was unusual as well, making it difficult to block.

However, Ha-kyung was deflecting the attacks with exquisite precision.

He struck the side of the scythe blade.

And when its direction shifted slightly, he moved half a step to the opposite side.

As he repeated that, it looked as though he was walking forward while being hit.

That was why Choi Su-ho misunderstood.

“That is a truly fraudulent artifact.”

But the reality was different.

The Tyrant’s Bracelet had already stopped functioning.

Ha-kyung had only healed the holes that had been pierced through him by the spikes.

Then he had cut off the artifact’s activation.

Doing so greatly reduced its cooldown.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! CLAAANG!

Choi Su-ho’s attacks flew in one after another.

Since the distance had closed, he had shortened the length of the chain scythe.

Perhaps because the speed of its rotation had increased,

Ha-kyung ended up allowing one hit.

CRUNCH—!

The scythe blade lodged itself in his left arm.

If he had not raised his arm, it would have struck his head or neck.

It was truly an attack without the slightest hint of mercy.

Ha-kyung released his karambit.

Then he simply grabbed the chain.

At that, Choi Su-ho visibly panicked.

“Wh-what?”

It was because Ha-kyung had wrapped the chain around his arm and pulled.

Choi Su-ho was gradually dragged toward him.

It was a strange situation.

The one who had attacked was struggling to escape.

And the one who had been hit was walking forward with steady steps.

Ha-kyung clenched his fist and said,

“Since ancient times, a beating has been the best medicine for a mad dog.”

“What utter bullshit!”

“You still have not come to your senses.”

SSSSSS!

Gray-White energy gradually grew larger.

Ha-kyung’s arm was trembling violently.

It was the result of pouring in a tremendous amount of Mana and Abyss Energy.

Then, when it reached its limit,

Ha-kyung swiftly twisted his body.

It was a hook filled with the rotational force that began from his lower body.

A blow launched while pulling the chain he held in his left hand.

BOOOOM—!

A jagged shape spread out behind Choi Su-ho.

It was the result of the Heaven-Shattering Fist’s energy piercing through his body.

Normally, Ha-kyung and Choi Su-ho should have been pushed back in opposite directions.

However, the two of them were still stuck together.

Because Ha-kyung had not let go of the chain scythe.

Amazingly, Choi Su-ho had also held on to the handle until the very end.

“Grrrgh! D-damn it... I will do this little brawl as many times as it takes.”

His condition looked severe, but his fighting spirit was still intact.

However, Ha-kyung did not care.

If once was not enough?

Then twice. Three times.

He simply had to keep beating him down.

Ha-kyung gathered strength throughout his entire body.

‘I still have room. Mana exhaustion is still far away.’

It seemed that this was because Abyss Refinement had reached Stage 4.

However, just as he was about to activate Heaven-Shattering Fist again,

Choi Su-ho released the chain scythe and quickly retreated.

“Eat this!”

As he did, he began pouring out countless clusters of spikes once again.

SHSHSHSHSHK!

A barrage of spikes rained down.

Ha-kyung used the scythe blade to cover his face.

Then he advanced one step at a time.

Since he had put away his karambit, he could not knock the spikes aside.

Instead, he pushed forward with stubborn determination.

Trusting in Reactive Magic Armor and his sturdy body.

Choi Su-ho shouted hysterically.

“Just die already! I said die!”

However, a voice alone could not stop Ha-kyung.

When he reached the immediate vicinity of Choi Su-ho, only then did he move the chain scythe aside.

With his Gray-White glowing fist hanging loosely at his side,

Ha-kyung silently stared at Choi Su-ho.

Then he grabbed the upper part of his opponent’s armor with his left hand.

He murmured in a low voice.

“Do you know why I am doing this?”

“I-I do not know, you bastard.”

“If you answer correctly, I will at least spare your life.”

“...Because you want to hold me still and beat me?”

“Correct. You know well.”

Ha-kyung raised his fist.

At that, Choi Su-ho struggled and shouted,

“W-wait! What are you doing?”

“Why?”

“I answered correctly, so you were going to hit me anyway? A man breaks his promise that easily?”

“You are surprisingly slow-witted. When did I say I would not hit you? I said I would spare your life.”

“Ah...”

Only then did Choi Su-ho seem to realize what had gone wrong.

His words trailed off.

Then he stretched both hands straight forward.

“Aaaaaah! Eat this!”

Countless spikes suddenly shot out, then began merging into one.

A moment later, something like a massive drill struck Ha-kyung’s chest.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

The impact was surprisingly considerable.

It seemed this was Choi Su-ho’s hidden trump card.

Reactive Magic Armor heated red-hot.

And it vibrated as though it would be pierced through at any moment.

However, Ha-kyung’s expression did not change.

‘If he cannot completely destroy me, he is going to be crushed even worse.’

[Reactive Magic Armor activated]
[Impact is converted into Mana]

Thanks to Choi Su-ho’s attack, Ha-kyung’s Mana was recharged.

The Heaven-Shattering Fist imbued in his fist burned Dark Red.

An overwhelming power could be felt from it.

Choi Su-ho’s eyes shook violently.

If he were struck by something like that, death would come right up to his nose.

It was a truly bone-chilling moment.

“S-su...”

Choi Su-ho hurriedly tried to shout.

Ha-kyung immediately realized what he was going to say.

He was probably planning to surrender as quickly as possible before he was hit.

Of course, Ha-kyung had no intention of granting him such a comfortable defeat.

“Shhh. You need to pay the price for running your mouth so happily until now.”

“What kind of bullsh—”

SWIIIIISH! BOOOOOM—!!

Choi Su-ho’s venomous shout did not continue.

It was because Heaven-Shattering Fist, reinforced by Reactive Magic Armor, had struck him.

Unlike everything Choi Su-ho had done until now,

Ha-kyung did not aim for his face.

After all, his head might disappear entirely.

That was why he struck the breastplate.

If he hit him over the armor, as he had a moment ago, at least he would not die.

It was a blow delivered with the duel’s rules in mind.

Of course, the result was still gruesome.

“Guhh... ugh...”

With his eyes half-unfocused, Choi Su-ho repeatedly vomited blood.

Because of the immense power of Heaven-Shattering Fist, his breastplate had been left in tatters.

Perhaps because of that, the bastard had not yet lost consciousness.

Choi Su-ho glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

The poison in him still had not faded.

However, Ha-kyung merely looked down at him in silence.

‘I used too much power in one blow.’

Normally, that previous strike should have killed his opponent.

However, as the price for showing mercy, Ha-kyung was experiencing a brief stiffness.

Because of his Mana shortage, he could not control his Abyss Energy.

That was why he was simply standing still.

Yet Choi Su-ho could not even bring himself to resist.

“U-ugh...!”

He merely groaned and slowly averted his gaze.

It seemed that the pressure Ha-kyung emitted had broken the bastard’s venom.

‘I did not expect this result at all, but it is not bad.’

It felt as though he had truly broken the Raiders Guild.

Think about it.

He had pushed in with brute force.

Then swung his fist twice without hesitation.

And now he stood there, silently looking down at his opponent as he knelt.

Was that not the very pinnacle of an overwhelmingly dominant display?

At last, Choi Su-ho called for the Referee with a trembling hand.

“I-I surrender.”

The Referee crossed both hands and signaled the end of the match.

Then the Host grabbed the microphone and shouted passionately.

—At last, we have the result of the Melee Damage Dealer Ranking Tournament! The final victor is the Immortal Tyrant, Lee Ha-kyung! Congratulations!

WAAAAAAAAAH!

A sound like a torrential downpour and intense heat swept over the Arena.

Ha-kyung let go of Choi Su-ho.

Then he slowly looked around.

The audience was shouting with one heart and one mind.

It seemed they had been thoroughly pleased by the performance Ha-kyung had shown them.

He smiled faintly and waved.

‘This feels strange.’

At first, he had thought that something like a ranking was of no use.

After all, Ha-kyung had a destiny he absolutely had to fulfill.

And yet the praise and cheers people sent him made his heart swell.

It felt as though joy was being forcibly injected into him.

Ha-kyung felt an inexplicable sense of danger.

‘I hope this does not make me grow complacent.’

He would enjoy the pleasure only briefly.

Then he steeled himself to return to his everyday life as quickly as possible.

***

After the Ranking Tournament, Ha-kyung could not go outside for nearly a week.

“Why are the reporters like an army...?”

His house was like a besieged medieval castle.

At the front gate, of course.

Even at the back gate.

Reporters were densely stationed everywhere.

It was useless even though he had already finished interviews with several media outlets.

John, who had been sprawled out in the Training Ground, sprang upright with only his upper body and said, “That is because you only gave clichéd answers, Bro.”

“What is wrong with that?”

“You did not tell people what they are curious about. Things like your conflict with the Raiders Guild, or where Axis Prime is headed.”

“There is no need to reveal any of that.”

“That is why they are doing this. Just watch. Someone will climb over again tonight.”

John flopped back down and pointed at the wall.

Ha-kyung’s house was a mansion on the outskirts of Seoul.

Its total area was roughly 23,000 square meters .

The main house and the annex were separate.

It was a luxury residence equipped with a Training Ground, a garage, a garden, a walking path, and even a pond.

It was surrounded by CCTV cameras and alarm systems, but they could not prevent intrusions.

What was he supposed to do when people simply forced their way over the wall?

Without realizing it, Ha-kyung muttered to himself.

“I cannot beat them up and throw them out... Hm? Or should I try that instead?”

“Oh! Are you going to make an example of them? Nice. Do you want me to do it for you?”

“You would get deported. You still have not even become a naturalized citizen, have you?”

“Hey, honestly, the naturalization test is insanely hard. Even you would not get every question right if you took it, Bro. Who compiled the History of the Three Kingdoms ?”

“Kim Bu-sik?”

“How do you know that? He lived almost a thousand years ago!”

“Because people usually learn that in school.”

“...Damn! Shit. Koreans are overpowered.”

John shook his head with an aggrieved expression.

Then he began fiddling with his cell phone.

No matter how Ha-kyung looked at him, he seemed like the very model of adult ADHD.

Ha-kyung let out a short sigh.

Then he laboriously rose to his feet.

When his head was complicated, training was the best solution.

He picked up the metal pillar propped up in the corner.

At that, John asked him a question.

“Bro, why the hell did you take that thing as your prize?”

“Because I have a use for it.”

Ha-kyung had received several benefits in exchange for participating in the Ranking Tournament.

One of them was the right to choose the winner’s prize.

That was why he had chosen the Punching Machine used in the Special Match.

It was a metal rod measuring 1.5 meters in length and five centimeters in diameter.

Its name was the Resonance Pillar.

Contrary to John’s assessment, it was actually a fairly useful item.

Ha-kyung recalled the moment when he had reached the highest record.

‘Thanks to it, I was able to use Kin-Eater.’

The Resonance Pillar contained a large amount of Abyss Energy.

It was structured so that the energy continued to amplify the more impact was applied to it.

If he struck it diligently in advance, it would serve as a battery at a decisive moment.

Ha-kyung struck the Resonance Pillar with Heaven-Shattering Fist.

SSSSSS! BOOOOM—!

Partly to relieve stress, he struck it once more.

Just then, the alarm sounded.

WEE-OOO! WEE-OOO!

“Urgh!”

A shadow was faintly reflected outside the window.

Ha-kyung immediately stepped out of the Training Ground.

Then he saw someone collapsed near the wall.

He opened his mouth with a puzzled expression.

“Moon Jeong-hoon? Why are you here...?”

“Ahaha! I could not reach you at all, you see. I called you several times.”

“And so?”

“Huh? Were we not close enough for me to drop by like this?”

Ha-kyung ended up laughing hollowly.

Moon Jeong-hoon’s reaction was that unexpected.

‘He has an awful lack of awareness. How did he even become a reporter?’