Chapter 70

Chapter 70

 

It was a tremendous speed, one he could not even react to.

Soon, Ha-kyung’s body was sent bouncing away like a basketball.

THOOOOM!

“Guh!”

When he looked down at his chest, Reactive Magic Armor was deeply dented.

Without realizing it, Ha-kyung muttered to himself.

“Ah, I only just had this repaired.”

The reason he could stay composed was thanks to his artifacts.

[Reactive Magic Armor activated]

[Cloak of Command activated]

Fwoosh!

Reactive Magic Armor, which had absorbed the impact, transmitted an enormous amount of mana.

And Cloak of Command removed the pain.

Twisting his body in midair, Ha-kyung drove Crimson Edge into the floor.

SCRAAAAAPE!

It was a rather rough method, but this was the best way to slow down.

After barely managing to stop, Ha-kyung stared straight at his opponent.

‘I can see it a little now.’

It seemed the mana had even amplified his senses.

Veil Lancer approached at tremendous speed without even a sonic boom.

Then it swung its fist.

Its form was sloppy, but its power was beyond imagination.

The hook coming in with a wide arc aimed at the side of Ha-kyung’s head.

It was a blow filled with the will to kill him without fail.

WHOOOOSH—!

—Drop dead, human. I’ll suck your talent dry down to the marrow!

A brutal shockwave erupted before his eyes.

And Veil Lancer’s curse continued inside his head.

Even amid the chaos, Ha-kyung properly avoided the opponent’s attack.

‘It’s absurdly fast and strong, but shockingly simple.’

Of course, most Awakened, including Ha-kyung, were the same.

Refined exchanges?

Things like that were not especially important.

Because they often fought giant monsters.

So everyone specialized in simple, powerful attacks.

Except for professional Champions.

But not everyone was like that.

Ha-kyung suddenly recalled his harsh childhood.

‘He was warm most of the time, but during training, he became a demon.’

Ha-kyung’s father, Lee Tae-heon, was a perfectionist.

Monsters were generally large and sturdy.

But among the Emperor’s close aides.

There were also monsters like Silent Ruin and Veil Lancer, whose builds were moderately large.

And who were absurdly fast.

So Ha-kyung had been forced to learn how to deal with monsters like that.

‘To think what I learned back then would help here.’

Veil Lancer’s fist passed before his eyes.

Even though it did not land directly, it felt as if his face would be torn apart.

The shockwave alone exerted that much influence.

Veil Lancer’s wave of attacks was murderous.

Ha-kyung held Crimson Edge in a reverse grip.

Then slashed upward without hesitation.

It was a blow aimed precisely at the opponent’s neck.

SNICK! 

—Kgh?

His stance was unstable, but the power was enough.

Veil Lancer groaned and retreated.

It seemed quite shocked.

The creature bared its sharp teeth and growled.

—You……. How are you keeping up with my speed?

“We’re in a relationship where we’re desperate to kill each other. You weren’t expecting me to teach you, were you?”

—After exchanging this many blows, you could at least do that much.

“You bastard. That isn’t entirely wrong?”

—Are you going to tell me or not?

“I can just see you. Once I got used to it, you were slower than I thought.”

—You rotten human. You never intended to answer from the start.

“No, I told you and you’re still throwing a fit.”

Of course, Ha-kyung’s answer was a lie.

Veil Lancer’s speed and strength were difficult to keep up with.

But in the end, it was like a child swinging a club around.

As long as he took it away with proper technique, the opponent was nothing special.

Soon, Veil Lancer resumed its attack.

CLAAAAANG! BOOOOOM—!

First came the metallic sound of clashing with Ha-kyung.

Then the aftershock erupted.

It was proof that Veil Lancer had broken the sound barrier long ago.

The moment he received the opponent’s attack.

Ha-kyung realized it again.

‘I must never clash head-on.’

Had cutting its neck shallowly once.

Allowed a tiny moment of carelessness to grow inside his heart like a poisonous mushroom?

He had pushed with his forearm, trying to cut off Veil Lancer’s movement.

But just that brief collision made him feel as if his bones had been crushed.

No, at the very least, it seemed there was a hairline fracture.

Ha-kyung hesitated briefly.

‘It’s a little annoying, but using Tyrant’s Bracelet for this much is awkward.’

For now, he decided to endure it and continue fighting.

Then, suddenly, he felt a reassuring sensation in his arm.

The feeling of a wound healing in an instant.

When he turned his head, Jeong Sang-hoon was giving him a thumbs-up from a distance.

It seemed he had detected Ha-kyung’s injury even while fighting the clones.

‘He really is amazing. I’m glad I brought him.’

Thanks to that, Ha-kyung did not have to slow the tempo of the fight.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Sharp metallic sounds burst out as if going berserk.

Countless orange sparks scattered.

While exchanging a frenzied series of attacks and defenses.

Ha-kyung slowly stacked up advantages.

It began with stepping on the instep with his left foot.

CRUNCH!

—Hm?

Veil Lancer briefly lost its balance.

But it overcame that with astonishing movement.

However, the butterfly effect of stepping on its foot began from that moment.

While Veil Lancer recovered its balance.

Ha-kyung flowed naturally into an oblique kick to the knee.

He slightly lifted his body and kicked downward as if pressing down.

CRUNCH!

—Ugh?

With a chilling sound, Veil Lancer groaned.

It seemed thoroughly flustered.

Because until now, no one must have ever attacked it like this.

Ha-kyung immediately swung Crimson Edge.

[The Abyss Challenger’s ‘Compression’ Authority increases the density of Abyss Energy]

TSEKYUNG—! SHWAAAK!

A vicious blade of Abyss Energy aimed for the opponent’s neck.

Veil Lancer leaned its upper body back, then raised it again.

Its speed and movement were astonishingly fast and precise.

But what Ha-kyung had been aiming for from the start was not a one-hit-kill knife strike.

BOOOOM—!

A dark-red blazing sphere slammed into the opponent’s side.

It did not matter whether the Compressed Abyss Refinement that had cut across the upper line hit or not.

The real attack was Heaven-Shattering Fist.

Ha-kyung’s eyes shone as he tried to move into his next action.

‘The buildup isn’t over. I have to keep driving forward like this.’

Veil Lancer’s abdomen was dented in about thirty centimeters.

Whatever was inside it, this could only be fatal.

But the opponent’s response was astonishing.

Ignoring its serious injury.

It quickly kicked up with its right foot.

SHWAAAK!

It was a simple movement, but its power was tremendous.

Ha-kyung instinctively leaned his body back.

‘If that had hit me, my entire upper body would’ve been blown away.’

It was that absurd of an attack.

It had merely kicked up roughly.

Yet the surrounding Abyss Energy resonated and created a storm.

Ha-kyung quickly calmed his breathing.

‘The opponent is overwhelmingly stronger and faster, but it has no technique. I’m the opposite. If so…….’

The conclusion led to one answer.

Sacrificing flesh to cut bone.

A method of giving up flesh to carve away bone.

But it was not an easy method.

If the opponent were only moderately strong, he might at least be able to take the hit lightly.

One wrong move, and he might die.

Even so, Ha-kyung had to make a decision.

‘If this fight drags on, I’ll be the only one at a disadvantage.’

He abandoned his attitude of avoiding collision as much as possible.

Now, whether his body shattered or not.

He began ramming straight in.

When Ha-kyung’s attack method changed abruptly, Veil Lancer could not hide its panic.

—W-what is wrong with you? Do you want to die?

“If I lose, I’m dead anyway. What kind of dog-bone nonsense is that?”

—Hah! Look at this bastard.

“Don’t look at me. Admire your own pitch-black future.”

CLAAAAANG!

A savage metallic sound rang out again and again.

Because he was clashing head-on, Ha-kyung could not land a single effective hit.

By contrast, Veil Lancer was becoming more and more advantageous.

CRUNCH! CRACK!

Ha-kyung’s left arm had almost been reduced to powder.

The skin of his right leg was also torn open in a long line.

By coincidence, the most threatening parts of his body had broken first.

Veil Lancer wore a triumphant smile.

—Krahahaha! You must be getting impatient. As expected, those without skill are bound to collapse quickly.

“Shut up.”

—Go on. Try restoring yourself with that precious recovery ability.

Of course, Jeong Sang-hoon’s support still came from time to time.

But it only barely stopped the bleeding.

It could not restore parts that had been completely destroyed.

Soon, Ha-kyung collided head-on with Veil Lancer.

The opponent also seemed to have recognized his injury.

It did not hesitate to clash with him.

SPURT!

Veil Lancer’s claws tore through Ha-kyung’s abdomen.

It had thrust its hand straight through a gap in the broken Reactive Magic Armor.

Blood burst from Ha-kyung’s mouth.

“Guh-hurk!”

It seemed his stomach had been pierced too.

Veil Lancer tried to strike Ha-kyung’s head with its left arm.

But it happened right then.

Grab! CRUNCH!

Ha-kyung seized Veil Lancer’s right arm.

Then pulled with all his might.

The raised claws dug even deeper.

From Veil Lancer’s perspective, it could only be bewildering.

—Y-you insane bastard.

“The world has always been insane.”

Ha-kyung grinned while drenched in blood.

Whether he did or not, Veil Lancer swung its fist.

The terrible sense of wrongness made it want to kill Ha-kyung quickly.

Tap!

But then something suddenly touched Veil Lancer’s chest.

Crimson Edge, which had been placed there naturally.

Ha-kyung muttered with eyes full of exhilaration.

“Goodbye, glutton.”

[The Core Guardian’s will creates an Extreme Annihilation Zone]

Crumble!

The upper half of Veil Lancer’s body vanished in an instant.

Then its limbs fell so limply it felt almost hollow.

Of course, the one embedded in Ha-kyung’s abdomen only went slack.

‘Ugh! I’m really going to die at this rate.’

Ha-kyung quickly pulled out Veil Lancer’s forearm.

SPURT!

Perhaps Cloak of Command had exhausted its power.

Terrible pain followed one wave after another.

Still, he could endure it.

Because adrenaline was pouring through him like mad.

Ha-kyung immediately treated his battered body first.

[Tyrant’s Bracelet activated]

[Body rapidly recovers]

Tssssssss!

Once his wounds disappeared, he finally felt like he could live again.

Ha-kyung stared at Veil Lancer, which now had only its head left.

‘It’s over.’

He looked around.

At some point, Shadow Chamber had split the dungeon in half.

And the team members were still fighting Veil Lancer’s clones.

For an instant, a light went on in Ha-kyung’s mind.

‘Huh? Right now, maybe?’

Since he had taken down Veil Lancer, wouldn’t it be less dangerous for a while?

Ha-kyung thought the perfect time had arrived.

The chance to take the Ultimate Abyss Fragment without anyone knowing.

He looked down at Veil Lancer and said.

“Hey, don’t die. Wait.”

—What kind of nonsense is that now?

“I have something to do, so die later.”

—In all my life, I truly have never seen a bastard like you. You would have to be insane to a reasonable degree for me to even understand.

Of course, Ha-kyung had no interest in anything Veil Lancer said.

He immediately tried to head toward the deepest part of the dungeon.

The place Soul Brand was pointing to.

Then he suddenly came back and picked up Veil Lancer’s head.

“I guess this won’t do.”

—What is it now?

“What if you recover while I’m gone? Come to think of it, you’re far too lively for someone on the verge of death.”

—…….

At that sharp point, Veil Lancer shut its mouth.

As expected, it seemed it had been planning to recover in secret.

At that sight, Ha-kyung snorted.

“I knew it.”

As he carried Veil Lancer’s head dangling in his hand.

The shattered glass wall suddenly entered his sight.

Looking at himself reflected there, Ha-kyung let out a deep exclamation.

As if he had gained some incredible enlightenment.

“Oh! Carrying a head around makes me look like a Dullahan.”

—……You really, truly are insane.

Of course, Ha-kyung paid it no mind.

It seemed he had now grown used to being called insane by monsters.