Chapter 146
-Before now, was there a time in the history of South Korea when the Shinra family wasn’t the strongest?
-Much of Korea’s history has been lost, so it’s hard to say. However, I personally don’t think there was.
-You were dethroned as the best in your era. As the head of the Shinra family, how did that make you feel?
-I am pleased. The one above me achieved what the Shinra family failed to. Had he not been, neither would South Korea’s current glory. To feel ashamed over personal gains and losses would be a sin against our ancestors.
***
W... why?
Ugh...
The gatekeepers’ bones were shattered to the point that they couldn’t move even a finger.
Tangled up together in a pool of their own blood, they felt like they had become ingredients for a sandwich. Every breath was choked with mud and blood, but they could do nothing.
I shouldn’t have come here.
If Cho Seong-Hyeon hadn’t contacted me!
The closer death got, the more the gatekeepers were tormented by great regret. The spirit and sense of justice that a player should have, had long been lost. Some people even resented Cho Seong-Hyeon.
“Young people often have to experience it firsthand before they’ll learn. Only once they see the bodies of their comrades strewn across the battlefield will it click: the consequence of choice.”
Wolfgang guessed the emotions of the dying gatekeepers and smirked as he crossed his two axes with Zweihänder.
“Those gatekeepers didn’t understand the cost of their choices until it was too late, and you’re the same. I’m curious. What will you regret and who will you hate when you lose your life as payment for your betrayal?”
Clang!
Wolfgang’s muscles swelled as he repelled the Zweihänder.
Nevertheless, Shinra Kyeong didn’t take a single step back. The mana he’d channeled in his blade spun violently to disipate much of the impact, reflecting some.
Baang!
Wolfgang’s gray hair and blue robe fluttered amid the storm of energy.
“Kukuk!Kuhahaha! You're pretty good, kid!” Wolfgang’s eyes widened in surprise before he laughed loudly. “Don’t tell me you’re giving it you’re all to prove you have what it takes to be a National Treasure candidate, even if it is for a small country?”
This brat had offered his hand more than an hour ago, and he’d already betrayed them. Wolfgang was excited thinking about how he’d dismantle this Yaksha follower who had no pride or shame.
“Give up, kid. You're no different from your father. Just like him, who lived his whole life under the shadow of the Yaksha, you are destined to be nothing more than a politician. Isn’t hiding your weaknesses behind a facade of goodwill the basic trick of the Shinras?”
Wolfgang chattered incessantly as he swung his axe.
Shinra Kyeong’s counterattacks cut him several times, but he didn’t care and focused entirely on offense. Why wouldn’t he? He got the advantage every time in every trade. Where Wolfgang had scratches, Shinra Kyeong’s flesh rotted every time he brushed against his axe. Shinra Kyeong’s pale white skin peeled away like a snake shedding its skin.
Had the wounds been any deeper, his muscles and bones would’ve melted away.
Gasp, gasp, gasp...
Moreover, Wolfgang’s breath had been spreading a green mist for some time. The mist was a soluble poison that seeped into Shinra Kyeong’s lungs and pores, inflicting various states of poisoning.
You betrayed the Bauses all because I insulted the Yaksha? Dumb kid. The Yaksha is a living corpse. Remember to curse him for your death in hell!”
Most of Wolfgang’s enemies had met a terrible end. There were many cases where even a corpse hadn’t been left behind, instead only ashes. Wolfgang believed now would be no different. The poison he exhaled grew stronger the longer and the greater the exposure. As for Wolfgang’s axe, even an S-class player would quickly lose their strength once wounded.
However, Shinra Kyeong was an exceptional person even among players.
Every time a bright light flowed out of his body, the poison was expelled, and fresh flesh grew from the affected areas.
Divinity was a power that healed wounds and illnesses and drove away evil. Shinra Kyeong used his family's power, inherited from the founder who was praised as a Saintess, to purge himself of the poison.
“This damn monster!”
Detoxifying a poison that could even kill an elephant instantly?
Wolfgang clearly understood why the Bause family head had always been wary of the Shinra family’s divinity. He almost felt fortunate that he had the opportunity to kill Shinra Kyeong.
Bang!
However, it wasn’t an easy task.
Wind and rain suddenly buffeted Wolfagng, restricting his senses and causing his body to grow heavier the more soaked he became.
Was it supposed to rain today?
Wolfgang wiped his face and looked up in surprise. A small dark cloud hovered above his head.
“Call the wind and summon the rain!”
Along with their divinity, this was a staple of the Shinra family. The Shinra family’s Bloodline Skill was the greatest pillar supporting South Korea, wielding the power to command the weather itself.
“Haaaaaap!”
Wolfgang roared and burned his mana, and the rainwater that soaked his body evaporated into a dense mist.
He was going all out.
At this moment, the Shinra Kyeong in Wolfgang’s eyes wasn’t just a kid but someone transcendent. He felt a sense of danger that warned him of being careless.
The scene grew more chaotic as the battle between the two of them intensified.
Do-Jin managed to spit out the skeleton bone covering his mouth and shouted.“What the hell is going on? Kang Jae-Hyeok! Did you hypnotize me?” Do-Jin was well and truly baffled. Why was Shinra Kyeong, who promised to cooperate with Loren, suddenly fighting Wolfgang?
And he even fought so well, too.
Shinra Kyeong was only a National Treasure candidate and was the same age as them, but he managed to hold his own against an S-class player.
Baang!
Jae-Hyeok clicked his tongue after smashing the final skeleton holding Do-Jin captive. He retorted, “If I could use hypnosis, do you think I would be in this sorry state? By the way, why are you always getting captured so easily? You can use Flash Steps.”
“The stance has to be right before I can use it!” Do-Jin shouted defensively.
Loren turned his glare away from Shinra Kyeong and Wolfgang. “Do-Jin! Be good and stay quiet. I’m in a bad mood right now, so don’t provoke me.”
Loren’s gold eyes gave off an especially cold and inhuman feeling in that moment.
“How scary.” Jae-Hyeok shrugged and took a step back. It seemed as if he was going to leave Do-Jin behind.
“Hey...!”
Surprised, Do-Jin reached out to stop him, but he froze midway when he realized Jae-Hyeok’s direction.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t have helped you sooner.” Jae-Hyeok arrived before the gatekeepers, who were lying in a pool of their own blood. Gently, he separated them before administering potions.
“Why are you... ”
A gatekeeper who was half-conscious looked at Jae-Hyeok in confusion.
A young student who had every right to be counting on the adults was instead apologizing for not being able to help them. He couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.
Then, the gatekeeper realized. No, of course... He’s the young master of the Kang family. Who has he ever had to rely on in the last eight years?
He averted his gaze with a strange sense of pity.
After Jae-Hyeok ensured the gatekeepers’ breaths were stable, he stood up and turned back.
Before he knew it, Loren had restrained Do-Jin again and was quickly making his way down the trail. Loren had deemed Wolfgang a liability and had decided to leave on his own.
“Who let you go?”
Of course, Jae-Hyeok wasn’t having it. He jumped on his bike, slammed on the accelerator, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
What was an aristocrat?
Aristocrats were those duty-bound to protect the country and its people. Among them, the highest aristocrats—the ones with the greatest personal strength, rights, and privileges—were National Treasures.
That was Jae-Hyeok’s goal, but the will of a National Treasure was already his. Loren, you dare to kidnap my friend and harm the gatekeepers of Lion’s Castle?
“Bloom.”
Slash!
The moment Jae-Hyeok’s bike passed by Loren’s side, a red crescent of sword light split the skulls of the dozen skeletons escorting Do-Jin.
“You crossed the line,” Loren declared.
[Bone Armor.]
Hundreds of bones condensed around Lorens' body. Each bone belonged to a great monster. Jae-Hyeok’s sword wouldn’t even make a scratch. It was this armor that had previously allowed Loren to confront the Shooting Club’s assault with ease.
“Regret it in your next life.”
Loren fired dozens of sharpened bones from his hand. They pierced Jae-Hyeok’s bike, and it went up in a fireball.
Baaaang!
The explosion threw Jae-Hyeok forward. Although he regained himself midair and managed to land in a crouch, Jae-Hyeok looked miserable. The protective magic of his uniform was shattered, and his exposed skin showed marks of being pierced by bones.
It seemed that was it for him. Jae-Hyeok would collapse there and wait for help as he slowly died—or so Loren had thought, only to flinch in surprise.
The bottom of Jae-Hyeok’s face was covered by his arm, which he’d raised to shelter from the explosion. But his eyes... Loren met those eyes, and they were blazing. Jae-Hyeok’s other hand still gripped the hilt at his waist.
“True draw—”
The Kang founder’s swordsmanship, after hundreds of years...
“—Annihilate.”
...split the wind once more.
There was a flicker of red. Then... nothing. Unlike Skills, there was no flashy effect. Falling bike debris drowned out the click of Jae-Hyeok’s sword settling back in its scabbard.
Nevertheless, the impact was huge. A tiny crack appeared on Loren’s bone armor, which had survived even heavy bombardment on the battlefield.
Loren was stunned.
“How is this possible?”