Chapter 69

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 69: The Inheritance Ceremony (2)

A few dozen minutes ago.

“So this is the magic cast by the Witch of Hyukcheon?”

Maria Sanchez stood right in front of the barrier.

“This doesn’t look like some simple alarm-type spell.”

She touched the barrier with her fingertip. In that instant, blue flames flared up.

“Oh?”

The flames completely engulfed her hand. Yet Maria Sanchez didn’t pull away.

“It reacts to a certain level of mana. And upon contact, it incinerates completely.”

She turned around. Behind her, dozens of living dolls were panting heavily.

“Do you guys realize how close you came to dying? If you’d barged in just now, a third of you would’ve burned alive.”

A barrier of this scale with that much destructive power, spread so widely…

“Even in Pandemonium, there aren’t many mages capable of this.”

A look of intrigue crossed Maria Sanchez’s face.

“Lady Maria.”

Just then, someone spoke to her. One of the few present who wasn’t a living doll, and a direct subordinate of Ferderance.

“It’s almost time.”

“I know, don’t rush me,” Maria replied irritably.

“Ferderance—he’s so full of himself. I offer to move personally, and he just leaves me here alone?”

“The Master has a different method of infiltrating...”

“Still doesn’t sit right with me. I should double the payment.”

The subordinate’s face went pale.

Even as it stood, Maria Sanchez was promised an astronomical fee. And now she was suggesting doubling it?

“I’m joking, relax. Like I’d really take more money. You know the relationship Ferderance and I have.”

Maria chuckled playfully and took off her outer coat.

Her well-toned arms and back came into view. Every breath she took made her muscles twitch with tension.

She clenched her fist.

It was a simple gesture, something a toddler could do—but when Maria Sanchez did it, it felt entirely different.

It was as if the very air—or space itself—was warping around her fist.

“…What the hell is that?”

Guards patrolling inside the barrier caught sight of Maria and the living dolls.

“A woman? And what’s all that behind her?”

“You idiot! Can’t you see? We’ve got intruders!”

The Hyukcheon Hunters shouted into their earpieces.

“W-We have an emergency!”

Maria pulled her fist back. Then, like she was pitching a baseball, she hurled it forward with full force.

“Enemies—outside the barrier—appeared… Wh-What is that? Aaaaargh!”

Her punch collided with the barrier. The spell that had covered the entire mansion shattered completely.

“I’ve unwrapped the packaging. Now it’s your turn.”

At Maria’s words, the subordinate nodded.

“Then we’ll move in as well.”

“You going in to fight?”

“No, I’ve been given a separate task by the Master.”

“Again? That sneaky bastard.”

The subordinate bowed to Maria and disappeared with the living dolls, who charged in exuding fierce killing intent.

Now alone, Maria crossed her arms and muttered, “Well then… shall I summon the Witch of Hyukcheon?”

* * *

“You’re telling me he said not to move from inside the banquet hall?” Rockbreaker yelled.

Kwon Hudon stammered as he answered, “Y-Yeah. He told us to stay and protect the guests.”

“That brat gave that order?”

“W-Why? Was it wrong?”

Rockbreaker frowned and said, “On the contrary. That guy… he knows how to assess the situation properly.”

Only a fool would move carelessly without properly understanding the enemy.

Right now, the banquet hall was the safest location. It was spacious and had a clear view—ideal for responding to unexpected variables.

“T-Then we should just follow Hanul’s orders, right?”

“You’re really something, you know that?”

“Uh… what?”

“If we do that, we don’t get any of the fun.”

Rockbreaker spoke with a tone of annoyance.

“If we just sit here protecting guests like Kwon Hanul told us to, that guy’s going to take all the credit. You really want that?”

“B-But the mission comes first…”

Rockbreaker let out a deep sigh.

“Captain, if you’ve got a brain, think a little. Hanul has operational command of this mission. Do you know what that means?”

“I-I don’t…”

“It means whatever happens, it’s all on him. So we let him take the fall and we swoop in and grab the juicy parts.”

Kwon Hudon’s face stiffened. He couldn’t understand what Rockbreaker was saying—

No, he didn’t want to understand.

People could die… and all this guy cared about was personal gain?

—Do you have a plan?

Kwon Hudon jumped as he heard his mother’s voice coming from the necklace he wore.

Rockbreaker, on the other hand, looked bored.

“Knew you were listening.”

—Of course I was. Hudon could get hurt.

“With me here, you don’t need to worry about that.”

—Just answer the question. Do you have a plan or not?

Rockbreaker smiled. Kwon Hudon instinctively turned his head away.

That smile on Rockbreaker’s face—it looked far too cruel.

“I’ve taken down plenty of criminals. Guys like this never come at you head-on. They’ll always try to poke a hole somewhere.”

—And you’re going to use that hole against them.

Kwon Mi replied with satisfaction.

—Fine. Do as you like. But Hudon better not get hurt.

“Obviously.”

With permission granted, Rockbreaker had nothing to hold him back.

“Well then, Captain. Let’s move.”

“M-Move where?”

Rockbreaker sighed again.

“To find the rat hole.”

“Everyone! Please do not move carelessly!”

“Don’t be afraid! No matter what happens, we will protect you!”

Kwon Hudon’s teammates roamed the banquet hall, calming the guests.

Though some guests had initially caused a commotion demanding the police, they’d mostly settled down.

Mostly—but unease still clung to every face.

“An attack in broad daylight… What are the police even doing?”

“They’re not normal criminals… We might need Hunters for this.”

The guests exchanged nervous whispers.

Among them was Takamine Ryoko. She stood quietly, not engaging with anyone, calmly watching the time.

“Young Lady!”

Goriki Nana came running toward her.

“This isn’t the time for this! We need to get you out—fast!”

“You mean… the safe room?”

Old, prestigious families often had hidden shelters. The Takamine estate was no exception.

“Miss! Keep your voice down! What if someone hears?” Nana hissed, clearly agitated.

If others learned of the safe room, they’d panic and try to follow.

“But Mr. Kwon Hanul told me to stay here.”

“Look at how many enemies are out there! How can you be so calm?!”

Nana raised her voice in frustration.

“If anything happens to you, it’s the end of the Takamine family—and the hospital! Don’t you understand how serious this is?”

Ryoko hesitated, then nodded.

“…Alright. I’ll follow your lead, Ms. Nana.”

“Good! That’s the right call.”

“But how do you plan to get there? In this chaos, someone will definitely notice.”

Most guests had gathered in the center of the hall for safety, and Kwon Hudon’s team was keeping watch.

“Don’t worry. Soon, there will be—”

Suddenly, Nana clamped her own mouth shut.

“—I mean, once the opportunity arises, we’ll move.”

“Opportunity? What do you mean by that?”

Nana went pale. At some point, Rockbreaker had appeared behind her.

“I’ve been listening. Where were you planning to go?”

“I-I… um…”

“Didn’t we make it clear? No one’s to move without permission.”

Nana’s gaze darted around, lost and shaken.

“R-Rockbreaker, this is a misunderstanding—”

“I heard everything. You’re planning to take Lady Ryoko to the safe room.”

Nana let out a long sigh, as if resigning to her fate.

But then, an unexpected voice chimed in.

“That actually makes sense.”

“…Excuse me?”

“If you think about it, the one Ferderance is after is Miss Ryoko Takamine. Leaving her here isn’t smart.”

Relief began to return to Nana’s face.

“R-Right? I knew you’d understand. So, could you guide us there?”

“Sure. Let’s go together.”

Nana froze.

“G-Go together…?”

“Exactly. We’ll come with you.”

“B-But why…?”

“Why? To ensure double safety, of course. It’ll be safer for the young lady if we’re there too.”

“B-But that’s a private Takamine safe room. Outsiders aren’t allowed!”

“If the situation turns bad, just make an exception to the rules.”

As Rockbreaker bulldozed his way through, Goriki Nana was left speechless, lips clamped shut.

It was at that moment, as she stood there unable to decide what to do—

“Count me in as well.”

An unexpected figure spoke up: Hospital Director Nomura Masataka.

“You're heading to a safehouse, right? I know it’s shameless, but I’d like to come along.”

“You too?” Rockbreaker asked, stroking his chin. Nomura Masataka nodded.

“I’m sorry for the shameless request. But if I die, Takamine Hospital will suffer a serious blow. For the sake of the hospital, I have to survive.”

Saying so, Nomura Masataka pleaded sincerely, “Ms. Nana, please take me with you too.”

Caught off guard at being suddenly mentioned, Goriki Nana flinched in surprise.

Then, she nodded and replied,

“Ah… Alright. Let’s go together.”

* * *

Black Dragon Ascension Art — Formless

Advanced Technique: Dragon Demon Bullet

A black magic bullet fired from Kwon Hanul’s hand pierced through the bodies of the living dolls.

The moment they were hit by the Dragon Demon Bullet, the affected areas of their bodies disappeared entirely.

If it struck an arm, the arm vanished. A shot to the head erased the head. A hit to the chest blew a massive hole clean through.

In an instant, ten living dolls collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

“It’s definitely powerful,” Kwon Hanul remarked, flexing his fingers.

The Dragon Demon Bullet wasn’t just a simple compression of demonic dragon energy into a bullet.

He had fused the secrets of the Black Dragon Ascension Art with power drawn from both the Blood of Shura and the Genius Bloodline.

On top of that, he poured every bit of magical power into it using the authority of the Dragon’s Eye.

“——!”

“——!!”

The remaining living dolls charged again.

An ordinary person might have panicked and fled after witnessing such power, but these dolls had already lost all reasoning. Fear was no longer part of them.

“One more shot, then.”

Kwon Hanul raised his energy once more, shaping demonic dragon energy into a bullet using the Dragon's Eye.

The second Dragon Demon Bullet struck the dolls straight in their chests. Their upper bodies were instantly obliterated.

“Wow…”

Mei Hong, standing nearby, gasped in shock.

“You used something like that twice… Doesn’t it wear you out?”

“A bit?” Hanul replied, cracking his neck side to side.

Even after using the power of the Dragon's Eye—already a heavy burden—twice in a row, he remained unphased.

That resilience was thanks to the supernatural stamina he had gained after his stamina had reached S-rank.

“Let’s finish off the rest.”

With the looming threat of Ferderance possibly showing up any moment, they couldn’t afford to waste time on these dolls.

Just as Kwon Hanul was preparing a third shot—

“Kyaaaaa!”

“S-Someone help!”

Screams rang out from deeper inside the mansion.

Hanul froze. He had definitely left the guests in the care of Kwon Hudon and Rockbreaker.

Then what were those screams?

“...Mei Hong, I’ll leave things here to you.”

He dashed off toward the mansion.

Upon entering, he saw living dolls that had broken through a wall and invaded.

But it wasn’t just the dolls—Kwon Hudon and Rockbreaker were nowhere to be seen.

Nor were there enough team members guarding the place. Only a sparse few remained.

“Something’s wrong.”

From within the crowd of dolls, someone spoke.

“I was told Rockbreaker would be inside if I came in… but there’s hardly anyone guarding this place, let alone him.”

Even the mutant seemed caught off guard. Hanul narrowed his eyes and asked, “Are you Ferderance?”

“No, of course not. I’m merely a servant acting under my master’s orders.”

Hanul clicked his tongue.

Right—if it were truly Ferderance, he wouldn’t have shown himself so easily.

“Things didn’t go according to plan… but at least you stayed behind. That’s a relief.”

A smirk curled the mutant’s lips.

“Little Dragon… You’re absurdly strong. But no matter how strong one hand is, it can’t overpower ten.”

He spread his arms, and the dolls fanned out to both sides.

“If you want to protect them, stay right where you are.”

At those words, the guests’ faces turned pale. They all looked desperately toward Kwon Hanul.

But Hanul wasn’t interested in the mutant, nor the hostages.

“Hey.”

Instead, he turned to one of Kwon Hudon’s remaining teammates.

“Y-Yes?”

“Where did Kwon Hudon, Rockbreaker… and Takamine Ryoko go?”

The team member swallowed hard.

“T-They slipped out of the banquet hall earlier.”

“Did I not give orders?”

“Y-You definitely did!” the team member stammered.

Hanul buried his face in his hand. Took a deep breath. And exhaled.

“Goddammit.”

He cursed under his breath.

“I knew something felt off—this was their plan all along?”

The killing aura around him thickened. The mutant’s expression hardened.

“Little Dragon! If you value the lives of the guests, then stay back! Otherwise—”

“Do it.”

The mutant froze.

Not by choice.

Kwon Hanul’s killing intent and fury poured out like an explosion, choking the very air.

“I said, do it.”

He glared at the mutant, his voice low and lethal. A chill ran down the mutant’s spine.

“K-Kill them all—”

Just then, Hanul activated his magic. A surge of overwhelming energy burst out in every direction. The glass ceiling shattered.

Sky Path Technique

First Step: Lone Run

In that instant, the mutant saw it—a translucent path of wind filling the entire hall.

“...What?”

Kwon Hanul launched himself into the windpath. One by one, the heads of the dolls burst apart.

“Wh-What is this?!”

Before the mutant could even finish the sentence, a palm slammed into his face.

“Guh—Kugh!”

Hanul lifted the mutant high by the face, slamming him into a wall.

“Go on. Do it.”

“Aaaargh!”

“I said—do it.”

“S-Stop! Stop, please!”

Hanul’s grip tightened.

“AAAAAAH!”

With a sickening crunch, blood sprayed across Hanul’s face as something shattered.

He flung the now-limp corpse of the mutant aside and turned to the remaining teammates with murderous eyes.

“Where are those bastards right now?”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]