Chapter 198

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 198: Individual Combat (4)

It had already been over an hour since Joo Hayun was captured by the Mei Clan.

Seated in a chair, she pondered how to break free from this situation.

Even now, the others were likely still fighting against the Mei Clan. She couldn’t be the only one doing nothing.

“Unni.”

Beside her, Mei Hong whispered discreetly.

“What is it?”

“You’re not planning to stay tied up like this, right?”

Joo Hayun shook her head. Mei Hong grinned as if she expected that answer.

“Got a plan?”

“I do… but the chances of it succeeding are slim.”

“Why?”

“Because of him.”

Joo Hayun gestured with her eyes toward Mei Chan, the single-sword enforcer.

The other guards she could manage on her own. But not Mei Chan.

Even the nickname "Witch of Hyukcheon" fell short compared to the Seven Plum Blossom Blades. That was how overwhelming their power was.

“Even if I get through the others, he’ll stop me. That would only make things worse.”

“Ugh, you’re stressing over that?” Mei Hong replied, completely unfazed. Joo Hayun looked at her, surprised.

“Are you saying you have a way to deal with Mei Chan?”

“Not really.”

“…Then why say that in the first place?”

“Because what’s the point in stressing about something we can’t solve? We have to escape anyway, so might as well act first.”

Joo Hayun fell into thought at those words.

“...That’s not wrong.”

“Right?”

“Ahem.”

Just then, a cough interrupted them. It came from one of the nearby assassin-enforcers.

“Don’t do anything foolish. You’ll regret it dearly.”

The two women glanced at him for a moment—then resumed their conversation.

“As long as it’s not Mei Chan, I can handle the rest. How about you?”

“Same. That guy over there is the only real problem.”

“Hey, didn’t you hear me—”

That moment, Joo Hayun raised her hands. Magic flared in her palms.

Above the heads of the surrounding assassin-enforcers, black rings appeared.

In the blink of an eye, every one of them was crushed.

“T-Those bitches!”

“They’ve finally made their move!”

The Mei Clan’s guards shouted furiously. But before they could even draw their weapons, Mei Hong swung her sword.

Her ghost blade swept wide—sparks flew, and then a massive explosion erupted.

“Aaaagh!”

“Gyaaah!”

The blast swallowed a number of enforcers. Nearly half of them died instantly in the inferno.

“Phew, that felt good.”

Mei Hong sheathed her blade with a grin. And just then—

A sword slash of aura cut through the smoke and flew at her. Mei Hong quickly drew her sword and blocked.

A sharp clang rang out as she was thrown backward. Her arms stung from the impact.

“You insolent wretches!”

Mei Chan, the single-sword enforcer, glared at them in a rage.

“I showed you mercy and let you live—and this is how you repay me?!”

“What a load of crap.”

Mei Hong snorted.

“That woman and I can’t live under the same sky. And you dare talk about mercy?”

“Silence, you wench!”

Mei Chan swung his sword. A slash of aura flew toward Mei Hong.

She met it with her own blade—the ghost blade clashing against the wave of aura.

Once again, she was forced back. Given the difference in their power, it was inevitable.

But Mei Chan’s expression changed.

“You blocked my sword?”

It had been a killing strike—yet she blocked it without a scratch.

His face twisted into fury.

“To think a tiger cub like you was growing right under our noses… For the clan’s future, you must not be allowed to live!”

Mei Chan released his killing intent in full. The oppressive force drained the color from both women’s faces.

“Unni, what do we do now?”

“What else? We survive.”

They both summoned their magic.

Even together, they were no match for Mei Chan.

“Well? Who wants to die first? Step forward, one at a ti—”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck from above.

It engulfed Mei Chan and the guards surrounding him.

In an instant, dozens of guards were turned to ash.

Joo Hayun and Mei Hong stared dumbfounded at the charred crater.

“Ow, ow…”

From the blackened wreckage, an old man stood up, brushing himself off.

“Haven’t used my strength in a while. My back hurts.”

The old man—Thunder Fist—looked at the two women.

Then smiled.

“Glad I made it in time.”

* * *

“He’s lost his mind.”

Kwon Hanul muttered, barely realizing it himself.

Thanks to his Genius Bloodline, he could clearly sense what was happening inside Bae Cheol-min's body.

The overdose of drugs was causing his cells to deteriorate rapidly.

His body heat had skyrocketed, causing his internal fluids to boil and steam to rise from his skin.

His blood pressure had gone so high, his veins were bulging—and bursting, leaking blood.

Any normal hunter would have already exploded like a bomb.

But Cheol-min was still standing.

The strain on his body was being offset entirely by the Healthy Bloodline.

Double… no, triple?

Because of that, Cheol-min had gained power far beyond what he had before.

He had drawn power from the depths of his life force—and it showed.

‘An assassination attempt on the Chairman… seeing this, I can believe it.’

Kwon Seonwoo was guarded day and night by dozens of elite bodyguards.

Not much was known about them—but they were said to be on par with Double Number Rankers.

And yet, Cheol-min had broken through them and reached Seonwoo’s doorstep.

He had ultimately been subdued—but the fact alone was staggering.

“Enough chatter. Bring out that power already.”

Cheol-min’s voice was sharp, strained. Speaking seemed painful.

Even with the Healthy Bloodline, no one could come out of that drug cocktail unscathed.

“This time, I’ll crush you head-on.”

He glared at Kwon Hanul, eyes burning.

And Hanul knew—he couldn't hold back anymore. If he did, he would lose.

—Fine then. I’ll show you.

Hanul’s body dissolved into smoke, and in the air appeared the upper body of a giant.

The Sanchez family, originators of the Superhuman Bloodline, had gained their power by hunting a giant known as Pangu.

According to records, Pangu was a giant whose size constantly changed.

Sometimes as small as a child.

Other times as tall as a building.

At his largest—the Himalayas barely reached his chest.

Now, using this Half Incarnated state of Pangu, Hanul could invoke a portion of that power.

“Now that’s a worthy target!” Cheol-min bellowed and charged.

He was so fast it looked like he’d teleported.

Without hesitation, Bae Cheol-min lunged at the giant’s chest and hurled his fist forward.

A thunderous boom exploded through the air—a punch so fierce it was hard to believe a human had thrown it.

Crunch.

A sharp snapping sound rang out.

Cheol-min looked at his own arm in disbelief.

He had landed the blow.

And yet, his own fist was cracked.

“...Kh!”

He winced, pulling his hand back. Gritting his teeth, he struck again with his other fist.

“This much is nothing!”

Cheol-min threw punch after punch, hammering at Kwon Hanul’s massive body.

But the more he punched, the more his fists suffered. Bones splintered, muscles tore.

Still, he didn’t stop.

If anything, he moved faster—until his fists vanished into blurs, leaving only afterimages.

With each flicker of those afterimages, impact rippled from Hanul’s body. Hits landed all over the giant’s frame.

It was a relentless, brutal barrage—so fierce that any observer would wince.

And yet, the giant didn’t so much as flinch.

“Aaaaargh!”

Cheol-min screamed like a man possessed.

His mind focused on only one thing—destroying Kwon Hanul.

But no matter how hard he struck, Hanul did not fall.

Then, Hanul slowly raised one hand. One finger curled inward. Then another.

The motion was slow. Deliberate.

But Cheol-min didn’t notice. He kept hammering away, fixated on his assault.

“KRAAAAH!”

As his howl peaked, Hanul’s hand finally closed into a full fist.

At that instant—his fist vanished.

“...!”

The next thing Cheol-min knew, the giant’s fist had crashed into him.

He was sent flying, blood gushing from his mouth.

“Kugh… Kghhk…!”

He hit the ground, choking on blood.

The punch had come too fast to see. Dodging it? Impossible. Blocking it? Laughable.

“This... this monster…”

That massive body moved faster than he did.

It was absurd. Unreasonable. Overwhelming.

“I’m… still… gghhaaaaah!”

Cheol-min forced himself to rise.

Thanks to the drugs, his body had barely withstood the blow.

And the Healthy Bloodline scraped what little was left of its power to help him recover.

Once again, he charged at Hanul.

This time, with a change in strategy—he began circling the giant, searching for an opening.

Then, suddenly—Cheol-min disappeared.

He reappeared above the giant’s nape, slamming both fists down.

It was a critical point—an ordinary person would’ve passed out instantly.

But Hanul, in his giant form, possessed defenses beyond human comprehension.

Instead, it was Cheol-min who was knocked back.

He landed, dug in his heels, and charged again without hesitation.

“GRAAAAH!”

He darted and struck—vital point after vital point—relentlessly.

Shockwaves rippled from Hanul’s body, but he took no damage.

“DIE! JUST DIE ALREADY!” Cheol-min screamed, pummeling him over and over.

Then—Hanul once again slowly curled his hand into a fist.

Cheol-min didn’t let his guard down this time.

This time, he would dodge. Counter.

At least, that’s what he believed—

But before he realized it, the giant’s fist had already come down on his head.

By the time he registered what was happening—he had been crushed.

The impact drove Cheol-min deep into the earth.

“...Kuh…”

He crawled out, coughing blood.

This time, he couldn’t recover.

He lay on the ground, panting for air.

For the first time… he thought he couldn’t win.

Not when he saw Kwon Seonwoo’s impossible strength.

Not even after witnessing Hyukcheon’s greatest martial artist.

Never had he truly believed he couldn’t win.

He always believed he'd catch up eventually.

But against Kwon Hanul… This was different. This was despair.

—Cheol-min. Give it up. Surrender.

He looked up at Hanul in stunned disbelief.

—I don’t want to kill you.

“Ha… don’t give me that crap. What’re you scheming now?”

—Don’t you want to see what it looks like when I keep my promises?

Cheol-min froze.

“Wait… You actually meant what you said back then? You really planned to restore our clan—as the next head of Hyukcheon?”

—What, you didn’t believe me?

“How could I?! That’s insane. It made no damn sense!”

—Then live—and see it happen.

Cheol-min stared at Hanul like he was mad. Then he gave a hollow chuckle.

“Bullshit.”

—So you still don’t believe me…

“I already killed Captain Gu Eon.”

Now Hanul was the one at a loss for words.

“A traitor’s committed treason again. You think Hyukcheon will just ignore that?”

Cheol-min sneered.

“And you? If people find out that the next Clan Head tried to save a guy like me… they won’t stand by either.”

He staggered to his feet, clutching his shattered body.

He forced his fist to clench.

“If you really care about me… then kill me here.”

He couldn’t fight anymore.

Even the Healthy Bloodline had its limits—and the last two blows had brought him to the edge.

“Just make sure you don’t hold back this time.”

—...You knew?

“Only an idiot wouldn’t.”

No matter how doped he was—there was a clear gap between them.

Yet somehow, he’d taken two punches from Hanul and lived.

That could only mean Hanul had pulled his punches.

He must’ve only meant to break Cheol-min’s will—not his life.

“Don’t go easy on people. It pisses me off. I don’t want to die with that bitter taste in my mouth.”

It was a lie.

Cheol-min just… wanted to see it for himself.

How strong the man who promised to restore his clan truly was.

—…Alright.

Hanul clenched his fist. A golden light radiated from his giant form.

The pressure alone made the earth tremble and Cheol-min’s body seize up.

“Ha… haha… So this is real, huh?”

It was absurd. It almost made him laugh.

He looked up at Hanul and muttered: “Take care of the clan…”

In the next moment—

The giant’s fist came down.

And everything collapsed.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]