Chapter 199

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 199: Collapse (1)

“Why is Master Kwon Biryuk here…?” Joo Hayun asked, dazed. The person who appeared was so unexpected, her brain couldn’t keep up.

“I heard the Secret Vault was opened. How could I just wait outside? I got curious and came in.”

“But… wasn’t the entrance guarded by the Black Rice Corps?”

“Hyukcheon Witch, do I look that old and frail to you?”

Joo Hayun realized her misstep. This old man was the martial master once called the rival of Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist. There was no way the Black Rice Corps could’ve stopped him.

“Don’t worry. I didn’t resort to violence. I just dashed in with my disciple.”

The fastest martial artist in the world and his disciple had come running.

Who could’ve stopped them?

“Once I came in, it looked like things were getting serious, so I stepped in. Surely Hyukcheon won’t complain over something like this?”

“No, not at all. In fact, we’re grateful.”

A broad grin formed on Kwon Biryuk’s face.

“Right? They’d have to be.”

“Y-yes, of course…”

“Hahaha! To think I’d ever get to make that bastard Kwon Myung-woo owe me a favor. This is why life’s interesting.”

Kwon Biryuk burst into laughter. He seemed truly pleased at the thought of one-upping Kwon Myung-woo.

“Master Kwon Biryuk, thank you again. We’ll take our leave now.”

“And where are you headed?”

“Others may be in danger. We need to go help them.”

They weren’t so shameless as to ask for his help.

No—it wasn’t just about shame. They couldn’t keep relying on outsiders.

“You worry too much.”

Kwon Biryuk looked puzzled.

“Isn’t Kwon Myung-woo in the Secret Vault too?”

“Yes, but everyone’s scattered—”

“Hyukcheon Witch. You’re from Hyukcheon, and yet you seem to know less about Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist than I do.”

He clicked his tongue lightly, then continued.

“Kwon Myung-woo may be called Hyukcheon Strongest Fist… but there are some who even call him the Strongest Fist Under Heaven. I personally think that’s a bit of a stretch—but still, a title like that isn’t given for no reason.”

Kwon Biryuk stared into the distance, as if remembering something.

“When he was young, there was no such thing as ‘impossible’ to him. No matter the danger, he would always overcome it with his own hands. He even brought down fighters far stronger than himself.”

At some point, people began calling him: Hyukcheon’s Greatest Fist.

Among all the members of Hyukcheon that the hunters feared and guarded against—he was the strongest man.

“So don’t worry about useless things. Just sit here and wait. That friend of mine—Kwon Myung-woo—will take care of everything and come back.”

* * *

“You’re going to show me Hyukcheon martial arts?”

The Dragon Slayer sneered and summoned a pair of twin axes from a subspace portal.

“Then I’ll show you my axes instead!”

He charged like a raging bull, a violet aura erupting from his body.

Red Dragon Star—

A Gift that weakens dragons, and it was being used to its fullest extent.

Its effects focused squarely on Kwon Myung-woo, draining his aura and mana significantly.

Even as Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist, there was no enduring the Red Dragon Star for long.

“HRAAAH!”

The Dragon Slayer roared as he brought both axes down.

But before the blades could strike, Myung-woo stomped the ground.

His Dragon Aura surged downward.

The ground split—and a blast exploded up through the cracks, engulfing the Dragon Slayer from below.

He hadn’t anticipated it. The blast hit him full force.

“GRAAAAGH!”

He screamed in agony.

And then—an eerie chill crept up his spine.

Myung-woo was already in front of him. His fist, packed with dragon energy, shot forward in a straight line.

“Y-you maniac—!”

The Dragon Slayer crossed his axes to block, but Myung-woo’s fist shattered them like twigs.

The fist drove deep into the Dragon Slayer’s torso.

“Guh… guh—!”

The pain was so immense he couldn’t even scream.

But Myung-woo didn’t stop there. Fists, kicks—a flurry of strikes rained down.

“Gahk! Khhak!”

Every blow wrung another wail from the Dragon Slayer.

“You’re tougher than I expected,” Myung-woo remarked calmly.

But his hands showed no mercy—relentlessly pounding vital points.

“Strange… after all this, you should’ve been pulverized. Dead.”

Then it hit him.

“It’s the Red Dragon Star. That Gift is giving you resistance to dragon energy, isn’t it?”

That was the answer.

The Red Dragon Star wasn’t just good at breaking dragon scales. It was also excellent at blocking claws and fangs.

Thanks to it, the Dragon Slayer had managed to endure Myung-woo’s onslaught.

“Yeah, yeah, you figured it out! So stop beating me, you crazy old bastard!” the Dragon Slayer howled. Myung-woo’s brow twitched.

“If the attacks are being weakened… I’ll just hit you even harder.”

“Wait—what?!”

In that instant, it was like someone had poured gasoline into fire.

The amount of dragon energy pouring into Myung-woo’s fists skyrocketed.

The Dragon Slayer’s face turned pale.

“Y-you son of a—!”

Myung-woo hurled a full-powered punch, infused with dragon energy. The Dragon Slayer countered with all the mana he had left.

Dragon energy and Scarlet Dragon Star clashed.

The Gift managed to erode the dragon energy at first.

But in the end, it couldn’t hold.

A black aura-wreathed fist smashed into the Dragon Slayer’s chest.

In that moment, he coughed up blood.

“……!”

No sound escaped his throat. His body rolled across the floor, blood trailing from his mouth as he clawed at his chest.

“Kuhk! Guhhak!”

Then, in the Dragon Slayer’s dazed vision, he saw it—Myung-woo leaping at him, leg poised to stomp down.

“NOOO!”

His survival instincts took over. The Dragon Slayer sprang to his feet.

Myung-woo’s foot slammed into the ground where he’d just been—shattering the floor.

“Where are you running? This fight isn’t over!”

“S-screw you! Who the hell fights like that—?!”

He didn’t even have time to finish.

Myung-woo came charging after him again.

“AAAAAARGH!”

The Dragon Slayer turned and ran. Faster than when he was attacking.

“The so-called Dragon Slayer is running from me?” Myung-woo muttered in disbelief. He’d never seen a hunter so pathetic.

“Where do you think you’re going? Accept your death like a man!”

“SHUT UP! Who the hell wants to die in a dump like this?!”

Even while fleeing, the Dragon Slayer kept shouting curses.

“Dammit! Damn it all! I never should’ve listened to that bastard!”

All he could do was run.

But the gap between them was closing—fast.

“Time to end this.”

Myung-woo launched forward, shrinking the distance in an instant. His fist came crashing down.

And then—

A longsword burst through his chest.

Myung-woo looked down at the blade sticking out from him—utter disbelief on his face.

“Kuh…”

Blood spurted from a wound that pierced straight through his heart.

Slowly, he turned his head—

“Hello~”

Mei Xiao greeted him with a sweet smile.

“Finally dropped your guard, didn’t you?”

* * *

Mei Xiao yanked her sword out.

Kwon Myung-woo's knees buckled.

He clutched at his chest with both hands—but it was pointless.

Blood gushed freely from the hole pierced through his heart.

“Why… why the hell did you take so long to show up?!” The Dragon Slayer screamed at Mei Xiao. “Damn it! I almost got killed!”

“Oh, but you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“You bitch—!”

“Calm down. He was way too alert. I couldn’t do anything.”

Mei Xiao pointed her bloodstained longsword at Kwon Myung-woo.

“Even in that chaotic fight, he never let his guard down. If I’d made a move too early, he would’ve realized I was here.”

She spoke with a half-exhausted, half-impressed expression.

“And what do you think would’ve happened then? You really think the two of us could’ve taken down that monster?”

“I-I mean…”

The Dragon Slayer couldn’t answer right away—because she was right.

“If only you’d listened to me. There was another way, but no—you just had to go charging in, hogging all the attention… You actually thought you could take him on alone, didn’t you?”

The Dragon Slayer flinched. Because everything she said was true.

“Well, either way, it worked out. We actually managed to kill that monster—”

“Who said… I was dead?”

Kwon Myung-woo stood up.

Mei Xiao shook her head in disbelief.

“Why not just rest? It’d be a lot easier for you to pass peacefully.”

“Not when I’ve got two sons of bitches I still need to beat to death.”

“You’re pushing it…”

Mei Xiao giggled as she gestured at his chest.

“I’m not called the Blood Flame Blade for nothing. The moment I pierced your heart, I used aura to shred it completely. You’re only still standing because your life force is ridiculously strong… but you won’t last another minute.”

Kwon Myung-woo took in a deep breath. His face twisted slightly as the expanding lungs aggravated his wound.

“A minute is more than enough.”

He gathered his mana.

The tremendous energy radiating from him swept through the air.

Even Mei Xiao, who had remained playful all this time, turned grim.

“…Dragon Slayer. Pick up your weapon.”

Without a word, the Dragon Slayer pulled a massive flail from his subspace.

He felt it too—how dangerous Kwon Myung-woo was now.

“Don’t lower your guard. One slip and one of us dies.”

Wounded beasts were the most dangerous.

And Kwon Myung-woo was charging in without regard for his own life—an unstoppable force.

“One of you? Sounds like you didn’t hear me right!” Kwon Myung-woo shouted as he kicked off the ground. “I said—I’m going to beat both of you into the dirt!”

Then it happened.

The ceiling exploded.

Shattered debris came raining down.

The three of them instinctively knocked the falling rubble away.

“What the hell?!”

Mei Xiao narrowed her eyes. This wasn’t part of her plan.

From the gaping hole in the ceiling, an intense mana surged downward. Mei Xiao instinctively looked up—

Dozens of hunters were descending.

They landed all around Kwon Myung-woo, forming a protective barrier.

“Captain!”

“Are you alright?! What the hell happened?!”

The hunters rushed to support him.

Hearing them, Mei Xiao’s eyebrow twitched.

“The Hyukcheon Corps…?”

That made no sense.

By now, they should have all been wiped out by the freed Iron Corps.

“W-why are you people here?!”

Even Kwon Myung-woo looked stunned.

“Is that really important right now? Take this healing potion!”

“Show us your wound! We need to seal it!”

“N-no… wait, hold on. The enemies are still—”

“Don’t worry about them.”

One of the Hyukcheon Corps members spoke calmly.

“They’ll be here soon.”

“Soon?”

Confusion flickered across Kwon Myung-woo’s face.

And then—someone dropped from the ceiling.

The man landed gently, dust settling around his feet. He spoke curtly: “So impatient, all of you.”

Then his gaze met Mei Xiao’s.

For a moment, the room froze.

Mei Xiao’s face twisted as she muttered—

“Kwon Hanul…!”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]