Chapter 52: Going Beyond (2)

The Awakeners on the battlefield were struck dumb by Choi Jong-Cheol transforming into a demonic beast.

“W-What is that...?”

He now had a maw split into eight, mantis-like claws, and the lower body of a snake. He wasn’t too massive, but he exuded a violent aura far beyond anything an ordinary demonic beast could conjure up.

The other Awakeners' faces twisted in horror.

“H-How could a human turn into a demonic beast?!”

“What the fuck is this?!”

They held up their weapons and formed a circle around Choi Jong-Cheol, each skilled enough to qualify for the subjugation mission.

“That thing must be the boss!”

“Take it down first!”

Choi Jong-Cheol’s eyes shifted to the Awakeners as they rushed towards him.

“Are you? Trying to? Stop me?”

His serpentine tail grew tens of meters and swung around like a massive whip, sending an Awakener flying.

Wham!

“Agghhhh!”

“Nobody. Interrupt. Me. No one!” Choi Jong-Cheol screeched. With his tail, he grabbed the Awakener that was thrown and pierced the Awakener’s chest with the tail's sharp tip.

Crack!

“K-Kugh!”

“You’ll? Help? Me? Right? I have to? Kill that? Bastard?”

Choi Jong-Cheol’s lips curved into a grin as the dark energy enveloping him traveled down his tail and into the Awakener.

Wooong!

“Kugh! Krrr!”

The Awakener started to expand like a balloon as spikes sprouted from his skin.

“Kraa!”

In less than ten seconds, the Awakener transformed into a demonic beast himself.

“Ahhhh!”

“W-What the...! How can this be?!”

All the other Awakeners were petrified. How could a demonic beast turn a human into a monster? It was an unprecedented and unnatural phenomenon.

The second transformed demonic beast attacked another Awakener.

“

Kraaaa!

”

“Min-Cheol...! Snap out of it!”

It seemed that he had known the man who'd transformed. He panicked and stumbled.

Crunch!

“K-Kugh!”

Blood spurted out like a fountain as a horrible scream echoed through the air.

“Th-This is insane!”

“Run! Don’t get caught by that tail!”

The Awakeners frantically shouted. However, the serpentine tail split into five and lashed out toward the Awakeners.

Whoosh!

More Awakeners ended up caught by Choi Jong-Cheol’s tail; One by one, the Awakeners dwindled, and the number of demonic beasts surged.

Kwon Oh-Jin bit his lip as he watched the multiplying demonic beasts.

Damn it. This isn’t good.

If this continued on, there would be an overwhelming number of demonic beasts. He had to kill Choi Jong-Cheol as soon as possible, but... he was now without Vega's blessing. The sense of omnipotence he had felt earlier was gone.

“... Shit.”

Even so, he couldn’t simply run away.

“Haaa.”

Even if he tried to flee, he would be caught in no time considering how swift the demonic beast was.

I was his target to begin with. I have to kill him here. But how?

Kwon Oh-Jin observed Choi Jong-Cheol as the Awakeners desperately fought against him. More specifically, Kwon Oh-Jin focused on the murky energy flowing out of him.

This energy isn’t just from that black orb.

Kwon Oh-Jin turned towards the city center, where a black pillar of energy had risen. Black haze—the power of the Black Star—was subtly rising there. None aside from Kwon Oh-Jin could notice that energy flowing into Choi Jong-Cheol.

If that’s the case...

Kwon Oh-Jin thought, gripping his spear tightly.

“Oh-Jin!” Song Ha-Eun shouted with a sense of urgency. “We have to kill that bastard quickly—!”

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He grabbed her shoulder as she was about to charge at Choi Jong-Cheol and said, “Ha-Eun. I have a favor to ask.”

“What? A favor? In this situation?”

Song Ha-Eun bit her lip anxiously.

“Do you see that black haze? Go over there right now and destroy whatever’s emitting it,” he instructed.

“... What about you, Oh-Jin?”

“I’ll have to keep him busy in the meantime,” he replied, shifting his gaze to the wildly rampaging Choi Jong-Cheol.

Kwon Oh-Jin knew he was that savage beast's primary target; it wouldn't chase after her instead of him.

“...”

Song Ha-Eun clenched her fists, conflicted emotions visible in her Dragon Eye. She didn’t want to leave him alone here. However, she had a critical role to play.

“Okay,” she agreed.

“I’m counting on you.”

Song Ha-Eun was far more powerful than him while he didn't have Vega’s blessing. If she couldn't get rid of that haze, no one could.

“You remember our promise, right? If you break it again, I’m going to be really pissed!” she yelled. She then turned around and dashed toward the black haze.

“Promise,

huh...

” Kwon Oh-Jin muttered.

That’s right. It's a promise I made with Ha-Eun, so I have to keep it.

With a faint smile, he slowly walked toward Choi Jong-Cheol, who was ceaselessly screeching.

“Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?” His eyes focused on Kwon Oh-Jin, a murderous aura crawling down his spine.

“You sure do have a lot of questions, don’t you?” Kwon Oh-Jin said, raising his middle finger to taunt Choi Jong-Cheol. “I bet even your mom doesn’t know

why

she gave birth to you, so how would I know?”

“A-Ahhhh!”

Thud!

Choi Jong-Cheol launched himself off the ground. His serpentine tail extended, whipping through the air.

It’s faint, but there are still signs of intelligence left. He wouldn't respond to taunts like that if he'd lost his mind entirely.

Like a spear, the sharp end of Choi Jong-Cheol's tail aimed for Kwon Oh-Jin’s head.

Whoosh!

Kwon Oh-Jin barely dodged it by tilting his head.

He’s dangerously fast.

Choi Jong-Cheol’s attacks were almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.

But he's a snail compared to Riarc.

Boom!

Choi Jong-Cheol smashed his tail into the ground, blasting shards of stone in all directions. Kwon Oh-Jin channeled his mana into his legs.

Crackle!

Blue lightning coursed from his calves down to his toes. Taking a quick breath, he lowered his center of gravity and charged toward Choi Jong-Cheol. His tail whipped at Kwon Oh-Jin’s back, who dodged it by rolling away.

Kwon Oh-Jin used the bottom of his spear to launch himself high into the air like a pole vaulter. In an instant, he was behind Choi Jong-Cheol and stabbed his back. However—

Thunk!

The spear bounced off, unable to penetrate Choi Jong-Cheol’s skin, and a sharp pain swept through Kwon Oh-Jin's arm.

Damn it.

Choi Jong-Cheol’s giant scythe-like arm swung down like a pickaxe.

Whoosh!

Kwon Oh-Jin’s face stiffened.

I can’t block this.

With his mana focused on his legs for speed, he had no time to consider his arms, which could never bear the brunt of the oncoming strike.

He released Explosive Lightning.

Crackle!

“Agh!”

The recoil from the explosion sent him flying back.

“Running? Away? Again?”

Choi Jong-Cheol pursued him at a terrifying speed. Before Kwon Oh-Jin even landed, Choi Jong-Cheol’s gaping maw came right at him.

“Shit!”

To dodge, Kwon Oh-Jin extended his arm and activated his wire shooter.

Bang!

“It’s? Useless?”

Whoosh!

Choi Jong-Cheol swung his tail at Kwon Oh-Jin while he was being pulled away by the wire.

Slam!

“Kugh!”

The sharp impact jolted through his organs. Then, in the blink of an eye, the tail wrapped around him.

Kwon Oh-Jin focused his mana into his arms and unleashed Explosive Lightning.

Crackle!

“Kraaaa!”

As Choi Jong-Cheol writhed in pain, his tail loosened up, and Kwon Oh-Jin slipped free.

“Haa! Haa!”

Kwon Oh-Jin's breathing was ragged.

My attacks aren’t working at all.

Though Choi Jong-Cheol showed signs of pain, he remained unscathed, even after a direct hit from Explosive Lightning.

Choi Jong-Cheol glared at Kwon Oh-Jin.

“It? Hurts? I said... It...

hurts

!”

He swung his arms around violently, throwing a fit.

Slash! Slash!

His massive scythe-like limbs now split into dozens of smaller blades, all raining down on Kwon Oh-Jin.

So his arms can transform too...!

Kwon Oh-Jin quickly fired Lightning Feathers toward Choi Jong-Cheol’s blades to deflect them.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Kwon Oh-Jin rolled to the side, slightly grazed by one of the blades that the feathers had missed.

“Argh!”

Blood began to pour from the wound on his side.

I don’t have enough firepower.

Kwon Oh-Jin was bound to lose in such a direct confrontation. Even if he aimed for a vital spot, there wasn't much he could do to it.

There’s no way I can kill him with the amount of mana I can use at once.

Kwon Oh-Jin still had plenty of mana left, but using all of it at once was impossible for him—it would be like trying to draw water from a huge tank with a narrow hose.

What should I do...?

He contemplated his options.

“What? Are? You? Thinking? About?” Choi Jong-Cheol screeched.

Boom!

A multitude of swift, powerful strikes rained down on him, leaving him no time to gather his thoughts.

“Ugh!

Damn it!”

All he could manage to do was dodge—just barely. He couldn’t keep up with Choi Jong-Cheol in either strength or speed.

If only I had Vega's blessing, I wouldn’t be so helpless—

Kwon Oh-Jin flinched in the middle of this thought.

... When did I start being so pathetic?

The first thing that came to mind in a dire situation was wanting to rely on someone else’s strength.

How pitiful is that?

He let out a bitter laugh.

Don’t expect a miracle. You've endured enough to know better than that.

He had to think of what he could do now—of what had to be done.

Focus.

“Ha... Haha...? Have... you... reached... your... limit?” Choi Jong-Cheol's mocking voice ran.

Ignoring it, Kwon Oh-Jin let out a ragged breath.

“Haaa.”

There’s a limit to the amount of mana I can use at once.

This wouldn’t change unless he raised his Stigma's star level.

How can I increase its power output in this state...?

He thought hard, and before long, his eyes lit up.

“Ah,”

he gasped.

If the water pressure in the hose was insufficient...

I just have to narrow its opening.

He realized that if he forced the flow of mana through a smaller pathway, he could increase its pressure and release a more powerful burst using less mana.

Forcing the mana circuits to constrict was an idea that any other Awakener would have found ridiculous, but...

When have I ever cared about that kinda shit?

A faint smile crept across his face. He took a deep breath and focused his lightning around his heart, where his mana circuits converged, forcing a tight, constricted flow.

Crackle!

“Argh!

It felt like he was being struck with a massive club right in the chest. His back arched painfully as he quivered uncontrollably.

“Guh! Ughh!”

Excruciating pain swarmed his body, and he coughed up dark globs of blood.

It hurts.

He wondered if this is what it would feel like if he somehow spread himself open, shoved a thick hose inside, and turned the faucet on at full blast.

The agony was so intense that his mind nearly went blank, feeling as if scorching oil were burning its way through his veins instead of blood.

It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts!

Kwon Oh-Jin felt like he would go insane. This was worse than anything he had ever felt before, even including his countless "deaths" against Riarc.

“Kugh! Kegh!”

He continued to hold on. For him, pain was something to ignore and endure; after a lifetime of struggles that endurance could never fix, what was a little more? If it could resolve the problem at hand, he could handle it.

Crackle!

He increased the pressure around his heart.

It’s not enough.

Concentrating on just one spot threw his balance off.

I need to do this throughout my whole body, not just my heart.

He constricted the flow in every section of his mana circuit. The compressed, accelerated mana surged through him like a wild beast.

Choi Jong-Cheol flinched and took a few steps back.

“What? Are? You? Doing?”

Kwon Oh-Jin gripped his spear tightly, coughing up blood.

“Kugh! Kugh!”

He was on the verge of blacking out. The horrific pain hadn't stopped but intensified instead. However, he took one step forward.

Ring!

Red warning messages flashed before his eyes.

[Kwon Oh-Jin has acquired the skill Exceed Lv1.]

[Warning! Kwon Oh-Jin’s current physical state is not suited for using Exceed!]

[Kwon Oh-Jin is entering a state of overload.]

[Disabling the skill is highly recommended.]

Kwon Oh-Jin responded with a wide smile.

“Fuck off.”

A torrent of blue lightning erupted, engulfing everything in its wake.