chsdbacks Chapter 69: Seoul, Demon, Saint
Chapter 69: Seoul, Demon, Saint
Chapter 69: Seoul, Demon, Saint
< Chapter 69: Seoul, Demon, Saint 3>
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In his past life, Lee Hyunwook was a slow starter'. It took him a considerable amount of time to discover his ability to grow and become a hero, and because of that, there were numerous incidents that he did not experience firsthand.
But that doesn't mean I'm unaware of those incidents.'
Lee Hyunwook made bone-crushing efforts to make up for his late start.
He was diligent not only in his ability development and combat training but also in acquiring information and knowledge.
And while working in the Guardian Information Agency, I collected all sorts of information.'
Thanks to that, he was very well aware of the incidents that had occurred before his own time to shine.
He even contacted insiders of the villain forces and extracted information from them.
This was precisely why he knew the movements of the villains in great detail.
But this, this was content he had never heard from anyone before.
Lee Hyunwook looked at Saint Emilia Muller.
Currently 27 years old, a standout beauty, but her condition right now was a mess.
The woman, counted among the worlds top priests, seemed somewhat frail herself.
Her hair was dull, there were deep shadows under her eyes, her cheeks were hollowed and flushed, her skin dried and her lips chapped,
But now, only her eyes were crystal clear.
She's trying to see right through me.'
She brought up the term villain' and seemed to be gauging Lee Hyunwook's reaction.
Honestly, he was somewhat taken aback inside, but outwardly, he maintained a puzzled expression.
It would be foolish to agree and confirm that he knew what she was talking about here.
"Hmm, a villain Like the bad guys that appear in comics?"
At Lee Hyunwook's feigned ignorant question, Emilia remained silent for a moment, then finally spoke up.
"Do you really not know? Seriously?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure what you mean by Villain'."
"Well then, have you heard about the Guardians'?"
""
"Oh, if you're really the hero who stopped the Fourth Wave, you can't be unaware of this?"
He knew about the relationship between Villains and Guardians.
And even the mechanism that triggers quests'
As far as Lee Hyunwook knew, this woman was neither a villain nor a Guardian.
That meant she had obtained the information in another way.
"Yes, you are right. A hidden quest to become a Guardian appeared before me, but I declined it."
After killing Yang Joo-seop during the Seoul Station Unlucky Event, a hidden quest' to become a Guardian popped up, but he declined it. At that time, he was warned that if he refused, the opportunity might not come again, and since then, after the cessation of the Wave and the thwarting of the Demon summoning, there had been silence.
"Why? Everyone knows a quest is a tremendous opportunity. Why did you refuse it?"
"I see the system that has ruined the world as the culprit. I didnt want to be played by it."
"Ah An anti-systemist', that's quite unexpected."
Emilia nodded in response to Lee Hyunwook's convincing words. As Lee Hyunwook continued to feign ignorance, Emilia nodded in agreement.
"Then, is the governor a Guardian too?"
Although she knew it wasnt the case, she asked anyway.
"No, I am just I was close to someone who was a Guardian. Yes, so I thought you were a Guardian and I had something to ask of you Ah, seems like I spoke in vain. Forget what I just said."
Indeed, this woman had special information'. But he couldn't probe what it was at the moment to not blow his cover.
"Anyway, right now, monitoring the White Tree Guard' that I asked you about before is more important."
"The traitor inside that you're suspecting must be that villain' you mentioned earlier."
She seemed hesitant for a moment, then slowly nodded her head.
"Yes, that seems likely."
"Villains, who are they?"
Lee Hyunwook feigned ignorance and asked.
"That is I don't know the details either. They are just a secret group trying to conquer the world by exploiting the system, and I only know that the person I trusted the most was killed by them."
She got it slightly wrong. It wasn't that they were exploiting the system, but that the system was providing them with opportunities.
If its the most trusted person of the Saint who was killed'
It was indeed Nicholas Steel, the former commander of the White Tree Guard.
That man was one of the original members of the Guardians.'
And he was also the first Chairman,' who suddenly disappeared during a dungeon raid.
Even after searching inside that dungeon for months, they could never find his body.
It was a demise that seemed too hollow to contemplate
Years later, after the true identity of Gordon Price was revealed, it became clear that it was all his scheme.
In other words, Nicholas had suspected Gordons identity and had given some kind of signal to the Saint.'
Thus, the villains tried to eliminate Emilia, who they believed knew something
But as long as a big shot like Gordon Price was in control of the Guardians, there was nothing she could do Hiding and protecting herself was the best she could have done.
She thought I had become a Guardian candidate after stopping the Fourth Wave and wanted to use me to dig up information on Gordon Price? She tried to do something on her own.'
On reflection, it was a considerable gamble, an act of desperation in a cornered situation.
"So, is the unusual behavior of the governor also because of that reason?"
"Well, I haven't really been much of a person who fits the nickname of a Saint in the first place"
She mumbled and nodded her head.
It turns out that the reckless behavior was also a disguise.
"The conspicuous madness was to avoid creating a reason to leave Saint Dome. As long as I am in my right mind, do you think people will just leave me alone? Theyd be calling me annoyingly from all over."
Inside Saint Dome, no one could kill the saint. Because all those who are granted entry to Saint Dome must receive a sacred oath' spell that prevents them from harming her.
In other words, even if it was a villain, in order to assassinate her, they had to find a way to draw her out.
"But I couldn't ignore this incident."
Lee Hyunwook nodded.
What a pity.'
With such circumstances behind her, the world ultimately came to remember her only as a crazy woman
But to someone like me who has never seen such a tremendous event
Lee Hyunwook said that with a burdened expression and she chuckled and nodded her head.
"I'm sorry. Honestly, it's a gamble. I feel like if I dont take a risk now, I might never have another chance."
When no avenues seemed visible, a sliver of possibility emerged.
He was certainly not a villain and a new face who operated Huginn',
She had placed her bet' on Lee Hyunwook.
"So, can you do my favor? Ah How desperate must I be to ask such a thing of someone I've just met."
For the first time, she wore a bitter expression. A sense of powerlessness was evident.
She is one of the 31 known S-rank players in the world.
However, with a characteristic that prevents her from fighting on her own she always needs to be under someone's protection.
It seems she hardly had anyone she could truly rely on and trust.'
After all, the person she trusted the most died due to betrayal, and afterward, she faced numerous assassination threats.
Knowing that there was even a traitor within her ranks, amassing power would have been a luxury
Hyunwook looked into her eyes and soon smiled, nodding his head.
"Okay. Fortunately, it seems you've made the right bet with your gamble."
12 out of the 24 agents entered in unison, surrounding him.
"Dont move!"
Then Okita Kaito slowly opened his eyes.
"Okita Kaito! You're completely surrounded! Resist, and you'll be dust!"
In addition to the 24 players present, 3 sniper players were also aiming at him.
""
He raised his hands above his head and stood up.
What?'
This was unexpected. A clear sign of surrender, it was too straightforward a capitulation
Won Jinsu gripped his shield tighter, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease running down his spine and knotting his stomach.
"He's surrendered. Restrain him with a magic formation."
But then, his right wrist slowly twisted, taking on the shape of gripping' something.
"Damn it, Kaito! Dont move! If you move any furth"
The shout from the deputy team leader, who was on Okita Kaito's right, was cut off midway.
Okita Kaito's right hand had already dropped to the floor.
And in his grip was a sword.
Damn, when did he draw it?'
Despite not taking his eyes off him, Won Jinsu hadn't caught the movement at all.
In the next moment, three bodies, including the deputy team leader standing to his right, collapsed.
Thud
Two heads rolled into his line of sight.
One of them was the deputy team leaders.
Space-time Sword Iai!'
The technique of drawing a sword from subspace and cutting the enemy at the same time,
that was the notorious blade trick that was rumored to have cut down the National Swordsman.
"Sniperswhat are you doing!"
But there was no response.
Swoosh Swoosh
The villains blade moved twice more, and several more fell.
Blood splashed onto Won Jinsu's left cheek, yet he kept his gaze straight ahead.
If I turn my head, I'm dead.'
Soon, Okita Kaito's gaze met Won Jinsu's.
He took a step forward and swung his sword.
Surprisingly, it was a straightforward trajectory.
I can block it!'
Won Jinsu stepped forward, imbuing his shield with the skill Vanguard's Will'.
A shield enhancement skill that could withstand even a troll's strikeat the moment when the two pieces of steel were about to clash,
It disappeared?'
The sword vanished from his grasp.
Yet his hand continued to move as if wielding a sword.
And the moment that trajectory surpassed the shield,
From his grip
Whoosh
The sword reappeared.
Like blinking in and out, it had vanished for an instant only to return.
Ah, subspace'
Won Jinsu realized the true meaning of the space-time sword draw technique.
But that was his last thought.
The blade had cleared the shield and reached his neck.
Slash!
That was the end.
With Won Jinsu dead, the rest were easy prey.
In just a few seconds, the necks of all 24 agents were severed.
And immediately after
Shhhh
Something surged from within his shadow, and soon took the shape of a person.
It was a man in a gray mask, hands gripping blood-drenched daggers.
Yes. He was the one who had dealt with the snipers.
He looked around the place and exclaimed.
"Wow, to kill them all by decapitation, don't you have some weird compulsion?"
""
"Will you add Saint Slayer' to your name after Assassin of the Sword Saint', huh? Haha"
The man in the gray mask chuckled as he asked this,
Okita Kaito slowly turned his head to look at him.
His expression was cold, revealing not a hint of emotion.
He put the sword in his right hand back into subspace and walked towards the stairs.
The title of Sword Saint' is passed down through sword-to-sword combat, and now it is mine. I am not the Assassin of the Sword Saint'; I am simply the Sword Saint."
* * *
Amidst the final preparations for the deployment of the Holy Field, Lee Hyunwook activated Huginn,'.
Whirring
The spherical object instantly transformed into a mechanical crow.
[Huginn' is activated, expanding all senses' up to 50 times.]
-Mana depletion per second: 24120
Huginn took flight, and everything in the vicinity entered his sensory range.
Expanding senses by 50 times, this is indeed an incredible ability.'
He returned his sight to his own body and moved lightly.
The trembling of his heart, the flow of his blood, the twitching of his muscles, and the inflation of his lungs,
Every one of these subtle sensations was felt very distinctly.
An unbelievable increase in capability, and thus, an overwhelming penalty,
An item that was, in fact, virtually impossible to use in combat,
But I can do it.'
He slowly drew out the Cloud-hunting Dark Sword from behind his back.
Now that I think about it, it's been quite a while since I've properly wielded a sword.'
Since awakening in the past, he had been conducting a kind of mass artillery fire based on his metal control ability.
However, Lee Hyunwook was confident in close combat, wielding weaponsa talent recognized by the man who would later be called the Sword Saint, Choi Young-jun.
Even if Okita Kaito breaks through my firepower'
Lee Hyunwook slowly moved the tip of his sword.
I can block it.'