CH 178

The sky was cloudy as if it was going to rain at any moment. Cloudy smoke from the collapsed building blocked breathing and the gloomy atmosphere weighed on the shoulders.

Feeling all that, Cheon Sa-yeon closed his eyes for a moment and organized his thoughts.

It was too early to judge a failure. Depending on the grades and abilities of the thirty men wearing black masks, the odds were good enough.

However, Ha Tae-heon was more anxious than he was. Because he was always very agitated the first time he killed someone.

He must have killed a lot of humanoid monsters, but killing humans for real was a different matter.

Those who wore the black mask either had crazy ideas or had their wisdom stolen by Samael. But that didn’t mean they became monsters, not humans.

‘I needed Lee Joo-ha, but things went awry.’

On the other hand, Lee Joo-ha wasn’t the type to be shaken by such things. She had a great sense of responsibility and cared about her guild very much, so she would have gone ahead and killed them with more anger than anyone else if she hadn’t been hurt.

“Ha Tae-heon.”

In the end, Cheon Sa-yeon opened his mouth first.

“Dozens of talented people will rush towards you with the sole purpose of killing you. The grade must be at least A-rank.”

“……”

“It means that if you deal with them with the intention that you’ll let them slide in moderation, you will die.”

Ha Tae-heon frowned at his warning and showed an unwillingness. If he could afford it, he would have taught him step-by-step, just as he had always done… he couldn’t now. Cheon Sa-yeon explained further.

“If we break through, the team behind us will all be annihilated. Judge rationally, Ha Tae-heon.”

Ha Tae-heon’s gaze turned to the back. Debris from the explosion was piled up, so the team members were invisible. It was rather fortunate. It would be nice if they could end this situation before they found out.

“…I get it.”

Ha Tae-heon, who was determined, nodded his head with a heavy expression. Seeing it, Cheon Sa-yeon felt that everything was different from what he had been through so far and activated his ability.

The blood on the blade started to burn and become red and sticky like lava.

“Hello, pretty oppa~ See you again?”

As the distance got closer, the enemy stopped walking. The blonde woman standing at the back greeted him with a lively voice. Like Karen, the voice that came out was too young for her mature appearance and was very bizarre.

“There’s also a hot oppa? Last time you were together… are you two close?”

He knew for sure that they attacked them in the first place. The words she spat out with her mouth were blatantly shameless.

The doll, with her short hair and thick red lipstick, smiled and pulled out the huge scythe on her back. Everything gleamed eerily under the hazy sky with the bright red scythe.

“It’s good to be friends. Both would be buried here. Right?”

At the end of that, the men in black masks who were at the forefront took out their weapons and rushed forward. Chaeeng, the double-edged axe and Ha Tae-heon’s sword collided, making a sharp sound.

Ha Tae-heon narrowed his eyes and stared at the opponent who was running towards him. The huge body that looked two metres tall and the large and small axes hanging around the body were impressive, but the thing that bothered him the most was the mask.

The black mask that covered the entire face was extremely annoying. The face, eyes, and breathing sounds of the other person were all blocked by the mask, making it even more uncomfortable than he thought.

Ha Tae-heon, who finished his thoughts in the brief moment when the sword and the axe collided, noticed the sharp energy that was aiming at the back of his head, and hurriedly pushed the axe away and bowed to avoid it.

“……”

Quickly finding the centre of his body and turning his sword lightly, he calmly checked the people around him. It was so close that he could feel how much energy they had.

Seven S-rank people. Five long-distance talented people were aiming at him from behind. Even if an arm or leg wasn’t completely amputated at once by making a mistake, an injury to a vital point, such as the neck or abdomen, was life-threatening.

Ha Tae-heon hurriedly turned his gaze to confirm Cheon Sa-yeon. He was in a situation that was no different from his own and was barely avoiding the frantic attacks.

Ha Tae-heon, who wore a shield around him using his ability, twisted his shoulders to avoid the spear of the person running with a scream and swung his sword long horizontally.

Kkuuk! The opponent with a deep cut on his chest screamed from the inside of his mask, but he never stopped attacking. A normal person would instinctively step back. Having become puppets with their psychic abilities, they even forgot their fear.

Sharp blades were pouring nonstop from all directions. Ha Tae-heon, who was frantically moving his arm to block the attack with his sword, clenched his teeth at the pain he felt in his left waist.

An arrow shot by a long-distance talented person passed by. Fortunately, it didn’t break through. Ha Tae-heon’s eyes gleamed coldly, barely avoiding the second arrow that flew straight through without feeling any pain from twisting his head.

Sararak—

His chest warmed up and an enormous amount of energy poured out of his body. He began to gather more black dust than ever before, forming spheres large and small.

Kugugung! Thud!

The long-distance talented people who were aiming for Ha Tae-heon were engulfed in a sphere explosion and screamed. In the midst of that, Ha Tae-heon cut off his opponent’s head without any hesitation.

The black masked face fell and the bright red blood gushed out like a fountain. Ha Tae-heon, who stared at it without any change in expression, blocked the opponent’s scimitar (언월도), who was running after him.

‘They are looking for Han Yi-gyeol.’

From the other side, arrows and ice awls rained down again. Despite the long-distance attack that rubbed his shoulders and thighs, Ha Tae-heon silently focused on the opponent in front of him.

‘You have to kill them, so there will be no harm later.’

Cheon Sa-yeon’s advice was, of course, important, but Ha Tae-heon had the main reason for his determination. He had no intention of dealing with them properly after he found out that Han Yi-gyeol had been kidnapped in the first place.

Watching Ha Tae-heon kill his opponent relentlessly, the doll twisted her lips and smiled strangely.

“Guuu…”

The masked men standing next to the doll roared like beasts. As the doll swept her blonde hair behind her ear and shook her head, those who hadn’t joined the fight until now started running towards Ha Tae-heon.

Sweat dripped down Ha Tae-heon’s cheek, who was constantly wielding the sword. Minor injuries gradually increased due to rapid energy consumption and constant fighting to keep the long-distance attackers in check.

Cheon Sa-yeon, who had pierced his sword through the mask of the rushing enemy, looked at Ha Tae-heon with his slightly wet bangs. Contrary to his worries, Ha Tae-heon didn’t hesitate to kill people, so the situation wasn’t bad.

If he could help Ha Tae-heon after cleaning up his side…

Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been thinking about that, noticed the existence that was quietly approaching Ha Tae-heon.

His neck was grey under his black mask. Not only that, his movements were somewhat stiff and unnatural, unlike the others.

Cheon Sa-yeon’s gaze turned to the doll with a creepy grin. Cheon Sa-yeon, who later realized the intention, tried to run to Ha Tae-heon, but was blocked by the enemy.

“Ha Tae-heon!”

Ha Tae-heon, who couldn’t hear the call, felt the presence approaching behind him and hurriedly turned around. Then, as soon as he confirmed that he was wearing a black mask, he swung his sword straight at his neck.

“……!”

Hot energy and a strong shock erupted from the opponent, whose neck had been cut off. Ha Tae-heon, who instinctively crossed his arms and covered his face, was pushed and rolled roughly on the ground.

“Ugh…”

After one person exploded, the other bombs that were chasing him, also exploded one after another. The surroundings were suddenly filled with screams and explosions. Feeling the stinky smoke and fishy smell, Ha Tae-heon lost consciousness for a brief moment and then finally came to his senses.

Chaeeng!

Ha Tae-heon, who barely blocked the spear that was aimed at the head, stretched out his leg and slashed the opponent’s shin, then got up quickly. He felt a headache in the back of his head when the bomb went off right in front of his nose twice from where he got a hit.

“Gasp, gasp…”

It had already been over an hour since he dealt with those wearing black masks. He had been consuming his energy by fighting non-stop, even if he was an SS-rank, his limit had to come.

After blocking them, Cheon Sa-yeon, who barely approached Ha Tae-heon, hurriedly clenched a fist in his bleeding hand and drained more of his blood. Suddenly, flames rose from the blood that had fallen to the ground, blocking the enemy who approached them.

‘Were you aiming for this from the beginning?’

He must have heard something from that woman. He deliberately focused on Ha Tae-heon, who, unlike himself, didn’t know the situation properly.

Enemies wearing black masks gathered in front of Cheon Sa-yeon and Ha Tae-heon, who stood side by side. The number had been reduced to 13, but the disadvantage was still there. The doll, who had been watching from behind, walked slowly, turning the scythe lightly.

“It’s boring.”

Cheon Sa-yeon narrowed his eyes at the voice of ridicule.

He could somehow overcome the others, but the biggest problem was that doll. It must be SS-rank considering that it was made with the same amount of effort as Karen.

Cheon Sa-yeon calmly thought of a way to overcome the situation.

‘If I entrust the doll to Ha Tae-heon and I take care of the rest as soon as possible and join him…’

There was a risk of losing an arm or so, but it was pretty good if everyone could survive in return. The healers were nearby, so he could get help as long as he kept his life somehow.

Sweat dripped down his temple. Cheon Sa-yeon, who slowly closed his eyes and opened them, got his mind set.

“Ha Tae-heon, from now on…”

As he tried to explain his plan, Cheon Sa-yeon, unable to finish his words, closed his lips. Feeling a very familiar energy, Cheon Sa-yeon and Ha Tae-heon turned to the side at the same time.

Between Cheon Sa-yeon and Ha Tae-heon. There was a refreshing and friendly energy reminiscent of the summer sun in the empty place.

[It’s okay, Cheon Sa-yeon.]

The wind from somewhere, along with the words that sounded like a dream, wrapped around Cheon Sa-yeon and Ha Tae-heon as if cheering them on. Cheon Sa-yeon muttered with a look of disbelief at the familiar feeling he had felt over and over again.

“How…”

[Both of you can live without getting hurt.]

The wind lightly caressed Cheon Sa-yeon and Ha Tae-heon’s hair as if telling them to focus. Ha Tae-heon grabbed the sword again with a strong, unshakable voice. Cheon Sa-yeon also turned his head and looked at the front.

“…there are more explanations to be heard.”

At Ha Tae-heon’s sigh, Cheon Sa-yeon slightly raised the corner of his mouth and smiled.

The shadow of misfortune that had engulfed his body until just now disappeared. The doll frowned at the sudden change of atmosphere between the two.

[Cheon Sa-yeon, Ha Tae-heon-ssi.]

He couldn’t see him, but his face, with a confident smile, came to mind easily just with his cool voice.

[Go. I will help support you.]