Chapter 139

Chapter 139

“What are you...”

In-Cheol couldn't find the words; he could only stare at Se-Hoon. The joy of someone coming to save a person like him and fear for the future of an unrelated person who he had dragged in combined and swirled within him. The resulting feeling was indescribable, but that wasn’t what was important right now.

He forced his lips to move and shouted, “Run away now! He's not someone who would die from an explosion like that!”

“Of course he wouldn’t. I know that too,” coolly responded Se-Hoon.

He then walked over to In-Cheol and grabbed the spear that had pierced In-Cheol's shoulder before pulling it out in one swift motion.

Splash!

With the plug gone, blood began gushing out from the gaping wound. But Se-Hoon had expected such a thing so he immediately administered first aid by using the Harmonite.

Swish!

Silver threads shot out of his hand and penetrated In-Cheol's mangled body. They then began to align his broken bones, stitch the torn muscles, and reconnect his mana circuits.

“Ugh...”

To In-Cheol, it felt like he was receiving surgery without any anesthesia; it felt like his entire body was being turned inside out, making him tremble from the excruciating pain. Yet Se-Hoon just continued the treatment without blinking an eye.

A moment later, when he had mended In-Cheol enough to keep him from dying, he poured a potion he took out from his void pocket over him.

Sizzle!

“...!”

The potion worked wonders. Though In-Cheol was trembling uncontrollably, unable to even scream, his body was bubbling and mending at an incredible speed.

It worked so well that Se-Hoon became interested.

Maybe it's because I've seen his memories before.

Perhaps thanks to the memories he had glimpsed through the Phantasmal Spyblade, where he got to experience In-Cheol's physical and mental state firsthand, he could use Harmonite to heal In-Cheol better than expected.

Well, that’s one thing down...

Done with In-Cheol's emergency treatment, Se-Hoon promptly looked toward the direction the motorcycle had gone.

Fwoosh!

Over there, a pillar of fire was soaring into the sky and burning the surrounding forest.

It seemed the opponent hadn’t liked what he had done on the way here, which was modifying the structure of the motorcycle with Harmonite to make it more usable for offensive measures.

Creak- Crack-

The sound coming from beneath the wreckage was chilling. After all, it was the sound of the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s body, tattered by the explosion, was rapidly regenerating.

“Professor.”

“What...”

Noticing that In-Cheol looked even more exhausted than before he was treated, Se-Hoon made an awkward smile and got to the point, “I'll need your help.”

“...Even if I tell you to run, you won't, right?”

“Right... and it's already too late for that.”

With the motorcycle destroyed, running away from someone stronger wasn’t a choice in the first place.

Making a wry smile at Se-Hoon’s reply, In-Cheol forced his weakened body to rise.

Drip-

Even that slight movement had caused blood to ooze out from his half-healed wounds. His body was currently so fragile that it would tear at the slightest touch.

But it didn’t deter In-Cheol. Enduring the tremendous pain and fear of death, In-Cheol steadied his breath.

“What do you need me to do?”

Taking off the Flaming Scabbard with the Five-Flame Sword sheathed within it from his waist, Se-Hoon handed it to In-Cheol.

“I want you to heat this up as much as you can.”

“...”

Though In-Cheol didn’t understand why Se-Hoon would want to heat equipment that wasn’t even Hero tier, he just nodded instead of asking further.

“Got it.”

“I'll leave it to you then.”

Having handed off the preliminary work to In-Cheol, Se-Hoon began preparing for the imminent battle.

Whoosh-

From his void pocket, Se-Hoon took out the blade of the crescent moon glaive used by the assassin who previously attacked Sung-Ha and the level two Fatestone extracted from Lea.

[Bond Imprint 'Iron Desire' has been activated.]

Crunch!

The effect of Iron Desire caused the two materials to melt and permeate his body, energizing his blood. When the blade of a weapon that was originally Hero tier was combined with the Explosive Fusionite from Lea, which amplified the potential of materials to the limit, it created an enormous synergistic effect.

Voom!

The taste of the blade surged explosively throughout his body. It energized his blood, making it course wildly through his veins, and turned his hair tips a vivid crimson.

Fwoosh-

Unlike before, he no longer looked like he had used a mere enhancement skill; his appearance right now would make anyone think he had activated Soul Furnace. Moreover, it wasn’t just his hair; his eyes had also started to gleam with heat, indicating the manifestation of the second stage of Soul Furnace, Crimson Eye.

So this is what she meant by the second stage being different...

Compared to the previous stage which only boosted his physical strength, the second stage heightened all senses, allowing him to acutely perceive his surroundings.

He immediately put his new senses to use and spread them out in all directions, allowing him to notice that the enemy had started to rise from beneath the wreckage of the motorcycle.

Taking out his weapon, the Forgefire Hammer, Se-Hoon walked forward to meet his enemy.

And the moment his eyes locked with the enemy, who was shrouded in flames—

Booom!

The fire exploded, and the enemy instantly closed the distance, swinging the blade of the Fire Heaven Greatsword swiftly toward his neck.

The enemy’s physique, seemingly strengthened after regenerating, was at the peak of A-rank, and his weapon was nearly Legendary tier. In contrast, Se-Hoon was barely an A-rank with his enhancement that was running on a time limit.

Even he himself was sure that a direct confrontation, like the blade swinging at him right now, would result in his complete defeat, but then he had a certain feeling.

I can see it.

His sharply heightened senses told him that he could bridge the chasm.

Clang!

The Forgefire Hammer clashed with the Fire Heaven Greatsword.

Normally, the hammer would have been shattered by the impact, but instead, the enemy's blade bounced off.

To the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter, it was humiliating. Enraged by the unexpected outcome, he roared.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Despite wildly swinging the Fire Heaven Greatsword at Se-Hoon repeatedly, Se-Hoon was able to skillfully deflect it each time, along with the reckless punches and kicks that followed each one.

It looked like Se-Hoon was sparring with a tantrum-throwing child.

It was a sight that made In-Cheol, who was heating the Five-Flame Sword, expand his eyes in sheer disbelief.

This won’t do... this won’t do...

Knowing that the Specialization Ritual he had undergone was partially incomplete in the first place, if his body twisted any further he would likely end up a complete mess.

Such a thing was absolutely unacceptable to him. Even if the plans failed or the Fire Heaven Greatsword ended up in the enemy's hands, he refused to allow such a thing to happen. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to prove that his daughter's soul had been used meaningfully.

I need to reinforce the broken vessel. For that...

He needed another soul with the right aptitude.

He rapidly turned his head to look where Se-Hoon had been flung. If it was him, a promising candidate noted by even the heads of Offering, he would undoubtedly be more than sufficient to reinforce the vessel.

And the moment he reached that conclusion, he started sprinting.

Fwoosh!

Flames spread indiscriminately from his unstable body, engulfing the surrounding trees and setting the entire forest ablaze. In desperation, he moved through the rapidly spreading flames until he finally found Se-Hoon.

“He almost died...”

Standing still against a tree, Se-Hoon was covered in blood. His chest, which should have been pierced by the Fire Heaven Greatsword, was still intact, with faint purple flames flickering around him; only the torn shirt he wore showed he had been pierced.

Figuring out that he had been tricked, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s eyes grew wide.

Seeing that reaction Se-Hoon sneered and said, “Your technique and response weren't bad... but your mistake was naively believing I’d fall for your trick.”

When the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter regained his sanity, Se-Hoon had actually noticed immediately. The Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter had thought he had hidden it well, but he was unable to hide the subtle signs of consciousness in his movements when attacks were aimed at his vital spots from Se-Hoon’s enhanced senses. It was quite clear when compared to his stark lack of reaction at the start of the battle.

Your decades of honed skills became a hindrance.

From then on, Se-Hoon baited the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter into targeting his heart and then used the Dream Storage to evade the attack at the last moment. When the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter relaxed just a bit, he took the chance to use the Ascension Ring to completely shatter the core of the Fire Heaven Greatsword, the vessel containing his power.

“...I see. It seems I’ve made a mistake.”

Suppressing his rising anger, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter made a proposition, “So, out of respect for your skills, how about we complete this perfect equipment together.”

“...”

“If we combine my daughter's soul with yours, this perfect equipment could potentially reach the Mythic tier!”

He was desperate to persuade Se-Hoon. Surely completing a Mythic-tier equipment, an achievement every blacksmith dreamed of reaching at least once in their life, would convin—

“Why the fuck would anyone want to do that?”

“Of course...”

“Hey, do you think your dead daughter and the other souls desperately trying to escape that thing actually want that?”

Hearing Se-Hoon's pointed question, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter looked at the wildly flaring Fire Heaven Greatsword in a trance.

There, in the blazing flames, he was faintly able to see faces twisted in agony. His eyes then wavered and he gritted his teeth.

“No... that can’t be! Inside the perfect equipment is paradise...!”

“A-”

A very familiar voice reached his ears and he completely froze with a shudder.

“Prin-princess...?”

Did she have something to say to him?

But all he could hear were weak murmurs after the faint voice, the words were too garbled to understand. The Fire Sword Blacksmith strained even harder to listen.

“It hurts.”

For the first time, a daughter’s weak cry was able to reach her father's ears.

“AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

A beast-like roar of anguish erupted from him.

As his sanity crumbled, the repressed power of the Fire Heaven Greatsword surged wildly in all directions. It seemed ready to explode at any second, threatening to engulf the entire forest in flames.

At this rate... this entire area will be obliterated.

It would be a disaster that resulted in the loss of countless lives, including his and In-Cheol’s since the nearby regions were residential areas. There was no chance of a proper evacuation.

Se-Hoon reached out to In-Cheol.

“Hand me the sword now.”

“...”

In-Cheol blankly stared at the Five-Flame Sword which he had been heating with all his might until now. He had tried his best, yet it was still nothing compared to the Fire Heaven Greatsword. What could Se-Hoon possibly do with such a feeble weapon?

What if I use my soul to repair or distort the Fire Heaven Greatsword instead...

Perhaps he could at least save Se-Hoon.

Determined, In-Cheol moved to achieve that faint hope, but a kick to his chin knocked him down.

“I told you to give me the sword, not think such useless thoughts... tsk.”

Annoyed, Se-Hoon took the Five-Flame Sword from the fallen In-Cheol and looked ahead.

Fwoosh!

Facing the flames that wanted to engulf the entire world, the flames of his Five-Flame Sword seemed puny. It seemed utterly impossible to win against such odds.

With seemingly no hope, Se-Hoon recalled an old teaching from his master.

“Forget about a clean workshop, top-quality materials, and ample time. That’s all nonsense.”

A workshop could be destroyed at any time, needed materials were always out of reach, and a blacksmith’s time was always limited. So what should a blacksmith devote themselves to and hone?

To demonstrate the answer he heard from his master countless times, Se-Hoon unhesitantly stabbed the Five-Flame Sword into his heart.

Thunk!

The heated blade pierced his heart and protruded out his back. Experiencing the bizarre and thrilling sensation for the first time since he regressed, he summoned the skill hidden within his blood, ignited by the burning heat.

Soul Honing: Demonic Blood Art

Crunch- Crack-

His blood consumed the Five-Flame Sword, and soon, the form of the weapon engraved within his soul was recreated. Using his spirit and body as a forge and container, the weapon in his mind unfolded in his hands.

Whoosh!

A sword began to be forged inside his heart. The blade, charred like blackened coal and cracked all over, branched out and resembled a seven-branched sword that looked withered and unremarkable.

Grasping the bizarre Demon Sword, he slowly pulled it out and extended it to release its flames.

Drip-

Starting off as a trickle, the fiery blood of Demon Sword became a raging stream and spread throughout the burning forest. Like an apex predator, the blood-red flames began to devour the flames of the Fire Heaven Greatsword.

At the eerie sight, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter stopped wailing with a shudder and looked at Se-Hoon.

Fwoosh!

Standing with the blazing forest to his back, Se-Hoon grasped the eerie sword and stared at him. The hateful yet terrifying sight restored the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s sanity.

Burning the entirety of his remaining strength, he charged at Se-Hoon. His body crumbled before transforming into a massive blaze along with the Fire Heaven Greatsword.

Se-Hoon swung the Demon Sword in his hand.

Soul Weapon: Starfire Blaze

The blood-red flames devoured everything in sight.