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“Why is Hwarang here instead of stopping the overflowing monsters?”

“You seem to know me, foreigner? What an honor.”

“Shouldn’t we be saving the citizens dying in real-time right now?”

“Since you know me, surrender quickly. I’ll spare your life.”

“Pitiful citizens, believing someone like you would save them as a hero.”

“Ah, I’ll spare your life, but you’ll rot in the underground prison for life. If you’d rather die, I can make it quick.”

“This conversation isn’t going anywhere. How barbaric of an Easterner.”

“You reek of filth, you brat. It’s pitiful how you can’t even understand what I’m saying.”

They exchanged words, but the conversation went nowhere.

Neither listening, just spouting their own lines.

While hurling personal insults at each other.

I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Ah, I saw it on TV.

‘If you go to the National Assembly, you’ll succeed.’

A brief moment of intense eye contact.

I felt like I witnessed the essence of trash talk today.

“Don’t worry about the young Demon King, stay out of harm’s way.”

“Huh? But those guys always try to take me hostage…”

“They won’t get the chance, so it’s fine to step back.”

Hwarang’s confident demeanor.

I couldn’t argue with that look of certainty.

Above all…

The aura radiating from his body already surpassed that crazy woman.

Still, an S-Class Hero must be confident to say such things.

“Alright… Be careful.”

As I felt the relief of survival, the tension began to ease.

The hormones secreted by my body stopped working.

And soon, immense pain followed.

“Ugh…”

With half my body crushed, I barely crawled to a place safe from the fight’s aftermath.

I couldn’t even try to stand, fearing I’d collapse.

I thought about using magic to move, but… if I released the magic holding my diaphragm, I’d probably vomit my guts out in a grotesque scene.

I focused the remaining magic on recovery.

Rather than using telekinesis to float and strain my circuits further, it was better to overwork my already fragile bones.

I crawled to find a spot.

I didn’t want to die helplessly in such a messed-up situation.

Watching the Awakened Ones fight would be helpful.

Especially when such strong fighters clash, every move has meaning, so I had to take it all in.

I’ve lived through tough training, but…

I’ve already encountered two Apostles.

Whether the 12 Apostles are the end or there’s more beyond, I don’t know.

Even if it’s just the 12, there are still 10 left.

Since it’s the Satan ‘Church,’ there must be a Cult Leader.

And there are other villains besides the Satan Church.

‘Like the Crime Pub where Fox Mask belongs…’

Seeing how the Chinese Triad mobilized the Xiaos, it’s not a peaceful place either.

Today, I realized something crucial.

‘I’m still severely lacking.’

I became complacent after reaching A-Class.

Lately, I’ve skipped training to play games… I’ve been living a pathetic life.

From now on, I need tougher, more intense training.

I’ll endure this pain and focus on the fight.

With the mindset to gain something from the battles ahead.

I won’t say, “Starting tomorrow.”

If I’ve decided, I’ll act immediately.

As I settled into position, Hwarang spoke.

“Thanks for waiting, seems you still have some conscience, brat.”

“Anyway, I need to take you down to get to that kid. I was thinking of a way.”

“Wasted effort. No S-Class would fall to an A-Class.”

“We’ll see about that. S-Class doesn’t mean invincible.”

“You talk like you’ve beaten one before.”

“Ever heard of Carlos from Mexico?”

“The drug lord who died under mysterious circumstances?”

“His ability to produce drugs from his body was fascinating. Not sure why he was S-Class, though.”

“So, you’re the one who killed him.”

The Apostle of Jealousy must’ve been an A-Class Awakened.

Even though we’re the same rank, he could toy with me.

I thought the Apostle of Jealousy was S-Class, and I was secretly wondering how I could beat an S-Class.

How pathetic.

But I’ve already regretted enough.

I’ll do better from now on.

Unlike my past life, this time I have people and resources to help me.

At that moment.

A surge of explosive magic power flowed.

The Apostle charged at Hwarang, who stood firm.

Ten weapons transformed from nails and a sword in both hands clashed, emitting sharp flashes.

Kakaka-kakang!

Blurring blades, targeting each other’s vital points, exchanging dozens of strikes in an instant.

‘…Incredible speed.’

A speed far beyond when he swung the scythe at my shoulder.

It was clear he’d been toying with me.

The slashes that mocked Hwarang’s single sword grazed his body fiercely.

The Apostle didn’t care if he landed a hit or inflicted wounds, just kept pressing.

A sinister killing intent filled the entire classroom.

‘The Apostle is one thing, but blocking all those attacks with just one sword… Amazing.’

When Jeong Ha-yul gets serious, fights usually end in one or two moves.

Even though I’m close to S-Class Awakened, I’ve never seen such a close battle.

Shock and awe kept crossing my mind.

“Is this all? Did dozens of people swarm in Mexico?”

“Shut up!”

Every step, every twist, every breath the Apostle took.

Hwarang’s sword strikes followed without missing a beat.

Flexible yet heavy, strong yet dazzling.

That’s real swordsmanship.

‘You see what you know.’

If I hadn’t learned from Xiao Lin’s fist techniques and deepened my understanding of martial arts, I’d have thought this was just a beautiful sword dance.

And as my skills improve, today’s scene will look different.

I just hoped to etch their movements into my mind, never to forget.

The Apostle’s relentless attacks grew desperate, and Hwarang began to laugh.

“A last-ditch effort! Go all out!”

“Hmph!”

As Hwarang took a step back from the Apostle’s barrage.

The Apostle suddenly turned toward me.

“Damn it! Young Demon King!”

I knew it from the moment he boasted.

I knew it when he laughed like a battle maniac.

I didn’t trust that swordsman.

Damn it! Hwarang is a bad guy.

The Apostle charged at me with full force, and Hwarang followed.

But it seemed Hwarang wouldn’t reach me in time.

I gathered all the magic holding my diaphragm and focusing on recovery.

Even if my guts spill out, even if my circuits break.

I prepared to deploy a defensive barrier, praying to God to just let me live.

The Apostle stabbed at me with his nails, using his momentum.

“Ugh!”

A force I couldn’t block even at full health.

The barrier began to crack, on the verge of breaking.

Hwarang would arrive too late; my barrier would shatter first.

“Damn it!”

I had to avoid vital points.

I’d only get stabbed once.

If I could endure that one hit, Hwarang would handle the rest.

Bracing for the pain, I widened my eyes to ensure a safer stab.

Kwaaaang—

A sound far louder than when Hwarang broke through the window.

The ceiling shattered as someone landed right on the Apostle’s head.

Dust rose, obscuring my vision.

The person who broke through the ceiling slammed the Apostle into the floor below.

Did they crush the Apostle with more force than Hwarang?

It happened too fast to see clearly.

But they seemed dressed similarly to me.

Could it finally be Jeong Ha-yul?

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The two destroyed every floor, crashing down to the first level.

“How dare you touch them!”

From below, Jeong Ha-yul’s voice seemed to echo.

“Uh, Sister?”

“Gyeoul! Stay there for a moment!”

The sudden arrival was, as I guessed, Jeong Ha-yul.

The Demon King has descended.

My guardian angel has finally appeared.

Now, that Apostle is done for.

The sound of Jeong Ha-yul beating the Apostle resonated throughout the building.

Hwarang approached, pouring a potion on me and handing me another to drink.

“Are you okay? I boasted so much but got distracted in the fight…”

“…Nothing happened in the end. I’d have died earlier if it weren’t for you.”

“Thank you for forgiving me. As an apology, I’ll grant you one wish, Young Demon King. Even if it costs me my life.”

Earlier, I cursed him in my heart, but in the end, I survived.

And now, I have a one-time Hwarang favor card.

More gain than loss.

Besides, as I told Hwarang, he already saved my life once.

“I won’t refuse. I actually had something to ask.”

“Oh, what is it? I’ll put the Five Stars Guild aside and prioritize your request.”

“Once everything settles, I’ll tell you then.”

“Very well, I’ll be waiting. By the way, we shouldn’t kill them… She seems really angry.”

The sounds of banging and crashing still echoed from below.

Could anyone survive that many punches from the Demon King?

“Ah, Guild Master. It’s Hwarang. The situation’s resolved, but… well, the Young Demon King was in danger, and the Demon King showed up.”

“Why is that my fault? What? Stop the Demon King? Are you telling me to die here?”

“If you came, you wouldn’t say that! Touching the Demon King now means instant death!”

The noise didn’t stop.

Would there even be a corpse left?

Maybe it’s already turned to dust, and she’s just pounding the ground.

A reasonable suspicion.

 

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