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Jeong Gyeoul, who had absorbed even the Peach’s Spiritual Power, broke through the roof and started picking up speed.

The S-Class Heroes were already struggling just to keep up with her.

It was a miracle if they didn’t lose sight of her.

Lee Ha-yoon stumbled as she tried to match Jeong Gyeoul’s speed.

She was so out of breath she could barely speak.

The other heroes were doing slightly better, but only slightly.

Jeong Gyeoul was pulling further and further away.

“Follow slowly, I’ll catch up.”

Jeong Ha-yul, not wanting to lose Jeong Gyeoul, chased after her as fast as she could.

Finally, Jeong Gyeoul slowed down, as if relieved.

“…I haven’t been this thoroughly outclassed in a long time.”

Park Seol-hwa bit her lip in frustration.

Since her duel with Jeong Ha-yul at the Academy, this was the first time she felt so utterly defeated.

It wasn’t that she was jealous or resentful of Jeong Gyeoul or Jeong Ha-yul’s strength.

In fact, Park Seol-hwa was the type to take such things in stride.

It was just that she didn’t like being reminded of her own limits.

For a moment, she resented having awakened an ability specialized in support, like alchemy.

“Just keeping up is exhausting now… She’s become a complete monster since returning from the Realm of Immortals.”

“At this rate, I doubt even Chronos or whatever that guy’s name is could take her down.”

Lee Ha-yoon and Kim Yu-shin were also left speechless.

Jeong Gyeoul had already surpassed the Transcendent level not long after reaching it.

It was only natural to feel a bit dumbfounded.

Now, it felt like even if all the heroes in the world gathered to face Jeong Gyeoul, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Jeong Gyeoul, who had instantly overtaken even the S-Class Heroes, was now leading the pack.

She flew so fast that Chronos’s face began to appear in the distance.

From Seoul, where the Hero Association was located, to Gangwon Province’s Goseong, it took less than 3 minutes.

A distance of over 200km in 3 minutes.

That’s like circling the Earth in just 10 hours.

Of course, fuel efficiency issues made this only theoretically possible.

Jeong Gyeoul, who had flown to Goseong in an instant, already looked exhausted.

Though Jeong Ha-yul looked even more worn out.

“…Huff….”

As Jeong Gyeoul slowed down upon spotting Chronos, Jeong Ha-yul finally caught her breath.

“Are you okay, sis?”

“…Yeah, just… a little… out of breath….”

“Chronos is up ahead. Looks like he’s waiting for us.”

“…Yeah, I see him.”

***

The beach in Goseong, Gangwon Province.

Chronos, with his feet in the seawater, was looking up at the sky.

“You’ve finally arrived.”

Despite being instantly subdued by Jeong Gyeoul’s railgun in the East Sea, he showed no fear.

Instead, he had the expression of a child who had found a fun toy.

He waited for them, feeling the coolness of the waves lapping at his feet.

In the distance, Jeong Gyeoul and Jeong Ha-yul, who had looked like tiny dots, were getting closer.

Whoosh—

As Jeong Gyeoul approached, she unleashed all the energy within her.

“Trying to seize the initiative?”

“I’m a bit tired right now, so let’s finish this quickly.”

“Hahaha, I’m not sure if it’ll go as you wish, but I’ll cheer you on.”

Chronos, who had burst into laughter, also unleashed his energy…

“…!”

“…What!”

The energy, which had been slowly rising from B-Class to A-Class to S-Class…

Broke through S-Class and reached the Transcendent level.

Soon, it rose to a level comparable to Jeong Gyeoul’s.

Though Jeong Gyeoul was exhausted.

That alone put him above Jeong Ha-yul.

Jeong Gyeoul’s expression hardened as she took a step forward.

“…Sis, you shouldn’t step forward.”

“…But….”

“Trust me? I’ll handle it.”

Jeong Gyeoul clenched her fist tightly.

For the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of tension.

‘I should’ve realized when Jang Gil-yong died instantly….’

Chronos was no longer the mediocre S-Class he had been in the East Sea.

He had returned with a level of power that made him seem like a completely different person.

She guessed it had something to do with why he had remained hidden after his prison break, unlike other villains.

She planned to buy time until the other heroes arrived.

“How did you get so strong?”

“In exchange for releasing the Cult Leader, I absorbed all the research specimens from the Satan Church. That’s how I became as strong as the Demon King standing there.”

“…Research specimens?”

Even after mobilizing psychics and spending months trying to extract the Cult Leader, they had thought it was over.

But there was still something left in the Satan Church.

“They’re called Chimeras. They all shared Jang Gil-yong’s immortality factor. Time was very generous to them.”

Chronos, with his time-manipulation ability, absorbed the time from the Chimeras left in the Satan Church.

The time remaining in the Chimeras, who had received Jang Gil-yong’s immortality factor, was immense.

That alone had already brought him to the Transcendent level…

And as seen in the recent footage, he had surpassed the Transcendent level by absorbing Jang Gil-yong’s time as well.

“So, you’re just a thief who stole from others?”

“That’s a bit harsh… Aren’t you also stronger thanks to the Satan Church’s research? What was it… ST-156? Haha, we’re in similar positions. Should we become sworn siblings?”

It seemed even his earlier act of pretending not to know Jeong Gyeoul was just an act.

He even knew the origin of her abilities.

Chronos, who had been a test subject in Nevada’s Area 51, seemed to feel a sense of kinship with Jeong Gyeoul, who had also been a test subject for the Satan Church.

“Sworn siblings… If I become your younger sibling, what will you do for me?”

“Anything. How about I gift you this Earth? I’ll just take another one.”

Chronos also knew about the Demon Realm.

Though he didn’t have information on the Realm of Immortals, which hadn’t been officially reported yet.

The Demon Realm was already somewhat known.

He had overheard and remembered conversations between researchers.

“You, with the Demon Realm? Hmm… I might be able to take down a Demon King or two. Do you think they’ll just sit still?”

“Don’t worry about that. Even if I just devour the S-Class here, I’ll be able to reign like a god.”

“You said you’d gift me the Earth, but you’re taking the best parts for yourself?”

“Ah, the best parts? Think of it as me clearing out the troublesome ones for you.”

Jeong Gyeoul kept talking, buying time.

Meanwhile, Jeong Ha-yul put on her Hero Suit.

It was a model with a built-in body cam, so the situation from now on could be seen and heard in the Association’s control room.

She hoped the Association would come up with something.

Jeong Ho-min, as if responding to that hope, was busy moving around.

Chronos was no longer just Korea’s problem.

He was a villain threatening the entire world.

Through the International Hero Division (IHD) hotline, hero associations from around the world gathered via video conference.

But no real solution emerged.

The only way to subdue Chronos was with overwhelming force.

Sending mediocre heroes would only waste time and make Chronos stronger.

The anti-Awakened bullets were useless even against S-Class heroes.

Some countries, realizing the severity of the situation, had dispatched their S-Class heroes, but Jeong Ho-min’s expression was grim.

‘…No matter how fast they are, the battle will probably be over by the time they arrive.’

He thought Jeong Gyeoul would win.

But he didn’t know what injuries she might sustain or how much damage would be done.

He couldn’t just sit back and watch, leaving all the burden to a middle school girl.

Jeong Ho-min was trying to find a way.

“This should be enough time, right? Or do you need more?”

“If you could buy me another day, I’d be grateful.”

“Should I? I’m kind of enjoying this conversation. It’s been a while since I talked to someone.”

Jeong Gyeoul was pondering what to say to keep this crazy guy engaged in conversation.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared, blocking the sunlight from behind.

“…!”

As Jeong Gyeoul and Jeong Ha-yul turned their gazes backward…

Two daggers flew toward their hearts.

‘…I didn’t notice?’

Even though she had already spread her energy wide, someone had managed to deceive her senses and get this close.

She guessed it was a villain with at least Transcendent-level power, possibly on par with her.

She unleashed her telekinesis with all her might.

The two daggers were deflected weakly.

“…Tch!”

She realized something was wrong.

The force behind the daggers was something even an A-Class could block.

She had made a mistake by letting them get this close.

Sure enough, Chronos charged from behind.

“Move!”

Jeong Gyeoul pushed Jeong Ha-yul away while also dodging herself.

She barely avoided Chronos’s time blade, but the situation wasn’t good.

After flying all the way here, she had already used up a lot of energy. Overusing her telekinesis to block the daggers had left her with less than half her magic power.

“Couldn’t even land that properly?”

“…I’m sorry.”

A strange figure with a bald head, bizarre combat makeup, and wearing a suit.

It was Hermes, Chronos’s subordinate.

Chronos, who she thought was S-Class, was almost on par with her.

And now, his subordinates had appeared.

Jeong Gyeoul began to feel not just tension, but a sense of crisis.

Hermes’s magic power was around S-Class level, so he wasn’t a threat that could turn the tide alone.

With the heroes following behind and Jeong Ha-yul, they could handle him.

But…

‘…The problem is, I don’t know how many more there are.’

This guy alone had managed to sneak up on her with his stealth.

If there were other subordinates, she’d have to constantly be on guard, not knowing their abilities or where they might pop out.

This fight was going to be harder than she thought.

 

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