Chapter 92
Chapter 92
Lee Si-hyun shouted in a chilling voice.
But at that moment, it was a cry devoid of power, echoing in this chaotic situation.
Bayan sneered as if he thought it was just a desperate struggle before death.
Kashir didn’t stop his ruthless slashing.
Only after ripping apart the corpse to a degree that would satisfy him with the Death Scythe did he slowly rise, staring at Si-hyun with his usual smiling face.
“Haha, what did you say? I can’t hear you.”
“I said to stop.”
“Uh? What? I can’t hear you, you know?”
Kashir shrugged exaggeratedly.
Yet, there was no sign of him wanting to move.
It seemed he intended to let Bayan have the prey.
In the meantime, Bayan was approaching Si-hyun and his group.
He was deliberately approaching slowly.
He looked like he was savoring the delectable joy of a predator, enjoying the thrill of toying with trapped prey in the corner.
But Si-hyun paid no mind to Bayan.
His eyes were fixed solely on Kashir.
Si-hyun knew exactly who the strongest human in this place was, one who could decide life or death.
Si-hyun again spoke in a chilling voice.
“I told you to stop, Kashir.”
“Oh? Oh? You said my name? Knowing my name means you should die, you know? Ah, wait. Even without knowing, it seems like you’re destined to die anyway.”
Kashir laughed mockingly.
“Worry for your life, legendary murderer.”
“Huh?”
The moment a smile vanished from Kashir’s lips, something curious flickered in his expression.
He could guess the name.
Bayan had just called him out earlier.
But the term ‘legendary murderer’ was something not even the pathetic Hunter before him should know.
And so the doubt arose.
Bayan also halted, staring at Si-hyun with a bewildered look.
A reaction was elicited.
Up to this point, it was going as expected.
Si-hyun continued speaking.
“Ashila’s Human Butcher.”
“….”
“The Smiling Priest. Need anything more?”
“Who are you?”
Kashir’s smiles entirely vanished.
A vicious aura emanated from him, making it hard to breathe.
Had it not been for the Executioner’s Cold-bloodedness, Si-hyun wouldn’t have endured the pressure.
Proof of this was evident as Eun-hye and Min-jun were clearly struggling against Kashir’s murderous intent.
They poured out cold sweat from every pore and grimaced in agony.
However, Si-hyun maintained his composure, thanks to a skill that made it easy for him to keep cool in any situation, his expression unflinching in the face of danger.
Thank goodness for his cold-bloodedness.
Otherwise, he would have been detected by now.
Showing weakness to the enemy was not an option.
Absolutely not.
In that instant, everything could end.
“Who am I? Knowing that means you should die, you know?”
Si-hyun provocatively parroted back Kashir’s previous statement.
“You crazy bastard!”
The reaction came not from Kashir, but from Bayan.
It was already the second time Bayan had laid eyes on Si-hyun, the first being when he’d clashed swords directly.
Thus, a deeply ingrained perception of Si-hyun as a pathetic, weak Hunter was firmly fixed in his mind.
Moreover, Bayan knew Kashir was an S-rank murderer, but he had never heard the terms Ashila’s Human Butcher or the Smiling Priest before.
Among those who knew him, he was just commonly referred to as Kashir.
Therefore, to Bayan, it merely seemed like a ridiculous act of rambling nonsense.
But Kashir’s reaction was entirely different.
The aliases Ashila’s Human Butcher and the Smiling Priest were not something just anyone could know in this world.
He had completely changed when compared to his identity in the other world.
Thus, knowing those aliases meant someone was familiar with the identity behind the name Kashir.
“Bayan, be quiet.”
“What? Kashir, that guy is….”
“I said be quiet!”
As Kashir, who always smiled, suddenly turned serious, Bayan instinctively flinched and shut his mouth.
Then, he glared at Si-hyun and spoke in a voice dripping with coldness.
“I asked who you are.”
“Huh, I clearly warned you, and you still want to know? Well, fine. Let me just say this much. I’m also ‘legendary.'”
Legendary.
An S-Class modifier.
This alone was information that was hardly known to anyone in the world.
The information surrounding S-Class was shrouded in mystery.
Thus, Eun-hye and Min-jun could not grasp the meaning of that statement.
No, not just that statement; they couldn’t comprehend anything about Si-hyun’s actions at all.
However, they could at least guess that Si-hyun must have some reason for his actions.
So while they worried for his safety, they had to just endure and watch.
“No way, you lowlife are legendary? How dare you….”
“Shut up!”
As Bayan exclaimed in disbelief, Kashir shouted to cut him off.
Only then did Bayan’s mouth fall silent again.
Kashir spoke up.
“You know that isn’t what I meant to ask?”
“I do.”
“Then answer me. If not, I will most certainly rip your mouth open right here so you can never speak again.”
The murderous intent from Kashir intensified.
Not all legendaries were the same.
Kashir was confident he could tear apart at least half of them head-on.
He was strong enough to have that level of confidence.
“You’re acting too high and mighty, Human Butcher. I won’t answer you. Guess it yourself.”
The friend of Po-ahim is strong.
Seeing Cheonbyeon of the Black Cross, who possessed monstrous abilities, yield was enough to suggest this.
Then, there was no choice but to act.
A life-or-death performance.
He had to become the friend of Po-ahim.
Perfectly.
He had to be strong.
No, I am strong.
Really strong.
In such a situation, I wouldn’t feel intimidated at all.
Rather, I was overflowing with confidence.
Because I am truly strong.
Calmly.
Even more calmly.
I kept whispering that to myself.
And then, Si-hyun slowly drew out the Acureruts.
The pure white blade emerged, scattering a brilliant silver light.
“No way?!”
Kashir’s eyes widened in shock.
He seemed to have been profoundly impacted.
Unknowingly stepping back a few paces, he clenched his grip around the Death Scythe.
“Acureruts…? So you are… the Sword Master!”
Kashir gasped out, his expression showing clear signs of dread towards the figure known as the Sword Master.
It resonated.
More than he thought it would.
Had he been his usual self, he might have lost his composure due to the excitement of his plan succeeding.
But thanks to his cold-bloodedness, he could maintain his calm.
“Now that you know who I am, you should die.”
This time, it was Si-hyun who took a step closer to Kashir.
Since the bravado worked, he couldn’t back down now.
Think.
If I were truly the Sword Master he mistakenly thought I was, what would I do?
If I am strong, there is no need to retreat.
I wouldn’t have.
I had to take charge of the atmosphere in this place.
“What? That guy is the Sword Master? Kashir, are you mistaking something?”
Bayan said, looking utterly baffled.
He had heard of the Sword Master from his father.
A highly notorious figure, the Information Bureau of the China Hunter Association was desperately trying to track him down.
There’s no way such a notorious figure could look like the lowlife before him.
‘Annoying.’
Si-hyun thought.
Unlike Kashir, showing off to Bayan wasn’t effective.
So he had to do something.
If he left him be, the act he had put his life on the line for could go to waste.
He had a method in mind.
But it was also an uncertain gamble.
If it failed, that would be the end.
But having come this far, everything was a precarious tightrope walk.
There was no turning back.
I had to move forward somehow.
“I am not dealing with you, lowlife. I’m talking to the Human Butcher. Stay quiet and scrunch away.”
Si-hyun shot a condescending glance down at Bayan.
That was a blatant provocation.
As expected, Bayan’s face darkened with rage, his features twisting into an ugly scowl.
Not one to keep his cool, especially with someone he deemed a pathetic insect, he couldn’t endure Si-hyun’s insults.
He was shaking, ready to lunge at him with weapons drawn.
“What are you doing? Get lost over there at once!”
Si-hyun lit the final fuse on a bomb ready to explode.
“You… you bug-like scum!!!”
Ultimately, Bayan lunged at Si-hyun like a predator, clutching a dagger with the intent to tear him apart.
Si-hyun remained completely unfazed.
He didn’t move; he simply watched Bayan with cold eyes.
Bayan drew closer.
The distance closed.
Yet, Si-hyun did not lose his composure.
And just when Bayan reached the range he had anticipated.
“You arrogant punk—!!”
A thunderous roar, akin to a lion’s mighty roar, shattered the atmosphere as Si-hyun unleashed a powerful shout.
“Guh.”
Bayan, who was poised to stab the dagger into Si-hyun’s chest, wavered and stumbled backwards.
The sudden booming shout hit him hard, shocking not only his eardrums but also his vestibular sense, throwing off his balance.
‘Now’s the time.’
There was no time to hesitate.
Before long, Si-hyun held Po-ahim’s blackwood Guard Baton in his hand.
He intended to use the Guard Baton Technique.
The merciless description claimed it could beat down the opponent at incredible speed without mercy.
And it was a technique that left him astounded when he had tried it before.
Si-hyun’s hand moved.
But the speed he exhibited was not something a C-rank Hunter could demonstrate.
Puh! Pock! Pock! Puh! Puh!
The Guard Baton relentlessly slammed down onto Bayan’s body.
It cracked down without mercy, targeting his head, neck, shoulders, back, and chest.
So fast that even Bayan, a B-rank Hunter, couldn’t properly perceive it.
Here, only Kashir could follow Si-hyun’s movements with clarity.
Pock! Pock! Pock!
“Uargh!”
A scream escaped involuntarily.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
His head felt like it was going to burst open.
A pain like all the bones in his body were shattering surged through him.
Puh! Pock! Pock!
Si-hyun continued the relentless pummeling with the Guard Baton onto Bayan.
“Ah! Ack! Ack!”
No matter how much he wanted to resist, overwhelming pain left him incapable of thinking straight.
His vision spun and the world flipped upside down.
Si-hyun mercilessly kept beating Bayan.
Puh! Pock! Puh! Pock! Puh! Pock!
“…Ack! Ack! Stop… P-please… stop….”
It was utterly unbelievable.
A malicious killer, enjoying murder and skinning the face, begging for mercy from his opponent.
Just how immense was the pain that such an incredible event could occur?
Indeed, it was the overwhelming power of the technique designed to effectively execute punishment against defiant prisoners.
However, Si-hyun showed no sign of stopping the punishment easily.
He was determined to keep hitting until Bayan passed out.
Funny enough, the Guard Baton Technique was not meant to kill.
That was because Po-ahim had originally designed it not to kill prisoners.
It was engineered to deliver pain without fatality.
But the suffering was assuredly delivered.
The original intention of the technique was to inflict pain to force prisoners to submit.
“Waaah…. Please… please stop….”
In the end, Bayan sobbed like a child.
After being beaten so much, his head swelled up like a dumpling, and his complexion was as pale as a ghost.
Due to the agony, his entire body trembled violently.
Seeing Bayan’s condition, Si-hyun finally halted the pummeling.
Bayan appeared to have lost all the strength to resist at this point.
Bayan, curled up like a turtle to protect his vital points, slumped down helplessly as the beating ceased.
His expression was one of complete and utter daze.
“Ugh…. Ughhh….”
With a blank expression, he repeatedly moaned in pain.
“Get lost over there—!!”
Si-hyun shouted angrily.
Of course, in this state, he could easily kill him, and he felt that urge rising inside him.
But there was a risk of overly provoking Kashir.
That was something he had to avoid at all costs.
A fight against Kashir would lead to no chance of victory, only a road to death.
What mattered now was not revenge but the lives of the remaining people.
“Hii… Hiiik….”
Once again, as another mighty lion’s roar erupted, Bayan began to crawl away in fear.
Desperate to distance himself from Si-hyun in any possible way, he moved in panic.
Kashir watched this scene with a complicated expression, then turned his gaze back to Si-hyun.
It seemed this display of strength was having an effect.
Just wielding the Acureruts could bring a hint of doubt, but beating up a B-rank Hunter like this, it undoubtedly communicated his prowess.
All while using a club instead of a sword.
He could have easily killed him, yet he chose to convey the agony instead.
Though it was thanks to his skills, he was hitting without killing him, while delivering extreme pain.
It was a remarkable feat only achievable with considerable skill.
Moreover, the most fortunate thing was that Kashir seemed unaware of the identity behind the Guard Baton from Po-ahim.
Kashir’s thoughts were tangled up as well.
Sword Master Delagardi.
Among the continent, there were only three Grand Sword Masters.
No matter how much confidence he had in his strength, facing the Sword Master head-on was madness.
The question was whether he even intended to let that person go.
As Kashir pondered, he finally opened his mouth.
