Chapter 188 – The Authority of Predation (Part Seven)

*Whoooosh!*

Amidst the downpour, Il-hyeon placed both hands on the stiffened corpse.

Then, he slowly activated his Predation ability.

It was like absorbing the cores and Ether he usually held in his hands, but with a slightly different sensation.

Controlling that subtle difference, Il-hyeon carefully drew a faint light from the dead woman’s chest.

The light flowed up his arms and into his body.

“Hoo…”

Il-hyeon wiped a bloodstain from his cheek and let out a sigh.

Since the target’s life force was already depleted, his power didn’t increase as it would have from devouring a core, but he could feel the strength of the ability he had successfully absorbed.

Even without measuring it, he could tell that the level of her ability had been quite high.

“Grrrr.”

His summons approached him, one by one starting to nuzzle against him.

As they shared emotions even during battle, they couldn’t have been unaware that their master was in mental turmoil.

Il-hyeon gently lifted off the phoenix that had once again perched on his head and stroked the wolf that was nudging him with its head.

“Right, this is no time to be standing around.”

Il-hyeon turned his head and snapped his fingers.

With a sharp *snap*, Gwen popped out of thin air. The wolf quickly dashed over, catching her on its back before she could hit the ground, and landed softly.

Gwen, who had recently been acting as the Alpha Team’s de facto team doctor.

He had temporarily hidden her in a suitable location via teleportation after she entered the nuclear facility with Jo Nam-seok, and now he had summoned her back.

Gwen, who had been disoriented when the ground disappeared from under her, was startled by the sudden change in scenery and looked around.

“This place is…”

“I’ve brought you here, just as I said I would.”

Il-hyeon said, placing an umbrella created with his Transformation ability into her hand.

While it didn’t matter to him, an Awakened, the weather was so awful that even brief exposure could ruin the condition of Gwen, who was still an ordinary person.

The pouring rain and wind had already soaked her hair, leaving it limp and damp.

“Th-thank you.”

Gwen bowed her head, took the umbrella, and slid down from the wolf’s back.

Being well-acquainted with Il-hyeon’s summons, she wasn’t surprised, but she still couldn’t get used to a beast of this size.

“Um… what about Mr. Jo Nam-seok?”

“I’ve already given him separate instructions, so there’s no need to worry.”

Il-hyeon said.

By now, he should have already escaped the facility, so there was no danger of him being harmed by Baek Il-ho or the Eclipse bastards.

“Ugh…!”

Gwen flinched, spotting the corpse on the rooftop.

Blood poured profusely from the headless woman’s body, mixing with the rainwater to form a small river.

For someone like her, who had an extreme aversion to the act of murder, it was a sight that was difficult to dismiss casually.

Gwen glanced at Il-hyeon, who was resting for a moment with a weary expression.

Then, she hesitated before slowly opening her mouth.

“Um… has the situation gotten any better?”

“You could say we’ve passed one crisis. Though I wouldn’t call the situation good yet.”

He had defeated a powerful enemy capable of brainwashing everyone, from Aegis to the Response Team, and had cut off the variable that would have allowed them to be completely manipulated.

But by now, the three nuclear weapons would have fallen into their hands, and there was no telling what crazy scheme they would pull with them.

Considering they called it a means to block the Gates, they were clearly planning something extraordinary.

If they were planning to do something like douse several continents in radiation to prevent monsters from appearing, it would be nothing short of the end of humanity.

But Il-hyeon wasn’t about to rush into action here.

“I used up too much energy fighting back-to-back… Let’s rest here for a bit.”

“Ah, okay.”

Though she agreed, Gwen glanced down with an anxious look.

She wondered if it was really okay to just stand by when there was no telling what horrible things the enemy might do.

Moreover, in the city below the building Il-hyeon had teleported to, numerous members of criminal organizations were running rampant, their suggestions suddenly broken.

While some returned to normal as soon as the suggestions were lifted, others, who had been under powerful suggestions, went on a rampage when they were abruptly released.

They were showing different reactions depending on the person, and the worldwide chaos continued unabated.

*Vzzt-vzzzt!*

Just then, the space behind them began to ripple and shake violently.

The summons retreated, extremely wary, and Il-hyeon shot up from his spot.

A tall man in a white coat.

Baek Il-ho tore through space and appeared before them.

“Baek Il-ho…”

Tense, Il-hyeon gripped his sword with both hands.

But he wasn’t looking at Il-hyeon; his gaze was fixed elsewhere.

“…”

The pool of blood and the fallen corpse.

Seeing the dead woman, his expression was a mixture of sincere anger and sorrow.

He looked as if he had already sensed her death to some extent before coming.

But witnessing it firsthand, an uncontrollable emotion leaked out.

“To think you would make this choice…”

Baek Il-ho gritted his teeth and turned his gaze.

But there was no anger in his eyes as he looked back at Il-hyeon.

It was a gaze filled with nothing but sorrow and regret.

“This time… I have no choice but to kill you. You’ve crossed the line.”

A chilling aura washed over Il-hyeon, and his summons, feeling it too, charged at Baek Il-ho simultaneously.

Fierce flames and fangs came at him, but it was useless against a man with overwhelming abilities and power.

Baek Il-ho took the attacks head-on, absorbing all their energy without a single scratch.

*KABOOOOM!*

Just a single punch.

But its power was more than enough to easily subdue all four summons.

The summons were thrown back, unable to move. Only the phoenix, being reborn, could charge in again.

But the result was the same.

After its meaningless attack, Baek Il-ho’s hand closed around the phoenix, and ignoring the flames, he began to absorb the energy it possessed.

*Szzzzzz!*

The phoenix struggled, but due to the overwhelming power gap, the absorption was instantaneous. Tossed to the ground, it couldn’t move again.

It had barely escaped being extinguished.

“You brought this upon yourself. You’ve ruined everything… everything we had!”

*BOOM!*

Baek Il-ho instantly kicked off the ground and charged.

Il-hyeon barely managed to react and draw his sword, but he only lasted five exchanges against the bare-handed Baek Il-ho.

On the sixth attack, which targeted an opening, his right arm was completely twisted back.

Immediately after, his sword was sent flying and embedded itself in the ground, and Il-hyeon was spun around and slammed to the floor.

So easily subdued, Il-hyeon’s neck was seized by Baek Il-ho’s outstretched arm, and he was lifted high into the air.

“Keuk…!”

The absurd strength of his crushing grip was one thing, but the savage killing intent, like that of a monster, made it hard to breathe.

He couldn’t muster any strength in his body. He barely managed to lift his left arm to grab Baek Il-ho’s, but his legs hung limp.

“N-no!”

Gwen, who had been frozen stiff by the sudden turn of events, squeezed her eyes shut and ran to save Il-hyeon.

But with a flick of his hand, without even a glance, Baek Il-ho sent her tumbling to the ground.

The impact fractured a bone, and she collapsed, letting out a groan.

She knew that Il-hyeon was the only one who could stand against Eclipse and turn this grim situation around, but with no power of her own, there was nothing she could do.

“It wasn’t time yet… Just why!”

Baek Il-ho shouted.

It wasn’t a roar of raw anger, but a tone of resentment and reproach.

As if he were desperately trying to shift the responsibility for killing Il-hyeon onto him.

*Crrrack!*

His Defensive Coat had been down for a while now. If Baek Il-ho applied even a little more pressure, Il-hyeon’s neck would snap in an instant.

But for some reason, Baek Il-ho hesitated to deliver the final blow.

And after a moment of deliberation, he made a surprising choice.

“No, this is clearly my mistake. I shouldn’t have blamed you.”

*Ssssk.*

Releasing his neck, Baek Il-ho took a step back.

To his surprise, it was Il-hyeon who stared blankly at Baek Il-ho.

He couldn’t understand why he would stop now.

“I swore to protect you all, and I cannot kill you here.”

“What…? What are you talking about…”

“There is no compromise. I will start over from the beginning. I’ll correct every single mistake, leaving nothing behind.”

Baek Il-ho drew the sword from his waist.

And aimed for his own heart, thrusting with all his might.

Baek Il-ho, capable of multiple regressions, was trying to end his own life to reset everything back to the beginning.

“No!”

This time, surprisingly, it was Il-hyeon who grabbed his arm and stopped him.

Baek Il-ho looked at Il-hyeon with shocked eyes as he desperately reached out with his left hand to block him.

As far as he knew, Il-hyeon had absolutely no reason to save him.

But Il-hyeon desperately blocked Baek Il-ho’s sword.

‘If he dies here, everything will fall apart.’

Il-hyeon gritted his teeth.

The countless future scenes he had witnessed.

If Baek Il-ho disappeared at this point, humanity would never be able to escape its doom.

Until the moment he could kill him himself, Baek Il-ho had to stay alive.

“Baek Il-ho! What about the people left behind? Are you saying you’re just going to irresponsibly leave after pushing the comrades who trusted and followed you for eight years into hell?”

Il-hyeon roared, gripping his arm.

Baek Il-ho’s eyes wavered significantly.

“Yes… you’re right. Even if I leave, I must take responsibility for them. I was swept up in the moment and almost made a foolish choice.”

Baek Il-ho muttered in agreement.

The strength in his arm slowly dissipated.

Seeing Baek Il-ho’s agitation gradually subside, Il-hyeon breathed a sigh of relief, feeling safe for a moment.

But he quickly fixed Il-hyeon with a cold gaze.

“To do that, I’ll have to kill you.”

*Shunk!*

Along with his cold voice, Baek Il-ho’s sword, Robringer, pierced Il-hyeon.

The blade ran him through, splitting his heart precisely in two and causing him to spew an immense amount of blood.

“Forgive me.”

“Go to… hell…”

*Thud!*

The edge of the rooftop.

Pushed back, Il-hyeon’s body teetered.