Chapter 197 – The Greater Good (Part Four)

KA-BOOM!

A thunderous explosion erupted in the already ruined city center.

Several members of Eclipse were caught in the chain of powerful explosions. Some were thrown far into the distance by their protective barriers, while others had their Defensive Coats power down, leaving them injured.

Then, space twisted in several places as a large-scale teleportation unfolded.

The perpetrators of the explosion began to appear, one by one.

SWISH!

“Aaargh!”

Two swords, swung in unison, cut down a member of Eclipse.

The first to appear and strike the man were Astrid and Marco, their black wings unfurled.

Elsewhere, where another battle was raging, Alpha and Beta Teams—along with the newly formed Gamma and Delta—launched a surprise attack, taking advantage of the opening Il-hyeon had created by tying up Baek Il-ho.

“Hurry! We’re heading straight for the launchpad.”

“Whoa, this is absolute chaos.”

Jo Nam-seok exclaimed dramatically as he looked around, following close behind Lee Dong-won.

As planned, Beta Team avoided combat as much as possible, moving with the objective of seizing the nuclear weapons and destroying the launchpad the moment they arrived.

High-ranking Awakened from Eclipse had been stationed around the launchpad, located underground in the city center, in anticipation of such an attack.

Because of this, breaking through their defenses head-on with just three people was an incredibly daunting task.

But just then, space twisted once more, and animal-type summoned creatures joined the fray, intensifying the battle and sowing chaos.

And Seo Jeong-hwa and the other members of Beta Team did not miss that opening.

They cut down the charging Eclipse members one by one, closing the distance to their objective.

They were all aware of how much was riding on their success, thanks to Il-hyeon’s explanation.

They had to stop their plan, no matter what.

However, a chilling aura suddenly emanated from the side, and Lee Dong-won brought his group to a halt.

“Wait, look out…!”

But it was too late.

Before they could even grasp the situation, a massive slashing attack was bearing down on them. It was too late to dodge.

KRAAAAAK!

The slash and the team members.

A man jumped between them, meeting the immense slash head-on with his sword.

SPLASH!

The man’s blood splattered in all directions.

He had blocked it with his sword, but that alone wasn’t enough.

His Defensive Coat powered down, unable to withstand even a single blow, and the still-powerful slash, though weakened, tore through his entire body.

But one thing was certain: the team members behind him were completely unharmed.

For him, that was enough.

The deep wounds covering his body and the massive blood loss were no problem for Choi Seong-won, who possessed the ability of super-regeneration.

Ssssss.

Seong-won’s body, which had been covered in grievous injuries, healed back to its original state in the blink of an eye.

Seong-won gave a slight nod, and the team members behind him, after a moment of shock, were pulled along by Jo Nam-seok as they resumed their sprint toward the objective.

Once they were out of sight, Seong-won faced the man in the black mask who had launched the attack.

“Choi Seong-won… so you’re the one with super-regeneration.”

“I don’t know your name, though.”

Seong-won said with a shrug.

But the masked man paid him no mind and continued.

“What do you hope to accomplish with such small numbers? Even for a surprise attack, this won’t be enough to even buy you time.”

While he acknowledged that each of them was a powerful Awakened, in a battle between high-rankers, a numerical disadvantage this great could never be overcome unless they had someone on the level of Baek Il-ho.

The fight was already evenly matched right after the surprise attack. Once the scattered Eclipse members regrouped, the outcome would be obvious.

These invaders were no different from moths drawn to a flame, rushing to their deaths.

KRRRRR!

Just then, the space in the sky above the city distorted violently.

It was a teleportation on a much grander scale than the first two.

“There shouldn’t be anyone else arriving at this point…?”

“Oh no, there are plenty.”

Fwaaash!

A horde of Awakened appeared all at once, pouring down from the sky.

Each of them wore a black coat.

The Awakened of Aegis and the Response Team, all thought to have been wiped out, had appeared.

Even the masked man, who had shown no emotion until now, was stunned by the sight.

Even with the members joining from the outskirts, their numerical superiority was now meaningless. The tide of battle had turned in an instant.

The masked man abandoned his leisurely attitude and began to act with urgency.

“This situation is less favorable than I thought. I’ll end this quickly.”

The man in the black mask intended to waste no more time and immediately pursue those who had headed for the launchpad.

But Seong-won spoke.

“You’re not moving from this spot until it’s over.”

“Not moving? Surely you don’t think you can stop me with regeneration alone?”

“It doesn’t have to be me. There’s someone else to block your path.”

Fwoosh!

Seong-won suddenly leaped back and began to move away.

It wasn’t in the direction of the launchpad, so he seemed to be heading to assist other teammates in battle. For a moment, the masked man couldn’t understand why Seong-won was letting him pursue Beta Team.

But then, the man in the black mask couldn’t help but be surprised by the face of the man who appeared beside him.

“Right… I had forgotten about you.”

“Of all people, I never imagined you would side with them. I didn’t see it coming.”

The head of Aegis, Ryu Jin-tae.

He appeared with his sword aimed at the masked man.

“You vanished so suddenly, I thought you were dead… What happened?”

“I disappeared of my own volition. It wasn’t just the Response Team; the governments of every nation were being manipulated by an unknown external force until Baek Il-ho appeared. As soon as I realized it, I faked the scene and vanished, escaping from under the government’s control.”

He slowly took off the black mask covering his face.

Beneath it was the very face Ryu Jin-tae had expected to see.

He hadn’t aged a day from his youth.

But as Ryu Jin-tae looked closer, he noticed a deep scar running vertically down one side of the man’s face.

“I tried to track their forces on my own, but it was useless. In fact, I barely escaped with my life. From a being called the ‘Administrator.’”

“So, you got scared and ended up joining Baek Il-ho?”

Ryu Jin-tae said mockingly.

But the man replied in his usual blunt tone.

“I don’t approve of Baek Il-ho’s overly radical methods either. But in the end, he is the only one with the power to save the world. If we don’t cooperate with him and resort to measures like this, the world will be destroyed, leading to even more sacrifice. People may die, but the world must not end.”

*The world must not end.* It was his creed, something he always used to say like a mantra.

It had even rubbed off on Baek Il-ho, his partner for the past eight years.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not for you to decide.”

FWOOSH!

Flames erupted from Ryu Jin-tae’s sword, which was pointed at the man.

“Always the foolish choice, Ryu Jin-tae. Just like in the second cycle.”

“There’s no place for relics of a bygone era. The future must be entrusted to the next generation.”

KRA-KOOM!

Four violent pillars of fire erupted from the ground.

The heat and flames unleashed by an S-rank Awakened were on a completely different level from fires created by ordinary abilities.

“Do you really think Kang Il-hyeon can stop Baek Il-ho?”

“Who knows… I can only hope he does.”

***

KABOOM!

An intense shock that shook the heavens and the earth slammed into Il-hyeon.

It was truly immense power.

There was a feint hidden within the straightforward sword energy, and he was nearly torn to shreds by a separate slash that struck him.

It was a true near-death experience.

Gwen could only revive those who had recently died and whose bodies were still intact.

Baek Il-ho was attacking relentlessly, as if determined to leave no chance for revival, intent on tearing Il-hyeon to pieces.

But the current Il-hyeon was no pushover, even against Baek Il-ho at full strength.

Having absorbed an unprecedented number of cores, Il-hyeon simply ignored the powerful overload and side effects on his body, recovering from them on his own.

KRR-CRACK!

As Il-hyeon placed his hands on the ground, the earth around him violently surged upward.

Life was breathed into the giant fragments created in an instant, and four simultaneously summoned worms rushed to devour Baek Il-ho.

SHWAAAAAA!

However, Baek Il-ho’s subsequent slash swept through the area.

Four powerful summons that Il-hyeon normally wouldn’t even attempt to create were taken down in a single blow.

But in unleashing that attack, Baek Il-ho had made a large movement, and Il-hyeon instantly leaped through space to close in on him.

A spatial jump with no prior motion, followed by an outstretched fist.

Instantaneous acceleration, physical enhancement, and three other abilities manifested simultaneously, striking Baek Il-ho in the abdomen.

KRA-KOOOOM!

A truly tremendous impact struck him, and the aftershock was so powerful that the surrounding ground, which hadn’t even been touched, was completely overturned.

Even Baek Il-ho, who hadn’t flinched until now, visibly recoiled.

But that was all.

Even that incredible blow was within the tolerance range of Baek Il-ho’s absorption ability.

*‘I knew it. This isn’t enough.’*

Il-hyeon, who had already anticipated this, leaped back to create distance and avoid a counterattack.

“Kang Il-hyeon…”

Contrary to Il-hyeon’s expectation of an immediate counter, Baek Il-ho stood still and spoke.

“If you could be brought back to life, why didn’t you revive Min Ji-hoon?”

Min Ji-hoon, who had been humanity’s strongest representative.

If he could be revived to his former state, this complicated situation could be resolved simply.

Il-hyeon had, of course, thought the same.

But it was impossible.

Too much time had passed since his death to revive him.

“That was beyond our abilities.”

“Then you must have taken Min Ji-hoon’s ability…”

As Baek Il-ho spoke, Il-hyeon finally understood what he was wary of.

Min Ji-hoon’s space distortion ability.

The power of a high-rank, space-manipulating ability was self-evident, and it was the only power that had defeated Baek Il-ho in the third regression, so it was natural for him to be cautious.

But Il-hyeon hadn’t taken it.

“No, I didn’t need it.”

“What?”

Baek Il-ho frowned.

Logically, it made no sense not to take such a powerful ability before a battle like this.

But it was the truth.

Il-hyeon already possessed an ability that surpassed it; there was no need to take another.

*‘It was about time I played this card anyway…’*

Il-hyeon extended his arm forward and clenched his fist. At the same time, the surrounding space began to distort strangely.

R-R-R-RUMBLE!

“This is…!”

Baek Il-ho’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t just a simple distortion, like the precursor to a spatial jump.

The ground tilted violently, and the trees bent.

Though neither of them had moved, the distance between them closed in an instant, bringing them face to face.

It was just like Min Ji-hoon’s ability, space distortion.

“So you did take his ability…”

“No, it’s different.”

Il-hyeon replied.

It was simply that Il-hyeon had lacked the power to fully manifest the potential of the ability he already possessed. He had a power that was a perfect, superior version.

It was the same for fire, ice, wind, and even space.

An ability that stood above almost every other power in existence.

The Authority of Transformation.