Chapter 260 – Final Boss (2)

It was overwhelming.

With every swing of the sword, monsters fell like autumn leaves.

Enemy forces swarmed from all directions, trying to take down one Asian man.

*Fwaaah!*

The Asian man did not back down. It seemed the stronger the enemy, the more numerous they were, the stronger he became.

“-This is what it means to be human, you monster bastards!”

Since the Countdown to Destruction began, people who had become observers through their dreams watched a single hunter achieve victory after victory against the monsters of the Demon Realm.

He was invincible.

Even colossal monsters fell in a single blow, and he rescued all the captured and oppressed prisoners.

“-Seriously, the Deliveryman’s inventory skill is specialized for rescues!”

Just as someone had said, the Asian man’s unique inventory skill—the ability to place people in a subspace—was perfect for rescuing the abducted.

Above all, his incredible martial prowess, like that of a one-man army, sent the observers into a frenzy.

“-Man, I seriously love you.”

“-Is it even okay for a human to be that strong? I’m starting to feel sorry for the monsters.”

He rescued people single-handedly and single-handedly stormed the Demon Kings’ stronghold.

And they cheered when the Asian man destroyed the giant monster that had been abducting people.

Dimensional creatures from the Demon Realm had been abducting random people, and they were a source of terror because no one knew when, where, or who would be targeted next.

When the Asian man shattered that symbol of fear, people couldn’t help but go wild.

People who woke up poured the heat of that moment onto online communities, and posts related to hunters were flooded with talk of Lee Hyunbin.

“-…!”

At that moment, another battle began.

In front of the overwhelmingly strong Asian man, the final boss appeared.

He was a withered old man, yet he displayed combat power that didn’t fall short of the muscular Asian man’s.

People watched the tense situation unfold.

Their cheers wouldn’t reach the Asian man. Even knowing this, they shouted and screamed.

Their own forms were invisible to him anyway.

“-He did it!”

The Asian man finally defeated the final boss.

It was an indescribably spectacular technique.

Unleashing a dazzling skill effect, he blew away everything in the vicinity in a single blow.

It was the perfect finishing move.

The people were certain.

The Asian man, the Deliveryman Lee Hyunbin, was the strongest man in the history of hunters.

The people who had witnessed his victory as observers chanted his name.

Then, a twist occurred.

“-C-Crazy…!”

“-Huh? Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

The boss they thought was dead stood up.

The red beam he fired aimed for the Asian man’s head.

Hot blood fell through the air.

The hero’s injury, and a groan of suppressed pain.

The Asian man, Hyunbin, failed to completely dodge the attack and was hit in the left eye.

Unceasing red blood. Hyunbin brought a hand to his blinded eye and gritted his teeth.

“Good, very good.”

The Demon King, who had taken the form of an old man, was reborn in a youthful form.

At a glance, one could feel a strength different from before.

“-You can do it, Lee Hyunbin!”

“-Destroy him, you bastard!”

The people once again cheered for their hero.

***

“Got a nice clean shave, huh?”

Despite his injury, Hyunbin sneered at Agares.

“My apologies for not controlling my strength.”

“Doesn’t matter. I won’t be holding back from now on either.”

Though injured, Hyunbin did not retreat.

A mystical blade of light formed from the sword he held, and the second battle began.

The Holy Sword in Hyunbin’s hand flew toward Agares’s neck.

Agares parried with the blade of his glaive and executed a shoulder tackle. Then, he swung his glaive in a full arc at the pushed-back Hyunbin.

*Kwwaaaang!*

Hyunbin narrowly blocked the attack with his Holy Sword. But he was flung back, bouncing off the shattered wall.

*Wheeeing!*

Red dots appeared around the Demon King, soon transforming into beams that rained down on Hyunbin like a shower.

*Paaang, Kwaang!*

The red beams curved, relentlessly striking Hyunbin’s body.

He dodged half of them, but had no choice but to endure the other half with his HP Shield.

Hyunbin threw a dagger.

Agares casually swatted the flying dagger aside.

In that instant, Hyunbin closed the distance and charged.

*Shwiiik! Chaang!*

The blade of the Holy Sword swung by Hyunbin was met by the blade of the glaive.

It was a tense standoff—no, Hyunbin was slowly being pushed back.

“Try harder, Hero.”

“Was it that obvious I was holding back?”

Hyunbin immediately unleashed an explosive burst of mana from his sword.

Refillia Resode Form 0: Sword Formation.

A swordsmanship style and a Holy Sword that consumed a great deal of mana. The power was amplified accordingly.

A formation of swords poured out in all directions, weaving a dizzying pattern that tore everything hostile to shreds.

The sword light swept past.

Agares’s body was torn to pieces. The traces of the sword light burned his body, but he did not die.

No, he was regenerating at a visible rate.

Hyunbin let out a short breath. Then, he gathered mana in his free left hand and thrust it forward.

Lightning.

The Hero’s one and only Transcendent skill unleashed a storm of full-power electricity.

Agares, whose damaged body slowed his evasion, imbued his glaive with a skill and parried the attack.

*Kwaa, kwaaang!*

A shockwave, as if from an earthquake, reverberated in all directions.

The glaive was sent flying to the ground some distance away by the impact.

Visible amidst the dust and debris was Agares, both his arms burned away.

The flesh, burned to the point where even blood had evaporated, was regenerating in an instant, as if the damage had been a lie.

“You’re like a damn planarian.”

“Now, it’s my turn.”

Agares said with a smile and vanished.

Hyunbin quickly spun around and swung his Holy Sword.

But Agares’s claws were faster, raking across Hyunbin’s abdomen.

The HP Shield crumbled like tofu.

Agares’s fist slammed into Hyunbin’s face.

Hyunbin rolled across the floor once. As he got back up, never letting go of the Holy Sword, Agares’s knee was already smashing into his face.

*Crack!*

Taking the blow, Hyunbin dropped the Holy Sword as his head snapped back.

Agares’s sharp claws seized Hyunbin’s throat.

*Paang!*

Hyunbin’s flying kick struck Agares squarely in the face.

“Entertain me more. It’s been a while since I’ve used this body, so my senses haven’t fully returned.”

“Trying to act tough with a bloody nose isn’t even funny.”

Hyunbin said, wiping at his neck.

“Scratching like a little kitten.”

A fair amount of blood came away on his palm.

“Struggle more. Thrash about more. The more you do, the closer I will get to the Baal System.”

Agares’s damage had regenerated in an instant. Hyunbin, on the other hand, was not recovering his health.

Having used his Holy Sword and Transcendent skill in quick succession, a significant amount of his mana had been consumed.

“Baal System?”

“Ah, yes. This was the technique. I remember now.”

Instead of answering Hyunbin, Agares drew a cross pattern.

“Guillotine.”

Hyunbin dodged reflexively.

A pitch-black curtain descended on the spot where Hyunbin had been.

*Kwaaaaaa-!*

The site of the explosion caved in like a crater, boiling with lava.

*Kwang, Kwaaaaaa-!*

Explosions erupted wherever Hyunbin dodged. Evading the attacks by a hair’s breadth, Hyunbin rolled on the ground and snatched up the Holy Sword he had dropped.

*Shwiiit!*

Red beams poured down once more.

Hyunbin generated the Holy Sword’s blade and parried.

*Teng, Chaeng!*

The beams deflected by the Holy Sword ricocheted, gouging craters in the floor.

*Puk, Puuk!*

Hyunbin felt the beams pierce his left arm, leg, and abdomen.

“Keuk…!”

A wave of excruciating pain washed over him, and Hyunbin let out a low groan.

It was a sensation of being gouged by a blade and burned at the same time.

The problem was that his left eye had been hit, creating a blind spot.

“The Hero System is the salvation system for humanity. The Baal System is its antithesis.”

Agares was at ease. Powered up, he was on a completely different level.

“Until now, no one has been able to challenge my power, nor reach it. That is why I waited. For the one who would elevate me to Baal.”

Agares’s vertical pupils looked at Hyunbin with a cold sneer.

“To think it would be you of all people. Right now, in this moment, I feel destiny.”

Hyunbin ignored the excruciating pain and moved to strike Agares’s neck.

“Guillotine.”

At Agares’s low incantation, curtains resembling human hands rushed in from all sides.

Hyunbin cut through the curtains with his Holy Sword. As he sliced through the darkness and secured his vision, a dizzying barrage of red beams filled his sight and poured down.

*Piiik, Shwiit!*

He ducked low and moved quickly to evade the attacks. But he couldn’t dodge all the beams that followed him like guided missiles and was hit by some.

“You cannot defeat me.”

Agares declared it with a face that said it was only natural.

Immortality. It meant that he had never been defeated in any battle until now.

Agares looked at Hyunbin, who had collapsed, covered in blood.

He felt as if the man he had seen long, long ago and the man before him now were overlapping.

An arrogant smile naturally formed on Agares’s lips.

There was a reason he had stepped forward himself.

If another Demon King had faced him instead, they might have been defeated.

Even Barbatos, who held the second rank in the East in terms of pure combat power.

They were currently preparing for war with the West. It was best to minimize losses.

Because he was a monster capable of crushing an entire army by himself.

Above all, he held a grudge against him that had existed for a very long time.

And now, the moment to resolve that grudge had come.

“If you have any last words, I will hear them.”

“Old man… what’s your big three total….”

Even in such a mess, he spouted such nonsense.

Agares raised his hand.

“Let us put an end to our ill-fated connection.”

Red dots filled the entire space, embroidering the air.

The moment the dots flashed, they became countless lines and poured down on Hyunbin.

*Kukwaaa! Kwaaaang!*

Explosions erupted for a long while. The building’s debris continuously floated in the air, kicking up dust.

Even though Hyunbin couldn’t resist, Agares endlessly poured out the beams.

He had no intention of leaving even a corpse, not a single piece of flesh.

***

Hunters are just a bunch of people who go crazy for money.

When gates opened and dungeons appeared, the rules of the world changed.

The profession of hunter was born, and they changed even the flow of the economy.

It had truly become an age of opportunity.

Working as a hunter brought wealth and fame. And the younger generation came to admire it.

Meanwhile, there were of course those who were jealous.

This world is so unfair.

Some people awaken so easily and gain popularity that rivals celebrities, while others accumulate wealth they couldn’t spend in a lifetime.

And yet, they are revered as heroes who protect the peace.

“-It’s an easy and good job, isn’t it?”

Because this world was so irrational, a man who lived confined in the castle of his home without throwing himself into the absurd world muttered as such.

“-It’s definitely like that….”

He muttered to himself.

The young man who had suddenly appeared and taken on the title of the best hunter.

He had even left malicious comments out of dislike for the handsome and strong man.

Because every time he saw him being revered by others, he felt as if his own existence was being negated.

He sneered that the pig-like masses were just fawning over what they saw on the surface.

The world inside his small 32-inch monitor was his own. In there, he could be anything.

Beyond the screen, he was clearly a being he hated and cursed.

But the scene he was forced to watch, linked to this damn system, was different.

A man was fighting for his life.

His usually arrogant and confident face was covered in blood, and he had lost an eye.

Dark blood intermittently spurted from his whole body like from a sewer drain. The floor became soaked with blood whenever he walked, whenever he fought, but the man didn’t seem to care at all.

For what, exactly? Why is he fighting so hard?

He had thought it was all a show.

The Countdown to Destruction is moving again.

As if the entire balance was shifting because of one man’s fight.

“-Fuck, you’re so damn strong! So why can’t you win!”

He was shouting without realizing it.

He was just an outsider, a mere third-party observer. So there was no way the man could hear him.

The pessimist, who had always considered himself cool-headed and realistic, was now, in this moment, becoming agitated.

He had always thought the tragedies he saw on the news had nothing to do with him.

“-Fuck! You’re the hero, get up, you idiot!”

He shouted alone at the muscular man who had collapsed and could not move.

The pessimist finally realized it.

That without knowing it, he was cheering for that man.

It’s only natural. It’s just because if that man loses, humanity is doomed, and he himself might be harmed. He convinced himself that was the only reason. Though no one was asking.

Powerful beams of light, like missiles, were pouring down to finish the man off.

The final act. He could feel it.

He wields his sword purely to protect someone, without expecting any reward.

He is fighting this reckless war to destroy the monsters that abduct people, to make the Demon King’s army that tramples humanity retreat.

Alone.

For some reason, the pessimist could feel that emotion.

Even though he was a person who had nothing to do with him.

It was then.

At the moment of crisis, a golden afterimage began to rise from the blood-soaked man’s body.

As the man’s eyes turned gold, a single wing stretched out long behind his back.

The man disappeared.

He was behind the boss.

*Kwaang!*

The sword in the man’s hand was shining even more intensely.

The boss looked flustered, seeing the man’s sudden increase in speed.

*Seogeok!*

The man’s sword split the boss’s hand in two.

The boss unleashed an even greater number of beams at the man who was recklessly charging him.

But the man had already vanished, leaving behind a golden afterimage.

*Pwshik!*

The man was moving as if he had suddenly become a different person.

He was carving him up in circles, as if peeling an apple.

The boss began to be thoroughly pushed back.

“-This is it! That’s it!”

The pessimist clenched his fist.

He’s won, it’s a comeback.

*Shwiiik!*

“-…!”

In a fleeting moment, a Demon King who suddenly appeared behind the man thrust a veined sword into him.

The man couldn’t dodge.

The man’s body could be seen buckling as the sword pierced his back.

More blood scattered into the air.

“-……!”

The man beheaded the Demon King who had targeted his back in a single blow.

In that gap, several Demon Kings who had teleported in attacked him all at once.

The man struggled to evade them.

Already critically injured, he was wounded again.

Blood poured endlessly.

The man simultaneously struck the necks of the Demon Kings obstructing him while once again butchering the boss’s body.

The Demon Kings tried to protect their leader, while the man swung his sword alone.

“-Shouldn’t someone be helping him?”

He himself had no power. But weren’t there so many capable people in this world?

S-ranks, A-ranks, Rankers—guys like that were everywhere, but none of them were here.

For the first time, the pessimist was angry at the world, not for himself, but for someone else.

The man’s golden afterimage was fading, and the single wing on his back was shrinking.

The Demon Kings surrounded the clearly exhausted man.

Even though they had overwhelming numbers, they wore expressions as if they were the ones on the defensive.

“-Someone….”

The pessimist lamented.

If he had just a little more time, he could have taken the boss’s head and ended the fight.

He’s going to die.

The pessimist was watching the man’s final moments with his own eyes.

Then, something unexpected happened.

*Kwaang!*

The Demon Kings at the rear of the encirclement were sliced by something and their bodies were cut in half.

Everyone was looking toward the man who had suddenly appeared.

A handsome man in a luxury suit with his hair styled in a pomade perm opened his blood-red eyes.

“Sorry I’m late, Hero.”

The man in the luxury suit, Im Jae-joon of the Hanul Guild, walked forward, loosening his tie.