Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 354

The situation couldn’t have been better! Saturday felt terror and fled from Tuesday, and the Great Warrior of the Violence Cult said he’d help kill Saturday.

Sure, I had to fight the Great Warrior afterward, but in a broader sense, that wasn’t so bad.

If I could take down the Great Warrior without engaging the Cultists, that would be a significant achievement.

Of course, the next Great Warrior would take their place, but there’s a huge difference between having experience as a Great Warrior and not.

‘If possible, I’d love to take down Hwayo at the same time, but that seems impossible…’

A Demon King isn’t something one can take down casually, and Hwayo’s strength was beyond imagination.

Right now, I couldn’t even think of a way to defeat Hwayo, so perhaps I should postpone that kill for last.

The battlefield was being managed fairly well. As the Toyo’s Demon King left the battlefield, the Undead weakened, and the Violence Cult was wreaking havoc at the rear.

On the opposite side, the Hunters were pressing them, so it was safe to say that victory in this battle was practically assured.

Of course, the numbers of Undead were still overwhelming, akin to a sea, so it was clear that cleaning up the battlefield would take some time.

In the meantime, any straggling Undead could attack nearby towns or cities, so the clearance operation had to be carried out carefully.

[So, how about accepting my proposal?]

“…There’s no reason to refuse. But that doesn’t mean I intend to side with you.”

[That’s exactly what I hope for, so don’t worry. A Demon King who tries to win the Hero over is just a fool who knows nothing of the joy of killing!]

Honestly, from my perspective, they both seemed like crazy fools. I just couldn’t fathom what was so entertaining about killing and being killed.

[Ha ha, interesting fellows. Did you see how Saturday wasn’t surprised even after realizing they weren’t a Demon King? They already knew!]

“Uh, how did you humans find out? I had no clue!”

“Technically, we only figured out there was something behind Saturday. We thought Saturday was a Demon King, but… if they’re not, then what are they?”

[Let’s say a Great Warrior that the Demon King raised with care. Other Demon Kings also shared power with their Great Warriors, but that one’s contract probably has a lot more clauses attached.]

“Oh, I see.”

At those words, Yeon-woo nodded. She had been curious why there was no Great Warrior until now. It made sense if the Great Warrior had been acting as the Demon King’s proxy.

“Well, anyway, I get it. There’s no reason to refuse… so we can just part as a temporary alliance.”

“Seems like quite a dangerous combination has been born.”

Yeon-woo shot a cold glare at Namgung Seong, who was babbling nonsense as usual. He awkwardly nodded back. The Demon King waved their hands as if to say not to do that.

[Well, the rest is up to you. I want to enjoy this battlefield a bit more.]

“Understood, Master.”

“Let’s think about what to do after we clean this battlefield. That sound okay, War Leader?”

“Sounds good. If the Hunters don’t want to die, then they should stay away from us. Otherwise, they won’t escape a fight.”

With that, the two masters took off. Yeon-woo, who had been quietly watching their retreat, rubbed her temple.

“What’s happening here…?”

“The good must think good, right? Let’s just focus on taking out the Undead for now.”

“Agreed.”

The two gripped their swords and turned around. The dense killing intent radiating from Hwayo’s Demon King dissipated. Now, the Undead could finally close in on the two.

*

After sorting things out, Yeon-woo and Namgung Seong retreated to the rear. Naturally, it was inevitable that they would join up with Baek In-hwa’s group, who happened to be halfway between their location and the Hunter’s formation.

“Is everyone safe?”

“Somewhat. Did you manage to sort things out?”

Baek In-hwa, looking less than perfect, responded. Even she, who didn’t usually sweat, seemed to have perspired quite a bit given the intensity of the battle.

That was only reasonable. The further you pushed forwards, the stronger the Undead became. Now, they were at a mid-point amidst that chaos.

Even the Undead that appeared here were tough enough to give an Aura Expert a hard time, so it was only fair to say they should be praised for holding up this long.

“But they’re still at it over there.”

“It’s taking longer than expected. Since we’re here, let’s help protect Yoo-min.”

“Got it, got it. I was just thinking of coming to help because we barely fought.”

It was impossible to predict what might happen trying to move the entranced Kim Yoo-min to the rear. They needed to protect her until she awakened at the very least.

Since they had to clean up the Undead anyway, it was like getting two birds with one stone.

“There’s a lot to say, but let’s discuss it after Kim Yoo-min wakes up.”

“Ugh, my wings feel sore, so sore.”

“Then you should fight from the ground!”

Kicking Namgung Seong, who was whining about doing a lot today, forward, Yeon-woo spread her ice wings behind her.

Baek In-hwa looked at the scene with a somewhat indescribable face, but Yeon-woo decided not to mind. She never said she couldn’t use them, after all.

‘By the way, I wonder what happened to the Professor and Christopher.’

With that thought, Yeon-woo grasped her sword and focused her mind. Given the circumstances, using magic to sweep the area might not be a bad idea.

It’s easier when there are enemies all around. No need to think too much. Just drop it roughly in the middle of their lines, and the magic will take care of the rest.

Suddenly, the winds began to stir among the masses of Undead that were separated from Yeon-woo.

Two currents of wind spiraled upward in a circular pattern, starting to spin as if biting each other’s tails. Before long, the wind transformed into a massive tornado, crashing right into the middle of the Undead.

“Shall I create about three of these?”

The undead army lacked the intelligence to form any formation, but just tearing things up would yield a significant effect. Bones tend to be light and hard, so the outcome of them shattering when they fell was easily predictable.

Well, from here on, it was just about clearing the path. Looking at the three tornadoes striking the battlefield’s center with satisfaction, Yeon-woo flapped her wings toward the enemies.

Behind her, Kim Yoo-min slowly began to rise.

*

Kim Hyun-soo swung the piercing flail held tightly in both hands. Christopher retaliated, extending his fist. The two strikes met. Neither hesitated nor fled, determined to face each other head-on.

Boom!!

An enormous explosion erupted. The two bodies flew in opposite directions and hit the ground. But they did not stop. There was no lull in the storm between them.

Charging in, the flail swung. Christopher’s roundhouse kick clashed with the flail. They did not break, nor did they fall.

Both were battered and bruised. The aura that had once cloaked Christopher like armor shattered, leaving him riddled with holes. Blood flowed, bones broke; it seemed none could continue fighting.

Kim Hyun-soo’s body was full of wounds with gaping holes all over. Rather than offsetting each other’s attack power, they seemed to have focused solely on transferring the force of their strikes to one another.

‘This is insane.’

Christopher thought. He never anticipated a day when he would see someone else as crazy, but here he was, witnessing it. Not caring for one’s own well-being? That was a common occurrence.

Overwhelming attacking power that even pierced through his defense. The mace, which seemed simple and unremarkable, wreaked havoc on Christopher more effortlessly than any precious weapon.

“So this is piercing….”

“Shut up, I don’t want to hear it.”

Kim Hyun-soo shot back with a sharp tone to Christopher’s muttering. Spitting out blood, he wiped his forehead with his hand, which now bore stains.

There was an indescribable killing intent in the air. Even Christopher, used to feeling killing intent, felt a quiver throughout his entire body from the thick rage and malice. He was supposed to be the proper youth; where was the properness in this?

“How about joining the Violence Cult? With your skills, I think you could be a Great Warrior.”

“I said shut up!”

At those words, Kim Hyun-soo shook his head and tossed the flail he was holding. It flew towards Christopher with the speed of light, carrying a force so overwhelming that he had to duck instinctively to avoid it.

The flail zipped past his back, stopping abruptly, as Kim Hyun-soo swiftly aimed a soccer kick at Christopher’s face.

Lifting his upper body in defense only allowed the flail to spin back and strike him in the back, which meant Christopher had to take the soccer kick willingly to escape his position.

“Ugh…!”

The impact on his jaw filled his mouth with the iron scent of blood. Blood seeped from between his tightly sealed lips. Though Kim Hyun-soo’s leg was now bloodied and torn, he showed no sign of concern.

Christopher felt a thrill, a sort of exhilaration he’d never experienced in his fight against Choi Yeon-woo. The life-threatening presence clawed at him, constantly reminding him.

The level of destructive power was on a whole different level. He could feel what this man, as a master, pursued—it was an overwhelming desire for destruction, one that aimed to shatter all injustices in the world head-on.

Unlike in his fight against Choi Yeon-woo, he sensed the instability in his life that he didn’t feel before. It seemed clear that the contemporary hero hadn’t reached a level where he could infuse his own essence into the fight.

“Best of luck, Kim Hyun-soo. You’re really on fire right now!!”

Saturated with excitement, Christopher shouted out. To Kim Hyun-soo, it was utterly meaningless. Why would he feel happy about a madman’s interest in him?

“Damn it, it’s unfortunate we can’t settle this right here!! Why did you have to show up now, huh!?”

“What are you saying?”

As he shouted out, filled with a strange emotion he could only describe as regret, Kim Hyun-soo coldly replied to Christopher.

Why was he the one who had to leave this spot? If he were to die here, it would create a scene that everyone would be satisfied with!

As Kim Hyun-soo paused to catch his breath, he suddenly turned his head. Not sure what he was seeing, but it was the opportunity he needed. Perfect timing to slip away. Just as Christopher turned his body to make an escape—

“Who do you think you are, picking on my brother, you bastard!?”

With that scream, Christopher’s body was launched away. What was that? A kick? With a dazed mind, Christopher thought.

As he rose from the dust, his face throbbed with pain.

“…Hey, this looks like I’m the one getting bullied here, can’t you see?”

Even Christopher, who was usually sharp-tongued, felt a streak of injustice in this situation… It seemed like the siblings were doing the exact same thing, proving that blood runs thicker than water.

(To be continued in the next episode)