novelMetamorphosis (3)
| ← Ch.411 | Ch.413 → |
Rumble~
Below.
There was an artifact in the middle of a circuit of blue lights running in all directions.
Something that wasn't a crystal, but an elongated rod.
'That's it. '
Kiriel saw the artifact and her expression brightened as she came down.
Even though she could still feel an intense heat behind her, she had now reached her destination.
Now she just had to take this and leave...
'It's a good thing I acquired this Cloudy Movement skill. '
Kiriel smiled as she looked at the elongated artifact between the circuits.
Having the ability to bend space and travel anywhere was really useful in many, many cases.
"Huff."
Thud.
Kiriel and Hansoo headed downwards.
Although the distance from the ceiling to the floor was 100 meters long, this was nothing for a Transcendent.
As they jumped down, the hole Hansoo made had started to close up and had fully regenerated itself by the time they both landed on the ground.
And as this hole closed up, both the heatwaves and the sounds coming from the outside had been repelled away completely, leaving Hansoo and Kiriel in silence.
It was like escaping into a soundproof room in the middle of a battle.
Kiriel looked satisfied as she listened to the hum of the artifact but still couldn't remain calm.
'Isn't that just a skill to punch a hole in the ground?'
If Hansoo had truly made a hole, then the ceiling couldn't have regenerated so easily, nor would there be a need to close it.
"What was that?"
After all, following after Hansoo's trail had started out from her own curiosity.
Hansoo chuckled as he replied:
"Deceiving the world."
One of the thirteen demons.
Kamateria of deception.
The ability to deceive all intelligent life forms including humans and even certain lifeless objects.
A power so great that even the other demons would try to avoid talking with Kamateria.
Since they could end up being killed before they realized it.
And Hansoo had only utilized a small part of Kamateria's abilities.
Hansoo glanced at the thirteen shadows behind him and chuckled.
'The skill itself is quite useful. '
On one hand, the fact that he could only use seven skills was a fatal flaw.
But this Demon's Gate skill allowed him to use the powers of thirteen demons—this alone gave him access to various types of skills.
Particularly since a single demon's power had various uses.
'Though I need to hurry even more because of this. '
Hansoo quickly started moving towards the artifact.
It was useful, yes, but it was not free.
The gears started turning in his head, ticking away at every moment.
In order to collect the payment that demon deserved.
He needed to deal with this matter and get out asap.
The massive field of circuits stretched out endlessly, with the giant artifact shining brightly in the center.
He really didn't have much time now.
But as he walked, he heard a voice behind him.
"Kang Hansoo, stop right there."
A voice filled with rage.
Hansoo stopped dead in his tracks and turned around at this voice.
"You've arrived much earlier than I expected."
"Please, we all know what you're after."
Samuel growled back in reply.
Hansoo was after the artifact—this was a simple truth.
So he just needed to get to the artifact first and wait for him.
Even though Ukatan Pael was causing a ruckus outside.
<No way! We attacked him directly! How did that rat escape us all and get the artifact?! He must have run away! There's no way we would have let him pass!>
'Dumbass. '
This slip-up had happened because that Ukatan Pael didn't know about Hansoo.
The Hansoo he knew would never give up when his goal was so close before him.
Ukatan had overestimated himself by thinking that everyone would run away after seeing his powers—but that was only because he hadn't fought against Hansoo yet.
The five calamities of the Red Zone, the Gragos of the Orange Zone, the higher race of the Yellow Zone and those monstrous beings in the Green Zone—they had always been stronger than Hansoo.
Compared to Ukatan Pael, each of those entities had a larger gap in strength against that of Hansoo.
In the end, the one standing tall was still Kang Hansoo.
Would such a person run away from a mere family head?
And of course, his estimations had been correct.
'Well, I didn't think the artifact would be in a place like this...'
Oooooong.
Samuel mumbled as he looked at the vast bright space before him.
He didn't even know that such a place existed below Neoreim.
At this moment, he recalled what Hansoo said to him earlier.
That he was just a puppet.
'...No, that cannot be. '
An alliance couldn't share all their secrets with each other after all.
Samuel decided to maintain the enemy's secret and shook off these miscellaneous thoughts. He glared at Hansoo.
"Please give up. There's a limit to how much a person can tolerate."
'If I kill him, Mihee would probably go crazy. '
Rage had filled his mind when he fought Hansoo before, but he was becoming calmer and calmer with each moment.
After Sangjin had left, the only remaining ally he had was Mihee.
He knew about Mihee's feelings towards Hansoo—he didn't want to drive a wedge between himself and her.
Kiriel clenched her teeth as she looked at Samuel.
'...That bastard looks pretty calm. '
But Kiriel had to accept that Samuel had the ability to remain calm.
At this exact moment, he was currently radiating an aura so powerful it prevented her from using her Cloudy Movement.
If Samuel really went all-out, she and Hansoo would probably be buried here today.
Even if they used the artifact...
'...We might be able to hold on, but then those monsters would end up swarming in here as well. '
The reason why the family heads had managed to buy time against the Haetara was because those monsters didn't know the exact location of the artifact.
But if someone used the artifact in battle?
The resulting surge of energy would easily attract the Haetara into running past the family heads, even at the risk of their own lives.
And nobody would be able to stop this.
Hansoo knew this too.
Kiriel looked at Hansoo who was holding onto a crystal in his left hand.
Boooom!
Boom!
The deafening sounds coming from above were getting louder and louder.
Meaning that the clash between the monsters and the family heads was growing fiercer by the second.
With a heavy expression, Hansoo began to speak.
"It's hard to say how kind I am now, but... I was really cruel in the past, you see."
"...? Are you talking about your real life before this whole thing began?"
Samuel looked confused from Hansoo's words.
Nothing he had done could be deemed evil.
Although Hansoo had to deal with everything that crossed his path, clearing such obstructions could not be deemed as 'cruel'.
His actions had been very normal.
Silently marching forwards.
From what he knew of Hansoo up until this point, the man's actions had always been unfalteringly steadfast.
Which meant that the 'before' Hansoo was talking about had to be referring to the 'real life'.
'...Was he some kind of criminal?'
The things Hansoo had done in the past were considered normal only because they were in the otherverse—he would definitely be deemed a criminal if he had done the same thing in the real life.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But he had acted more cruelly in the real world?
As Samuel frowned, Hansoo continued to speak.
"I really did try my best, but... not everything in the world can be achieved with hard work it seems."
Hansoo felt that he had tried enough at this point.
There was a lot to do, a lot of weight on his shoulders, but he still had things holding onto his leg.
In order to persuade people, he needed to reveal what he knew. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option and so countless misunderstandings were created.
'I wish I was good at communicating at least. '
Reminiscing about the past, Hansoo chuckled as he looked at Samuel.
"I'm just going to do things the way I want to."
Then—
Rumble!
—the tremendous amount of energy hidden inside the artifact in Hansoo's hand started pouring out.
It was enough energy to blow this entire place apart.
And Samuel shouted out in shock.
"You crazy bastard... What the hell are you doing?!"
He wasn't shocked by the energy itself.
He himself could expel a similar amount of energy and block it as well.
The issue wasn't that.
'Dammit!'
Before he could respond in time—
Boooom!
—the giant second layer ripped apart.
Roaaaaaarr!
A gargantuangiant beast's head descended from above.
Crack!
Crunch!
He could see the shocked expressions of the family heads above the monster.
And the giant bodiesy of the Haetara that ignored them all as theywas ignoring them as they cleared the way through the second layer.
'Oh my...'
Seven giant heads blocked everything from above as they descended.
It was like a bizarre eclipse.
As Samuel stared, dumbstruck, at this scene—
—Hansoo, the perpetrator behind all of this, chuckled.
'Let's have a go, shall we?'
He had tried to deal with the issue as quickly as possible.
He had focused his attention on solving the issue instead of powering himself up and had tried to recover the artifacts with the minimal amount of casualties.
But if they were going this far...
If they were going to use everything they had to block his path...
He wouldn't hold back as well.
As he came to a decision—
Gulp.
—Hansoo swallowed the crystal in his hand.
Boooom!
A giant storm of energy raged inside his body.
And at the same time—
Rooooarr!
—a giant mouth swooped in and swallowed the entire area where Hansoo had been standing.
Hansoo chuckled.
He could guess how his physique would change by the time he came out.
But that was only his body.
His mind would be different.
The effects wouldn't last long, but he couldn't guarantee how much of his memories he would lose.
He didn't want to do this, so he tried to hold back from using this power, but... this outcome wasn't so bad either.
At least he wouldn't lose that much in return.
He wasn't that petty after all.
'...We'll see how it goes after I come out. '
Metamorphosis.
Escape from the bindings of his current self and be born anew.
The moment he came out of this, Samuel would no longer be able to look down on him again.
With those thoughts, Hansoo slowly closed his eyes.
.......
"What the—"
Kachak!
Kadadak!
The family heads were stunned as they looked at the various Haetara that were fusing with each other and becoming a giant mountain.
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