Jin Ye-Seul had to admit the fact that her opponent was stronger than her.
It was a moment when the assumption that she was another her and her future self became a fact.The opponent knew every last detail of her habits, preferred attack routes, and methods.
In addition, the opponent's physical abilities were also advanced, as if she had grown over the years.Perhaps it was true that she had secured five legacies, but she also used them more skillfully than her.… Well, they were all non-combat related except for one, the foot technique, but anyway.
"Euk… !"
She clicked her tongue at the blade that grazed her face and stepped back.The opponent didn't bother to chase her, but just stood in place and smiled.
She didn't like that.Jin Ye-Seul stuck out her tongue and licked the blood that flowed down from her cheek.Of course, there was a fishy smell, as if the blade had poison, but they both had a high resistance to poison, so it only made her feel a little numb.
Even if she tried to engage in close combat, the duration of the foot technique, which is the main means of approach, was too long that it was meaningless.Even if she tried to stick to her, she would keep getting hit over and over again by the incomprehensible invisible attacks that flew back and forth with a time delay.Perhaps it was an ability of legacy she hadn't acquired.
"Really… ."
How can I kill her?Jin Ye-Seul muttered as if there was no way, but in her mind, she began to furiously search for a way.
If the standard method does not work, then it's just a matter of using a unique method.The only problem was that such methods were also the ones that her opponent preferred.Her eyes were curved like snakes.
"By the way, this guy named Yoo Ji-hyuk, why the hell are you fighting for him like this?"
"What?"
"No, if you think about it, it is not so?"
The grown-up Jin Ye-Seul with short hair, muttered like that and shook her head.
"In my world, he just deceived and ridiculed me. That's why I killed him. And I don't regret the choice. Is it different for you?"
"…… ."
"Actually that…. Yoo Ji-Hyuk? After killing him, I was able to collect all but one legacy in two years. And… . Well. I found out while torturing him that there's a part of Henir's shadow left somewhere. So it's only a matter of time before I collect them all."
"Do you want me to cut your tongue? I think the words are too long."
"Oh, don't get too excited."
She just smiled smirkingly at Jin Ye Seul, who choked up at the words that she tortured Yoo Ji-Hyuk even though he was from a different world.She couldn't believe it was just as she expected.
"To put it simply, it's this. You're being deceived by that guy right now. He's interfering with our aspirations."
"…… ."
"I know. You… . No, we've always been lonely. No one understands us. That's what I think."
And you know it too, right?
"No one can understand us. So anyone is fine, I want someone who can understand us."
Saying that, she held out her hand.
"And now we can get out of that loneliness. Because the person who can understand each other the best is right in front of the eyes. Don't you think?"
She skillfully changed her expression to show a benevolent face.Those who had rushed at her to avenge their friend's death had also been tricked by this face, and she had killed many of them.It's nothing more than coaxing a child.It was around the time she was thinking like that.
"Pfft… !"
Suddenly, Jin Ye-Seul burst into laughter with the sound of the air leaking.
What.As she, who felt something was wrong, looked at her wondering what the hell it was, Jin Ye-Seul was laughing, holding her stomach as if she couldn't stand it.
"Kehih, hehe…. keheung... ."
After a while, Jin Ye-Seul raised her head and quickly wiped the tears around her eyes with her fingers.
"Hoo, hoo… Oh, sorry… .Hehe…. Heung!"
"… No, it's okay. But can I know what the one earth made you laugh so hard?"
"No, it's just… ."
Jin-Ye Seul slapped her own cheeks and let out a few deep breaths as if trying to regain her composure.I found it.She muttered inside like that.
"I was wondering what the heck you were trying to say."
And most of all… .Jin Ye-Seul's eyes were curved as thinly as the other Jin Ye-Seul earlier.Deep in her heart, she let out a breath that seemed to have intuited the victory.
"I already have it. Someone who fully understands me."
"… What?"
For the first time, she felt a crack in the opponent's expression and voice.Jin Ye-Seul just stared at her with a smile, as if showing off.
"Lie."
"If you're me, don't you know? Whether I'm lying or not."
It was just as Jin Ye-Seul said.And that talent has been honed over the years, and developed to the point that it is almost like mind-reading.She could see what the other person was thinking just by listening to their breath, as if she had them in her hands.
Now, her experience and senses were telling her that Jin Ye-Seul's words were true.
"You will never know. Every day is faithful... . This feeling of knowing what it is to be alive. It feels like the world has become wider."
Jin Ye-Seul constantly talked to her as if bragging to her.She could see that it was all true, not a lie.
"Simply put, yes… . Breathing has become so much easier."
When she said that, she asked blankly without realizing it.
"Who on earth… . me… ."
"Huh? Weren't you talking about him until now?"
At that, she squeaked and looked at her other self like a broken doll.Jin Ye-Seul nodded.
"That's right. Ji-Hyuk. Yoo Ji-Hyuk. It's him. He is the only person who understands me now and in the future."
"That, that can't be… . So... ."
"Yeah. It's really unfortunate."
Jin Ye-Seul sighed softly and put her hand to her cheek.Just a little more.I just need to provoke her a little more.
"You kicked the hand of salvation on your own. Thanks to that, you will live without feeling this for the rest of your life, right?"
"… Shut up."
"Well, thanks to you, I get to learn a lesson. I'm really grateful for that."
Jin Ye-Seul laughed.Toward the loser, she simply raised one side of her mouth, giving the perfect example of ridicule.
"You can understand and comfort yourself for the rest of your life while just looking in the mirror. Right?"
"I told you to shut up!!!"
Jin Ye-Seul just laughed as she saw her screaming and rushing towards her recklessly.
And when the foot she kicked as if flying a counter was precisely lodged in her opponent's abdomen, her laughter became even thicker.
* * *
Tyrfing.Even Choi Hyun-Woo, who was not very interested in famous weapons and tools, or people, knew the name of the magic sword well.
It was simply a magic sword derived from Norse mythology.It wasn't because it takes away the owner's spirit and becomes a magic sword that calls for blood.
The legend of granting the owner's wish.Because of that, Choi Hyun-Woo had an interest in Tyrfing.
What would my family be like?Why did they abandon me?If we meet again, will they welcome me... .It was a feeling that he couldn't even reveal to Nam Hyun-Hwa or Han Soo-Young.
However, when Choi Hyun-Woo realized that famous heroes and hunters had met a tragic end with the sword, and that the important people who had always been around them were involved in the process of the destruction, he gave up his interest in Tyrfing.
Han Soo-Young.And Nam Hyun-Hwa.It was because he couldn't get the two involved.It was just a memory of a moment in his childhood.
That's why he, now.Couldn't contain the anger he felt when he realized that Tyrfing was in his hand, who had lived another future.
"You probably know the best what that sword is."
Choi Hyun-Woo said, with wounds all over his body and wet with blood.Even in his dazed state of mind, his senses somehow became sharper.
It seemed true that if Tyrfing drinks blood, the owner will temporarily come to his senses.Until just now, he was giggling like a madman, but before he knew it, he came to his senses and looked at him.
"Yes"
It was a heavier, cracked, and terrifying voice.
"I know it well."
"Even knowing that… !"
"That's why I pulled it."
The Choi Hyun-Woo with Tyrfing, looked down at the sword with a complicated gaze.
"A magic sword that grants wishes and makes people around you get involved. I don't know about the former, but the latter is certain. No, if I must say it, the former kind of did come true."
He giggled and muttered as if it wasn't even funny.
"When I pulled out this sword and went crazy, the government somehow made my family visit me. It must have been to convince me. The problem is that even then, I was crazy, so I killed the family without even remembering their faces."
"…… ."
"Soo-Young, Master, Ji-Hyuk, Ahn Do-Hoon, Lee Yu-Na, Ivan… . And who else was there?"
Placing his thumb on Tyrfing's blade, he muttered blankly.Blood gushed out, and the blood-red sword began to devour his blood greedily.
"Anyway, this is the first time he's as happy as when he swallowed their blood."
Choi Hyun-Woo closed his eyes when he mumbled blankly.It was just as he expected.
This man killed even the people he wanted to protect with his own hands.What the hell is left of him now?
Choi Hyun-Woo grabbed his sword, thinking that he didn't want to know and that he shouldn't know.
Dark Sword.It was the sword that Yoo Ji-Hyuk had given him.And when he saw it, he muttered quietly.
"It's a good sword."
He shook his head in pure admiration.
"It's rare that a sword didn't shatter when it collided with Tyrfing that much."
"Yes. It's a good sword. To the point where it's too much for me."
Because Ji-Hyuk, a trusted friend has given it to me.At that, he let out a laugh.
"Ji-Hyuk. Yeah. I remember. It was fun back then."
He began to look into space as if he missed him.Are you thinking of the faces of people you can no longer meet?
"The three of us, including Soo-Young, hung out a lot together… . Sometimes there were others... ."
"With that mouth."
Choi Hyun-Woo struck the ground with his sword with a thud.Then, once again, the sword flowed with an explosive aura.It was a pure and dense sword aura that surprised even himself.
For the first time, Choi Hyun-Woo spat out each word as if he were chewing it, showing fierce killing intent and disgust towards his opponent.
"With that mouth, do not put the names of my friends in that mouth again... !"
"… Ha."
Then he involuntarily burst out laughing and swung Tyrfing.Once again, his eyes began to shine with the sticky and eerie energy.
"Yeah, that's right. There's nothing more ridiculous than getting sentimental after I've killed them."
As he finished his words, a blood-red sword aura appeared.It was obviously bigger and sharper than his sword aura, but Choi Hyun-Woo did not shrink at all.He didn't care if he had to die here, he was ready for it.
"Is it like the last-ditch effort before you die? Well, the light of a candle before it goes out is the brightest."
He raised Tyrfing as if he didn't matter.
"I'll tell you in advance, I never let my guard down. It's never too late to let my guard down after I cut your head off."
You're my other self, so if I make him drink your blood, he'll be quiet for a while.With those words, he flew as if being shot.Choi Hyun-Woo also moved without hesitation.
He feels as if the world is rigid, as if time has stopped.
He hasn't felt this feeling many times, but he has always prevailed when he feels it.The problem was that this man was also living in the same world as him.
He can't win.He'll probably die here.He might be decapitated, he might be cut in two, his heart might be pierced, or he might simply bleed to death.
But he didn't care.
Choi Hyun-Woo thought that way for the first time.For the first time in his life, he didn't care if he died, and was determined that he couldn't back down.At the moment when he really prepared to die, what naturally flowed out were not screams, but tears.
And another world was right in front of him.
"…… ."
Choi Hyun-Woo just blankly swung his sword as it led him.
Before long, the dark sword aura cut through the blood-red sword aura.
* * *
"Cough… ."
Blood gushed out with the sound of coughing.
She still didn't know if it was because Choi Hyun-Woo had kicked her earlier, or because Yoo Ji-Hyuk had punched her.Perhaps it was because she had been hit by the magic that her grown self had cast, or because it was because she had been draining mana until her mana ran out.
In her hazy mind, Han Soo-Young realized that she was being held tightly by something.
Choi Hyun-Woo and Yoo Ji-Hyuk.No, the two undead, who had already died and became corpses, were holding one of her arms each.Her adult self just stared at her indifferently.
"Persistent b*tch."
That's all she said, a single word, as if it was ridiculous.There was nothing more appropriate than this to express her feelings now.
She had never done anything as elaborate as this, not even when she killed Evangeline Lohengrin, who was one of the ten strongest in her world, one of the masters of the six guilds, and the Great Witch.She genuinely wondered what on earth had made her so persistent.
"Ugh… ."
"What should I do with you?"
When she lifted her chin with the cigarette holder, Han Soo-Young clenched her teeth.After suffering from mana exhaustion, she could not even move.
"Yes, do you want me to turn you into an undead? If you want, I can especially modify it for your use."
"Bull, sh*t… ."
Han Soo-Young clenched her teeth and glared at her.
"I'd rather bite my tongue and just die... ?"
"Your mouth is still alive. I wasn't this cute when I was younger, was I?"
"I'd rather be this way than go crazy like you."
Han Soo-young closed her mouth.She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help the tears flowing down her face.These were not the tears she shed from the fear that she might die.
Choi Hyun-Woo and Yoo Ji-Hyuk.These tears were shed because of the two of them.
"These guys, let's say you couldn't protect them… . But, did you really have to go this far?"
"…… ."
At those words, her other self's face froze again in the blink of an eye.Han Soo-Young couldn't hold back the tears and burst into tears at once.
"They are not at peace even in death… . Undead, you, if you are sane... !"
With a punching sound, a fist slammed into her stomach.She, who had had a pale complexion, now had a complexion that felt no longer alive.
"Shut up… ! You don't know anything, you're only good at babbling... !"
"Ko heuk… !"
"Who wanted to do this, I didn't do this because I wanted to!"
She shouted desperately and literally began to beat Han Soo-Young.On the way, she seemed to have lost all sense of reason to the extent that she broke her wrist and accidentally sent her fist flying, hitting Choi Hyun-Woo and Yoo Ji-Hyuk next to her.
"You don't know anything!"
Han Soo-Young couldn't resist her and had no choice but to be beaten by her.Even if it was a clumsy fist, it was an unbearable pain for her now.After throwing fists and kicking for a long time, she suddenly grabbed Han Soo-Young's hair roughly.
"Eut… ."
"Yeah, you said it right. What about you? Then why the hell did you live so stupidly? Why didn't you prepare anything!"
She shouted so and put her face close to Han Soo-Young's face.Her face was contorted with pain, sorrow, resentment, and anger.
"Why didn't you ever wonder why Ji-Hyuk was involved with guys like Red Case, Thorns Cross Society, and Big Watch?"
"…… ."
"Even though you see the abilities he uses, acts like he knows everything, and know he doesn't tell anyone about his situation, including you! Why the hell!"
She took a few more breaths and then pushed her own face toward her, almost touching it.
"You are pretending to protect him only with your mouth, aren't you? No, that's what exactly you're doing now. You, do you know who his real enemy is?"
She choked up, swallowed her breath, and spat out at Han Soo-Young.
"It's Seven Evils, yes, that Seven Evils. But what? Who do you think you are to protect someone?"
"Wh, at… ?"
At her words, which she had never thought of, Han Soo-Young stared blankly at her.As if she knew it, she gave her a look of contempt.
"You, let me ask you one more thing."
She clenched her teeth and muttered.
"Why the hell you were attracted to Ji-Hyuk from the first time you met.... Have you ever properly wondered or thought about the reason?"
"That… ."
When she got to that point, she made a pitiful face.It was the expression of a person who had found out her own precious secret that she wanted to keep to herself.
"No, it's okay. … There is no need to talk anymore."
She said so and turned to Han Soo-Young.She had an attitude as if she didn't want to get her hands dirty.
"You decide. Family or lover. At whose hand do you want to die?"
It was then.
"We're not like that yet."
Something was shot at her with those throwing words.The two undead quickly threw Han Soo-Young away and threw themselves to protect their owner.
Before long, several arrows pierced the body of the one holding the sword, and in a flash, the branches of the World Tree spread out like an explosion, raking through his entire body.The one holding the dagger was not safe either.The right half of his body was caught up, flew away, and was thrown to the ground helplessly.
In the midst of the sudden situation, Han Soo-Young felt a hook and a familiar smell in her nose.The next thing she knew, she was being held in someone's arms.
"Hey."
A familiar voice.Han Soo-Young looked up blankly.
"… are you okay?"
Yoo Ji-Hyuk.He was looking down at her.
