Episode 9: Shackles of Judgment / Chapter 155: Collapse (7)

TL: emptycube / ED: Oer

Didn’t they say the eye of the tornado was calm?

The heat from the battle cooled and the unhesitant advance stopped.

The warriors didn’t have the courage to step forward when faced with the dangerous aura emitted by the monster that had yet to be born.

A distance was created between Choi Hyuk and the warriors. Choi Hyuk faced the enormous lumps of flesh by himself.

“Leader… That is…”

Even Lee Jinhee, who said that she would one day beat Choi Hyuk and didn’t shy away from any challenge, couldn’t advance this time. She was embarrassed that her legs were trembling, but she was also relieved that she couldn’t advance due to them. She was more afraid of standing in front of those lumps of flesh than fighting a high-ranked monster in close quarters.

It wasn’t born yet? What did that matter? Even high-ranked warriors couldn’t destroy this ‘collapse’.

‘No… Perhaps even a highest-ranked warrior can’t…’

Commander Mack could tell because she had seen the highest-rank threshold.

‘It’s impossible, even with the move Choi Hyuk displayed just now.’

Of course, Choi Hyuk’s achievements had always been extraordinary. Last time, he seemed to have reached the level of high-ranked warriors when he was merely a middle-ranked warrior, and now it seemed like he had reached the level of highest-ranked warriors as a high-ranked warrior. If his current level and his Sword of Vow’s limitless power combined, then his attack power could display the destructiveness of a highest-ranked warrior.

However, he still wouldn’t be able to slice that. Although it was a monster of flesh, its nature was that of an inevitable fate, ‘collapse’.

Tap. Tap.

Choi Hyuk tapped the sword hanging from his waist. The black karma flowing from his body swayed as it absorbed and analyzed the world around it.

Choi Hyuk always knew how to ‘see’.

He possessed his innate skill ‘Eyes of Distinction’ and his first karma trait was ‘Mind’s Eye’. His ability to analyze his opponents had continuously grown stronger. He was especially sensitive to fates regarding ‘death’, which was why he had advanced enough to know the names of the fallen Kundle Tribe members during the funeral.

This was why Choi Hyuk knew.

How that monster known as ‘collapse’ was being made.

He smirked.

“Ha… Even after doing those things… To think that they were done due to the fear of death?”

Life and death were two sides of the same coin. Those who were born would die. This was true for individuals, species, and even universes. A long-existing universe would inevitably collapse. This monster was being made by gathering and suppressing the fate of collapse. No, perhaps, this was how all monsters were made.

The queen of the monsters gathered and changed this fate. Even though it was changed, collapse still was collapse. By shoving this inevitable fate into other universes, the queen gave her universe eternal life. This was the secret behind the birth of monsters and the reason why the monsters endlessly invaded other universes.

That was why Choi Hyuk smirked.

“Do you think you can avoid death like that?”

If they avoided the natural fate of death, then he simply had to kill them himself.

Creak.

Choi Hyuk’s hand, which had been tapping on his sword, gripped it so that it seemed like it should shatter.

“We’ll destroy it before leaving. It’ll take a while so block all monsters so that they can’t bother me.”

He ordered the fear-stricken warriors.

“Wait…! Leader!”

Baek Seoin tried to stop Choi Hyuk with a pale face, but it was no use. Baek Seoin’s face turned white. His Intuition was going off crazily.

‘It was this! That ominous feeling!’

He had felt a nervous sensation when seeing the monsters focus only on slaughtering the glass crabs. He felt like he finally knew what it was. The reason why the monsters avoided fighting to slaughter the glass crabs was to try to obtain as much karma as they could. They needed the energy to awaken that ‘collapse’ and send it to the karmalings’ universe. The faint nervous feeling, which he had thought he had mistakenly sensed, had now materialized and was weighing down his heart.

Although he wasn’t certain… This place was dangerous. They had to quickly flee. This thought filled his mind.

“Leader!!”

Baek Seoin attempted to stop Choi Hyuk’s path with his body.

Whoosh.

Yet, his feet wouldn’t move. Choi Hyuk raised his sword above his head and observed the sight in front of him. Pin needle-like vigor surrounded him. Baek Seoin couldn’t do anything about the feeling that he would be sliced in two if he took a step forward.

Commander Mack pulled Baek Seoin’s shoulder.

“Stand back. Even if you approached him now, he won’t be able to recognize his allies in his current state… However, after gathering that much strength, he’ll be exhausted after a single attack. We can take him and retreat then.”

Mack was nervous about this current situation as well. However, she judged that it would be okay to let him be for a while since they weren’t being pushed back yet.

‘He’ll give up after clashing once.’

She didn’t believe Choi Hyuk could destroy that unborn monster. The monster who killed the strongest warrior in history, Flame-Sky, who had reached the peak of the transcendence level, was a demise-ranked monster. Even if this monster wasn’t born yet, the unborn monster and Choi Hyuk weren’t on the same level.

That was why she said to wait a little, but the monsters looked like they didn’t plan on waiting.

Five minutes had passed since Choi Hyuk remained silent with his sword raised.

Riip.

The space between Choi Hyuk and the monster of collapse suddenly ripped open. A gigantic arm appeared out from it, and soon, a monster leaned its body out from the void.

“Crrk…”

The warriors seized in fright.

“A highest-ranked monster…”

Mack’s sigh nailed into the warriors’ hearts.

**

Looking back, Choi Hyuk had never worried about the safety of the Berserkers.

He picked Berserkers based on two conditions: those who didn’t seem like they would die easily and those who wouldn’t regret dying.

The reason why none of their top executives had died even though they experienced ridiculous battles every time was because of this. It wasn’t because Choi Hyuk especially defended his top executives or because he took care of his subordinates so that they didn’t die, it was simply because they were strong enough.

However, the top executives of the Berserkers, Ryu Hyunsung and Kim Honghyun, were pushed into a corner.

The frontlines were broadly divided into two parts: the advancing party that rushed towards the black hole, and the party that stayed back to destroy the Kahur Kabkuns. Because Choi Hyuk was in the advancing party, he could lead them as a unified group, but there wasn’t anyone who could lead the rear like him. The troops dispatched from throughout the universe were busy fighting on their own than cooperating with each other.

The weaker troops suffered heavy losses while the stronger troops suffered less. The most at risk among them were Nasir’s troop, the Kundle Tribe, and the glass crabs, who followed the Berserkers here.

The reason why they hadn’t been annihilated yet was because of Ryu Hyunsung and Kim Honghyun’s troops, who had remained behind due to Choi Hyuk’s consideration.

However, Ryu Hyunsung and Kim Honghyun were only middle-ranked warriors. There wasn’t anything they could do when a high-ranked monster rushed at them.

“Huu…”

Kim Honghyun exhaled. Possessing two innate skills related to combat, {Toughness} and {Sharpness}, and so even though he became a middle-ranked warrior later, he was much stronger than Ryu Hyunsung.

However, it wasn’t enough against a high-ranked monster.

Kakakang!

When the monster’s enormous body bashed into him, it felt like he was colliding with a meteor.

“Keuheuuu.”

Yet, Kim Honghyun endured. Raising the karma ax ‘Kim Honghyun’s Struggle’, he blocked the monster’s advance. His innate skill {Toughness} and karma trait {Iron Will} greatly increased his Endurance, and he was able to instantly deflect its power thanks to his karma trait {Reflex}. That was how he was able to endure a high-ranked monster’s attack while only being a middle-ranked warrior.

But that was all.

Kirrik!

When Kim Honghyun blocked its attack, Ryu Hyunsung launched his attack, but his karma sword ‘Ryu Hyunsung’s Commemoration’ couldn’t pierce its outer layer.

Ryu Hyunsung’s outstanding sword techniques were of no use, and there was a limit to Kim Honghyun’s monstrous physical strength and Endurance.

“Ah, screw off-!”

Kim Honghyun shouted as he pushed the monster back, but the monster charged once again.

“Kaah…”

Kim Honghyun, unable to endure it, flew back while spewing blood.

It was at this moment when Ryu Hyunsung sensed their end.

‘Is this how we die?’

Looking back, the fact that they endured this long was admirable.

Choi Hyuk, their leader, had become stronger at a monstrous rate, and every time he did, the difficulty of their battles would gradually increase. This was an expected conclusion. The moment the Berserkers’ top executives could no longer keep up with Choi Hyuk’s growth rate, that would be their end. Their inevitable downfall had come today.

Ryu Hyunsung didn’t feel any regret when faced with this reality.

He recalled his friends who had died ahead of him. In the end, only the order in which they went was different. When he thought about how he would soon die, he became peaceful.

‘Maybe I… didn’t die when I was supposed to…’

If he died now, he wouldn’t have nightmare anymore. He didn’t have to tremble at the sudden sense of longing.

Ryu Hyunsung’s heart became lighter, and for some reason, his sword felt lighter as well.

‘I’m on my way.’

Smiling, Ryu Hyunsung faced the terrifying teeth rushing at him and rushed towards it.

Piik.

Fortunately, the monster wasn’t that fast and he could deflect its attack. Slipping towards its side, Ryu Hyunsung placed and dragged his sword against the monster’s tough flesh.

Slice.

However, he felt an unexpected sensation. His sword passed through the monster’s outer layer like a ghost and sliced its flesh.

A message suddenly appeared.

{The special ability of ‘Ryu Hyunsung’s Commemoration’ has activated. Ignore the enemy’s defense.}

‘Now?’

Ryu Hyunsung obviously knew that his weapon had the special ability to ignore defenses, but it hadn’t activated once against the high-ranked monster until now. It hadn’t activated because the difference between them was too large.

He wondered why it activated now but quickly stopped thinking about it.

‘What’s the point in wondering if I’m going to die anyways? Still, how fortunate. My last battle. I’ll go after dancing to my heart’s content so I don’t embarrass my friends.’

He didn’t hold onto false hopes. Even if his sword’s special ability activated now, he wouldn’t be able to beat the high-ranked monster.

That was how Ryu Hyunsung lost himself.

From then on, his trance-like sword dance began.

Countless Kundle Tribe members and Nasir’s clan members were devoured and countless glass crabs were smashed around Ryu Hyunsung. A comparable number of monsters were killed by him as well. He occasionally heard Kim Honghyun shout, and his body was gradually turned into a mess by the monster. First was his left ear, then his right wrist, and finally, his left leg was cut off at his thigh.

‘Ah, so this is how I disappear…’ Just as he thought this, the monster stopped moving.

“… Huh?”

Ryu Hyunsung abruptly came to his senses.

{Kiyaah-!}

He saw that the monster was unable to move an inch.

Its mouth was clutched by Kim Honghyun, its body was pressed down by the Kundle Tribe members and Nasir’s clan members, and it was surrounded by glass structures built by the glass crabs, which pressured the monster and energized their allies.

“… But how?”

Ryu Hyunsung couldn’t understand the current situation. Kim Honghyun, the Kundle Tribe, Nasir, and the glass crabs’ alliance was impressive, but it still wasn’t at the level where it could stop a high-ranked monster. Something else, a power that could overwhelm the monster was restricting its strength as its power fell to the peak of the middle-ranked level.

‘What’s happening?’

While perplexed, Ryu Hyunsung heard Naro’s voice.

{Now! Now! Quickly slash its neck! I can’t endure it for long!!}

‘… Naro?’

How did Naro, who was simply an AI, weaken that monster? Various questions crossed his mind, but now wasn’t the time to think about them.

Gazing at the Sword of Sentiment ‘Ryu Hyunsung’s Commemoration’, he thought,

‘Friends, I don’t think it’s time for me to go yet.’

When his heart honoring his friends reached an extreme, ‘Ryu Hyunsung’s Commemoration’ emitted a bright light. His sword slashed the monster’s neck.

Slice.

An unbelievable victory.

“Haaa…”

The warriors could finally relax and had the time to look around the battlefield. Their surroundings were an utter hell. Killing and being killed.

“Haaa… Damn it. I can’t tell if we’re winning or losing.”

Kim Honghyun sighed. His appearance was as pitiful as Ryu Hyunsung’s. He too had lost one of his legs, and there were three fist-sized holes in his belly.

“It’ll be difficult to continue fighting like this…”

Kim Honghyun said bitterly.

He kept looking around at his surroundings to figure out whether they were winning or losing. There was only one way for them to survive: their allies’ victory. However, he only saw an intense battle. No one could tell which side held the advantage.

Just then, the space near the black hole ripped open and an enormous monster appeared from within.

“A highest-ranked monster…” Someone spat, stricken with fear.

In this moment, the intense mood instantly leaned towards ‘defeat’.

And it was in this moment when Choi Hyuk, standing straight like a totem pole, swung his arm down, and ‘Choi Hyuk’s Imprint’ sliced through the highest-ranked monster’s body.

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