Chapter 188 –
Awakening
“In fact, even living until now was something closer to a trick.”
The word ‘trick’ was not a lament about something dishonorably achieved. It was a lament about surviving that day’s death being postponed.
“I will live again as much as I have lived, and the moment that amount ends will be the end of life. I will die at the moment my body grows to the age level I was before I became this way.”
Helios was actually dead that day. However, because the Scorpion’s poison was a poison, he underwent rejuvenation instead of death. A rejuvenation with a predetermined end.
It was not immortality, but simply a life without aging.
What was stolen was not just time, but life itself.
The end of life had been determined.
The physical age at which he would die was already decided.
He would not age. Because he would die before aging.
Her loss was time, and death.
“How is it? Aren’t I just being selfish?”
“If you’ve risked your life, it’s understandable.”
“Still, I’m probably not as desperate as you. I can live for a few more years after all. Well, in terms of life, we’re somewhat similar.”
Watcher had no choice but to acknowledge this. Because those with their life at stake always become desperate.
“So, I’m also desperate. If you don’t accept, I’ll desperately try to stop you.”
“How righteous of a magical girl.”
“Even righteousness is something I secure while securing my own life.”
Helios nodded slightly.
“What will you do? There’s no time. What if you’re directly taken by Silver Luna?”
The time when Odette could block Silver Luna was also reaching its limit. In fact, it was already a miracle that she had bought this much time.
“…Well, okay. But we must synchronize and hold our breath simultaneously.”
When Watcher made this proposal, Helios nodded.
“It’s good that we understand each other. Is it because our circumstances are similar?”
“Nonsense. The more similar our circumstances, the more intense our mutual hatred would become.”
“That’s true.”
Watcher swayed while surveying the quest location. Fortunately, it wasn’t far. There was no need to use lightning for quick movement. Helios could probably match the speed as well.
“But can you catch the Scorpion alone? Wouldn’t its clone’s power be quite significant?”
“Of course it would be impossible. It would even be difficult to injure it.”
“…?”
How so confident. Watcher was bewildered.
“But I might be able to kill it with an attack that concentrates magical power. The problem is that it will require time, and during that concentration time, I’ll be full of vulnerabilities.”
“Are you coming to die?”
“Of course not. That’s why I found a collaborator.”
Helios looked around.
“It’s about time now….”
“You little kuso-gaki (damn brat)! Just come with me… Huff… I’m telling you… Huff… Ugh….”
White Davi flew in, breathing heavily.
“A useful kid? Quite capable too.”
“…You seem to know something.”
“Don’t you seem to know something as well?”
White Davi’s hidden skill. Seungcheong. The ability to cross the boundary between life and death, covering oneself with the power of the dead.
If used, one could reach just below divine status. Sufficient power to face the Scorpion.
“…Huh? Why are you here?”
“We’re your guide. I’ll guide you to the Scorpion.”
“Ah! You’re going to suck the honey and discard us! You’re truly a kuso-gaki! I really like how trashy you are!!”
White Davi laughed heartily. Her personality remained consistent in many ways.
“What really happened to that magical girl….”
“Everyone has their circumstances. Come, let’s go.”
Now that everyone had gathered, Watcher immediately moved, with no time to spare.
“There’s no need for that.”
The moment Watcher tried to move, even that movement became unnecessary.
Paradox appeared calmly in the darkness of the night.
“Paradox…!”
“To be honest, I’m impressed. How many clones did you manage to defeat in such a short time… It seems the fear of death truly becomes an excellent driving force for life.”
Two insects emerged from Paradox’s cloak.
The moment the insects touched the ground, they grew enormous, large enough to easily crush a cargo truck, emitting an unpleasant high-frequency sound.
Crunch! Crunch!
Helios, who watched their appearance, gave instructions in a calm voice.
“We were supposed to take them down simultaneously, right? This works out perfectly. Let’s go.”
“I like your positivity.”
“Will the Scorpion really taste similar to crab?”
“We’ll find out directly.”
White Davi blew a horn without hesitation. Matching its sound, numerous zombie creatures emerged from the ground.
Helios stomped her foot. Massive flames erupted from where she stood, soon taking a definite form. A fire giant. Amaterasu.
Watcher concentrated lightning on his axe.
“This might be our last battle. Let’s agree not to hold grudges no matter who survives.”
“I’m petty. I’ll definitely hold a grudge.”
“Fine. I’ll let you curse plenty. If you survive, be prepared to be cursed too.”
“Of course.”
With the Scorpion tapping its chin, the final training began.
True to being a final training, the fight was fierce. Each time the Scorpion swung its claw-like leg, the road would lightly collapse, buildings would crumble, and windows would shatter like powdered cookies.
Its tail, resembling a fishing hook, was so savage with each movement that approaching became difficult.
They couldn’t even graze it. The moment they touched the poison on that tail, something would be lost.
Every movement was lethal. Just one touch would result in a wound close to death.
Thus, the most crucial element in this fight was exquisite distance control.
Boom!
Both Watcher and Helios had become masters of distance control. Experts at handling deeply intertwined insects.
“Hey! Don’t steal our kids!”
White Davi, who was managing zombies from a distance, saw those zombies being taken out by the tail, losing their starlight and control, and was inevitably drawn into the battle.
Obviously, they couldn’t face it bare-handed. Now not even thinking about hiding secrets, she gripped the whistle differently.
What she blew was not a horn whistle, but a beautiful woodwind flute similar to a recorder. As she blew it, a ghost-like figure of a girl appeared behind her.
A senior who had died. While receiving her spirit, White Davi’s eyes changed.
Seungcheong.
Fire balls wind began to blow ominously. The Scorpion’s movements slowed, and its power visibly diminished.
This became the turning point of the battle.
Watcher and Helios did not miss this opportunity.
A move only visible to seasoned hunters.
There were no signals between them. They knew the other understood this opportunity.
A white lightning bolt shot high into the sky. Pink flames gathered from underground.
The lightning-wrapped leg fell, and the flames ascended like a dragon.
The legs of a bird in the sky.
God of Cheonjo. Daeillryeong.
The two fatal techniques swept through the Scorpion, instantly stealing its life.
Boom! As always, the end came with an explosion.
The hunt was over.
The man and woman who had risked their lives looked at each other.
Their eyes held envy, disappointment, resignation, and relief that the other had done well.
Both sets of eyes.
“…Huh?”
“Don’t tell me you….”
Neither of them had gained anything.
“Very well. The training is now over.”
Swoosh! An ominous purple light stream erupted from where the Scorpion had just been exploded.
From all previous battlefields, from all Scorpion corpse locations, light streams erupted.
Their number was eighteen. The total of the Scorpion’s main body and clones.
Something was strange. All Scorpions should have been defeated.
“You seem to notice something’s odd.”
Paradox, who had been observing their fight, appeared with a smile.
“Didn’t I tell you? What I gained while fighting the Scorpion was the self.”
Eerie. A chill ran through the ominous light stream, creating unease.
“Naturally, the one with self would be the main body, wouldn’t it?”
All the unease gathered towards Paradox. The light stream solidified into a definite form. It resembled the Scorpion, but with visible joints and screws, looking somewhat mechanical.
More precisely, it looked like a combination of heavy equipment vehicles, fighter jets, tanks, and such.
Paradox climbed onto the fighter jet-like object created nearest to him.
“Congratulations. You have passed the first trial. You’ve realized the essence of hunting, the preciousness of life, and have grown stronger.”
That fighter jet soared high into the sky.
“Now it’s time to face even stronger enemies.”
The fighter jet transformed, becoming the core body. The other Scorpion parts began transforming too. What looked like a tank became legs, what resembled a drill machine became arms, and what looked like a belly became the waist and back.
All parts that had risen from the corpses began to merge.
The true form of the Scorpion.
The most ferocious beast.
It began finding its true form.
From the beginning, the Scorpion’s main body was never visible.
Paradox, who took the Scorpion’s self.
He was not the Scorpion, but became the Scorpion’s main body.
Han Jae-joong stood blankly with his mouth open, watching the Scorpion beginning to merge in the sky.
‘If Paradox was also part of the Scorpion, he should have been a quest target….’
But the quest did not indicate this. If Belt, a possibility-observing machine, was aware, it should have known.
The answer was simple.
The system wanted this.
“…Damn.”
Dawn began to break. Sunlight slowly illuminated the Scorpion’s form.
Larger than a 100-story building. An overwhelmingly massive window. A gigantic armored knight holding it.
The Scorpion had become an excellent giant combined transforming robot.
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