The Late Game Healer Is Way Too Strong – Chapter 354

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟓𝟒: 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐫 3

Siwoo exhaled roughly.

The cold and heat that surged through his body made his mind hazy.

Everything felt blurry and indistinct, as if the boundary between reality and dream had been erased.

“Haak, haak, haak. . .”

He had only thrown a single punch, but his core felt like it was being torn apart.

A wave of nausea washed over him.

The sensation that coursed through his mind and body was vastly different from when he had opened his sixth core.

Was this what it meant to break through the final wall?

Siwoo struggled to control the boiling energy and the buzzing in his head as he moved towards Bablehner.

Bablehner seemed to have been stunned by Siwoo’s punch.

He couldn’t tell if the shock was mental or physical.

But one thing was clear: he couldn’t stop attacking.

Siwoo lunged at the spot where Bablehner had been standing.

────────Quagagagagagagaga!!!

A crater more than ten meters deep was created, decimating the terrain.

An enormous shockwave erupted, sending up a cloud of dust that made it impossible to see even a hand in front of his face.

There would be no more wars.

No, there would be no more battles.

If he didn’t stop everything here, there would be no future for humanity.

Siwoo poured his heart into each and every blow he unleashed.

If he couldn’t defeat him even with the power of his seventh core—

━’𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳.’━

The weight of countless lives resting on his shoulders made his chest feel heavy.

So he didn’t let up his attacks.

He infused each blow with the determination and desire to end his enemy’s life.

Zza─────────────uck!!!

Siwoo’s right fist mercilessly slammed into Bablehner’s side.

He seized the momentum and took a step forward before the man’s body had even begun to sink, backhanding him across the face with his left hand.

Crimson blood splattered through the air.

Siwoo kicked Bablehner’s prone form in the chest with all his might.

───────────Quaaaaaaang!!!

The rock face that Bablehner crashed into crumbled and collapsed.

He must have attacked relentlessly for about 30 seconds.

It was a short period of time.

But in a battle between masters where every thousandth of a second counted, it felt like 30 minutes.

And for Siwoo, who was burning his own life force and drawing on every last ounce of strength, it felt like an eternity.

He felt like a melting candle, on the verge of collapsing.

The power of his seventh core had pushed him far beyond his limits, but it had also brought with it a backlash of equal magnitude.

Siwoo wiped the blood flowing from his nose and mouth.

He wanted to lie down right now and vomit up everything inside him.

“Haak, haak, haak. . . Damn it. . .”

He wanted to release his power.

It felt like someone was stabbing him with an awl in every corner of his mana channels.

He bit down on his molars hard enough to draw blood.

He had to endure it somehow, until he saw Bablehner’s end.

He had to see his opponent die before he himself died.

━’𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯.’━

Siwoo prayed silently.

Just then, a raspy voice jolted him back to reality.

『Kuk. . . Heh heh, Min Siwoo. . . Is that all you’ve got?』

Bablehner emerged from the collapsed rock face, a sinister grin on his face.

He had expected him to not die, of course, but seeing him completely unharmed made his knees feel weak.

Siwoo clenched his jaw.

『To think you’ve brought me to this state. . . Your complexion is rather poor.』

Bablehner opened his mouth, revealing rows of jagged, blood-stained teeth.

“I was just thinking about how to hit you hard enough to kill you.”

Bablehner bared his sharp fangs at Siwoo’s response.

『That’s not it.』

A vast demonic energy began to seep from his body once more.

『How about we be honest? Aren’t you nothing more than a common human, a fake?』

Bablehner spoke as if he could see right through people’s hearts.

『It seems the power of that seventh core doesn’t last very long. Heh heh, in fact, you must be nearing your limit by now.』

“But it should be enough time to kill you.”

『Nonsense. You know as well as I do that you’ll end up losing by a hair’s breadth.』

Bablehner stared intently at Siwoo with his pitch-black eyes.

‘He’s definitely serious.’

Siwoo realized that there was no falsehood in the demonic energy radiating from him.

Bablehner had seen through Siwoo’s lies, and Siwoo had seen through Bablehner’s truth.

『As a human vessel, there is a limit to the amount of power you can contain. But for the demon race, and especially for me, there is no such limit.』

He spread his arms like a cult leader and slowly floated into the air.

『I will be the first god in the history of the demon race to rule this universe.』

“You’re crazy, you can’t even handle Earth.”

Siwoo’s sarcasm was met with a blank expression from Bablehner.

『If not for you.』

“. . . . . .”

『Because of you, my plans have been delayed by ten years. The demon race has been held back by a single human. Who would have thought that the Demon King would be defeated by a human?』

“Yeah, I’m really sorry about that.”

『Now it’s time to put an end to this history.』

“We’ll see who’s standing at the end.”

『Heheheh─ If you wish, I will oblige.』

Siwoo drew his Dragon Slayer Sword and lunged at Bablehner with lightning speed.

Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Thousands of thorns erupted from the ground, forming a solid shield that blocked the sword.

Siwoo didn’t stop.

The ether energy infused into the Dragon Slayer Sword emitted a thick, cold aura.

“Hwaaah!!!”

His muscles screamed.

It felt like his forearms were being torn off with each downward strike.

The sharpest sword in the world swung as if it were about to devour its enemy.

With each swing, the black thorns surrounding Bablehner shattered into pieces.

If he didn’t show any signs of dying, he would just keep attacking until he did.

That moment.

Poogaaaak!!

A single thorn shot out from an unexpected location and pierced Siwoo’s shoulder.

“Grrruuugh!!”

He had been so focused on attacking that he had neglected his defense.

Siwoo grabbed the thorn and ripped it out.

This was nothing.

He attacked again like a madman.

This time, two thorns, four thorns, ten thorns. . . shot out at him relentlessly, but Siwoo didn’t dodge.

He didn’t care if his body was torn apart, if his bones were crushed and his flesh pierced.

At that moment, he chose to swing his sword one more time at his enemy.

His breath was coming in ragged gasps.

His eyelids felt too heavy to blink, and his eyeballs felt like they were burning.

“Haak, haak, guk, haak!!”

His lungs were about to burst.

His mind was becoming hazy.

He felt as if he were slowly being sucked into a deep swamp, his limbs stiffening and his nose and mouth closing up.

How much time had passed?

“Kuk, huh, haak, hoo, huh. . .!”

Covered in blood, Siwoo managed to stay standing by gripping the hilt of his sword with his reverse hand and planting it in the ground.

It felt like he would collapse if anyone touched him right now.

He looked at the being in front of him.

The thorns that had covered Bablehner had been shaved off, making him look like a large egg now.

『The results are in.』

Bablehner’s voice echoed from within the shield that had been silent for so long.

『Min Siwoo, these results reveal your defeat.』

Crack.

The egg shattered, revealing Bablehner, who had been hiding inside the entire time.

“You talk a big game for someone who’s been running away like a coward.”

Siwoo wiped the sweat and blood that had been dripping down his chin.

『I will give you one last chance.』

Bablehner ignored Siwoo’s sarcasm and continued to speak down to him.

『Become my subordinate. I will grant you the position of second-in-command, above Kraken.』

Siwoo couldn’t even manage a sarcastic laugh at that offer.

It was just too ridiculous.

『You will die here. You will definitely die. But as someone who recognizes your abilities, I find it too regrettable.』

Bablehner reached out a hand towards Siwoo.

His face was devoid of emotion, but the aura he exuded was overwhelmingly arrogant and self-righteous.

『You have passed the selection, human. If you take my hand, I will spare your life. No, I will grant you everything you desire in this world.』

A slender hand with painted black nails.

Siwoo looked back and forth between that hand and the being’s eyes.

To offer him mercy in a situation where he could have died at any moment.

Wasn’t this the very definition of a devil’s temptation?

With the speed of a lightning bolt, Siwoo swung his Dragon Slayer Sword and sliced off the being’s wrist.

But even in the face of such a surprise attack, Bablehner seemed remarkably calm.

As if he welcomed such attacks.

━’𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦.’━

Siwoo didn’t hesitate to plunge his sword into the being’s heart.

Kwadududududuk!!!

A sickening sensation traveled up the blade and into his fingertips.

He had definitely stabbed and hit his target with the intent to kill, but why did he feel so uneasy?

He twisted the embedded sword.

『Kuk. . . Heh heh.』

Bablehner coughed up crimson blood and smiled at Siwoo.

An extremely unpleasant and spine-chilling feeling.

『How unfortunate, Min Siwoo. You have rejected the opportunity to become one with me.』

Faced with such pure evil, Siwoo instinctively pulled his body away.

“What the. . .”

Siwoo couldn’t finish his sentence.

『Kuguk. . . Kgaaaaaaaaaaaak!!』

Craaaaaaaaaaack─

Bablehner’s chest split in half, and dozens of black hands burst forth from within.

The shape of the hands looked strangely familiar.

A pitch-black magic circle swirled at his feet like a whirlpool.

Dark clouds gathered in the gloomy sky.

Kwarurururururung!! Kgaaaaaaaaaang!!!

Thunder and lightning tore through the darkness, painting the sky a brilliant white.

An astonishingly fierce and evil demonic energy erupted from Bablehner.

『Kukukuku. Listen up, contractors.』

Black eyes flashed.

The hands that had burst from his body shot out in all directions.

Ah, those hands.

Siwoo’s legs gave out from the overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

“What is this?!”

“Damn it, is this the Demon King’s technique?!”

“Your Majesty!! Are you alright!!”

Chaos erupted all around, and voices of alarm could be heard.

【𝐀𝐚𝐡.】

Pre poked his head out for the first time during the battle.

That technique wasn’t meant to capture Siwoo and his party.

━Krugugugugugyuk!!

The captured Fallen Angels struggled and tried to break free from the clutches.

Even the Fallen Angels that were larger than buildings, like Behemoths, were unable to escape and were dragged away.

And they weren’t the only ones who had been captured.

『Uwaaaaaaaaaak! 4th realm Demon King!! What is the meaning of this!!』

Mephistopheles tried to tear away the unidentified hand that was wrapped around his neck.

However, it was an unbreakable covenant.

『My apologies, Archdevil. You too are my contractor.』

Bablehner revealed his fangs, his face a mask of pure evil.

『Damn you!! I will curse you forever! You will never become the Final Demon King!!』

Mephistopheles realized that he was about to die.

No, it wouldn’t end with mere death.

He would simply be absorbed into the being’s stomach, returning to nothingness as a spiritual entity, his very existence erased.

『Heheheh, how glorious! I shall devour that curse as well!!』

“Master!! What is the meaning of this!!”

Even Kraken was among those whose power was being consumed.

He had planted his weapon into the ground and was shouting.

『Kraken, you too shall be reborn within me.』

“Master!! Damn it!!”

But to Bablehner, even such cries were nothing more than a spice.

All of the Fallen Angels and Archdevils were sucked into Bablehner’s gaping chest.

Aghdududududuk!!

The hundreds of pairs of teeth that had grown in his chest chewed and swallowed the beings that had been pulled in.

A bizarre and horrific sound filled the air.

Bablehner’s body writhed and then fell still in the silent darkness.

『Haaaah─ This is the best.』

Bablehner had been reborn anew, his body pulsating with an endless supply of demonic energy.

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