๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐: ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ’๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง
“A bird entered the cage.”
A group of assassins was monitoring Hikari.
They confirmed that Hikari entered her house and moved slowly.
It was a quiet residential area on the outskirts, where two detached houses were adjacent.
The assassins had installed a magic tool that absorbed noise near the houses.
For the time being, even if a major disturbance occurred, there would be no reports.
“Seigen is definitely not here, right?”
“No. We confirmed him leaving, saying he had other business, and according to the one tailing him, he’s quite far away.”
“Okay, got it.”
Kunchai, the leader of the assassin group, adjusted his mask and checked his weapon.
If Seigen wasn’t around, he could easily kill such a rookie shaman even with his eyes closed.
Jiang Chen had warned him to be careful, but. . .
‘๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐จ๐จ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ <๐๐๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐พ๐ค๐ง๐ฅ๐จ> ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐. ๐๐๐๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐จ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ.’
Kunchai had disliked the <Ghost Corps> from the beginning.
If it was someone as formidable as No. 0, that would be understandable.
But a psycho like No. 1 was just a blemish on the organization’s face.
“What should we do? Shall we infiltrate?”
“That woman should be getting complacent by now. Let’s just cut her throat and get out quickly.”
Kunchai signaled the assassins.
They instantly surrounded the house.
If the signal to infiltrate was given, everything would be over in 30 seconds.
“What are you dogs doing in front of someone’s house?”
Surprised, the assassins quickly turned their heads at the sudden voice.
And at that moment.
Whoosh! Thud!!
One assassin was struck by a fist and crumpled to the ground.
“It’s a house I bought with my own money for the master, and there are so many bugs crawling around.”
“You, wench. . .!”
“That’s Kang Yeo-hwa!”
Then, a surprise magic attack struck another assassin from behind.
Crackle!!
“What the hell is going on?! Why are S-Ranks out for a night stroll and causing trouble! Kill them!!”
The assassins drew their weapons and charged at Kang Yeo-hwa and Min Si-joon.
Skills were unleashed, and blades and fists clashed.
Kunchai lowered his mask and bit his lip until it bled.
Fury and annoyance welled up inside him as his plan fell apart.
“Damn it! Melt their limbs and feed them to the dogs!!”
A massive magic circle appeared on his body, and a damp, humid energy emanated from him.
Like purple mud dripping down, unknown substances bubbled out of Kunchai’s body and flowed onto the ground, corroding the floor hideously.
“Let’s see if you can touch my venom, Empress.”
Kunchai began to move with slimy steps.
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฤฬ๐ฌ.แด๐ ๐ช
<Red Fox>, who was chasing Siwoo, lost its way in the forest.
No, it would be more accurate to say that the path disappeared.
“Shit, you bastard! Can’t you even follow properly?!”
Kiryu spewed out a crude insult at the subordinate who had been marking Siwoo from the closest distance.
“No, but it’s true. I confirmed he entered this path, but when I followed, there was a ‘Boulder Mountain’.”
“Then where did he go? Did he dig into the ground or something?!”
“Butโ”
“Useless idiot. Shut up and find him.”
The subordinate lowered his head, unable to respond to Kiryu’s fierce gaze.
Since the deal with Jiang Chen was made spontaneously, <Red Fox> had to start the operation without properly understanding Siwoo.
The only thing they knew was that he was a hunter working with Hayakawa Hikari.
He was not on the high-ranking hunter list in Korea, nor was he on the watchlist of the <HSIU Korean Branch>.
‘๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐จ๐ช๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ค๐ช๐จ. ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐๐ฃ’๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐๐๐ฃ’๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐ช๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ก๐ฎ?’
This feeling from Kiryu stemmed from his instincts.
Of course, dealing with an HSIU hunter was not as easy as it sounded.
One wrong move, and they could be marked by an international organization, so they had to be extremely careful.
‘๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ช๐๐จ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐๐๐ฃ. ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ง๐ช๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ.’
While grasping Siwoo’s existence, Kiryu also constantly pondered about him.
In a way, it seemed to only benefit Jiang Chen.
From <Yamaguchi-gumi>’s perspective. . . they had to eliminate Hikari, no matter how unpleasant it was.
Kiryu shook his head, trying to shake off his distracting thoughts.
Right now, he had to focus on the target.
After killing this guy, all he had to do was confirm that Jiang Chen had dealt with Hikari, and it would be a win-win situation.
“Find him quickly! What are you all doing, unable to find a mere hunter?!”
“Yes!!”
At Kiryu’s roar, the subordinates scattered into the forest.
It was best not to provoke Kiryu when he was raging like that.
“Aaaargh!!”
Then, someone’s scream echoed through the mountain.
“What?! Is it him?”
“Ughh. . .”
Followed by another groan.
Kiryu gathered his scattered subordinates and rushed toward the direction of the scream.
There, three massive stone bears were ripping apart the subordinates’ stomachs.
“What. . . Could this technique be. . .?”
“It’s the first time we meet, gentlemen.”
A shadowy figure approached slowly from afar.
The <Red Fox> members froze in shock at the sight.
An old man with furious, blazing eyes.
“Shit. . .”
The โMonsterโ Hayakawa Seigen.
“You’ve had a hard time targeting my granddaughter.”
Seigen tapped his cane on the ground once.
A peculiar wave of magic and spiritual power swept across the entire ground, spreading like a vast ripple.
“T-There’s been a misunderstanding, Seigen! We were trailing a hunter named Min Siwoo to eliminate him!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! Your granddaughter must have been close to the hunter Min Siwoo, causing you to mistake our presence for something else.”
“I see.”
Seigen turned his gaze sideways.
Kumo, who appeared like a butler, took out a smartphone from his pocket.
โSo you’re suggesting we do an exchange murder.
โYes. Even if there’s a suspicious culprit, if the evidence points elsewhere, it becomes useless.
The voices of Jiang Chen and Kiryu came through the speaker.
“Let’s see. Wasn’t the head of <Yamaguchi-gumi> Taoka Teruaki?”
Seigen muttered while stroking his beard.
Then, his gaze gradually turned cold, and he bared his teeth as he continued speaking.
“When I return to Japan, I’ll have to kill and bury all the trash. Let them know what happens when they mess with a bakemono.”
“D-Damn it!! Attack!!”
Someone’s desperate cry rang out, and <Red Fox> moved simultaneously.
At the same time, Seigen’s cane struck the ground again.
Kuuuuuโng!
“This place will become your grave.”
“Shut up, old man!!”
One of the charging operatives swung his sword at Seigen’s neck.
In that instant.
Kwajijik!!
Long claws tore through the operative’s body, pinning him to the ground.
“Don’t you know to respect your elders, you bastards.”
The half-human, half-beast Volk bared his fangs as he spoke.
His ferocious appearance made people hesitate to attack recklessly, prompting Kiryu to shout.
“Out of the way, you useless fools! I’ll deal with this myself!!”
A massive surge of magic erupted from his body, unleashing geometric spell patterns that scattered sparks.
Soon, a ferocious red fox baring its fangs stood there.
“Grrrr! Witness the true power of <Red Fox>!”
“This will be interesting. A wolf and a fox.”
Seigen chuckled, and Kiryu’s body leaped forward with a roar.
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
แด๐ดแดส๐ฌแด๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐s.๐แดแน
Chui and Liu.
They were two but one.
A [Twin Form] ability to convert physical and magical damage received directly into energy and return it to the opponent.
Moreover, since they were sharing that energy, one could transfer the damage received to the other.
Hwang Jeong-gu wiped away his nosebleed.
Counter-type Awakeners were troublesome in this regard.
An ability to make indiscriminate attacks or render them unable to act.
It was easier to deal with those who simply fought back and forth.
“Look at that, they’re clearly thinking hard. Should we go first, Liu?”
“I can’t believe such a weak guy is a hunter affiliated with the government. Chinese police hunters aren’t like this, Chui.”
Crunch.
Then Siwoo, who had been buried in the rubble, brushed off the stones and stood up.
“You said earlier, ‘Are you going to whimper like this?’”
“Shut up.”
“Heh.”
Siwoo brushed off the dust.
“This idiot seems to want to attack again, Chui.”
“Indeed. Since he asked about Jiang Chen, he won’t be able to die peacefully, Liu.”
Then Pre, who had been leaning against Siwoo’s shoulder, opened his mouth as if annoyed.
ใ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ’๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ฌ?ใ
“You guys must be ugly recognized by the alien.”
Siwoo responded with a sneer.
ใ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ข, ๐๐ข๐ฎ, ๐๐ข๐ฐ๐จ๐จ. ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ?ใ
“Shut up.”
“Shut up.”
“Shut up.”
The three answered simultaneously, scowling.
ใ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ~.ใ
Siwoo poked Pre’s eyes, displeased with his ‘look at that’ expression.
ใ๐๐๐ค!! ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ*๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐!ใ
“Quiet. It’s your fault for opening your eyes wrong.”
ใ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ*๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐!ใ
If you weren’t my symbiotic partner, I’d have killed you.
“What’s that demon-like doll-like thing? Are you a summoner?”
Chui asked with a wary gaze.
“It’s just a decoration, so don’t mind it.”
Then he rushed towards Liu in a burst of speed.
In sync with that movement, Hwang Jeong-gu also charged at Chui, throwing two knives instead of metal balls to block the opponent’s movement.
“Ha! Such a petty rush!”
Liu circulated mana throughout his body and faced Siwoo’s attack.
Craa-ang! Aaack!
Fierce friction sounds clashed, and rock debris flew as sharp mana spread in all directions.
Even bystanders were distracted by their fierce battle.
“Shouldn’t we help them?”
“Wait. He’s a Hunter, so we’ll just provide support from the side. We’d only get in the way if we joined.”
Amid dozens of exchanges, Liu converted Siwoo’s attacks into energy and steadily accumulated it.
‘๐๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐ก๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐, ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ช๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง.’
The amount of energy accumulated seemed capable of not just killing but outright destroying his body.
“What are you so happy about?”
Seeing Liu’s smile, Siwoo whipped him with a side kick.
Baa-ack!
“Kugh!!”
This madman’s attacks were no joke.
As the damage Liu took increased, he transferred about a third of it to Chui.
“Isn’t this too much all of a sudden, Liu?”
“I can’t help it! The energy keeps converting, Chui!”
Chui was in a predicament as well.
Dealing with just Hwang Jeong-gu was fine, but the knives flew too quickly, leaving no opportunity to use the converted energy.
“Just let me hit you once!”
Chui tried to stab with his nails, but Hwang Jeong-gu moved his knives to strike the opponent’s eyes instead.
“Damn brat!”
Chui cursed.
‘๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐ก๐ก.’
Liu felt the accumulating energy and decided to unleash it all at once.
Then Siwoo’s attack hit Liu, and seizing that moment, Liu tried to blast Siwoo’s abdomen with a shockwave.
But then.
Crunch!
The organ that was supposed to release the built-up energy broke.
Siwoo shook Liu’s shattered hand, grinning mischievously like a villain.
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