Chapter 67: Chapter 67

As Lee Jun-cheol was evacuating the people, he was startled by the sudden explosion of flames nearby.

He had thought they had managed to escape quite far and had begun to relax, but it seemed it was too early to let his guard down.

“They’re fighting fiercely…”

Even though he was at the outskirts, the situation was alarming enough, indicating that the central area of the city must be close to hell.

If they had waited just a moment longer to evacuate the citizens, it was impossible to gauge how many casualties there might have been.

“Brother, the association is saying they will provide relief supplies.”

“What’s the point in that now?”

The association should have done something much earlier, but by this point, Lee Jun-cheol and his subordinates had already handled most of the tasks.

Now that those who had been watching idly from across the river were finally stepping in to help, their intentions couldn’t have been more obvious.

“Damn it…”

Still, refusing support here would yield no benefits whatsoever.

The capital used for these supplies wasn’t insignificant, and there was no need to earn the association’s ire at this juncture.

“Tell those bastards that I will gratefully accept their supplies.”

“Understood, brother.”

“Don’t follow my words to the letter.”

“Ha ha ha, do you think I’m an idiot?”

Jo Hyung-il moved away with some of his subordinates to meet with an association representative to collect the relief supplies.

While receiving the supplies, Lee Jun-cheol fell into deep thought about whether he should move further or wait there.

In theory, the disaster shouldn’t have spread this far.

But the fiery debris that had just fallen close by proved the weakness of that theory, altering the circumstances.

“It will take quite some time to relocate all the tents and facilities we have prepared…”

With personnel diverted to transport the relief supplies, there was a shortage of manpower.

Even if he started moving immediately, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t encounter delays.

“Ugh.”

In a situation where he couldn’t decide what to do, Lee Jun-cheol was frustrated.

“Why are you grumbling by yourself?”

Turning to the voice that came from behind, Lee Jun-cheol recognized its owner and felt an unsettling sense of unfamiliarity.

Even though he was someone he had known for a long time, the vibe he emitted felt strangely different, as if they were seeing each other for the first time.

“Is that you, Kang Jin-hyuk?”

“What kind of question is that? We are not strangers.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right…”

Though he evaded the question with a laugh, Lee Jun-cheol couldn’t shake off the odd discomfort.

In just a few hours, Kang Jin-hyuk seemed to exude an entirely different atmosphere.

It was as if he had become a completely different person altogether.

‘Why do I feel this way?’

It was incredible to think his impression could change just from a brief absence.

Could he be sensing the spirit of a martial artist adeptly?

Or perhaps there was a significant change in Kang Jin-hyuk that was primal enough for him to instinctively notice, even as an ordinary person.

With his hopes up, Lee Jun-cheol decided to confide his worries in Kang Jin-hyuk.

“If this war between the Titan and the Tyrant drags on, the citizens here will be in danger.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Could you possibly intervene to prevent the damage from spreading?”

Lee Jun-cheol knew exactly how reckless of a request he was making.

Asking a lone individual to thwart a conflict that involved S-rank Hunters was comparable to suggesting suicide.

Even though he was aware it made no sense, he found himself uttering the request regardless.

From Kang Jin-hyuk’s perspective, it was understandable to receive a few colorful insults in reply.

However, what came next was equally as bewildering.

“Let’s give it a shot.”

“Pardon?”

“You asked me to intervene, so what’s there to be surprised about?”

With a laugh at the unexpected response, Kang Jin-hyuk began to lightly stretch his limbs.

After warming up, he pulled out a baseball bat.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from Lee Jun-cheol’s sight.

Lee Jun-cheol saw deep imprints in the ground where Kang Jin-hyuk had just stood.

“Good grief… This isn’t some movie.”

Before departing, Lee Jun-cheol recalled the expression Kang Jin-hyuk had shown just moments before he left.

Even on the way to a battlefield, his overflowing confidence and excitement were palpable.

Though he would likely confront two S-rank Hunters, Kang Jin-hyuk appeared unperturbed by fear.

“Is this the rise of a legend?”

Lee Jun-cheol hoped against hope that his instincts were correct.

* * *

As the conflict between the Titan and Tyrant unfolded, the scales began to tip further in favor of the latter over time.

Even among guilds that had fallen from grace, they had once been at the forefront, competing alongside Altron.

Moreover, the Tyrant members held the added motivation of a burning desire for vengeance against those who had caused their downfall, boosting their morale.

In contrast, the unity among the Titan guild members felt as hollow as an empty shell.

As the tides of battle continued to become unfavorable, Han Young-seok expressed his frustration.

“Damn that Seo Sang-ho! We should have eliminated him right then and there!”

If they had definitively taken out Seo Sang-ho, the opposing faction would have lost their focal point and collapsed entirely.

However, because of the unfinished business, Han Young-seok found himself unable to manage the inner schism within Titan.

When trust evaporated between comrades, it was natural that their power would not be fully unleashed in war.

To make matters worse, they were now forced to handle a battle that should have been evenly matched while chaos surrounded them.

This meant Titan was quickly driven into a corner.

“Han Young-seok! You must retreat! The Tyrant’s members are already here!”

Baek Jin-woong, who had come to evacuate Han Young-seok, was too busy dealing with the incoming Hunters to finish his sentence.

“Those bastards!”

Unable to hold back his rage, Baek Jin-woong activated his Frenzy skill.

With his eyes rolling back and his reasoning evaporating, his stats surged.

“Graaaah!”

With a beastly roar, the large axe he swung cleaved through a Tyrant Hunter who had charged in without a thought.

The Hunter was cut in half, eyes wide open as his breath escaped him.

The horrific scene made the remaining Tyrant Hunters hesitate to charge in blindly.

Behind them, Jo Won-cheol, who had been following closely, kicked out in annoyance.

“If you’re not going in, then get out of the way!”

The Tyrant Hunters, who received a kick to the backside, stepped aside without complaint, creating a path.

Jo Won-cheol leisurely walked towards Baek Jin-woong, and the bloodied figure came into his view.

The moment the rampaging Berserker had entered Jo Won-cheol’s range, he wasted no time and swung his axe fiercely.

“Die!!!”

As the wind tore through the air, he brought down the mighty axe in an attempt to cleave Jo Won-cheol in two.

The moment it seemed Jo Won-cheol would be cut down as if he were made of paper, a strange sensation washed over him, and time felt as if it had frozen.

The sensation was similar to when he previously fought with a fellow Hunter.

Initially thought to be the product of blind anger, Jo Won-cheol now stood grounded like a rock, showing no reaction whatsoever.

“What the hell?!”

Jo Won-cheol effortlessly stepped back and dodged the blow.

Baek Jin-woong faltered, losing the momentum from his charge.

With a flick of a wrist, Jo Won-cheol easily deflected the huge axe, and the next moment, their difference in strength became evident.

“Damn…”

While facing a formidable foe, Baek Jin-woong felt a chilling sense of dread.

Even without exchanging blows, he recognized the invisible pressure emanating from Jo Won-cheol.

“What’s wrong? You thought you could take me on by throwing a tantrum?!”

Jo Won-cheol’s words dripped with disdain, and as he swung his arms, his confidence appeared to rise even further.

“Just how pathetic are you?”

As Jo Won-cheol dodged another attack, he unexpectedly displayed a swift counter, using Baek Jin-woong’s own momentum against him.

Bam!

That excellent counterattack sent Baek Jin-woong crashing into the ground, and a burst of impact rang out.

With blood spilling from his mouth, Baek Jin-woong barely managed to get up off the ground.

“Ugh…”

He struggled to breathe under Jo Won-cheol’s pressure.

“Is this the so-called strength of an S-rank?”

The question rang in his ears, but there was no reply.

“Enough of this! Get a grip!”

Before Baek Jin-woong could regain his composure, Jo Won-cheol bore down again.

“Get ready to welcome oblivion!”

Slamming down, he intended to finish Baek Jin-woong off once and for all.

With a swift movement, Jo Won-cheol’s hand transformed into a blade-like form.

Like cut grass, the blood tinted Baek Jin-woong’s surroundings crimson.

“This is a little too much…”

Baek Jin-woong felt regret for having charged recklessly at Jo Won-cheol.

“Something… is different about you…”

Every aspect of Jo Won-cheol was on display, even his ferocity cutting through the air.

This was not merely a combat encounter but an acknowledgment of the sharp divide between their abilities.

“Have you finally realized that you are nothing compared to me?”

They had never known each other enough to realize how deeply those words cut into Baek Jin-woong’s heart.

As he grappled with that realization, he sensed dire danger looming, sinking in futility.

“Is this how I end?”

The questions flashed through his mind as Baek Jin-woong held onto a sliver of hope.

“If only I could have my chance… If I could get even a single blow in…”

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared on the horizon, and he wailed for it.

Then, just as he thought he had grasped it, that light shattered before his eyes.

“There’s nothing for you to hold onto.”

Jo Won-cheol’s lips curled into a smirk; a split second before he fell, Baek Jin-woong surrendered himself to the abyss.

“Where am I headed?”

No answer came.

Only the sound of calamity echoed through the battlefield where destinies intertwined and retreated.

Then the scene shifted abruptly, landing in an entirely different environment amidst chaos.

Time slowed down, intertwining lives cascading through fate and altering paths in an unforeseen twist.

“This isn’t over yet!”

Blinding light soon obscured everything.