Chapter 54 (1/2)
Chwa-rururuk-
Clung, claaang-
Dozens upon dozens of thick chains tightly bound the bodies of the monsters. Ten-plus Awakeners coordinated with each other in perfect sync to stop the monsters’ movements.
“Nice work!”
Chwa-aaaahk-!
Kang Seung-Cheol’s greatsword split the body of a huge raven-like monster in half. The creature, with both of its wings tied down, couldn’t even offer any substantial resistance as it lost its life.
Ka-boom-!
Along with the waves of magical energy, a loud impact noise akin to a sandbag being struck hard resounded out. A monster’s torso bounced upwards, its waist bent in half.
“Can’t you hurry up a bit here?”
Tap, tap-
Boom-
While shaking off the blood on his hands, Kim Do-ui addressed Kang Seung-Cheol.
When looking at the bigger picture, they were both Awakeners affiliated with the same government, but when looking at the smaller picture, things were slightly different.
And that’s why they were wary of each other.
“Who’s the slow one here… Why don’t you keep your people in line first? How many did you hunt, anyway?”
“It’s not just one or two. Do you think I’ll personally be counting them? Why maybe you didn’t hurt as many as you thought?”
“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?”
“I wonder, just who was it that asked me first about how many I hunted down?”
“Before that…”
Guuu-wooong-
The ground rumbled as something heavy crash-landed. The two men stopped bickering and turned their heads in the direction of the noise.
“The boss is…”
“He killed it?”
Kang Seung-Cheol opened his eyes wide.
That man, he stepped forward while saying he’ll fight the boss alone, but to think he’d solo a monster of such caliber.
“I thought we might need more reinforcement, but it seems there’s no longer a need for that.”
Kim Do-ui was overcome with feelings of emptiness and relief at the same time. The crisis that could’ve become the worst-possible situation had finally come to an end.
“He’s remarkable. Truly,” Kim Do-ui thought.
Su-hyeun minded his own business up until now without publicly revealing himself, not even once.
It was already mystifying to see a young man like that stay well below the radar for such an extent of time, but the moment he revealed his identity to the world, he even managed to prevent a huge catastrophe, as well.
His abilities couldn’t be faulted at all. Indeed, he was one of only a few S-ranks in South Korea, so why should anyone doubt that?
Most likely, after this event is over…” Kim Du-ui began to think.
A storm should rage on with him as the epicenter.
The armor clanked.
Su-hyeun picked up the armor Igolas’s maw spat out onto the ground.
Now that he got to see it again, rather than joy, bitterness rushed in first.
“Falcon’s Holy Armor,” Su-hyeun thought in awe.
This set of armor was so light that its weight almost couldn’t be felt. Just from the sensation of it being held in his hand, the armor might seem like it’d break in half if he gripped it a little harder.
However, Su-hyeun knew the true worth of this item better than anyone out there.
[Falcon’s Holy Armor.]
The armor belonging to Falcon, the knight of Teserahm Empire. The Teserahm Empire gifted this armor to Falcon in his quest to hunt down the half-demon dragon, and as such, it possesses strong resistance towards many different magic types.
The item’s explanation itself wasn’t too obtuse. Rather than its effects, over half of the explanation was devoted to the item’s history, instead.
<< Out of all the armors that can be equipped with the others, this is the one possessing the greatest magic resistance of them all. >>
The greatest advantage Falcon’s Armor had was the fact that it could be worn underneath other armors.
Never mind how light it was, it was also more comfortable than all the others, and it offered almost no restriction on his movements.
It also had a strong resistance towards many different types of damage, including magic, which was a huge plus, as well.
Honestly, that last factor alone would’ve qualified the Falcon’s Armor as a bona fide treasure.
“I’ll use it well,” Su-hyeun thought.
Su-hyeun then equipped the Falcon’s Armor.
The moment he put on the armor over his clothing.
Hwa-aaaahk-!
Lengthy video footage began brushing past Su-hyeun’s brain.
“Please stop the demon dragon Igolas.”
“Falcon, we ask of you for this favor.”
“With this method, you will be able to defeat Igolas. However, if that happens…”
Countless people were surrounding Falcon.
They all clamored over each other to shout towards him.
“You’re the only one we can believe in now!”
Falcon couldn’t forsake that belief. Not if he were to answer their expectations, and if he wanted to protect his beloved empire, too.
It wasn’t hard to come up with a reply.
“Please leave it to me.”
And so, Falcon set off from the empire to stop Igolas.
While equipped with weapons, armor, and countless items crafted by the finest artisans of the empire, he fought against Igolas in a battle that lasted the day and night, and eventually, the magic circle they had created was activated.
Hwa-aaaaahk-!
And that’s how Falcon became one with Igolas.
Two separate minds came to occupy one flesh, and the second battle commenced.
It was truly a lengthy fight that lasted for almost an eternity.
Igolas didn’t die.
However, one half of it became Falcon. The light and darkness repeatedly fought each other in fierce battles, and Igolas no longer appeared in the empire.
Unfortunately, Falcon would lose to Igolas’s ego whenever the starvation became too extreme.
And to appease his hunger, he had to devour the empire’s citizens.
“I… Those people, I…”
The guilt was shaking his consciousness.
His mouth could vividly recall the memories of chewing on humans. The memories of screams of ‘please save us’ reverberating within his mouth were something he never wanted to remember again.
It was at this point that the horrifying voice he’d often hear came to him.
“But, didn’t you enjoy the taste? Was I mistaken?”
“Shut up. I didn’t enjoy anything. It’s making me sick!”
“No way. You savored the taste while devouring those humans. I’m you right now, after all. That’s why I know.”