Chapter 137

Episode 137. The Great Overlord (6)

The appearance of Kim Seung-hyun as an enemy completely changed the atmosphere.

Although they had heard from Jeong Si-woo about the monster's ability to copy their appearance and power, imagining it and seeing it with their own eyes felt quite different.

The pressure they felt from Kim Seung-hyun, the Martial God, standing as their opponent was so much greater than they thought.

"This is a useful ability. I didn't expect to be able to block everything... Cough!"

The Homunculus, speaking in Kim Seung-hyun's voice, grabbed his chest and coughed. It had blocked the Jeong Si-woo Division's attack almost completely, but Lee Jin-woo's attack alone had been inevitable.

It felt a throbbing pain in its heart. It was a severe injury that not even its inherent regenerative and recovery abilities could revitalize.

"It hurts. This sensation of my heart burning and bones shattering is unfamiliar."

"......."

"I think I'll have to fill my stomach to fix this... And luckily, there's plenty of prey."

The Homunculus smiled slyly. It didn't suit Kim Seung-hyun's face. The Jeong Si-woo Division members, feeling the discrepancy, raised their hands and braced themselves for the attack.

However, the force Kim Seung-hyun accumulated with continuous training and enlightenment was currently considered one of the most powerful even among the -Five Heroes-.

The Homunculus kicked the ground and appeared in front of Yoo Ji-yeon in a flash. It was unbelievably fast for a simple leap forward. Fast enough to be a special ability or magic.

Yoo Ji-yeon's eyes widened. Was Kim Seung-hyun this strong? His superhuman power, which she didn't recognize with certainty when he was an ally, sparked fear once it belonged to an enemy.

"Rune of Defense... Argh!"

The Homunculus' spear swung through the air and struck Yoo Ji-yeon even before she gathered her mana. With a thud, Yoo Ji-yeon hit the ground.

"You son of a─!"

Sung Hyun-woo shouted sharply. He had trained how to control his emotions for years. And now, his teammate's injury sparked the explosion of his power.

The land shook as if it were plunging. And the intangible force of 'telekinesis' violently rushed towards the Homunculus. The attack was more powerful than magic that combined all the elements.

Craaaack!

The shield and armor covering the Homunculus disintegrated into atoms. Sung Hyun-woo's power ruthlessly and relentlessly pursued the monster.

The Homunculus' body, containing Kim Seung-hyun's power, moved in the air, breaking away from the pressure applied by telekinesis. It was pure strength. The most extreme power that a human body could draw out.

Sung Hyun-woo gulped. Was that really strength copied from a human? He wondered.

"Take care of Yoo Ji-yeon. I'll deal with it!"

Sung Hyun-woo stood frozen for a moment, and the real Kim Seung-hyun shouted from behind him. At the same time, the spear he held shot towards the Homunculus, emitting light.

The spear was like a ray of lightning. It tore through the air and drew a straight line, accompanied by a harsh noise.

"Hmm... whew."

The Homunculus was struggling, bound by Sung Hyun-woo's telekinesis. It made a strange face. Although it had copied Kim Seung-hyun's appearance, it seemed to think that it couldn't block his attack.

And, at that moment, it transformed again. The bulging muscles disappeared, and a thin body appeared. White clothes that fit the description 'holy' covered the body. The Homunculus now looked like a certain legendary figure called 'Jesus'.

Thud.

The spear penetrated the lower abdomen of the Homunculus and blew apart its body up to its chest. But the gaping hole soon recovered. The flesh that had burst into pieces grew back, and bones sprouted up.

It was Zhang Wei's ability. His healing powers could revive and mend anyone as long as they were alive.

"This one's quite useful, as well."

The Homunculus laughed unpleasantly. Kim Seung-hyun clicked his tongue. Zhang Wei's ability was the most troublesome. Unless they killed the monster instantly, no attack could penetrate Zhang Wei's powers.

"Are you all right?"

"Ugh... my head, it hurts."

In the meantime, Sung Hyun-woo ran over to Yoo Ji-yeon on the ground and took care of her. Her head was badly torn. It wouldn't take long to heal thanks to Zhang Wei, but the shock of her magic being canceled while she was casting it was going to prevent her from fighting for a while.

"Is it really okay for me to stay here?"

"Yeah. Don't ever come out of there. If you're cloned, we won't be able to handle it."

Watching the battle, Seol Ah-rin murmured. She was hiding behind a tree.

"Looks like everyone will die if I don't. You guys are so weak......."

Seol Ah-rin grumbled and pouted. Ignoring her, Sung Hyun-woo looked around.

The Homunculus' ability was trickier than he expected. To be exact, each member of the -Jeong Si-woo Division- was so well balanced that any of them appearing as an enemy made things difficult.

What was he supposed to do? What would Jeong Si-woo have done in this situation? Sung Hyun-woo's head hurt. He always looked into Jeong Si-woo's memory, but he couldn't guess why he made decisions and what inspired his ideas. At moments like this, he always needed Jeong Si-woo desperately.

"Leave it to me."

"...Huh?"

At that moment, someone stepped forward unexpectedly. One of the -Five Heroes- who hadn't been that active, who mainly focused on supporting Jeong Si-woo instead of coming forward.

"It looks like I'm the best one to beat up that bastard."

But she had one of the most spectacular careers in the Jeong Si-woo Division and once drove the entire world wild. She was hands down one of the best hunters.

"Everyone stay back for a second."

"What do you mean 'stay back'? How can you handle it alone...?"

"Back off when I tell you to. I can't fight with you guys in the way."

Kim Seung-hyun tried to stop her but fell silent at her forceful voice. She sounded different from when she was with Jeong Si-woo. Right now, she was like the other hunters that he fought alongside on the front line. Yes, she felt similar to Lee Hyun-seung.

"Just leave her alone. She's strong enough."

Sung Hyun-woo spoke to Kim Seung-hyun.

"You can let her have her way."

It was because Sung Hyun-woo saw the true Han Yeon-soo, who was so different from now, in Jeong Si-woo's memory so many times. Unlike now, where she met Jeong Si-woo early and became more gentle, the -Queen- in Jeong Si-woo's past life was like a tyrant. If they remembered her like that, no one could dare stop her.

Sung Hyun-woo recalled a few remarks he overheard from Jeong Si-woo's memory.

-You have trained the outstanding hunters, the Five Heroes. Personally, who do you trust the most?

-Seung-hyun Hyeong.... No, hunter Kim Seung-hyun, of course.

It was a brief interview.

-Then who plays the biggest part when fighting on the front line?

-I don't think I can pick one. Sometimes wizard Yoo Ji-yeon's magic wipes away all the monsters, and sometimes hunter Zhang Wei helps us get through critical situations.

-Oh... Then, if you had to pick just one of the -Five Heroes- to accompany you on a hunt, who would you pick?

There, Jeong Si-woo admitted himself.

-Well, if I could just pick one... There's no question.

Of the Five Heroes, she was most efficient when fighting alone, and there was no need for her to practice fighting alongside others. The most overwhelmingly powerful hunter.

-The Queen, hunter Han Yeon-soo.

Thump, thump.

Han Yeon-soo's still footsteps echoed.

"Huh, I don't know what you're counting on to rush forward like that. What else are you going to.......?"

"Baby dear, tie it up."

Murmured Han Yeon-soo after watching the Homunculus babble on. Simultaneously, the ground below the Homunculus welled up and tied up its mouth and limbs. The monster's eyes widened.

"Clone all you want. Do you think you can find anything that can defeat me one-on-one?"

Han Yeon-soo's voice became surprisingly sharp. The Homunculus rolled its eyes. Then it wriggled its transparent body and slowly copied Han Yeon-soo's appearance.

After looking at the -Five Heroes-, Sung Hyun-woo, and Lee Jin-woo, it seemed to have judged that none of them could beat her. And the Homunculus, which cloned even the Queen's Army, slowly tried to summon its legion from its shadow.

However.

"You idiot. Do you know how hard I worked to build up that army?"

"......."

"Did you think you could copy my kids if you copied my abilities? Ha, it would be ridiculous if that were possible. Hmm? Don't you agree?"

The Homunculus' eyes shook. She was right. Even though it copied Han Yeon-soo's powers, it couldn't summon members of her army.

The Homunculus hurriedly tried to clone someone else. But it was already too late.

A hole opened up in the ground the Homunculus was standing on. But if you looked closely, you could tell it wasn't a hole. Saw-like teeth were sticking out, and something long and red flickered like a tongue. It was a mouth—the mouth of an extremely large monster.

"If you manage to survive in there, I'll give you credit. Do what you can. Then maybe I'll make you one of my kids."

Han Yeon-soo spoke arrogantly. It was her characteristic attitude that she didn't show when she was with Jeong Si-woo.

An ear-splitting scream broke out from inside the monster's mouth. The Homunculus, which boasted exceptional durability and one of the world's most potent healing powers, died inside the monster's mouth in a matter of minutes.

It was the lonely end of the third guardian, which had terrorized people in the past.

"Let's go."

Han Yeon-soo haughtily turned around. At the same time, her lengthened shadow became short again. Han Yeon-soo, the first hunter to be completed among the -Five Heroes-. She was still formidable.

* * *

"Looks like they finished off the third one."

After hearing the scream, I relaxed and trotted through the barren land. All four guardians were eliminated. It would have been nice if things went this smoothly in the past, but.......

In fact, a few of the Five Heroes had died by this point. They either didn't receive support due to complicated circumstances or died because of my errors in judgment.

"I won't make any mistakes this time, and I won't let trivial matters cause them to die."

I cleared my throat. This was also why I came alone. I didn't want to involve them. If they handled the rest, I was confident that I could kill the Great Overlord by sacrificing myself.

"Hhh... hgh... huaaa...."

I could see a boy rolling on the ground, groaning in pain. A huge number of monsters around him looked at him sympathetically, like a mother caring for her child.

Each of the monsters was strong enough to be called a disaster. I swung my hand and activated Mirage. This was my fight.

I needed to win to end everything.

"Does it hurt?"

Colorful lights flashed, and the monsters immediately turned towards me.

"That's just the beginning, you bastard."

Here we go.

Let's do this.

I already died once, and I had no intention of dying again.