A land melted by the blizzard.
"..." In the center of the massive crater, Liu Zhigang sat helplessly, his limbs drooping. His body was completely exhausted, but the faint smile at the corners of his mouth made him look so relaxed.
'How refreshing.' Finally, his inner demons were gone. This was the result of draining the ominous mana that had been tormenting him endlessly for the past two years. Of course, the relief was temporary, but the pain seemed to have finally been washed away from the terrible headache he had endured. "Yes, I had to fight an S-rank from the beginning."
Due to various political reasons, Liu Zhigang never had the chance to go all out against any S-rank hunters. If two S-ranks from the same country fought for their lives, it would be a national loss, and if you fought against another country's S-rank, it would be a war in itself. But today he was really lucky. "I never thought I'd run into an S-rank villain in a place like this."
'...And loose.'
Cough.
Suddenly, blood spewed out of Liu Zhigang's mouth. Of course, he'd be lying if he said he didn't have any regrets. There were too many of them. 'If I knew it would be like this, I would have saved my energy a bit.'
'If I had fought again when I was in the best of shapes, the outcome might have been a little different…'
'But, if I had won, I wouldn't have been able to shake off all of my inner demons as I did now…' A lot of thoughts flowed like a beacon of realization in just one breath. But one thing was certain. He could afford to indulge in these extravagant feelings, and his life was still hanging around his throat.
"...To have mercy on the tip of your sword." Suddenly, Liu Zhigang's tired eyes glared into the eyes of Suho, who was looking down at him. "Why don't you kill me? Aren't you a villain?" Suho took full advantage of his straight gaze and turned to Ryo Singh, who was approaching from behind.
"Ryo Singh, translate."
"Yes. Thank you for saving me."
"...?"
So short? For a moment, Suho looked suspiciously at Ryo Singh's interpreting skills. But even with that gaze, Ryo Singh just nodded confidently.
"Hmm, Suho really is amazing. I can't believe you were strong enough to beat Liu Zhigang by yourself."
"...He was tired from the start which is why I won so easily."
"Too much humility becomes deception. When you return to Korea this time, you must be re-evaluated. If they were to hear that the man who defeated Liu Zhigang is only a C rank, it would be a great disgrace to Liu Zhigang."
Even as he spoke, Ryo Singh had a somewhat regretful expression. It was only today that he was convinced that Suho was a hunter who can constantly grow. 'If the world finds out about this, they will be shocked. Hmm. Should I take this opportunity to change guilds? Of course, Suho won't mind an elite like me, and if I join now, at least I can become vice guild master in no time…' Leaving Ryo Singh to reconsider his thoughts. Suho grabbed the Spring Water from the Echo Forest and approached Liu Zhigang.
"What's this– Gulp, gulp." Liu Zhigang, who was completely exhausted, had no choice but to obediently accept the mysterious potion and drink it. The effect was immediate.
Aa!
"...?!" Liu Zhigang couldn't help but be taken aback when he suddenly saw a pair of blue wings spread out on both sides of his back. The true nature of his inner demons, who had been tormenting him for so long, was finally revealed.
[Aaaahh!!]
Presently an ashen angel with outstretched blue wings fell from his back, screaming in agony. But the energy he felt from it was quite different from that of Thomas Andre. Like Liu Zhigang, the ashen angel, exhausted from all strength, flapped his wings desperately to escape from this place.
[Don't let it fly away, young lord!]
Boom!
Before Beru could finish speaking, the hand of Suho snapped at its neck, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Ring!
[You have killed the Apostle of Itarim.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
"Oh great!" With a series of messages, Suho, who had been quite exhausted, returned to his perfect condition. However, the situation was the same for Liu Zhigang. The dust of light from the shattering of the ashen angel's body seeped back into Liu Zhigang's body. Suddenly, his eyes filled with astonishment. '...What are these memories?' The remnants of the Apostle of Itarim, which had melted into Liu Zhigang's body for the past two years– who had rejected Itarim's power– revived the memories of his past life that he had forgotten until now.
―――――――!
Two lifetimes. Two memories. The shock of them colliding with each other in Liu Zhigang's mind was indescribable. But. '...So that's how it is.' He quickly accepted it. The shock was great, but the relief that followed was greater. Presently a cheerful smile escaped his lips.
"Yes. I was stronger than I am now. It wasn't just vain ambition that I was chasing." China's one and only 7-star hunter. A state-powered hunter who tore off the limbs of a giant demon beast that crossed the sea to China. '...That was me, Liu Zhigang.'
Liu Zhigang muttered in vain. "I can see why the inner demons came and went..." Now that he had figured out the cause, he was relieved. And he knew what he had to do. "All that's left is hard work." Of course he knows. Training doesn't increase your strength as a Hunter. However, when he felt the "remnants of the Apostle" that had just permeated his body, he had a vague feeling that perhaps he could reach a level similar to that time.
"Can I get a hand?" Liu Zhigang reached for Suho. He didn't know the language, but Suho understood what he was trying to say, and obediently grabbed his hand, lifting him to his feet.
"Interpreter, will you translate my words for this young man?" At Liu Zhigang's request, Ryo Singh nodded with a determined look. As a key member of the Asura Guild, he didn't feel hurt by being treated as an interpreter.
On the contrary, he wondered if there could ever be another honor as important as this one! 'This is the first conversation between China's Liu Zhigang and the man who single-handedly defeated him. This historic moment is being achieved entirely through my intercession!' From now on, the conversation between the two of them could be written in history books. Ryo Singh swallowed dryly, straining his eyes and ears as if he didn't want to miss a single word. Meanwhile, Liu Zhigang stared intently at Suho's face, and then smiled. '...How could this young man be so strong?' Now that he sees it, isn't this boy quite similar to someone he knows? Liu Zhigang suddenly remembered his past life, and he had a lot of questions to ask, but he decided to ask the most curious and important one first.
"I'll ask. Where is your father and what is he doing?"
"Ryo Singh, interpret."
"... Suho, don't get me wrong, listen."
"What?"
Gulp.
Ryo Singh interpreted Liu Zhigang's words with a face that was more serious and desperate than ever. "Liu Zhigang is suddenly asking how your father is, which is grammatically a very severe insult in Korea, but in China, it is possible that it is a genuine expression of greetings..."
"..." Lately, Ryo Singh has been improving his Korean language. As expected, it was the ability of the Asura Guild's core talent.
* * *
"...Indeed. I get it." Liu Zhigang had a long conversation with Suho as he nodded seriously. There was a minor(?) accident in the middle where the interpreter was surprised to hear that time had been turned back, but it was also not incomprehensible if it were considered as a special 'skill'. More important was the current situation. "In any case, there is a high probability that Siddharth Bachchan fell into his inner demons like me."
To be precise, it was different from his own possession, but the reason was the same. What mattered was that Siddharth Bachchan didn't seem to have struggled to shake off the inner demons like he did. "Back then, our National Level hunters were comrades who fought together against a formidable foe called Kamish. There are some guys who didn't get along with each other until the end simply due to their personalities, but I still know what kind of person they are." Liu Zhigang smiled bitterly and continued.
"Me and Thomas Andre, in particular, were fighting chickens that the whole world recognized. Well, that's when we were both in our prime at least. I can't say it's the same now." Liu Zhigang and Thomas Andre were once praised as the strongest forces of mankind, and their personalities were also very aggressive. "But Siddharth Bachchan... He is good, unlike us."
"Good?" Liu Zhigang nodded at Suho's rebuttal.
"Yes. Hypocrisy is good."
"Hypocrisy?"
"Hypocrisy indeed!"
"Our Guildmaster isn't like that... Um, is that right?"
Ryo Singh, who was interpreting, momentarily bristled one moment and then deflated the next. Suddenly, he remembered the smiling face of the man who had demoted his capable and loyal subordinate.
"Well, actually, most humans are similar more often than not. When they acquire too much wealth and fame, they get drunk and lose themselves. And that's true for military power." Liu Zhigang smiled bitterly and thought of the hunters he had seen countless times in his past and present lives. "And Siddharth Bachchan among them... How can I put this? He was kind of stricken with a 'Savior Complex.'"
"Savior Complex?"
"Yes. They say that with great power comes great responsibility, and so they want to help people as much as possible. They say it's a force for good, but sometimes it's just a desire for honor." Ryo Singh's expression became a little complicated by the scathing assessment that followed.
The head of the Asura Guild and one of India's leading figures, Siddharth Bachchan. In fact, he was known as a good man who worked harder than anyone else to save the common people, but Ryo Singh, who had been by his side for a while... He was also someone who knew a little more about him than others.
"...He is driven by his desire to elevate himself, and just wants to intervene in other people's lives as he pleases. He doesn't care about the wishes of the parties involved."
And before the words ended.
[Master, after studying the mutants...]
Harmakan came to his side, pointed to the mutants he had captured, and reported what he had discovered.
[By all appearances, it looks like these guys were all human.]
"What?" At that, Suho's eyes widened as he stared at the mutants. "They're human? Are you sure?"
[Yes, I'm sure, it's a hybrid created by injecting hemolytic blood into living humans using Star Pieces as a medium.]
"...!" Suho realized what the hypocrite Siddharth Batchan is doing on earth right now.
[Apparently he is trying to force awakening the humans who have not awakened.]
Quieeeeee!!!
Mutants, humans whose reason had collapsed and had been reduced to a single magical beast, were screaming desperately.
....I beg you to kill me.