Chapter 105
It was a situation I had desperately wanted, but I couldn't just be happy about it.
Surely, if it had been an ordinary monster, it would have died instantly.
But Razaka was the king of werewolves, not the kind of monster to fall to such an attack.
In reality, Razaka, pinned beneath my feet, locked eyes with Lee Seong-jun and gave a chilling smile.
"It's dangerous...!"
Just as Song Seung-jun raised his voice with all his might after confirming Razaka's eerie expression,
Kwagwang-!
With a roar that shook the air, Razaka's body shot up into the sky and then plummeted down towards Lee Seong-jun's head.
"Die, human."
It was such a swift movement that there seemed to be no time to avoid it in the blink of an eye.
'No!'
As a terrible scene naturally unfolded in his mind, a dark shadow fell over Song Seung-jun's face.
But Lee Seong-jun still had a relaxed smile on his lips.
Of course, he wasn't just putting on airs.
Hwung-
Wrapping wind around his entire body, Lee Seong-jun picked up the sprawled Song Seung-jun with one hand while moving his feet, easily dodging Razaka's attack.
Bang-!
As Razaka's fist struck the innocent ground, his pupils narrowed. At that moment, the blood energy Lee Seong-jun had scattered on the floor resonated with a "woong-" sound and caused a merciless explosion.
Kwagwang-!
As the explosion enveloped Razaka's entire body, Song Seung-jun was so amazed he felt shocked, his mouth falling open naturally.
At the same time, an exclamation of astonishment burst forth in his heart.
'Good heavens...'
It was amazing enough that he had avoided the attack while carrying him, Song Seung-jun, but he even showed the composure to counterattack.
It meant he was overwhelming Razaka, who could be called a monster without exaggeration.
He knew there was some hidden strength, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.
'Moreover, this feeling is...'
Just looking at what he could see, he appeared to be surrounded by darkness like before, an abyss.
But the weight felt incomparably more profound than before.
The spreading abyss was now swallowing up and dominating the surroundings, exuding an overwhelming majesty.
Gulp-!
He swallowed dry saliva as reverence welled up unknowingly in a corner of his heart, but now was not the time to just be in awe.
"Cough... You must... be careful."
Wiping the blood trickling from his mouth, Song Seung-jun recited the information he had gained from the battle with Razaka.
"He's far more dangerous than is known to the public... He's grown even stronger... by devouring hunters... Ordinary attacks can't even wound him."
Indeed, as the dust settled, no wounds that could be called fatal were visible on Razaka's body.
"...He certainly is beyond what I heard."
"If we let him live, he'll surely become a great calamity... I'll help as much as I can. Cough!"
Song Seung-jun forcibly steadied himself after coughing up a handful of red blood.
"You'll be more of a burden than help."
"I'll throw my body to bind Razaka's movements. Use that opening to deliver a decisive blow. An attack from Hunter Lee Seong-jun should be enough to inflict a fatal wound."
The strategy itself could be considered not bad.
But there was no reason to fight while creating unnecessary sacrifices.
"It's not more than I can handle, so don't worry about me. If you really want to help me, get as far away from here as possible."
Lee Seong-jun's eyes, curved like crescent moons, scanned Razaka's body, which was in a highly guarded posture.
"Fighting while protecting someone like just now doesn't suit me."
* * *
'...He's strong.'
Though they were both classified as kings, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Razaka's strength was in a different league from Lyudmia, whom he had dealt with earlier.
'In terms of martial arts... he would be comparable to a master who has reached the realm of Hwagyeong.'
No, he could be said to be even beyond that.
With the senses of a beast and his unique physical abilities, Razaka's actual combat power surpassed even the top-ranked masters among those in the Hwagyeong realm.
An ordinary Hwagyeong master would inevitably face defeat.
But he, Lee Seong-jun, was no ordinary martial artist.
He had countless experiences and memories accumulated as a Blood Demon and Demon God. Given that he was in a completely different class, there was no reason to think of defeat.
In fact, hadn't Lee Seong-jun always emerged victorious in battles that could be considered disadvantageous, against opponents stronger than himself?
'I won't be defeated.'
Just as Lee Seong-jun made this quick judgment and smiled, Razaka also finished his calculations and emitted a fierce light from his blue eyes.
The probing phase was over.
There was no need to drag it out any longer.
Kugung-!
Razaka immediately struck the ground and rushed quickly towards Lee Seong-jun.
"Close combat... This should be interesting."
Lee Seong-jun smirked at Razaka's bold action and drew upon his inner energy.
Hwaaak!
As the inner energy began to move rapidly through his meridians, it awakened every cell in his body.
Finally, feeling the surging power within him, Lee Seong-jun lightly stomped his foot.
Kung-!
Lee Seong-jun's body shot forward like a cannonball.
Naturally, Razaka and Lee Seong-jun's forms rapidly closed the distance, and at last, the battle began.
Lee Seong-jun made the first move.
'Iron Body External Technique, Secret Art, Golden Dragon Great Chaos Strike.'
The killing technique of the world's greatest external martial art, the Iron Body External Technique.
Among them, the Golden Dragon Great Chaos Strike, characterized by its rapid succession of strikes without pause, unfurled from Lee Seong-jun's hands.
Papapapapat!
Lee Seong-jun's blunt fists, imbued with the fierce spirit of a golden dragon, relentlessly pummeled Razaka's body.
With each strike capable of shattering steel, Razaka's tough hide was torn and blood flowed.
But he didn't sustain any wounds that could be called fatal.
"To think you could take all that head-on, you're tougher than I expected."
As a wry smile played on Lee Seong-jun's lips,
"Kraaaa-!"
With a rough roar, Razaka, his blue eyes emitting light, wildly swung his claws at Lee Seong-jun.
Pababak-!
Razaka's successive attacks intertwined with Lee Seong-jun's Golden Dragon Great Chaos Strike.
As large and small lacerations continued to accumulate on both Lee Seong-jun and Razaka's bodies, and it seemed the exchange would continue endlessly, Lee Seong-jun's movements suddenly changed.
Hwung-
As his hand, swung like flowing water, wrapped around Razaka's outstretched right hand in a circular motion, a strange light gleamed in Lee Seong-jun's eyes.
Hwik-!
Razaka's brute force, caught in the mystery of Taichi, naturally circled back to its original owner.
Kwadeuk-!
Unable to handle the suddenly returned force, Razaka's hand rotated, breaking his wrist.
"What?"
It wasn't that there was no pain.
However, for Razaka, who had always been engaged in battle, pain was an all too familiar sensation.
Thus, curiosity arose in his mind before wariness of the pain.
It was natural, but Lee Seong-jun was not one to miss such an opening.
'Iron Body External Technique, Secret Art. Golden Dragon Indestructible Piercing Strike.'
Lee Seong-jun's fist, imbued with indestructible power, struck Razaka's tilted head hard.
Kwajik-!
Razaka's form staggered greatly and flew off, tumbling on the ground several times before bouncing and crashing into the wall.
Kung! Kung! Kung!
On the surface, it seemed like a fight where Lee Seong-jun had the upper hand.
But the reality was completely different.
"Kuhahaha!"
In contrast to Razaka's bursting into laughter, Lee Seong-jun's face was hardening.
"A werewolf that handles poison... A monster I've never heard of before."
Movements comparable to a Hwagyeong master, sufficiently strong, but Razaka's true strength wasn't just his physical abilities.
'He clearly knows how to win in a fight.'
Looking at just the immediate effect, it wasn't potent enough to be called an extreme poison.
However, it was at a level that couldn't be ignored.
If poison continued to accumulate in his body like this, it would gradually eat away at him.
'If the fight drags on, it will become a critical weakness that will hold me back.'
Of course, if he used Star Purification, which cures physical status effects, he could drive out the poison in an instant.
But he couldn't use Star Purification.
If he used Star Purification every time he was poisoned like this, the amount of inner energy and blood energy consumed would be enormous.
'Although the amount of inner energy increased dramatically after reaching the Hwagyeong realm, it's not infinite.'
If he used Star Purification every time he was poisoned, it would soon be depleted.
It was a frustrating situation where he could neither do this nor that.
"...A tricky ability."
Seeing Lee Seong-jun's face turning pale from the spreading poison, a sinister smile played on Razaka's lips.
"Give up. You have no chance of winning. Human, quietly become my prey."
Thinking he had gained the upper hand, Razaka exuded a chilling voice, pressuring even Lee Seong-jun's spirit.
However, it didn't take long to realize that this thought itself was his own delusion.
Lee Seong-jun's form, instantly closing the distance by wrapping himself in fierce wind, struck Razaka's abdomen hard.
Puk-!
Razaka's pupils dilated at the sudden impact.
"What?!"
It wasn't just surprise at being attacked.
Lee Seong-jun's fist that had struck his abdomen was coated with his own, Razaka's, poison.
It meant he had absorbed and was handling the poison that had infected him.
"How on earth...!?"
A smile curved Lee Seong-jun's lips at the sight of Razaka with his eyes wide open.
"The method itself was excellent."
Using superior physical abilities as a base to induce a war of attrition while simultaneously using poison to continuously widen the gap with the opponent.
It could be called a quite intelligent combat method.
But he had picked the wrong opponent.
"Ordinary poisons can't intoxicate me."
By handling the blood and blood energy in his body, he could control the blood flowing in his veins and the blood components in it as he wished.
This meant that unless it was an extreme poison that could dissolve his body in an instant, he, Lee Seong-jun, could control it as he wished.
Of course, unaware of this fact, Razaka's expression was filled with immense bewilderment.
"You... Are you really human?"
Even in the knowledge of the humans he had devoured, there was no such being.
It didn't make sense from the start.
His physical abilities were outstanding enough to rival his own, Razaka's, and he could absorb and handle poison in an instant.
How could this be considered human?