A war against the Outsiders was nothing short of a massacre. It was like watching animals fight armed humans.
The difference in understanding was simply too great.
The Outsiders understood the System far too well. Against them, anyone below S-Rank was as good as dead.
Even now, with Jiyeon finally joining the battlefield, facing three Outsiders at once was bordering on impossible.
If everyone managed to survive this encounter, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Han Jinhyuk moved while issuing precise instructions to each hunter.
In many of his regressions, he had fought alongside some of these people before. He knew their abilities, habits, strengths, and weaknesses better than anyone else.
For a brief moment, it felt as though he had returned to the distant future.
Back to the days when humanity stood on the brink of extinction.
Back to the endless battles fought in desperate attempts to save the world.
The difference was that this wasn't the future.
It was years too early.
Neither he nor the others were prepared for a battle of this scale.
Everything about the situation was stacked against them.
One mistake.
One moment of hesitation.
That was all it would take for everything to fall apart. And if Han Jinhyuk died here, wether he wanted to or not, he would be forced to regress once more.
Han Jinhyuk cursed inwardly as he watched his teammates bleed.
Every second they bought was paid for with blood. Yet all of them continued fighting to protect Seo Elena.
"We are running out of time."
One of the Outsiders spoke calmly, his gaze fixed solely on Elena, as if realizing something.
"We need to hurry."
The other two followed his line of sight.
For a moment, they completely ignored the hunters surrounding them, as though none of them posed a threat.
"We will push the humans back."
"Focus on disrupting her recovery."
"No matter what happens, she must never learn how to use the System."
The other two nodded and the atmosphere immediately changed.
Boom—!
Dark flames erupted around them.
The black fire spread outward like a living storm, twisting and writhing around their bodies.
The surrounding temperature skyrocketed.
The air distorted.
Concrete melted.
Steel glowed red.
Weak hunters would have been reduced to ashes simply by standing nearby. Sweat rolled down the faces of everyone present.
Even for them, enduring the heat wasn't easy. Yet nobody retreated.
Another one of the Outsiders raised its hand and a dozen magic circles bloomed behind it.
Han Jinhyuk's expression changed. "Move!" He yelled, but it was too late.
Boom—!
A beam of condensed mana ripped across the battlefield.
The ground split apart, the surrounding buildings collapsed and a massive trench carved through the city.
Dust exploded into the air.
For a moment, no one could see anything... Then a golden barrier emerged from the smoke.
Lee Jaewon's shield trembled violently as blood dripped from his chin.
"...Crazy."
Even after blocking it, his arms felt numb. That attack alone would've wiped out an entire raid team.
The Outsider frowned.
"He survived?"
As if that was the surprising part.
Lee Jaewon's face darkened.... Because someone had made him feel like his life was hanging by a thread.
The outsiders had no time to care as they pushed through, using disaster like skills that could destroy an entire country. If it wasn't for the collaborative efforts of everyone trying their best to minimize the destruction, the entire Japan would've been incinerated to nothing... No, perhaps most of the world would've been destroyed.
"Kingsley! The sky!" Jinhyuk shouted, pointing upward.
Hundreds of burning asteroids tore through the clouds, turning the heavens into a scene straight out of the apocalypse.
"Hold off the aerial attacks!"
Gilbert Kingsley nodded his head, sweat dripping all over his face as he used his gravity skill to stop any oncoming attacks aerially.
But the fire was making it difficult for everyone to fight at their full potential.
Just as they were all about to get pushed back completely, a familiar figure appeared.
"It's you." The outsiders halted their position, glaring at the presence before them.
"As if being shackled by the System wasn't enough, you still dare stand against us?"
"I am merely doing what it takes to survive." His voice remained calm despite the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him. "Unlike you members of the High Council, I am just a commoner who barely survived the end of the world."
Blue flames ignited around him.
"I have made it this far."
The flames surged higher.
"I refuse to die today."
The Outsider's expression darkened.
"So be it."
A terrifying amount of mana erupted from his body.
"You chose the wrong side."
Boom—!
Blue and black flames collided.
The resulting shockwave swept across the battlefield, tearing apart clouds and reducing nearby buildings to rubble.
Minwoo's eyes widened. His title of Flame Emperor felt insignificant against these cosmic horrors.
The fires before him were on an entirely different level. It was as though two suns had collided.
The beautiful blue sky vanished.
In its place remained a crimson horizon that looked like an endless sea of blood stretching across the heavens.
Everyone was forced to retreat.
Hunters and Outsiders alike put distance between themselves and the clash, unwilling to be caught in the aftermath.
But the battle was far from over.
The moment the hunters pulled back, the remaining two Outsiders moved.
Whoosh—!
They shot forward like streaks of light, their target remaining unchanged: Seo Elena.
Han Jinhyuk's expression immediately hardened.
"Listen carefully!" Han Jinhyuk's eyes swept across the battlefield. "There's no way we can defeat two Outsiders head-on in our current state."
"So I'll face them alone."
The others immediately frowned, but before anyone could object, Jinhyuk continued.
"When I give the signal, attack all at once."
The hunters exchanged glances before reluctantly nodding. There wasn't time to argue. More importantly, this was Saber.
If anyone had a plan that would succeed, it was him.
The two Outsiders approached, as if victory was already secured.
Han Jinhyuk exhaled slowly. Then a brilliant sword materialized in his hand.
The Supernova Sword.
White light flooded the battlefield, and the Outsiders' expressions became cautious.
None of them spoke, nor did they need to, because they both recognized what the weapon was made out of. They knew how dangerous it was if they get hit by it.
Boom—!
The ground beneath Jinhyuk shattered and he disappeared. A streak of light shot across the battlefield.
Clang—!
The Supernova Sword collided against an invisible barrier, the impact sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
Jinhyuk didn't stop.
One strike.
Then another.
And another.
The battlefield trembled as countless slashes rained down upon the two Outsiders. Yet every attack was blocked.
Invisible barriers manifested one after another, intercepting each strike before it could land.
The Outsiders remained calm, because they already knew that he wouldn't last long with this ability. After all, they could read the system.
They understood the cost of the powerful ability.
Five minutes passed, then ten. Jinhyuk's breathing grew heavier. His movements slowed. The brilliant glow surrounding the sword gradually dimmed.
The Outsiders watched silently. They were waiting, calculating when it would be the right time.
Eventually, one of them smiled, "His body is reaching its limit."
The other nodded. Then, Han Jinhyuk staggered.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The Outsiders moved immediately.
Blue energy surged around their fists. Space distorted around them. And all it would take was one decisive strike.
Suddenly, the distance between them vanished instantly, and Han Jinhyuk smiled.
One he had been waiting ten minutes to make.
"Now."
The two Outsiders froze, uncertainty appearing on their faces. Because they finally realized something.
Han Jinhyuk had never been trying to defeat them. He had been keeping them exactly where he wanted them.
Everyone poured everything they had into a single attack. Every skill they possessed converged upon the vulnerable Outsider.
The resulting explosion shook the battlefield.
Dust and smoke obscured everything from view.
No one moved, or breathed.
Then... The smoke cleared.
"...Did we get it?" Hyein asked weakly.
The Outsider stood motionless, cracks spread across its body. Then, suddenly its form collapsed.
Dark blue liquid splashed across the molten ground.
Silence.
For several heartbeats, no one reacted. Then realization set in.
"We did it..."
"We actually killed one."
Relief washed over the hunters. They had defeated a member of the High Council, a being they had once thought impossible to overcome.
But the celebration was short-lived.
"This is becoming troublesome."
The remaining Outsider looked down at the remains of its fallen comrade. Its expression remained calm, yet something cold settled over the battlefield.
"Losing a High Council member is no trivial matter."
Its gaze slowly shifted toward the exhausted hunters.
"Very well."
The crystal embedded within its forehead began to glow. A brilliant yellow light spread outward.
Its eyes shone with the same unnatural radiance.
"I shall remind you why humanity is considered lesser."
Han Jinhyuk's pupils shrank.
"Don't wait!" His voice echoed. "Attack now!"
The hunters moved immediately, but they were too late.
The ground melted beneath their feet. Molten stone surged upward like a living tide. Chains erupted from the earth.
Hundreds of them...
Before anyone could react, the chains pierced through flesh.
"Agh—!"
Blood splattered across, the chains wrapped around their bodies like vines coiling around pillars.
The more they struggled, the tighter they constricted.
Minwoo dropped to one knee. Gilbert's gravity collapsed. Lee Jaewon's shield shattered. Even Jiyeon's purple aura flickered violently.
Han Jinhyuk clenched his teeth.
His exhausted body refused to move. Not after pushing the Supernova Sword beyond its limits.
Blood dripped from his nose even more, like waterfall.
The hunters' faces gradually paled, their senses dulling. One by one, they lost the strength to resist.
Han Jinhyuk lowered his head.
...So this was it. He had failed again.
The thought should have devastated him. Instead, an overwhelming exhaustion settled over his heart.
It didn't matter if he died. He wasn't scared of death, because if he died here, he would regress.
But... Would he find Seo Elena again?
Or would everything return to the familiar nightmare he had spent countless regressions trying to escape?
A world of endless repetition, just fighting, and watching everyone die.
Before his thoughts could spiral deeper into the abyss, warmth spread throughout his body. The pain disappeared. The wounds piercing his chest closed before his eyes.
The chains binding everyone shattered into particles of light.
Han Jinhyuk slowly lifted his head.
Seo Elena floated gently above the ground. Her hair swayed despite the absence of wind. Even the color of her eyes had changed once again.
The remaining Outsider froze as they exercised caution.
Elena smiled softly.
"Thanks for protecting me, everyone." She took a step forward. "I'll take it from here."