ــ Chapter Twenty-Eight ــ black and blue that collided in an accelerating manner.
After that harsh blow, which had disfigured a massive area, (Ochiha Sasuke) was floating in the air, looking down at the giant crater he had created.
The dust was still settling, a thick, brown-gray plume rising like the last sigh of a dying land.
"The sensation hasn't disappeared. It's still there."
Above the shattered platform of the building that had been on the island, (Ochiha Sasuke) noticed the movement of dark energy, plus the return of many shadow soldiers at the same time.
Down below, in the newly formed pit, (Sung Jin-Woo) had taken a dose of his special healing potion and was healing his wounds.
He had been injured, his bones broken.
The blow from "Shinra Tensei" that (Ochiha Sasuke) had used just moments before had hit even (Sung Jin-Woo), whose level exceeded one hundred, making him feel as if his head was spinning.
Ache… throb… grind.
He had been struck by a barrier of gravity that had thrown him several kilometers and also shattered everything in the surrounding area.
(Igris), who had been beside him, was also completely wrecked, but he was regenerating because it was necessary.
Fzzzt… sssss…
However, that consumed magical energy far greater than expected.
The shadow (Kaisel) had been completely destroyed, but its regeneration took only half a minute thanks to the speed-enhancement skill.
[Skill: Shadow Regeneration Speed Enhancement activated.]
[Magical energy consumption at a higher rate.]
The System announced this in a cold tone.
(Sung Jin-Woo)'s eyes were focused on the shadow floating in the air, who was looking from a distance.
[Skill: Dark Veil activated.]
[Presence Sensing blocked for a short period.]
"This veil won't last long. It will disappear soon, and he will discover my location. His power is far more than I expected. Perhaps I was hasty in this battle..."
He debated with himself, his thoughts a rapid-fire assessment of his own miscalculations.
But then, his eyes turned a deep purple directly, while a shadow aura rose around him.
"But whatever happens, I must kill him."
In the next moment, the System's voice sounded again and said:
[Alert: Player's murderous intent level detected to be extremely high. Forced quest activated.]
[Quest: Kill the opponent, no matter what happens.]
[Reward: Full ability to convert the opponent into a shadow.]
After hearing this quest, (Sung Jin-Woo) smiled.
A fierce, predatory smile that didn't reach his cold eyes.
"(Igris), prepare well. The coming battle will be the fiercest we have ever fought."
The shadow soldier, who had been completely repaired, nodded his head.
Clink.
At the same moment, an aura of darkness erupted from his body.
His power rose several times, and he activated all his skills in one instant.
[Seal on (Igris) released. Power rising to the highest National Level.]
[(Igris)'s stats fully raised to their maximum limits.]
The energy around them swelled like a rising tide.
Above, (Sasuke)'s face, whose eyes were still bleeding slightly after using his technique, took a deep breath.
Haaah…
On the other side, the S-rank hunters plus the National Level hunters, especially (Thomas Andre), were a little confused and astonished.
"I didn't expect this young man to be this strong," the National Level hunter could only say that.
A crater measuring kilometers had been created with just one blow.
Moreover, that man was floating in the air.
Not only that, but he seemed to be waiting for something with cold indifference.
He wasn't in a hurry to capture the Korean hunter.
And this fact made (Thomas Andre) unable to discern (Sasuke)'s intentions.
In truth, the one in the air was evaluating his own capabilities at that moment.
He felt that if he had used this technique earlier, he would have been able to activate greater destruction.
Moreover, he felt that his Rinnegan eye had consumed his chakra energy much more than it should have normally, ever since he reached the Six Paths level.
Pulse… throb…
Of course, (Thomas Andre) couldn't think or understand what (Sasuke) was thinking at that moment.
So he could guess only one thing.
"He's toying with him. It seems he thinks that Korean hunter holds some kind of secret. Interesting."
A hot, excited smile appeared on (Thomas Andre)'s face, a stark contrast to the surrounding devastation.
"You're laughing at this? I think you've really crossed a line," (Liu Zhigang)'s voice was clear as he said this.
He had seen the amount of destruction.
His body yearned to go to (Sung Jin-Woo) due to a strange urge and kill him.
It seemed as if there was something trying to control his body.
But of course, since he was strong-willed, it was impossible to allow such a strange will attempting to dominate him to succeed in what it was trying to do.
But when he noticed the American hunter's smile, he couldn't help but frown and speak towards the American hunter with a gaze full of disappointment.
"It's entertaining, isn't it? Why are you uncomfortable? Don't you think this is a very big opportunity for us?"
(Thomas Andre) had never before felt the need to explain his position to anyone; he never even needed to.
But at this moment, he felt a great desire to express the current situation.
"Can't you see the power of these two? And these feelings trying to control us? It seems there's something strange about them. I can tell at a glance that you also have a desire to go to the battlefield too. You want to fight and use all your power. I can see that these two are terrifyingly strong, but I feel excitement instead of confusion, like what the cowards are doing."
(Thomas Andre)'s voice was loud and full of excitement to the point that the S-rank hunters were more than capable of hearing his voice as he gestured towards this giant crater caused by that Japanese hunter named the hunter with the strange eyes.
The hunters' eyes were still confused, and their bodies were trembling.
When they heard (Thomas Andre)'s voice, they thought he would say something useful.
But in the next moment, they were struck with astonishment.
"He thinks this situation looks awesome?"
This question burned in the minds of all the other hunters in the area who heard this statement, to the point that they felt (Thomas Andre) had suffered some kind of blow to his brain because he thought this thing was great.
(Liu Zhigang) looked at (Thomas Andre) with an unclear gaze, but he said in a low voice, "This situation is not as good as you expect."
He didn't continue because in the next moment, an explosion sound erupted in the same area.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The force of the explosion was so immense that it made the sunset behind it transform as if it were a bright, blinding light.
FWAAAAASH!
The hunters protected themselves by reinforcing their magical energy.
Hummm…
But even so, the force of the explosion was enough to make them retreat several steps, even though they were kilometers away from the explosion site.
Stumble-stagger-thud.
"What in the hell is happening there?!"
This was a clear question in their minds, as they wondered what these people were doing to obtain such power.
The sight of these explosions surpassed everything S-rank hunters had ever dealt with.
A feeling began to creep over them—that they were still weaker, even after all these years of being regarded as the strongest hunters in the world.
This feeling dominated them at that moment as they watched that explosion expand until it became like a flower transformed into a detonating blast.
Bloom… CRACKLE-BOOM!
The shockwaves were extremely high, throwing with them lightning strikes of black and blue that collided in an accelerating manner.
ZZZRAAAK-BOOM! KRA-KOOOM!
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End of Chapter.
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A note from your (concussed and exhilarated) narrator:
Well, the quest log just got interesting. "Kill the opponent, no matter what." That's one hell of a daily. Jin-Woo's going all-in, Igris is unlocked, and Thomas Andre is having the time of his life watching the world burn. Meanwhile, the other S-ranks are just trying to remember where they parked their cars... if their cars still exist. What do you think Jin-Woo's strategy will be now? A direct assault? Something sneakier? Let me know in the comments!