Episode 205 Heaven's Turn Society's Master (2)
A beautiful sunset glow filled his vision.
It was a breathtaking sight that would captivate anyone, but Hans couldn't afford to leisurely enjoy it.
Crack!
The sunset glow was slowly but surely choking him.
'This is dangerous.'
He lightly moved his jawbone, checking if the newly regenerated part was properly aligned, and then twisted his neck.
'If it hadn't been for "Immortal Heart", I would have been obliterated.'
His upper jaw had been completely blown off by a holy power attack, shattering his mask in the process.
The exposed skull, combined with the black energy emanating from his body, created an indescribably menacing atmosphere.
"Are you going to keep hiding your other undead? You still have some tricks up your sleeve, don't you? Or are there some limitations?"
[Hehehe, there's no need for that. Why don't you show me what you've got?]
Despite his battered appearance, Hans retorted confidently.
As long as his heart was intact, he was immortal.
It didn't matter if his body was torn apart or crushed, a little damage was nothing to him.
"Hmph, you're confident."
The Master scoffed, flapping his wings as he hovered in the air.
A pair of large white wings, a brilliant halo behind his head.
And his burning eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness, his holy aura that enveloped his entire body…
He was the embodiment of a righteous judge, sent to eradicate evil.
Especially with the skeletal monster, Hans, emanating a sinister aura right in front of him…
'Hmm… This is starting to feel like I'm the bad guy.'
Despite the reality being the opposite!
He felt wronged, but the current situation was undeniably a confrontation between good and evil.
Even though he was considered a dark hero on Earth.
"I was going to finish this quickly, but your constant regeneration is a nuisance. Shall I pick up the pace?"
As he thought that,
The Master's voice lowered, and his holy power surged.
At the same time, the distorted space started to press in from all directions, like a tidal wave.
Rumble—!
Hans calmly tried to stabilize the space and find a way out.
The spatial erosion was now mixed with holy power, making it harder to deal with, but it wasn't impossible with his level of magic.
However, it took time.
By the time he thought he had escaped to a safe spot, hundreds of swords made of reddish holy power were already raining down from the sky.
'This is crazy.'
And the relentless spatial erosion continued.
It was only natural that he was taking damage.
'This is the first time my body has been this messed up since becoming the Immortal King.'
He didn't care about his body being broken, but the constant exposure to high-density holy power was putting a strain on his energy control.
If this continued, he would eventually reach his limit in protecting his heart.
'I've done enough for now. I should retreat when the time is right.'
It seemed like it was time to call it a day.
______________
Rumble—
In a corner of that chaotic space,
"Hmm, hmm! This is fascinating!"
The shabby middle-aged man, Doctor, was observing Hans through his "Eye of Truth", nodding excitedly.
"Ah~ It's a shame! I need to dissect him to properly study him! But capturing him alive doesn't seem easy!"
But even his "Eye of Truth", which could analyze the structure of all techniques and mysteries, had its limits.
He had specialized it for research, so it wasn't very effective at analyzing a target shrouded in a chaotic energy flow from a distance.
In other words, he needed the subject's cooperation for proper research.
Whether it was voluntary or forced.
"Yulryeongja, I need your help!"
"…Me?"
Doctor's sudden conclusion made Yulryeongja, who had been quietly observing Hahoe Mask, turn to him with a troubled expression.
"As you can see, that Smile Mask keeps regenerating unless we destroy the core of his heart. But if we destroy his heart, we'll lose a valuable sample! It'll be a global loss! We can't allow that! We have to capture him alive!"
"But there's no way to do that, is there?"
"Why not? We have the perfect person right here!"
Doctor grinned, looking at him with a delighted expression.
Yulryeongja felt a chill down his spine.
He specialized in mind control and restrictions, but he had already failed once against Hahoe Mask.
He recalled that incident and tried to calmly argue his case.
He had to make it simple and clear for the madman to understand.
"As you know, I'm in this state because I was defeated in a battle against Hahoe Mask in the mental world. I still haven't recovered from the damage to my spirit, and my body is in terrible condition. You're the one who examined me, Doctor."
He frowned and looked down at his body.
He had a mechanical prosthetic eye to replace the one he lost, his once strong legs were withered, forcing him to use a wheelchair, and there were even defects in his internal organs, making him cough up blood from time to time.
Asking him to enter Hahoe Mask's mind again in this state was practically telling him to die!
"Yes! I understand! I completely understand! But that's why you have to do it, Yulryeongja!"
However, his calm explanation didn't seem to resonate with the madman.
But there was a reason why he had brought it up…
"Revenge, don't you want it?"
The man with crazed eyes whispered sweetly, a devilish smile on his face.
"I can help you. I have a rough idea of how to do it. I've even prepared something in advance! Hehehehehe!"
After hearing his words, Yulryeongja took another look at Hahoe Mask…
And nodded resolutely, accepting the item Doctor offered him.
______________
In the midst of the battle,
"Oh? It seems like he has something up his sleeve."
The Master's sudden words made Hans tilt his head.
It didn't seem like he was talking to him.
"That's fine. Let's see what you can do, Yulryeongja."
But the Master continued, seemingly unconcerned by his reaction.
And a short while later, Hans finally understood who he was talking to.
Swoosh—
As before, when the middle-aged Westerner appeared, a man suddenly materialized out of thin air.
He was in a wheelchair, his legs seemingly paralyzed.
The Master must have manipulated space again, as Hans hadn't been able to detect his approach.
'…This is frustrating. My senses are blocked, I feel like a blind man. And… Yulryeongja?'
He had definitely heard that name before while gathering information.
He was the one in charge of the entire East Asia region.
'That's Yulryeongja? He has a unique eye. Is he an awakened one from a technologically advanced dimension? …Wait, this aura… it's familiar…'
As Hans raised his guard,
His empty sockets met the man's gaze—.
Whoosh—!
And he found himself face to face with someone he had met before, in a space filled with darkness.
-It's been a while, Hahoe Mask. You seem to be doing well. I've been suffering every day since that incident.
A tattered human form, glowing green, with a severed leg and countless wounds.
'It's that pervert from back then.'
He was the one who had been hiding in the mind of a Heaven's Turn Society member, watching him while he was dealing with the Blood Alliance hardliners.
[Hehehe! Yes, it's been a while. You're still alive? I thought you might be dead.]
He was actually grateful to the man.
Hans had been able to obtain "Path of Magic" and grow stronger thanks to the fragment of his spirit he had left behind.
'I thought he was an executive, but I didn't expect him to be the East Asia branch manager. I didn't recognize him because his aura was so different back then.'
He had been so preoccupied with the 'Immortal King's Fragment' that he hadn't paid much attention to him, but even back then, he had been extraordinary.
It had been quite dangerous until he managed to turn the fragment against him.
And even now, his ability to penetrate the mental world with just a glance was unsettling.
He had to expend a considerable amount of energy to break through his mental defenses, so time outside had practically stopped, and it wouldn't last long.
[You ran away back then, and now you're here again? It seems like that beating wasn't enough.]
He had been planning to retreat anyway, and now a snack had come to him.
It was a golden opportunity to grow stronger and eliminate a high-ranking Heaven's Turn Society member, so Hans gathered his mental power, expanding his spirit form as he approached the man.
-I thought you had a demon sealed inside you. But the 'death' of the world… Well, I guess it's not that different. And you've become much stronger since then.
Yulryeongja calmly observed Hans, who was approaching him, his massive form made of condensed abyss.
He showed no signs of fear, despite the obvious danger.
[Hmph! You must have something up your sleeve.]
Hans stopped approaching and slowly raised his aura.
He didn't really need to do this anymore, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Of course, he didn't forget to prepare for 'Dismiss', just in case.
-I wouldn't stand a chance against you in a head-on fight.
But his opponent wasn't so easily subdued.
No matter how much death was imbued in his attack, it wasn't enough to break through the man's mental defenses in a few attempts…
-Doctor is truly amazing. To think he created a tool like this that can be used in the mental world.
Yulryeongja muttered in admiration, looking at the orb in his hand.
-Let's see how long you can last.
And a brilliant green light emanated from the orb, spreading throughout the space.
Whoosh—
It reached the deepest recesses of Hans's mental world…
Like a terrorist attack, detonating a bomb inside a prison to free the prisoners.
______________
"…Damn it, what's this?"
I frowned and hurriedly strengthened my "Mind Hub", feeling a sudden surge of information.
And I lightly massaged my temples, feeling a slight headache, before calmly assessing the situation.
I was momentarily surprised by the sudden influx of information, but my unique skill and mental stats, enhanced with a massive amount of Karma, weren't so weak as to be overwhelmed by this.
'Of course! I've invested so much Karma!'
However, even though it wasn't a major problem, it was still too dangerous to face the Master of Heaven's Turn Society in this state.
Perhaps that was their goal.
"Tsk, I should stop here. I thought I could get something more, but it's not worth the risk."
I decided to cut my losses and dismissed Hans, then massaged my temples again.
Hans's mental world was safe for now, but he still needed some time to recover after that intense ordeal.
He would have to spend some time recuperating in the Immortal Fortress in Auterica.
'At least the attacker isn't unscathed either. He won't be able to pull the same trick again.'
Yulryeongja, who had infiltrated Hans's mind.
It seemed like he had planned to escape the moment the chaos he created took effect…
But it was only a partial success, so he couldn't completely escape.
He managed to get away, but he had to leave his right arm behind, along with the orb.
It must have been a painful experience for him.
'That orb… It looked quite extraordinary. Should I take it to Auterica and examine it?'
I briefly thought about the remaining Heaven's Turn Society members in Japan, but dealing with them was a long-term project.
I had plenty of time, so I could slowly come up with a plan based on the information I had gathered.
And so, Hans returned to the Immortal Fortress in Auterica, taking with him a fragment of Yulryeongja's spirit and the mysterious orb he had left behind.
The bewildered reactions of the Heaven's Turn Society executives were the least of his concerns.