414. The Moon Rises (2)
The pink-scaled dragon turned its small head, looking around, its eyes still heavy with sleep. It hadn’t fully recovered its strength, but the magic beasts created by Diarma’s method were somewhat influenced by their master’s stats.
Thanks to Han Yoojin now possessing stats above S-rank, it could awaken for a short time.
The Changeling scratched at Han Yoojin’s clothes with its small claws and climbed onto his shoulder. Then, it whispered softly.
– Daddy, are you really going to do it?
“Of course.”
– …As long as Daddy is really Daddy, I can’t refuse.
The Changeling, coiling around Han Yoojin’s neck, affectionately rubbed its head against his cheek.
– I still need to sleep more, so I’ll go back in. Depending on how you use it, it’ll last from one to a maximum of three hours.
“Thanks.”
The fairy dragon’s form disappeared like scattering dust. Silver eyes slowly moved, looking down at the people standing below. The corners of Han Yoojin’s lips gently curved upward.
“How kind of you to wait. Well, it’s my child inside me anyway, so you can’t stop it.”
“Isn’t it too much to use our child for fighting?”
Han Yoojin’s eyes narrowed sharply at Sung Hyunjae’s words.
“Are you crazy? Why are you talking like that? And it’s none of your business.”
Muttering and clicking his tongue, he then,
“……!”
Han Yoojin’s figure vanished. Han Yoohyun and Park Yerim tensed up as Sung Hyunjae moved. The place he headed to was none other than Noah.
Bang!
Sung Hyunjae’s foot powerfully kicked off the asphalt road, rushing towards Noah in an instant. At the same time, with a clatter, golden chains wrapped around his wrist, and,
Clang!
Han Yoojin’s sword and the chains collided.
“The first ones to deal with are the healers and support types, as always.”
Han Yoojin smiled, retracting his sword with a flourish. Sung Hyunjae didn’t chase after him as he lightly stepped back. Instead, water pooled beneath Han Yoojin’s feet and froze solid – a slippery, wet ice rink. Just before stepping on it, Han Yoojin ignited flames at his feet.
Whoosh—
Crimson flames instantly melted the ice, and Han Yoojin’s body bounced up, stepping on the soaked asphalt road, widening the gap even further. Park Yerim cried out in disappointment.
“I hit it perfectly!”
“Good try, Yerim.”
Han Yoohyun lunged at Han Yoojin, who had quickly retreated to the center of the wide road. Clang, clang, clang, the sound of black blades colliding with scales as the flexible sword transformed and slashed through the air in a circle—
Clang! Clang!
It collided with the flying ice spears. Ice shards scattered in all directions, and Han Yoohyun, who was charging in, and Park Yerim, who was floating in the air, both paused simultaneously. Han Yoojin shrugged, looking at the two of them.
“Yoohyun, Yerim, the two of you have the worst compatibility.”
“But I got along well with those other people.”
“It’s not just about attributes; Yoohyun’s fighting style is difficult to match with others. Ever since he got the Ruler’s Sword, he’s even less suited for team play. If anyone can match his pace, it’s Riette? Or a support type like Noah. Yerim, you match Sung Hyunjae the best among the people here.”
“…You really are an old man.”
In the meantime, Han Yoohyun reached Han Yoojin’s face. Whoosh, the Ruler’s Sword, cutting through the air, relentlessly struck down towards Han Yoojin’s body. Han Yoojin leaned back, dodging the attack, and the aftermath of the deflected strike tore through the asphalt with a crash! With the momentum of swinging the sword, Han Yoohyun spun around and hurled a dark blue flame, already materialized in his grasp.
The blue flame spear cut through the darkness, flying towards Han Yoojin. Instead of dodging, Han Yoojin extended his palm towards the tip of the spear.
Crack!
The spearhead pierced his hand, and red blood splattered. The flowing blood turned black, engulfing the dark blue flames. And soon, a black flame spear was held in Han Yoojin’s hand.
Black flames blooming from the blood droplets. A smile unconsciously formed on Han Yoohyun’s lips. His heart pounded. He was thrilled to see the black flames devouring his flames. A hot energy surged along the Ruler’s Sword. Han Yoohyun took a step, kicking off the ground powerfully, closing in on Han Yoojin as if diving into his arms.
Clang!
Flames collided with flames, intertwining and dyeing each other black and blue. The dark blue fire, empowered by the Ruler’s Sword, clashed head-on with the pure black flames. Facing his brother, Han Yoojin also smiled.
“Even though your stats are S-rank, you have a double attack skill.”
The flames Han Yoojin was wielding were weaker than the twenty-five-year-old Han Yoohyun’s, which were close to SS-rank, or even higher if only considering the Black Blood Flames. However, with the double buff, it should have been stronger than the twenty-year-old Han Yoohyun’s. Even with the power of the SS-rank sword, the fact that he was holding his own so easily meant that the current Han Yoohyun had grown that much.
“Our Yoohyun has grown up so much.”
Han Yoohyun’s eyes widened. The straight blade curved, trying to bite at Han Yoojin’s neck. A scaled hand caught the blade, and blood faintly seeped out with a grating sound.
“It’s thanks to you, hyung [older brother].”
Han Yoohyun forcefully pulled the flexible sword towards himself, swinging his long leg towards Han Yoojin’s side. Normally, one would release the sword to avoid being pulled in. However, Han Yoojin endured the tearing of his palm, gripping the sword even tighter, and flipped his body into the air.
Han Yoojin’s body was dragged along by the force of the sword, naturally avoiding Han Yoohyun’s kick. As if diving into his brother’s arms, Han Yoojin sharpened the nails of his free hand. Han Yoohyun’s chest was deeply scratched. However, thanks to the defense of the attire, only the inner clothes were torn, and no wound was inflicted.
Han Yoohyun raised his elbow, striking down on Han Yoojin’s shoulder, who was clinging close to him. At this distance, evasion was virtually impossible. However, Han Yoojin released the sword he was holding and lowered his body downward, half-lying down.
The moment Han Yoohyun’s elbow cut through the air, and the tip of the sword, transformed into a longsword, tried to stab the defenselessly lying Han Yoojin,
Crunch – with the sound of chewing and swallowing a snack, Han Yoojin’s body shrank drastically. He even vanished with a teleport.
Whoosh—
Han Yoohyun didn’t panic and ignited flames to search for his brother’s location. His magic power, shaped into flames and spreading out, immediately detected a presence behind him. Han Yoohyun spun around, swinging his sword accurately towards the shrunken Han Yoojin.
Crack!
“…Hyung?”
Han Yoojin’s body split in half, falling to the ground with a thud. The moment Han Yoohyun unconsciously stopped moving, a kick flew towards his back!
“Ugh!”
He quickly twisted his body, but Han Yoohyun, who was strongly struck in the back, slid back. The severed, tiny Han Yoojin was crushed under his foot. Bending over, accepting the healing skill sent by Noah, Han Yoohyun looked at his brother, who had reappeared in his original size.
“That’s a miniature version of the Doppelganger Doll. Spreading magic power can only reveal the form and movement. It’s even more confusing because it’s small.”
Given time, it would be possible to sense the opponent’s magic power and energy, even distinguishing between fake and real for a small object, but it was difficult during a battle where one had to move with split-second judgment.
Han Yoojin healed his injured hand, looking at Noah on the other side.
“As expected, the standard is to deal with the hunter with healing skills first.”
Noah, receiving his gaze, stepped back. Sung Hyunjae was still standing firm in front of him. Park Yerim was also positioned in the air nearby.
“How about we join forces since I’ll protect Noah oppa [older brother]?”
“I don’t match either. It would be fine with Hunter Park Yerim or Song Taewon. And right now, the best method is to stall for time.”
Rather than ganging up to attack, the safest and most certain method was to take turns facing Han Yoojin, stalling for time and depleting his strength. Above all, the Changeling’s power couldn’t be maintained for more than three hours at most. In other words, if they just endured for three hours, Han Yoojin would lose all his attack skills.
However. Sung Hyunjae’s brow furrowed slightly.
“It seems like he’s just warming up.”
“Huh, are you talking about me?”
Clang! Once again, flames collided with flames. Han Yoojin hadn’t used many skills yet. Sung Hyunjae said, not taking his eyes off Han Yoojin.
“Hunter Noah, do you have enough potions?”
“Yes. I will use potions if Hunter Han Yoohyun withdraws from the battle.”
It meant that it was better to conserve healing skills that could back up during battle as much as possible. Park Yerim, still lacking experience, tilted her head, wondering what he meant.
“It means Hunter Han Yoohyun is likely to be injured more frequently.”
“Really? I thought it would be similar to Ahjussi [older man/uncle]. No, Ahjussi got hurt more.”
“I said it would be difficult to handle large amounts of water.”
Park Yerim nodded. She had already used too much power. Even if she replenished her mana, the accumulated fatigue remained. Large-scale control, such as bursting the water supply and creating waves like in the battle before sunset, was difficult.
“I think I could do it if I push myself.”
“Then focus on teleportation. Hunter Park Yerim is the only one who can catch up immediately if Han Yoojin tries to escape.”
Screech, bang! A street lamp, cut down by a sword blade, fell onto the broken road. Han Yoojin climbed up the wall of a building across the street, and Han Yoohyun scattered blue willow leaves, chasing after him. Clang, clang, the glass windows shattered in succession.
Han Yoojin looked at his brother, who was following him, with affection. This time, he was the brother he had raised, not only as a human but also as a hunter.
So, naturally, he was his.
“Yoohyun.”
Silver eyes narrowed. From the middle floor of the building, Han Yoojin kicked off the wall. Crash, the area beneath his feet caved in, and Han Yoojin’s body shot out towards Han Yoohyun in the air. Han Yoohyun calmly raised his sword diagonally towards his brother, who was recklessly charging in.
It looked like a simple charge, but there was no knowing what variables there might be. Teleportation? Or he might use the willow leaf skill to change direction. He might also eat a cookie, use a skill other than Black Blood Flames, or take out an unfamiliar item.
Han Yoohyun’s mind raced. But it was none of those things. Han Yoojin charged straight ahead, defenselessly towards Han Yoohyun, and,
Crack!
The Ruler’s Sword pierced Han Yoojin’s shoulder. Why? Even as the situation deviated from his expectations, Han Yoohyun was about to launch a series of attacks to completely subdue his brother.
Jingle
With the sound of a small bell, silver chains poured down.
“Han Yoohyun!”
Park Yerim’s cry of surprise echoed in the blood-soaked air. Han Yoojin used his flight skill, going behind his brother, who was pierced by the chains, and hugged him. There were no fatal wounds. However, it was impossible to move with his arms and legs all pierced by moonlight. His blood-soaked arms twitched, but he couldn’t even muster the strength to break the chains.
Park Yerim reflexively created ice spears, but Han Yoohyun’s body completely blocked Han Yoojin, making it difficult to attack. The same was true for Sung Hyunjae. Noah couldn’t use healing skills now that the chains were tearing through the wounds.
The chains, connected to the moonlight in the sky, slowly lowered the two bodies to the ground. Han Yoohyun’s feet touched the ground first, and he swallowed a weak groan. Han Yoojin was still slightly floating in the air, embracing his brother’s neck.
“My brother, you’re so good.”
Han Yoojin kissed his brother’s head and grabbed the half-wig with his other hand. Han Yoohyun’s head tilted back slightly.
“You look good in anything, but I still like it short.”
The half-wig, torn off as it was, burst into flames and scattered into ashes in an instant. Han Yoohyun spat out blood-mixed breaths.
“I want to play with Yoohyun more since he likes it, but hyung doesn’t have time. I have to find Song Chief and kill him. Or Yoohyun, do you want to go with me now? Take hyung’s side.”
Yoohyun likes hyung the most, right? You said you only love hyung. At the affectionate whisper, Han Yoohyun’s eyes moved to the right, towards his brother.
“…That’s right. But, that’s not what hyung wants.”
“That’s true. Crescent Moon wants it. But Yoohyun, I really want to kill Song Chief. In fact, Chief might want that too.”
Instead of answering, Han Yoohyun ignited flames. Dark blue flames climbed up his body, overflowing to Han Yoojin.
“With my flame resistance—”
Seeing the color of the flames gradually changing to a clear blue, Han Yoojin’s expression turned fierce. With a jingle, the silver chains were quickly retracted, and Han Yoojin roughly threw Han Yoohyun away. Han Yoohyun’s body slid along the ground.
“Han Yoohyun!”
“Hyung is, cough, hyung is right.”
Park Yerim teleported Han Yoohyun to Noah, and golden chains stretched out as if to replace him. The chains barely grazed Han Yoojin’s cheek, piercing the wall of the building. At the same time, crackle, powerful electric current surged.
The intense light that momentarily burned the darkness obscured Han Yoojin’s vision, and in that short gap, Sung Hyunjae closed in. Han Yoojin crossed his arms, blocking the fiercely stabbing kick, and slid back to the front of the building.
Silver eyes sharpened.
“I won’t go easy on you.”
“That’s what I want.”
Lowering the raised leg, Sung Hyunjae smiled.
“Still, I’m glad it’s definitely Han Yoojin.”
“Even though Crescent Moon has taken root, did you think I would kiss and lick you instead of Yoohyun?”
Red flames soared from Han Yoojin’s toes, darkening as if absorbing the darkness. Silver eyes looked at the black and red coat Sung Hyunjae was wearing. He has electric resistance, so focusing on fire resistance is the right choice.
“For the sake of my dear partner, take off that coat and come at me.”
“Han Yoojin has been coveting Silrakia for a while now.”
Sung Hyunjae’s hand lightly stroked the collar of his coat.
“I’ll take it off anytime if you go to the aquarium with me.”
“Really? Let’s write a contract right now. After writing the contract and receiving the down payment.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have an L-grade contract, so let’s do it on credit.”
“Bullshit, what am I supposed to believe? If you’re too cheap, just say so.”
“Do you think I would be stingy with just this coat?”
Crack, the golden chains emerged from the wall, scattering concrete fragments. Han Yoojin, focusing on the chains coiling around Sung Hyunjae’s body, sharpened his nails on his palm. The flowing blood formed the shape of a sword, and silver chains dangled around Han Yoojin like a jewel-studded curtain.