00580 Everyone has a time in their life when they shine.
The defensive matrix—a protective barrier—had just gained a new ability: reflection. The moment I realized the potential of this reflection, a thought flashed swiftly through my mind. This might be the key to breaking that terrifying offensive and defensive power. Of course, it was just one possibility among many… but it was worth a shot.
With that in mind, I calculated the distance, adjusted my strength, and pushed off the ground, launching myself forward.
The gap closed in an instant. But perhaps Father had anticipated this the moment his shield appeared—he didn’t recklessly try to grab me. Instead, he retracted his tentacles, gathering them into a tight circle just like before. As I neared, the tentacles sucked in air, swelling their stalks to full capacity.
Then, the moment my feet fully touched the ground—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A thousand tentacles simultaneously exploded the compressed air.
Crack, crack!
Clang!
The shield Han-gyeol had set up didn’t even last a second before cracking with the sound of shattering glass. The cracks spread rapidly across the entire barrier, leaving it on the verge of collapse.
In that split second, I gritted my teeth. What if my prediction was wrong? The air rushing through the broken gaps would surge in like a storm, and I’d be forced back again without a chance.
Then—
Suddenly, sparkling particles began to settle around the shield.
Whoosh!
The shield, on the brink of breaking, transformed instantly. Like a candle about to go out bursting into a final brilliant flame, the barrier suddenly radiated a dazzling light. At the same time, the storm of air trying to pour in through the cracks halted, and I could feel it pushing back in the opposite direction.
At last, the reflection ability had activated!
Crash!
The shield finally shattered. But for a brief moment, the suffocating pressure that had been pressing down on me vanished. A gap formed between the air and the barrier.
This was my chance.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that wouldn’t come twice. I wasn’t about to let it slip away.
Immediately, I activated Spatial Shift.
In an instant, the scenery changed. The grotesquely numerous tentacles vanished from my sight. Instead, the main body, which the tentacles had been blocking, appeared clearly right before me.
I channeled my magic along the circuits, gripping both blades with all my strength. Swinging fiercely toward the body, the power of the Flame Core surged up the blades. The invisible Bladeless Sword and the blazing glory of Victoria pierced deep into the body.
Fwoosh, fwoosh!
As the two swords crossed, an X-shaped scar appeared on Father’s body. The Flame Core’s influence burned even deeper, spreading the wound further.
Finally, a single attack had landed properly. But there was no time to savor the moment or watch the results. I sensed something rushing fiercely from both sides. I activated Spatial Shift again.
Bang!
A massive blow struck the air nearby—probably a tentacle branch aiming for me.
But I had no time to look or hesitate. This was the precious, one-time chance Han-gyeol had given me. Gritting my teeth, I slashed my blades across as fast as I could. This time, the fiery wave emitted from the blade tips shot straight ahead, striking the body hard. The surface shattered into pieces as the Flame Core’s power spread in all directions.
Yet countless threats still targeted me.
I had only one second to think. In that second, I shifted my gaze to find an empty space and activated my ability. I Spatial Shifted past the tentacles aiming for me and attacked Father again. The Bladeless Sword and Victoria’s Glory flashed ominously, leaving deep wounds. It was a perfect hit.
But even as the wounds formed, the relentless attacks kept coming. There was no time to hesitate.
“Cough, cough!”
I sneezed briefly, but the coughing soon subsided. It seemed I had scattered some powder during the fight, but I wasn’t worried. Inside me, the Flame Core was burning hotter than ever.
I hadn’t once drawn on the Flame Core’s power since the attack began. Instead, it was supporting me on its own.
“Kroooooooaaar!”
Father let out a furious, monstrous roar. His tentacles spun wildly, trying to grab me, but I seized one and shot upward like an arrow, diving deeper inside.
Just as I prepared to strike, a sharp pain at the crown of my head forced me to shift to the opposite side. Gripping my blades in reverse, I slammed them down again. Then, stepping back quickly, I found an opening and unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes. Another successful attack.
Gradually, the tide was turning.
From now on, I had only one focus.
To keep this hard-won advantage going. I wanted just one solid chance to attack first. Ever since that brief gap appeared, the initiative had finally shifted to me.
It was a fragile grip on control, but I had it. So I would use every trick I had to hold onto it.
Until Father fell.
With that resolve, I activated Spatial Shift without hesitation.
Meanwhile, as the battle between Kim Su-hyun, Father, the users, and the monsters heated up, a quiet change was happening unnoticed in a corner of the square. The center of this change was none other than Joo Hyun-ho, lying still in the shadows. Astonishingly, his body—once shriveled like a mummy by Father’s power—had now fully recovered.
His fingers twitched.
His feet moved slightly.
Then, suddenly, his tightly shut eyes snapped open.
The confusion didn’t last long. His pupils regained their normal glow. Glancing around cautiously, Joo Hyun-ho grunted and summoned his strength.
Shk!
From his severed right arm, a tentacle suddenly sprouted, swelling rapidly as it began forming some kind of tissue.
What on earth was happening?
How could Joo Hyun-ho, who had died once, come back to life?
The answer lay with Father.
Just as the men had turned into mummies in an instant, Father’s tentacles had the ability to absorb the life force of living beings. They burrowed inside, draining all vitality. The absorbed life energy accumulated inside Father as a form of power.
That meant the reverse was possible too. After assessing Joo Hyun-ho’s condition, Father had withdrawn the damaged life force. This caused Joo Hyun-ho’s body to shrivel. But Father didn’t stop there—he then infused new life energy stored within himself, reviving Joo Hyun-ho’s vitality.
“Ugh… ugh…”
A faint sigh escaped Joo Hyun-ho’s lips. Perhaps due to the new life force, his severed arm had regrown. On the surface, he looked completely restored. Though the damage Kim Su-hyun had inflicted inside was unknown, it was clear he had recovered enough to use regeneration.
Though he could move somewhat, Joo Hyun-ho didn’t budge. Normally, one would rejoice at being brought back to life, but he continued to feign death, casting wary glances around.
As if searching for someone.
In his eyes, an unmistakable fear had taken root.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
The battle between the users and monsters was entering a new phase. Under Han So-young’s command, the users were fiercely driving back the monsters.
The monsters charged relentlessly, but the users fought with coordinated teamwork. No matter how many new monsters appeared, the tide was inevitably turning in the users’ favor. Occasionally, a user’s scream pierced the air, but far more monsters were falling.
Among them, Ahn Hyun fought with the most passion. Every swing of his spear drenched the air with monster blood. He dodged incoming attacks with skillful movements and countered with precision.
Suddenly, gripping his black spear tightly, Ahn Hyun began stabbing wildly in all directions, charging fiercely toward a group of five monsters. Archers, mages, and priests providing support from behind took notice and unleashed arrows and protective spells to cover him.
Ahn Hyun kept maneuvering his spear to keep the monsters at bay. When he reached his target, he leapt forward with all his might, piercing the neck of the blocking monster lightly with his spear. Then, he pulled it out and began spinning it like a windmill.
Whirrrr, whirrrr, whirrrr!
“Ha!”
With a shout, Ahn Hyun drove the spear down in a straight line, channeling centrifugal force. The strike combined raw strength with magic drawn from deep within.
Bang!
Papapapapapapapapap!
As the spear struck the ground, dark spear-like tendrils began to sprout from its tip, extending outward in a cluster.
From one spear to two, from two to four, from four to eight. In an instant, dozens of spears multiplied, overwhelming and sweeping away the remaining four monsters. This was the spear technique Anhyun had learned first and favored most.
After unleashing such immense power all at once, Anhyun took a moment to catch his breath, then quickly retreated to a safer distance, scanning the surroundings. He could see—at least nearby, there were no more monsters in sight.
A short while later, an overwhelming silence settled around him.
“…Is it over?”
Anhyun murmured softly, slowly shifting his gaze to check for any stragglers. But just as his eyes swept forward, they suddenly froze. In the direction he was looking, Kim Suhyun and Father were locked in fierce combat. The sharp intensity that had burned in Anhyun’s eyes while clearing the monsters abruptly dulled into a vacant stare.
“…”
What lay before him was… hard to put into words.
Surrounding Father, dozens of Kim Suhyuns were engaged in battle. No, it wasn’t dozens of Suhyuns. There was only one. But the extreme speed and uncanny afterimages created by Kim Suhyun’s unique movement made it seem otherwise.
Each time Kim Suhyun flashed and vanished, a streak of red light slashed across Father’s body. Father’s form was already so riddled with wounds that finding an unscarred spot was nearly impossible. On top of that, the continuous burning damage left some areas charred black, ashes falling away.
Yet even amid this, Father steadily moved his tentacles, relentlessly pursuing Kim Suhyun. It was almost like watching a game of tag.
“Hey, Anhyun. Well done.”
At that moment, someone tapped Anhyun on the shoulder. It was Heo Junyoung. Anhyun snapped back to reality, suddenly remembering the battle was still ongoing.
“It’s fine. The fight’s over, and all the monsters have been dealt with. …But.”
Heo Junyoung shook his head quietly, eyes fixed ahead. Anhyun, with a reluctant expression, turned back to watch Kim Suhyun. Or at least, he tried—but couldn’t keep up.
How fast was he moving? Twice a second? Three? Four?
No matter how much Anhyun focused and heightened his spiritual energy, tracking Kim Suhyun’s movements was nearly impossible. This wasn’t just Anhyun’s struggle; all the users shared the same feeling.
Some impatient users were about to rush in, complaining about why no one was helping, but the more perceptive quickly stopped them. Even without knowing the full details, they sensed that this battle was a fight for control and timing—and not one to interfere with recklessly.
Only Kim Suhyun—only he—could fight like this.
Then, something changed.
Perhaps Father was growing weary of the relentless chase, because suddenly his tentacles relaxed, hanging low and still in every direction.
Soon, the tentacles swelled, then snapped upward all at once like the closing jaws of a Venus flytrap. Unable to follow Kim Suhyun’s movements, Father aimed to shatter the air in every direction. This would weaken the attack’s power, but what Father needed most was to stop Kim Suhyun’s momentum, even if just for a moment—to regain the initiative he’d lost.
Moments later—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A deafening roar echoed across the plaza.
“Ah!”
At the same time, someone let out a pained cry.
But that cry quickly turned to shock. As if anticipating the attack, Kim Suhyun’s new form slipped entirely outside the reach of Father’s tentacles. And as soon as the attack’s cooldown began, he darted back inside. The form that had moved to the outskirts slowly dissolved into thin air, while a blazing trail ignited on one side, ruthlessly slashing Father.
Even Han Soyoung, the Iron-Blooded Queen, momentarily lost herself in awe at the near-supernatural speed.
This was why, even after the monster battle ended, the users couldn’t just jump in to help. Setting aside visible abilities, Kim Suhyun was demonstrating an extraordinary level of multitasking.
In a single instant, he predicted Father’s moves, attacked, and found space to evade. Unless someone could disrupt Kim Suhyun’s heightened senses without interfering with his timing, it was better not to help at all.
“Hyung…!”
Thinking this, Heo Junyoung firmly grabbed Anhyun’s shoulder as the younger man tried to rush forward without hesitation.
“Don’t go.”
“J-Junyoung hyung? But Suhyun hyung is—”
“There’s nothing you can do. Especially those who fight up close.”
“…”
Heo Junyoung added calmly, and only after seeing Anhyun hesitate did he point steadily in one direction.
“You made the right call. It’s better to find something else to do than to get in the way.”
“Something else… to do?”
Anhyun’s face showed confusion. He looked where Heo Junyoung pointed, but aside from the corpses of monsters, the plaza was empty.
“I thought they were all dead just a moment ago…”
Just as Anhyun’s confusion deepened, Heo Junyoung spoke quietly.
“Looks like one of them got away.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I just noticed the votes have surpassed 2,000—exactly 2,014!
I mentioned before that if we hit 2,000 votes, I’d hold a poll to decide on illustrations, so it’s about time to start preparing. I’ll probably ask for your input in the next chapter’s afterword.
For now, Han Soyoung will definitely get an illustration, and from the remaining seven characters, I’ll select the top four for a re-vote in the comments. The character who ranks first will get an illustration.
That means we’ll have two new illustrations this time. :)