To Hell With Being a Hero!

The sharp winds shooting from his sword were replaced by dozens of sharp energy blades. Clang, clang! They hit Gotaya’s entire body in flashes, yet the result remained the same. Though Ru Amuh’s attacks had left scratches here and there, Gotaya’s protective armor remained very much intact.

Gotaya then raised a giant spade that looked as long as a utility pole and swung it. Ru Amuh quickly backed away and bent down low to avoid the spade swinging past him again. Then, he kicked off the floor and dove further into Gotaya’s space, raising his magic sword straight forward. This time, he planned to pierce rather than swing. Clang! A great din rang out, yet the tip of Ru Amuh’s sword failed to penetrate Gotaya’s armor again.

However, Ru Amuh didn’t stop at one attempt. As soon as the blade was bounced back, Ru Amuh rotated his arm fiercely like a motor, piercing one exact point of Gotaya’s armor dozens of times. Clack! Clrrrrrrk!

Spiderwebs of cracks formed and spread until Ru Amuh finally succeeded in making a gap and penetrating through. If he could, Ru Amuh wanted to stick his blade straight through, but contrary to his expectations, it appeared that Gotaya’s inner wear was made of the same material as his armor and possessed considerable defense power. Furthermore, Gotaya continued to aim for Ru Amuh with his spade so fiercely that it made his skin jitter.

Ru Amuh quickly moved backward, and the spade barely missed him. Though he had avoided getting sliced into two from head to toe, he wasn’t able to escape the aftereffects as well. Swept by a strong shockwave, Ru Amuh flew into the air. After twirling around once, he managed to regain his balance, and as soon as he landed on the ground, he rushed toward Gotaya.

Ru Amuh didn’t even give a moment of rest to his enemy, and it was as if literal whirlwinds were rushing toward Gotaya from all sides. Though he had lost his sword, Ru Amuh didn’t let it slow him down. In the first place, his martial arts skills were at the same rank as his swordsmanship. And he had mastered how to use his sword as part of his body and reached a stage where he no longer had to rely on weapons a long time ago. In an instant, Ru Amuh lunged closer and kicked the part of Gotaya’s abdomen that he had stuck the tip of his sword into, driving the blade deeper inside.

Gotaya flinched and waved his hand furiously like he was swatting a fly, trying to grab Ru Amuh or slap him away. Of course, Ru Amuh wasn’t one to be easily beaten. He twirled around as Gotaya’s hand missed him and did a back kick. The sole of his foot struck the hilt of the sword with the weight of his entire body, and the magic sword dug in deeper. It really was a marvelous feat of control and body movements.

Perhaps it would’ve been difficult for the past Ru Amuh to do what he had done just now. Yet he changed after meeting Chi-Woo. From his perspective, Chi-Woo was his savior. It wasn’t just because Chi-Woo had saved his life, but also because Chi-Woo had helped him break out of his habitual routine. Furthermore, he didn’t just help him in martial arts but taught him the attitude that a hero must have. Chi-Woo also gave him an impressive weapon and a power that he normally wouldn’t have even dared to dream of. All in all, Chi-Woo provided him with the perfect environment that there was no way he wouldn’t progress and grow stronger.

From then on, Ru Amuh thought hard. They said one would encounter three great opportunities in their lifetime. And Ru Amuh wondered whether he would gain two more chances to work alongside a hero of Chi-Woo’s caliber and gain the trust of such a person. Since he couldn’t guarantee it, Ru Amuh had no intention of letting go of this opportunity. He needed to make the best of it. With this conviction, the once-in-a-generation genius Ru Amuh worked harder than anyone else—harder than even Emmanuel and Yunael. Flora, who had joined Seven Stars recently, bothered him a bit, but rather than going after her, Ru Amuh did his best with the belief that he needed to pay back the trust Chi-Woo had placed in him. And this was the result of that conviction.

‘Like the mountain wind at times.’ As Gotaya floundered about, Ru Amuh moved like branches swaying in the wind. ‘And like the whirlwind at other times.’ Then, he raised his leg and kicked the sword that was already two-thirds in. Cruuuunch!

As if it was sucked inwards, the blade disappeared completely into Gotaya’s armor. Gotaya’s spade struck down so hard that it appeared like it would split the ground into two, but it failed to hit Ru Amuh. And this time, he didn’t allow the shockwaves to push him away. Instead, he jumped hard into the air, and whirling winds gathered at a single point under his feet. After turning half a circle in the air, Ru Amuh came down while carrying a great amount of compressed wind and struck the long guard of his sword with his foot. The sword that had been stuck horizontally into Gotaya’s stomach turned 90 degrees clockwise.

The deeply embedded sword was instantly pushed vertically, and it ended up protruding out while ripping out and spilling a good number of internal organs.

Spliiiiit! A giant crack formed and reached Gotaya’s collarbones. Gotaya, who hadn’t budged until now, seemed to struggle to deal with the attack, and his gigantic body tilted sideways. Yet that wasn’t over. Ru Amuh kicked Gotaya away and grabbed his falling magic sword. Then, he twirled it around half a circle and fixed his grip so that he was holding it properly. As he raised his sword high in the air, an explosive energy engulfed it. It became so condensed that it took form and could be seen by the naked eye. Soon afterward, Ru Amuh soared into the sky and tilted his body. Simultaneously, his sword energy drew a soft line in the air, effortlessly diving into the crack on Gotaya’s armor and exiting through the upper part to hit Gotaya’s chin. Pwsh! It destroyed Gotaya’s head just like that before returning to him.

Everyone bore witness to what had happened. If an ordinary person who was clueless about battle saw the end of the fight, they might have thought that the winds had simply passed by a couple of times. Yet the allies who had tried to support Ru Amuh belatedly witnessed what had happened from beginning to end. Before they could even prepare to face Gotaya, Ru Amuh had taken care of the situation at an unbelievable speed. He didn’t do anything flashy, but put an end to Gotaya by simply utilizing the fundamentals.

It was an astonishing display of fighting expertise, but Ru Amuh appeared nonchalant as he had only done what was expected of him. And when he stepped over Gotaya’s crushed head with his back to the others, his form seemed to be saying to them, ‘I am—the only one to be Chi-Woo’s first sword is I, Ru Amuh.’

***

The total number of Astral Worlds that Chi-Hyun had identified was nine. This meant that the expeditionary force had been divided into roughly eight to nine parts. After getting broken into separate groups, the majority of the Shalyh’s expeditionary force had to fight against the Abyss army that suddenly appeared before them like Ru Amuh. Yet that wasn’t the case for all of them; one example was Evelyn.

After hugging Chi-Woo and using him as a pillow the whole night, she opened her eyes and looked around, confused. Then, when Eshnunna and Hawa informed her what had happened, she quickly went outside. She realized the current situation faster than anyone else. Of course she would know. The world filled with thick flowing fog was…

“It’s the Abyss.” It was the place she had spent almost an eternity in. And more than what she was seeing, she could tell based on the familiar feeling she was getting from this place. She almost looked reminiscent. On the other hand, Eshnunna and Hawa, who had no attachment to such a place, only looked nervously around them. Eshnunna gulped and cautiously asked. “Master, does that mean…”

“It’s as you think. It’s similar to the place where I used to be. No, it looks completely identical,” Evelyn said calmly and looked around. “It seems the Abyss King has pulled some kind of trick…”

“What should we do? We have to quickly get out of here.”

“We can’t,” Evelyn replied firmly, and Eshnunna looked at her in horror.

“What? Whaat? We can’t get out?”

“Yes.”

“For forever?”

“Yes, like this forever.”

Eshnunna’s face turned completely pale as Evelyn gave her a confirmation. “I told you. The Abyss is a place where beings wander listlessly and kill. If it hadn’t been for the Abyss Queen, that’s what I would’ve still been doing.”

“Then will we also…from now on….”

“Only the Abyss King or Queen can enter this world. If the Abyss King is somewhere in this world, there’s a slim possibility that we can get out…but unfortunately, he doesn’t appear to be here.” Evelyn shrugged while crossing her arms. Eshnunna collapsed to the floor with her mouth agape upon hearing that there was no way to get out. They would wander around here and fight endlessly. It really was terrible to even imagine that they would have to fight even after death. It went without saying that Evelyn was not happy about their current circumstances.

“What a tough situation. If Chi-Woo were at least with us, he and I could’ve lived as the new King and Queen of the Abyss. But without him here…”

Hawa thought she had misheard Evelyn. How could Evelyn be worrying and thinking about such things in this situation? She stared blankly at Evelyn, who contemplated with a serious face and said, “But in that case, why aren’t we seeing any enemies?”

If one of the Abyss King’s Seven Chasms was in this world, Evelyn would’ve noticed it way earlier. Yet there was no one around. Still, it didn’t mean that they were alone. There was someone with them, but their presence was so faint that it was unclear whether they really existed. It was then something reached Evelyn’s ears.

—…

It sounded like someone was calling out to her. Evelyn quickly raised her head and surveyed her surroundings. Perhaps she was imagining it, but she couldn’t risk it; she quickly moved her feet while looking dazed.

—…lyn…

She hadn’t misheard. The closer she got to the direction the noise was coming from, the clearer the voice became. Of course, it was still so faint that it sounded like she would lose it if she didn’t focus. Like that, Evelyn walked for a while until she stopped.

—Evelyn.

There was a semi-transparent form wavering in the air, so faint that it was hard to make out what it was. Evelyn inhaled deeply. Trailing behind her, Eshnunna and Hawa looked confusedly up at the figure. Then, Evelyn suddenly got on one knee and bowed. What she said next made Eshnunna and Hawa gasp.

“Your Majesty.”

There was only one being Evelyn would call ‘Your Majesty’; it was the Abyss Queen who was said to have been absorbed by the Abyss King. Suspicion rose in Eshnunna’s and Hawa’s hearts. Though they hadn’t seen the Abyss King personally, they remembered how his energy alone had made goosebumps raise all over their bodies in the great war. In comparison to that, the queen’s presence seemed so lacking that it made one wonder if it was really her.

—You answered my call.

A soft and graceful voice said.

—I worried that you might not hear my voice. How fortunate.

“I was also unsure in the beginning,” Evelyn replied in a weaker voice. “I was wondering why the place felt so familiar…but it was your world.” Evelyn looked greatly conflicted. After all, the time the two spent together was immeasurable. The betrayal of an insider took her from the Abyss Queen, and with her departure from the group, the Abyss Queen was placed in a disadvantageous position, which eventually led to their eternal separation. At least, that was what Evelyn thought had happened until their shocking reunion.

There were many things she wanted to say, but no words came out.

“…I’m sorry,” Evelyn finally said after lowering her head again.

—It’s meaningless to apologize.

Unlike Evelyn, the Abyss Queen’s voice was very calm.

—If I had been a bit bolder, I wouldn’t have let you go through what you did.

“…”

—It’s not your fault. It’s my fault that I’m so lacking, so you don’t have to blame yourself.

The Abyss Queen’s voice was warm like a mother’s, and Evelyn closed her eyes. With the Abyss Queen’s comfort, she nodded.

—But besides that, you don’t have much time.

The Abyss Queen quickly changed the topic; there seemed to be more important matters to consider. After momentarily becoming clear, her voice became faint again like it was about to be cut off.

—My daughter. Listen to me carefully from here on out.