Chapter 212 (Part 2)
Chapter 212: 4 vs. 2 (Part 2)
“It’s over.”
An assassin with his legs bound was as good as dead.
To prove it, Ma Kyung-rok drove his sword into Jeffrey’s chest.
“Gaaah!”
With a final, desperate scream, Jeffrey died. But there was one thing Ma Kyung-rok had overlooked.
‘What’s this? A clone?’
The person he had killed was merely Jeffrey’s clone.
‘Could it be… an assassin’s level 60 skill…?’
He realized too late, but by then, it was already over.
Jeffrey had already appeared behind Ma Kyung-rok.
“Die…”
He was about to shout heroically as he aimed for Ma Kyung-rok’s throat, but—
Thunk!
Jeffrey’s finishing blow missed, interrupted by An Sang-cheol’s shield bash.
“Are you alright, Director?”
“Thanks, Manager An. I almost ended up dead.”
While Jeffrey let out a frustrated sigh, Ma Kyung-rok was smiling.
Now, Jeffrey wouldn’t be able to use his clone or invisibility anymore.
‘Jeffrey is as good as dead now. I’ll just kill Seo Arin and Christine next.’
As Ma Kyung-rok glanced at the three of them, he suddenly felt a sense of unease.
‘Wait. Wasn’t there one more?’
The crippled man with the prosthetic arm and leg was nowhere to be seen.
There was no trace of him even when he tried to sense his presence as if he had fled out of fear.
‘Well, I’ll just have to kill the three who are here.’
The situation was highly favorable for Ma Kyung-rok. No one present could withstand his dark aura, which grew stronger in proportion to the dark magic he possessed. Christine, who was praised as a saint, was there, but there were limits to how much she could protect her comrades.
After all, what could she do? She could only use healing spells, which were useless against a power that could cut down anything with a single blow.
“It’s over for all of you.”
With this certainty, Ma Kyung-rok relaxed, never imagining that this would be his downfall.
“Huh?”
As he slowly approached, Ma Kyung-rok caught sight of the crippled man he thought had fled.
Ju Seong-tak was smiling slyly, making Ma Kyung-rok feel an inexplicable sense of unease.
‘What is he smiling at?’
Following the man’s gaze, Ma Kyung-rok turned his head and saw the body of his brother, Ma Kyung-su, lying on the ground.
“Corpse Explosion.”
As Ju Seong-tak murmured in a low voice, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from Ma Kyung-su’s body, sending Ma Kyung-rok flying into the warehouse wall.
The entire incident took place in an instant.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Despite the searing pain from his burning skin, Ma Kyung-rok managed to stand up, but it wasn’t without difficulty.
He wasn’t so injured that he couldn’t stand, but he knew better than to let his guard down.
“Corpse Explosion.”
At Ju Seong-tak’s second utterance, another body in the warehouse, Ma Kyung-sang’s corpse, exploded.
Boom!
With a sound like thunder, the small warehouse was blown apart, and Ma Kyung-rok, who had been caught off guard, was sent flying once more.
“Ugh…”
Though the consecutive attacks left him barely able to stand, Ma Kyung-rok eventually managed to get a knee up.
He almost stumbled again, but An Sang-cheol caught him just in time.
“Are you alright?”
“My ribs… ugh, I think they’re broken.”
“This isn’t the time. We should retreat and regroup.”
“…”
Ma Kyung-rok bit his lip in frustration, but he had no other choices left.
“Let’s do that.”
In the end, he turned around, leaning on An Sang-cheol for support.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Jeffrey tried to chase after them, but Ma Kyung-rok’s cold, icy glare stopped him in his tracks.
“If you’re confident, come at me. Killing a bug like you is nothing to me.”
“…”
Leaving behind this not-so-veiled threat in English, Ma Kyung-rok turned and disappeared with An Sang-cheol.
No one pursued them.
Not Seo Arin, not Christine, not Jeffrey.
They had all realized just how strong Ma Kyung-rok truly was.
“In the end, we let them get away. What should we do?”
“There’s nothing we can do.”
A voice interrupted Seo Arin’s question.
The one who answered was none other than Yamti.
“Ah? Yamti-nim?”
Recognizing a familiar face, Seo Arin’s expression brightened, but she quickly became puzzled.
“How are you here, Yamti-nim…?”
“I heard about the situation from Black Scythe.”
“Ah.”
Recalling that Yamti was Black Scythe’s real-life acquaintance, Seo Arin nodded in understanding.
That explained how she got here, even though everything had already ended.
“If you came to help, you’re a bit late.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Despite arriving late, Ymti didn’t seem disappointed at all. In fact, he looked rather satisfied, as if she had already accomplished her goal.
Though she found it strange, Seo Arin decided it was just her imagination and didn’t think much of it.
Little did she know, it wasn’t just her imagination.
—
“Phew, l-let’s take a short break before we continue.”
“Yes, Director.”
Ma Kyung-rok leaned against a tree.
The injuries he had sustained were too severe to continue climbing the mountain.
“That cripple… he was much stronger than I expected…”
Using corpses as explosive tools? Whoever he was, he had to be someone who ranked in the TOP 5.
Even while injured, Ma Kyung-rok found himself wondering about the man’s nickname and class.
“How are your injuries?”
“Don’t worry about me. Just a few broken ribs and some charred skin.”
He spoke as if it were nothing, but Ma Kyung-rok knew better.
The wounds were too severe to be healed with simple first aid.
‘If only Christine’s healing abilities were available…’
If he could receive healing, even broken bones would mend, and necrotic skin would regenerate easily.
“Damn it. To think I was trying to kill her just a moment ago. Now I actually miss her.”
With a bitter, self-deprecating smile, Ma Kyung-rok gestured that it was time to get moving again.
But An Sang-cheol didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stood there, creating a heavy, somber atmosphere.
“You should consider going back.”
“What did you say?”
“If you return, Christine can heal you. Confess your sins and receive treatment.”
Hearing this, Ma Kyung-rok’s expression turned icy.
“Manager An, are you suggesting I get treated and then rot in prison?”
“It’s better than losing your life, don’t you think?”
Annoyed by the words, Ma Kyung-rok openly displayed his displeasure.
“You’re talking as if I’m already dead.”
“You are dead. Because I’m going to kill you.”
“What…?”
Thrust!
Ma Kyung-rok looked down in shock at his chest.
What pierced his flesh was none other than An Sang-cheol’s sword.