Long Cherished Wish

Click-clack.

Ju Yae-young walked confidently.

With each step she took,
a burning flame was inscribed on the ground,

and a massive dragon-shaped blaze
began to circle around her.

Ju Yae-young looked up at Tang Seo-ran with blazing eyes.
Tang Seo-ran also stared back at Ju Yae-young.

Of course, after glancing a few times she looked back at Yu Seha with a face full of fear.
She was trying by any means to get past Ju Yae-young and seize a chance to kill him.
Tang Seo-ran was clearly more afraid of and wary of Yu Seha than of Ju Yae-young.

Seeing that, Yu Seha forced himself to stand.
He thought there was no time to rest.
Simply instilling fear was reason enough to join the fight.
He had also recovered some strength from the short rest.

At that moment,
Ju Yae-young spoke.

“Yu Seha.”
“Ah, yes?”
“It’s better if… you don’t cause any more payment.” (literal: “It’s better not to exact a price.”)

Ju Yae-young immediately saw through Yu Seha’s condition.
She realized his power might even surpass hers.
But it was by no means a normal power.

Ju Yae-young, seeing how many sacrifices he had already made,
didn’t want to burden him further.

And crucially…
the opponent before her was a nemesis she had to finish with her own hands.

“I know I have no right to say this, barging in at the end, but please.”

The Tang Seo-ran before her.
She was a fated enemy Ju Yae-young absolutely had to resolve herself.

“Leave this place to me and Cho Seol-hwa.”
“……”

Yu Seha shut his mouth.
He recalled what Su Ok-bin had told him.
The tragedy of the firstborn, the one who is like an older sister to Ju Na-young.

While thinking that,
Ju Yae-young ignited flames in both hands.
A purer, more intense passion flame than the [Burning Flame Demon].
It was a color only possible from the Epic skill [Flame Spreading Across the Heavens].

She unleashed [Dragon Flame], with proficiency incomparably higher than Ju Na-young or Ju Yuri.
A flapping sound echoed.
Two pairs of enormous dragon wings began to move,
lifting her up into the sky.

“Thank you so much for protecting my daughter one last time.”
“Yes? Ah, yes. Of course—”
“—and I ask you to take care of her from now on as well.”
“…Yes?”

Ju Yae-young looked at Ju Na-young, who was held in his arms.
She gave a small smile toward her embarrassed daughter who didn’t know what to do.

Soon she turned to the roaring Dragon-form Ju Yu-ri and the magic-casting Tang Seo-ran.

Ju Yae-young clicked her tongue at Ju Yu-ri, who had become a dragon in a grotesque form.

It would be a lie to say she felt no pity,

“…Serves you right.”
“Krwah!!!”

Without ceremony,
She slapped Ju Yuri’s gaping face.
With a bang, an orange lotus of flame burst forth.
It was literally a true slap of fire.

Kwak kwak kwak-!

In an instant, a green poison spell grazed Ju Yae-young’s side.
The toxin was so potent it melted her clothes at once.
Ju Yae-young ground her teeth.

“Tang Seo-ran…!”
“Damn…”

Tang Seo-ran frowned as Ju Yae-young charged at her like a madwoman.
She felt Ju Yuri’s output steadily dropping from the linked connection.

She had used it because she had no choice,
but the imperfect [Scale’s Yoke] clearly had its limits.
This seemed to be as far as it could go.

Tang Seo-ran fired dozens of blood bullets as she thought.

‘Things have gotten way too tangled.’

Originally she would have wiped out all the nuisances,
And taken what she wanted…
But an unexpected variable ruined everything.
For a moment she wondered, ‘Was I too hasty?’

‘No.’

No.
She hadn’t been wrong.

It was just that she hadn’t predicted Yu Seha—
the monster still watching from below—
that unbelievable creature.

This also meant the variable of Ju Yae-young before her
had been adequately dealt with.

“…She must have caused a diversion.”

Tang Seo-ran did not miss the possibility of Ju Yae-young’s intervention.
She considered her the only variable that could truly ruin her plan.
Her daughter was in danger—of course she would come to rescue her.

So although Moon Ha-yeon didn’t know,
this operation had been split into two main parts.

The main force intended to turn the Academy into a wasteland, led by Moon Ha-yeon—the only one who could reason with and ask favor of the Sword Ghost.

A rear guard meant to prevent Ju Yae-young and the Dragon Sword Mir clan members from arriving, composed of 150 pure Tartarus clan members.

They’d positioned them firmly at various points along the way.
They even took into account that they might arrive via warp gate.

In response to Tang Seo-ran’s question,
Ju Yae-young replied as if it were nothing.

“I noticed long ago.”

The reason that was possible
was the spy she’d planted in Ju Yu-ri,
Bodenov Sila’s work.

Sila had known from the start that Ju Yu-ri was receiving support from Tartarus,
and had been Ju Yae-young’s agent planted there in case things went worst-case.

Thanks to that she gathered as much information as possible until Ju Yu-ri fully defected, and was able to pierce through Tartarus’s interference and fly in.

Of course, resistance was so fierce they were late anyway,
but thanks to Yu Seha’s self-sacrificial actions, they arrived without reaching the worst-case scenario.

“The villains you planted are being dealt with by Sila and our clan members.”

Along with the Association hunters who came to help at Su Ok-bin’s request.

“Damn it…”
“I’ve been waiting for this day since then.”

Ju Yae-young wished,
For this moment—to fully burn this monster Tang Seo-ran, her enemy.

With tears streaming, like a demon,
Ju Yae-young twisted her face.

“I will take her back.”

My daughter’s body…

“This is the last time you’ll defile that girl’s already dead body.”
“Ha!”

Tang Seo-ran didn’t back down either; she lifted her face grotesquely.
Orbs of poison and blood swirled around both her hands.

“If you can, try it, Mother?”
“You bitch!!!”

Bang, bang-!
A fierce battle raged.
Yu Seha watched the scene from a short distance away.

Cho Seol-hwa fought Tang Pyo-rim,
Ju Yae-young fought Ju Yuri and Tang Seo-ran,

Indeed, from S-rank upward it was a battle so violent it felt like a natural disaster.

Yu Seha quickly read the flow of battle.
He let out a sigh of relief.

‘…Thank goodness.’

Little by little, steadily,
The momentum was tilting toward Dragon Sword Mir.
Thankfully, his earlier efforts to incapacitate them had paid off.

Tap tap.

It was then.

Suddenly he felt a touch on his back and turned.
It was Peng Jin-ah like an angel.

“Meow, Seha, Bora woke up.”
“Ah!”

Yu Seha approached, supported by Jun Na-young.
He grabbed Moon Bora’s shoulder as she stared absentmindedly at the aerial battle.

“Moon Bora, are you okay?”
“…Hooong?”
“Looks like she’s fine.”
“Hoo, huung… don’t, don’t pull my cheek.”

They pulled at each other’s cheeks,
sharing emergency potions they each had on hand,
it was time for quick recovery.

After about a minute,
Moon Bora suddenly trembled as if struck by lightning and shouted.

“Se, Seha!”
“Yeah?”
“Uh, sister… what about Moon Ha-yeon!?”
“……”

Yu Seha blinked.
Then, with a sudden ‘oh no!’, he turned his head.

The corner of the temple where Moon Ha-yeon had been lying.
She was gone.
Not there.

Only the pool of blood that showed she’d been there a moment ago remained.
Moon Ha-yeon’s body was nowhere to be seen.

‘Shit, damn?!’

“W-what do we do!?”
“Calm down, it’s okay.”

Yu Seha guzzled a mana potion,
and spread [Unprecedented Senses].

Having learned [Complete Devouring],
Yu Seha had become better able to use the power of the Tyrant.

Though his body was a wreck,
the range had actually grown several times larger than before.

Ignoring finesse,
for about a minute he increased only the scale.

The Academy’s back gate,
in the deserted grounds.
He sensed a faint presence that seemed to be Moon Ha-yeon’s.

At the same time he perceived the silhouette of something running with her on its back.

He instantly figured out who it was.
Yu Seha scowled in disgust.

‘Kim Min-su…’

That bastard.
He’s alive!?

“……”

Eyelids heavy as a thousand pounds.
He barely lifted them,
A woman with short, deep purple hair.

Moon Ha-yeon.
She opened her eyes drowsily.
From the rocking motion she realized she was being moved somewhere.

If she were being dragged off she would strike back at once, but
The voice in her ear
Made it seem that would not be necessary.

“Are you awake?”
“…Min-su?”
“I’ve stopped the bleeding. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

Kim Min-su,
Was carrying Moon Ha-yeon on his back and running.

He said, ‘Please bear with the discomfort,’ and
Was fleeing with all his might.

Moon Ha-yeon glanced down at Kim Min-su.
His body was so battered it was hard to look at.

Still, Kim Min-su ran on.
He ran with a will to die.

From a hole blown open in his side,
His entrails tried to spill out, but he paid it no mind.

He quickly finished reporting the current situation to Moon Ha-yeon.

The arrival of S-rank hunter Ju Yae-young.
And that he had barely managed to carry her away amidst the carnage.

“If we keep running like this, there’s something hidden for emergencies.”

From their school days,
a bundle hidden under a pine tree at the edge of the grounds.
Inside it,
a teleport scroll for emergency escape.

Of course, even now he had emergency artifacts in his possession just in case,
but all of those were rendered useless.

The ‘Holy Barrier’ erected by Saints Natsu & Yuri.
Because of the Holy Law inscribed within it,
most of the things they’d prepared
couldn’t actually be used.

In this situation where the Villains and Minions were clearly being killed off,
this was the decisive reason they couldn’t escape.

“But the bundle is different.”

The scroll under the tree at the edge of the grounds was outside the barrier’s influence.
That alone would definitely activate.

That was Kim Min-su’s purpose.
He intended to save Moon Ha-yeon no matter what.
For that, he didn’t care what happened to him.

“Somehow survive and plan for the future.”
“……”

Despite the detailed report, Moon Ha-yeon stayed silent.
She showed no reaction,
Just rested her face against his back.

It was then.
Moon Ha-yeon suddenly said something shocking.
It was something Kim Min-su could never have imagined.

“Min-su.”
“Yes, Moon Ha-yeon.”
“Let’s just…”

Should we just die like this?