NOVEL NEXT Ch. 50
Brain reached for Ghost’s shoulder, masking the crimson glow of his ability within the pulsing red of the emergency lights.
His fingers were about to close.
Shink—!
“…!”
Brain’s arm flew through the air, spraying a fan of blood.
Ghost had spun around in a flash, severing it with a clean upward slash.
Brain staggered back with a grunt of pain, clutching the bleeding stump.
Ghost flicked the blood from her blade and snarled, “You never planned on running, did you? Son of a bitch.”
“…”
“Going to try that oh-so-special mind control on me? Ha. I must look like a real pushover.”
Flick!
The tip of her black sword shot out, aiming for Brain’s throat.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Brain. From what I gather, you’ve spent your life committing heinous crimes in the shadows.”
“…”
“Most of your little escapades were just nuisances, not enough for the government to bother hunting you down. But this time, you went too far.”
“…”
“Answer me. What did you do with the Lord Core?”
A slow smile spread across Brain’s lips. “It’s long gone. I moved it out ages ago.”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
“Isn’t there only one thing to do with a Gate Core?” Brain’s smile widened. “It’s time to open the ‘gate’ to a new era.”
“…!”
“The one you people… the one you great Old Five Heroes slammed shut on your own damn authority thirty years ago.”
The color drained from Ghost’s face.
Her voice was a thin, trembling wire. “Who… are you?”
“…”
“How do you know about that Gate? The only ones who know of its existence—”
“You don’t recognize me?”
Brain gave a hearty laugh. “Then again, we’ve all changed so much. I look different, and you… you’re a completely different person than you were thirty years ago.”
“I asked you who you are!”
“How did the great Demon Lord Decapitator, the savior of the world… fall so low?”
Swish!
The tip of Ghost’s blade grazed the side of Brain’s neck, carving a long, bloody line.
Blood trickled from the torn skin, but Brain didn’t even flinch.
Ghost spat her words through gritted teeth. “Save the concern. Unless you plan on adding a single cent to my pension, don’t you dare pretend to give a damn.”
“…”
“Last chance. What is your objective?”
Brain’s smile returned. “I just want to save someone instead of this world, which is… destined for ruin.”
Then, with a venomous hiss, he added, “Quite the contrast, isn’t it? How you sacrificed a loved one to do the exact opposite.”
Ghost’s ice-blue eyes flew wide. “What the hell are you saying…?”
Her blade wavered, dipping a fraction of an inch.
Snap! Brain flicked the fingers of his remaining hand.
“Kraaaah!”
“Gaaaargh!”
Shrieking unnaturally, Punch Queen and Cowboy scrambled to their feet and lunged at Ghost.
“Tch!”
Ghost was pushed back, fending off Punch Queen’s fists and Cowboy’s gunshots.
Brain turned and fled.
“Get back here! You think I’ll let you escape?!”
Suddenly, a massive figure armed with twin axes entered through the old clan gate with crashing footsteps.
He wore a butcher’s mask.
“Robbin’ Hood! That’s Brain! Get him!”
Despite Ghost’s shout, Robbin’ Hood didn’t even glance in Brain’s direction.
He simply let him run.
Ghost watched in shock as Robbin’ Hood stepped inside, casually rolling his shoulders.
He approached Punch Queen and Cowboy from behind. With terrifying momentum, he swung his twin axes—CRACK!—and split their skulls.
Ghost’s eyes widened, blank and staring. “What the…”
Robbin’ Hood yanked his axes free and tightened his grip. Punch Queen and Cowboy collapsed, blood gushing from their heads.
Her teeth ground together. “Did Brain get to you, too?”
“No.”
Through the mask, Robbin’ Hood’s eyes were as dull and sunken as ever, but they showed none of the telltale red glow of mind control.
“I was with him from the start.”
“…!”
“Even my arrest ten years ago was on his orders.”
Ghost’s gaze darted around, taking in the masks scattered across the basement floor.
Robbin’ Hood was wearing the same type of butcher’s mask.
He had been Brain’s subordinate all along, covering for him while he slipped in and out through the back.
“Ever since my imprisonment… I watched you.”
“You… watched me?”
“Our plan has been in motion for a very, very long time. Longer than you could possibly imagine, Ghost.”
Ghost seethed. “How impressive. So why are you two spilling all this to me now?”
“Because you are crucial to our plan. And now that it’s truly begun to move, Brain must have decided it was time to let you in on it.”
A faint, mocking sneer formed on Robbin’ Hood’s face from behind the mask.
“But based on my observations of you these past ten years, I’ve come to a different conclusion. You don’t have what it takes.”
“…”
“You are unworthy of becoming a Grand Thief who can steal the world’s fate. You are far too… soft.”
Robbin’ Hood raised his twin axes. “By killing you here, Brain will have to re-evaluate his plan.”
Ghost lifted her sword. “I don’t have time for your insane drivel. Get out of my way now, or I’ll cut you down, too.”
“Amusing. By all means, try.” A dry chuckle escaped him.
Dark red veins bulged across Robbin’ Hood’s body. He launched into a savage charge.
Ghost lunged to meet him.
Leaving two corpses in their wake, the two convicts howled as their blades clashed.
***
“Please be okay, Master! Your disciple is coming!”
Jae-hee arrived back at the Chuncheon Prime Poultry building, gasping for breath.
The moment he was about to dash down the stairs into the basement—KRA-KOWHOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted from within the building.
Jae-hee whipped his head toward the sound, terrified.
Seconds later, Robbin’ Hood shot up from the basement through the elevator shaft, swinging his twin axes with enough force to tear the building apart.
Hot on his heels was Ghost, parrying his attacks and narrowly dodging the onslaught.
Jae-hee was stunned. “Master?!”
“Kid!” Ghost shouted upon spotting him. “Is Brain anywhere nearby?!”
“What? Uh, no! I don’t see him—”
Robbin’ Hood’s axe came down with brutal force.
Ghost barely rolled out of the way and yelled to Jae-hee. “Robbin’ Hood was a plant! Brain’s man! We have to capture him and get information!”
“C-capture him?!”
Jae-hee broke out in a cold sweat, paralyzed by the sight of Robbin’ Hood. The man had become a grotesque monster, his body bulging with pulsing, blackish-red veins.
The A-Rank convict’s ability was Rampage. In exchange for overwhelming destructive power and tireless stamina, he lost all reason.
He was, in a word, a berserker.
“Kraaaaaah—!”
Robbin’ Hood swung an axe in a wide horizontal arc.
Ghost arched her back to evade, and the blade smashed straight through a central support pillar.
BOOM!
The pillar exploded, sending a blast of stone fragments and thick dust in every direction.
Jae-hee was horrified. Holy crap! What kind of power is that?
Every time one of Robbin’ Hood’s blows landed on the unfortunate building, the entire structure shook violently, and the ground trembled.
Normally, he fought with self-imposed limits to maintain some semblance of sanity.
Now, Robbin’ Hood had released all his restraints, becoming a truly mad warrior. In return, he had gained immense power.
“Graaaaaah!”
CRACK!
Watching a massive fissure spread across a wall in the wake of Robbin’ Hood’s axe, Jae-hee’s eyes darted around frantically.
I-I have to help Master… but capture him? How in the hell are we supposed to subdue—
An idea struck him, and he clapped his hands together.
Just like he did with the zombified Miss Hellth on the first mission, if he could just make him lose his balance and topple him…!
“All right…!”
Jae-hee dropped into a crouching start, taking a sharp breath.
The world slowed. The blue arrow of Stormroad shot out ahead, showing him the path.
He followed it, launching himself forward.
Thwip!
In his slowed world, Jae-hee shot forward like an arrow and dove under Robbin’ Hood’s legs to sweep them out from under him.
Thud.
But they wouldn’t budge.
Jae-hee was flabbergasted.
Robbin’ Hood’s legs were planted on the earth like deeply rooted trees. The strength in his lower body was immense.
The rebound from his charge sent Jae-hee flying sideways, and Robbin’ Hood didn’t miss the opening.
An axe blade came flying.
CLAAANG!
“Ngehh?!”
“Kid!”
Jae-hee barely managed to draw Mountain Lord and block the attack. But his stance was completely off, and he went skipping across the floor like a flat stone, squealing all the way.
“Kid, are you alri—Ghk!”
Robbin’ Hood immediately turned on Ghost, bringing his axes down in a relentless barrage.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Ghost nimbly dodged each successive attack.
His assault was powerful and ferocious, but that was all. It was direct and linear.
Seasoned by countless battles, Ghost continued to evade him as if in a dance.
Just keep dodging, wear him down slowly, then look for a decisive blow…
Ghost spun halfway and stepped back—then froze. The rescued children were huddled right behind her.
The realization came a beat too late.
If she dodged, Robbin’ Hood’s axe would shred them all.
“Tch…!”
Forced to abandon her evasion, Ghost grit her teeth and swung her sword to meet his attack.
CLAAANG!
Axe met blade in a head-on collision, scattering a shockwave in all directions.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Mommy, Mommy…!”
The children screamed and started crawling away, but they were too slow. They were still in range.
Ghost had to keep forcibly blocking Robbin’ Hood’s attacks.
And in a direct contest of strength, she was at a disadvantage.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Her stance finally broke under the onslaught.
“Kkhh…?!”
Dropping to one knee, she clenched her jaw.
If I use that technique…
For a split second, Ghost considered using her hidden ace—an S-Rank’s Special Ability.
But she realized the children nearby would be caught in the fallout and killed. She couldn’t use it.
And Robbin’ Hood, exploiting the opening her hesitation created, swung his axe with animalistic instinct, bringing it down toward Ghost’s neck.
Ghost couldn’t dodge. A stunned breath caught in her throat.
Shlick!
A spray of blood arced through the air.