The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 149



149 – Split in Two and Die!

149 – Split in Two and Die!

The dawn of the very day US President Adams Snail was scheduled to visit Korea.

Led by Kwon Janghyun, a 4th rank Awakened with the concept of ‘Command,’ the ‘Red King’ subjugation force departed for the underground labyrinth.

Total force: 10 members.

All concept holders, an exceptionally luxurious lineup, with team leader Kwon Janghyun carrying a goldfish bowl imbued with the concept of ‘Sea’.

‘Is this one of the concepts of ‘World’ that only the President has access to?’

Team leader Kwon Janghyun’s back was soaked with sweat because of the fishbowl he held. Anyone would feel this way, carrying a nuclear missile capable of obliterating a city.

And so they faced the ‘Red King’.

He sat unmoving upon a throne on a high dais.

As if he hadn’t even noticed the subjugation team’s arrival.

But the writhing darkness beneath him, the power of those rusted suits of armor, made them all flinch and recoil.

‘We’re supposed to take *that* down?’

‘I don’t have a good feeling about this.’

Everyone was tense, but in truth, it was also a great opportunity for the team.

The enemy’s negligence –

To not miss this opening, leader Kwon Janghyun, with his concept of ‘Command,’ shouted.

“The enemy is dormant! A chance like this is rare! Unleash your strongest attacks right from the start! Obliterate him in the initial strike!”

It was presumed the ‘Red King’ possessed a 5th rank concept.

A 5th rank concept was akin to a deity from myth.

To defeat such a being, ruthless resolve was required.

Overwhelmed by the ‘Red King’s’ presence, everyone prepared their most powerful destructive techniques.

And finally, they clashed—.

Kwa-GWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG—.

A massive explosion erupted, and the Red King awoke.

【Hmm….】

Everyone was briefly elated at his armor being dented and broken.

Ssss….

Shadows seemed to nestle into his body, then the crushed and mangled armor repaired itself as if new.

As if nothing had happened.

“That’s useless…!?”

“Retreat, for now! Retreat!”

“What retreat?! There’s no way our attacks did nothing! Keep pushing!”

Already, the opinions of the subjugation team were split.

It was because the darkness that the «Red King» began spewing out in all directions was stimulating the fundamental fear rooted in the human psyche, leaving everyone unable to come to their senses.

In an instant, everything in sight was swallowed by pitch-black darkness.

“Attack! Attack!”

“Agh! You crazy b*stard! Where the hell are you shooting!”

“We shouldn’t have even come here in the first place! Why did we have to go and poke the hornet’s nest!”

The atmosphere turned chaotic in an instant.

Everyone turned on their lanterns and cast light, but they could barely illuminate their own feet.

“Agh!”

“aaah!”

In that situation, with the screams of their comrades continuing, everyone was seized by terror and incapable of making rational decisions.

And that included their leader, Kwon Jang-hyun.

He held the fishbowl in his hands, caught in the biggest dilemma of his life.

If he broke this now, energy like a nuclear missile would engulf the surroundings. Of course, all the subjugation team members would be swept away by that power and die.

‘But, I can’t just let that monster run rampant like this.’

Kwon Jang-hyun had a wife he’d loved for a long time and a son who was only two years old.

Most of the subjugation team members were similar to him.

Those selected for this operation were all people with families to protect.

‘Even if I die, I have to stop that b*stard!’

For a future where his wife and son could live without worry.

The moment Kwon Jang-hyun was about to break the fishbowl, his hand stopped.

While he hesitated, his body was enveloped by a thick darkness.

‘If I break this, I’m definitely going to die!’

‘I won’t be able to see my son grow up my whole life!’

‘What happens when you die? Am I just going to sink into eternal darkness?’

Kwon Jang-hyun’s mind went haywire.

The fears nesting within him ballooned from millet seeds to walnuts, then to watermelons. The “Red King” was surely trying to block him from using the concept of “Sea.”

“Ughhh!”

That’s when Kwon Jang-hyun was straining with all his might.

“Strength lies in flexibility and softness. I am the martial artist Kang Il-kwon. ‘Red King’! Let us clash!”

Someone shouted, booming—loudly.

A little while later, Kwon Jang-hyun felt like moving his body was easier than before. As if someone had drawn the Red King’s gaze.

So, without hesitation, he shattered the fishbowl in his hand.

*Clang-*

The fishbowl shattered, making a deafening noise.

*Swaaa-*!

*Kwaaa-*!

Soon, the overwhelming mass of the “Sea,” true to its name, rose in a ferocious tempest, smashing the throne to pieces.

When the water pressure, which could split even the hardest rock, broke through the walls of the Great Labyrinth and swept everything away, Kwon Jang-hyun closed his eyes, sensing the fate that awaited him.

The only saving grace was that even the “Red King” wouldn’t survive this impact.

# # #

*Rumble-*

Seo Ga-eul searched for Ha Nam-jin amidst the crowds gathered to see the US President. According to Jin Eun-byul’s precognition, Ha Nam-jin should be somewhere here today.

“That b*stard! Where the hell is he!”

But Ha Nam-jin was nowhere to be seen.

Finding Ha Nam-jin in a crowd of over 100,000 people was practically a miracle.

Luckily, Seo Ga-eul possessed the concept of “miracle.”

And so, she was focusing her consciousness on the “miracle” nestled inside her, and “Ki Nam-jin,” when…

—Be careful. Something’s about to happen.

The man within, Ki Nam-jin, warned out of the blue.

In that instant, a *rumble-* shook the very ground beneath their feet.

The US President spoke into the microphone.

“It seems the subjugation of the ‘Red King’ has failed! If he goes berserk and the Great Labyrinth collapses, this Korean Peninsula will become a barren wasteland incapable of sustaining life! Therefore, everyone must head for the moon!”

That foreigner had been talking about the moon for a while now, but Seo Ga-eul wasn’t paying any attention. She was far too focused on finding Ha Nam-jin.

However, the situation had changed.

The earth, split open by a massive earthquake, had begun to spew forth bizarre things.

Monstrosities whose forms were grotesquely twisted, as if living things had been warped.

Like something created by kneading thick, viscous ink into grotesque shapes.

—KIIIIEEEK!

—KYaaaK!

Monsters with long, horn-like protrusions on their foreheads or enormous claws in place of front paws screeched and rampaged in all directions.

“What is that?!”

Seo Gaeul was flustered.

Soon, the inner man spoke.

—They are creations born from the concept of “Darkness.” Their appearance means the “Red King” has finally lost his reason, and has been reborn as a being that will destroy the world.

What on earth did that mean?

Seo Gaeul wondered how the inner man she had created could know such things in detail, things she herself didn’t know.

But this wasn’t the time to ask such questions.

Swoosh-!

Seo Gaeul drew her sword from her hip and slashed at the monsters.

“Guys! Finding Ha Namjin is on hold for now! We need to save people first!”

A sudden, chaotic mess.

Seo Gaeul weaved through the panicked, fleeing crowds, hacking down the pitch-black monsters.

The fallen monsters stained the ground like black ink, emitting such a vile stench that Seo Gaeul’s face involuntarily scrunched up.

“—Ugh, that stinks.”

Seo Gaeul looked up to avoid the smell.

That’s when she saw something flying in the sky.

“Ughhh! It’s heavy!”

“Bbangdaeng! Push it a little more!”

Baek Yeoul, with small wings, for some reason, on her back.

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And hanging on Baek Yeoul’s arm, Ha Namjin was slowly gliding towards the ground.

“Ha Namjin!”

Seo Gaeul shouted Ha Namjin’s name loudly.

But Ha Namjin didn’t seem to hear, as he swooshed down and landed far away.

“Hey! Bbangdaeng! Why are you landing me here of all places!?”

“I told you, I’m not used to using wings yet!”

The two of them had the bad luck to fall into a place teeming with black liquid monsters.

Unintentionally surrounded by the monsters, a desperate, critical situation, Baek Yeoul reached out as if making a decision.

“Split in half and die!”

At that moment, something incredible happened.

The liquid monsters where Baek Yeoul’s hand was pointing split exactly in half and died.

“It… it worked! For some reason, I felt like I could do it!”

The black monsters kept splitting in half and dying.

In this situation, Baek Yeoul felt a thrill, experiencing the power of the 5th grade concept of “Death”.

“Hanam-jji! Did you see that just now? I’m super strong!”

“Uh, hey! Don’t look over here!”

*Crack*, *Crack*-.

The cars where Baek Yeoul’s gaze landed split in half. If Hanamjin hadn’t hastily rolled on the ground, he probably would have met the same fate.

Just a moment ago, Baek Yeoul was thrilled with her own power, but now she was seized with a terrible fear and covered her eyes with her palms.

“Hanam-jji, I’m sorry!”

# # #

Ppangdaengi’s new finishing move, “Split in half and die”, made the liquid monsters helplessly collapse.

It was unbelievable that the monsters, at least a thousand of them, were subdued with just one sentence.

Is this the power of the 5th grade “Death”?

The 5th grade concept is considered almost godlike, and it truly was.

At this rate, its danger and destructive power might easily surpass the “Red King,” whom we were so worried about.

It was then.

“Hey! Hanamjin!”

Someone called my name loudly.

I turned my head, and Seo Gaeul was running toward me from afar.

It had been a long time since I’d seen Seo Gaeul, and I felt happy.

A beauty is always a pleasure to behold, no matter the situation!

“That voice! It’s Seo Gaeul! I was having a nice time with Hanam-jji! All good times are gone!”

Of course, Ppangdaengi hated Seo Gaeul.

I was worried that Ppangdaengi might have a bad thought and split Seo Gaeul in half, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.

“Baek Yeo-ul, was that just you who did that?”

Seo Gaeul asks Bbangdaengi.

“And what’s with those chicken wings?!”

She’s got a lot of questions, probably.

Bbangdaengi, maybe thinking she’d finally gained the upper hand, puffed herself up at Seo Gaeul.

“Yeah! That was me who just did that! And these aren’t chicken wings!”

“Oh my god, how can this be…”

Seo Gaeul was aghast.

「Name : Seo Gaeul

Status :《Unbelievable》 – How did this even happen? Baek Yeo-ul did all that just now. *That* Baek Yeo-ul!」

Looking at Seo Gaeul’s expression via 「Emotion」, it seemed to be more than just surprise and admiration.

The ugly duckling she had always looked down on and tormented, Baek Yeo-ul, had turned into a swan, so she was bound to feel a myriad of emotions.

Anyway, the important thing is that Seo Gaeul and we have met again.

“Ha Namjin! Let’s get out of here, quick!”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Looking around, it was all a mess.

In the end, the apocalypse I had worried about had arrived.

In fancy English, D-Day.

Still, the good thing is that the situation is much better than last time!