[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 178: The Last (4)

Joo Hayun snapped back to her senses.

“Odin!”

She shouted the enemy’s name and looked straight ahead. She saw Kwon Hudon, Joo Hayun herself, and Gael Garcia all unconscious.

“What the hell happened?”

Her eyes shifted, and the color drained from her face.

The procedure room door had been completely blown apart.

“…Lord Kwon Hanul.”

Hayun tried to run toward the procedure room, but the moment she lifted herself up, she collapsed again.

Odin’s lingering curse was still tormenting her body.

“Move… I said, move!”

She pounded her thighs with her fists, but her legs refused to obey.

“No…”

Desperation laced her voice.

Then suddenly, a powerful energy surged out from within the procedure room.

It was immense, enough to send chills down her spine—an overwhelming force saturated with killing intent.

“Lord Kwon Hanul?”

Hayun could feel it. Kwon Hanul was inside—furious.

He was consumed by emotions so vile and terrifying that she couldn’t even begin to fathom them. He was howling in rage.

“Ugh… What’s happening…”

Cough, cough.

Those who had been unconscious stirred in response to Hanul’s energy. One by one, they began to wake up.

And when they felt the force emanating from the procedure room, they froze in place.

“Hayun unni… What’s going on?” Mei Hong asked her. Hayun shook her head. She had no idea what was happening.

A deafening roar suddenly rang out.

Something shattered, and the building trembled violently.

At the same time, Hanul’s energy surged upward into the sky. Everyone instinctively looked up.

Two massive forces clashed above them.

One was Kwon Hanul. The other—Odin.

“…Lord Kwon Hanul is fighting Odin,” Hayun said, her face etched with worry.

Odin was powerful enough to defeat even Kwon Mi. Even if Hanul had completed his Rebirth, it seemed unlikely he could match someone like Odin.

…Or so she thought—until Hanul’s energy changed.

It became heavier. Denser. Regal.

“…Superhuman Bloodline?”

Even as the words left her mouth, Hayun was confused.

Why was she sensing the energy of the Superhuman Bloodline from Hanul?

“Did the curse mess with my senses…?”

Just as she muttered that, the hospital trembled again.

Hanul’s energy grew stronger—and that’s when she became certain.

“He’s really using the Superhuman Bloodline’s power…?!” She shouted, flustered.

She wanted to rush upstairs and see what was happening with her own eyes.

But she couldn’t move.

Cough.

Kwon Mi, lying on the floor, suddenly coughed up blood. Everyone rushed to her.

“Mom? Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine…”

Mi coughed violently again. Blood spurted with every breath. Kwon Hudon’s face turned pale.

“Mom!”

* * *

Kwon Hanul yanked Odin’s arm with all his might.

At first, Odin resisted with formidable strength—as expected from a Pandemonium councilor. A man of his standing couldn’t possibly have inferior stats to Hanul.

But Hanul had Superhuman Bloodline within him. Its authority supported his actions.

Odin’s body was flung into the air in a perfect arc.

“Weakened Physique” curse reduces your strength!

“Mental Contamination” curse clouds your judgment!

Odin’s curses kicked in, trying to hinder Hanul.

Although partially neutralized by the Healthy Bloodline and Genius Bloodline, remnants of the curses remained.

Healthy Bloodline detects the “Weakened Physique” curse!

Authority “Longevity Incarnate” activates!

Genius Bloodline analyzes the “Mental Contamination” curse!

Authority “Clairvoyant Insight” activates!

Hanul’s Rebirth had changed more than his body—his bloodlines evolved too.

As a result, the Healthy and Genius Bloodlines unlocked new authorities: Longevity Incarnate and Clairvoyant Insight.

All traces of “Weakened Physique” curse are eradicated!

“Mental Contamination” curse is fully resolved!

The curses that had subtly plagued Hanul were gone. Nothing held him back now.

He yanked Odin out of the sky.

His heart beat. Divine force surged through his muscles. The Superhuman Bloodline activated its power.

With everything he had, he slammed Odin into the ground.

Air exploded in the space around them. When Odin struck the floor, it cracked wide open with a thunderous boom.

“Gah! Gahh!” Odin screamed. It felt like every bone in his body had fractured.

Blinding pain clouded his thoughts.

“Aaaahhh! AAAAAHHHH!”

He screamed—louder than he ever had in his life.

But Hanul, expressionless, simply grabbed Odin’s arm again and pulled.

Odin soared upward once more. Hanul swung him in the opposite direction.

Second impact.

Odin crashed down again. The already fractured floor crumbled entirely.

The two men fell to the floor below.

“Gh… Guh…”

Odin groaned.

If the first blow fractured his bones, the second felt like they were crushed. This was agony no human should endure.

Hanul pulled Odin’s arm again.

“S-Stop! Stop it!”

Odin screamed in panic. But Hanul already had him floating midair again.

Third impact.

Odin hit the floor again.

“GAAAAAH!”

He screamed—his organs felt as though they had burst. The pain made them churn inside him.

He flailed desperately, trying to escape Hanul’s grip.

But Hanul’s hand was like an iron shackle.

“Let go! I said LET GO!”

Hanul didn’t answer. Instead, he lifted Odin’s body and slammed him to the other side.

Another floor gave way. Debris scattered as they fell yet another level.

“Gk… Ghhk!”

Odin made a strangled noise. His shoulder was now dislocated.

“S-Stop… please… I beg you…”

Odin’s body floated again. Slammed into the floor again.

This time, Hanul didn’t pause between attacks.

He spun Odin around and slammed him again, and again, and again.

The sounds of the floors breaking echoed nonstop.

How many times did he do it?

Finally, after reaching the first floor, Hanul let go—more like hurled Odin aside.

“Gahh… grgh… GAAAAH!”

The violence was over, but the pain remained. Odin writhed on the floor.

“Y-You… you brainless bastard who doesn’t even understand what’s important!”

Odin’s eyes rolled back in agony—he was barely conscious.

“There’s a treasure in your body beyond imagination! If we could just figure out how to use it, humanity—mankind would make incredible progress! But… but you dare get in my way?! You subhuman fool, worse than a monkey!”

Hanul began to walk toward him.

Odin snapped back to his senses at the sight.

“D-Don’t come closer!”

Hanul ignored him.

“I SAID STAY BACK!”

Odin screamed and hurled curse clusters at him.

But the curses vanished the instant they touched Hanul.

“I SAID DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!!”

Odin poured every last ounce of mana into one final move. Cursed bombs materialized around Hanul.

They exploded—black fire engulfed him. Odin’s face lit up with relief.

But then, Hanul emerged unscathed from the flames.

“A-AAAH! AAAAAGH!”

Odin tried to run, but with one arm torn off, he couldn’t even balance.

At that moment—

“What the hell is going on?”

“Whoa, this whole place is wrecked.”

Every floor had been torn open by Hanul’s destruction.

From each level, Pandemonium villains peered down.

“Hey, isn’t that the councilor?”

“Councilor Odin, you’re not looking too good.”

The villains laughed at him. There was no sense of camaraderie.

But Odin’s face brightened at the sight of them.

“K-Kill him! Kill Kwon Hanul right now!!”

The villains looked uneasy.

“You want us to fight that?”

“Are you insane?”

Anyone of Pandemonium’s caliber could sense Hanul’s power.

Even just watching the fight had drained them.

Most were simply biding their time, waiting for a chance to escape.

“We’ve already done our part.”

“Yeah. We worked for the money.”

None of them were unscathed—wounded from their fight with the Black Sharp Squad.

As the situation took a turn, Odin’s face paled.

Then, with grim resolve, he made a desperate offer.

“Whoever kills Kwon Hanul here and now… I’ll give you the Heart of the Mythic Beast!”

The moment he mentioned it, the villains murmured.

“The Heart of the Mythic Beast? That thing that boosts any stat to SS-rank…?”

“I heard there was only one for sale in all of Pandemonium… Councilor, you had it?”

An SS-rank elixir—so rare even the Hyukcheon Clan couldn’t easily obtain it.

The greed showed on their faces.

“Still, no way that guy’s going down easy.”

“Maybe if we all jump him?”

“Even a blind stab might work if enough of us try.”

“Still doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Same. That guy… he reeks of death.”

The villains of Pandemonium were in turmoil.

Some wanted to kill Kwon Hanul immediately. Others wanted to wait and see. Some were ready to give up altogether.

A mix of conflicting reactions swirled among them.

"You trash of Pandemonium sure are wasting your time over nothing."

Kwon Hanul shouted at them.

"I don’t intend to let a single one of you worms live."

These people had invaded Takamine Hospital and attacked the Black Sharp Squad.

"Every last one of you will die by my hands. So go ahead—flail around before you drop dead."

Those who had bared their fangs at Heukcheon couldn’t be let off lightly. A price had to be paid.

"Hah, has that little lord lost his mind?"

Kwon Hanul’s words, rather than intimidating them, provoked the villains of Pandemonium. Even those who had hesitated now bared their killing intent.

"Kill us if you think you can."

"One of those arms is mine."

"Don’t be greedy—split him up nice and small."

The villains started cackling. Maniacs, every one of them.

"Let’s see what the young lord’s got—"

One by one, their voices faltered. An overwhelming surge of mana radiated from Kwon Hanul’s body.

You have successfully achieved Rebirth!

Synchronization rate with Dragonheart Bloodline has reached 80%!

Dragon Heart completion rate has reached 80%!

Authority ‘Draconic Speech – Elemental’ unlocked!

Authority ‘Draconic Speech – Physical’ unlocked!

Authority ‘Draconic Speech – Psychic’ unlocked...

Kwon Hanul activated the Dragon Heart. At that moment, mana flooded the entire hospital.

"…What the hell is going on?"

One of the villains muttered in a daze.

Many of Pandemonium's members possessed immense mana.

But none of them—not a single one—had ever filled an entire hospital with mana like this.

The concentration was so dense, it felt like being submerged underwater.

—Hear me.

Kwon Hanul opened his mouth. His Draconic Speech traveled through the mana and echoed in the minds of every Pandemonium villain in the hospital.

—Those who bear malice toward me.

The villains didn’t understand what Kwon Hanul was saying.

Draconic Speech was incomprehensible to humans.

To them, it sounded like a language they'd never heard before.

—Those who tried to harm me.

But instinct told them all the same.

This was dangerous.

Something dangerous was unfolding.

It was dangerous just being here.

—Those who trespassed in my domain.

Some of the villains turned to flee the hospital.

—Perish by fire.

The moment the words ended—

Flames erupted across the entire hospital.

Screams of agony rang out from all directions.

—Aagh! Gyaaaah!

Dozens of villains were engulfed in fire.

—S-Someone bring water… Water!

—Help! Please—AAARGH!

They did everything they could to extinguish the flames—rolling on the floor, summoning water with skills.

But the fire clinging to their bodies never went out.

—AAAAAGH!

The only mercy was that their suffering was brief.

The flames reduced them to ash in an instant. Only when there was nothing left to burn did the fire die down.

"…Hoo."

Only after confirming that all the villains were dead did Kwon Hanul deactivate the Dragon Heart. The mana that had engulfed the hospital dissipated.

“Th-That just now…”

Not every villain was dead.

“Wh-What… what the hell did you do?”

Odin had not been affected by the Draconic Speech. He was simply too powerful to be killed by mere words.

“Dragonheart Bloodline…?”

But mentally, Odin was shaken. He couldn’t process what he had just witnessed.

“Black Dragon Bloodline… Superhuman Bloodline…Healthy Bloodline, Genius Bloodline wasn’t enough… and now Dragonheart Blood?”

Five True Bloodlines—each of which, even alone, would be enough to make someone the strongest.

And it wasn’t just that he possessed them.

He had unlocked their authorities and was wielding them freely.

“Now it all makes sense…”

Odin had suffered a humiliating defeat in his fight against Kwon Hanul.

That should’ve been impossible. Odin, as a Senior Councilor of Pandemonium, had multiple S-rank stats.

“With so many bloodlines and such overwhelming authorities concentrated in one body, it’s no wonder he’s this monstrous.”

Not just possessing bloodlines—but wielding their full authority.

The synergy from combining them wasn’t just great—it was explosive.

Even though Kwon Hanul had zero S-rank stats, he had utterly overpowered Odin.

“But… that’s impossible… A human body can only hold so much power. This shouldn’t be possible!”

Suddenly, a theory sparked in Odin’s mind.

“Right… I never tested what happens when a Vessel-bearing subject is pregnant…”

Odin’s eyes widened. His face lit up in ecstasy.

“Yes! That’s it! That’s why it worked! Hanul… you’re a divine gift to me! A miracle! Come now—let’s go together and explore the truths of this world!”

Kwon Hanul clicked his tongue and slammed a fist into Odin’s gut.

Odin doubled over and dropped to his knees.

“Ugh, hrrk…”

Blinding pain shot through his skull. Only then did Odin remember where he was and what was happening.

“S-Stop!”

He screamed, pleading. But Kwon Hanul didn’t stop.

He grabbed Odin by the collar and landed another blow to his ribs. Odin gasped, choking.

“P-Please! Have mercy…!”

Kwon Hanul was ruthless. He ignored Odin’s pleas.

Only then did Odin realize—Kwon Hanul truly intended to beat him to death.

“I-I can’t die…!”

He was finally on the verge of uncovering the truth behind the Vessel. He couldn’t die now.

In desperation, Odin invoked a forbidden spell he had long resisted.

“I… I release you!”

He unleashed the cursed wraiths he had been collecting.

—Heeheehee!

—Kyaaahhh!

Thousands of vengeful spirits surged from the shadows.

Their hatred was focused entirely on the two living beings before them.

The wraiths shrieked with fury and lunged at them, desperate to possess their bodies.

“Wh-What now? You can’t move, can you?”

Surrounded by spirits, Odin grinned.

“The hatred of the dead is persistent. Even you can’t repel all of them.”

Odin was used to handling spirits. No matter how fiercely they attacked, he could keep his mind intact.

What made him hesitate before was the cost—he would lose all his carefully gathered curses.

“But it’s fine! As long as I take you with me, it’s worth it!”

He shouted and drew his last hidden dagger, slashing forward.

The blade stabbed into Kwon Hanul’s shoulder—but shattered on impact.

His Vajra Body technique had blocked it.

“Good! That’s all I needed!”

Despite the dagger breaking, Odin cheered.

“I fulfilled the condition to activate ‘the serpent that slays’ curse!”

From the broken dagger, purple ichor oozed out and was absorbed into Kwon Hanul’s skin.

“Even your aunt couldn’t resist this curse!”

A spell designed specifically to suppress and destroy bloodlines.

Odin had once used it on Babel’s head and proven its effectiveness against Kwon Mi as well.

But it had a difficult activation condition—

The cursed artifact had to make direct contact with the body.

“Kwon Hanul, you’d better not use any mana. If you do…”

At that moment—

A red aura flared around Kwon Hanul. A dreadful, ominous presence. Odin’s face froze.

You have successfully achieved Rebirth!

Synchronization rate with Shura Blood has reached 80%!

Your strength with Shura far exceeds anything before!

Kwon Hanul tapped into the power of Shura Blood. The Shura King awakened.

Authority ‘Partial Embodiment’ activated!

Parts of the ‘Shura King’ can now physically manifest!

Authority ‘Six Realms – Preta Realm’ acquired!

Authority ‘Six Realms – Beast Realm’ acquired!

Authority ‘Six Realms – Hell Realm’ acquired...

The Shura King writhed with joy. His overwhelming power was awakening.

The Shura King has subjugated the spirits!

The spirits surrounding Kwon Hanul went silent and retreated.

Their perfect synchronization left Odin dizzy.

“It’s useless! The curse is already in your body! Soon, you’ll lose all your authorities!”

This curse was crafted for one purpose: to eliminate bloodlines. Not even Genius or Healthy Bloodline could resist it.

Sure enough, the area where the dagger had struck was stained deep purple.

But then—

Half-Demon Bloodline has absorbed the demonic curse.

Synchronization rate increased slightly.

0% - 3%

The curse that had infiltrated Kwon Hanul’s body was instantly absorbed.

His skin, once purple, returned to normal.

“Wh… What…?”

Even Odin couldn’t comprehend what he just saw.

“Wh-What other bloodline are you using now?!”

He couldn’t know. Half-Demon Bloodline was a lineage not even Aeon had identified.

“I was curious what you were up to, so I let you be.”

Kwon Hanul spoke indifferently.

“Shouldn’t have bothered.”

He clenched his fist. Demon Dragon Aura swirled around him.

“A-Aah…”

Terror of death crossed Odin’s face. This time, it was truly over.

…Or so it seemed. Odin had one last trick.

The curse of transference in his possession.

If used, he could transfer a fatal wound onto Kwon Hanul.

“Farewell.”

Kwon Hanul’s fist slammed into Odin’s chest, piercing a massive hole through him.

At that moment, Odin poured all his remaining mana into the curse.

The hole shrank by half—half of it rebounded toward Kwon Hanul.

A massive shock struck Kwon Hanul.

Odin laughed in relief.

“Ha! My trump card! Feels good, doesn’t it, getting hit by your own—huh?”

There should have been a hole in his body.

But Kwon Hanul stood there, unscathed.

Somehow, black scales had covered his body.

“You really were just a worm.”

Kwon Hanul clenched his fist again. Demon Dragon Aura surged.

“May you suffer eternally in hell.”

He threw his punch, unleashing a storm of power.

Black Dragon Ascension Arts– Supreme Form

Aura Strike: Rising Dragon Fist

The Black Dragon’s head opened its jaws wide.

“Please… at least let me prove my theory…”

Odin whispered, as if begging.

And then, the dragon’s maw swallowed him whole.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]