Night time
Two hours after Cale had entered the Fracture, Soojin had left, deploying at least 400 E-Rank Hunters and 50 D-Rank Hunters, prepared to handle the situation if anything went wrong.
The one who stood out the most was Jang Min-Seok, who stood at the forefront, closest to the Fracture. The Fracture Restorers murmured among themselves, but Jang Min-Seok paid them no mind—until...
“Do we really have to stand here?” a yellow-haired man grumbled, clearly annoyed, as he stood next to a redhead.
“You’re right. What does it matter to us if Cale went inside the Fracture?” the redhead said, equally annoyed.
“Can you take responsibility for your words?!” Jang Min-Seok shouted as he approached the two in anger. His aura intimidated both of them. making them tremble.
Cale was known as the strongest in the world and the Dark Scythe Wielder of Korea. Soojin was the powerhouse of Korea. Jang Min-Seok, on the other hand, was recognized as the Sword of Korea. Jang Min-Seok’s title wasn’t merely for show.
Jang Min-Seok’s battles with creatures and his protection of the citizens had earned him this title. He had risen from the rank of officer to become the Sword of Korea within just a few months.
As Jang Min-Seok approached, the two lowered their heads. They had no hope of standing up to the Sword of Korea.
“…Can you?” Jang Min-Seok said as he came face-to-face with the two, his gaze like a blade. The two hunters shrank further under his scrutiny. who kept their heads lowered under his intense gaze.
Jang Min-Seok continued staring until they whispered like beaten dogs in unison, “W-We’re sorry, Sir,” quickly bowing.
“I won’t forgive you next time!” Jang Min-Seok said firmly. “Stand in line properly!” The two immediately straightened their postures.
Turning back, Jang Min-Seok sighed. 'They need some sense knocked into them', he thought, as he firmly stood at the front, but still at a reasonable distance from the Fracture.
Jang Min-Seok stared at the Fracture for a moment, his eyes narrowing. Then whispered, “I wonder just how strong Dark Scythe has become... ,” smiling as he spoke.
But the moment was short-lived. Just then, the Fracture began to emit stronger energy and expanded in size. Jang Min-Seok shielded himself with both hands in front of himself against the energy. 'What is this energy?'
Those standing behind him heard Jang Min-Seok say, “This aura is even worse than when Sir Dark Scythe went into the C+++-Rank Fracture.” Their disbelief and shock grew. Some murmured to themselves and some with each other.
“Look at the Fracture!” someone shouted from the crowd, terrified by the intense aura emanating from it. Jang Min-Seok narrowed his eyes, slowly being pushed back by the Fracture's energy and aura despite shielding himself.
Then, from the Fracture, two silhouettes began to emerge from the fracture. A large silhouette and a small silhouette appeared within the Fracture. Jang Min-Seok reacted quickly, instinctively drawing his sword, its blade flickering with energy as he prepared to defend against the unknown, making it glow bright yellow.
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But what Jang Min-Seok saw next widened not only his eyes but also those of the Fracture Restorers and Creature Hunters behind him.
The figure came into view—Cale. He appeared bare-chested, his expression as cold and detached, dragging behind him a massive green serpent bound in heavy, dark chains. Its lifeless body scraped across the ground as he walked, his mere presence exuding a power that stilled the breaths of those watching. “S-SIR DARK SCYTHE?!” Jang Min-Seok shouted in shock.
Cale glanced at Jang Min-Seok but he remained silent, moving past with an indifference, his cold expression unchanged. “W-What is this, Sir?” Jang Min-Seok quickly asked, eyeing the Green Serpent that Cale was dragging.
Cale didn’t respond and continued forward, pulling the Green Serpent’s body. The aura emanating from him froze the blood of those who dared come close.
“S-Sir Dark Scythe, we can handle the body of the Green Serpent. You should rest—” Jang Min-Seok’s sentence cut off as fear seized him. When he was attempting to reach for the serpent’s lifeless form. He saw Cale’s demon-like stare daring him to touch the Green Serpent. Daring him to touch what he could not.
Jang Min-Seok quickly took two steps back, lowering his head in response to Cale’s powerful aura.
“Just do your duties. That’s all,” Cale said in a low tone before tightening his grip on the chain. In a flash, turning into lightning, and leaping into the sky. “Yes, Sir!”
Shaking, Jang Min-Seok looked down at his trembling hands, marveling at the sheer force of the aura Cale had left behind. “What a powerful aura. Will I ever wield power like that?” he whispered to himself as he wondered. shaken. His eyes flickered back to the serpent, and he murmured to himself, “T-The Green Serpent… It was definitely still alive!” Jang Min-Seok's started to sweat at just the thought of it.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
An hour earlier
In the depths of a massive, dark cave, the sounds of chains clanking echoed ominously, breaking the silence.
In the vast cavern where Cale and the Green Serpent had fought, green blood dripped from the ceiling. The Green Serpent was chained up with massive dark chains, hissing weakly. It was near death, its body riddled with wounds. Its once vibrant eyes dulled. It watched helplessly.
On the ground, Cale ran wildly, swinging his scythe. A closer look revealed he was slicing through the Green Serpent’s offspring as they tried to flee.
The exits of the cave were blocked by earthen walls, leaving no escape for the Green Serpent’s children.
Cale had already slain many of the offspring, their bodies scattered across the floor. The survivors hissed in fear as they tried to run. The cave was a massacre.
The chained Green Serpent on the ceiling looked down at Cale in anger and sorrow as it watched its children being slaughtered. Though it tried to hiss loudly, its strength was nearly gone, helpless to watch as its bloodline was extinguished.
Cale smiled widely, enjoying the hisses and the thrill of killing its young ones. After a few minutes with a wide, savage grin, Cale slaughtered the last of them.
Panting heavily, not from exhaustion but adrenaline, ecstatic adrenaline. Cale glanced up at the Green Serpent on the ceiling, smiling widely as it hissed weakly in sorrow.
He moved a little closer and shouted, barely controlling his excitement, “Did you really think this is the end?!”
The Green Serpent’s half-dead eyes opened in fear, widening in renewed terror at the sight of his manic smile.
Cale slashed upward, destroying part of the ceiling, causing the Green Serpent to fall. “Yes. That’s right~!” he said, gripping his scythe tightly and pulling potions from his inventory.
Cale moved closer to the injured, hissing serpent and poured some potion over it. smirking Satisfied that it was alive enough to endure what came next, watching it was still alive and noticing more potion was unnecessary, he moved toward its belly.
Sensing what was coming, the Green Serpent hissed strongly in protest. Cale glanced at it with a fierce look. “Now... you feel a fraction of my pain?!” he shouted, he lowered his scythe, pressing it into the serpent’s scales with excruciating slowness and slowly sliced it open and then quickly sliced five times. The serpent screeched in agony, its cries reverberating off the walls agony, both mentally and physically.
but Cale was unfazed. He reached into its flesh and tore an infant from within, crushing it mercilessly in his grasp. The Green Serpent hissed loudly, shaking the cave. As Cale continued, savoring every second of its torment. Quickly, Cale Poured more potions over its mutilated body to keep it alive.
He moved and leaned closer to its face and whispered, “Don’t die yet. I have something else planned~!” Cale laughed maniacally as a dark, blood-red aura erupted from him.