“Ugh… I’m sorry for being late…”
Wrapped up in a thick winter blanket—
She was someone who would make anyone tilt their head in confusion, but Gu Sang-min’s face was filled with admiration as he looked at the old woman.
“It’s not late at all. I don’t know what to say… I can only express my gratitude. I don’t know how I can repay you, elder.”
“What is there to repay… They are all like my own children and grandchildren. If I can help, then I should.”
*cough cough* “But it’s been a while since I came across one that I can’t fully control with my own strength. I didn’t know an Ent could grow to this extent. Huh huh… It looks like I’ll have to live a bit longer to see.”
The mysterious old lady drew the blanket closer and coughed a few more times before watching the massive Ent transform and reaching out toward Escalon.
Suddenly, a gentle light flowed from her fingertips, swirling around Escalon’s body a few times before disappearing into the creature.
Thump─!
“Urgh…?!”
At that moment, Escalon let out a strangled scream and froze as if time had stopped.
The mysterious old woman confirmed that Escalon’s transformation had stopped, then turned back to Gu Sang-min and said,
“This old lady’s power isn’t what it used to be, so I can’t do much. But I’ve maintained the balance, so you should be able to overcome this.”
“Transcendent! What do you mean by that…?”
Gu Sang-min, who understood the meaning behind the phrase “maintained balance,” had no idea how to express his gratitude and simply kept bowing his head toward the Transcendent.
The mysterious Transcendent didn’t forget to give advice to Hyeon Il-hwan, who was receiving treatment beside them.
“Young man of the Hyeon family. You need to learn more about the swordsmanship you just used. You must not forget the heart of water until the very end, hee hee…”
Receiving the old lady’s advice, Hyeon Il-hwan couldn’t muster any retort and merely lowered his head.
He had hastily concluded Escalon’s end without confirming it thoroughly. Of course, that spoke to his confidence in his sword, but he felt deep regret for missing an opportunity to deal a follow-up blow.
“I’ll engrave this in my bones and work harder.”
And the one offering advice referred to his father as Jung-gi.
The identity of that monster, the one who casually called his father, considered one of Korea’s strongest, by his younger brother’s name.
“The Reflux… one of the first Transcendents…”
The grandmother of Ham Eun-young, known as the ‘Transcendent of Reflux.’ Strangely enough, she had dramatically joined them just minutes before the great clash.
The story of how she joined was long, but it was undeniable that her desire to protect her precious granddaughter had an absolute influence.
Before the clash with Escalon, the confidence of Hyeon Il-hwan and Kang Yeon-su, who were convinced they would never lose, had noticeably shaken when they realized she had entered the barrier.
And in that moment of immense shock.
Had the ‘Transcendent of Reflux’ not demonstrated her power, Team 1 might have suffered near annihilation.
The combat power of the first Escalon was beyond words, but the unique cooperative attack of Escalon 11 and 12 was something the Hunters had never experienced before.
If it hadn’t been for the power of [Reflux] to reverse that, they would have faced the horrific experience of having their souls entangled.
Of course, only Gu Sang-min and the ‘Transcendent of Reflux’ waiting at the back had foreseen such a future.
Vrooooom──
“Huh huh… Looks like my role ends here. Isn’t it a bit pathetic? I haven’t even been allowed to enjoy the outside air.”
The space around the ‘Transcendent of Reflux’ began to twist.
Having come to the real world, she now had to immediately return to her own space, a curse when you think about it.
She had been known for not leaving her family estate.
Now, having pushed herself to come out, she had no idea when she could return again.
It was said that the restrictions placed on Transcendents varied greatly with their abilities and strengths, but her restrictions fell among the most powerful ones for Transcendents.
That was to say her power was indeed transcendent.
She could easily nullify the attacks of that terrifying group of Ents without breaking a sweat.
“I’ve taken precautions, but I can’t completely gauge the potential of that creature… If there’s even the slightest abnormality, avoiding it is a good strategy. Please handle the aftermath… you poor kids.”
In truth, just making it this far was surprising and something to be grateful for, but until the very end, she pushed herself to use her powers for others.
By now, blood was gushing from her mouth like a fountain, but she paid it no heed.
‘My puppy should be alright…’
She recalled her granddaughter somewhere over there and twisted the mana she had infused into Escalon’s body.
[Reflux]
Kiiiiiiing──!
Just before she vanished, the energy that had seeped into Escalon’s body stabilized, and the rules began to invert.
It was the sensation all the Hunters had experienced during the recent clash, yet it was an alien change that felt like adjusting to something for the first time.
“Grrrgh──!!”
Simultaneously, the first Escalon, whose transformation had ceased, collapsed, spewing out clotted blood.
“Raaaahhh!!”
Bang bang bang bang!!
Escalon slammed its fists against the floor, trying to resist against unknown forces.
But it was a futile struggle.
The ability of [Reflux] itself was a counter-type skill incapable of even killing an ant, but its inherent nature was a unique power that no one could undermine.
“Damn it— I need to strike now.”
The fastest healing Hunter, Kang Yeon-su, seemed determined to land even a small hit on the fallen monster and tried to get back up.
Next to him, Hyeon Il-hwan also composed himself and reached for his sword.
But whether their bodies would follow their minds was questionable.
“Oh ho— pushing yourself while exhausted may cause you to never use mana again. And would you even pierce that guy’s monstrous defense with a sloppy skill right now?”
“Nggh…”
Gu Sang-min, who had forcibly sat the two down, suddenly realized the absence of the Transcendent and sighed.
“Oh— she’s already gone.”
The physique of Escalon, affected by [Reflux], began to shrink and soon transformed into a size smaller than when they’d first encountered it that day.
Favorable for allies, unfavorable for enemies.
A skill that reverses everything.
The first time Hunters witnessed [Reflux] firsthand, they were frozen in awe at the majesty of the legendary skill they had only heard of in stories.
In the early days of the Gate opening, it was said that the Transcendent of Reflux could nullify even the abilities of his own team and thus wasn’t highly valued.
However, in this clash, her ability to simultaneously manage hundreds of attacks and even smoothly redirect the power toward Escalon showcased her deserving title of Transcendent.
Truly, it was a flow of magic that defied logic, and it felt incredibly fortunate to have someone with such power on their side.
“I wish she could’ve reversed this too.”
Gu Sang-min, who was focusing solely on healing, whimpered about the consequences, regardless of what would become of Escalon.
Having healed even the Hunters from other countries, his healing skills were beginning to reach their limits.
Once this treatment was finished, he planned to retreat without looking back.
“A hunchbacked human… what on earth have you done?!”
Escalon, whose previously unthinkable combat potential was now reduced to nothing, expressed its fury with its body turning completely crimson.
At that moment, it suddenly opened its mouth and began to vomit something.
“Kuwak!!”
Splash- Thud-
“Ugh, damn it…”
“…They’re already dead.”
It was the two S-rank Hunters that had been consumed by it.
Their limbs twisted beyond recognition, faces unrecognizable due to digestive acids, but he had to recover them to face their grieving families.
Woosh────!
In an instant, a Hunter swiftly retrieved the two corpses Escalon had spat out.
Splat──!
“………”
Even managing to slice off its neck while passing by, the wind magician Jo Won-jae moved efficiently.
Despite watching Escalon retch and scratch its long gash, Jo Won-jae did not look back as he distanced himself.
“It seems I’m the only one with some leeway! But judging by that reaction, I think I’ve made a mistake!! It’s not even worth cutting!!”
He quickly stashed the bodies into his spatial portal and began to retrieve the unconscious people strewn across the ground one by one.
Hunters began to float gently into the air.
Jo Won-jae adeptly manipulated his wind attribute skills to transport the fallen comrades atop the currents of air.
“Ha— Huh─”
“Hoohoo…”
The Hunters floating in mid-air hadn’t regained consciousness even amidst the chaos, but their breathing remained surprisingly steady.
While Escalon’s group suffered near obliteration, all Hunters were still alive.
“I think I need to pay my respects to the Reverberation every morning. I’d believe it’s a miracle since there isn’t a single casualty.”
Finally, Kang Yeon-su and Hyeon Il-hwan surveyed their surroundings.
As Jo Won-jae said, of the thirty or so Hunters, none had died, and they realized they were the ones most severely injured.
However, the rest had lost consciousness and were barely moving a finger. No matter how meticulously the Transcendent controlled, it was unlikely they would remain completely unaffected amid such chaos.
“Is this right…? Just us?”
Kang Yeon-su, Hyeon Il-hwan, Gu Sang-min, Jo Won-jae.
Now the four of them had to fight against that monster alone.
They felt the gazes of the Chinese Hunters somewhere nearby, but relying on them seemed unrealistic, leaving it practically up to Kang Yeon-su and Hyeon Il-hwan to bear the burden.
“This is bad… [Divine Transformation] only activated at 40%… it seems due to the power of [Reflux].”
“I’m already out of commission with sword techniques of the Heaven class. But thanks to the Transcendent, that monster’s standing has drastically weakened, so maybe we can still do something?”
Fortunately, the first Escalon was still suffering, continually vomiting something from its mouth.
Simultaneously, its height kept shrinking, and it was now down to seven meters tall.
“Uwaaaaaah───!!”
Could it not forgive itself?
Escalon’s roar, filled with anger, made the ground tremble.
The overwhelming wave of energy pushed them back with tremendous force.
“Ugh, it hurts, you bastard!!”
“Hahaha… I should take back what I just said. This seems unmanageable! It doesn’t seem to be weakened at all!!”
Even if they had lost their progress today, the brute force possessed by the first Escalon was still there.
While the monster’s condition was less than optimal due to the prior clash, it was still powered by endless rage and vengefulness.
“That guy’s regenerating way too quickly.”
“Is he some kind of immortal?”
The two, fatigued from Escalon, struggled up and assumed a defensive stance.
How much could they fight with arms and legs that weren’t fully assembled?
Fortunately, Escalon wasn’t in perfect condition either.
Their efforts had not been in vain, letting them cling to a thread of hope.
Just when Kang Yeon-su was about to consume the last high-rank potion and step forward with difficulty.
Bam bam bam bam bam boom────!!
Dozens of small, transparent orbs appeared around the first Escalon, shaking violently, and then a series of chain explosions engulfed the monster in thick purple smoke.
“What the—?!”
“Oh! Are they finally attacking in this kind of situation?! They really are something else!”
Clearly aimed at taking down Escalon, the two looked around, trying to identify the source of the attack.
Hunters cloaked in golden cloaks were likely lurking somewhere.
“Are we finally getting attacked?! You’re really something!”
The surface of Escalon’s skin turned a deep purplish hue, and greenish, thin blood began to spew from its eyes and nose like a malfunctioning faucet.
Poison.
It had been poisoned.
“Poison?! Is that really him?!”
“Damn… is this his final blow?”
There were reportedly skilled poison mages among the Chinese Hunters.
They had been hiding completely, but it seemed the right moment had finally arrived for them to intervene.
Kang Yeon-su and Hyeon Il-hwan felt nauseous, as though they had just downed high-rank mana potions, but at that moment, they welcomed their arrival.
Boom─! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The first Escalon, granted an opportunity to counterattack, pushed off the ground and raced forward without mercy.
The massive Ent was one that showed no mercy.
Unwavering in its assault, it would habitually strike, kick, and dish out terrifying blows.
Had it perhaps lost its head? It turned its direction toward the Chinese Hunters, who were raising their power for secondary and tertiary attacks.
Perhaps the fear that the mysterious monster that had robbed it of its growth would reappear played a part too.
Seeing the first Escalon vanish in an instant, the three collapsed helplessly to the ground again.
“Yeah, you bastards! Just go ahead and wipe them all out! You’ll get what’s coming to you!”
Kang Yeon-su spat out curses toward the direction in which Escalon had disappeared for a considerable time.
How infuriating that they wanted just the meat and nothing else, but for now, saving their lives was more crucial, as revenge could always come later.
Moments after Escalon vanished, a series of explosive impacts of massive magical energies erupted from a distance.
Boom boom boom───!!
The ground shook as if there were an earthquake, and sometimes the roars of Escalon, filled with excruciating pain, echoed through the air.
“There are more than a few Chinese Hunters. It looks like there’s way more than what’s left here. Maybe three digits?”
“To think they had that much strength while only planning to ambush us all along. They sure are something else in a different regard.”
Regardless, it seemed the Chinese were successfully bringing down Escalon, making the hunting team Hunters breathe a sigh of relief, gathering in one place.
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