Chapter 214

Chapter 214. The Greatest Hero (3)

Crack.

An unfamiliar sound came from inside Kang Yujin’s body.

His ribs had broken.

By the time he realized it, he was already flying through the air.

What Heracles had used was [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder].

He hadn’t used internal energy.

There had been no lightning-like energy either.

And yet Kang Yujin instinctively knew.

That had been [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder].

He slammed into another wall and coughed the air out of his lungs.

He’s strong...!

So this was the power of Heracles, the hero among heroes.

No one Kang Yujin had ever encountered possessed strength like this.

“With power on your level, I’m sure you can easily defeat most humans and demons.”

Heracles slowly approached as he spoke.

“But it won’t work on me.”

"..."

Kang Yujin bit his lip and forced himself upright.

His body was in terrible condition.

Even so, he had to fight.

“To think you still haven’t lost your fighting spirit after taking this much punishment... impressive.”

“I can’t fall here.”

As he answered, Kang Yujin felt every part of his body screaming in pain.

“You’re not expecting reinforcements, are you?”

“Just in case, let me tell you now.”

“No one is coming to help you. I prepared for that in advance.”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

Joo Minha had said it herself earlier.

Fighting powerful enemies was Kang Yujin’s role.

He couldn’t shove a monster this far outside the norm onto someone else.

But...

The biggest problem was that he couldn’t see even the slightest opening for a counterattack.

Asmodeus, whom he had fought before, had unquestionably been stronger than Kang Yujin.

But Kang Yujin had absorbed Asmodeus’s internal energy with [Nameless Great Art] and turned it against him.

The sword aura used by Gawain and Arthur had also been too powerful for Kang Yujin to block barehanded.

But [Nameless Great Art] had still allowed him to deflect it.

Against Heracles...

that was impossible.

Because Heracles wasn’t using internal energy.

He wasn’t using magic either.

The only reason Heracles was beating Kang Yujin one-sidedly...

was pure physical strength.

Is this guy even human...?

Come to think of it, Heracles had said earlier that he wasn’t human.

He was a hero.

“Give up.”

Heracles spoke as if he had read Kang Yujin’s thoughts.

“A human cannot defeat a hero.”

“No matter how much you fight, you have no chance of winning.”

“If I can’t beat you because I’m not a hero...”

Kang Yujin clenched his fist.

“Then I just have to become one.”

"..."

Heracles stared silently at him.

“You have the potential.”

“But...”

“What?”

“You’re lacking.”

The next instant, Heracles moved again.

Faster than before.

Heavier than before.

“Ghk...!”

Kang Yujin felt bones breaking throughout his body.

His arms and legs no longer responded.

He couldn’t stand.

At that moment...

Kang Yujin lost the ability to fight.

"..."

Heracles stared down at him in silence.

He looked as though he was thinking about something, but said nothing.

“Either way, this is over.”

Heracles muttered and turned his back.

And at that exact moment...

[With your current authority, ‘Imitation Manifestation’ of a Constellation Armament is possible.]

[Imitation Manifestation of Constellation Armament ‘***’ is currently in progress.]

[You may ignore physical and mental damage and move through sheer force of will.]

[Struggle until the very end.]

Kang Yujin sprang up like a released coil and attacked Heracles from behind.

"...!"

His target was Heracles’s neck.

He hooked his right arm perfectly around it, then used his left arm to lock the hold in place and squeezed.

“Ghk...!”

For the first time, a groan escaped Heracles.

“No matter how much of a hero you are... if your carotid arteries are blocked and blood can’t reach your brain, you won’t be able to endure it...!”

“You... bastard...!”

Heracles moved, trying to shake Kang Yujin loose.

But Kang Yujin braced himself against the massive muscles of Heracles’s back.

When Heracles tried to punch or pry him off by force, Kang Yujin reinforced his arms with internal energy and endured.

“Ghk...!”

It didn’t matter how thick Heracles’s neck muscles were.

If he flexed them to resist the choke...

that would only compress the carotid arteries between those muscles even more.

I heard this was one of the few techniques a human can use barehanded to kill an animal stronger than themselves...!

Remembering something he had once heard in passing, Kang Yujin desperately continued choking Heracles.

If he could just hold on for a few more seconds...

he might actually knock Heracles unconscious.

But then...

“Hmph!”

Heracles jumped straight up.

Then he arched backward and twisted his body.

This is...!

Kang Yujin was riding on Heracles’s back.

There was no way to escape.

With Kang Yujin pinned beneath him, Heracles slammed backward into the ground.

“Kah!”

Agonizing pain ripped through Kang Yujin.

The air exploded from his lungs.

Even then, he tried not to loosen his arms.

But at some point...

Heracles had already forced one hand inside Kang Yujin’s grip.

“Hmph!”

At last, Heracles broke the chokehold.

Then...

his fist came crashing down onto Kang Yujin before he could even get back up.

BOOOOM!

The impact was powerful enough to crack the ground around them.

Feeling as though his entire body had shattered, Kang Yujin coughed out a breath.

“This reminds me of when I killed the Nemean Lion.”

Heracles’s calm voice reached him.

“A monstrous lion that no weapon could wound.”

“That was the first labor given to me.”

“And indeed, none of my attacks worked against it.”

As he spoke, Heracles tapped his thick forearm with one hand.

“So I strangled it with these arms.”

“The lion that no weapon could harm died in my grip.”

Heracles sounded strangely pleased.

“So what you just did was the best possible choice.”

“You completely caught me off guard.”

“With just a little more luck, you really could have knocked me unconscious.”

“Even a Constellation will pass out if their neck is choked long enough.”

"..."

Kang Yujin had no strength left to answer.

Even so...

he stood.

Moving through willpower alone while ignoring all physical and mental damage.

That was the power of the ‘Nameless King’s’ Constellation Armament.

"..."

Heracles stared at Kang Yujin in silence for a moment.

“Stop.”

“If you keep moving, you really will be in danger.”

"..."

“Your injuries are already severe.”

“If you push your body any further, even treatment afterward won’t restore you completely.”

“You’ll be left with permanent damage.”

That was probably true.

But Kang Yujin still couldn’t back down.

“Your fighting spirit still hasn’t broken.”

Heracles muttered in disbelief.

“I suppose it can’t be helped.”

“Answering the fighting spirit of a man like you is part of a hero’s duty.”

Heracles settled into a stance.

He clenched his massive fists and faced Kang Yujin in something resembling a boxing guard.

“Come.”

“I’ll fight you.”

"..."

Even speaking would waste strength.

Kang Yujin gathered what little he had left and prepared to charge Heracles.

“Stop.”

A voice cut in.

“That’s enough.”

When had he approached?

A man was holding Kang Yujin by the shoulder.

"...?"

Kang Yujin turned his head and looked at the man’s face.

His appearance was slightly different from the last time they met.

But Kang Yujin recognized him immediately.

“Kim... Nameless?”

There was no mistaking him.

Kim Nameless had appeared before Kang Yujin again.

“Why... are you alive?”

“You jumped into the sea...”

Kim Nameless had clearly thrown himself into the ocean to save the Nautilus.

“Did you... deceive me again...?”

Kang Yujin understood that Kim Nameless had come to save him.

And yet...

instead of relief or gratitude, another emotion came first.

“You fooled me... again?”

“Kang Yujin...”

“I thought... you were admirable.”

“So why...”

Kang Yujin felt the strength leave his body.

His emotional shock had caused the Constellation Armament’s effect to vanish.

“Why...”

With that final murmur...

Kang Yujin lost consciousness.

I silently laid Kang Yujin down nearby.

His injuries were severe.

For now, I took an emergency healing medicine from his pocket and gave him first aid.

His life wasn’t in danger.

But recovery would take time.

“Heracles?”

“That’s right.”

The enormous man nodded.

“I’ve heard about you a few times from Jason.”

“Jason?”

“We’re close.”

Heracles had been part of Jason’s so-called ‘Greek All-Star Team,’ the Argonaut expedition.

I thought Jason was exaggerating when he talked about him... but seeing this, I guess not.

I glanced at Kang Yujin.

He was completely battered.

Since becoming my Contractor, I don’t think he had ever been injured this badly.

Physical ability that completely overwhelms Kang Yujin... as expected of Heracles.

Heracles was practically synonymous with the word hero.

He had been born as the son of Zeus, king of the gods.

From the very beginning, he had been created with the intention of producing humanity’s greatest hero in preparation for the war against the giants.

Through the Twelve Labors and countless other heroic legends, Heracles became the greatest hero of Greece.

The Hydra and Echidna that Kang Yujin had defeated in the past were both originally creatures Heracles had defeated in myth.

In the end, Heracles led the gods to victory in the war against the giants, the Gigantomachy, and ascended to godhood.

Jason told me he was ridiculously strong, but I didn’t think the gap between him and Kang Yujin would be this enormous.

Jason had said before that while Kang Yujin certainly resembled Heracles, objectively speaking, he would stand no chance against the real Heracles.

Of course, he had laughed afterward and added:

It’s not like Kang Yujin will ever have to fight Heracles anyway.

Jason said Heracles didn’t have any ability to descend to the Material Realm.

But if he’s here now...

There was only one method I knew of that allowed a Constellation to descend without using something like [Avatar Descent].

Is there another Gate besides the one I secured?

I doubted Heracles personally possessed one.

If someone like Heracles had been frequently descending to the Material Realm, people would definitely have noticed.

In that case...

“You’re the Nameless King, correct?”

Heracles looked at me.

“You did well to show yourself.”

“I’ve been coming down to the Material Realm fairly often lately.”

“Didn’t you know?”

“I know. I watched your broadcasts.”

“To think the hero among heroes, Heracles, watches my broadcasts.”

“I’m honored.”

“I didn’t watch because I wanted to.”

“That man showed them to me.”

“That man?”

At that moment...

I finally noticed something that hadn’t been visible until now.

“That’s right.”

“I showed them to him.”

A man stood behind Heracles.

He wore a robe and carried a staff.

There was something mysterious about him.

“Did you think Heracles came alone, Nameless King?”

He smiled as he addressed me.

“If so, that was foolish.”

“I don’t handle things that carelessly.”

“You are...”

“My name is Merlin.”

“The S-rank Constellation ‘Prophetic Magician.’”

“You’re Merlin?”

His appearance caught me off guard.

I had imagined an elderly man.

Instead, his face looked surprisingly young.

“Thank you for moving exactly as I predicted, Nameless King.”

“Exactly as you predicted?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you would appear here alone.”

"..."

Merlin smiled.

“You saw Heracles by himself and came rushing over, didn’t you?”

“With your intelligence, you probably thought you could rescue Kang Yujin from Heracles and escape.”

"..."

“Unfortunately, I’m here too.”

Merlin raised one hand.

“I’ll tell you this in advance.”

“You cannot escape from here.”

“I’ve already deployed every barrier I need.”

“A barrier?”

“Yes.”

“I may not look like much, but among magician-type Constellations, I possess some of the highest power.”

“There is no way you can break through it.”

“So this was all a trap to capture me?”

“Yes.”

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist revealing yourself if Kang Yujin was in danger of dying.”

So their target hadn’t been Kang Yujin himself.

It was me.

Exactly as I had expected.

“We think alike.”

“What did you say?”

I stared directly at the puzzled Merlin.

“I thought that if I led Constellations around the Material Realm causing enough trouble, you wouldn’t be able to resist showing yourself.”

The situation I wanted...

was exactly this one.

“What... does that mean?”

“You don’t understand?”

I glared at Merlin and spoke again.

“The reason I brought Constellations into the Material Realm and had them attack Pandemonium...”

“was to drag you out.”

“To drag me out?”

“If I didn’t do something that extreme, you would’ve stayed hidden forever.”

"..."

For once, Merlin looked genuinely caught off guard.

“Don’t tell me... you were deliberately guiding me into doing this?”

“You predicted my actions?”

“I didn’t know you had a connection to Heracles.”

“I only guessed that you would try some method of luring me out.”

This magician rarely revealed himself.

There was no way to pull him out through ordinary means.

So I changed the premise.

Instead of trying to draw Merlin out myself...

I would make Merlin think:

I need to draw out the Nameless King.

“Considering your goal, you couldn’t possibly leave me alone.”

“Am I wrong?”

“You already understand my goal?”

“That’s right.”

I stared down the magician before me.

“That’s why you and I are standing face-to-face right now, Merlin.”