“… Are you trying to suicide using my hands?”

Was there some unknown reason Hyunwoo couldn’t kill himself? Was he trying to die by Sungyoon’s hands? Sungyoon didn't know .

“Or do you have some delusion of grandeur where you see yourself as the bad guy who the hero has to defeat?”

Hyunwoo kept saying Sungyoon was a hero, and it was odd to see him spin a hero’s tale out of this . It might seem absurd, but Hyunwoo could be viewing this situation like that . Logically, it made no sense . However, Hyunwoo's actions after he had betrayed humanity were too bizarre .

That was why Sungyoon tried to come up with a reason that sounded plausible even though it was far-fetched .

“Ha ha ha! I like the sound of that!”

Hyunwoo laughed as he attacked again . Flamberg cut in a sharp line as the flying steel plates tried to distract Sungyoon .

Kwahng! Kwahng!

Sungyoon faced the attack head-on . He blocked Flamberg with either his shield or his weapons, and at the same time, he continued to hit Hyunwoo’s shield .

‘That light is very annoying . ’

Whenever Hyunwoo attacked, the blue light surrounding him enveloped Flamberg and increased the power of his attack . And when he had to defend from Sungyoon's attacks, the blue light acted like a force field and reduced the power of Sungyoon’s attack .

The Gem had an all-round ability . That was the best way to describe it .

‘But!’

Sungyoon swung his ax, and Hyunwoo’s shield moved forward to block .

Kahhhhhng!

As expected, the shield piece blocked Sungyoon’s attack . However, on a closer look, one could tell that it hadn’t completely blocked it . The center of the shield piece had firmly blocked the attack, but its edges were barely holding on .

Since the shield had to diffuse all of the power behind the attack, it shook . It also couldn’t properly keep up with Sungyoon's speed . When he saw his advantage, Sungyoon turned fiercer . The shield pieces couldn't keep up with the flurry of attacks .

Hoo-oonhng!

Finally, a shield piece couldn't catch up to the halberd, and the spear blade cut Hyunwoo's face on the side .

“Hoohp!”

Sungyoon immediately moved the halberd to the side, and the sharp ax blade flew toward Hyunwoo’s face .

Boom!

‘As expected, I was too greedy . ’

Sungyoon clicked his tongue when another shield fragment blocked the ax blade . He had moved faster than the shield could react, and he had been able to stab at Hyunwoo’s face with his spear blade . However, it seemed he couldn’t chain his attacks . Still, this clearly showed who had gained the edge in the exchange .

“Koo-oohk!”

Hyunwoo groaned, and his hands moved in a dizzying fashion .

Flamberg was still as sharp as before, but it couldn't get past Sungyoon’s shield . On the other hand, Sungyoon could now dodge the shield fragments and score wounds on Hyunwoo’s body .

He swung the hammer faster than the shield fragments could react . In the end, he struck Hyunwoo’s armor with the hammer .

Kwahhng!

An explosion erupted . The flying shield fragments shook in the air, and a black scorch mark appeared on Hyunwoo's armor .

Even though a tiny crack had appeared in his armor, Hyunwoo had other things to worry about .

Hwee-chung!

One of his legs buckled due to the explosion . He lost balance, and his sword swung through empty air . Of course, Sungyoon didn't plan on letting go of this golden opportunity .

Hoo-ooooohng!

He unsummoned his shield and swung his halberd with both hands . The terrifying blade of the halberd let out a cold light . Before the flying shield fragments could obstruct him, Sungyoon reached Hyunwoo within the striking distance of his ax .

Kwahng!

Flamberg barely blocked the attack . However, Hyunwoo couldn’t neutralize the power behind the halberd .

Koo-oohng!

He lost balance and had to take on the full brunt of Sungyoon’s powerful attack . It sent him rolling across the ground . Hoo-oohng!

Sungyoon quickly reacted . He threw his halberd at Hyunwoo . Hyunwoo’s shield fragments intercepted the halberd, but Sungyoon had approached Hyunwoo by then .

White wings had unfurled behind his back, and they flapped .

Kwahng!

Sungyoon brought down his ax . He stabbed with his sword . He swung his hammer . In the end, he stabbed with his halberd .

Kah-ahhhng!

A shield fragment blocked his halberd, but the previous three attacks had found their marks .

Sungyoon had brought down the weapons with all his might, and Hyunwoo had to take the blows without being able to do much about it .

Koo-oohng!

After facing so many attacks, Hyunwoo’s body flew like a piece of paper caught in the wind . He crashed into the wall .

“Cough!”

He put his back against the wall and lowered himself to the floor to avoid being sprawled on the ground . Then, he coughed . Even though he hadn't coughed out blood, Sungyoon's attacks weren’t something he could easily recover from .

“Koohk! In such a short amount of time, you became much stronger than me . ”

The shield fragments were a step behind as they returned to Hyunwoo . Sungyoon walked toward him . In terms of Gems, there were no fundamental differences between the two of them . Both mainly used Sapphire rank Gems and strength Gems to boost their physical abilities on top of that .

The only difference between them was that Sungyoon had the Royal Gem while Hyunwoo possessed a Diamond rank Gem . However, it was also true that the Royal Gem was superior to Hyunwoo's Diamond rank Gem .

This difference allowed Sungyoon to have an upper hand against Hyunwoo .

Tuhk!

Sungyoon stopped in front of Hyunwoo .

“What? You don’t want to end this?”

“You're the one who wanted to fight me, Mr . Hyunwoo . There is no way you would give up so easily . You are taking it easy because you probably have an ace in the hole . ”

“Ke ke ke!”

It was neither an admission nor a denial; Hyunwoo just ambiguously laughed . However, Sungyoon decided to take it as a confirmation .

“… Why don’t you just end this?”

Sungyoon spoke .

Hyunwoo stopped laughing and stared at Sungyoon . It seemed he had no idea what Sungyoon was trying to say .

“Why don’t you turn yourself in and return to Earth?”

“You're talking nonsense . How do you think that even makes any sense? Moreover, you should be against the idea for your wife's sake . I killed Jimin’s father . I killed your father-in-law . ”

“I know that . You killed my father-in-law and duped humanity . A lot of people died because of your betrayal . You're a traitor with no excuse . ”

Trucks full of people on Earth wanted to roast Hyunwoo alive .

“I don’t know the reasoning behind it, but I do know that you helped me in the past . ”

Jungbum had been a barebone company that only had Jimin . Moreover, she had been swindled out of her wealth before, so she couldn’t provide much support to Sungyoon .

That was why he had to rely on his own abilities to clear labyrinths . However, Hyunwoo had later instructed him on how to hunt monsters and also given him some high rank Gems . He had helped Sungyoon in many ways .

“You can go back and confess why you betrayed humanity . You can tell Jimin why you killed her father . You should pay for your sins . Of course, there's a high chance that they won’t let you live . ”

When he thought about what Hyunwoo had done in the past, Sungyoon knew Hyunwoo would get the death penalty . At the very least, he’d get life in prison .

“However, it's a chance to be a ‘human’ when you do pass away . ”

Sungyoon finished his speech .

Instead of replying, Hyunwoo just lowered his head .

“Kooh!”

A small sound leaked out of his closed mouth as if he were purposefully making his vocal cord let out a rough sound . Moreover, a smirk appeared on his lips, so it didn’t seem he would agree to Sungyoon's suggestion . “Koo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!”

His twisted laughter, which he had done his best to suppress, started to leak out . Hyunwoo had no plans of peacefully going back to Earth to stand trial . Sungyoon sighed as he once again took a firmer grip on his weapon .

“Koo-hoo-hoo-hooo! Funny! It was hilarious, but unpleasant to hear at the same time . ”

Hyunwoo stood up . His body swayed, and he looked like a person who had lost their mind . However, his eyes still contained a fire, and his spirit didn’t shake at all .

“Hey, Sungyoon . You want to hear about my past?”

Hyunwoo’s voice turned soft . He left out Sungyoon’s last name and title and spoke just his first name as if they were close friends .

Even then, there was a hot but also cold madness in his voice .

“Do you know about my mother?”

“Yes, I met her once . ”

“Is that so? That’s unexpected . I don’t believe you know anyone in common with her . ”

“I met her once when she came to the Mayor’s office . ”

“I see! She was probably aiming for my wealth . ”

Sungyoon didn’t answer him . Hyunwoo's mother reminded him of his ex-wife . She was the type of person he hated the most . However, he decided not to speak ill of someone he didn’t know . Nevertheless, his silence only confirmed Hyunwoo's suspicions .

Hyunwoo stopped swaying and raised his head .

“Do you know about my and my mother's past?”

“Your mother was a working girl on the Moon . Also, she had you because she wanted a Connector as her child . That's all I know . ”

“You already know a lot . My father was a 1st Gen Connector . When my siblings and I showed no signs of awakening, she treated us as a burden . Do you know about that?”

“I do . ”

“Do you know that I lived a pitiful life before I awakened?”

Sungyoon nodded .

“Then this will go more smoothly . ”

Hyunwoo shook his head every which way . He had been acting oddly for some time .

“If we have the opportunity, I’ll hear it from you at a later time . ”

Sungyoon thought Hyunwoo could be trying to say something needless . Of course, he was also curious about Hyunwoo’s past . He wanted to know what made Hyunwoo betray humanity . However, he didn’t have the time to idly listen to Hyunwoo’s lamentation .

Sungyoon charged toward Hyunwoo and immediately stabbed with his sword . He just needed to graze Hyunwoo, and the lightning would do its work . Hyunwoo’s shield moved to block his sword, but Sungyoon didn’t care . The shield couldn't keep up with him . Even if it blocked his first attack, he just had to attack a second and a third time .

Kwah-doohk!

However, his hand didn't feel the sensation of hitting the shield, and neither did he feel the sensation of his sword parting Hyunwoo’s armor .

“What!”

Sungyoon unconsciously yelled . He wanted to outspeed Hyunwoo’s shield, so he had stabbed with all his might . However, Hyunwoo had stopped the sword by grabbing the blade with his hand .

“Don’t be so hasty . You’ll have fun if you listen to my story!”

Puh-uhk!

Hyunwoo punched Sungyoon in the stomach with his other fist . Sungyoon couldn’t defend against the blow .

Sungyoon had been shocked when Hyunwoo caught his sword barehand, and on top of that, Hyunwoo moved too quickly . His speed couldn’t even be compared to before . It was on a different level .

Ooh-dahng-tahng-tahng!

Now, it was Sungyoon’s turn to roll across the ground . Moreover, he rolled more violently than Hyunwoo had . Since he didn’t need to breathe, he wasn't breathless . However, he was in extreme pain .

Sungyoon placed a hand on his stomach and realized that his armor had cratered inward .

“Where was I?”

Hyunwoo spoke as he slowly approached Sungyoon, who was picking his body up . magic

“Ah! Did I stop at the part where my life was pathetic?”

He sounded like a grandfather telling a story to his grandson . His voice was very gentle . Yet, for some reason, Sungyoon started to hear something inhuman in Hyunwoo’s voice . He wondered if his ears had been damaged from the blow .

“When I was young, it was truly hell . My father was absent, and my mother was always on the Moon . On the rare occasion when she did come back, she was always drunk . When she came home drunk, my siblings and I would hide in the corner . She always beat us . She berated us for being pieces of trash who couldn't awaken as Connectors . ”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hyunwoo’s footsteps started to ring out . His steps sounded heavier and ponderous . It didn’t sound like the footsteps of a human . To be precise, it sounded as if he was transforming into something inhuman .