The Returner Chapter 223

(TL: Unedited)

"Uwaahh!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A massive clump of light quite literally blew Yi Ji-Hyuk away.

He rose up high into the air and flailed about helplessly before somehow regaining his balance. He urgently took a look back at the ground.

"Keuh-euh…." (Delkaran)

Delkaran and its utterly messed-up figure was glaring up at Yi Ji-Hyuk in the sky.

"A measly human dares to!!" (Delkaran)

Its previous calm demeanour long gone by now, the demon king was shuddering with profound rage. Every single snake head spouting out from its body revealed their razor-sharp fangs, screeching out noisily with their maws wide open.

"A human!! A human!! A human dares to…!!" (Delkaran)

Yi Ji-Hyuk lightly clicked his tongue.

Does this guy have some kind of a human-o-phobia or something? Still repeating "Human this, human that"? (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"Fuu!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

And, doing something so stupid, too.

You shouldn't have blown me away, you know. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

There would have been some meaning in creating distance between itself and a close-range fighter. But it must've known that doing so would only be in Yi Ji-Hyuk's favour, surely?

He cackled and quickly formed hand seals. Black Mana poured out in thick strands from his body.

"Uwaaaah-!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Mana mushroomed out of his body while being accompanied by his pained grunt and gathered in front of him.

"Die!!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He shouted out and the clump of Mana formed a violent, powerful whirlpool as it flew towards Delkaran.

Kuwaaaaah-!!

It was spinning so viciously that it felt as if the surrounding space was distorting and twisting apart.

"Keu-euhk!!" (Delkaran)

Delkaran saw that spectacle and hurriedly spun around to run away from that spot.

Kwdu-du-du-duk!!

Yi Ji-Hyuk's Mana bullet penetrated into the ground like a high-powered drill.

Tap!

He landed lightly back on the ground and whistled after being impressed by what he saw.

Hey, isn't this somewhat convenient? (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

If the enemy tried to get close, just pummel the living daylights out of it. If they wanted to create distance, well, just fling some magic at it, then.

He had been doing whatever he could do to create as much distance from his opponents all his life, so right now, he felt like shedding a silent tear or two from his overflowing emotions.

Who would have thought that being able to do both close-range attacks and long-distance attacks would be this convenient?

"I spent thousand years doing hard labour for nothing." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If only he went over to Berafe after his Ether concentration had grown above average, then his return trip back to Earth would have come around least five hundred years early!

He felt deep regret for the past that couldn't be changed at this stage.

Besides all that….

"Oho, you dodged that?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

A cackle automatically leaked out of his mouth.

These creatures called demon kings were well known for their strong pride. Even if they were all demon kings, others wouldn't have thrown away the notion that Yi Ji-Hyuk wasn't up to their class anymore.

It'd have been a different story when he was still the Bringer of Apocalypse. Because, they would have witnessed with their own eyes the spectacular sight of one's body disintegrating into atomic molecules when facing head-on one of Yi Ji-Hyuk's attacks back then.

They would have tripped over each other to get away from him, but now…

…It'd be a different story now.

Starting with Beltreche, and now, even Delkaran.

Not once did they try to dodge Yi Ji-Hyuk's attacks. There should have been variety of reasons why that was so, chief among which were their pride being wounded if they had to evade the human-ified Yi Ji-Hyuk's attacks.

However, Delkaran had, for the first time ever, had to run away from his attack.

"Oh, hey! How does it feel like to run away from the attacks of a ‘measly little' human now?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk mocked the demon king.

"….You b*stard!!" (Delkaran)

Delkaran was so enraged that it was on the verge of losing its reasoning.

Just how could this happen? Yi Ji-Hyuk was a fearsome existence. Delkaran knew this fact very well. However, the reason why he was so fear-inducing was because as a Sorcerer, he wielded unlimited amount of Mana.

The moment his Mana supply had become restricted, he had fallen well below even that of a regular demon, never mind a demon king! Meaning, the current him shouldn't pose any sort of threat to Delkaran.

"What is happening here?!" (Delkaran)

Not too long ago, Yi Ji-Hyuk did something strange to himself, and the aura emitted by his body changed then. The sizeable reserve of dark Mana was combined with minute level of strange energy form that was hardly detectable and they morphed into something else.

"Just what did you do??" (Delkaran)

Delkaran knew nothing about Ether, so it couldn't understand this change.

"You think you'll get it even if I explain it to you?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"You combined the two different energies?" (Delkaran)

"That's right." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Delkaran shook its head, evidently still not getting the full picture.

"There must've been a big risk in combining two different energy forms! You did that, but your body hasn't collapsed and can endure it?!" (Delkaran)

"….Aren't you a sharp cookie?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk roughly scratched his head.

The demon king's assertion wasn't wrong.

Didn't the boys and gals of the NDF suffer from unimaginable pain and go through collapsing of their body and mind from just a little bit of dark Mana mixing in with their Ether? Currently, he might not be having any issues, but the longer this fight dragged on, even Yi Ji-Hyuk's body would end up completely destroyed.

As for the result of that, well….

‘It wouldn't be any worse than dying, right?' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He started this whole thing without a concrete plan, and surely, the aftermath would be one hell of a thing.

He might even die, too.

"You don't care if you die or not, is that it?!" (Delkaran)

Yi Ji-Hyuk cackled on. Seriously now, these creatures called demon kings, they were just so indecipherable, weren't they?

"What the heck…" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

They were also beyond one's comprehension, too.

"Why are you even worried about that, you dumb crazy snake b*stard? You should be worried about yourself, instead." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"………."

"Even if I die, it'll be after killing you, so this ain't something you should be worried about, you see? In any case, you demon kings can be really nosy all the time. Even Eru……" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Ah, hang on a sec.

Why was I even thinking of muttering that woman's name? (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"Keu-hmm!"

Yi Ji-Hyuk quickly formed a serious expression and began walking forward again.

"Actually, even I'm a bit scared, you know?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

What would happen with more time wasted was anyone's guess. So, he should start to get serious about ripping apart that rather unlikeable stinking ball of snakes.

‘That's why!' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

His body shot forward like a bullet once more.

Affected by dark Mana, his irises were blackened to an unbelievable degree, while blood vessels in his eyeballs burst open and the previously-white areas were now dyed crimson red.

Kuwaaaahhh-!!!

What he did just now seemed to transcend moving through space and into the realm of actually compressing it, instead. Yi Ji-Hyuk appeared before Delkaran as if he had folded the existing space, and he tried to smack the demon king.

"You!" (Delkaran)

Delkaran somehow managed to evade his fist and spun its body around.

"Oh, my?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk then did a splendid roundhouse kick that flew in towards the demon's head.

"You d*mn insignificant b*stard!!" (Delkaran)

Snake heads standing up on Delkaran's body stretched out and tried to bite Yi Ji-Hyuk.

"Hul…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Hundreds of snakes pounced on him all at the same time. He didn't even hesitate for a second and threw himself down to the ground.

He rolled on the ground for a long while and moved about 100 metres away or so, before standing back up while dusting himself off.

"Wow, now that is convenient." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

If the demon king was fighting this way, close-range battle would become harder….

"How can you go 100 metres by rolling on the ground?" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon muttered in an energy-less voice.

The fight unfolding before his eyes was something that easily transcended a human's common sense.

Choi Jung-Hoon always thought that he had seen his fair share of wacky fights fought by various ability users, but this battle? He just couldn't understand what the heck was going on.

The dude that was standing so far away ‘flashed' and arrived as if he was teleporting, then just one hit resulted in the demon flying away for over a kilometre, then the dude rolled on the ground for freaking one hundred metres next.

Even if such scenes were shot for a movie, they would all be rejected for being too unrealistic. However, it was happening for real right before his eyes.

"You have any popcorn?" (Seo Ah-Young)

"….I shall have them ready next time." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon didn't have enough energy to get riled up from Seo Ah-Young's jokes. No, his remaining energy reserve would have to be utilised for the purpose of nagging from the sidelines.

"Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, you also have tentacles, you know!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

He loudly shouted out.

"Oh….." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk went Oopsie, just then. He got way too hyped up after his body got reinforced to such a degree and forgot to utilise all of his arsenal properly.

"Well, this is my first time getting up close and personal, so…." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Now that I think about it, he's right, isn't he?

You ain't the only with snakes up his sleeve here.

I also have tentacles!! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

"You'd normally use your tentacles like some pervert, so what gives??" (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young's loud yell triggered Yi Ji-Hyuk real hard and he shot an angry glare.

A pervert?!

Who you calling a pervert, when I haven't done anything remotely like that with my tentacles??

You think everyone using tentacles are perverts?! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Yi Ji-Hyuk had always been conscious of this little part about him, but now that she managed to accurately poke him on the sore spot, he got properly ticked off.

"Should I really use them like a pervert, then?!" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Apologies." (Seo Ah-Young)

After successfully crushing Seo Ah-Young, he shifted his gaze over to Delkaran.

"Looky here, man." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"…….."

"This fight's been dragged out long enough." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Now normally, a fight would be comprised of a series of blitzkriegs. So, wasting time like this was a definite no-no.

"Shouldn't we put an end to this now?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

"Keu-heuh! You b*stard! Are you looking down on me?!" (Delkaran)

"Why act like you're so surprised?" (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Since when did I ever respect the likes of you?

"Hey, listen well. I'm Yi Ji-Hyuk, you dumb son of a b*tch." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

How dare a no-name demon king not even on my level pretend to be a big man in front of me?

If you forgot, then it's time to remind you.

Remind you just who I am. (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Wudududuk!

Jet-black tentacles extended out from Yi Ji-Hyuk's body like vines.

"Urgh, so revolting!" (Seo Ah-Young)

‘That dang wench!' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk suppressed his ‘attention' trying to shift over to Seo Ah-Young and kept his glare locked onto Delkaran.

Now wasn't the time to fool around.

He might be holding the upper hand right now, but he didn't know what might happen to his body after a little bit of time later. Wasn't it common sense to get hit in the back of one's head if one didn't properly finish something when he had the chance?

‘So, finish it properly!!' (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Black-coloured Mana oozed out from his body next.

It flowed out like roiling smoke and travelled up his figure before creating a pair of huge wings seemingly made out of black flames.

"Here I come." (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

You better watch out.

Cuz, even I don't know what's gonna happen for real now! (Yi Ji-Hyuk's inner monologue)

Khuawaaaaah-!!

The moment Yi Ji-Hyuk gritted his teeth, his figure flew forward like a bullet once more. The wings of black flames spread wide open, and at the same time, his tentacles began to thrust forward as well.

Delkaran's entire figure shuddered after seeing that sight of Yi Ji-Hyuk drawing ever closer.

‘He's the devil.' (Delkaran)

The demon king's thoughts were correct.

Yi Ji-Hyuk was a human, but he was far, far more demonic than any other demons out there, and perhaps even more so, a true devil.

Seeing the flying Yi Ji-Hyuk, Delkaran got to vividly experience a rather unfamiliar emotion called ‘fear'.

"Kuwaaaahh!!" (Delkaran)

The pride of being a demon king, as well as a high-ranking demon, drove it to the brink of madness. Every single snake head on Delkaran's body opened their maws wide and began oozing out strands of reddish Mana. At the same time, Delkaran itself became a streak of red meteor and shot forward towards Yi Ji-Hyuk crashing into it.

Wuuuuoong-!!

As the two extremely powerful beings flew towards one another, the surroundings were completely blown away.

"Uwaaah?!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Seo Ah-Young hurriedly held onto Choi Jung-Hoon tightly.

The shock waves generated from the two approaching each other caused the ground to flip, and dirt as well as rocks flew up into the air. It was as if gravity ceased to exist.

Or, maybe, like the inside of a humongous shaker and everything was being shaken around at random.

"Hold on tight!!" (Seo Ah-Young)

Seo Ah-Young pulled Choi Jung-Hoon in tightly and smacked away a piece of debris flying in their way.

"What the hell?!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon's eyes caught the collision of the two figure. Two demon kings compressing space in an instant and collided while shooting out magical energy towards each other.

No sounds could be heard now.

Choi Jung-Hoon simply watched on that spectacle in a daze. His burst eardrums couldn't catch anything, anyway. Maybe that was for the best.

If he did hear that noise, he might have lost his consciousness from its impact alone.

Black-coloured Mana and red Mana collided and rose up in a spiral.

The rising column of a large ‘dust devil'!

Two different Mana types collided and created a ginormous tornado. This dance of red and black-coloured dust devil eerily ascended up into the air like an evil Dragon making its appearance in this world.

"Ah, aaah…." (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon was completely dazed by the sight of something that surely didn't belong in this world.

This was a battle between two demon kings. A fight where the fate of a world was hanging on the balance.

‘Who won??' (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon's eyes shot open wider.

He could pretty much tell it already. In case Yi Ji-Hyuk was defeated here, the fate of Earth would be as good as over.

Just what was the rest of humanity supposed to do against existences that could cause such phenomena as if it was the most natural thing in the world?

This wasn't even a direct attack, but just shock waves generated from the collision and those were enough to level the city of London to ashes!

This was not something a human could do!

"Who?!" (Choi Jung-Hoon)

Choi Jung-Hoon's gaze was hurriedly fixed on the silhouette revealing itself at the foot of the choking dust devil.

< 223. It'll be quicker to learn with your body! -3 > Fin.

(TL: ‘Dust devil' in Korean is actually so much cooler - it's direct translation is "Dragon punch wind". No, I'm not joking. How lame is ‘dust devil' compared to that??)

Chapter end