novelraw Chapter 69 : Chapter 69
Chapter 69 : Chapter 69
Chapter 69. The Intangible Killer (3)
Riman looked around.
Barricades set up here and there.
And the police and private security guards blocking the way in front of them.
Because of their surveillance, Riman couldn't enter inside the downtown area.
He couldn't go to the scene where Gong Jae-byeok was running wild.
Of course, with Riman's magic skills, breaking through a containment line of that level was entirely possible.
The problem was what happened after.
The moment he broke through without permission and entered the downtown area, Riman would immediately become a public enemy.
If unlucky, he could be held responsible for this situation.
No matter how strong one's personal martial power is, it was impossible to completely nullify such social force.
By the way……
‘Why are they blocking?’
From what he saw through social media and such, the center of this downtown was hell right now.
Since people were dying in droves hit by something invisible and sharp.
In this case, the best course of action is to quickly deploy as much force as possible all at once.
Of course, it might be meaningless against a rare killer like Gong Jae-byeok.
But anyway, the fact that they weren't moving according to standard procedure meant that someone's will had intervened.
And Riman realized whose will it was.
‘Joseph Han, that guy blocked it.’
It was the correct answer.
Because Joseph had requested to block the intervention of others.
To monopolize the credit for resolving this situation and raise his reputation.
Of course, this was also possible because Joseph Han was a Solver of that caliber.
Outstanding detection and swordsmanship skills, and a reputation built by solving numerous difficult requests.
Because Joseph had all of these.
Furthermore, the opponent this time was an invisibility ability user who was bound to be completely at a disadvantage against a detection ability user due to compatibility.
It was a battlefield where Joseph, a specialist in detection, couldn't lack confidence.
However, as Riman muttered inwardly earlier, that guy Gong Jae-byeok wasn't a simple invisibility ability user.
General invisibility ability users implement invisibility using light refraction.
By refracting the light coming from behind and sending it straight forward so as not to be recognized by the opponent's eyes.
Therefore, in a way, it wasn't true invisibility.
It wasn't becoming essentially transparent, but merely feigning transparency using refraction.
Furthermore, invisibility using such light refraction is weak against detection techniques using mana.
Because a detection mage can notice immediately the moment the detection mana field touches and refracts.
However, Gong Jae-byeok's ability was different.
He implemented invisibility not by refracting light, but by altering the particles composing his body.
Changing his body into a material that transmits visible light and almost all wavelengths.
He could even make clothes and tools in contact with his body transparent.
Simply put, changing his body into a ‘truly transparent’ material like glass or water.
Not feigning transparency, but an ability to truly become transparent.
Therefore, Gong Jae-byeok's invisibility……
‘Doesn't get caught by detection skills.’
Because his body transmits even the detection mana field completely.
That's why Riman predicted Joseph's defeat, and furthermore, his death.
Because the powerful detection ability Joseph boasted of couldn't capture Gong Jae-byeok at all.
Furthermore, Gong Jae-byeok's ability didn't end with invisibility.
More terrifying was the applied technique of invisibility.
If it reached that point, it was certain that Joseph's win rate would go beyond 0 percent and fall even below that.
‘…What should I do?’
What do you mean what should I do?
I have to catch Gong Jae-byeok first and then think.
Because catching that guy gives me something to say to Lancelot.
‘First, catch Gong Jae-byeok. In the process, save Joseph if I can, or give up if I can't.’
Sorted with this.
Riman began to move.
To enter the center of the downtown avoiding the eyes of the police and security guards.
Riman entered a secluded alley and activated magic beneath his feet.
[Anti-gravity (Yeok-junglyeok)]
Hu…uk—
Riman's body floated into the air.
After landing on the roof of the building next to the alley like that.
He began to enter inside the downtown avoiding the gaze of surrounding police forces.
* * *
At that time, the center of the downtown.
Joseph continued to spread the wavelength of detection.
Tu…ung—
The spread wavelength scanned everywhere thoroughly like radar.
And the sword he held became an antenna and thoroughly read the signal of the wavelength.
The range of that detection exceeded even Riman's [Detection] range.
Scanning the downtown like that, Joseph continued to move his steps.
At that moment.
Puk!
Joseph saw.
Someone suddenly falling with their neck cut about 100 meters away from here.
Joseph's eyes sparkled.
“Ho-oh.”
The bastard was definitely there.
Joseph moved quickly toward the place where the victim fell.
It bothered him a little that the appearance of the invisible man wasn't caught by detection, but it didn't matter.
‘Sometimes things like this happen.’
In this case, if he approached closer and activated detection, it would be caught.
Tadada—
Like that, Joseph arrived at the scene.
Blood was gushing from the neck of the victim who fell just a moment ago.
Not long after being killed.
The probability that the culprit was close was high.
‘Now, where are you?’
Joseph raised the density of the detection field.
More detailed, more densely, he spread the detection mana field.
He had no intention of missing even the movement of the bastard's hair tip.
And as soon as captured……
Kwak—
He would chop him up with this sword held in his hand.
‘Come out.’
At the moment he prepared for full-scale combat raising muscle tension to the max.
Seo-geok.
A long cut burst on Joseph's right thigh.
At the moment sharp pain dug in.
“……!”
Joseph neither spat curses, nor groaned, nor fell.
Simultaneously with being cut, he swung his sword.
It was swordplay close to an automatic reflex.
Shwi-ik!
His longsword cut the empty air.
A horizontal slash encompassing 360 degrees in an instant.
A huge circular slash burst and swept the surroundings.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!
Streetlamps, outer walls of buildings, parked cars, streetlamps.
Everything touched by the slash was severed in two instantly.
Although there was support from artificial muscles transplanted in his right arm, the swordsmanship itself was wholly his.
The cross-sections cut most smoothly testified to the level of that swordsmanship.
But nowhere the slash passed was there a bloodstain.
He failed to cut the invisible man.
Simultaneously, the deferred pain in his thigh rushed in.
“This f……!!”
It wasn't a fatal wound.
Thanks to twisting his leg sharply the moment the cut burst.
It was extremely fortunate.
If the femoral artery in his thigh had been cut, it would have been instant death.
But although not fatal, the wound was deep.
Joseph's face distorted violently.
“Damn it……!”
That wasn't simply anger about his thigh being cut.
‘I couldn't detect him at all……!’
Even though the bastard attacked sticking close, detection itself didn't happen at all.
It was a moment common sense was denied and pride collapsed.
There were times he failed to block an opponent's attack so far, but there was never a time he failed to detect.
But now an opponent impossible to detect at all appeared.
‘…How did this happen?’
For him, the cause was unknown.
Because he had never met an invisibility ability user against whom detection didn't work.
Nevertheless, he was not seized by that bewilderment.
After quickly steadying his mentality, he thought about what he could do.
‘The bastard is close.’
Then—
‘Anyway, I just need to cut him……!’
Joseph swung his sword again.
His sword tip began to run wild.
Shwi-shwi-shwi-shwik!
Not a single blow like earlier, but a chaotic flurry hacking everywhere.
Objects around him began to be cut indiscriminately.
Cars, streetlamps, and asphalt road surface, of course, from iron manhole covers to fire hydrants.
Everything the sword's slash touched was cut away again.
But as expected, this time too, his sword failed to cut the target.
Rather, the enemy dug into the gaps of that dense wild dance and stabbed.
Shu-kak!
“Keok……!”
This time Joseph's flank was cut.
At that moment, Joseph intuited.
‘Detection doesn't work, and on top of that, he broke through my swordsmanship in an instant……!’
That was an opponent he couldn't beat.
Continuing the fight against such a thing was impossible.
Joseph finally made a decision.
To flee.
He pressed the button of a small mechanical device attached to his chest.
Ki-ing—
Then a wavelength spreading from the machine wrapped around his body.
This is a barrier generator.
Because the sharpness of the sword drops drastically while the barrier is on, he rarely uses it usually.
But in a situation like now, it couldn't be helped.
Like that, with the barrier turned on, Joseph began to flee.
“Heo-eok, heo-eok……!”
Holding his bleeding leg, he ran limping.
In fact, the best action he should have taken here was to request support by phone.
But his head was so pickled in despair that he couldn't even think of such a thought.
While Joseph was fleeing like that.
Gong Jae-byeok was tracking Joseph while maintaining invisibility.
‘He turned on a barrier.’
In that state, attacking is useless.
But Gong Jae-byeok knew.
That that barrier wouldn't last long.
The barrier generator Joseph equipped had good performance, but due to battery issues,
the duration was severely short.
If kept on continuously, about 5 minutes would be the limit.
When that time passes and the barrier turns off……
‘I kill him then.’
Gong Jae-byeok had to kill Joseph.
There wasn't much reason.
He just wanted to kill anyone who used a longsword.
Because that guy who caught Gong Jae-byeok himself long ago and put him in Mugan also used a sword.
‘Lancelot Powell…….’
The monster who turned invisible Gong Jae-byeok into a blood clot with a single sword.
Gong Jae-byeok still often dreamed of that time.
The face of the Sword Saint looking down at him with an expressionless face.
After having nightmares several times like that, Gong Jae-byeok resolved.
If he deals with a guy holding a sword in the future, he will kill him unconditionally.
Gong Jae-byeok did not consider this a crime.
He just considered it part of a hard therapy to alleviate his PTSD.
So he persistently chased the fleeing Joseph.
And a moment later.
Paseuseu—
The moment Joseph's barrier finally turned off.
Gong Jae-byeok thrust a knife into Joseph's back.
Puk.
This time it stuck properly.
A bright smile brushed Gong Jae-byeok's face.
Just as he twisted the blade to finish completely.
“Hey Gong Jae-byeok!”
From behind his back, someone called his name.
Gong Jae-byeok doubted his ears.
‘How does he know my name while I’m invisible……?’
Gong Jae-byeok turned around and saw the guy who called his name.
A man with a thin build and long black hair tied back.
It was Riman.
‘What is that bastard?!’
Of course, it was an unknown face to Gong Jae-byeok.
Therefore, confusion raged in Gong Jae-byeok's head.
How can he call the name of an opponent he can't even see?
‘…Don’t tell me he can see me?’
There had never been such a case so far.
But there was no rule that there couldn't be a person with such an ability at all.
Since the world is fucking wide.
Gong Jae-byeok slowly stood up from his seat.
Leaving the knife stuck in Joseph as it was, he pulled out a new dagger.
‘I must be cautious.’
Perhaps even assuming escape.
So absolutely not letting guard down, calming the mind, and dealing with that guy with caution upon caution.
1 second after deciding so.
A single phrase flowing from Riman's mouth shook Gong Jae-byeok's mentality.
“Do you still peek into others’ restrooms these days?”