Chapter 64: I Should have said I trusted You [Regret]

-Kwaaaaaang-!

Choi Juwon and Song Minchul’s [Hellfire] collided with a tremendous roar.

In that instant, Song Minchul was certain.

‘I… I won.’

He thought Choi Juwon was exhausted after fighting dozens of mages. Therefore, Song Minchul predicted that Choi Juwon would be defeated by the spell he had poured his heart and soul into.

-Hooooooong

But his prediction was completely wrong. Choi Juwon’s Hellfire pierced right through Song Minchul’s magic.

“N… No way!”

Normally, when two spells of the same type collided, they would cancel each other out. Although the power of a spell was determined by the difference in skill, Song Minchul was an A-rank mage, and among the upper-middle tier at that. He hadn’t considered that his spell would be inferior to Choi Juwon’s, especially after he had fought so many mages.

‘S-rank…’

Choi Juwon was exhausted from the previous battles. Even in that state, if he could completely overwhelm him with the same spell, there was only one possibility. S-rank. A mage who had reached a legendary level.

“Ah…?”

Song Minchul stared blankly, unable to even think of dodging. To Song Minchul’s eyes, the Hellfire cast by Choi Juwon was approaching with a brilliant glow.

-Fwoosh

The spell, emitting an intensely hot aura, rushed straight towards him. It was truly a work of art.

Song Minchul instinctively acknowledged that this was an opponent he could never defeat. Even if they fought hundreds of times, he wouldn’t even be able to touch the tip of his toes.

-Crack

-Drip

He bit his tongue, creating a wound, to regain his senses.

‘Don’t be weak. There’s no way he’s an S-rank mage. He must have used some kind of Artifact.’

Song Minchul denied it. He tried to avert his eyes from Choi Juwon’s magical prowess. He knew that denying the reality before him was meaningless. But he had no choice. If Choi Juwon was truly an S-rank mage, everyone here would die, including himself.

-Hooooooong

Choi Juwon’s Hellfire reached Song Minchul. With only the will to survive, he gathered all the Mana in his body, pushing it to its limits. His life might be in danger, but that was not something to consider now. If he were hit directly by Hellfire, his entire body would turn to ashes.

“Kuaaaaaaaak-!”

[Ice Wall]

As Song Minchul chanted, a wall of ice formed. But it wasn’t enough.

[Ice Wall-!]

He used his own life force to cast the spell again.

-Drip

Casting multiple spells in a short time put a tremendous strain on his body. But Song Minchul didn’t stop.

[Ice Wall]

Three massive walls of ice. High-level magic cast at the cost of his life force.

Ice walls were strong against fire magic. Moreover, this was a spell cast by force, using his own life force.

“Kuaaaaaaaak-!”

Pain surged through Song Minchul’s entire body. But it didn’t matter. He could block this one spell. He could prolong his life with this spell.

Choi Juwon’s Hellfire struck Song Minchul’s ice walls.

-Kwaaaaaang-!

The first wall shattered.

-Kwaaaaaang-!

The second wall shattered. But the spell’s momentum didn’t diminish.

-Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang-!

The third and final wall shattered with a deafening explosion.

“N… No…”

Song Minchul stared blankly as each wall crumbled. When the last wall broke, he lost his mind and used his final resort.

[Reverse Teleport]

Normally, Teleport allowed one to instantly move to a specific location. But ‘Reverse Teleport’ swapped the caster’s position with someone else. It could only be used on those linked through Mana.

Song Minchul swapped places with his own guild members. As the leader of W, he was naturally linked with his guild members through Mana.

-Whoosh

Dozens of his comrades were instantly swapped with Song Minchul. Unprepared for the S-rank spell, the guild members who took the direct hit of Hellfire were instantly and severely injured.

“Kuaaaaaaaak!”

“Uwaaaaaaaak~!”

“S… Spare me~!”

“I… It’s hot… Please, spare me!”

Normally, a direct hit from Choi Juwon’s Hellfire should have melted the entire body. But after colliding with Song Minchul’s Hellfire and then crashing into three ice barriers cast with his life force, its power had diminished considerably.

However, this only made their suffering more excruciating. They were experiencing the agony of their entire bodies burning in real-time. It might have been less painful to die instantly.

“Uwaaaaaak-!”

“Please! Please spare me-!”

Those with their bodies on fire rolled on the ground, screaming, unable to even think of extinguishing the flames. Their screams gradually faded, along with their movements.

-Crackle

-Crackle

The sound of burning wood filled the air.

-Gulp

Some of the survivors swallowed hard as they watched their dying comrades, while most were paralyzed with fear.

What was most surprising was the reaction of the majority.

“Song Minchul… You
bastard…!”

They began to blame Song Minchul, not Choi Juwon, who had cast the spell.

“How… How could you do that? We’re comrades. You killed dozens of your own men just to save your own skin. Do you think this is acceptable?”

The vice-leader of W, Min Hwayeon, shouted. She stared blankly at her burning comrades and then glared at Song Minchul with resentment.

“You
bastard. I’ve overlooked all your dirty deeds. To survive in this
world, one has to do underhanded things. I’ve endured all your
actions for my own sake.”

Watching from afar, Choi Juwon thought with interest,

‘A mutiny? Well, it’s not surprising. Such a despicable act is unforgivable. What a selfish bastard. I knew he was trash, but I never imagined he’d use Reverse Teleport like that.’

Honestly, it would be strange if a mutiny didn’t occur. [Reverse Teleport] was a spell that swapped positions with another person, requiring much more precise control than regular Teleport. But Song Minchul, in his desperation to survive, had cast the spell hastily and without proper control. As a result, instead of just one or two people, dozens were simultaneously swapped with him.

Song Minchul couldn’t have been unaware of this. Yet he still did it, to save himself. If he had been unlucky, it could have been over a hundred people burning to death in the Hellfire instead of dozens.

Min Hwayeon cried,

“You
bastard. You don’t deserve to be a guild leader.”

Then, she ripped off the [W] badge from her chest.

-Rip

She stomped on the badge that fell to the ground and shouted to the other guild members,

“I’m leaving the W from this day forward. If anyone agrees with me, tear off your badge.”

At her words, the guild members around her, who had been watching the situation, ripped off their badges and threw them to the ground.

-Rip

Song Minchul, flustered, stepped back and said,

“Wh… What are you all doing? It was an unavoidable situation. Are you saying I should have just died instead?”

But his words only added fuel to the fire.

[Lightning Storm]

-Fzzzzzzzzt

“Kuaaaaaaaak-!”

Min Hwayeon’s spell hit Song Minchul directly. He was in no condition to cast spells, so he was defenseless.

-Kwaaaaaang-!

-Craaaash!

Countless other spells followed. The surrounding guild members also attacked Song Minchul.

“S… Spare me… Pl… Please…”

Covered in blood, Song Minchul trembled and mumbled.

Seeing this, Choi Juwon thought,

‘A fitting end.’

It seemed like a fitting end for someone who had lived a pathetic life, caring only for himself.

-Step

-Step

-Step

Choi Juwon began to walk towards Song Minchul. The surrounding people, as if on cue, all stopped casting their spells.

“You’re a mess.”

He looked down at the blood-soaked Song Minchul and said,

“Do you want to live?”

Song Minchul, unable to speak properly, coughed and said,

“Sp… cough… Sp… Spare me…”

-Thud!

Choi Juwon kicked Song Minchul and then walked towards him again.

“Ugh…”

The sudden impact made Song Minchul tremble in pain.

-Swoosh

Choi Juwon crouched down and looked at Song Minchul. He whispered quietly,

“Why did you have to act up? I told you to stop. You should have stopped when I was being nice.”

Choi Juwon looked coldly at Song Minchul’s face and said,

“You have no one on your side now. Even your daughter, Song Mina, is just watching from afar. You have nothing left. Can you see? The cold stares of these people.”

Choi Juwon tapped his foot and said,

“You told me, right? Beg for your life like a dog, and I might spare you. I’ll say the same to you. Beg like a dog, and maybe I’ll change my mind.”

-Crawl

-Crawl

Song Minchul dragged himself on the ground towards Choi Juwon’s feet. Then, he licked his foot and begged for his life.

“I… I’ll do… any… anything… if you spare…”

Choi Juwon cut him off and whispered,

“Remember what you said? That you’d make me live like a cripple for the rest of my life?”

-You pathetic
. Go ahead and rot in your room for the rest of your life. When President Baek Jooseok is found guilty and your charges are cleared, I’ll create new ones and send you back to hell. I’ll make sure you live like a cripple forever. I’ve already received a hefty advance payment from President Baek Jooseok to torment you, so I’ll make your life a living hell until you die.

Song Minchul remembered what he had said during the phone call. He started to feel chills all over his body.

“Sp… Spare…”

Instinctively begging for his life, Song Minchul felt Choi Juwon’s hand on his chest, near his heart.

“I’ll spare your life. But you’ll have to live as a cripple from now on.”

-Hooooooong

With a tremendous surge of Mana, Choi Juwon’s Mana flowed into Song Minchul’s Circle.

“Kuaaaaaaaak! Kuaaaaaaaak!”

Song Minchul tried to resist, but his body was as if fixed in place, unable to move.

“Uwaaaaaaaak-! Please! Kuaaaaaaaak-!”

Song Minchul’s horrifying screams continued. He screamed in a fit of madness,

“J… Ju… Just kill me… Plea…”

-Crack

A chilling sound echoed through the area. Song Minchul’s Mana Circle had been completely destroyed.

“You won’t be able to use magic from now on. Live the rest of your life as a weakling. Feel the same pain you inflicted on those you trampled.”

-Thud

Song Minchul had used his insignificant power to trample countless others and rise to the top. Now that he had lost his power, he would become the target of many. He would have to live in fear and helplessness for the rest of his life.

Choi Juwon had completely crushed the W. Song Mina watched him with an empty expression.

She shed tears and murmured,

‘If I had known he was this strong… I wouldn’t have cared about my father…’

‘I could have proudly said that I… believed in you…’