CHAPTER 132 — The Severed Head**
A crowd of people poured out of the plane that had arrived at the airport. Normally, it would have been filled with wealthy tourists on family vacations, but today, the atmosphere was different.

Their nationalities, races, and attire were all varied. Every one of them carried an uncommon presence. They were Hunters from all over the world—specifically, the S-class Hunters who were the core fighting force of each nation.

"We have a message from back home. The agreement is stalled."

"You mean the one about not monopolizing Lin Shenlin's power?"

"With so many eyes watching, no one is openly refusing. But many are avoiding a decision, making all sorts of excuses."

As the possibility that the restoration of the Black Land was linked to Lin Shenlin grew, a proposal was put forward: his power should not be monopolized but used as a common asset for all of humanity.

It was a logical proposal, but this logical proposal was not passing easily.

The majority of the weaker cities had banded together to form a consensus, but a few were not on board.
The cities that possessed powerful Hunters confident in their ability to capture Lin Shenlin. And Hong Kong, which could be called the home ground for this incident.

Their international influence was as strong as their power, and they were brushing aside the opinions of the weaker cities. Fortunately, the latter group had the advantage of numbers and was managing to keep the conference going, but the powerful nations, including Hong Kong, were dragging their feet with various excuses.

Their strategy was to buy time and observe the situation. If their own Hunters succeeded in securing Lin Shenlin, they would remain silent. If they failed, they would shamelessly pivot and jump on the weaker cities' proposal.

It was a cowardly and cunning strategy, but it was their strategy for survival. In the end, international politics always reverted to extreme egoism.

"We have to secure him first, no matter what."

"Fortunately, Lin Shenlin is still on the run and hasn't been caught."

And so, countless S-class Hunters were gathering one by one in Hong Kong. The scale was incomparable to the Ireland incident.

"They say Lin Shenlin has a spirit with him that's never been seen before."

"That spirit seems to be the one pushing back the Black Land. It's best to secure Lin Shenlin himself if possible, but if not, the spirit will have to do."

"A spirit... a spirit of light, perhaps?"

Lin Shenlin, or the spirit of light attached to him.

To secure this unprecedented treasure that had appeared on Earth, all the world's powers were gathering.

'A corpse.'

Jinwoo discovered a body. It was a large man in military fatigues, his short blond hair soaked in blood.

The corpse itself wasn't surprising. This was that kind of place—far from the city and teeming with monsters, a place fraught with danger. There had been plenty of injuries until now, and this wasn't the first death.

But the body he found this time was different. It hadn't been killed by a monster, but by a person. And in a location completely different from Lin Shenlin's escape route.

'They've started fighting.'

When they were only investigating, things like this didn't happen. There might have been wars of nerves, but no reason to draw blades.

But a treasure had appeared. A precious one, the only one of its kind in the world. A treasure that could open up a new world for whoever possessed it, and even make them the ruler of a new era.

Fighting was inevitable. This place was already far from a site for friendly joint investigation and research. It had become an arena where the great powers vied for supremacy.

'I need to be careful, too.'

He had no intention of being taken down easily, but on a chaotic battlefield, you never knew what might happen. A missile could fall on his head at any moment.

He had blocked Jerakson's breath, but that was because he was a divine being with a soul. He didn't know if he could block a soulless missile in the same way. He'd never been hit by one, so he couldn't even gauge it.

'The traces aren't light.'

The corpse bore the marks of a fierce battle. It wasn't just the body; the surroundings were the same. Judging by the gouged and scraped earth, the combatants were at least high A-class. Maybe even S-class.

He saw such traces several times. And just as often, there were corpses. Even without looking for them, the clash of swords and the explosion of magic could be heard from all directions.

The atmosphere was grim. Jinwoo avoided the fighting and continued his pursuit. However, picking out Lin Shenlin's tracks from amidst the violent traces was no easy task.

No, they were being intentionally erased. It was either a hidden ability of Lin Shenlin's or the Lord of Light was concealing him. Since he couldn't be found after all this searching, the latter was more likely.

'Concealing him, huh.'

What was the Lord of Light trying to accomplish using Lin Shenlin as bait? To weaken Earth's Hunters by making them fight each other? She didn't seem the type to use such a petty method...

Drip.

'Is that rain?'

A droplet fell. The drizzle that began with one or two drops soon turned into a downpour.

In this kind of rain, most tracks would be washed away. Footprints would be blurred, broken leaves crushed, and all scents washed clean.

There were still ways to track him, but it would certainly be more difficult than before.

As he was thinking this, a change came over the corpses touched by the rain.

'Are they melting?'

The uncollected bodies dissolved in the rainwater and seeped into the ground. The water, mixed with the remains of the corpses, gathered underground and ignited a flame.

'A Black Flame!'

How, with a body that had lost its soul? Could it be that it used the body as a medium to recapture the departed soul?

Whatever it was, he couldn't just leave it be. Jinwoo raised his sword to stab the Black Flame forming in the ground but stopped short.

The Black Flame was being drawn toward a certain location, as if sucked in. There was more than one body, so there were just as many flames. All of them were being pulled toward a single point.

The dark clouds parted, and the moon was revealed. A single ray of moonlight descended, casting a thin beam of light upon the rain-soaked ground.

'Nothing's changed since the 3rd Floor.'

Jinwoo clicked his tongue softly and headed toward the place where the Black Flames were gathering.

Muryeon was pursuing Lin Shenlin faster than anyone else. They also held strong influence over the Hong Kong Hunters who had joined later. Muryeon's Jang Rye was a man who had mastered the art of killing his enemies.

As a result, Jang Rye and the Muryeon Hunters found Lin Shenlin before anyone else. They followed non-existent tracks and forged new methods to surround him.

"Lin Shenlin. Accept our protection quietly. We'll ensure you're well-treated."

Lin Shenlin was circulating his ki. Even in this situation, his ears would still be open. Jang Rye waited a moment before speaking again.

"You may or may not know this, but Hunters from all over the world are after you. If you want to live like a human being, you'd better come along quietly. If you get dragged off to a place like New York or Moscow, you might never see the sun again, you know?"

In truth, his fate would be similar even if he were captured by Muryeon. In fact, with the Qi Deviation issue and personal grudges added to the mix, his treatment would be even worse. Lin Shenlin had crushed so many Hunters from Muryeon and its subordinate guilds over the years.

Seeing the silent Lin Shenlin, Jang Rye snorted as if he'd expected as much. No more words were needed. They would speak with their swords.

Just then, Lin Shenlin's eyes opened. His pupils were not visible; even the whites of his eyes were glowing with a golden light, making him look inhuman. As Jang Rye and the other Hunters were slightly taken aback, his mouth opened for the first time.

[It's good that so many have taken the bait... but the one I truly want isn't here.]

It wasn't Lin Shenlin's voice. It wasn't even a man's voice, let alone a human's. The voice of an unknown woman flowed from Lin Shenlin's lips.

"...Who are you?"

[I am not one who is worthy of giving a name. Please understand.]

Jang Rye's eye twitched unpleasantly. It sounded like a self-deprecating remark, but it wasn't. When she said she was "not one who is worthy of giving a name," she was referring to Jang Rye. It meant she had no name to give to the likes of him.

"You picked up a strange spirit I've never seen before, and it seems to have devoured your consciousness! Did the real Lin Shenlin already die from Qi Deviation?"

Jang Rye closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword. A blue blade shot up like a snake, aiming for Lin Shenlin's neck.

He didn't think this would be enough to kill him. It was a light probe, a signal to announce the start of the battle. Even so, it was sharp enough that a moment's carelessness would cost him his head. A casual strike from an S-class Hunter carried that much power.

Lin Shenlin caught the blade with his bare hand. Or rather, the Lord of Light who possessed Lin Shenlin's body did.

"What?"

An expression of bewilderment, something rarely seen on his face, crossed Jang Rye's features. He had expected it to be blocked, but not like this. He thought Lin Shenlin would at least draw his own sword.

The next moment, as he had expected, a sword was drawn—and it sliced through Jang Rye's neck.

A strange silence spread amidst the noisy downpour. Jang Rye's head fell with a wet splat. It was an excessively anticlimactic death for an S-class Hunter who commanded a guild.

"Master Jang!"

"Ugh, uwaaaaaaah!"

Only panic remained for the Muryeon Hunters. Some, blinded by vengeance, lost their reason and charged to their deaths. Others, seized by fear, tried to flee, only to be stabbed in the back and killed. Their quick judgment was commendable, but it wasn't enough to evade Lin Shenlin's sword.

What remained was a massacre. After severing Jang Rye's head, he cut down all the remaining Muryeon Hunters.

The corpses of the dead were absorbed into the earth along with the rainwater, giving rise to Black Flames. The flames traveled through the ground and were absorbed by Lin Shenlin.

[Ahhh........]

A voice filled with ecstasy was heard. There was no one left to hear it, but Lin Shenlin was conducting a ritual alone in the downpour.

The light in his eyes grew stronger, and the Black Flame in his chest grew without end. Every time the flame of a strong Hunter like Jang Rye was absorbed, Lin Shenlin's flame increased in size.

The flame, which should have been a tiny speck within the body, grew large enough to envelop the flesh. As if that wasn't enough, it grew even larger, extending outside.

It meant that the spirit inhabiting the body was of a far higher class than Lin Shenlin's physical form.

Tak.

A small sound. Quieter than a single drop of water. Immediately after the sound, Lin Shenlin's neck was severed.

Jinwoo's sword, having appeared out of nowhere, had taken his head. But even with the head severed, the light in the eyes did not diminish.

[So you've come. It's been a while.]

The severed head spoke as if greeting an old friend. The size of the Black Flame, which had grown even larger than Lin Shenlin's body, was still the same. It was still growing, even now. It looked like an egg made of flame.