Jeju Raid (4)

Jinwoo and Po materialized within the cavern in a swirl of shadows and light, their arrival a stark contrast to the battered and bloodied state of Korea's strongest Hunters. The overwhelming stench of death and mana filled the air, thick and suffocating, yet the duo stepped forward as if it were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

Jinwoo surveyed the battlefield with a calm smirk. "Well, this is quite a sight. Korea's pride and joy, huh?"

Baek Yoonho, panting as he leaned against a rock, snapped at them, frustration evident in his tone. "Quit joking around! This is serious!"

Po crouched beside the unconscious Cha Hae-In, inspecting her condition. "Oh, it's serious, alright. You could even say it's…" He glanced at Jinwoo with a mischievous grin.

Jinwoo groaned, already anticipating it. "Don't."

"Dead Sirius."

A moment of silence.

Baek facepalmed. Choi Jong-In let out a dry chuckle before wincing from his wounds. Even in pain, the pun still hit.

Ignoring the reactions, Po placed his palm over Hae-In's chest, infusing her body with healing magic. A soft glow enveloped her, the warmth of mana seeping into her wounds. Her eyes fluttered open, and she inhaled sharply, gripping Po's wrist on instinct.

"You okay?" Po asked.

She stared at him, still dazed. The last thing she remembered was the Ant King moving at speeds she couldn't react to—and now, Po was the first thing she saw. She wasn't sure if she was still hallucinating, but damn… he looked good.

"Y-Yeah, I just—" She cut herself off, shaking off the lingering dizziness.

Jinwoo, meanwhile, patched up Choi and Dongwook, stabilizing their conditions. Baek, despite being in better shape thanks to his beastly constitution, was completely drained of mana and stamina, unable to transform again. He sighed in frustration, watching Po and Jinwoo move like they hadn't just entered a battlefield filled with monsters.

Then, it arrived.

A towering black shadow loomed over the cavern entrance as the Ant King made its presence known. The aura it emitted was suffocating—dense, malicious, and layered with a primal hunger for destruction.

Its multifaceted crimson eyes flickered as it scanned the room before stopping at Po.

"You…" its guttural voice echoed through the cave. "Are you the King?"

Po smirked and turned to Jinwoo. "I'll leave you the shadow, but this bug seems to want to dance with me first."

Jinwoo scoffed, crossing his arms. "Fine. No fighting is good sometimes."

As the Ant King prepared to strike, Hae-In, now fully conscious, focused her gaze on Po. She knew she had a small thing for Jinwoo before, but now? Po had completely taken over her thoughts. He had this effortless charm, this teasing confidence that made him stand out in ways Jinwoo didn't. And the fact that he smirked at her right before engaging in battle?

Damn it. She was already down bad.

Her thoughts were shattered as Po's aura erupted, clashing against the Ant King's own with enough force to shake the cavern. The King vs. The King.

The first clash was a blur. The Ant King lunged forward, its monstrous appendages slicing through the air, but Po dodged with precise footwork, countering with a powerful Chi-infused palm strike that sent the Ant flying backward.

The cavern floor cracked beneath the force of the impact. The Ant screeched, recovering almost instantly, its body a blur as it zipped through the battlefield.

Po vanished just as the King struck again, reappearing above it.

"Too slow."

His foot descended like a meteor, crashing onto the Ant's head and driving it into the ground. Dust and debris exploded outward as the earth beneath them shattered.

The Ant retaliated immediately, twisting its body unnaturally and launching a flurry of razor-sharp slashes. Po weaved through them with perfect control, countering with a Chi shockwave that blew the monster backward once more.

The battle was an art form—every movement precise, every exchange an escalation of power. The Ant King had never encountered something like this before. It was afraid.

Po smirked. "Not so cocky now, huh?"

The Ant shrieked in frustration and unleashed a devastating mana blast, its power shaking the very foundations of the dungeon.

Po stood firm, his Chi condensed into his palm, then redirected the attack, sending it spiraling into the ceiling and causing massive chunks of rock to collapse. The Ant barely dodged in time before Po closed the distance instantly, delivering a devastating barrage of blows that sent the creature reeling.

Then, just as the Ant tried to recover—

"Tag out."

Jinwoo appeared beside him, their hands clapping together in a crisp, resounding echo that reverberated throughout the cavern.

Jinwoo grinned. "My turn."

The Ant, already wounded and on the back foot, barely had time to react before Jinwoo's dagger tore through its chest, and—

SLASH!

The Ant King's body collapsed, lifeless.

Silence.

Then—

"Arise."

Jinwoo's deep voice rippled through the cavern, and the moment the word was uttered, the stream cut off.

With the battle over, Po strode toward the camera and flashed a peace sign, the cheeky smirk never leaving his face.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned to Cha Hae-In.

"So," he said casually, "Dinner after the burial?"

Hae-In blinked. The sheer audacity of this man to flirt right now…

And yet, she found herself smiling.

"Only if you pick the place," she shot back.

Po chuckled. "Done."

Jinwoo, standing over the fallen Ant King, rolled his eyes. "Get a room, you two."

The Hunters finally breathed. The nightmare was over. Korea had won. And in the shadows, Jinwoo had gained his strongest summon yet.

AN: I appologize if you wanted to see shadow Byung-Gu or not, but I respect the Hunter's ideal of non-violence too much, so I let him rest even more than in the Manhwa or Anime.