Life Rebooted with Copy and Paste-Chapter 190. The Body

The hood was knocked back, revealing an old man’s face. Not just any old man, but the one the Lords, including Ushas, once called Father.

In truth, Kim Do-Joon had never clearly seen his face before. The memories that surfaced from his dreams, fragmented and fleeting, were always from the old man’s perspective.

And yet, he was absolutely certain the figure was that very man.

Boom—!

“Keugh!”

The old man swung his sword once more. Kim Do-Joon parried it well, but couldn’t fully block the shockwave that followed. Seizing the opportunity, the old man launched a flurry of strikes, each one carving the air with precision.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The compressed spirit energy in his sword surged relentlessly toward Kim Do-Joon from all directions.

Spirit energy...

Kim Do-Joon finally understood. He recognized the essence of this sword, reminiscent of Nereid, and the storm that had split Hylasa in two.

The old man had reclaimed Alcyone’s power. No wonder Alcyone had been reduced to a lifeless husk. To a Spirit King, such energy was his very essence—his soul itself.

Which means, if I defeat this old man and reclaim that power, Alcyone can come back to life.

Spirits could vanish, but they didn’t die. Alcyone wasn’t gone, but merely trapped in the old man’s body.

Anyway, I can’t believe that even his body holds abilities...

Kim Do-Joon pondered.

Then, with a heavy swing of his spear, he leaped back to create some distance. Yet, to his surprise, the old man didn’t pursue. He simply stood there, sword raised toward Kim Do-Joon.

“Ha...” Kim Do-Joon sighed.

Why...? Why is the old man in front of me and why is he helping Ushas and attacking me?

The answer to his question came quickly. The old man’s death had been orchestrated by his children, each trying to seize his strength and divine authority. However, unlike other siblings, Ushas settled for the old man’s corpse.

The reason lay in Ushas' abilities—necromancy. For a necromancer, the quality of the bodies they possessed determined their ultimate strength.

By that measure, the old man’s body was incomparable to anything, since it was a transcendent being’s physical vessel.

Even so...

Using his father's remains as a tool without hesitation spoke volumes about Ushas. He was like an onion, with layers of unspeakable truths peeled back one after another.

Well, it makes sense.

Kim Do-Joon thought about the fateful event that had driven a wedge between Ushas and his sibling, Laoha. Ushas desecrated their parents’ corpses, turning them into macabre playthings for his dark arts, earning him Laoha’s unbridled hatred.

Rumble—!

Suddenly, the ground beneath Kim Do-Joon gave way. As he stumbled, the old man surged forward. Kim Do-Joon raised his spear just in time to block the strike, but it rebounded violently due to the awkward angle, leaving him wide open.

The old man’s claw-like hand lunged for him like the jaws of a ravenous dragon. A chill ran down Kim Do-Joon’s spine.

The old man could drain his power entirely. With that realization, Kim Do-Joon instinctively reached out to seize the man’s wrist.

Their hands clashed, and a fierce tug-of-war began, each trying to overpower the other. The old man was the first to probe, seeking to extract Mel Sior’s divine authority. However, Kim Do-Joon thwarted the attempt by force.

In turn, Kim Do-Joon reached for Alcyone’s divine authority, but his opponent sealed it off just as firmly. Both sought to take and neither would yield.

Their clash of power reached a perfect stalemate, locked in equilibrium.

If only I had one more divine authority... Kim Do-Joon thought bitterly. One more divine authority could tip the balance in his favor.

However, lamenting wouldn’t change the situation. Bringing down the opponent with his own skills was the only option left.

Perhaps having the same idea, the old man swung his sword again. Kim Do-Joon instantly transformed his spear into a short polearm to parry.

Clang—! Clang! Clang!

The two engaged in a brutal melee, their free hands gripping each other tightly as they traded deadly blows with their weapons.

Boom—! Thud!

The aftermath of their duel began to collapse the surroundings. Every strike sent cracks through walls and brought down chunks of the ground.

The old man was faster and stronger than anyone Kim Do-Joon had faced. Following his movements with the naked eye was nearly impossible. Compared to this, his battles against Mel Sior or Ushas felt like child’s play.

And yet Kim Do-Joon’s eyes glinted and his spear ignited with blazing flames.

The old man wasn’t idle, either. His water blade churned violently, infused with wind, creating a vortex that threatened to submerge the entire underground arena.

Boom—!

Then, the old man shot upward at an angle, smashing through the layers of the crumbling ceiling. His battered form flew high into the air and crashed onto the surface.

Though his physical body was formidable, the power within it was limited to what Ushas had granted him. In a contest of raw strength, Kim Do-Joon had gained the upper hand.

However, it wasn’t over yet. Using the Sky Thunder skill, Kim Do-Joon leaped after him, ascending toward the surface to finish what had begun.

***

Babababam—!

Bang—! Boom! Babam—!

Thick clouds of acrid smoke filled the air as deafening explosions shook the heavens and earth. The city’s defensive artillery roared, their barrels all aimed at a singular, massive target.

Their target was a stone Giant, the Monstrous Lord Vango, the last of his kind.

Countless shells rained down on him, but whether they had any effect was doubtful. Vango simply stood there, enduring it all without so much as a flinch.

“What is that thing?!”

“Is it some kind of skill? Or is that a monster?”

The Hunters encircling the colossal figure exchanged uneasy glances. No one had ever seen anything like this. Skills that could transform someone into another creature did exist, but never this dramatic. No transformation strayed far from the user's original size or human-like form.

However, calling it a monster didn’t explain much either. Just moments ago, that Giant had been a man. Some high-level monsters in S-rank could speak human language, but a monster that could completely mimic a human form was unheard of.

President Son Chang-Il was no exception to this confusion. His hands trembled slightly, his eyes darting between the Giant and his team. However, unlike the others, Son Chang-Il had a way of handling uncertainty.

“Stop questioning and just attack, you idiots! We’ll figure it out after we take its damn head off!”

It wasn’t the time for hesitation. His barked orders were uncharacteristically harsh, but nobody cared. Snapping back to reality, the Hunters began to move.

The first to act were the Mage-class Hunters, capable of long-range assaults. Fireballs, ice spears, and bolts of lightning surged toward Vango. Thousands of bullets followed, their trails cutting through the chaos like streaks of light. Each spell and shot exploded against Vango with violent force.

Thud—!

Despite the attack, Vango swung his arm as if nothing had happened. For such a massive figure, he was astonishingly quick. Hunters within his range scattered in panic. Thankfully, they were all high-ranking professionals skilled at preserving their own lives.

—You pests...

The earth-shaking voice rumbled from above, dripping with disdain. It was Vango’s voice, thick with irritation as his tongue clicked in annoyance.

As a Giant, the comparison was not hyperbole but the plain truth. And it only made him angrier. There was nothing more infuriating than the constant, buzzing annoyance of insects he couldn't quite squash.

Boom—!

At that moment, Vango’s massive frame wavered suddenly.

—Gah!

He looked down to see his ankle severed, cleanly cut off.

Standing before him was an old “insect,” one who could be called a king among pests. The old man grinned as he swung his gleaming sword.

“Well, that cut quite nicely.”

—Ugh, you little...!

Bam—!

Vango slammed his fist down, but struck only Jecheon Seong’s afterimage—the old Hunter had sidestepped in an instant. Jecheon Seong had already moved to the Giant’s other ankle, where his blade flashed once again.

Swoosh—!

Thud—!

“You seem to be having trouble walking.” Jecheon Seong smirked.

The other ankle was severed, and Vango’s colossal form crashed to the ground once more. However, his limbs began regenerating almost immediately. Of course, Jecheon Seong was not planning to wait any second.

His sword began to glow red, flames licking the blade as a radiant, sun-like aura enveloped it. This was the ultimate of the Nine Yang Demon Art, a technique honed to perfection.

Swoosh—!

Leaping onto Vango’s knee, Jecheon Seong swung his sword in a powerful arc, just as he had when cutting through the Roots of the World Tree.

Vango reached out, his massive hand clawing for the Hunter, but it was his arm that fell next. His right shoulder was severed cleanly, the dismembered limb crashing to the ground with a deafening roar.

The next target was his left arm. No matter how quick Vango was, his size worked against him. His massive form presented too many vulnerable points, and wherever Jecheon Seong struck, the Giant’s flesh parted like tofu.

By the time Vango’s ankles had regenerated, both of his arms were gone.

—Gaaah—!

Vango’s eyes burned red with rage. This couldn’t be happening! How could he be overwhelmed by such an insignificant creature without divine authority or transcendent abilities?!

This is impossible!

His mind raced, and one thought came to him. Wasn’t Jecheon Seong close to Kim Do-Joon?

Then, his father must’ve given that old man something. That was the only possible explanation. After all, none of the insects below had even scratched him, their attacks bouncing off his impenetrable might.

“What did you get from him!” Vango bellowed, stalling for time as his arms began to regenerate. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

However, his ploy failed. Jecheon Seong was already dismantling his knees, his fiery sword reducing Vango piece by piece. All that was left for Vango was to shout in vain.

“Get something from him? Well well...”

Jecheon Seong tilted his head as if pondering. He did receive quite a lot from Kim Do-Joon. He had been brought to a new world, given shelter, clothes, meals, as well as a new family.

However, Jecheon Seong was not oblivious. He knew full well what Vango meant.

“I’ve taught him a few things,” he said dryly, “but I’ve never taken anything from him, you idiot.”

And with that, Jecheon Seong’s blazing sword slashed deeply across Vango’s chest, cutting through the Giant’s flesh with ruthless precision.