Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 170

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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170. Temple of Slaughter (5)
“Hmmm….”
The Butcher’s peculiarity lay in his absolute silence—not a single word escaped his lips. Those crimson eyes betrayed a mind long shattered, yet….
He didn’t even emit a battle cry when exerting force. It was chilling in its own way.
All that emerged was an unsettling, perverted breathing. What made it truly terrifying was how his movements remained razor-sharp despite everything.
Standing 2 meters and 20 centimeters tall, his entire frame rippling with massive musculature, yet….
Whoosh—!
He wielded a colossal greatsword measuring 170 centimeters—faster than Han Hye herself.
When the blade cut through the air, it didn’t produce a mere whistle but rather the sound of atmosphere rupturing.
—Clang!
Even Kim Han-chul, blocking with the Vault of Atrocities, grimaced from the pain radiating through his hands and arms as he was driven backward.
Watching Han Hye get pushed back, I’d thought he was strong, but he exceeded my imagination.
Of course, Han Hye wasn’t one to stand idle. She exploited the opening Kim Han-chul created, targeting his back. She hadn’t used Leap yet.
She swung the Heavenly Piercer, wreathing it in Incineration.
“….”
But the strike didn’t land. The Butcher reacted with blinding speed, deflecting the attack with his greatsword without any real effort.
Though Han Hye had initiated the attack, she was the one driven back.
“This mindless bastard….”
Han Hye let out a hollow laugh. The more we fought, the more astounding he became.
Han Hye’s total stat allocation was on par with a capable vanguard. Having distributed them evenly, while she might lag behind warriors in raw strength and agility, the gap wasn’t insurmountable.
The disparity with The Butcher, however, was stark. He wasn’t designed to be captured, so it was inevitable, but the difference was substantial.
Yet it didn’t matter. Han Hye’s objective wasn’t direct damage.
‘I didn’t activate Incineration for nothing.’
Just as I’d intended to damage Liu Zhen’s blade, The Butcher’s greatsword—which had clashed with the Heavenly Piercer wreathed in Incineration—was now slightly melted.
If this continued, that blade would eventually become unusable.
So Kim Han-chul held the line while Han Hye continued her assault with the Incineration-infused Heavenly Piercer. The physical toll mounting on both of them was accumulating, yet doubt never surfaced.
Eventually, The Butcher’s already-chipped greatsword would shatter first.
“….”
But the situation didn’t unfold as predicted.
The Butcher sensed something amiss and glanced down at his own blade. Then he smiled—a grotesque, twisted smile.
“Hmmm….”
Exhaling, he brought the greatsword to his own chest.
“What the——?”
Han Hye froze. The Butcher had just slashed his own chest with the greatsword. It was incomprehensible, yet purposeful.
The greatsword, now drenched in The Butcher’s blood, automatically restored itself. More than that—it looked pristine, even better than when we first encountered it.
“The blade repairs itself with blood?”
“But it didn’t do that at first….”
“Since there’s divinity involved, it might only work with his own blood.”
That was the moment Han Hye’s first strategy crumbled. The Butcher gathered the blood flowing from his chest with his left hand and smeared it across his face.
His face, now caked in blood with his eyes closed, looked grotesque. In that instant, an explosive surge of divinity erupted.
-Be careful!
Han Hye could read the situation. Just as the Apostle she’d encountered in Arachne’s Labyrinth had amplified her power with divine energy….
The Butcher was now actively channeling divine power.
‘Phase 2 just because I tried to break his sword?’
Han Hye found it utterly absurd. Normally, didn’t enemies only awaken and transition to phase 2 after suffering fatal damage?
He was suddenly drawing on his power just because his blade had taken a few scratches….
“The blood of faith shall be replenished with the blood of the faithless….”
And The Butcher, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
Han Hye grasped the situation immediately.
“This bastard—he gets stronger every time he bleeds.”
A true fanatic of the God of Slaughter, one might say. He was already formidable, and the situation was deteriorating rapidly.
The only silver lining was that The Butcher was relatively straightforward.
He focused solely on Han Hye and Kim Han-chul, who carried the Vault of Carnage, paying little attention to those in the rear.
Though Seo Min-jae was casting spells, The Butcher seemed to ignore them, likely because divine energy could defend against magic.
* * *
“Ugh.”
I seized the opening Han Chul created as he was driven back over two meters, but I nearly had to take flight myself.
Despite doing relatively little, the situation had turned to hell. Still, I was holding my own reasonably well.
-Boom!
Attacks too difficult to block, I deflected with Subspace, while slipping through strikes and searching for an opening.
What surprised me slightly was that even when I struck the Subspace—which granted physical immunity—with full force, he didn’t even furrow his brow.
Whether he couldn’t feel pain, or whether his body recovered instantly through that strange power whenever it took impact, I couldn’t tell.
But it wasn’t as though the damage was entirely nonexistent.
“….”
Still, he wasn’t a fool. When I repeatedly blocked with Subspace, he halted his blade just before striking.
For now, I was at an impasse….
“Let’s give it a shot anyway.”
Surrender was premature. Opportunities to fight a true powerhouse at full strength weren’t common.
I wanted to push as far as I could. If I waited, an opening might present itself.
-The blood of faith shall be replenished with the blood of the faithless.
Chun-bae’s advice had been invaluable.
-That statement ultimately means he can’t maintain that power indefinitely. Since he’s being driven by the God of Slaughter’s strength, he must defeat Han Hye and her group within that time limit.
He was right. The Butcher’s single utterance—his first and last—must carry considerable significance.
Moreover, we had the Vault of Carnage.
“Han Chul! Use it if things look good later!”
“Yes! It’s not ready yet!”
Han Chul’s expression as he answered wasn’t encouraging either. His contorted face spoke volumes about the strain on his body.
Still, in this battle, Han Chul was demonstrating his true worth.
His value as a vanguard.
As a First Guard, he excelled at rear protection, but this—this was the true form of a vanguard.
—Crash!
That’s how ordinary hunters operate. Two warriors, one mage and one healer enter, leaving the fifth slot flexible.
Whether a rogue or damage dealers like Shin Chang and Seo Seung-yeon. If this were a game, you’d call it the DPS position.
One of the two warriors falls back while the other protects the entire party.
Just like Han Chul now—drawing the attention of powerful enemies and enduring steadfastly.
‘I made the right choice bringing him.’
We were fighting in a place with far higher difficulty, but one thing was certain: Han Chul was the best choice.
The Elixir wasn’t wasted at all. Even if a situation like this came again someday, I had nothing to worry about thanks to Han Chul.
Beyond stats, his ‘defensive technique’ was exceptional. There was the difference between sword and shield, and my experience was objectively lacking, but.
Watching Han Chul defend so skillfully filled me with reassurance.
‘I should learn from Han Chul sometime.’
I had the Empire’s basic swordsmanship, but it was E-rank. Han Chul’s sword defense included techniques for deflecting with the blade.
I thought it wouldn’t be bad to find time and learn from him someday.
“Ignite!”
Separately, Min-jae’s magic wasn’t immediately helpful. The Butcher’s speed was too fast, and we were fighting at close range.
There was collateral damage affecting us. The Butcher intercepted precise spells with his body and divine power.
“…Grant us your protection!”
Lee Shin-hee was struggling at least. She was chanting healing spells more than in any Gate before this.
Even when blade clashed against blade, my hands and arms bore the strain, and wounds were inevitable.
—Whoosh!
The greatsword that seemed to tear the air itself left skin splitting with even a glancing blow.
Without Lee Shin-hee continuously chanting healing spells, I probably would have considered giving up.
I’d deliberately told Yong-yong and Chul-gi to stay back. They were too strong an opponent. If they accidentally drew aggro, it would become a headache.
The space was also too cramped for the Dragon Knight to be effective.
—Clang!
As I continued fighting, they say humans are creatures of adaptation, don’t they?
The Butcher’s strength and speed were more powerful than imagination, but as I kept responding, I grew somewhat accustomed to it.
When I first grew stronger, I was barely managing to block attacks with the Subspace, but now I could actually defend with my sword.
Scrape— I even succeeded in counterattacking. After focusing solely on defense, once my eyes adjusted, I managed a successful counterattack after defending.
“…”
But it wasn’t a deep wound. Just a light flow of blood on my forearm.
However, The Butcher seemed amused by the situation and grinned wickedly. He licked the blood flowing down his left forearm with his tongue.
‘How disgusting.’
The moment I thought that, light flashed in his eyes. And his muscles exploded upward explosively.
The instant I was certain I’d touched something I shouldn’t have, a blade was before my eyes.
—Crash!
—Clang!
Explosive attacks rained down consecutively.
“I’m here!”
Han Chul rushed in desperately, but The Butcher’s gaze remained fixed on me. It was too close to even unfold the Subspace.
I couldn’t use Leap—I wanted to keep it in reserve.
-Crack!
That’s when the problem occurred.
I hadn’t realized it at the time, but the Heavenly Blade had accumulated steady damage. Or perhaps his genuine attack was simply different in nature.
Either way, the Heavenly Blade that had been blocking the greatsword shattered.
It was a B-rank blade. Since I’d never imagined the sword would break, my reaction came too late.
Han Chul probably would’ve done the same. If I’d been completely unable to respond, I would’ve used First Guard.
I saw Han Chul’s eyes widen in shock. He reached out, but it was too late.
-Thud!
I hastily activated Swiftness. The world slowed slightly as I pushed off the ground and retreated backward. But The Butcher’s greatsword was grotesquely long.
It meant the blade had pierced straight through my abdomen.
The Protective Amulet activated, but it couldn’t stop it.
* * *
To be precise, it was my left flank. Given how massive the greatsword was, it had essentially run through my entire belly.
Perhaps due to the adrenaline of combat, I felt no immediate pain, but the sensation of the blade inside my body was vivid.
How did I know? Because that greatsword was drinking my blood. My blood was draining through the blade that had pierced my abdomen.
“Hye!”
“Han Hye!”
The guild members’ screams reached my ears, but all I could see was The Butcher’s perverted smile.
I drove the shattered Heavenly Blade into him. It barely reached his right shoulder blade.
‘Split…!’
I poured every ounce of concentration and mana into Severance.
-Crack!
Centered on the tip of the shattered Heavenly Blade, space split into six directions. His arm had turned to pulp.
It had become an unintended strategy of giving flesh to take bone. Or had I given bone to take flesh?
Either way, thanks to that, I could pull the greatsword from my body. Of course, my condition wasn’t normal either.
Light shimmered over my bleeding abdomen. It was Lee Shin-hee’s healing spell.
The torn abdomen knitted together, flesh reattaching. But only the surface—the inside was a complete mess.
Healing spells were only a temporary measure, after all.
‘Wow.’
Though this wasn’t the time for it, I found myself marveling at the Gate’s difficulty. Had I ever been wounded this badly before?
I’d suffered minor wounds in chaotic battles, but this was my first critical injury.
Even when my level was low, or when four Grendels suddenly appeared, I hadn’t been hurt this badly.
The Ogre was no different either.
‘Insane monster bastard.’
What was absurd was that The Butcher, whose arm had turned to pulp from my all-out Severance….
Was immediately regenerating through my blood flowing down the greatsword.
“Look at me!”
Han Chul rushed forward in my place and raised his shield in front of me. I tried to get up, but couldn’t manage it.
In that brief moment, it felt like my blood had been sucked away like a fountain.
Han Hye, you need to enter the Subspace.
Chun-bae’s voice barely reached my ears. I could see The Butcher’s burly back and Han Chul standing before him.
“Just a moment….”
“Go ahead.”
Han Chul nodded, acknowledging my words.
“It will only be a brief moment anyway.”
Right. Time doesn’t flow inside the Subspace.
I opened the Subspace.
‘A solution….’
-First, heal yourself.
Chun-bae was right. I could find a solution once I had time to think inside the Subspace.
I had never failed to find an answer within it before.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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