Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 108

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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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Episode 108.
Sky Mauler’s face twisted hideously.
―You dare address me so casually, Inferior Race?
The moment his perplexed voice rang out.
Ha Gyeong kicked off the ground and launched himself skyward.
Boom! Whoosh―!
Sky Mauler immediately twisted his body.
Breaking out of his hover.
He meant to dart away at that manic speed again.
But it didn’t come off as smoothly as he’d planned.
A wry smile played at the corner of Ha Gyeong’s mouth.
‘So the Bung Cheon Fist did have some effect after all.’
All he needed was the thinnest crack.
Unnerving his opponent by speaking Jeron’s name.
Then slipping inside to strike during that moment of confusion.
It was a real-world version of a chat rush.
The distance between Ha Gyeong and Sky Mauler collapsed drastically.
―Th-this damned―!
His loss of composure was painfully evident.
Ha Gyeong raised the Crimson Edge and struck upward.
Shriek―!
The Pure Infusion Soul Slash, wielded for the first time in ages.
Thanks to his 5-Stage Refining Ability, it now carried a power on an entirely different scale than before.
Yet it remained the weakest skill in Ha Gyeong’s arsenal.
‘In truth, it used to be his ultimate technique.’
It felt strange, remembering it.
Now he wielded skills far stronger than the Soul Slash.
The reminiscence lasted only a moment.
He advanced with precision, hunting for openings.
Sky Mauler flailed his limbs wildly.
It seemed like thrashing, but the reality was different.
He was cutting off Ha Gyeong’s attack angles.
While accounting for counterattacks—a flawless defense.
Clang-clang-clang!
The Soul Slash submerged beneath Sky Mauler’s onslaught.
The pale-white flash fading.
Ha Gyeong, caught in the shockwave, plummeted downward.
And Sky Mauler’s face twisted into a vicious grin.
―A little trick-merchant dares invoke the Marquess’s name? You’ve picked the wrong day, worm.
His entire frame began to glow a sickly blue.
Then he dove in at tremendous speed, hammering at Ha Gyeong relentlessly.
Whoosh―! Thud! Whoosh―! Crash!
Like a raven wheeling through the air, intercepting at will.
Ha Gyeong swung the Crimson Edge, defending as best he could.
He managed to avoid fatal blows.
But damage was accumulating steadily.
In mere seconds of falling to the ground.
Ha Gyeong took dozens of hits.
Then, at the critical threshold.
[Responsive Magical Armor Activated]
[Impact converts to magical power]
[Spirit Calling Cloak Activated]
[Pain immunity granted]
Whoosh!
Ha Gyeong’s entire body enveloped in crimson aura.
And in the same instant, he froze mid-air.
[Crosswind Activated]
[Two-stage re-jump now possible]
Click!
He’d controlled the recoil as if standing in empty space.
Though only briefly.
Ha Gyeong plummeted downward again.
But he’d gotten what he needed.
High speed makes turning difficult.
Whoosh―! Hum!
―Wh-what?
Sky Mauler’s attacks passed through empty air.
And Ha Gyeong’s counterattack began.
A blade wheeling toward the fleeing target.
Crimson flame erupted across Sky Mauler’s back.
Shriek! Clang!
―Ugh!
Shocked by the terrible impact.
Sky Mauler twisted his entire body.
Yet he didn’t cease his wing-beats.
He descended until nearly grazing the earth, then surged upward again.
It seemed Sky Mauler would regain the upper hand.
But the outcome differed slightly from expectations.
[Web Caster Activated]
[Launches net toward target]
Splash-splash-splash!
Sky Mauler, ascending, staggered.
Caught perfectly in violet mesh.
Ha Gyeong had been waiting for exactly this moment.
“A prize catch!”
Web Caster had a short cooldown, but couldn’t be spammed endlessly.
Once per combat, perhaps.
So Ha Gyeong had aimed for flawless timing.
Sky Mauler faltering.
That instant when he ascended from a low flight.
And this time was different from usual.
He’d fired the Resonance Rope alongside it, tangling the sticky force around both.
This allowed him to pull from the ground.
Ha Gyeong arched his body backward as if in a tug-of-war.
“Hraaaaah!”
Then Sky Mauler was dragged downward, inch by inch.
The Web Caster’s speed reduction and Ha Gyeong’s overwhelming strength.
No matter how swift, flight would be impossible.
As expected.
Sky Mauler slammed directly into the ground.
Ha Gyeong wrapped the Resonance Rope around his body as he approached.
This way, if his opponent tried to take flight, he could respond instantly.
Realizing escape was impossible.
Sky Mauler steadied his stance.
―I never imagined hand-to-hand combat with Inferior Races.
His eyes burned crimson-red.
Blue energy poured from his entire frame in torrents.
The materialized killing intent felt like claws ripping at his heart.
Yet Ha Gyeong’s expression remained serene.
‘I’m not forcing a poker face. Strangely enough, I feel nothing.’
When he’d first met a Jardor Empire noble.
Ha Gyeong had felt his breath catch.
The power those aristocrats wielded was truly immense.
But circumstances had changed dramatically now.
Ha Gyeong had consumed countless Ultimate Abyss Fragments and Heart Cores.
Now he was strong enough to slice an Empire marquess in two without hesitation.
He approached Sky Mauler, re-gripping the Crimson Edge.
[Challenger of the Abyss’s ‘Compression’ Authority heightens Abyss Energy density]
Hum―!
Transparent aura radiated from 5-Stage Refining Ability.
Even the Masters of the Four Major Guilds had reached this Realm.
But the power Ha Gyeong displayed surpassed theirs.
All thanks to the Compression Authority.
Ha Gyeong stopped at optimal distance.
Shriek―!
Sky Mauler’s fingernails grazed past his face.
An attack he’d been anticipating, whipping across.
One centimeter further and his head would have been torn away.
Ha Gyeong thrust the Crimson Edge lightly downward.
Squelch!
―Kgk?
A precisely targeted strike at a weakness.
The damage wasn’t severe, but his opponent was deeply startled.
Ha Gyeong’s attack had been far too exquisite.
“So you’re just like Rokan, then?”
―…Don’t insult the deceased, Inferior Race.
“Huh?”
It seemed the truth about Rokan’s betrayal hadn’t spread yet.
Then there was no need to reveal it now.
Ha Gyeong fell silent, focusing entirely on offense and defense.
‘I’ll use that later.’
The fight was going his way.
The Web Caster’s effects still lingered.
As he intensified his attacks, the advantage tipped further.
Ha Gyeong began grinding down Sky Mauler methodically.
Then, at some point, he unleashed his decisive move.
Screech―!
Unnoticed, a crimson blade pierced the empty air.
An attack after restraint had been all he’d shown.
The motion was wide, leaving openings.
But Sky Mauler was already drowning.
Ordinarily, victory would have been certain.
Had his opponent not had a trap in waiting.
Ha Gyeong’s blade was seized between Sky Mauler’s hands.
Now both could only trade kicks.
No real exchange of blows possible.
And whoever moved first would lose the advantage.
―Khahaha! You’ve fallen for it, you blundering fool!
Normally it would have been a battle of perception.
But Sky Mauler suddenly erupted in mad laughter.
Then came an unsettling sound.
Splurt!
Black blood gushed as something burst from his chest.
A tentacle-like appendage, suddenly materialized.
It lanced toward Ha Gyeong’s throat with killing intent.
The barbed tip at its end gleamed with sinister light.
Screech!
A moment of absolute crisis.
Right then.
Ha Gyeong’s left hand touched Sky Mauler’s abdomen.
Click!
Not an attack.
Just an open palm pressed against him.
Yet Sky Mauler’s movements froze solid.
Arms trembling with force.
The tentacle erupting from his chest.
Only his eyes moved, quivering in terror.
Then came a sight of wonder.
[Heart Core Guardian’s will generates Extreme Annihilation Zone]
Poof!
Sky Mauler’s entire body was annihilated in an instant.
What remained: head, hands, feet.
And the tip of the tentacle.
The torso vanished without a trace.
Ha Gyeong’s gambit was the Dead Zone deployed through his left palm.
Against massive monsters, the skill had proven unremarkable.
But against smaller creatures, it was devastatingly effective.
Everything within a 2-meter radius simply ceased to exist.
Thump! Patter-patter!
―Th-this can’t be…
The head-only Sky Mauler gasped out his disbelief.
He’d never imagined such an outcome.
Ha Gyeong gazed down at his opponent coldly.
“Answer my questions, and I’ll give you a quick death. How’s that?”
―What nonsense is that?
“Refuse, and I’ll roast you, freeze you, and run every experiment imaginable on that head of yours.”
―I am nobility of the Jardor Empire. Without proper courtesy, your future holds only hell―
Sky Mauler’s words trailed off.
He seemed genuinely stunned.
His mouth just hung open.
The reason appeared behind Ha Gyeong.
―Why’d you have to annihilate this prize?
―If you won’t eat it, drink it. I’ll take what’s left of the limbs.
―Tsk! Even water has its proper place and order.
―At this point, what does order matter?
Rokan and Jeron had materialized, bickering.
For a former Desolation Executor and a Talent Devourer to act like this.
Even a Heart Core Guardian could only gape.
Sky Mauler managed to ask in bewilderment.
―What in the world is happening? Seniors.
―…
―…
Rokan and Jeron could only fall silent.
Having betrayed the Empire.
How could they explain their survival by revealing information?
Especially as they stood beside the Jardor Empire’s greatest threat.
The deathless Ha Gyeong.
“No need for explanations. Hurry up and die.”
Ha Gyeong raised the Crimson Edge high.
A downward strike would end Sky Mauler here and now.
Then the creature suddenly wailed.
―W-wait!
“What?”
―Did these seniors lose to you and end up like this?
“That’s right.”
―Then I can regain my Authority by the same means?
“You need to give me information worth my interest.”
―The Pioneers’ Supreme Commander is heading here. We’re establishing a Forward Base.
“I already know all that.”
―Then what of this: the special operations commander deployed to Earth isn’t only the Blight Shaper!
“…Oh?”
He’d been ready to dispose of this creature if the intelligence proved worthless.
But something unexpectedly useful had surfaced.
Ha Gyeong immediately turned to Jeron.
“Is that true? Why didn’t you tell me?”
―That’s something even I’m unaware of. Sky Mauler was deployed this time, whereas I’ve been on Earth for ages now.
A fairly convincing excuse.
Ha Gyeong turned back to Sky Mauler.
“Where is this other commander?”
―I don’t have that information. Heart Core Guardians are among the lowest-ranked nobility.
“Okay, I’ll accept it. What’s your real name? Sky Mauler sounds like a title.”
―Kudin.
“Good. Now transform like those two.”
―Understood.
Whoosh―!
Kudin transformed into a small winged puma.
Then he paced nervously around the area.
The other former nobles did the same.
Ha Gyeong let out a bitter chuckle.
“So that’s what it was? Their behavior’s honest enough.”
Sky Mauler’s severed hands and feet scattered across the ground.
He couldn’t deny them Emperor Authority Chunks outright.
Ha Gyeong picked up one hand and spoke.
“Now grab a limb each. While I’m gone up there, if you don’t eat it, you’re getting this.”
―…What?
Ha Gyeong had begun the Stanford marshmallow experiment.
With Jardor Empire nobles as his test subjects.
Ripping the Gate
Author |
Sand Islet
Published by |
Samyang C&C Corp.
Editor-in-chief |
Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C Corp. – Dream Books
Address |
7F Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260306112
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter(X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Corp. – Dream Books.

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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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