Tearing the Gate Apart - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter 27.
Kim Tae-gwang was no common tank.
He was Ha-gyeong’s father, known as the Pioneer.
A 1st Generation Awakener, of the same era as Lee Tae-heon.
Of course, judged purely by contemporary renown, he’d fallen somewhat behind.
But as a duellist? His skill was genuine.
The moment their blows collided.
Even Ha-gyeong felt his breath catch.
‘This is… not something I can win without going for the kill.’
An opponent he’d struggle to defeat even pouring everything into it.
That was Ha-gyeong’s first impression of Kim Tae-gwang.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Ha-gyeong found himself backed into a corner.
An endless barrage of hand axes raining down.
He had no choice but to commit fully to defense.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
A numbing sensation crawled through his palms.
First, Ha-gyeong tried to open distance.
If he stretched his Abyss Resonance as far as possible, he could reach six meters.
But the moment he retreated, the offensive intensified.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh! Snap!
“Ugh!”
A hand axe that had arrived at terrifying speed bounced harmlessly into the air.
Then, as naturally as breathing, it returned to Kim Tae-gwang’s grip.
Like a boomerang.
Immediately after, Kim Tae-gwang began hurling axes with frenzied abandon.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
The same impossible situation unfolded once more.
The sheer absurdity of it forced a bitter laugh from Ha-gyeong.
‘Damn. What kind of insane attack is this…’
Now he understood why Choi Hyun-gi had put Kim Tae-gwang up as a Champion Fighter.
At this rate, he’d be buried under the wave of assaults and finished off.
In the midst of the hand-axe storm, Ha-gyeong’s eyes drifted toward someone.
Choi Hyun-gi, grinning wide.
Soon after, he heard the Readers’ guild members calling out.
“No matter how much that punk scrambles, he can’t match a 1st Generation Awakener.”
“Got a little famous and started acting up. How pathetic.”
“Haha! Spouting nonsense about being the Immortal Tyrant. We knew that nickname was ridiculous from the start.”
They say birds of a feather flock together.
It felt as though the guild members were speaking Choi Hyun-gi’s own mind aloud.
Listening to their petty taunts, something hot surged up inside him.
As though rage itself had taken physical form.
Ha-gyeong gritted his teeth.
‘Let’s see how long you bastards can keep laughing.’
Truthfully, when the Readers betrayed him, he hadn’t felt much anger.
They were garbage from the start, weren’t they?
He’d anticipated this much from the beginning and went through with the raid anyway.
But mockery? That crossed a line.
It was beyond the pale.
Ha-gyeong calmly watched the barrage of incoming axes.
‘If I wait, a way to break through will present itself. He can’t keep this up forever.’
His prediction proved correct.
As he stubbornly held his ground, Kim Tae-gwang’s assault slowed ever so slightly.
He was clearly hitting his physical limits.
Ha-gyeong saw his opening and drove his Karambit through the gap.
Then tore outward with all his force.
[The Abyss Challenger’s Compression ability heightens the density of Abyss Energy.]
Crash!
A single swing, yet the results exceeded expectation.
Several hand axes flew sideways, knocked away.
The force of the Compressed Abyss Resonance had overpowered them.
But Kim Tae-gwang’s response was startling.
Matching Ha-gyeong’s strengthened ability, his axe attacks surged in power.
Snap! Boom-boom!
‘What? He still has this much strength left?’
Ha-gyeong couldn’t hide his shock.
This counter-attack had been born from the assumption he’d reached his limit.
Yet Kim Tae-gwang came back stronger.
But Ha-gyeong didn’t retreat—he pressed forward instead.
He was trusting his instincts, pushing the pressure.
That was when Kim Tae-gwang collected his axes and fell back.
“Ho-o…”
There was a new light in his gaze as he studied Ha-gyeong.
It seemed that last exchange had also taken its toll on Kim Tae-gwang.
Then came a word laced with intrigue.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone hold their ground this well in a Champion Fighter bout. Truly, you are the Pioneer’s son.”
“…!”
Ha-gyeong went very still inside.
Kim Tae-gwang had seen through his identity.
Not the recently-famous alias of the Immortal Tyrant.
But his true self.
Lee Tae-heon’s son, Ha-gyeong.
Few people had ever recognized him accurately before now.
He’d only ever operated within Axis Prime’s guild walls.
And he was no more than a promising prospect.
Ha-gyeong steadied his resolve.
‘He’s coming again. Can’t afford to be careless.’
He sensed Kim Tae-gwang preparing to resume his onslaught.
Sure enough, a dozen hand axes took flight once more.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Crashing against him, then arcing back like boomerangs.
Despite having endured this pattern for minutes, it still seemed like sorcery.
Ha-gyeong continued searching for a counter-strategy.
‘The axes’ trajectory—how they curve back so naturally. I have to break that cycle somehow.’
But it was far easier said than done.
The force packed into each axe was simply too brutal.
The rebound on contact was vicious.
How could he possibly block that?
Then Ha-gyeong glanced down at the blade etched into his Karambit.
The result of applying Compression to his Abyss Resonance.
It appeared to be second-tier on the surface, but its power easily eclipsed the third.
Of course there’d be rebound. How could there not be?
‘Strength against strength—it’s impossible to eliminate the rebound. So then…?’
He unfurled Abyss Resonance with his left hand.
In the rope-like form he’d used to save his teammates.
Pale gray tentacles painted the air.
Snap! Whip! Crack-crack!
Hand axes caught by the Abyss Resonance, tumbling into the sea below.
Ha-gyeong allowed himself a smile of satisfaction.
This way, Kim Tae-gwang couldn’t maintain his assault.
Now it was time for his counter.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Pale gray flames bloomed from Ha-gyeong’s Karambit.
Abyss Energy aligned smoothly.
Compressed Soul Severance gleamed with an eerie light.
Ha-gyeong’s strike then found its mark in Kim Tae-gwang’s opening.
Slash-crack! Snap!
“Khk!”
A low grunt escaped Kim Tae-gwang as he was pushed back.
But Ha-gyeong’s expression was grim.
‘He withstood Compressed Soul Severance?’
This power could put down Unknown Grade boss monsters with ease.
Yet he’d taken it bare-handed, without a shield.
A tank was truly a tank.
However, Compressed Soul Severance’s true strength lay in its persistence.
It could deliver successive strikes that transcended the original skill’s effect.
Ha-gyeong flowed into the next movement without hesitation.
A swordsman’s form unfolded like water downstream.
A precise slash, finding every gap.
Even the sturdiest tank shouldn’t be able to endure this blow.
Yet something shocking happened.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
A deafening crash; Kim Tae-gwang staggered.
But he didn’t go flying backward.
Ha-gyeong soon understood how his attack had been blocked.
‘He pulled a shield out in that split second? A con artist? What is this?’
A silvery pentagon of metal now covered Kim Tae-gwang’s front.
He’d been holding nothing but hand axes.
Where in the world had this shield come from?
Ha-gyeong caught his breath, studying Kim Tae-gwang intently.
‘His armor transforms—part of it becomes the shield.’
His decisive strike had been blocked, yet he felt no despair.
The momentum had swung back in his favor.
A calm, methodical approach would bring him victory—he was certain of it.
That certainty held right up until brilliant light exploded from Kim Tae-gwang’s shield.
Whoosh! Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Ha-gyeong reflexively raised his guard and staggered hard under the impact.
The sheer force had caught him off-guard.
He recovered his balance as quickly as he could.
“Damn it…”
A curse slipped past his lips.
Kim Tae-gwang’s axe show had begun again.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh! Snap!
An endless cascade of hand axes.
Ha-gyeong felt dizzy.
Light beams from the shield, juggling axes—it was an endless cycle.
He had to make a decision.
‘If I let myself get dragged out like this, I’ll lose. I need one decisive strike to breach his defense.’
Why were melee strikers weak to tanks? Simple.
They got trapped in drawn-out wars of attrition, exactly like this.
To break that vicious cycle, he needed overwhelming force.
Ha-gyeong fixed his gaze on Kim Tae-gwang and spoke softly.
“Let me dial it down a notch.”
[Kin Predation skill target locked.]
[Target: Kim Tae-gwang]
Ping!
A sharp sound rang out, but the pressure was lighter than usual.
He’d targeted an Awakener, not an Abyss creature.
But the effect would be more than sufficient.
He’d stolen some of Kim Tae-gwang’s Magical Power.
In that state, Ha-gyeong unleashed Compressed Soul Severance.
Whoosh!
The blade rushed straight for Kim Tae-gwang’s center.
A completely straightforward attack—no tricks, no flourish.
Kim Tae-gwang tried to block it with his shield.
Snap!
But the instant the blade struck.
Ha-gyeong suddenly stretched out his left hand.
Whoosh-crack! Thud!
A rope of Abyss Resonance suddenly unfolded.
Tentacle-like appendages seized the shield in an iron grip.
“Uh—?!”
For the first time, a note of genuine surprise rang in Kim Tae-gwang’s voice.
He’d never imagined Ha-gyeong could remove the shield so effortlessly.
Immediately, Ha-gyeong drove his fist into Kim Tae-gwang’s face.
Boom!
He’d chosen the fist because swinging the Karambit would’ve been too difficult in this position.
But the result was surprisingly effective.
Despite the helmet he wore, Kim Tae-gwang reeled backward.
The impact was severe enough that he even dropped the shield.
Now the advantage had completely swung to Ha-gyeong.
Opening distance and controlling the match would be simple from here.
But Kim Tae-gwang proved to be no ordinary opponent.
He grabbed the retreating Ha-gyeong and dragged him back into close quarters.
Whoosh! Crack!
A heavy punch shot out.
Ha-gyeong raised his left arm to block, then immediately countered.
Boom! Clang!
The metallic sounds rang out in rapid succession.
The duel had become a raw, brutal brawl—trading blows without mercy.
Ha-gyeong and Kim Tae-gwang neither backed down.
Watching from the sidelines, Kang Woo-jin applauded with satisfaction.
Clap! Clap!
“Ha! This is what real skill looks like. Not like those wimps firing off spells from a distance.”
“You’re saying that for my benefit?”
Choi Hyun-gi’s voice turned sharp, killing intent bleeding into the air.
The atmosphere felt like it had shifted.
But Kang Woo-jin continued unbothered.
“Of course. If you’ve got a fighter this good, take him to the Abyss instead of wasting him as a Champion Fighter.”
“We signed a guest contract with Ha-gyeong.”
“Guest or not, you clearly didn’t use him properly. Obvious from a mile away.”
“Don’t speculate when you don’t know the facts.”
“If you’d handled it correctly, this conflict wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
“…”
Kang Woo-jin’s jab left Choi Hyun-gi speechless.
Because it was true.
Choi Hyun-gi’s face flushed scarlet in an instant.
Not from shame.
Simply from the sting of being proven wrong.
The duel soon reached its critical phase.
The frenzied close-quarters clash between the two men was impossible to predict.
They were perfectly matched.
Then came the turning blow.
Kim Tae-gwang’s kick connected squarely with Ha-gyeong’s temple.
Boom!
Ha-gyeong staggered, struggling to maintain his footing.
Immediately, Kim Tae-gwang launched an overwhelming assault.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Relentless punches crashed down without mercy.
It looked as though Kim Tae-gwang was about to claim victory.
Choi Hyun-gi clenched his fists.
“That’s it!”
But one minute passed.
Two minutes, three minutes—and Ha-gyeong still hadn’t fallen.
If anything, Kim Tae-gwang, who’d been throwing everything into his punches, was reaching exhaustion.
Choi Hyun-gi’s jaw hung open.
“Insane… why isn’t this ending?”
Then Kang Woo-jin smiled thinly and spoke.
“Didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
“His nickname’s the Immortal Tyrant. Word is he never dies.”
“That’s ridiculous! The bracelet’s effect should’ve worn off by now!”
Naturally, Choi Hyun-gi was well aware of the Tyrant’s Bracelet.
He’d participated in the raid on the Fusion Abyss himself.
But he knew nothing of the Restoration Curtain Ha-gyeong had recently obtained.
The two guild masters watched the duel unfold with opposite expressions.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Kim Tae-gwang’s ragged breathing filled the air.
He’d poured out everything he had and finally hit a wall.
Then Ha-gyeong lifted his head with a chilling grin.
His face, which had been covered in blood just moments before, was now completely healed.
“Already? I’m just getting started.”
“…”
Kim Tae-gwang’s face went deathly pale.
Gate Rend
Author |
Morae-tob
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Inc.
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Editorial Department
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Submissions |
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The contents of this book may not be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Inc. – 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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