Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.19 – The Knight Defies the Seasons (1)
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The Demon King's body was pierced all over with harpoons.
It looked like someone had turned it into a harpoon flower arrangement.
All thirteen harpoons had hit their mark perfectly.
It couldn't have been anything but precise marksmanship. Even an archer renowned as a divine shot couldn't have pierced it so accurately.
Drip... drip!
Blood flowed madly from it.
From its pierced thighs and arms, and even its chest.
Wounds like that should have brought the footsteps of death itself, but unfortunately, no undead approached the Demon King.
It was only natural for even the undead to cower and flee before the Demon King's majesty.
More than that...
The Demon King was no being that could die from mere 'wounds like these'.
Boom!!
Even if wounded, its vitality hadn't dimmed in the slightest.
For a normal creature, a pierced chest or severed neck would spell certain death, but for the Demon King, this didn't even qualify as a scratch.
[[GAAA!!]]
Instead, it only fueled its rage.
The Demon King's fist came crashing down toward Lee Han.
Kaboom!
A deafening explosion accompanied by a shockwave that shook the air.
The tremor felt like an earthquake, and in an instant, people around the academy grounds lost their balance and toppled over frequently.
Even aftershocks made it hard to stand steady, and the epicenter of these quakes was, naturally...
Thud... thud!
...not just cratered, but a sinkhole forming in the ground.
A power that could destroy nations.
Proof that such a thing existed.
In that moment.
"I'm right here."
In that instant, he was atop the Demon King's shoulder, swinging his sword mercilessly.
A simple slash, without even a named technique.
Slash, slash!
It was dismemberment.
His blade traced countless paths, hacking at the Demon King's arm.
Over ten sword strikes.
However, the Demon King's flesh wasn't easily pierced.
Of course—even large harpoons had barely penetrated it, so ordinary means couldn't even scratch it.
—When its body was in normal condition, that is.
Spurt!
The creature let out a scream of agony.
"That's what you get for leaving them stuck in like that."
Exasperated yet glad at its stupidity in ignoring the harpoons embedded in its body.
Stupid meant easy to handle.
The harpoons it hadn't pulled out yet, and the cracks they caused.
By precisely hacking and tearing at those spots, the Demon King's arm was mangled miserably.
Whoosh—a fist swinging in.
A swift, precise strike unfit for its massive bulk.
Onlookers would liken it to a boulder plummeting from the sky.
Its body was as extraordinary as its intelligence was lacking.
Swish!
"Damn, this thing's physical specs are insane."
But Lee Han dodged the falling fist effortlessly.
A technique of Divine Arrow Flight.
A movement as swift as a loosed arrow, his unique high-speed mobility skill.
Lee Han moved like the wind itself, and each time...
Slash!
...he swung his sword repeatedly.
At its back and legs, shoulders and knees, groin and neck.
Floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee.
Lee Han perfectly embodied the phrase, demonstrating the textbook hit-and-run.
But no matter how fast and cunningly he toyed with his foe, complacency was forbidden.
Because...
Kaboom!
...one mistake would lead straight to death.
"Ha, you monster bastard..."
Lee Han let out a dry laugh, drenched in cold sweat.
—Every time its arms and legs swung, an oppressive pressure numbed his entire body.
It felt like razor-sharp wind blades clawing at him, while heavy hammers battered him all at once.
'Where the hell does this look weakened?'
It was absurd.
This was supposedly less than 30% of its prime strength.
If it were 100%, he'd have been dead long ago.
'No, even without full power, if it had any brains, it'd be over.'
Only because it brute-forced with raw power could he fight it.
If its intelligence were even a bit sharper, using martial arts or fleeing to rampage elsewhere, this battle would have been pointless ages ago.
There was merit in deliberately provoking it to focus all its hostility and killing intent solely on him.
At least until it killed him, it wouldn't leave this spot.
Thus.
'I absolutely can't die for real.'
The moment he died, the Colosseum trainees and every academy cadet would follow.
Somehow, his mission had grown monumental, and as the Demon King began adapting to his movements and preparing to counterattack, Lee Han steeled himself anew.
A resolve to never let it through, no matter what.
So.
'I won't give you time to get used to it.'
Whoosh!
He decided to show something even flashier.
Stagger!
The Demon King stumbled.
It had thought it caught him and moved with full force, only for him to vanish suddenly—naturally, it reeled.
But Lee Han hadn't vanished.
Merely...
Swoosh! Swoosh!
...executed movements incomparably more complex than before.
Lee Han's steps had no fixed pattern, freely bewildering and toying with his opponent.
In an instant, the afterimages from Divine Arrow Flight dazzled the Demon King's eyes and induced sensory distortion.
"—."
Lee Han clenched his teeth, unable even to groan.
The moment he unveiled his hidden secret ultimate technique, his body screamed in protest.
But the effect was superb, and he toyed with the foe even more wildly.
It was meant for Baltar, yet revealed first to this monster.
Phantom Eight Trigrams Step
(Peak speed from Divine Arrow Flight + afterimages + Eight Trigrams principles)
The pinnacle speed of Divine Arrow Flight and its afterimages, combined with Eight Trigrams principles.
Still incomplete.
Lacking knowledge of the Eight Trigrams, and overloading when applying their principles to lightness skill.
But.
'Toying with one beast should be fine.'
His lightness skill, blending high-speed movement, illusions, freedom, and profound mystery, was more than enough—overkill, even—for beguiling a monster.
Crunch!
...Unfortunately, not sustainable.
The strain was immense.
Couldn't last long.
So, what to do.
"Hoo!"
While it was disoriented, land an even more spectacular blow.
Crack!
The Demon King's chin snapped back.
It hurt, but what baffled it more was...
He's right there?
Its presence was below, so why did its head turn?
Pain took a backseat to confusion it couldn't comprehend.
In boxing or martial arts, long reach is key to dominance.
Against a monster with dozens of times his reach, no technique suited better than Fierce Mountain Tau's method.
Thus, Hundred-Step Divine Fist.
Lee Han's fist strike, reformulating Fierce Mountain Tau into a fist art.
Ignoring its size and reach, Hundred-Step Divine Fist's blows pelted it from all directions relentlessly.
Bam bam bam bam!
Sensory disruption via Phantom Eight Trigrams Step.
Omnidirectional strikes via Hundred-Step Divine Fist, negating distance and direction.
And additionally...
Thud!!
Foot strikes infused with Myriad Weight Step's mysteries.
Lee Han was undoubtedly cornering the Demon King.
...To a third party's eyes, however.
"H-how? Instructor's gonna die at this rate!"
He looked like he'd hit his limit and collapse any second.
Though the Demon King was currently on the back foot, its regeneration persisted, and its intimidating aura hadn't waned since appearing.
Merely flustered by unfamiliar techniques—for when it adapted...
"N-no!"
The mere thought was horrifying.
"I'd need an opening to help!"
Even Irene wanted to aid him.
But regular magic didn't work on the Demon King's body.
Even now, attempts to attack with magic nullified her mana.
Proof of why the oddball lost all will to fight upon seeing it—immense magic resistance.
But Irene...
"A big one. Gotta prepare one massive strike..."
Irene gathered all her mana.
Opponent has strong magic resistance?
Then overwhelm that resistance with sheer volume.
Thus, the girl amassed mana with all her might, waiting for a chance to unleash her spell.
To help him in crisis...!
"Th-then, if I create an opening?"
"Yes, just make an opening!"
"...How big an opening?"
"Hmm, about a meter apart from Instructor?"
"Understood. I'll make one."
"Thanks, but... who are you?"
"...Asking now?"
The faintly present boy looked at her in disbelief.
A disappointed expression, not matching his expectations.
Irene blinked, puzzled why he'd be disappointed in her, but instead of explaining, the boy...
"...Sigh, just think of me as a cowardly passerby. Useless, yet begged him for help..."
"Huh?"
"So, time to help belatedly."
The gray-haired boy muttered cryptically and stepped forward, unleashing his trump card—his life-risking final move.
"...Full Sky Flower Rain, activate...!"
Full Sky Flower Rain
(A shower of flowers fills the sky)
Derek—that was his name—rained hidden weapons from the heavens.