Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.19 – The Knight Defies the Seasons (2)
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...Derek still couldn't wrap his head around it.
He wondered what on earth the knight had seen to believe his words like that.
No, even if he did believe him, how could he fight with such full commitment?
'It would've been so much easier for him to just run away...'
Anyone in this situation,
anyone facing that giant,
would tremble in fear and flee first.
That was the natural order of things.
Yet he wasn't giving up—instead, he stood at the most dangerous front line, swinging his sword.
What on earth drove him to fight so desperately...
so bravely?
- Huh? You don't know that simple answer? You're such a know-it-all halfwit.
...And the response came from a girl whose amethyst eyes suited her perfectly.
- It's not courage that makes him fight. When people have something to protect or reach a moment where they can't run, they split into two types: those who give up and end their lives, or those who struggle. And the person you're talking about is probably the latter—but not just any struggler.
"He's resisting with everything he's got."
Derek repeated the words of the wisest, most trustworthy girl he knew as he watched the battle between human and monster.
That desperate, all-out fight.
And as he watched,
"Milady, it seems like I'm the only one struggling here, while that gentleman is just..."
being brave after all.
Derek murmured softly, then collapsed as his stamina ran out. Even as he fell, he kept his eyes wide open, praying.
'Please... let this be of even a little help.'
"...Status Window?"
For a moment, Lee Han felt it.
The presence of countless petals raining down from the sky.
And once more, he felt it.
The resolve of the gray-haired boy behind him, desperately mustering courage and pouring out his aspiration.
Feeling it clearly, he
[[Raaah!!!]]
let out a mighty roar, a lion's cry, and swung his sword even more fiercely.
In an instant, the Demon King faltered before Lee Han's thunderous roar and powerful strike, staggering back.
Lee Han had forced the giant-like Demon King to retreat purely with his overwhelming spirit.
An achievement like an ant repelling a human.
But he hadn't done it for glory.
The timid coward had finally found his courage, so he simply added his own effort to ensure that courage was rewarded.
And so,
Boom boom boom boom crack-!
Countless needles resembling petals poured down to the ground.
Shatter shatter shatter!
Flower-petal-shaped hidden weapons filled the air densely before exploding, raining down giant needles like a storm.
Roughly ten thousand of them—or perhaps even more.
Yet the needles didn't target humans.
Even if they did, the needles carried a gentleness that wouldn't harm human flesh, striking only the monsters brimming with evil demonic energy.
"Ten Thousand Petals Rain..."
It was an unconscious spectacle reminiscent of the supreme secret art of the Sa Family, overlords of Sichuan in the martial world and masters of poison and hidden weapons.
And sure enough,
[[Ugh... Ugh!!]] [Ga…?] [!!?!]
[Aaaa…!]
Its power was equally spectacular.
The shower of needles targeted only the demonic beasts, tormenting them to death.
Not just the trolls fighting the students, but the Demon King too—shattering its skull, piercing its throat, slashing its heart and back.
A cremation fire exploding from the heavens.
But better than a cremation,
"That bastard was hiding an insanely broken skill."
Hummm.
Lee Han felt his body relax the moment the needles hit.
A slight recovery in stamina and wounds.
Probably a buff effect.
Death to the enemy,
buffs to allies.
What skill could be more overpowered?
Of course,
'It's not without flaws.'
He sensed the presence of the collapsed Tae-chang.
He must have poured everything into unleashing Ten Thousand Petals Rain.
One use and done—terrible cost-performance.
But
'It's enough.'
It had fulfilled its role.
The breathing room and brief respite it provided.
In the breathless melee, it was like sweet rain in a drought.
Perfectly satisfying.
But what pleased him even more was,
[[──]]
"Hurts, huh? But what can you do?"
[[??]]
"Looks like there's one more shot left?"
Whoosh!
No sooner had Lee Han spoken than the lake's waters surged.
Like an imugi finishing its training and ascending to dragonhood, the water column shot sky-high.
Even he probably couldn't withstand being caught in that torrent.
It was that threatening, that overwhelming.
"Don't bully our instructor!"
Irene Windler
The top talent of this generation, worth more than even Roan in reality.
The girl with the potential to become a great archmage unleashed her spell.
A water spell fueled by massive mana.
But the ghost girl hovering around Irene Windler enhanced this powerful magic with,
"[Winds, blow! Merge with water! Become a guillotine piercing the enemy!]"
⟨ Dual Chant ⟩
Whoooosh!
A super-sized wind spell combined.
Dual chant.
Possible only because she wielded two elements and had the aid of a guardian ghost.
A miraculous moment where one person wielded two elements simultaneously.
"I-Impossible."
Odwal screamed—the magic was that unbelievable.
To other mages, it was talent transcending cognition, pure mystery.
And that calamitous spell
"Go!"
hurtled toward the monster tormenting her precious person.
What formed was a small [Water Dragon Spout].
But small or not, a dragon spout was a dragon spout. The moment it engulfed the Demon King,
Kaboom!!
The Demon King fell silent.
"...That neighbor kid isn't a chick anymore—she's a baby phoenix."
Lee Han muttered in admiration.
As if he hadn't expected such massive help from a spellcaster.
An unconscious spellcaster slur slipped out, but right now, he was genuinely grateful.
Thanks to the girl's effort, he'd bought more time.
And using this precious time,
'The kids are stepping up—can't look bad now.'
he decided to unveil his "ace in the hole."
-The small water dragon spout bound the Demon King.
The immense mass and flow of compressed water by mana was irresistible to any creature.
In truth, the Demon King thrashed helplessly, like being waterboarded in a narrow cage of spears.
[[────.]]
The whirling water spears didn't just hold it—they carved wounds with centrifugal force, as if grinding its body to bits.
A blender.
A blender made of water.
Once caught, escape was impossible... until the body was shredded.
Death was the only exit, a power beyond what one person should wield.
But the problem was...
[Arina, just a bit more!]
"Ughhh!"
Maintaining such a spell was insanely difficult, no matter what.
Irene's body already trembled; she was on the verge of fainting.
If not for the forced stamina training after meeting Lee Han, she'd have collapsed on the spot.
[Stamina really is national power!]
'That's what you say now?!'
Irene felt like she was going mad.
What?! How was the instructor fighting this monster?!
'He's insane! This thing's a real monster!?'
Its resistance was unnatural.
No, beyond resistance, the monster
Kwaaa!
was defying the dragon spout.
Thud! Thump!
So what if its body shredded?
Regenerate, done. Water heavy? Break through with force.
That was its style.
Solving most impossibilities not with brains, but overwhelming physical power!
Step by step.
Like a horror movie, it escaped the spout, lunging for her.
As if vowing payback.
"I-I'm gonna dieee!"
[Arina—?!]
Irene hit her limit, eyes rolling back.
No more...
Plop.
"Good work."
"...Instructor?"
"Thanks. I'll repay this debt later."
"......"
Irene forgot her exhaustion, staring at him.
Relief washed over her as he praised and thanked her.
Relief that she could faint now.
So,
"Y-You owe me an expensive meal later..."
"Promise."
"A r-really expensive one..."
Hehe.
The girl giggled goofily and collapsed.
Staring into his confident eyes.
Thud...
Lee Han caught her—she wasn't feather-light, but nearly weightless—and gently laid her down.
A gentlemanly pose, no doubt.
But his sharp eyes remained fixed on the Demon King.
Grrr!
Through the weakening spout, scraping like nails on chalkboard, the monster approached.
A force explaining why it was treated as a living natural disaster.
"I admit it. You're strong."
Lee Han had prepared countless means before today.
Bamboo spear with explosives.
Giant harpoon.
Unexpected skill aid and mage support.
...Yet it still lived.
He admitted it.
It was strong, no frail human like him could win.
But
"I'll subdue you."
Maybe not kill, but subdue—possible.
An absurd declaration, but he never spoke empty words.
Twirl, twirl.
Lee Han's body spun slowly.
Limp movements.
Relaxed face, body devoid of tension.
A desultory sword stance utterly unlike his prior vigor.
'This is enough for now.'
Yet his eyes were clearer than ever, focus razor-sharp.
The insight from yesterday's quarry—endless pickaxe swings without rest.
One realization: 'strength' doesn't always require muscle.
Paradoxical nonsense, perhaps.
But his 'force' wasn't mere physical power.
'Force is everywhere.'
In swirling air currents, blowing winds, song and instrument sounds.
Pickaxe swings too.
That swing was the weakest of his life.
Yet the pickaxe cleaved rock like a honed blade.
Not crushed—sliced.
A feat consuming all the iron's inherent force at once.
Not flashy like Sword Unity.
Just understanding: his weapon was sharper, more potent than he thought.
And that insight
Fizzle!
formed sword qi.
Sword Qi Manifestation
New evolution of Fighting Technique
Sword qi incarnation.
A new pinnacle of Fighting Technique Roan had shown.
But Roan's was coercive, forced by talents and elements.
Lee Han's was different.
Simply unleashing the steel sword's potential.
Similar principle, but deeper sword comprehension.
The sword responded to its master's will; the qi wriggled like light rays, and finally—
Flash!
—bloomed into a flower.
[[???]]
The Demon King, barely escaping the spout, suffered another optical illusion.
What is this?
[[...A flower?]]
Yes, it was a flower.
Separate from those needle flowers...
A true flower.
But unfit for this season.
Like fruit blossoms bursting in spring, then vanishing.
...Defying seasons, like another spellcaster's trick.
And the bloomed petals, as if
"-Couldn't do Six Harmonies Sword, but plum blossoms I could bloom. Weird, huh."
Yes.
The flower resembled spring plum blossoms.
[[……]]
The Demon King didn't even think to dodge the petal-like sword qi.
Its beauty captivated even the king of beasts.
Beautiful.
Just sword qi blooming into a flower, yet viewers felt novelty and mystery.
No foe from a thousand years ago showed such.
Enchanted by off-season plums like midsummer's end, it stood still.
Stab.
[[?]]
And blankly watched petals pierce its flesh.
"It won't be weak."
He murmured, face haggard, as if spent everything.
Crumble...
The qi-spent sword crumbled to dust.
All things demand price; it fulfilled its duty for its master.
Likewise, blooming the flower left him unable to lift a finger.
That was the technique.
Yet satisfied,
"Pretty decent work, right?"
Stab!
Stab stab!
He admired his creation,
the petals burrowing into the Demon King.
[[!!!!!]]
The Demon King's body convulsed.
Thump, rolling on the ground, screaming.
No prior attack elicited such drama, but now unavoidable.
The qi petals infiltrated minutely, ravaging every corner.
Stabbing, slashing, burrowing through organs repeatedly.
Any sentient being couldn't endure.
It was seeing hell now.
"...Told you I'd subdue you."
Won't kill it, of course.
That regeneration was beyond cheating—mystical.
But with regeneration, pain too.
He'd learned the agony of blades roaming internals from childhood mage torture.
After that, stamina drained—no thought of rising.
...Unfortunately,
[[You... witch...]]
Thump...!
Common sense didn't apply.
The Demon King rose again; Lee Han gave a wry smile.
Immortal, with infinite stamina?
'After that, I'm wiped... damn monster...'
Exhausting.
Cockroach-level tenacity.
"......You win, you bastard."
Lee Han admitted defeat readily.
Before monster, it was unbeatable for current him.
Transcendent being, monster.
Natural disaster, demon king.
All fitting; no wonder ancient kingdom fell.
Thump, thump!
[[I'll kill...!!]]
Fueled by rage, it charged to devour him. Lee Han, immobile, leaned on a tree, watching calmly.
Fortunately, ignoring Irene, Derek, lake fish—focused solely on him. Good.
"...That desperate to eat me?"
[[Grrr!!!]]
Bloodshot eyes gleaming, as if mocking his words. Lee Han chuckled.
Always popular with weirdos.
He shrugged.
"Eating me won't even fill you up, right?"
[[Kill...]]
"Keeps saying 'kill'—must've heard it enough to learn it. What do you think, old man?"
[[……?]]
...Realization hit in a flash.
Who was this insect talking to?
As doubt arose,
"-You've invented another bizarre technique. Quite good, though. Fully mastered, even I might struggle. Heh heh."
......Since when?
"A bit late, aren't you?"
"Sorry, but I couldn't just abandon the castle."
"Jeez. Nearly died here."
"Had faith in you."
"Damn! Talk is cheap."
"Heh heh! Genuine, yet you doubt. Unfair."
The two chatted leisurely; the Demon King sidelined.
[[GAA!!]]
It roared in fury at the insult.
But unperturbed,
"That fool's dimwitted—lingering post-death?"
...It tried advancing, but had no legs.
Sever!
No—severed.
Legs detached.
But not just legs—
Slice! Slash!
[[G……r…!]]
Its head fell too.
Still uncomprehending, eyes bulged.
Not from injustice, but unaware of the cuts.
The Demon King...!
[[[────.]]]
Life faded from its eyes before a death cry.
So anticlimactically...
"...Why do they call me the monster?"
This man before him was the true monster.
Lee Han was awed by his unseen sword draw.
The Demon King in pieces; he shook his head.
Beating this human? Far in the distant future.
Baltar Grace.
Kingdom's strongest knight, a superhuman.
Aura User nonexistent in the ancient kingdom a millennium ago—its fatal mistake.
Anticlimactic yet overwhelming.
The monster raid's conclusion.