Chapter 60
Seo Jeon-jeom and Almira declare it, and the barrage unfolds in an instant.
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-oh!
The massive boulders spat from sixty-nine basilica cannons whirl through the air, where hundreds, thousands of illusory palace maids swirl in a vortex. They charge straight at us, cornered as we are.
This is nothing like Captain PODO's rope rush or the simulations we ran in Shin Sua's private training hall. The saturation of fire and bombing is incomparably dense.
I've already planned our counter.
-Click. I point Passepartout at the sky and flick my wrist.
-Gooooh!!
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!
The half-open hemispherical stadium roof slams shut in a flash, blocking more than half the descending illusory maids.
“You’re messing with school property on your own?”
Seo Jeon-jeom shouts in disbelief, dragging down the swarm of three thousand illusory maids like a thundercloud before the roof can fully close. His mistake was positioning the phantoms high up to maximize potential energy.
“Let’s go.”
I only toggled the open-close switch once, so Passepartout's activation lasted less than 0.3 seconds. But the effect was perfect.
“Yaaah!!”
With Seo Jeon-jeom's assault stalled, I charge forward alongside Shin Sua's battle cry. The boost from Shin Yun-bok's painting on the screen—Brothel Brawl—combined with Gemma's trait, Master Thief's Agility, amps my athleticism. My speed dwarfs what it was when the duel first started.
-Whoosh!
-Bang!
I zigzag, dodging the heavy boulders slamming into the floor, keeping up the momentum.
-Tap-tap!
Synchronized charge. With just an eye signal, we start sprinting, evading the rain of illusory maids.
-Papapapapapak!!!!
Our legs, empowered by Spirit Descent, pound the floor, leaving footprints where the high-speed falling maids crash down one after another.
"Good! Keep running!"
Just like we planned in training with Shin Sua. By dodging attacks with amplified ancestor power via Spirit Descent, we delay the full activation of Passepartout even a little. Passepartout is an asymmetric force that guzzles spirit power. Until we know what trump card Seo Jeon-jeom's hiding, we need to conserve as much as possible.
-Kwaang!
"Next! Incoming!"
The phantoms are falling faster than we can run, but now massive stone spheres hurtle from straight ahead and the flanks—sixty-nine boulders totaling 34.5 tons, not as points or lines, but forming a wall of pressure.
“Now!”
Shin Sua shouts short and sharp. As she hoists her giant brush high, I morph my flag-shotgun into a spear. The Flag of Courage is a sub-weapon, but the optimal form the blessing remembers is the spear Joan of Arc wielded—a flag spear. The flag absorbs attacks to protect the user; the shaft has no powers, so I hadn't pulled it out before. But as the original form of Spirit Lord Transformation manifested via the ring the blessing dwelled in, it's easy to summon and versatile.
For example—
“Jump!”
I pivot toward Shin Sua mid-stride and slam the spear tip into the ground.
-Wobble.
I lean my weight in, bending the shaft like a bowstring, and in the next instant—
-Paat!
We vault high into the air, using the brush and spear as poles. Perfect teamwork from repeated training and tuning brings us this far. All that's left is maintaining focus, closing the distance, and dragging them into close quarters.
“Start it!”
“Passepartout!”
I trigger Spirit Lord Transformation again, twisting the key overlaid on the staff to the left.
-Click!
A narrow path parts amid the insane barrage.
“Waaaaah!!”
No time to mind the crowd roaring at the invisible walls deflecting the fire. We leap again off the embedded boulders.
"I'll assist!"
Gemma's trait, Marksmanship, activates, my hands moving with godlike speed.
-Clank!
As Shin Sua wraps her arm around my waist, I jam the plumb bob from the flag's end into Tonnerre's muzzle.
“Ceiling’s too damn high!”
"Swinging like a pendulum’s out!"
Just like Shin Sua says, the stadium roof towers far higher than her training hall ceiling. Pulling off the wire action we practiced—swinging like Tarzan—is no easy feat. But I'm not changing plans. No room for that anyway.
“If it’s short, just make it longer!”
I infuse spirit power into my gloves, and a message pops up.
Starting linkage with the blessing
The threads composing the gloves scatter in an instant, sucked into the Flag of Courage.
-Taang!
The gunshot follows. The plumb bob shoots out, trailing the flag like a tail toward the roof.
But unlike last time, it's not turning into a wire—it's a flashy international banner straight out of a sports day.
-Ching!
The plumb bob embeds in the roof. Thanks to Mun Ik-jeom's power reinforcing the Flag of Courage, it stretched to sufficient length.
“Special lineage Spirit Lord Transformation...!”
“Gacha's a trap!”
But Seo Jeon-jeom reacts faster than expected, pinpointing the narrow invisible path we'd barely squeezed through. Almira's stomping in frustration, unable to wedge her basilica cannon into the gap, but Seo Jeon-jeom adjusts the phantoms' trajectories at speeds incomparable to our sim training.
“Still too slow.”
I exploit the opening, unleashing fire.
-Papapapap!!
Like swinging on a trapeze, we arc swiftly on the shotgun tethered to the banner, but the phantoms pour down on our predicted path like rain. Lengthening the banner would let us dodge, but it'd burn out Passepartout's duration. Only solution: accelerate straight through.
“Shin Sua!”
“Kyaaah!!”
I grab her collar with one hand; she lets out a piercing scream and releases my waist. But even then, she frees her hands to complete her task.
“Dano Wind!!”
She swings her brush, and the painting on the trailing screen shifts.
-Tszzt!
The Brothel Brawl of drunken men brawling under a courtesan's gaze vanishes, replaced by Dano Wind—monks peeping on women swinging and bathing.
Shin Sua's skirt dyes red like the hanbok in the painting, absorbing Shin Yun-bok's ancestor power. A sweet iris scent wafts from her entire body.
-Whoosh!
Physics-defying acceleration. Our swing on the banner triples in speed instantly.
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!!!!
Phantoms crash along our trajectory, erupting in glorious explosions.
“That's cheating, it is!”
Almira swings her longsword in rage; it's so ridiculous I can't help but chuckle.
This is why I chose pendulum motion to close on Seo Jeon-jeom and Almira. They've analyzed Shin Sua the top-seat freshman and her paintings to some degree. But they never imagined she'd use Dano Wind—seemingly useless beyond slowing swings or emitting nice scents—like this.
“Great! Just get in close like this— ”
Shin Sua chirps excitedly, dangling like a puppet. But only for a moment.
-Pop.
“Ateş! Fire!!”
-Kwaaang!!
I end Passepartout early, and the basilica cannons, halted by the wall, roar again at Almira's command.
“What the hell?!”
“What else? You saw it at your place.”
No intent to burn all my spirit power on prolonged Passepartout. Why exhaust precious resources when I can hijack the enemy's?
“Transform. Parasol.”
The banner linking shotgun to roof vanishes; the Flag of Courage reverts, spiraling into a massive parasol canopy in a blink—several times larger than in Shin Sua's training hall, thanks to Mun Ik-jeom's ancestor power.
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!!!!!!!
Barrage pours onto the glowing parasol, topped by Seo Jeon-jeom's dropped phantoms.
-Boom!
-Pum-pum-boom!
Not even landed yet, and the blast shocks twist my guts.
"Can you hold?"
“Gloves are handling it!”
-Shoooaaa!
Luckily, the parasol doesn't tear under the boulders and phantom blasts. Instead, it sucks in the impacts indiscriminately.
The Flag of Courage has two abilities. The first manifests Joan of Arc's will to defend France: absorbing damage dealt to the user.
“Mon dieu, how's a scrawny first-year blocking the basilicas...!”
Of course, enduring their monstrous firepower owes big to Mun Ik-jeom in the gloves and People-Loving Synergy.
“Less bullshit, more reloading!”
The second-years try widening the gap, wary of us. Too late.
-Clack.
The Flag of Courage shrinks back to form, its plumb bob glowing red-hot, a spark igniting.
-Fwoosh!
Flames spread instantly, engulfing the entire flag. Simultaneously, thick spirit power surges into my gripped Tonnerre.
This is the flag's second ability: embodying the saint's noble spirit, unbent even at the stake.
-Click.
-Kwaaang!
Tonnerre belches radial flames. The shotgun strike, empowered by the absorbed spirit power and ancestor force, carves a fan-shaped gouge in the arena floor.
“Cough.”
Flames swallow Almira, Seo Jeon-jeom, and a third of the deployed basilicas. Yet somehow, the second-years stand unscathed.
“It hit dead-on...”
Shin Sua mutters suspiciously.
"Those bastards..."
Seo Jeon-jeom holds the go-stone jar from earlier.
“Turning the enemy's power against them... You think you're the only one?”
Beside him, Almira manifests a lavish marble-and-gold door before her.
“Araba Kapısı.”
The Carriage Gate to the harem—for sultan only; women and eunuchs pass, men forbidden.
“Heeheeheehee... Thought you'd cry if dragged to the harem? Big mistake, kid! One squirt like you, and Lady Almira's thick blade makes ya squeal ahh-ahh!”
“...”
Tricky Spirit Lord Transformation. Can't enter as a guy, so lure out Shin Sua alone—that's the play. Separate us to buy time, expecting Seo Jeon-jeom to drop me then regroup.
"She's got some delusion going."
“Yeah. Shin Sua.”
I shift to action, eyeing Almira lick her blade provocatively.
“Sword.”
Shin Sua silently draws twin blades from the screen, pissed.
“Passepartout.”
In under 0.1 seconds, I unlock the Araba Kapısı restriction and we charge inside with Shin Sua.
“Huh?”
-Thud-thud-thud.
-Crack.
-Bang!
While stunned Seo Jeon-jeom watches silently, Shin Sua and I gleefully pummel Almira.
“Heuung...”
Almira staggers back, eyes unfocused, leaning on the safety barrier. I roughly jam Tonnerre's muzzle into her gaping mouth.
“This thick thing ain't tasty...”
-Taang!
-Ching-clang!
“Chungkiit!”
Her wrist-mounted fatal-injury mirror shatters, signaling combat incapacity. The carriage door finally vanishes.
Shin Sua and I turn from the ecstatic-faced Almira without a glance, facing Seo Jeon-jeom.
“2v1. Surrender?”
I ask. He slaps his forehead, laughing in disbelief.
“Just 'cause my ancestor said it doesn't mean I have to.”
Before he finishes, the skyborne phantoms descend slowly, encircling him.
“What's 2v1? Anyone in this school beats me with swarm tactics, step up.”
Dismissing Almira's fall, Seo Jeon-jeom surges his spirit power.
“Game ain't over. Come at me.”
The Baekje scion taunts us with a raptor's grin.