Two Against One
Han Se-gun laughed, half in disbelief. Fine. This was a golden opportunity. With Argon out of the picture, his odds of survival climbed even higher. But why was this guy so damn soft-hearted? Hadn't Argon already been a warrior who'd killed triple-digit numbers of people back when he was still human? How could someone like that have a spirit this tender?
"Ah, come on—we should still take this chance to eliminate him! The bastard's a vampire-phobe you can't even deal with."
"Forget it. I'll pass. I'm just going to leave the country. There's still time."
Argon checked his watch. Over an hour and twenty minutes remained. Factoring in boarding formalities—and the certainty that the people on the airport limousine bus would report what they'd seen—he might not make it out tonight. But Argon had the power to cast instantaneous hypnosis. Finishing boarding procedures and getting out before more police flooded in was the top priority.
And with a wildfire raging here, attention would be easily diverted. There was still a chance. He wasn't finishing Han Se-gun off partly because Se-gun had so openly raised his banner against Tetra Anax, and killing him would be a waste—but also because hope of actually leaving the country still remained. He could not afford to waste time in a place like this.
"Kh—!"
In that moment, for reasons of his own, Agni lashed his iron whip at Han Se-gun. It was sudden enough, but against Se-gun—nerves already stretched taut—it was no ambush. He retreated at once, slipping past the whip's reach, and brought Noctis down in a crushing arc.
Two shadows moved through the burning forest. One was the arsonist himself, Agni; the other, facing him, was Han Se-gun. Se-gun deliberately gave ground, widening the gap. The iron whip's reach outstripped his blade's, so he pulled back even farther—until he was completely outside the whip's range.
Agni cracked the whip to chase him. In that instant, Han Se-gun's pupils flared with light.
Skak!
His sword swept through the air, and a black shadow rose to smash into the iron whip. The massive black blade came down on a trajectory of pure straight lines. Did he mean to sever the whip? Even with physical abilities equal to a vampire's, a hard sword might manage it—but you couldn't cut a soft whip. Yet with one clean stroke Se-gun drove the whip down, then stomped it underfoot and charged Agni in a furious flurry of strikes. The iron whip was utterly useless as a defense.
"Hup!"
Agni unleashed his ignition ability, aiming for Se-gun's throat. Japanese kendo—with its firm center of gravity and emphasis on rapid sword exchanges—was dangerously vulnerable to projectile-like attacks. Any martial art would be. But Se-gun threw his balance wide and dodged. In that same breath Agni snatched up the iron whip Se-gun had been standing on.
Fall!
Contrary to Agni's prayer, Han Se-gun dove forward. Mid-air he spun, whipping his sword around like a windmill. From the sharp, rapid strikes of Japanese kendo, he suddenly transitioned into full-body acrobatics.
It was proof that Se-gun's swordsmanship and close combat were not confined to a single school. Agni twisted hard and avoided the blow—but that only bought him a few more seconds of life. He was a formidable fighter among vampires, yet beside Han Se-gun he still fell short.
"Ugh!"
Han Se-gun cast the technique known as Black Shadow Bind. He summoned darkness, and that darkness twisted into chains that crashed over Agni. And the chains were not the only thing coming. The moment the technique finished, Se-gun drew his sword back to his chest and lunged into a thrust.
No gap after technique activation—no so-called cool-down. A perfectly continuous assault.
"For heaven's sake!"
Argon, unable to watch any longer, leapt in, shattering Han Se-gun's Black Shadow Bind and slamming his longsword sideways into Noctis. Se-gun flipped his blade in an instant, switched targets to Argon, and turned the thrust into a cut.
Agni had thrown himself into the fight precisely so that if he—Argon's recent savior—were driven into a corner by Se-gun, Argon would have no choice but to join the battle. Argon was not cold enough to walk past the man who had just saved his life. Watching it unfold, Agni grinned.
Sa Jun, and now this one too.
Argon, half exasperated, shifted the longsword's balance back, spun it in his grip, and brought it upright. When their blades met head-on, a storm of cold erupted, sucking the surrounding embers skyward.
"Aaaah—!"
Cold fierce enough to suppress enzyme activity inside the body. Freezing that could not help but degrade physical performance, locking the opponent's movements so the blade could finish them—that was Argon's basic tactic. But the whole area was a sea of fire. With the temperature soaring, even when Argon's power activated it made little difference. Han Se-gun snorted and pulled back.
Crack!
The surface of Argon's longsword fractured, revealing the Damascus pattern hidden within.
"So it comes to this after all."
Argon sighed long and ran. Se-gun matched him stride for stride, sword already swinging.
Shiiiiiik!
Air tore between them. Hot wind and freezing cold collided, whipping up a terrifying gale. Cutting through that gale, Argon and Han Se-gun slammed their blades together again and again.
Papapapapak!
Sparks flew. Ash spiraled upward. Scarlet flames reeled as great trees fell to single strokes. Locked in collision, the two men tore across the ground. Even the fire consuming everything around them was dragged into the storm of their duel and could not harm their bodies.
But Se-gun's sweat was already drying on his skin, while Argon shielded himself with cold. Drag this out and Se-gun lost—and already the defeat was written plain on him. Blocking Argon's assaults, the flesh of his palms kept splitting until his hands were a mass of blood.
Argon was taller than Se-gun and used his weight with elastic precision. Se-gun was no mean swordsman, but the difference in mass could not yet be overcome.
Sssssk!
Argon slowly circled around him. Se-gun kicked a burning trunk into Argon's path and lunged—only for Argon's longsword to rain down from every direction at once, front and back, left and right.
Papapapapapak!
Se-gun whirled Noctis and beat every stroke aside.
"It's over!"
From within the flames, Agni—who had been watching for his moment—unleashed ignition. Startled, Se-gun threw his arm up to shield his throat.
Pahak!
His arm ignited, and in a single breath his wrist was severed clean through. Argon did not miss the opening; his kick drove into Se-gun's side.
"Keugh!"
Blood surged back up Se-gun's throat. He staggered two or three steps and reset his stance—but it was already too late. Argon surged forward, longsword cutting toward Se-gun's ruined wrist.
Kak!
The instant Se-gun caught the blade, Argon reversed it and drove upward from below. Noctis tore free of Se-gun's grip and rocketed into the sky. Flames rolled in from both sides like a tide, but Argon kept his point fixed on Se-gun and swept his free hand.
Shuaaaak!
Cold erupted from him, coiling in a spiral, then slammed into the ground like a snake striking prey. It raced along the earth and smothered the oncoming flames in a single sweep. Centered on Han Se-gun and Argon, the fire fell back in a rush.
Se-gun gasped for breath and glared at him. Argon still did not want him dead. That much was obvious.
Whirrrrr!
Noctis, still spinning in the air, dropped behind Se-gun and buried itself in the ground. Grab it and swing? Argon's longsword would move first—that much was certain. Se-gun panted and stared them down. There was no opening. Even Argon alone was more than he could handle; with Agni sniping in between, endurance was impossible.
If he could only use detonating cord, the sheer force would open space between them—but with Agni present, that was out of the question.
"Jinma, both of you—and it's two against one."
Han Se-gun was not the type to complain about facing multiple enemies. Numbers were just numbers; if anything, he usually welcomed the chance to wipe out a pack of vampires in one go. The reason he said it now was simple: shame had surfaced on Argon's face.
Agni, however, was brazen.
"Still got a mouth on you. Shall I burn that first?"
Agni genuinely meant to ignite Se-gun's face. That would be instant death. Agni's ignition could melt metal itself. Take a hit like that to a vital point and there would be nothing left to discuss—immediate death. Well, he had already cast aside his humanity to hunt vampires; dying at a vampire's hands might be a fitting end. Only that the moment had arrived sooner than expected was a shame. Se-gun snorted and raised his middle finger.
"If it were Argon, maybe. You putting on airs? Don't make me laugh, Agni!"
Bwaaaaaang!
Suddenly the high-cycle roar of a furious engine cut through the air. Startled, Agni spun around—something was punching straight through the wall of flame.
"Uracha!"
Seo Rin was charging through the heatstorm on a motorcycle. Argon looked briefly shocked, then slid backward as if on ice, keeping his blade level.
"Kh—!"
Han Se-gun snatched up Noctis at once. Argon, still running through the blaze, tapped Agni's shoulder.
"One hour sixteen minutes until boarding! We can still make it! I'm going first!"
"Hey!"
Throwing away a perfect chance like this over three plane tickets that cost two million four hundred thousand won? Was that even sane? Agni was dumbfounded, but Argon was already launching himself down toward Sa Jun.
"What—?!"
"Come on! Rat!"
Calling for Rat and Monty, Argon shoved his sword into the car. Sa Jun froze, hands half-raised.
"Ah…"
"I'll borrow the car. I'll park it at the airport—you can pick it up later. My, aren't I kind?"
He talked to himself and answered himself. But with a razor-edged blade at his throat, what else was there to say? Sa Jun dug out the keys and handed them over.
"Yes, yes."
In the meantime Rat and Monty sprinted up and piled into the vehicle. Argon fired the engine and peeled out in a hard acceleration.
Meanwhile Han Se-gun kicked off a nearby tree, spun through the air, and landed cleanly behind Seo Rin.
"Are you all right, hyung?"
After what had happened earlier, things still felt awkward—but this was no time for that. When Seo Rin asked after his condition, Se-gun bellowed at once.
"Floor it! If Oxidative Ignition hits the fuel, we're done!"
"Yes!"
Seo Rin opened the throttle and shot forward. Agni, startled, tried to ignite—but in that same instant Se-gun wrapped them in darkness and blocked his line of sight.
"Kh—!"
The flame of ignition skimmed uselessly past without catching. In the gap, the motorcycle landed cleanly on the road, swung a hard turn through the center lane regardless of oncoming traffic, and blasted away with terrifying acceleration. Agni fretted as he watched them recede.
If he didn't finish this now, Se-gun would recover and come for revenge—that was certain. Oxidative Ignition could render all of Se-gun's weapons useless, but in pure sword combat Agni had been outmatched. If Argon hadn't intervened just now, Agni's head would have left his shoulders before the second or third exchange.
"I have to end it now—!"
But just as he was about to give chase, sirens wailed in the distance. The nearby fire station and police had mobilized for the wildfire. Hearing them, Agni reeled in his iron whip, glanced at Sa Jun, and smirked.
"Well. You're the one who should be worried, not me."
Agni had no fixed residence. Even if Se-gun wanted revenge, he would never find him. Sa Jun, on the other hand, was finished. And indeed, Sa Jun's face had gone dark. He had believed that with two Jinma descending on him, Han Se-gun would absolutely die before the day was out—and instead it had come to this. He had underestimated Argon, leader of Esprit, far too much.
To think that for the sake of tickets worth two million four hundred thousand won, a Jinma would throw away his pride and scramble to escape like that! Especially the way Argon had been facing Se-gun and then simply slid out the moment the motorcycle burst in—his whole body had seemed to say, This is the chance I've been waiting for.
"You're… getting out of this race already? I know where Han Se-gun lives."
"I know that too, but I'm out. Charging into his den alone and getting myself killed is a lot worse than allying with other vampires, the way we did today. My ability is practically his natural enemy."
"Mm."
Sa Jun watched Agni leave with a pale face. With that man around, Oxidative Ignition could shut down bullets and explosives. The ability drained Agni heavily, but as a counter to Se-gun's specialties it was unmatched. The problem was that using it turned the surroundings into a sea of fire—and Se-gun's hand-to-hand combat was exceptional.
"This won't do. If we don't finish him today, it's dangerous."
He took out his phone and placed a call.
Bwaaaaaang!
Seo Rin tore down the road at full throttle. Clinging to his back, Se-gun was breathing through the pain of his severed arm as it began to climb.
"Where are we going?"
Seo Rin himself had a vague sense that returning straight to the safehouse was dangerous. The place had defensive lines, but right now it was highly likely to be occupied by the enemy.
"Arjuna."
"Will that be all right?"
"Even if it isn't, we have to go."
Se-gun said it and let out a breath. Seo Rin had half hoped for something more, but Se-gun offered nothing else.
"Then we're going."
Seo Rin turned toward Arjuna.
"The wind is unusually loud tonight, isn't it?"
Kim Seong-hui looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. Business hours still had a little left, but the customers had all gone. Since she didn't serve alcohol, few people lingered late. That was fine, in its way—but keeping this wide space alone did leave her a little lonely.
"Heh. And all of it because of Se-gun."
Originally she had also been a merchant, supplying the goods hunters and mages needed. But as Han Se-gun indiscriminately slaughtered vampires, the other hunters had vanished. More precisely, it had begun when vampires poured into Korea—but with the hunters gone, that trade had become useless.
"Oh my."
She was about to turn on the TV when she suddenly felt something. The barrier she had laid near the house had broken. And slowly, a power like chains was winding around her. The enemy, no doubt. But why now? If it was grievance over Se-gun, they should have moved long ago.
"…So I'm being underestimated as well? Heh. Ah, what a state of affairs."
She looked at the wildfire on the television and sighed. She had always known a day like this would come—she simply hadn't expected it to be today. Most likely Se-gun had taken a mortal wound, so they no longer feared the consequences of attacking. The thought made her suddenly anxious.
"If Se-gun were dead, there'd be no reason to bother killing me now—so he must still be alive."
She murmured it and pressed the switch under the counter. The electronic shutter engaged and sealed the doors automatically.
"Sharp as ever."
Li Wei-xiang, who had just finished collecting the talismans that formed the barrier, watched the shutter close and bit his lip. As a mage, their opponent stood above even Sa Jun. Their schools differed, but they knew perfectly well that Kim Seong-hui was a high-ranking mage.
"Wouldn't it be better to take Arjuna as a base? If we subdue her while we have the chance…"
Laura Carpenter, one of Sa Jun's disciples, frowned as she stared at the shuttered cafe. She thoroughly disliked that woman—who had raised a monster like Han Se-gun and yet enjoyed her peace on the outer fringes of the Mad Moon's world. Of course, by that logic the same could be said of Sa Jun, whom they followed—but the arm always bends inward, as they say.
"I'd like nothing better, but we wait for now. No point burning strength in a fight before Han Se-gun even gets here."
If Se-gun realized they were fighting Kim Seong-hui, he might turn away and flee again. So they stayed quiet and watched.