Chapter 189
Chapter 189
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: First Clash (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There was no room for conversation amid the battle.
-Boom!
With a deafening roar that sank the ground, fragments sprayed from the cracked road.
The manager of the livestock pens. Tuberose.
As a direct subordinate executive of Cistus, he possessed outstanding skills that surpassed even average A-rank hunters.
No... his speed alone exceeded A-rank.
There were plenty of S-rank subordinate executives.
It was simply that Flower's executives had reached the pinnacle but were divided, unable to fully utilize their power.
He too was a hidden master of the shadows.
-Boom!
Yet he was being pushed back.
He dodged the fist, but the follow-up punch sent him crashing straight into the side of a building.
-Screeech!
As the steel beams snapped, Tuberose looked at his opponent from the hole in the building.
"Cough..."
Compared to other executives and subordinates, he was weaker.
Even so, it was more than enough to turn the Hunter Association upside down.
And now, such a Tuberose was being overwhelmingly dominated by a single human.
Without even unleashing his full power.
His blood boiled, and the corners of his eyes twitched.
Tuberose crawled out from inside the building, infusing mana into the dagger he held.
"...Hoo, fuck. Who the hell are you?"
It had been a while since both their robe hoods had fallen off.
Si-heon and Tuberose faced each other.
Their clashing gazes brimmed with killing intent, ready to explode at any moment.
"......"
"What, should I introduce myself first?"
Buy time.
That thought lasted only a moment before Lee Si-heon kicked off the ground.
Tuberose cleaved the flying concrete chunk clean in half.
The bisected concrete flew past his back.
Si-heon's eyes remained calmly sunken.
"You're the guy saving the city, so at least tell me your name. Right?"
"......"
Instinctively sensing the opponent's strength.
And the strangely immense rage directed at him.
The raw, vivid emotions scraped down his spine. A bead of sweat trickled over his wingbone.
...Probably.
If he couldn't end it here, this man might become a lifelong enemy.
There were countless skilled individuals hostile to Flower.
Representatives like White Path, Sage, Infinite.
Each had reached the pinnacle, standing on par with Flower's executives.
They were all heroes who dominated their eras.
'He's not quite at that level yet.'
Yet it was also true that he exuded a similar aura.
Including his potential, that made him even more dangerous.
He needed to know his skills, appearance, even his name.
"Tuberose."
"......?"
He revealed his name first.
"Subordinate of Cistus, manager of the livestock pens. Flower's vice executive."
"......"
"You're about to die anyway, so it's fine to hear your name."
It wasn't hopeless.
If he used his full power, he could hold out for a while.
And... if he somehow injected a massive dose, instant death was possible.
Tuberose discarded the bent syringe needle and picked up a new one.
Finally, words burst from Si-heon's mouth.
"What the hell are you saying?"
Lee Si-heon's voice rumbled heavily.
Tuberose's trembling lips stiffened.
"Vice executive?"
It almost sounded like mockery.
"Yeah... a little digging, and you'd know my name anyway."
As if his position meant nothing.
Blackened mana crawled up Si-heon's arms like snakes.
"But I have no obligation to tell you."
'......!'
Black mana. A familiar stance.
'Am I imagining it...?'
A sense of discrepancy washed over his shoulders.
His legs trembled under the weight of the air.
Lee Si-heon rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before kicking off.
-Crack.
The sound of bones shifting back into place.
-Thud!
The opponent moved.
Tuberose immediately narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms in an X to check his surroundings.
His figure briefly appeared before instantly materializing in front of Tuberose.
The swung fist aimed precisely at Tuberose's face.
-Whoosh!
He twisted his head to dodge.
Tuberose thrust his dagger at the man's throat, but the man struck the center of his wrist and simultaneously swept his leg, shattering Tuberose's balance.
"...!"
He couldn't even breathe properly.
-Wobble!
Relentless pressure.
As Tuberose's body tilted, a knee approached his waist.
The fluid chain of strikes assured him that taking this hit would end the fight.
'Wait.'
Until he was certain victory tilted toward the opponent.
The opponent's knee dug into Tuberose's waist, crushing his ribcage.
In that brief moment, there was no time to feel pain.
-Crunch! Crack!
The knee burrowed deeper, shattered bones piercing his lungs and organs.
Tuberose's eyes bulged as he gritted his teeth, waiting for that moment.
Arrogance.
And grit.
The instant carelessness appeared on the opponent's face, he moved his hand.
The sharp syringe needle targeted Lee Si-heon's thigh.
Just a little. One drop.
Then... mutual destruction was possible.
-Whoosh!
In that instant, Tuberose's body spun into the air.
The sky filled his vision.
'...He reacted to that?'
Blood sprayed in his mouth. Turning his head to the ground, he saw not Lee Si-heon, but the cement pavement right before his nose.
-Slam!
Crashing onto the road, Tuberose writhed in agony.
Propping himself up and lifting his head, Lee Si-heon's face loomed right in front.
He didn't even open his mouth, just glared down.
Like looking at worthless weeds.
As if casually clearing roadside trash.
"Urgh... kuh, cough."
Fast and strong.
No hesitation in his actions, never dropping his guard until the end.
Shattered syringe fluid leaked from his pocket.
"...Groan."
He grimaced at the acrid stench of blood filling his mouth.
Yes. A fight to the death.
How long had it been?
Drawing up white mana, Tuberose gritted his teeth.
Lee Si-heon backed away, sensing his intent.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Bloom] A manifestation entirely different from Wood People, drawing out one's true power.
Flower members who achieve Bloom gain authority akin to World Trees.
Wrapping his body in white mana, Tuberose charged right up to Si-heon's nose.
His dramatically increased speed twisted the corners of his eyes.
-Boom!
One strike.
Seeing Lee Si-heon's silhouette flung back, Tuberose loosened his body.
-Crack, crunch.
A world visible in his yellow-tinted pupils.
Moonlight flower (Tuberose) blooming beneath his body. Petals fell around Tuberose's legs.
Not under moonlight, but their brilliance rivaled sunlight.
A beautiful fragrance. Dangerous pleasure.
Tuberose itself, his very name.
Sensual mana flowed from his body like smoke.
'An ability utterly useless in combat.'
A body producing narcotic substances. Upon Bloom, their potency doubled.
Under the influence, mana surged... unlocking one's full potential.
Tuberose could effortlessly control the dosage.
Even on himself.
-Flex.
Veins bulged on his forehead and neck.
Instead of expelling the drugs his body produced, he absorbed them directly.
Muscles swelled gradually. Sword aura coated his gripped dagger.
A ferocious aura now emanated from Tuberose.
"My turn."
Unleashed and feral, Tuberose's handsome features twisted savagely.
He kicked off the ground, and the two clashed.
Dagger and fist grazed past each other.
-Crack!
Lee Si-heon's shoulder pierced through.
Tuberose's eyes gleamed with ecstasy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 【 'World Tree of Purity' urges you. 】 Don't rush me.
I'm moving faster than you think.
He could feel the opponent hiding an ace during the fight.
'Vice executive.'
Did they possess this level of power?
Black Path could win, but the issue was its performance had spiked too much.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The eighth secret technique learned from the past.
Applying it made Black Path so taxing on the body that using it alone caused immense strain.
...Frequent use rapidly shaved away lifespan.
His body couldn't withstand the overflowing mana.
'The old man said I'd wield it without risk eventually.'
But not now, and it was hard to use anyway.
Too many eyes; Heavenly Demon Divine Art easily identified its user.
If previous Black Path was minor enhancement, the awakened version was a final card not to be played lightly.
Yeah... just like that bastard.
-Grind.
Was Tuberose mistaking himself for the moon? He radiated halo-like light, petals falling at his feet.
His nose filled with a nauseatingly pungent stench.
'Bloom.'
Trees: lignification, release.
Flowers: bloom.
Ridiculous.
Meanwhile, it was pathetic that humans lacked similar talents.
-Slice.
Regenerating his pierced shoulder allowed arm movement again.
His clothes had self-repair magic.
"......You."
Tuberose frowned at Si-heon's pristine shoulder.
Sensing some discrepancy?
Soon, a smile crept across his lips.
"Ahh. I get it. Heard about a guy like you."
"What are you talking about?"
Kuhuhuhuhu—
Pain-mingled laughter escaped his mouth.
His drugged, staggering body swelled once more.
Tuberose leered at me, lips stretched wide.
"......Do I owe you an explanation?"
He clenched both fists and assumed a stance.
Vast mana surged like waves.
"I don't know how long you'll last there—"
The massive oncoming body.
"—but you'd better prepare your neck."
The enlarged fist hurtled toward me.
Not a dagger.
Dodge by turning? Too fast.
I grimaced, gathering power in one hand.
'...Might miss if I'm not careful.'
So, a solid hit first.
Flattening the created mana.
Confirming no people around.
CCTV and machines halted.
"Five."
Activating the technique.
Tuberose's fist neared my nose.
The fifth.
Flat... Covering Fan Slash.
A thin, circular blade. Mana buzzing like bees, channeled into my hand blade, I slashed down.
-Shlick!
Blood sprayed in a straight line from the fist.
Further forward.
Slicing through the opponent's fist, vertically bisecting his arm.
"...!"
Tuberose's panicked face.
He pulled back late—too shallow.
Previously calm and cautious; now excited, he was easier.
I slammed my palm onto the man's heart.
"One."
White Path.
The colossal Tuberose's body. Pure white mana strands extended from his back.
-Boom!
A starkly different strike.
Not overly wide, minimal wasted radiant mana.
Purely focused on one point.
Tuberose's skin shredded like fragments, fluttering down like petals.
"......Fu, fucking hell."
Even dying, he stared without regret.
His mouth parted briefly into a visible smile.
This was madness.
Kneeling Tuberose looked far smaller now.
"Kuhuhu."
But his laughing face didn't stop.
"......I'm dying."
Not filled with resentment, but relief from shackles.
"You'll suffer forever."
"...You know me?"
"Heard something similar.... You and—"
Snap. His voice cut off.
Like he never existed, the corpse vanished.
At his feet, amid the blood pool, one flower remained solitary.
I picked it up, taking it in.
▶ Tuberose (?) [Type: Consumable] 'Two years of short love. Memories under the moonlight.' Focusing my mind, strange memories flooded in.
A white-haired woman brutally killed right before his eyes.
Not mine.
Probably this guy's.
I stopped watching and crushed the flower underfoot.
-Crunch!
Petals ground into the asphalt.
No past justified his actions.
He knew that, so he didn't beg for life.
No interest in heartbreaking memories.
Vanished petals.
Yet my body accepted it as fortune.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 【 Absorbing the power of the petals, acquired stats rise by 0.4 each. 】 Generous stat boost.
Less World Tree power, more the vessel of the Wood Spirit King.
Killing other Flower members didn't yield this; pinnacle ones were different.
"Hoo."
Job done, I donned my robe hood again and looked skyward.
The annoyingly bright sun illuminated the half-destroyed road.
For some reason, the moon seemed visible on the other side.
Times when sun and moon rose together. It happens occasionally.
'Ah, but...'
My daughter....
Couldn't watch the concert after all.
A bitter sigh escaped my lips.