Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Death Struggle
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Even concentrating on a single point, it was impossible to read each trajectory of the blades one by one. Blocking them, deflecting them, dodging them—none of it was possible.
So he let them graze him. The moment they definitively touched his body, he stepped into his footwork. The instant they met his fist, he twisted his wrist and joints. Each time, sparks scattered. The flames that were sliced away turned into embers that swirled in the air, only to be cut again.
There wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't hurt. They weren't deep cuts, but everywhere they grazed was sliced. Just taking a single step forward had turned his entire body into a bloody mess.
But the flames didn't go out. No matter how many times they were slashed and diminished, they reignited as if it had never happened.
And another step. The sliced areas were sliced again. Blood poured from wounds that had deepened further, but Yuri pressed on with his fist. The flames left by the Dark Cloud Crescent Moon of the Southern Sky Cloudy Cloud Fist engulfed the blade storm.
Agwi took pleasure in watching it. No matter how desperately he tried to dodge, getting close meant his body would inevitably end up covered in blood. He was working hard to minimize the damage, but how long could that last? In the end, to land a proper attack, he'd have to shove his fist into the blades.
'Eyes.'
He watched the enemy's pupils, which never stayed still for even a moment, darting busily. The guy was somehow reading the blade trajectories and responding, but how long could he keep that up?
'Being able to read even a little is thanks to me focusing on you.'
Agwi knew that too. If he just spun pure defense like usual, the guy couldn't do a thing. But that would be less fun.
Tormenting the weak after becoming strong was pure delight.
This world was the best. When he first possessed this body, everything felt resentful and hopeless, making him want to die. But after gaining power through his newfound talent, he truly came to love this world. On Earth, you could never toy with the weak and kill them just because you were strong.
Every time he indulged in violence here, a thrilling chill ran through him.
In that meantime, Yuri drew a few steps closer. A blood-soaked figure. His clear eyes shone with a silent, unyielding will. Agwi cackled and altered the form of the blade storm.
'Getting closer doesn't make it any easier for you.'
A dumb martial artist whose entire skill was punching. Did he think he could just break through the blade storm? Agwi snorted and expanded the blade storm a bit more.
—Roar!
It was in that instant. Flames erupted in the space where the blade storm was trying to reform. The flames had interfered right at the moment the magic was manifesting. It didn't cause Agwi pain, but it gave him a small surprise.
Flames of the Heavenly Principle Annihilating Evil Art. Just as Yuri had hoped, he'd successfully preempted the moment of magic manifestation. The flames swelled in an instant, swallowing up even the other blade storms in succession.
'This bastard, using my own power?'
They swallowed, burned, and spread. In a flash, flames filled the space around Agwi. But that couldn't deal damage to Agwi. It only blocked the blade storm for a brief moment. Even with intent added to the Heavenly Principle Annihilating Evil Art, Agwi's tier made it easy to shake off those flames.
Even so, this was the moment Yuri had desperately wished for. Without hesitation, Yuri charged at Agwi. The spreading flames around Agwi were drawn to Yuri. Splattering blood droplets floated like a red mist. Within it, Yuri raised his fist.
The flames Yuri so desperately desired dwelled in his fist. Holy Flame Force Emission, the most powerful close-range attack Yuri could unleash. Even if it couldn't one-shot, against an opponent with such a tier gap, it was the only attack that might land.
'Crazy bastard.'
He'd been momentarily flustered by the spreading flames, but he was even more baffled that the guy judged this as his chance and dove in.
Well, if he were sane, he wouldn't even think of fighting—he'd run first. To Agwi's eyes, Yuri's approach didn't seem that fast. He knew what the guy was trying too. Fist at his waist. Was he seriously just going to punch, and that was it?
'...?'
It was an attack not worth guarding against. A fifth-tier martial artist's fist? It was so weak he couldn't die from it even if he wanted to—no matter how many dozens or hundreds of hits.
But then what was this feeling? It was different from the 'thrill' he felt tormenting the weak. This chill prickling up his spine was a warning from his instincts.
The spreading flames around him too. They seemed infused with a bit of intent beyond their tier, but even accounting for that—they were tenacious. The blade storm was still suppressed. Was it not mere qi?
'This is...'
Fragmented judgments connected rapidly. It wasn't an attack he could afford to take playfully. A fifth-tier martial artist's fist? Ridiculous. He thought that, but he couldn't ignore the warning from his instincts.
He was maintaining Pseudo-Divine Domain, tuning the gaps, even sustaining divine authority. If he let in an unnecessary blow and the tuning of the gaps broke—
He didn't even want to imagine it. So Agwi moved his hand. It wasn't fear. So he wouldn't retreat or dodge. Instead, he'd tear him apart head-on. It was the epitome of arrogance from believing himself an absolute superior.
Agwi had become a beast nearly three meters tall. His hand was large enough to easily envelop Yuri's head. That hand came crashing down on Yuri.
Just before unleashing Holy Flame Force Emission. At this rate, Yuri's body would be torn apart before he could even extend his fist. And yet, Yuri's movements held no hesitation. In this razor-thin line of peril, it wasn't Agwi who flinched first.
Yuri's body became wind and cloud. It became an intangible illusion that couldn't be grasped. His body followed the martial art with a unity beyond what Yuri consciously directed. The perfect oneness he'd experienced several times before.
He thought of striking, and acted. That intense will became intent and overlaid his flesh. He attacked first, but Yuri was the one who ended up later. The spec difference turned the first strike into the opponent's first. Diving in was impossible. Under these conditions, the place to slam Holy Flame Force Emission was.
The hand approaching to rip Yuri apart. Yuri's waist bent back at a sharp angle, his two legs firmly anchoring his center. The thrusting fist slipped precariously between the curved claws.
Thus, Yuri's fist touched Agwi's palm.
"Kah?!"
Something bursting echoed inside Agwi. He let out a startled scream and yanked back his swung arm. His hand—its interior was hot. Raging flames had burrowed into his palm and were rampaging.
The rampaging flames moved. Burning through nerves and meridians in his arm, they tried to head deeper.
"What did you do?!"
Agwi bellowed. Rumble! The power he unleashed quelled the flames entering his arm. The flames no longer delved deeper into his body, but sensation in his right arm was dulled.
Normally, he'd use holy power to regenerate the wound instantly, but he couldn't now. The holy power he'd accumulated over years and his current holy power were all pooled in those gaps.
"You fucking dog...!"
He ignored the dulled right arm. He could kill the bastard plenty without it. Rumble! From the gradually subsiding flames, the blade storm surged anew.
"I'll make you beg to be killed!"
Agwi roared and swung his left arm. He no longer waited like before. An attack laden with clear killing intent enveloped Yuri. It was just one left arm swung, but the blade storm following it was countless.
An attack from an adult Agwi in earnest. Yuri tried to dodge, but couldn't. All he could do was bolster his protective aura to avoid dying in one hit and raise both arms to guard his vitals.
"Yuri!"
Amid Ha-ryeong's scream, Yuri's body flew through the air. He'd focused on defense, but it shattered too easily. His protective aura was torn to shreds, both arms deeply gashed to expose bone, and it didn't stop there—his organs were pierced.
Yuri's flying body halted abruptly in midair. Agwi's magic had seized him to prevent escape. Agwi's hand slammed down through empty air. —Crunch! Yuri's body was smashed into the ground.
"Keuk!"
Shattered organ fragments and blood sprayed from Yuri's mouth. At that sight, Ha-ryeong kicked off the ground.
Over five minutes must have passed already. Yet Reisi still hadn't opened her eyes. Had she ultimately failed to surpass the sixth-tier wall? If so, everything they'd done so far was for nothing.
Ha-ryeong wanted to prevent Yuri's death more than guarding this spot, waiting for Reisi who might ascend to sixth tier at any moment.
"Not yet!"
Yuri, writhing on the ground, shouted. At his yell, Ha-ryeong's body flinched to a halt just as she was about to unleash her hidden weapons.
"Not yet?"
Agwi spat with a twisted face. He snapped his fingers, and the blade storm overlapped before surging at Yuri. Yuri, still unable to stand, hurriedly rolled on the ground, but a blade he couldn't evade slashed a long gash down his left leg.
"What's not yet?!"
Gritting his teeth against the pain of bone being shaved, Yuri couldn't move properly now that his leg was injured. He had potions in his waist pouch, but would there be time to use them? Outside, he could layer float magic to create an opening somehow, but in this place where mana was suppressed, Yuri couldn't use magic.
"You want to say you can still fight more?"
From the torn mask's mouth protruded sharp fangs. Agwi glanced at Ha-ryeong, who had halted awkwardly, and further back at Reisi, still with eyes closed.
Just how massive a spell was she preparing that she still kept her eyes shut, concentrating?
"Hmph."
Agwi's eye twitched. He'd taken an unexpected injury. He didn't think that level of mage's magic was dangerous, but since he'd been wounded by a monkey-like martial artist, he needed to be a bit more cautious.
"Before I kill you, I'll take out those bitches first."
The moment he heard that, Yuri's hand slammed the ground hard. He leaped up, twisting his waist in midair to control his body. Crimson Blood Jade Thread Legs drew a red line as it surged at Agwi.
"Idiot."
Agwi swung his hand. Crash! His body was shredded by the blade storm, followed by a heavy impact that smashed him into the wall.
"I said I'd make you beg for death! Yeah, first I'll smash your limbs so you can't thrash anymore. Then you can crawl like a bug on the floor and watch those bitches die."
Yuri, sliding down the wall and sprawling, spat up surging blood as he glared at Agwi.
'Fuck, it was supposed to be five minutes...'
Over five minutes had already passed. He'd drawn Agwi's focus and even bought his rage by slamming Holy Flame Force Emission, but Reisi still had her eyes closed. Was she planning to arrive only after all his limbs were shattered?
'Come to think of it, the one who taught you was Kwon Rang, right?'
Agwi, approaching slowly, twisted his lips into a smile.
'We really do have a connection. Heh heh, to think I'd kill Kwon Rang's—no, Baked Raspeon's disciple with my own hands too.'
'...!'
Yuri, forcing himself to stand on his barely moving leg, felt his hair stand on end.
'Baked Raspeon?'
'You don't even know that name? Fine if you don't. No need to explain to a guy about to croak.'
Agwi's words ended there, but it was enough. Just as he'd suspected a possessor was involved, Agwi was one of the culprits behind the massacre of the Raspeon family twenty years ago.
Then the others? Were the other adults accomplices in the Raspeon family tragedy besides Agwi?
Yuri recalled Baked's appearance. He'd learned martial arts from him for just over a month, but to Yuri, Baked was a true master who'd properly taught him, just like Lorellia.
So Yuri staggered forward. If he'd known in advance, he would've forced Holy Flame Force Emission into his face instead of his hand. Could he do it once more? If he resolved to die, he thought he could slam Holy Flame Force Emission one more time.
'No.'
The thought came from Ha-ryeong. She saw Yuri's face grow coldly resolute. She knew that expression well. Two years ago in Logos, when he'd blocked the Blood Fiend Ghost, Yuri's face had looked like that.
A face resolved to death. They were buying time to avoid dying, yet resolving to die was too contradictory. He'd said "not yet," but... Ha-ryeong bit her lip hard and turned, glaring at Reisi.
'How long...!'
She wanted to send a mental message, but it risked disrupting her concentration, so she couldn't. In the end, Ha-ryeong tore her gaze from Reisi and gripped the Black-White Twin Evils, one in each hand.
Now she truly didn't know. Either way, it was time to thrash desperately. Ha-ryeong was fully willing to do so too. It meant not just Yuri had steeled himself.
Reisi felt the same frustration.
She'd lost track of time. External phenomena, sounds—none reached her now. She stood before the sixth-tier wall she'd long ignored. A wall she should leap over easily, yet it wouldn't yield and instead clutched at her ankles.
All the spells she'd learned up to now. The process of re-understanding the magic she'd practiced with devotion and love was longer than Reisi had anticipated. It was an absolutely unavoidable process. By re-understanding known spells more deeply, her path of magic was set, and her soul force grew immensely.
'A bit more.'
It was close. The five minutes seemed to have passed, but Reisi Yuzha hadn't died yet. It meant the two who'd asked to buy time were still working hard.
The worst scenario she didn't want to imagine.
Opening her eyes to find Yuri and Ha-ryeong already dead. If that happened—if she somehow survived and returned, she wouldn't have the face to see Elena.
'So please.'
—Thump.
Her understanding of magic completed. Formulas, spells—the origin of it all. The secrets countless mages pursued as the parent of formulas were reinterpreted within Reisi. With that, magic became fully the mage's own and transformed. Even the same fireball became different for each high-tier mage for this reason. Reisi had reached that realm.
Crackle.
Electricity coursed through Reisi's soul. She thrilled at the current flowing through her soul.
This current connecting soul to soul was the form of magic Orca now pursued, and Reisi had joined the research with strong interest. It required a base of sixth tier at minimum, so she'd never deployed it herself, but she'd already engraved the formula's terminal into her soul for later.
[Orca.]
Her will transmitted to Orca across vast distance.
—Crackle!
Reisi's body, standing with eyes closed, was enveloped in golden lightning.
'?!"
Agwi, approaching Yuri, immediately sensed the anomaly. Something had 'passed through' the Pseudo-Divine Domain's barrier. If it were magic or an attack, the barrier would have blocked it, but this slipped through without being filtered and successfully intruded.
"What...?"
Ha-ryeong, gripping Black-White Twin Evils and advancing on Agwi, turned back in confusion. Reisi staggered amid the crackling electric light.
"Ah..."
Reisi's lips parted. —Boom! A massive presence pressed heavily on Agwi. He stared at Reisi with eyes wide in disbelief.
No, was that really Reisi Yuzha? Her appearance was the same. But the presence—the soul's aura was different. It wasn't just ascending tiers after meditation. It was like she'd become another person...
'Something possessed her soul...!'
Agwi didn't hesitate and charged at Reisi. At the same moment, Reisi's finger pointed at Agwi.
Crackle!
Golden lightning blocked Agwi's charge. The blade storm surged to counter the lightning, but the continually branching bolts destroyed the blade storm.
'Transmitting over this distance for the first time, I wondered if it would work.'
Reisi spoke. It was unmistakably Reisi's voice, but the manner of speech was entirely different.
'With a terminal, transmission works somehow.'
Reisi murmured while tying back her purple hair. No, the one standing there now wasn't Reisi.
The soul of Heavenly Thunder Orca Derusia from the Derusia Magic Tower had been transmitted into Reisi's body.