Niagara (2)
Niagara's waterfall poured down over the private beach of Phoenix Resort. The path down to the private beach, surrounded by cliffs and rocks, was a single wooden staircase. Three Phoenix Guild hunters guarded the front of those stairs.
"Go on down."
The hunters let only me and the spirits pass, blocking other spectators from entering. With Aqua riding piggyback on my neck, I descended the stairs. Jeong Ri-on was already waiting on the sandy beach.
"You're here."
We exchanged quiet greetings. Aqua's eyes were fixed on Niagara's waterfall. I looked up too, and the waterfall split in half.
Shwoooosh—!
Beyond the squarely severed sky, Niagara crossed over from the Spirit Realm. Niagara approached with dignified steps and stood before us.
[Aqua. Have you prepared to come home?]
Aqua shot back without backing down.
[Have you prepared to hand over your throne as Spirit King?!]
[Heh heh heh...]
Niagara chuckled as if finding Aqua's defiance laughable. Jeong Ri-on stepped forward.
"Hello? Niagara. I'm Jeong Ri-on, the judge for this duel."
Niagara silently regarded Jeong Ri-on. The sylphs perched on Jeong Ri-on's shoulder and head bowed slightly toward Niagara.
"The duel ends when one side forfeits or becomes combat-ineffective. If Niagara wins, Aqua returns to the Spirit Realm. If Aqua wins, Niagara relinquishes the throne. No objections?"
[None!]
Aqua replied spiritedly. Niagara nodded in response instead of speaking.
"Good. Then we'll begin the duel shortly. Any last words for each other?"
Niagara, still hovering in the sky, looked down at us and asked.
[Aqua. Do you truly believe you can defeat me?]
[Of course! Don't underestimate the power of our bond!]
[Bond... You're still so young.]
A child-faced Niagara, bearded and all, saying that was hilarious. I couldn't hold back my laughter, and Niagara glared at me, not hiding his displeasure. I met his gaze without flinching. Niagara's mouth twisted.
Jeong Ri-on nodded slowly.
"Alright. Begin the duel."
Jeong Ri-on stepped back about five paces. Niagara's altitude gradually descended.
[Time to come home, Aqua.]
I locked eyes with Aqua. We nodded in unison.
Jang Gilsan, Han Areum, and Han Deuri watched the private beach from a café. From this café in the VIP building, they could see the duel even from their seats by the window.
Han Areum gripped her mug tightly, staring down at the beach.
"Sis. Put the cup down. You'll break it."
"Oh, right."
Han Areum set the cup down and looked out the window again. Jang Gilsan wore his usual impassive expression, but he seemed tense, drumming his fingers on his crossed arms. Han Deuri, hands clasped behind his head, glanced at them and chuckled.
"Hyunwoo hyung's got so many fans. That worried?"
Han Areum and Jang Gilsan looked at Han Deuri, then at each other. Han Areum frowned slightly and snapped at him.
"What're you saying? Aren't you worried?"
Han Deuri shrugged.
"Nah, I trust Hyunwoo hyung. Can't imagine him losing to anyone."
Han Deuri peered out at Kang Hyunwoo. He was walking across the beach toward the waterfall.
"Even at the academy, he was F-rank but would spar with A-ranks sometimes. He knows better than anyone that one wrong hit could kill him, yet where does that guts come from?"
Han Areum stopped snapping back and gazed outside. That's who Kang Hyunwoo was. That's why the A-rank siblings called him senior and followed him here.
"...That's exactly why I'm worried. People like him need to be happy."
"Didn't you say people like us are the ones who need to be happy?"
"If Hyunwoo sunbae loses and loses Aqua, we'll all be the same—pitiful people who've lost family."
Han Areum sighed softly and asked Jang Gilsan,
"Can't we just sneak in and help?"
"You know he wouldn't like that."
Jang Gilsan had thought the same. He'd even looked into ways to help covertly several times. But that wasn't what Kang Hyunwoo wanted.
"He's not dumb enough to fight stronger foes head-on fair and square. But he's not pathetic enough to hope for outside help either."
If Kang Hyunwoo was just a bookworm with good grades, the professors wouldn't favor him so much. When they jokingly assigned impossible academy-level tasks for grade distribution, he'd pull all-nighters to produce near-perfect results.
"If he loses this time, he'll accept it cleanly and find a new path. He'll keep searching until he does."
Kang Hyunwoo sometimes said things like, 'I get it done if I say I will.' But to Jang Gilsan, he wasn't that type. Kang Hyunwoo just kept going until it worked. Like meeting a spirit after six years.
"That tenacity and will are his greatest strengths. We can't ruin that."
Han Areum sighed again. Then, a wave of power erupted from the private beach. The duel had begun.
[I don't like this.]
Niagara looked around us, with us right in front, and spoke. Following his gaze, I spotted numerous drones hovering to film us. Probably launched by reporters.
Niagara slowly raised his hand. Moisture gathered at his fingertips, then split into streams and shot out rapidly.
Shwoooosh—!
Like lasers sweeping the sky, water jets sliced through the air. Crackle-crackle! Drones split in half rained down like hail.
This is a Spirit King.
I swallowed hard. What Aqua and I could only do combined, Niagara did alone—and far more powerfully.
Against the backdrop of falling drones, Niagara extended his hand toward the spectators' side.
"Wait—!"
Before I could shout in panic, moisture exploded from Niagara's hand like a whirlwind, flying toward the crowd. Fortunately, he had no intent to attack them. The moisture turned to mist, enveloping the crowd widely.
[Our duel is no spectacle for humans.]
Niagara looked at Aqua.
[Merely a father-daughter quarrel.]
[Father-daughter?! As if spirits have such things!]
Aqua crouched low and shouted, like a beast ready for battle. Niagara smiled at the sight, then slowly drew up his spirit power. The signal for the duel to begin.
Shwick—!
Niagara swung his hand, sending sharp water arrows at me.
As expected, targeting me first.
Niagara wouldn't attack Aqua. Anticipating it, I laid a Water Shield thinly along the arrows' path.
Splash—!
The water arrows grazed the Water Shield and veered off course. While I deflected Niagara's attack, Aqua struck at him.
Shwick—!
Aqua's water arrows sped toward Niagara. Boom! But Niagara casually swung his hand, and they lost form and scattered.
Niagara's control and mastery over water surpassed any water spirit as the Spirit King. But Aqua's aim wasn't that.
Kwaak—!
The sand beneath Niagara rose, grabbing him. Possible because it was mixed with seawater.
[Hm!]
Niagara's surprised eyes flicked downward. In that gap, Aqua and I charged at him.
Boing—!
Aqua bounced off the water toward Niagara, gripping a water hammer in her hand. Niagara quickly escaped the sand restraints and reached toward the incoming Aqua, trying to disrupt the hammer's control like the arrows before.
But the hammer in Aqua's hand merely deformed slightly—it didn't scatter like the arrows.
[...What?!]
Niagara's eyes widened in shock. It was the power Aqua had grown and gained through the Spirit Shop: Control.
[Die!]
With a vicious shout, Aqua's hammer smashed down on Niagara's crown.
Thwack—!
[Urk!]
The damage must have been solid; Niagara screamed and crumpled. My turn.
Reaching Niagara, I used my momentum to deliver a full-force kick.
Thwack—!
Niagara's body, struck by a C-rank awakener's serious kick, flew up and splashed into the sea.
Splash—!
We raced after him into the ocean. Upon hitting the water, Aqua manipulated it with spirit power, teleporting us instantly to where he'd fallen. I spread a wide Water Shield to float my body on the surface.
"Aqua!"
[Right!]
Aqua reached toward the sea, planning to drag Niagara up. But he was faster.
Kwaang—!
A massive water pillar erupted. Niagara emerged from it, face furious.
[I was going easy, but!]
Niagara spread his arms wide. Two water orbs began forming at his fingertips. But they were small. Even Niagara looked shocked.
[What? What's this?!]
Niagara repeatedly gathered spirit power on his hands, but grimaced as it wouldn't work properly. Watching, I asked,
"Waterproofing agent's working pretty well, huh?"
[What?]
"The waterproofing agent. Spirit Realm waterproofing agent. Never seen it?"
Niagara's face twisted.
◈ Aged sap from the Spirit Realm waterproof tree.
◈ Frequently used by wind spirits when swimming.
◈ Price: 10 coins
I was wearing the "Poison King" suit borrowed from Jang Gilsan. This full-body suit let you inject poison via hand and foot stingers by slotting a poison vial into the neck guard's gland. Of course, I'd slotted the waterproofing agent instead.
It's so potent even Aqua couldn't use spirit power with it.
It was clearly working on Niagara too.
[Such dirty tricks...!]
Niagara's face crumpled. I crossed my arms and stood before him.
"Cowardly? Nah."
Aqua crossed her arms beside me.
[It's the power of our bond!]
Niagara's face crumpled even more.
[You vile human! Don't corrupt Aqua!]