Chapter 32
Ju Cheong-ah slowly exhaled as Bellatrix von Pernalid led with the tip of her sword. "Haa…."
Her hand gripped the sweat-slicked hilt tighter, refusing to let go. Bellatrix charged. "Let's see how you handle this…!"
Cheong-ah's sword clashed against Bellatrix's greatsword. Kaaaaang…! A piercing screech like two massive lumps of iron colliding. The chilling roar reverberated through the cramped space along with the shockwave.
Paaat…! Sparks flew from the grinding metal. Two waves of red and blue energy scattered into the air. The mana they unleashed collided and dispersed in bursts of light.
Dozens more exchanges followed in rapid succession. Watching from a short distance back were Aria and Sierra. Aria was the first to murmur in admiration. "…Incredible. To match that monster from the mountain kingdom."
Though it might not be the case anymore, Aria had once been friends with Bellatrix. That's why she knew Bellatrix's prowess better than anyone—she'd watched it up close. The princess of the mountain kingdom, Bellatrix, was a monster beyond human limits.
And for good reason. Even with mana enhancing her strength, wielding a greatsword that no ordinary adult man—let alone a muscled veteran of decades—could handle, all with one arm, swinging it freely? How could that not be monstrous? Her power was such that you could believe half her blood was ogre.
That's what made her the princess of the mountain kingdom. That's Bellatrix. It wasn't for nothing that she topped the forbidden target list of the assassin guild single-handedly and held the highest rank as a special-class mercenary in the mercenary guild.
If you had to count them on one hand, she was among the top monsters on this entire continent.
"Incredible, right?"
"Yeah. To fight toe-to-toe with the princess of the mountain kingdom… no, Bella. Miss Ju Cheong-ah is amazing."
Hearing Sierra's response, Aria thought she had to recruit Ju Cheong-ah under her command somehow—no matter what it took, whatever Cheong-ah wanted, she'd grant it.
Bellatrix's eyebrows twitched upward at Ju Cheong-ah's completely transformed skill. "What the hell? You're different from before."
"Of course. I told you I wouldn't hold back."
"Ha… This is fun."
With a sneer, Bellatrix kicked off the ground. Her greatsword slashed horizontally like a whirlwind. "Take this…!"
Ju Cheong-ah fluidly arched her body backward, dodging it. As she straightened, she targeted Bellatrix's waist. Bellatrix twisted her hips, channeling mana into the karambit at her belt to block the strike.
Kaaaaang…!
But it only stopped the blade from cutting deep—the force behind it wasn't halted. "Grgh…!" A fierce shock burrowed into her waist. The mana surging from Cheong-ah's sword had whipped her hard.
Shhhk—. Bellatrix was flung to the opposite side. She slammed her greatsword's tip into the ground and hunched over. "Cough…."
Agony wracked her guts. Thick blood trickled from Bellatrix's mouth.
Cheong-ah looked down at her leisurely. "Payback for earlier."
"…Damn, that hurts like hell. It's been forever since I got hit like this."
Last year? The year before? She dredged up a memory she hadn't bothered to etch in stone. Probably that fight with the black panther bitch?
The black panther. That brown-skinned assassin who'd matched her evenly. That's when Bellatrix had first felt her life truly threatened.
And now. The aura from Ju Cheong-ah felt no different.
"Hah, scratch what I said earlier. You're no one to brush off with a compliment."
Ju Cheong-ah snorted softly at Bellatrix's words. "I should be the one complimenting you. You're only the third to make me struggle like this."
"Man, now I get how pissed you were earlier. Feels pretty shitty."
"Good, now you know. So pick up your sword already. How long are you gonna whine?"
"…That's cold."
Bellatrix felt this whole situation was utterly unfair. Even before, Cheong-ah had been no easy opponent. Luckily, that carriage behind her and that idiot man had been weak points, letting her take control quickly…
If they'd fought properly, Cheong-ah would've left a fatal wound somewhere—like her slashed eye or severed arm.
That's why she'd torn her apart mercilessly, thinking it was over… only for the enemy to recover fully in moments and come back stronger.
"Where the hell is this fair, damn it."
"What, struggling a bit? Want to call your subordinates for a gang-up?"
"…What? Ha, you crazy—"
Cheong-ah's taunt flooded her with humiliation. The smirk of leisure vanished from her face, replaced in one eye by frenzied rage. She took her words not as provocation, but contempt.
Sweat beaded on her brow. She swept back the hair covering her eye. The black eyepatch over the diagonal sword scar on her right eye.
Bellatrix growled, driven not by reason but raw emotion, her voice thick with fury. "You insolent bitch…."
"Oh dear, I was being considerate since you're missing an arm. No hard feelings if you're offended—I'm not sorry at all."
"Kh… Fine. Let's see one of us die proper today."
"Someone's gotta die anyway, so cut the crap. My jaw hurts responding."
She yanked her greatsword free and charged again. A diagonal slash from above. Cheong-ah casually raised her sword to parry.
Her body felt incredibly light. Thud—! Contrary to expectations of another brutal clash, Cheong-ah's blade slid up the greatsword like flowing water.
Her wrist twisted. Like a butterfly's gentle flutter. Shring—.
The sword rode up the blade, past Bellatrix's arm, straight for her throat.
But Bellatrix, the princess of the mountain kingdom called a top contender on the continent, hadn't earned her title lightly. Just as Cheong-ah had bent backward to dodge, Bellatrix mirrored it, twisting her waist to evade.
She released the greatsword's hilt instantly, channeling qi into a backhand body blow to Cheong-ah's side. "Die!"
Cheong-ah realized her mistake. She'd eaten a kick earlier and slipped again. She'd let her guard down because the enemy had only one arm.
A fist packed with mana could deliver a lethal blow on a direct hit. Bracing her side, she tensed and tried to circulate her qi for protection—but Bellatrix's punch landed a split-second faster.
Yet, for some reason… it was blocked, as if by an invisible wall. Thung—.
The fist halted mid-air. What the hell?
Her aimed strike foiled, Bellatrix kicked back off the ground, retreating from Cheong-ah's range.
This was ridiculous. What was this girl? Wasn't she just a pure swordswoman?
"…Huh? What, you can use magic too?"
Cheong-ah was just as baffled. How had this happened? She didn't know, but it was Ian's ability: blocking a set amount of incoming attacks on a target. In exchange, Ian endured the agony of that punch to his own side.
Oblivious, Cheong-ah feigned composure with a blank expression, seeing it as an opportunity. "Who knows."
"Unbelievable. When the hell did you chant the spell?"
It had been her ace in the hole, and it got blocked—irritation boiled in Bellatrix. She'd thought they were equals, but magic too? And she'd cast it without notice. No novice mage. At minimum…
A battle mage worthy of a Gold Badge in any mercenary or adventurer guild. More than that, for sure.
With that pitiful, innocent face. Bluffing like she knew nothing.
Had she even lost on purpose at first to lower her guard?
…Or does she think I'm a joke.
No, probably not. Her eyes, blazing with rage at the taunt moments ago, slowly regained calm. It had been ages since she'd faced a true equal. She couldn't afford to lose her head like a madwoman.
"This is getting interesting."
Of course, it was Ian's power, not Cheong-ah's, so Bellatrix's assumptions were way off—but she didn't know that.
Ignorant, she glared at Cheong-ah and boiled mana through her body. Knowing magic was in play, dragging this out would hurt her. One strike. One chance to cleave through that barrier and Cheong-ah together.
Bellatrix exhaled deeply. "Hooo…."
Mana surged from her depths, red aura rising like heat haze.
Cheong-ah sensed something ominous. This was an all-out strike. Deep within, her warrior's thrill stirred. If the opponent went all-in, she had no reason to dodge as a swordswoman.
She regripped her hilt and closed her eyes. No more relying on unfamiliar sight. She focused on what she knew best.
For the blind Ju Cheong-ah, who'd lived her life as such, that was hearing.
In Yuldo, the character "cheong" in a child's name usually meant clear or blue skies. Eccentric parents might use "bright weather cheong," but mostly the former.
But Geomhu, who named Ju Cheong-ah, was different. For a congenitally blind child, she wished her to excel at least in hearing. "Cheong" for listen. With "ah" for beautiful, befitting the beauty evident from infancy. Thus, Ju Cheong-ah.
Maybe that's why. Ju Cheong-ah heard better than anyone, living up to her name. Her hearing sharpened to compensate for lost sight.
And with it, she honed her sword. In darkness, the blind swordsman's art. The listener's sword. The blade for one who could only hear.
The unseen sword, audible alone.
"Hup…."
Bellatrix's breath hitched. Red aura exploded skyward. Kwaaang…!
Her foot crushed the ground, cratering it. She launched like an arrow from a bow—Gungshin Tanyoung.
The roar reached Cheong-ah's ears. "Raaah…!" A massive shout. Papapapang…! Air burst with the whoosh as the greatsword closed in.
That instant, Cheong-ah's arm moved.
Extreme
Pürmir
In that moment, a sharp blue light bloomed from her sword tip, spreading across the world.