Chapter 39
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Chapter 39
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: 38. War God (??)
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Park Jun-hyeok was denying reality after his all-out attack was ridiculously blocked.
"Ah... No way. This can't be. Do you know how much I practiced?"
"No matter how well you practice, this world's all about bloodline boosts and awakening hax. Whatever you do, it's useless against me."
"Hmph! It doesn't mean anything if you can't hit me."
Cheok Jun-kyung's reincarnation—or whatever he was—zipped around me, leaving afterimages like he was Pikachu reborn or something.
He should be grateful he's even treated like Cheok Jun-kyung's reincarnation when he's just riding constellation coattails.
What the hell is he even doing?
Is he trying to disorient me so he can stab me with that glaive?
He's not about to pull some "This one's an afterimage" cliché on me, is he? That's not his character type, and if the story really went that way...
I'd be pissed.
I clenched my right fist and summoned White Flame. Then I drove a Fire Punch straight into Park Jun-hyeok's gut as he scampered around.
Thud!
Park Jun-hyeok floated into the air after taking a gut punch from me, then crashed into the exam field's barrier.
"Guhk!"
"I'm faster than you, you moron."
No matter how fast he moved in front of an Evil Dragon like me, I could see it all clearly.
"Looks like you don't want to admit it. But even if you're strong, it's pointless. No matter what you try, you're just B-rank. You fucking noob."
"Keep acting all arrogant, and you'll get hurt bad."
Pot calling the kettle black.
"I can afford to be arrogant. No matter what you try, trash like you can't beat me."
"Kuk... Kuh... Puhahaha!"
I gave him a good laugh, and suddenly he clutched his stomach, cackling like a madman.
"Has this bastard finally lost his mind? Huh?"
A sinister killing intent leaked from Park Jun-hyeok's body.
I'd burned his mana circuits with White Flame. Where was this mana coming from?
No. This wasn't Park Jun-hyeok's original mana.
Dark, murky mana. Too filthy to even call it monster mana.
Yeah. It felt just like Sin.
In the original story, those with the power of Sin reacted the same way.
"Good. Let's see if you can handle this power too! Me, who received a fragment of Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins!"
"Crazy. Causality's completely fucked. Already Gluttony?"
Gluttony or not, he's just got a fragment like he said. Even with causality adjusted, the odds of Park Jun-hyeok becoming a full Sin are low.
In the original, plenty of villains absorbed fragments.
That's what made people aware of the Sins' existence.
[Park Jun-hyeok's current constellation is War God (??) Cheok Jun-kyung. However, Park Jun-hyeok has ignored his constellation's words and succumbed to the desires of the Gluttony fragment.]
"Yoo Eun-ha! It's dangerous!"
Choi Si-woo shouted while evacuating people with the heroines.
"I'm fine."
Park Jun-hyeok's body began to swell.
I could catch him after full transformation, but to extract the fragment, better do it before.
Normally, you'd wait for transformation or evolution—that's the trope.
Sorry, but I'm Yoyong the dragon. I don't know human rules.
So I shoved a Fire Punch into his solar plexus.
Crunch!
Unlike before, it felt heavy. Park Jun-hyeok floated up, then sprawled on the ground.
"Gaaak!"
"Good job, you fuck. Don't bite off more than you can chew with that power."
He was a troll in the original, and now he's openly going villain.
Ignorantly brave? And in front of spectators, no less—basically outing himself as a Sin cultist.
The moment you use the fragment, your heart turns into the core, just like a monster.
It replaces your heart with the fragment, letting you use the original Sin's abilities.
Reina or Han Su-ji might struggle, but even Choi Si-woo could handle it.
I grabbed the slightly bulkier Park Jun-hyeok by the collar and slapped his face.
Smack!
"You thought getting that power made you hot shit, huh, fucker?"
Yeah, fuck. Thinking about it, my existence has royally screwed causality.
Anger surged.
Just letting it slide would be boring. I'm this strong—if causality didn't adjust, that'd be weird.
That'd make it even less fun.
Crack!
I stomped his knee, shattering it.
"Fucking asshole. That's why you're weak."
Crunch!
This time, solar plexus again.
"Sins can go fuck themselves. If this were a battlefield, you'd be the useless ally under the Hansung banner. You moron. Oh? Trying to block with your hands now that I'm going easy? Hey, drop 'em. Before I smash those arms. Oh? Not dropping?"
Crack!
I reversed his elbow.
"Gaaaaah!"
"Try talking shit again. What was that about getting hurt? Your nose already bailed on your humanity."
Good thing the fragment hadn't fully consumed his heart yet.
Should be safe to rip it out. Won't kill him.
Hunter career's over, but better than dead. Though he's a troll who at least pads numbers later. Kinda wasteful.
I slammed the ground with my foot, kicking up dust.
Thud!
In that moment, I formed a dragon claw on my right hand and tore into Park Jun-hyeok's chest, yanking out the glowing black fragment.
Rip!
"Grahhh!"
"Be grateful I'm not killing you. Got it?"
But this bastard... more than one or two fragments?
Without me, we'd be fucked.
Who shoved this many into him?
"How many did they stuff in you, you psycho?"
I'd pulled four. Others were plastered to his heart.
Boom!
The fragments in his body spewed demonic energy, like protecting their host.
It didn't faze me, Azidahaka, but I knew this was phase two.
I backed off a few steps.
"Did they see potential in Park Jun-hyeok?"
Park Jun-hyeok was unconscious, but the fragments were transforming his body.
Muscles bulged, skin turned pitch black.
Demonic energy from the fragments enveloped him, forming armor.
Like a general on the battlefield.
Shit. To fight that, I'd need real power—the kind hunters would sense. My people would suspect me.
"So, he's got the War God's constellation or something?"
If he had a constellation, they wouldn't let him eat fragments. Ignoring it?
Or no constellation yet?
What does Akashic Record think?
[Park Jun-hyeok's constellation is War God (??) Cheok Jun-kyung. But Park Jun-hyeok ignores his constellation's words, loyal only to the Gluttony fragment's desires.]
"Can't even control your own contractor?"
This form's probably like Choi Si-woo's constellation transformation via Divine Sword. But Park Jun-hyeok forced it with fragment power.
Of all things, War God. Annoying.
Why he's called a troll: he charges blindly without thinking.
Among male characters, thanks to that "War God" awakening title, he's second to Choi Si-woo.
Without that, he could've helped Si-woo.
"What a shame."
China's Gluttony is Overlord Xiang Yu as constellation? Korea's is Park Jun-hyeok with mere fragments, as War God.
No. If Park Jun-hyeok gets relatively stronger, the real Gluttony Sin might descend.
Should I kill him?
Outside the barrier, Choi Si-woo, Han Su-ji, and Reina watched worriedly.
The fleeing spectators sensed something off too.
Drag it out, and casualties happen.
[Sword Princess of White Flame]
[This is partly my fault. I didn't know his nature and only told him to endure. Let me end it.]
A deep male voice—not Akashic Record—resonated. Probably the War God.
Not coming from Park Jun-hyeok meant he'd left him and come to me.
"You're a constellation, right? You know who I am."
Even Divine Sword recognized me. Would War God be different?
[Who you are doesn't matter to me as a constellation. I just want to end it before he goes further astray.]
"Not bad. But in exchange, teach me all your techniques."
I'm strong, sure. But my skills aren't much different from other cadets.
Pure swordsmanship? I'd be newbie blood to Choi Si-woo.
Learning War God's sword arts would help hide my Evil Dragon vibe.
I've shown too much strength already. Need War God's skills to cover suspicions of being a monster.
[Agreed.]
Fwaaah!
The War God constellation descended into my body.
Fragments of his memories unfolded before my eyes.
Under the emperor's orders, the army conquering barbarians fell into peril. The War God rose.
In the sunset battlefield's center, atop countless barbarian corpses.
Blood never dried on his sword; enemy commanders fell uncounted to his blade.
A true god of war.
The fragment ended there.
If I can learn his techniques just by offing Park Jun-hyeok, I'd kill him a hundred times over.
Hand War God to Han Su-ji later.
"Huh. Feels light."
My body felt unusually light.
Just an unnamed magic-immune sword in hand, yet it felt like a legendary blade.
This is War God's power?
Habitually, I wrapped the sword in White Flame.
"Kik... kigik."
Now a Black General, Park Jun-hyeok twisted and slammed his glaive into the ground.
Boom!
True to Gluttony fragment, raw power immense. Exam field might collapse.
Red eyes gleamed creepily from his helmet.
He mumbled, gripped the glaive brutishly, and charged.
"Forgot how to talk too?"
I entrusted my body to the indwelling War God. Unlike my swings, it danced like flowing water, parrying the glaive.
Clang!
[Feel this body, called the strongest sword of the Three Hans, in your own flesh!]
I'm feeling it plenty.
Fighting the fragment purely with swordsmanship, no Evil Dragon power.
After a few clashes, Park Jun-hyeok faltered. Short sword matched glaive evenly.
Clang!
"That's the Sword Princess of White Flame."
"Purely clashing swords amid demonic energy even hunters can't approach."
"She's honoring him by going War God mode against Park Jun-hyeok's."
Fleeing idiots' nonsense grated my ears.
War God mode my ass! Can't you see the demonic energy?
Tired of humoring him.
His enlarged swings left few openings.
Can't drag it out. Can't show power to instantly crush Gluttony fragment either.
Stamina war? He'd spew demonic energy everywhere, harming bystanders.
[Close your eyes.]
"Fight blind by feel? Not hard, but why close eyes for show?"
[Don't you sense it?]
The Force? Star Wars style?
No. Something beyond mana circuits.
Even eyes closed, I felt a dark, thick lump.
"The fragment?"
[Once only. When the glaive aims for your throat, slice Park Jun-hyeok's core.]
Won't die anyway, but the pressure from Korea's strongest warrior—even as constellation—made me steady my stance and wait.
"Kikikikik!"
Park Jun-hyeok charged noisily.
Swoosh.
Glaive for my throat.
Slash!
One strike decided it.
Park Jun-hyeok's chest cleaved with fragment intact. Demonic armor shattered as fragment power faded.
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