The Power of Love...?
To be perfectly honest... the probability of a man who had only just begun his training winning against a C-rank Hero was exactly 0%.
It was lower than the chance of a brick flying through the sky and hitting a bird.
And if that opponent happened to be the sidekick of the A-rank Hero Kim Mija, the odds were even worse.
Yet, there was a reason Baek Seungha remained entirely composed.
It was her Ability.
'Darkness' had already infiltrated Hyunwoo's shadow.
'Darkness' was not merely a dark-elemental power. It was a high-level manipulation ability that could use shadows as a medium to control a target's psychology, or in extreme cases, even seize temporary control of their physical body.
It was an all-purpose skill she had utilized in every conceivable field—espionage, brainwashing, assassination, and even preventing attempted suicides.
However, this was the first time she had ever used this power for the sake of protection.
'Don't tremble, Baek Seungha... In times like this, do as your lower instincts command... Find the best path to protect the man who trusts you!!'
With that, Baek Seungha finally reached out her hand, calm and collected.
The darkness that flowed from her fingertips seeped silently into the shadow cast by Hyunwoo.
It was so subtle that no one could have noticed... it was as natural and quiet as a breath.
Her plan was simple.
She would minutely manipulate Hyunwoo's body to dodge Jin Ahreum's attacks by a "hair's breadth," then launch a counterattack at the decisive moment to turn the tide of battle.
It was exactly like a player in a classic fighting game using superior controls to bridge a gap in skill.
However, she intended to maintain a moderate distance while controlling him, as blocking too perfectly would invite suspicion.
'And... this evening, we’ll have a celebratory drink to toast our victory.'
Baek Seungha smiled to herself, feeling warm inside.
'If I casually suggest having a drink, the atmosphere will naturally liven up... and then, perhaps... hehehe!'
Just the imagination made her heart flutter.
At the same time, beneath Hyunwoo's shadow, a purple barrier began to spread like a fine crack.
As if carefully pouring out her emotions, secretly and quietly, without anyone knowing.
'Good... now, if I start the control slowly...'
Thud.
"Huh?"
However.
Whoosh!
The figure that flew through the air a moment later was none other than Jin Ahreum herself.
"Gah?!"
Like a character in a shoujo manga spinning through the air, she rotated, only to land flat on the ground with her plump buttocks hoisted high in the air!
Her cheeks were protruding in an unnatural way, and her appearance was, to put it bluntly... yes!
It was an awkward, splayed-out posture, the kind you might see in a "hardcore adult video."
"......Uh?"
"Eh...?"
"Huh...?"
No one could speak.
Hyunwoo stood there perfectly fine, Jin Ahreum had slipped and fallen all on her own, and no one could explain why.
The air simply froze, and the same syllable escaped their lips.
"...Huh?"
A Soul Weapon.
It was a miracle born of this world, perhaps more human than humans themselves.
A weapon with a will that had existed since the dawn of time, even before humanity was born.
Its power only achieved true awakening when it passed through human hands, and thus, thousands of Soul Weapons had written legends throughout history alongside their masters.
Among them, there were only ten beings called the "Supreme Class."
The largest fragments that had fallen from the energy known as the Heart of the Star.
However, 'Hwangmyeong', Jin Ahreum's weapon, fell just short of that precarious line to be considered Supreme.
Even so, as a "High-Class Soul Weapon"—of which only 100 existed in the entire world—it was a living legend that had roamed countless battlefields and earned great fame.
Its name was Hwangmyeong (Imperial Command).
A long spear capable of splitting Mount Tai, carrying the legend that it could cleave mountains.
It had been held by countless heroes and tyrants while wandering ancient East Asia, and after piercing a dragon that had swallowed an entire village in a single strike, it was given the name meaning "The Emperor's Command."
And now, Hwangmyeong was a strategic weapon recruited by the Cheongryong Group for an astronomical sum, a weapon that had willingly granted its blade to Jin Ahreum, a warrior who was still unfinished.
Although she was only a C-rank globally, Hwangmyeong had clearly seen her "potential" and believed in it.
Because a Soul Weapon was a kind of "experience multiplier" that reacted to the master's talent to draw out their potential.
Depending on how much the master honed themselves, the weapon became stronger, and conversely, depending on how well the weapon tuned the master, the master could grow faster.
She was a god of war who had fought for thousands of years on the battlefield.
Even if not the best, she was a spear qualified to sit at the heart of an empire.
And yet, she was currently "terrified."
Vrrrrrrrrrr.
"Hehe. Hwangmyeong. You must be excited for a battle after so long, right?"
No.
That’s not it, you damn brat!
In the coliseum waiting room, just before the match began.
Hwangmyeong had been trembling strangely from the start.
That trembling wasn't excitement for the upcoming battle, nor was it anticipation for the match.
It was an unidentifiable "terror" that even she was experiencing for the first time.
For thousands of years, she had lived as a "weapon" roaming countless battlefields.
She had fought beings stronger than herself and had even faced Soul Weapons of a higher caliber than her own.
But at this moment, this feeling was incomparable to anything else.
Her instincts were clearly warning her.
The being in front of her was different from any monster she had ever faced.
A strange sensation that was impossible to understand or even explain.
For the first time since its birth, Hwangmyeong realized that it was being completely overwhelmed.
'A, a monster...!'
How, why did it come to this?
At first, it was fine.
No, to be honest, from the moment she first saw him, her legs had nearly buckled.
An era of war where the very concept of "men's human rights" didn't exist.
Even in those days, when tens of thousands of men were offered to her like grain and thousands of kings and heroes held her, there had never been such a "handsome man."
Even as a High-Class Soul Weapon, she had never seen such an overwhelmingly "male" being in her life.
A firm, balanced body that was neither lanky nor fat.
Broad shoulders, a well-defined chest, and below the waist... Wow, damn it, I just used X-ray vision, and he’s handsome even there!
Just looking at him made her want to suck, lick, and devour him.
'What... what is that... there’s a limit to how handsome someone can be!'
Thanks to that, Hwangmyeong had been grinning to herself at the time.
'Hehe... finally, our daughter is giving grandma a little "stamina boost"~.'
I heard that if we just win this match, this man with the insane looks will be in the same group as our Ahreum?
Since Ahreum is finally acting like a decent human being, isn't it about time I returned to my human form?
The only weapon of the great hero Lu Bu, and a comrade-in-arms who roamed the black battlefields together.
If I could transform back into the appearance they called "Diaochan" in those days, and share a drink with this cute man...
'Ah... even if I just hug him once, like a mace, bang bang bang... hehehe!'
Up until the moment she was lost in her imagination, tickling the tip of the spear, she was truly fine.
The next moment.
Shudder.
The indulgence in her imagination was short-lived.
As if her impure thoughts had been seen through, Hwangmyeong "felt" that existence.
He hadn't even revealed himself, but she could clearly tell just from the energy radiating from Hyunwoo's solid upper body.
Something that transcended even a Soul Weapon.
The scent of a monster whose very existence was heterogeneous, making it embarrassing to even call it a "tool" like herself.
That was when she felt it for the first time.
She, who had lived for thousands of years, was trembling with fear like a human.
If she had been in her humanized form right now, she would have undoubtedly pressed her knees together and... leaked an uncontrollable yellow stream on the floor.
That was how overwhelming he was.
And there was another, bigger problem.
"Hehe. Hwangmyeong, you seem nervous too? It's okay. I’m definitely going to win today."
...No. Seriously, no, you stupid master!
This isn't nervousness, it's a "prelude to destruction" that my instincts are warning me about!
"Hwangmyeong. Let's do well in a little while, okay?"
Don't do well, run away, master!
That is not a level we can handle!
No, before that, I doubt it's a being that a human can even handle!!
Vrrrrrrrrrr.
"Hahaha, why are you trembling so much? ...Ah! Are you trying to help me by vibrating in advance, thinking I'll need to 'relieve myself' before fighting the Senior?"
Hey, you crazy bitch, I'm not your sex toy!!
With the match imminent, Hwangmyeong had to stop her master somehow.
She resolved that if she tried to do anything strange, she would shock her into unconsciousness with an electric current.
However, at that moment.
"Hwangmyeong. You know... I think it’s thanks to you that I’ve come to have a man like Hyunwoo as my Senior."
...Suddenly?
"Getting this strong in such a short time is all because of you, too."
Of course, that wasn't wrong.
A Soul Weapon was a medium that awakened the user's potential... but that was only a catalyst.
If Jin Ahreum had been lazy, she would never have reached her current position.
It was an exaggeration to say she couldn't have done it without Hwangmyeong.
But.
Listening to her say that, blushing and applying slippery oil as she wrapped herself around the spear...
"So... later, when Hyunwoo becomes my Senior, I definitely want to introduce you to him, too."
Throb!!
Hwangmyeong's thoughts stopped, followed immediately by her next words.
"I'll definitely win this match, so we can train with Hyunwoo, eat together, sleep together... we'll become that kind of relationship. Okay?"
At those words, Hwangmyeong stopped thinking ideally.
Yeah... in the end, I'm just a Soul Weapon, a miracle of the stars, and before that, just a female in heat!
Since when did the logic of reason become necessary for a woman fighting to obtain a man?
Just as you "insert" and lock it when the key "hole" is empty, perhaps there was no need to think about it in a complicated way from the start.
"Hnnng?! H, Hwangmyeong... your texture has gotten a bit rough...?"
That’s because I have to do this to make you, Ahreum, completely exhausted.
Only then will "our Hyunwoo" not get hurt.
Hwangmyeong was certain.
The opponent is just a man, after all.
No matter what great being he is with, he is a male useless for anything other than holding you at night.
To use an analogy, a battle between a baby holding a gun and a professional fighter?
That was more than enough to have a chance at victory.
Thanks to that, having adjusted her master's "fluid levels" more than necessary to ensure peak condition, she stepped onto the stage with a confident expression.
She was determined to properly show how scary a "woman crazy about love" could be.
Just like Cleopatra, the princess of Egypt who declared war on all of Rome for the sake of a single night of passion with one man!
Or like Joan of Arc, who grabbed a flag and threw herself into war for the sake of a young boy prince... no, a nobody prince of France, Charles VII, who had absolutely no power base!
Hwangmyeong was also prepared to write her own legend for that dignified man, who was thousands of years younger than her.
However.
Shudder!!
All those plans were shattered by the appearance of a filthy, black dagger-bitch who was even more crazy about love and in a constant state of estrus.