Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: The Mayor and the Guardian
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Flash!
Polaris's body erupted with starlight, warming the frigid air.
Brilliant golden particles swirled around her in a vortex.
[Have you already forgotten the lesson from last time? To show up again after getting beaten like that.]
A mechanical voice echoed from inside the Black Knight's helmet.
[This time, it won't be a bed you'll be lying in. It'll be a coffin.]
"I'll protect the mayor! I won't let you do as you please anymore!"
The Black Knight moved first.
His feet didn't so much move as glide forward.
Whoosh—
A black afterimage shot straight toward Polaris in a straight line.
"!"
Polaris countered with starlight energy blasts.
"Starlight Shot!"
Dozens of light orbs filled the space ahead.
Boom!
Light and darkness clashed head-on.
An ear-shattering roar.
Tiles on the plaza floor cracked outward from them in a spiderweb pattern.
Shattered debris flew into the air before scattering limply.
[Slow.]
A voice came from behind her.
Just before the flash burst, he was already at Polaris's back.
Polaris spun instinctively, swinging her fist. It sliced through the air, infused with starlight.
Clang!
The Black Knight's steel gauntlet easily blocked her punch.
Tremendous impact.
A second explosion erupted at the point where Polaris's fist met the Black Knight's gauntlet.
The shockwave rippled outward in concentric circles.
Nearby benches crumpled like paper and flew away, while streetlights bent at the waist.
Polaris was undoubtedly different from before.
The hellish training at Gyeyang Mountain. Jin Yeonhwa's teachings. The resolve to protect Lee Garam.
All of it had tempered her.
Her speed had doubled, her power multiplied several times over. The density of starlight in her fist was on another level.
But.
Even so.
The Black Knight was strong.
His movements had no wasted motion. Perhaps even feral.
He deflected Polaris's attacks with minimal effort, then slipped through the openings to target vital points precisely.
The difference in experience. The difference in proficiency.
Especially that bizarre high-speed movement.
His feet glided as he closed the distance—it was incredibly tricky.
"Here I go!"
Polaris steadied herself again. She gathered starlight in both hands. If so, then overwhelming firepower!
"Starlight Burst!"
Kaboom!
A golden beam tore through the atmosphere. A massive light cannon two meters in diameter.
Asphalt melted along its path, and sparks flared in the surrounding air.
But the Black Knight slid sideways once more.
The beam grazed his side by a hair's breadth, vaporizing the entire outer wall of the building behind him.
"You dodged that too?!"
[Your power has gotten decently stronger.]
The Black Knight stood unmoved.
[But that's all there is to it.]
The cold voice drilled directly into her mind.
Before she knew it, the Black Knight was right in front of her nose.
Too fast.
No time to react.
His black gauntlet filled her vision.
Her abdomen went cold.
The steel fist sank deep into Polaris's stomach.
Splat!
Her body lifted into the air.
Her breath stopped.
The sensation of ribs crunching inward, crushing her organs.
No time to even feel the pain.
The world spun.
Crash!
Her body smashed through the window of the Catopia souvenir shop, landing atop a mountain of cat plushies.
"Kuhk…!"
Blood burst from her mouth. Her vision flashed white for a moment.
Pain. Agony like knives shredding every nerve in her body.
She rolled a few more times before stopping, sprawled out spread-eagled, motionless.
The Black Knight approached slowly.
His footsteps echoed coldly across the plaza.
[Pathetic.]
He looked down at the fallen Polaris.
[Is this it? Is this the level of the knight who guards the king?]
Sneer. Mockery. Contempt.
[Your precious king cowers among the cats right now. Utterly pitiful.]
Polaris couldn't respond.
She couldn't move.
Pain spreading from her abdomen consumed her body.
Several ribs were broken, and probably some organs ruptured.
The metallic taste of blood kept rising in her mouth.
Consciousness faded.
'Ah… again…'
She lost again.
Powerlessly defeated again.
The mayor… the mayor is somewhere right now…
Then, a voice rang in her mind.
'True strength isn't about not falling. It's about getting back up, no matter how many times you fall. That's real strength, kid.'
Jin Yeonhwa's voice from the top of Gyeyang Mountain, looking down at her sweat- and dirt-covered self.
'Stars shine brighter the darker it gets.'
And the voice of Lee Garam, the man she had to protect.
Right.
I have to stand up.
The mayor… Mayor Lee Garam is in there right now.
The media said he was suffering in a shelter.
Trapped in a dark, cold room, trembling under the threat of assassination.
In the darkness.
Alone.
He must be scared.
But what if I stay down here?
I have to protect him.
I'm his hero.
Twitch.
Polaris's finger moved faintly.
[……?]
The Black Knight tilted his head in puzzlement.
It was definitely a fatal blow.
A strike that could have knocked her out cold or even killed her.
"Not… over yet…"
[Still moving. Persistent.]
But she was moving.
Trying to stand.
Struggling.
"Get… back up…"
It was then.
Twinkle.
A tiny particle of light rose from her body.
Another. And another.
To protect Lee Garam.
To restore his daily life.
She couldn't break.
The will to not fall.
The heart that would never yield.
That pure determination elevated Hansi-ah's ability to a new level.
A cluster of twinkling stars gathered around her.
They found their way, seeping into her wounds.
Crack.
The sound of broken ribs snapping back into place.
Sizzle—
The sound of torn skin and muscle being stitched with threads of light.
It hurt.
The sensation of her body reconstructing from the inside. Pain like every cell disassembling and reassembling.
But at the same time, it was warm.
Her wounds vanished.
Bloodstained lips cleaned up.
Color returned to her pale cheeks.
"Haa… haa…"
Polaris panted roughly as she slowly raised her upper body.
The abdominal wound was gone without a trace.
Even her torn costume was mended by light particles, restored to its original form.
[That's… super-regeneration?]
Disbelief colored the Black Knight's voice for the first time.
Polaris finally stood firmly on both feet.
She slowly raised her head.
Her eyes glowed.
A light brighter and more intense than before—uncomparable.
"I can't fall here."
To protect Lee Garam. To become his light.
The will to not fall. The resolve to rise again and again.
That heart evolved her ability to a new dimension.
A star that shone on its own, burned on its own, and never went out.
"No matter how many times I fall… I'll get back up."
Polaris declared to the Black Knight.
"Until you can't break me anymore."
Even with regeneration, she couldn't bridge the overwhelming gap in power and skill.
A head-on fight was impossible.
Her body judged before her mind. The horrific sensation of bones aligning and flesh knitting was still vivid throughout her.
Clashing with raw power would be foolish.
Polaris kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
Then keep distance and settle it with stronger ranged attacks.
"Starlight Javelin!"
Dozens of light orbs formed at her fingertips, raining down like arrows. Sharper and denser than before.
But the Black Knight didn't even think of dodging.
Instead, he stomped lightly.
Thud.
The entire plaza rumbled lowly. Cracks spiderwebbed across the asphalt.
Slash!
A single jet-black spear tore through the asphalt and rose.
That was the start. Dozens, hundreds of black spears erupted chain-like, shooting skyward.
Piercing benches, snapping streetlights in two, shattering Nero's statue to pieces as they stretched toward the heavens.
In an instant, the plaza turned into a forest of black spears.
All those vicious tips aimed at Polaris in the air.
Polaris banked sharply, desperately evading the spears.
"You're a monster in close range and strong at range too! That's cheating!"
Her scream scattered into the air.
Even more threatening was that the black spears piercing the sky didn't stop there.
The spear shafts bent. The black spears adjusted their trajectories, relentlessly tracking Polaris.
"Starlight Aegis!"
Polaris urgently deployed a starlight barrier.
Clang!
Most spears bounced off the shield, but it couldn't withstand the momentum—cracks began to form.
Shatter!
Finally, three spears broke through.
Whoosh!
"Kyaa!"
One grazed her left arm. A trail of bright blood sprayed into the air.
Losing balance from the pain, her body began plummeting downward.
At that moment, an urgent voice burst from her in-ear comms.
[Polaris! Support Team arriving in 3 minutes! Hold on somehow!]
"Three minutes?! Three seconds is dangerous! Can't you send them ahead of time!?"
Even as she yelled, the black spears tightened their encirclement from all sides.
In the moment of inescapable impalement.
Whistle—
A gust of wind carried a cheerful whistle.
A long metal rod slipped through the gaps in the black spears, hooking her waist.
Then yanked her backward.
"Whoa?!"
Kaboom!
Dozens of black spears pierced the space she'd been in simultaneously. 0.1 seconds later, and she'd have been riddled.
When she came to, an unfamiliar middle-aged man stood before her.
Turkish traditional clothes with a red fez hat. A stylish mustache, eyes twinkling with mischief as he looked down at her.
"Marhaba! Flying's great, but you gotta land softly, yeah?"
In his hand was a long metal rod like one used for ice cream cones.
A-Rank Hero, Don Durma.
Real name: Mehmet Ozturk.
Once, he was an ordinary vendor selling Turkish ice cream at Neo Incheon's Sinpo International Market.
But beneath that, a psychopath lurked who enjoyed toying with and crushing people like ice cream.
Destined to become the A-Rank Villain, Turkey Pierrot.
But that day, fate changed.
A young mayor inspecting the market.
And his secretary with cold eyes who dismantled his flashy tricks in one move and snatched the ice cream.
The shock and awe of meeting someone who shattered his pranks head-on for the first time.
That led Mehmet down a different path.
Now, he was Don Durma, the hero who repelled villains with his metal rod and shared ice cream with kids.
Still full of mischief, but now a cheerful guardian channeling it to protect citizens.
Don Durma spun his metal rod and faced the Black Knight.
"Hey, you dark lump! Wanna play with me this time?"
No sooner had he spoken than Don Durma kicked off the ground and charged.
His ability: friction manipulation.
Swish!
Don Durma accelerated faster and faster.
Two shadows slid across the plaza in a dazzling high-speed battle.
Don Durma circled the Black Knight, swinging his rod.
Attacks poured from unpredictable angles without pause.
"Oops! Gotta catch me? Can't, huh?"
Don Durma toyed with the Black Knight using irritating movements.
Maximize friction on left foot, zero on right.
Pivoting on his left, his body spun like a top. Centrifugal force aimed the rod at the Black Knight's nape.
Clang!
The Black Knight blocked with his extended gauntlet without turning.
"Oho? Reflexes are no joke."
The moment the rod touched the Black Knight's armor, he ramped up friction at the contact point.
Screeech!
Not a clash of metal, but a grinding like shredding the armor. Sparks flew everywhere.
"How's that? Feels good when I scratch an itch, right?"
[Annoying…!]
Don Durma stuck to the Black Knight with unpredictable, flashy moves.
"Over here? Oh, that side?"
Minimize friction for acceleration, spike it for sudden stops or turns.
And nonstop chatter to boot.
At first, it looked like Don Durma was dominating.
But the Black Knight silently learned, analyzed, and read patterns.
Don Durma slid right into the Black Knight's front, thrusting the rod at his solar plexus.
The fastest, strongest stab.
Clang!
The Black Knight blocked perfectly.
Grip.
The Black Knight's gauntlet seized the rod.
"Huh? You got it?"
The Black Knight yanked the rod. Don Durma's body was pulled helplessly.
Splat!
A heavy rupture.
The Black Knight's massive knee slammed precisely into Don Durma's gut.
"Gahk!"
Don Durma's body flew at least ten meters, crashing into a fruit stall on one side of the plaza.
Crash!
Ripe tomatoes and oranges exploded everywhere.
Moments later, groans and urgent shouts erupted from the debris.
"Argh! Hey, miss! Don't just stand there gawking—help me out!"
Polaris was momentarily stunned by his ridiculous attitude.
But thanks to him, she got a brief breather. Her arm wound had already healed cleanly.
She gathered starlight into her body once more and stood.