How Dare You Spit on Me? (4)
The dull sound of impacts echoed repeatedly.
Thud. Thud.
Restoring full hand function. Consider yourself praised.
Cheonma shook out her hand and offered those words of praise to the sandbag—no, to Hoya—standing before her. The recipient, however, merely scowled and straightened her posture. She didn’t look pleased in the slightest.
‘That’s an interesting technique.’
Cheonma’s gaze drifted toward the silver talismans floating around Hoya. The moment those talismans had been summoned, Hoya’s combat power had skyrocketed. Honestly, if not for that, Cheonma would have fought her with just a finger instead of a full hand.
‘What the hell is that thing that it can even absorb power? Youkai really do wield bizarre abilities.’
Especially the fox right in front of her. The variety of annoying little tricks she had was almost impressive.
‘My disciple better not end up relying on crap like that.’
One side hoped her disciple wouldn’t depend on such petty techniques. The other side was horrified that her talismans were being shattered with brute force.
‘This muscle-brained monster…’
The talismans Hoya had originally summoned weren’t disposable items meant to vanish after a single hit. They were meant to accumulate the opponent’s power and serve as the foundation for a counterattack. But Cheonma’s strikes carried far more force than the talismans could handle, so they shattered before they could store any energy. That was why Hoya couldn’t use her reversal techniques and ended up getting one-sidedly beaten like this.
📍 Function: Absorbs and stores incoming force
🎁 Limit: Overwhelming power causes instant destruction
‘These talismans can even block the old man’s attacks!’
‘Comparing me to some old geezer is already a mistake. A normal old man, maybe. But the one you’re talking about is the King of Youkai.’
‘This should be enough of a warm-up.’
‘W-warm-up?! You call this a warm-up?!’
Looking at her movements, it might seem that way, but the collateral damage she was causing to the surroundings was far beyond anything that could be dismissed as a simple warm-up.
Three talismans remained. Could they really withstand her true power?
‘I’m curious whether you can endure my attacks even after using all three remaining talismans. Go on, give it your best.’
‘It’s coming…!!’
BOOOOM!
She clenched her fist and thrust it forward. There was no technique, no enlightenment, nothing fancy. It was just a simple, straightforward punch. Fast. Clean. Nothing more.
Crack. Crack. Craaack.
Yet the result was devastating. The instant her fist connected, two talismans exploded. The last one was covered in cracks, shedding fragments as if it would shatter at any moment.
‘Cough!’
Even though the talismans absorbed and stored the enemy’s attacks, the overwhelming power that shattered them in one blow still affected Hoya. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as her complexion turned deathly pale.
‘C-crazy…!’
If she couldn’t block this, she would die. Was that thing truly human? No. It wasn’t human. It was a disaster wearing human skin. Yes, a disaster. You don’t block a disaster. You either get out of its way or pray it doesn’t harm you.
‘Or if that doesn’t work, cancel it out with another disaster.’
Facing death, Hoya instinctively began to wield her true power. The survival instinct of a youkai—one that rarely surfaced—had been triggered by Cheonma’s presence. According to Cheonma’s assessment, Hoya had already stepped beyond the bounds of ordinary youkai and set foot into a higher realm. And now, she was trying to push even further.
‘She’s growing right here. What an amusing little thing.’
Having noticed Hoya’s awakening, Cheonma’s eyes gleamed. Now, what to do? Should she help her complete the awakening? Or should she just snap that neck right now?
‘She’s an insolent brat, but… this is a rare sight. I suppose I’ll watch for a bit.’
‘Grrrrrrr…’
‘Oh dear. Has her instinct taken over so completely that she can’t even speak anymore?’
Cheonma twisted her lips as she watched Hoya, who was now on all fours and glaring at her.
‘Yes, that is your true nature. If you’re a beast, then act like one and crawl on all fours.’
‘KRRRAAAAAHHH!!’
Boom! Boom!
The attacks were heavy. The flames burned with heat so intense it felt like everything would melt—far beyond anything from before. Cheonma nodded at the destructive power and, for once, chose to focus entirely on defense, blocking Hoya’s strikes without counterattacking.
Tap. Thud. BOOM!
But that only lasted for a moment. The expectation that had once filled Cheonma’s eyes gradually cooled, growing colder than before. The disappointment in her gaze instantly erased the faint curiosity she had shown earlier.
‘I have no desire to waste any more time on a mere beast that hasn’t even regained its sanity.’
Watching Hoya continue to act purely on instinct without regaining her reason, Cheonma couldn’t hide her disappointment. What was the point of gaining such power if the one wielding it had become even worse than before?
‘I was a fool for expecting anything from a mere youkai.’
Cheonma slightly regretted not killing her sooner and returning to Zeon. She raised her hand, preparing to end it.
‘That neck which failed to meet my expectations. I’ll take it now.’
Formless Slash
Clang.
Something blocked her hand. A new opponent had intervened right after Hoya. An elderly man with a serious expression swung his blade.
Clang. Clang.
Cheonma’s hand deflected the invisible slashes launched by the Ghost King. The technique was identical in form to what Zeon had displayed during the entrance ceremony, but the power behind it was overwhelmingly superior. Still, Cheonma blocked the attacks with ease and clicked her tongue at the annoying interruption.
‘Old man, stay out of this.’
‘Hehe. As the owner of this place, that’s rather difficult.’
‘Then die quickly.’
Swish.
She had no interest in the old man. A broken failure like him had no right to interfere in this fight. At Cheonma’s gesture, a long diagonal slash appeared. Blood sprayed from a deep gash across the Ghost King’s upper body.
‘Cough!’
‘Hm? Why is he still alive? I clearly attacked to cut him in half.’
Whoosh!
‘…What is this? Have you finally suppressed your true nature?’
‘……’
Only now did she understand. The fox who had filled her with expectation only to disappoint her had used a technique.
‘Did you do this?’
"Fox Rain"
⟨ Fox Rain ⟩
With Hoya’s chilling words, raindrops began to fall from the sky. However, this wasn’t an offensive technique. It was one meant to protect her allies. The Ghost King’s body, touched by the rain, began to recover rapidly.
Cheonma watched the scene and spoke to Hoya.
‘So, you’ve crossed the wall.’
‘……’
‘Tsk. What a rude little thing. I really should have just killed you.’
‘Someone who spat on another’s disciple wouldn’t know proper etiquette anyway.’
Tap. Tap.
‘How unpleasant. I don’t particularly enjoy getting wet.’
Cheonma shook her head as she brushed the moisture from her clothes. To think it could affect her even in a spiritual state. There was no doubt about it—the fox had crossed the wall.
"Fox Fire"
⟨ Fox Fire ⟩
A massive ball of flame formed behind Hoya. There were ten of them. The scorching heat made Cheonma narrow her eyes as she swung her hand.
Fwoooosh!
"March of the Foxes"
⟨ March of the Foxes ⟩
But Hoya’s technique was faster. The ten fireballs split into dozens, then hundreds in the blink of an eye. Each of the hundred-plus flames took the shape of a fox, baring their teeth at Cheonma.
‘Not enough. What I wanted to see wasn’t something this trivial.’
‘For an intruder, you certainly have high expectations. Then allow me to show you.’
This time, Hoya poured her very essence into the technique—something she hadn’t done before.
"March of the Foxes" × "Transformation Arts"
⟨ March of the Foxes × Transformation Arts ⟩
‘Now, it’s time for a walk.’
The hundreds of foxes filling the air began transforming into different forms. Some were monstrous beings so massive it seemed they might collapse the surroundings. An eight-headed serpent. A crow-like youkai. An oni with four pairs of arms. A one-eyed giant. Countless youkai followed behind her, all glaring at a single target.
‘Heh, now this is something worth admiring.’
Yes. This was exactly what she had wanted to see. The sight of someone stepping beyond the rules of the world and wielding that power. To think a new user of Karma would be born here.
‘That’s no longer simple transformation.’
Using Karma, she had perfectly manifested the power of the transformed youkai. It was no longer mere imitation of appearance—she had become the youkai themselves.
Facing the legion of youkai, Cheonma smiled faintly and slowly extended her right hand to the side. If the opponent was using Karma, it was only proper that she respond in kind.
Crackle. Bzzzzzt.
A deep violet lightning sparked from her hand, condensing into a single sword. She gripped it, and for the first time during this battle, a bright smile spread across her face.
This was the first proper fight she had encountered since becoming a spirit.
“For that to happen, this stage can’t be allowed to disappear just yet.”
At those words, Cheonma’s Karma exploded outward in all directions. It was a measure to ensure she could enjoy this fight for much longer, and properly.
‘Ugh…!’
Of course, her opponent didn’t seem to share the sentiment. The Karma Cheonma had released sent a chill through Hoya’s entire body. She tried to steady herself, looking down at her trembling hands. Just moments ago she had felt an omnipotent sense that everything was beneath her, but that feeling had vanished in an instant. In its place was nothing but overwhelming terror.
Shhh.
Even so, she didn’t stop. Hoya’s right hand slowly rose. The horde behind her burned with fighting spirit, awaiting her command. In response to their anticipation, she uttered a single word that became their order.
‘Charge.’
At her command, the hundreds of youkai charged forward as if they had been waiting for it. Facing that majestic sight, Cheonma recalled the past and assumed a familiar stance, pointing the tip of her sword forward.
“Yes. Let’s begin the fight, shall we?”
‘────!!!!’
In response to her uplifted voice, a thunderous roar rang out as Cheonma’s sword moved.