Baek A-rin
Baek A-rin
- Hwareuk, Hwareureuk!
Those flames.
Lee Ha-yul's Calamity Flame was overwhelming.
It was only an incarnation, so its output wasn't unrestricted, and the reckless descent meant it couldn't shake off the constraints imposed by this world's Tower Master.
Yet it showed signs of not just rivaling the Authority of Bitter Cold, but overpowering it.
That output translated into speed.
The attacks that surged while releasing Calamity Flame were hard to follow. By the time one registered they were too late, their whole body had already been slashed and pierced.
There was no reason to be pushed back this hard.
No matter how strong the output of Calamity Flame was, it could be countered with the Authority of Bitter Cold.
It was fast, but not too fast to track.
The Tower Master of Bitter Cold had lived for a very long time.
Most of that life had been spent as a Tower Master who continued invasions, and his accumulated experience and skill easily surpassed hundreds of years.
His specialty was Authorities and magic, but his combat skills were just as refined.
'What in the world...'
Yet the reason he was being pushed back was simple.
He was being utterly outclassed in skill.
A single sword and six wings. All seven trajectories carved sharply across his vision.
The Tower Master of Bitter Cold drew his spear in response. Magic manifested as naturally as breathing, cutting off Lee Ha-yul's trajectories, and he counter-attacked through the gaps, pressing forward.
- Kagagagak!
A dozen lines slashed from head to toe. Hwareureuk! The infiltrating Calamity Flame surged. In that instant, the Tower Master of Bitter Cold, his entire body torn, staggered.
He had already allowed multiple hits. If Lee Ha-yul had intended to destroy the vessel, it would have shattered long ago.
'As I thought... I have to kill him now.'
A brat who hadn't even lived half of half a century, let alone a hundred years.
And it hadn't even been two full years since he started proper activities.
Yet it had come to this.
He, who had invaded countless worlds and accumulated power and experience, was being pushed back. Even if it wasn't his true body, the situation was unbelievable.
'I can't give him any more time.'
His resolve solidified.
This was a reckless invasion.
The original plan had already been a stretch to keep up with Hellfire and the Necromancer, but this invasion had gone too far.
The real one's army could not cross over, and the newly descended Incarnation had tried—and failed—to strike from behind.
The losses weren't insignificant.
Nevertheless, he judged this choice to be correct.
He had grown this much in just over two years.
What if more time passed from here?
One year? Two years? Three years?
If he was placed into the cradle prepared by this world's Tower Masters with full intent and grew even stronger, it would be irreversible.
'Those crazy bastards. To think they'd create something like this.'
He understood it was preparation for the invasion. He could understand raising a hero of extraordinary quality because they themselves had difficulty.
But wasn't that hero too extraordinary?
They wouldn't even be able to attempt something like 'discarding him after the hunt' when push came to shove. Even if they repelled the invasion, how would they handle it if the blade turned on them? Was it a case of 'better to die together than be finished by the invasion'?
Ppuk! Once again, his defense was pried open, and as the Beacon Fire Sword stabbed into his abdomen, his face twisted in pain.
Having allowed a single strike, countless successive attacks flew at him. The Tower Master of Bitter Cold had no choice but to unleash a great deal of power and pour out his Authority.
- Kwaaaaa!
A chilling cold surged. Magic and mana, everything that touched the Bitter Cold froze.
- Hoo...
Lee Ha-yul, pushed back by the storm of Bitter Cold, exhaled cautiously.
Breathing was difficult. It was because, as the Authority of Bitter Cold manifested, the area filled with a bone-deep chill.
'If I don't take countermeasures, a single breath will freeze my insides solid.'
No matter what countermeasures were used, it was hard to stop the chill from gradually seeping in.
The Authority of Bitter Cold experienced in the original work was akin to an instant-death attack.
The Authority of Bitter Cold experienced in reality was similar.
Lee Ha-yul twitched his aching hand. His fingers were gradually dying, turning black, and the wounds weren't healing well.
'The spiritual blueprint is being damaged.'
That meant semi-permanent damage. Because it was also fatal to Spirits, he hadn't deployed any Spirits in this fight.
Therefore, the Authority of Bitter Cold especially had to be avoided. When it was being unleashed indiscriminately like that, you had to evade it.
For victory, you had to.
But his current objective wasn't just victory.
Lee Ha-yul twisted his lips. He strode forward, stepping into the Bitter Cold.
If he had wanted victory, he would have long since destroyed the body into which the Tower Master of Bitter Cold's incarnation had descended.
Though it was a superior vessel, if he carelessly fired off a perilous Authority like Bitter Cold, it would strain Baek A-rin.
Thus, this fight wasn't an entirely favorable condition for Lee Ha-yul.
Lee Ha-yul had to prevent Baek A-rin's body from being destroyed. He had to block to stop the excessive use of the Authority of Bitter Cold.
While doing so, he had to pressure the Tower Master of Bitter Cold without harming Baek A-rin's body.
It was a disadvantageous condition.
But Lee Ha-yul didn't feel resentment or injustice.
It was a condition he had to bear to save Baek A-rin.
Wooong! Massive mana stirred within the storm of Bitter Cold. A giant hand of ice burst through the storm.
Five fingers pointed at Lee Ha-yul. Kwagagang! It traced a line like a condensed ray of Bitter Cold through where Lee Ha-yul stood.
One after another, hands shot out from the storm. Countless fingers pointed at Lee Ha-yul.
Lee Ha-yul held the Beacon Fire Sword in a reverse grip and pulled his arm back. Hwareuk! The crimson Calamity Flame on the blade swelled.
'More.'
He gathered his vitality and crammed it into the Calamity Flame. Hurricane enveloped the Calamity Flame and pushed from behind.
Calamity Flame Expansion Ability
Flame Bloom
As the Calamity Flame of immense output flickered, the Beacon Fire Sword and the arm gripping it trembled violently.
It wasn't a sword that would break at this level. Likewise, it wasn't an arm that would snap. Lee Ha-yul clenched his teeth and drew the sword.
- Kwaaaaang!
The hand of ice split apart. The storm of Bitter Cold burst open. The spear shaft barely managed to block the Beacon Fire Sword that had smashed through hundreds of layers of defensive magic.
『──────』
The scattered Bitter Cold surged back. A tiny spike, hard to distinguish with the naked eye within the storm, swept in.
『Be frozen for all eternity』
To top it off, an incantation was added. The Bitter Cold carried an even icier force.
As he observed the attacks surging from all directions, Lee Ha-yul spread his wings wide.
Defense? The moment the Tower Master of Bitter Cold thought that, a tri-colored energy gathered at the tips of all six wings.
The tri-colored energy swelled, churning over and over.
『...!』
Samjong.
The Tower Master of Bitter Cold, who had witnessed it, was horrified. The power that had earlier killed a 3rd-Rank monster in one strike and shaken the Tower was deeply etched into his mind.
And there were six of them.
Lee Ha-yul raised the corner of his mouth.
'Directly slamming them into Baek A-rin is way too dangerous and impossible, but she won't be affected by just the aftermath.'
- Guuuuwoong!
The six Samjong were fired backward. The expanded Samjong turned into pure white spheres and swallowed the Bitter Cold.
After dealing with the rear, Lee Ha-yul gritted his teeth and pushed his Innate Talent to its limit.
Ggwagdeuk! A chilling crack echoed from the hand that gripped the sword tighter within the Hungry Ghost.
All-rounder Expansion Ability
Thousand Transformations Myriad Changes - Asura Path
Taesan Expansion Ability
Strength to Uproot Mountains
The Body Strengthening Expansion Ability overlapped. The bones and muscles that had screamed in protest moved.
The Beacon Fire Sword forced the spear shaft down. Kwak! The Beacon Fire Sword, wreathed in Calamity Flame, bit into the shoulder.
The Tower Master of Bitter Cold's expression contorted.
That was something to welcome.
But the twisted face was Baek A-rin's.
The body Lee Ha-yul was cutting up was also Baek A-rin's.
There was no damage to Baek A-rin. He was attacking only the soul that had crawled in.
Even though he knew that.
A searing pain, as if his heart was being squeezed and burst, surged through him.
Outwardly, he was stabbing and slicing Baek A-rin. He was burning Baek A-rin with Calamity Flame. Her face was contorted in pain from his attacks.
- Bbudeudeuk─!
He clenched his teeth so hard they seemed about to splinter. Though he could see nothing, bloody tears trickled from his wide-open eyes.
The more Baek A-rin's face distorted, the more hatred and killing intent boiled over.
That negative emotion became excellent fuel for the Calamity Flame.
- Hwareureureuk!
The Calamity Flame blazed beyond its limit.
He had long since surpassed the output from when he fought the Tower Master of Purgatory.
But his body did not burn up on its own. He was not swept away by emotion.
Taesan firmly held his center, and Azure Sea cooled the Calamity Flame and helped control it.
The thick Calamity Flame poured down along the blade.
『Keuu, euuuugh...!』
The Calamity Flame clung to the soul. At the spiritual searing that pierced through the Bitter Cold, his face contorted involuntarily.
'Dangerous.'
The soul in the vessel was being burned. The damage was reaching the connected main body. At this rate, extreme damage would spread to the true body.
- Kung!
In that moment, a small heartbeat echoed. Both of them widened their eyes.
『This is...!』
The Tower Master of Bitter Cold, letting out a flustered sound, pulled his body back.
- Ggwak...!
Lee Ha-yul didn't let him go easily.
His left hand, wreathed in the Golden Mountain Iron Wall of Taesan, tightened around the wrist. His right hand firmly gripped the Beacon Fire Sword, and his wings wrapped around the body tightly.
『Keuk, let go...!』
[You crawled in on your own—what are you talking about]
Now that he'd finally gotten a reaction, there was no way he'd let go.
As Lee Ha-yul smirked, the Tower Master of Bitter Cold also grabbed Lee Ha-yul's wrist.
Jjeojeok! The Golden Mountain Iron Wall froze. The Bitter Cold spread down to the arm beneath it.
As expected, it couldn't completely block even direct contact.
It was probably because Taesan blocked it once that his entire body didn't freeze instantly.
Having made his judgment, Lee Ha-yul raised his Innate Talent.
- Bbugeugeuk!
His freezing left arm swelled unevenly.
'Assimilation, True Blood.'
The Tower Master of Bitter Cold's eyes widened.
Ppubeopung! His left arm exploded. Blood, flesh, and bone retaining intense heat wove together like a net, binding the Tower Master of Bitter Cold.
『This crazy bastard...!』
[Shut up, you piece of shit]
The loss of his left arm was immediately compensated.
I retrieved the Proof of Protection stored in my circuits and reformed it as a prosthetic arm, twisting it back around my wrist.
- ─!? ──...!!
'Sorry, I'm having trouble listening right now.'
Swallowing the worried will-thought from the prosthetic, I scraped up every last ember of Calamity Flame and slammed it into the Beacon Fire Sword.
- Thud... thud... thud...
As the Calamity Flame surged in, my heartbeat quickened. The Tower Master of Bitter Cold's face wavered, and the output of the Authority of Bitter Cold began to drop.
- THUD!
A single, massive beat echoed. The savagely pouring Authority of Bitter Cold halted for an instant.
Lee Ha-yul's eyes widened.
"...Ha-yul."
[...!]
Lee Ha-yul snapped his head up.
Blue eyes were looking down at him. Even though I couldn't see, I knew it the moment I heard the voice.
[Baek A-rin...!]
Just moments ago, her face had been twisted like a ferocious demon, but now Lee Ha-yul lit up with joy, a bright smile spreading across his face.
It was a truly beautiful smile, but Baek A-rin couldn't feel happy about it.
"Why... are you so hurt..."
Smiling with a face full of wounds only made it more heartbreaking. Worse, the curse was clearly still active, freezing over his injuries.
"When we get back, you're going to be in so much trouble..."
[Yeah... hehe, but it's fine. Just wait a little! I'll be quick...]
"No..."
Smiling bitterly, Baek A-rin shook her head.
"I don't think this... is going to work."
Now that the curse had completely encroached on her, she understood.
It was already too late.
The curse placed on her since childhood had burrowed in far too deep. It was impossible to distinguish it from her and burn it away, or to peel it off.
"Even now, it feels like it's about to change again... I'm barely holding it back, but I can't last much longer..."
Baek A-rin's body trembled. It wasn't her own will causing it, but another will, urging her body into action.
For now, the invading soul had been pushed back, and control had shifted to Baek A-rin. But that wouldn't last.
Resignation settled in Baek A-rin's eyes.
She had dared to hope, but reality was cold.
She knew well enough that desperation didn't guarantee fulfillment, but now that it was actually happening, it felt like a hole had been punched through her chest.
"So, qui... quickly... before it comes out again..."
[Yes, yes, I'll be quick, so please just stay quiet.]
Lee Ha-yul nodded casually and extended a hand. A subspace entrance yawned open, and something plopped out.
A brilliant cyan crystal orb, and a bottle filled with a deep violet liquid.
"...That... is?"
Baek A-rin blinked slowly.
Why on earth was he pulling out a crystal orb and a potion in this situation?
I could observe the question in her gaze, but Lee Ha-yul didn't bother to be read. He simply opened the potion... the Potion of Being Hated, and held it between his lips.
The contents slid down his throat. In that instant, Baek A-rin's body moved on its own.
- Shunk!
"...Huh?"
Her hand, already gripping the spear, drew back and thrust forward.
With a wet shunk, the blade split skin and muscle, piercing through Lee Ha-yul's chest with appalling ease.
Baek A-rin's thoughts ground to a halt.
Why? What is this? What just happened? Did my body already get taken over? No, I still have control. Then why?
She'd just, suddenly, wanted to stab him.
The impulse had struck in a flash and vanished just as quickly.
- Khk, keck...
The result of the stabbing, however, did not vanish.
A thin trickle of blood spilled from Lee Ha-yul's lips as his shoulders hitched in a small spasm.
The blood froze and crumbled into dust. The Authority of Bitter Cold seeped deeper through the spear.
The sight felt utterly unreal. It seemed more like a vile illusion. Baek A-rin's pupils trembled pitifully.
"What, this, this..."
[Urgh...]
[Hold on, don't move...]
Lee Ha-yul lifted a hand.
That trembling hand cupped Baek A-rin's cheek. His unnaturally cold hand guided her head down.
- Shlink...
Ignoring the spear burrowing further into him, Lee Ha-yul pressed his body flush against hers and tilted his head up, rising onto his heels.
- Mwah.
Those lips he'd always kept hidden touched hers. Lee Ha-yul's body was cold, but his lips were strangely warm.
- ...Vwoom!
Through the kiss, a thread was connected between them.
A thread that bypassed the curse, tying them deeply together.
'It's observable.'
Lee Ha-yul let out an internal sigh of admiration.
An already-established thread is difficult to observe.
But at the moment it's first formed, it's highly observable. Which means it's also far easier to interfere with.
In that instant, the hazy fog parted.
Lee Ha-yul blinked. He could 'see' Baek A-rin's face, still utterly unable to comprehend what was going on.
'Hee.'
She really is much prettier seen through the eyes. Lee Ha-yul smiled, his eyes curving gently, and ignited the Calamity Flame.
- Fwoosh!
Now, there were two elements connecting Lee Ha-yul and Baek A-rin.
One was the Authority of Bitter Cold, overstepping its bounds and deeply interfering, intent on harming Lee Ha-yul's soul.
The other was the thread formed through the kiss, tying them together to their very cores.
The Calamity Flame spread through each point of contact—through the spear, and through the lips pressed together.
The Calamity Flame surged deep into Baek A-rin's interior.
In the process, there was absolutely no unnecessary damage. Only the curse encroaching on Baek A-rin and the cold energy were ripped apart and burned.
『...───!』
The moment the Calamity Flame reached her inner core.
An immense will-thought slammed against my head, ringing loudly. I furrowed my brow at the thrashing, screaming will-thought.
'Shut your mouth, you fuck.'
I poured mana into the Curse-Lifting Jewel clutched in my hand.
Fwaaah! A dazzling light rose from within the jewel. Soon after, the jewel scattered into particles of light and seeped into Baek A-rin.
With the Calamity Flame alone not enough, the curse-lifting powder scattered, and the curse that had been tenaciously clinging on began to be wiped clean away.
"Ah..."
Baek A-rin's lips parted.
From when she was very young.
Though her life had been a short one of just over twenty years.
The oppression that had clung to her for what felt like a lifetime was peeling away.
The cold energy filling her body melted. The chilling will trying to interfere with her burned away and died out.
The senses that had been suppressed rose to the surface, and the ice shrouding her face shattered into countless shards.
The emotions that had been frozen solid began to pulse.
She could finally describe this feeling.
Freedom. A freedom without a single restraint, allowing her to express everything fully.
This was the sensation she had hoped for her whole life, doubted she'd ever have, and dreamed of so desperately.
"...Ha, yul...?"
But she had no time to savor that blissful emotion.
"Ha, Ha-yul, Ha-yul? Ha-yul...!?"
Because the very person who had delivered this liberation was leaning against her, growing colder by the second.
As her senses and emotions rose, a sharp sense of reality crashed in along with them.
Baek A-rin, who had been half-spiritless a moment ago, frantically checked on Lee Ha-yul.
"Ah, ah..."
He was a complete wreck, without a single uninjured spot on him.
The most serious of all, the spear lodged in his chest, was gradually melting away. All of the cold energy that had composed the spear was seeping into Lee Ha-yul.
Soon the spear had completely melted. Her eyes trembling uncontrollably, Baek A-rin pressed a palm over the wound, as if to hide the hole.
- Vwooom...
Soothing her groaning core and circuits, she summoned water energy. The healing property of the water energy soaked into the wound.
"Why, why, why! Why...!"
There was no sign of improvement. The cold energy that had seeped into the wound was too powerful.
"Baek... A-rin..."
"Don't talk! Don't say anything! Just wait a little! I'll heal you right away...!"
Lee Ha-yul spoke haltingly.
His voice was so thin and small it was hard to even recognize its beautiful timbre.
Though she didn't even know exactly where they were, Baek A-rin shouted urgently, adjusting her position as she held him.
In that process, their skin brushed against each other.
One side was growing warmer, yet the other was growing endlessly colder.
That fact sent violent tremors through Baek A-rin's eyes.
"I, won't die."
"I know, I know. I heard you. So just stop..."
"Really, I won't die... It's just that my soul and body, temporarily, will separate, and then I'll come back..."
"What, what kind of bullshit is that..."
Utter nonsense. It sounded like a delirious ramble as his consciousness faded.
Not caring whether her circuits tore, Baek A-rin kept forcing her water energy and recovery magic, her face twisting in anguish.
At that, Lee Ha-yul smiled faintly and rested his head against her chest. In a flash, the vision he had only just regained grew dim again.
"I'll be back, soon. So, please keep my body safe, and let, the others, know, too."
"No. No, don't go! What do you mean you'll come back...!"
Please.
As if her eyes had broken, tears streamed down her face. Unlike the past, the tears did not freeze cold.
"......"
"...Ah."
Reality was cold.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin
●●●●●●●○○○(79/100)
｢Cold Energy｣ ｢Coolness｣ ｢Favorable｣ ｢Curiosity｣ ｢Dairy Cow?｣ ｢Teasing｣ ｢Water｣
▼Dramatic Change▼
Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡(79▷83/100)
｢Affection｣ ｢Possessiveness｣ ｢Cold Energy｣ ｢Coolness｣ ｢Dairy Cow?｣ ｢Teasing｣ ｢Water｣
...
[Partial conditions for lifting the ｢Curse of Silence｣ have been met.]
[The ｢Curse of Silence｣ is conditionally (Baek A-rin) weakened.]
...
[Partial conditions for lifting the ｢Curse of Solitude｣ have been met.]
[The ｢Curse of Solitude｣ is conditionally (Baek A-rin) weakened.]
...
[Savior Correction System: Evil Annihilation Progress]
[You have inflicted massive damage upon the ｢Tower Master of Bitter Cold｣!]
[You have subjugated the ｢Incarnation of Bitter Cold｣!]
[You have acquired a massive amount of points!]
...
[Savior Correction System: Pioneering Progress]
[You have cleared the quest ｢Baek A-rin｣.]
[You have cleared the main quest ｢Incarnation of Bitter Cold｣.]
[You have acquired a massive amount of points!]
...
[Savior Correction System: Salvation Progress]
[The Savior performs an act of salvation.]
[You have acquired a massive amount of points!]
...
[Player Correction System: Measurement]
▶Mental State
｢Spirit-Body Separation｣ : The spirit and body are separated.
...
[The mental states ｢Un?｣ and ｢?ection｣ are separated.]
...
[The Tower Master of Harmonization is #$@#)+#@$(?!!!?]
[%#$#)$_@#*$@#@!!!]