Chapter 309: 2nd Semester Ranking Tournament. But Now, More Serious Than Expected (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 309: 2nd Semester Ranking Tournament. But Now, More Serious Than Expected (4)
After the duel, which had become a hot topic in more ways than one, Kang Ha-ni regained consciousness in the infirmary.
“Ah, you’re awake?”
Sitting before her was So-hyun, a smile on his face as he peeled an apple.
“…So-hyun?”
“Who else would it be?”
“It really is you this time, right? What happened back there?”
“I lent my body to a very strong monkey spirit and asked him to fight in my place while giving you a little lesson.”
“Wow. No matter how I think about it, that sounds like a total lie, but after what I experienced, it’s strangely hard to deny.”
“Hmm, you don’t believe me? It’s the truth.”
Well, honestly, it wasn’t so much that she didn’t believe him, but rather that it didn’t matter either way.
Whether those words were true or false, the fact remained that he had done it because he trusted her and for her sake.
Having gained so much from the experience, she didn’t want to pry into what might be his secret.
“Well, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I really told you the whole truth, okay? You’re the one who didn’t believe it.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
“…Sigh, fine. Open wide. Say ‘ah.’”
With an exasperated look, he sliced a piece of apple, skewered it with a fork, and held it out to her.
Uh, um. Why is the service so good today…? Usually, he gets all embarrassed doing stuff like this.
“It’s a reward for doing better than I expected, so eat up. If you don’t, I’m eating it.”
“Who said I wasn’t eating? Give it here.”
As she opened her mouth, the crisp texture and refreshing sweetness of the apple spread across her tongue.
Maybe it tastes better because a guy who doesn’t usually do this is feeding me?
“…Hey, guys. You know you’re not the only ones here, right?”
“…I intended to stay out of it as much as possible, but I simply cannot hold back any longer.”
…Huh?
Just as she was enjoying the pleasant crunch of the apple, familiar voices suddenly drifted in from the side.
Lilac and Cheon Yu-hak were lying in separate beds, both looking thoroughly disgusted.
…Wait. Does this mean they saw everything?
“I already had my suspicions when he carried you in here in his arms after you collapsed.”
…No, what was that? What? So-hyun carried me all the way here himself? The infirmary is ages away from the arena…! Everyone must have seen us!
“Are you two, by any chance…”
“Really in that kind of relationship…?”
They were in that kind of relationship, but not the one those two were thinking of! First of all, she was a girl!
Ha-ni tried to scramble for an excuse for the sake of So-hyun’s reputation, but So-hyun was faster to speak up.
“I can give you an answer, but do you really want to hear it?”
“…Huh?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Until it is confirmed, the truth exists in a superposition of states where it could be true or it could be false. But the moment you confirm it, it will remain in your minds as a definitive truth.”
Cheon Yu-hak and Lilac gulped, their faces filled with unease.
“Even so, if you still want to know, there’s no reason I can’t tell you.”
The smirk on his face was downright wicked.
“You see, Han-hee and I are…”
“Stop. I’ve decided not to hear it. At the very least, I’d prefer you say it when I’m not around.”
“I don’t want to hear it either. No, it’s not that I’m discriminating, I just need time to prepare myself mentally…!”
Seeing the two of them scramble to distance themselves, So-hyun finally couldn’t hold it back and burst into laughter.
“Pfft… Hahaha… Ah, seriously.”
“…Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“…What, was it a joke?”
“Who knows? What do you think?”
Aha, so that’s it. Since they might keep teasing him if he flatly denied it, he acted as if it were true to make it obvious he was joking.
…Her heart almost stopped.
Thinking about it, it probably wouldn’t be a huge problem if she revealed she was a girl now, but it still felt a bit awkward to say it outright.
Besides, if word got out that she was a girl, she might not be able to stay in the same room as So-hyun anymore.
“But So-hyun, what are you doing here? Is your match over for today?”
“No, I think I have at least one more. I just had some time left, so I figured I’d watch the matches from here while looking after you.”
“Ah, they show the matches here too.”
…That was a relief. She had been worried about missing Senior Ha-ru’s match after saying she would watch it.
“Oh, Master’s match is about to start. Let’s watch together.”
Naturally sitting on the edge of the bed, he turned on the installed monitor and found one of the arenas.
“Oh, there she is.”
The screen showed the swordswoman exchanging greetings with her opponent.
There were many spectators gathered around, but that was understandable. Her swordsmanship, the famous Plum Blossom Sword Technique, was renowned for its brilliance.
The moment she slowly drew her sword and made her first move—
“Huh?”
“Wait, what?”
Everyone in the infirmary was stunned.
Normally, one would expect to see plum blossoms blooming in profusion, but for some reason, what bloomed around her were not plum blossoms.
Petals made of flames—far more passionate and intense, not yet having a definitive shape but possessing a vividness incomparable to plum blossoms—wavered around her.
Ah, come to think of it, she did ask me to watch the sword that contained her life.
Did she mean it was a new sword technique?
Petals made of fire. How cool.
* * *
Of course, from the perspective of the opponent who had to face it head-on, it was more of an ordeal than something “cool.”
Exactly two exchanges.
That was the time it took from her drawing her sword and igniting the flames to her opponent surrendering.
Ah, well. I can’t be sure if she’s watching, but for showing off a new sword technique that contains her life, it ended way too quickly.
“I’m sorry, but would you mind going a bit longer?”
The opponent fled without even answering.
They were the one who had challenged her, boastfully claiming they would bring her to her knees this time, so she thought it would be fine.
…Goodness, if she had known it would be like this, should she have asked Seol? Or maybe it would have been better to spar with the professors.
Now, what should I do?
Since the match itself was over, she thought it best to step down.
At that moment—
“Not bad.”
A chilling sensation made her grip her sword again.
“Good. Very good. That brat defeated all the decent ones, so I thought things were going to get dull, but it seems there are capable ones outside of the first years too!”
The man standing on the arena—hadn’t he been introduced as one of the newly hired professors?
“No, ‘capable’ doesn’t do it justice. It was only for a moment, but among everyone I’ve seen today, you are the second.”
He was a beast.
The man before her was a Sura who lived for the struggle itself; though he held a human form, his aura felt closer to that of a wild animal.
The ironic part was how perfectly he restrained such a violent energy.
“It looks like you have something you want to test out as well.”
He held out his fist.
“Care to go a round?”
Fighting those who enjoy combat for its own sake usually didn’t offer much to be gained.
The aura he radiated without concealment told her he was strong, but a duel with a powerhouse whose personality was unknown might not be entirely safe.
However, she felt that precisely because he was such a Sura-like opponent, he might be the perfect person to show her new sword to.
“I ask for your guidance.”
“That’s the spirit.”
She drew upon her Mana to match the man’s increasingly wild momentum, and flames flickered at the tip of her sword.
“A sword technique based on the Plum Blossom Sword Technique but modified to fit your own style. It’s also a Flame Art that converts Yang energy into heat. Very interesting, but let’s see if it’s actually practical in combat…!”
Was he a tiger in human form?
For a moment, she had that illusion; his speed was entirely unbefitting his massive frame.
However, it wasn’t a speed she couldn’t react to, nor was it a power she couldn’t withstand.
Falling Plum Blossoms.
Petals made of heat embroidered the sky, becoming a sword of flames that slashed at the opponent.
She thought the attack had landed easily, but that was a foolish delusion.
With a smirk, he released a burst of energy to extinguish the flames clinging to his body and took his stance again.
“Good. That speed and power would have crushed an A-rank Hero, but you blocked it well. Now, let’s see if you can block this too!”
With a light thud, he leaped, his movements clearly faster and more powerful than before.
She thrust her sword at the same time he unleashed a kick, but his leg strength, reinforced by Mana, was beyond what one would consider human.
If I try to take this head-on, I’ll lose.
Therefore, she utilized the flow of Yu (Softness) to deflect his angle, and then…
“Do you think you can counter just because you deflected once!”
A straight punch.
She had clearly broken his posture, yet he had regained it with incredible speed.
His fist slammed into her solar plexus.
“Ho, look at this.”
Into the solar plexus of an afterimage made of flames, that is.
“That must be hot. Doesn’t it hurt to punch fire?”
“Right. People often forget because the Plum Blossom Sword Technique is so flashy, but it was also a style of illusion swords.”
The giant man laughed savagely and clenched his fist to blow away the fiery afterimage. However, in a battle between high-level superhumans, being distracted by a fake for even a short time was fatal.
Plum Blossom Fragrance for Ten Thousand Miles.
It was originally her signature ultimate move, but after obtaining these flames, it had taken on a slightly different form.
Because the red petals carrying the essence of extreme Yang emitted an intense light, the surroundings were dyed in a pale pink hue.
The petals filling the arena were made of fire, yet they carried a fragrance. Although the number of petals had decreased compared to before, the energy each one held was incomparable.
If the past was a forest of plum blossoms, the present consisted of only a few trees, but each one was akin to a giant ancient tree.
Sword Qi resembling scattering pink petals fluttered through the air.
“A continuous strike, then.”
Facing that massive energy, the giant man also prepared himself.
“Since you’ve shown me a splendid continuous strike, I’ll show you what a heavy strike is.”
He took a stance and wreathed his right fist in energy.
An aura far more intense than before, yet incredibly clear and blue, swirled around his fist. The moment he threw a straight punch with a shout—
His punch struck the empty air.
It didn’t mean he missed. How could it be a miss when the shockwave exploding from the recoil was erasing the flames she had created?
Even though she hadn’t stopped her continuous strikes, he was walking toward her.
How can this be?
The aftereffects of a single strike that hadn’t even ended yet were blocking all of her attacks.
It was as if a human had created a typhoon with a single blow.
Still… it’s not over yet.
Using Plum Blossom Fragrance for Ten Thousand Miles was like a preparatory move for her new technique.
Now that the Yang energy she had scattered around had gathered sufficiently, she could use her newly developed technique by reclaiming it and concentrating it into her sword.
The scattered heat focused back into the blade, and the edge of the sword began to turn a vivid pink.
“It seems you still have something left to show me.”
As if intentionally waiting for the technique to be completed, he laughed savagely while gathering energy in his fist, just as she was doing.
The blade was perfectly dyed, and a crimson Sword Aura imbued with heat was completed.
“Good, let’s compare!”
With all her might, she swung the sword so as to leave no regrets, and it collided with his fist.
The surroundings vibrated with a thunderous roar.
The Sword Aura and the Fist Aura were balanced, but soon, his fist sprayed blood.
Just as she felt a surge of joy at the first wound she had inflicted since the duel began and applied more strength—
The balance that seemed so tense collapsed for a rather absurd reason.
Clang.
With that sound, the sword snapped.
Ah?
I’m going to die.
Well, there was a barrier, so she wouldn’t actually die, but this was going to hurt…
She thought she had maintained her ordinary sword well, but it seemed it had reached its limit after receiving such intense Yang energy and ultimately couldn’t withstand the massive impact.
Even while thinking she was in trouble, she deployed her Protective Aura to somehow block the incoming fist, but just as she thought even that would be too late—
“That’s enough.”
A familiar voice reached her ears, and she looked forward.
“You crazy battle-crazed mutt.”
…But he sounded a little angry.