Chapter 80: A Bloody Battle-4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: A Bloody Battle-4
"Aaaaagh!!!!!!"
The Human-Faced Spider let out a thunderous roar at Sun-woo.
That human—that incredibly slow, pathetic human—had actually managed to wound her.
It made no sense.
The man couldn't keep up with her speed. No, far from keeping up, he hadn't even been able to perceive her movements.
So how had he wounded her?
It must be a fluke.
It had to be a coincidence. It was impossible otherwise.
She straightened the four legs protruding from her back, leveling them at Sun-woo. She intended to pierce his skull through.
The Human-Faced Spider took a step. Then, she launched herself into the air, hurtling toward Sun-woo like an arrow.
Her speed was truly worthy of the word 'godspeed.'
Swish!
"Die!"
With her scream, the four razor-sharp legs swung out.
Whoosh!
But once again, her legs pierced only empty air. She felt no resistance.
Slash!
Squelch!
Once more, Sun-woo’s Astral Qi carved through her torso.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
She shrieked again. It hurt—it hurt far too much.
She immediately began to regenerate, but she couldn't erase the agony. Retreating to create distance, she glared at Sun-woo with eyes full of resentment.
What kind of sorcery was this?
How could a human who couldn't even perceive her dodge her legs and land a counterattack?
She wasn't human. She didn't understand.
But she did know one thing: there was no such thing as a counterattack faster than the initial strike.
He’s reading my attacks!
The human before her knew exactly where her legs were headed and exactly when they would swing. That was the only way he could dodge and counter simultaneously.
It was too consistent to be dismissed as a fluke. He had dodged all four legs perfectly before striking back.
The Human-Faced Spider furrowed her brow.
Then I’ll just go faster.
If he had caught up to her speed, she simply had to increase it. It was a simple logic.
The Human-Faced Spider concentrated strength into her legs, intending to release it all in a single explosive burst. This attack would be far faster than the last.
She kicked off the ground once more.
Boom!
Whoosh!
Using her explosive leg strength, she closed in on Sun-woo at an even greater velocity.
However—
Squelch!
She still couldn't reach him.
Blood sprayed; blood splattered everywhere. She had been cut again.
How was he perceiving her with his eyes closed?
She began to feel as if her every move was being laid bare. Deep in a corner of her heart, a seed of emotion called 'fear' began to sprout.
*
Qi Sense.
Qi Sense is a technique used to spread one's own Qi to detect the Qi harbored by others. Usually employed as a detection skill to locate other martial artists, its range varies wildly depending on the practitioner's realm.
With his eyes closed, Sun-woo spread his Qi Sense.
He couldn't track her with sight or sound anyway. His only option was to sense and catch the poisonous Qi she emitted.
As he closed his eyes, a semi-circular domain began to form in Sun-woo’s mental world, centered on himself.
The radius didn't need to be massive. That would be a waste of mental energy. He set the boundary at approximately two jang, just enough to prepare for an attack and swing his sword.
A semi-circle with a radius of two jang was established in all directions. Then, he waited patiently for her poisonous Qi to enter his domain.
Whoosh!
The first thing he heard was the sound of something flying through the air. She had started to move.
Sun-woo prepared himself.
And then—
Her poisonous Qi breached the edge of his domain and fully entered his space.
He felt it. In his mental world, he saw her clearly, all four legs raised high.
The legs swung.
Sun-woo trusted his senses. Stepping into the Wind-Dust Step, he moved his body to evade the detected strikes.
Shriek!
The sound of air being pierced whistled past his ear, but he didn't care. With absolute certainty, he dodged the remaining attacks.
Shriek!
Once all the attacks had passed, Sun-woo flared his Astral Qi and slashed through her body.
Squelch!
The sound of his sword carving through flesh and blood bursting forth rang in his ears.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
Her delayed scream was a bonus.
Sun-woo smirked. The gamble had paid off.
*
The Human-Faced Spider was seething with irritation.
Even after her initial failure, she had lunged at Sun-woo several more times, only to be cut down without fail. It didn't matter if she increased her speed or tried to confuse him with erratic movements. He simply evaded her attacks with composure and struck back.
Irritation and a sense of injustice washed over her.
To catch this quick human, she had abandoned the massive carapace that protected her body and her menacingly sharp legs to take on this human form—but that was proving to be her downfall.
Since becoming human, she had lost the shell and legs that guarded her, leaving her with no way to block the man's 'claws.'
She had been cut so many times that her regeneration speed was starting to lag. No matter how fast she threw herself at him, her attacks were blocked, and she had no way to turn the tide. Had she not discarded her great, massive legs during her molting?
She couldn't go on like this. Speed alone wouldn't defeat this man.
She needed a weapon. A weapon that could stand against his claws.
Her gaze shifted to the shell she had discarded during her molting.
She needed that shell again.
*
Sun-woo still had his eyes closed. He was waiting patiently for her next attack.
Using Qi Sense to counter her was a brilliant move, but it had one flaw: it made him passive. Unless she entered the range of his Qi Sense, he couldn't launch an active attack. He could only wait for her to come to him.
But no matter how long he waited, he couldn't sense her.
She, who had been lunging at him relentlessly despite being cut multiple times, had stopped her assault.
Sun-woo grew suspicious. She had been frantic to kill him. Why had she stopped?
Had she collapsed from the accumulated wounds? Or had she realized the gap in their power and fled?
Various questions swirled through his mind.
Crunch, crunch.
Munch, munch.
Suddenly, the sound of something being chewed and swallowed reached Sun-woo’s ears.
He was bewildered. Why the hell was she eating something in the middle of a life-and-death struggle?
Let’s check.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Sun-woo squinted his eyes to look ahead. If she was up to some useless trick, he had to interfere.
"What the fuck...?"
Ahead of him, he saw the slender back of the Human-Faced Spider. And upon seeing what she was doing, Sun-woo was struck with bewilderment.
Munch, munch.
She was eating her own discarded molted shell.
Why was she suddenly eating the thing she had just cast off?
As if sensing Sun-woo’s gaze, the Human-Faced Spider slowly turned her head to look at him. A smile was etched on her lips.
"Just wait a little longer."
Having said that, she turned back and resumed devouring the shell.
Sun-woo felt a sense of unease. An inexplicable feeling of dread radiated from her back.
He quickly channeled his internal energy into his Yongcheon Point. Using the Wind-Dust Step to its peak, Sun-woo executed the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker.
His body arched back like a bow and then snapped forward.
Bang!
With a sonic boom, Sun-woo’s body shot toward her like an arrow. He didn't know what she was planning, but the thought that he had to stop her consumed his mind.
He had to stop her.
Astral Qi swirled around his sword, emitting a brilliant white light. He would take her head right now.
Five jang... three jang... two jang... one jang!
The distance closed rapidly. Her defenseless back was right there.
I’ll cut you down!
Clang!
However, Sun-woo’s wish was not granted. Something had blocked his Astral Qi.
"What!?"
What had stopped his blade were the four legs protruding from her back.
Sun-woo was stunned. Her legs were sharp, but they shouldn't have had the durability to withstand Astral Qi. How on earth had they blocked it?
"You shouldn't disturb someone while they're eating."
She put strength into her legs and shoved Sun-woo back.
Then, she turned around.
Sun-woo, suspended in the air, used the Thousand-Catty Press to land safely. He stared straight at her.
Her face was full of smiles. It was a smile of peerless beauty, yet Sun-woo felt an uncanny sense of wrongness.
Without letting his guard down, Sun-woo raised his sword and leveled it at her again.
"I’ve been thinking... discarding my shell just to gain speed was a mistake. Since you can sense my speed, I had no way to attack."
She smiled brightly, revealing her pearly white teeth. It was a beautiful smile, like a rose in full bloom.
"So, I decided to have it all. Both speed and the shell."
Thud. Thud.
The legs that had been on her back began to fall to the ground.
Squirm. Squirm.
Immediately after, legs much thicker than before began to sprout from her back. Unlike the previous ones, which were the size of a child's arm, these were as thick as an adult woman's thigh.
Then, a carapace began to grow over her naked body like armor, eventually covering her entire form.
She had molted again. And into an even stronger form.
With her entire body, save for her face, transformed as if she were wearing a suit of armor, she stared at Sun-woo.
"Let's play again~"
She laughed innocently and lunged at him.
*
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Her legs swung, beginning to pressure Sun-woo. The newly sprouted legs were so hard that even Sun-woo’s Astral Qi couldn't cut through them.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
It felt as if four swords made of Astral Qi were swinging at him simultaneously.
She’s so damn strong, this fucking bitch...
Curses escaped his lips involuntarily.
The only silver lining was that her speed after the second molting wasn't so fast that his eyes couldn't track it. Because of that, he was somehow able to maintain the confrontation.
However, the four legs swinging according to instinct rather than swordsmanship were a massive burden for Sun-woo. He no longer had enough internal energy to maintain a Protective Qi barrier.
A single graze would mean a fatal wound.
Thus, Sun-woo was forced into a defensive posture, struggling just to parry her onslaught rather than attacking.
I can't keep this up.
He couldn't maintain this stalemate forever. There was a limit to how long he could maintain his Astral Qi, but her legs had no such restriction. The moment his internal energy ran dry, he would lose his life.
He had to think. He had to find a way to defeat her.
Rip!
"Urgh!"
While Sun-woo was lost in thought for a brief moment, one of her legs grazed his left shoulder. He couldn't help but groan.
Won't even give me a second to think, shit.
Sun-woo spat out a curse and resumed blocking her offensive.
"You shouldn't let your guard down, you know?"
Lick.
The Human-Faced Spider spoke as she licked Sun-woo’s blood off her leg. She was genuinely enjoying herself.
It seemed the second molting had been the right choice. Although she had expended a significant amount of energy, it didn't matter. Energy could be replenished in time.
While she no longer boasted the speed to vanish from sight, she had gained incredibly powerful weapons and a shell. And the arrogant man before her was reeling.
How could she not be happy?
The sight of prey struggling had always thrilled her. This was the right and the pleasure of a predator.
Her offensive grew even more intense. She intended to end this.
*
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Sun-woo began to breathe heavily as he fended off her attacks. His stamina was flagging, and wounds were beginning to accumulate on his body.
Every time he was pierced, he felt immense pain. His sword speed was slowing down, and the strength in his hands was fading. Several times, he wanted to just drop his sword and collapse.
But he couldn't.
The moment he let go of the sword, everything would end.
He couldn't let go because it wasn't just his own life hanging on the blade he held.
Clang!
Stab! Stab!
He managed to move his body to dodge, but his flank was pierced.
"Aaaaagh!"
This was a critical wound. A significant amount of blood gushed from his side.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
His breathing became even more ragged. He wanted to rest.
Whoosh!
It was then.
She stacked her four legs into one and thrust them straight toward Sun-woo’s heart.
It was dangerous. If that hit, he would surely die.
Sun-woo desperately raised his sword to block the attack. But he couldn't block the impact.
Whoosh!
Boom!
Sun-woo’s body was sent flying through the air, slamming into a tree trunk five jang away. The impact was so violent that more than half the trunk was gouged out.
"Cough!"
Sun-woo coughed up blood. The shock had clearly reached his internal organs.
"Fuck..."
Was he going to die like this?
In the distance, he saw the Human-Faced Spider, her mouth split into a wide, mocking grin.
That fucking bitch...
Curses naturally spilled out.
If only he could cut those legs—if only he could cut through those incredibly hard legs, he could win. That thought consumed his mind.
He couldn't think of a way to defeat her. How could he cut the main body hidden behind those troublesome legs?
The body beyond...
Flash!
It was then.
'I simply cut as my heart desired.'
For some reason, the words of the Sword Emperor, who had cut him through the Overlord Ghost-Face Armor, came to mind. He had said he simply cut what he wanted to cut.
In reality, he had been able to cut Sun-woo despite the armor.
It was the mystery of the Heart Sword.
He had wanted to cut what he desired, and as a result, he had pioneered a path toward the Heart Sword. Specifically, Sword Kinesis.
Then, what about himself? What did he need right now?
Sun-woo looked ahead. He saw the Human-Faced Spider’s incredibly hard legs.
What he needed now was the destructive power to cut through those legs. The power to destroy anything.
Sun-woo slowly stood up. Then, he raised his sword and leveled it at the Human-Faced Spider.
He began to exert an extreme level of concentration. If he failed by even a hair's breadth, his Qi would deviate, leaving him crippled.
Mistakes were not an option.
Sun-woo’s gaze grew deeper and more profound.