The Resonance of Sword Chanting
Kugugugung—!!!
The vibration inside the hospital grew stronger and stronger. Just when it seemed as if the building itself might collapse from the shaking, I looked up at the terrorist standing before me.
“...You.”
The figure wore a red robe and a mask. He stood there in front of me, snickering to himself.
“...I don’t think we’re close enough for that.”
Where had he even come from? I couldn’t tell. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
The Hero’s Sixth Sense has activated.
An immense presence was pouring off that man.
Scratch, scratch. He petted his mask as though he were soothing a beloved pet.
“...”
I tightened my grip on the sword.
I was tense. I had been the moment I laid eyes on him.
Who said that?
The rumored grade of that villain was A-class.
At least, that’s what I’d thought, judging from the power and destruction he’d unleashed while burning Yeouido.
That’s ridiculous.
It was nonsense. What A-class? No way in hell was he A-class.
Transcendent Eye has activated.
Red Flame Spirit (S)
The word S was stamped right there in front of me.
This was absolutely not the feel of an A-class. I’d fought enough hunters lately to know.
He was an S-class transcendent being. Even more than that.
He’s different from Yun Yeon and the others.
Among the superhumans I’d fought, he was strong enough to stand in a category of his own.
I could feel it now.
Haaah...
My breathing shook. I couldn’t tell whether it was nerves or the building itself trembling beneath me.
“You say you missed me... Why?”
As he spoke, he lifted the edge of his robe a little. Beneath it—
Where his arm should have been, there was only emptiness. So that was it.
The aftermath of being hit by Cheonma Divine Sword?
That was when I first used the power of Muyeon. It looked like that had done this to him.
Had the arm been blown clean off?
“...”
He sounded almost proud.
Frowning, I asked, “Let me ask you one thing.”
“Do you know about the incident from ten years ago?”
At my question, the Red Flame Spirit—the villain—tilted his head. He looked exactly like a clown.
He fell silent for a moment, as if searching his memory.
Then the clown clapped, as though he’d just remembered.
“...”
My expression twisted at those words. It was the same reaction Yun Yeon had given me.
“...Answer me.”
Tap, tap. With the fingers of his lone arm, he pretended to fold his arms.
“What’s your goal?”
“I’m not interested in pointless word games.”
As I said that, I rolled my eyes. I’d already told him where we were. Yu Jin would be coming up, too.
At least, that was how it should have been.
Is something happening?
The shaking in the building, that unpleasant sensation I could feel from below. Frowning, I stared at the floor.
This was bad. Definitely bad.
The clown kept bobbing his head.
“...What is?”
“...”
My personality? The joke of it made me want to laugh. How long had he even seen me for?
S-class.
I ignored his words and calculated my current situation.
Can I beat an S-class transcendent being?
I judged it as rationally as I could. I had won against Yun Yeon last time, after all.
But that was...
Inside a rift, with the power of Korca helping me.
But this was outside.
It’s ambiguous...
If you asked whether I could beat an S-class with my own strength, I honestly wasn’t confident. So I needed a means.
A means to run? No.
A means to win.
I had to find something that could break this situation.
The clown kept nodding as if he liked what he saw.
Flames burst in the clown’s hand, and a staff I’d never seen before materialized there.
“...!”
The killing intent is overwhelming.
I felt a dizzying surge of menace and moved with my sword.
Kwaaaaaa—!!!
Flames shot toward me. A scorching heat brushed past my side.
Kuuung—!!!
The flames struck the wall and burst, boiling the surface as they exploded. It was vicious.
Hot.
It had only grazed me, and yet the force of it was absurd. I couldn’t believe it.
...So back then.
When I saw him in Yeouido, had he really been holding back? He must have been. If he was S-class, he probably had.
Thud—!! I drove strength into the foot planted against the floor.
It was him. The memory flashed past me—how I’d nearly died without being able to do anything at all.
Fear surged up my spine.
But the moment it tried to close my throat—
The power of Cheonma Divine Sword manifested.
—it didn’t stop my feet.
Kiiiiing—!
Flames coiled around the blade.
A dark-blue blaze exploded, lancing straight toward the clown.
Kwaaaang—!!! The wall on the far side burst apart again. I had torn through the wall, but my expression remained grim.
I missed.
I turned my eyes.
The Hero’s Sixth Sense has activated.
My gaze snapped to the second floor. A hole had been blasted open.
Fire flickered below it.
It was the clown.
I shifted my angle.
Fwoooosh—! I felt the flames.
Damn it.
Kwaaaaaa—!!! Another burst of fire shot toward me. This time I dodged by a hair. It was faster than before.
He kept muttering to himself without end. It was enough to make my ears spin.
One more time.
I swung my sword downward.
The severing strike exploded once more.
But—
As he spoke, the clown thrust out his staff.
Kugagagagak—!!!! A far larger inferno than before swallowed my slash.
Flame Vein
Kuaaaah.
The flames twisted around each other and slowly vanished.
The impact had been canceled out.
The duration of Cheonma Divine Arts remained: 16 seconds.
I shot forward with my reinforced body.
“...”
Another fireball formed around the clown.
Then the sphere sharpened.
“...!”
It shot at me like a flash of light. Too fast to dodge. I brought Divine Sword up like a shield and blocked it head-on, but—
Kududududuk—!!!
“...Ghk!”
My body, having blocked the spear, was hurled backward.
“Cough!”
A thunderous impact rang through me. I crashed into the wall and groaned.
“Kh...”
I could taste blood. My chest throbbed, and I thought something might have cracked in my ribs.
The laughter in his voice made the concern sound fake. He did sound worried, but only just enough to keep the mockery in it.
“...Huuuu.”
I steadied my breathing and forced myself upright against the wall.
...That hurts.
It hurt like hell.
When is he coming?
What was Yu Jin doing down in the basement that he still wasn’t here? By now he should have arrived ages ago.
Something must have happened, because he still hadn’t shown. Normally, even when I wanted to avoid him, we’d run into each other. So why was he absent at a time like this?
The duration of Cheonma Divine Arts remained: 6 seconds.
Ah, damn it.
What now? I wiped away the blood streaming from me and dealt with the most urgent problem first.
I canceled Cheonma Divine Arts.
There was nothing I could do with only six seconds left. First, I shut the skill off.
“...What exactly is your goal?”
I spoke as calmly as I could. The clown, hearing me, wagged his head from side to side.
“From your reaction, it doesn’t seem like you’re here for treatment. What are you trying to do?”
That much was obvious. There was no way he was hiding here just to heal.
He was lying in wait for some reason, for some purpose. So when I asked him about it—
The clown smiled as he answered. But then—
“...”
He seemed to have caught on to my intent and added that with a playful lilt.
“...What?”
He’d made all this just to see me? I reacted with a jolt, and a snort came from the clown.
Divine Sword Master—that meant Yu Jin. This place was for Yu Jin?
“...What in the world is your goal? What kind of purpose makes you do things like this?”
The clown rested his invisible chin on a hand and spoke.
He leaned his head on a hand that wasn’t there.
“Peace?”
The clown spun the staff lightly. As it turned, flames gathered at its tip.
The flames were deep in color now.
“...What the—”
The staff, brimming with fire, pointed straight at me.
Seeing that, I drove power hard into my legs.
Kwaaaa—! A flame even larger than before exploded outward.
This time, too, I dodged by a hair.
At my reaction, the clown scratched his head.
As if that wasn’t what he wanted, the clown kept pondering.
Then—
As if he’d suddenly realized something, the clown spoke.
At that, I stiffened.
The clown said it flatly.
“...”
At those words, I lowered the Divine Sword slightly.
My pounding heart beat rougher than usual. It felt as though my vision were gradually darkening.
Something was wrong.
The hammering in my chest spread through my body, growing louder and louder.
Ting.
Through it all, I heard a tiny sound.
Cheonma Divine Sword resonated with the user.
From the first echo of sword chanting, a skill was learned.
Sword Chanting has been acquired.
Understanding of Cheonma Divine Sword has increased.
As understanding of Cheonma Divine Sword increased, a sealed effect was released.
Body-Sword Unity has been acquired.
Cheonma Divine Sword has activated Body-Sword Unity.
Heat surged upward.
A temporary promotion was achieved from Cheonma (SS) to Cheonma (SSS).
My body, suddenly light beyond reason, sliced through the space in an instant.
...Huh?
Just as the clown was reacting, my sword reached right before his nose.