Night Patrol
The resounding boom of our colliding fists sent a numbing shock through my shoulder, and the tremendous recoil hurled my body backward. Even without using any mana, the force was this overwhelming. Bruno’s physical body alone was powerful enough to overwhelm a mediocre knight.
“Hmm… You’ve got quite the strength.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Your durability seems impressive too, so I won’t need to hold back.”
“Pardon?”
“Take this as well!”
Bruno began moving in earnest. As if the previous attack hadn’t been at full power, he unleashed a mad barrage of strikes with even greater speed and force. His offense was completely one-sided, showing no concern for counterattacks and offering zero defense.
Boom!Kwaaang!Gugugugung!
Could a human body truly become this strong? Right now, I might be witnessing one of the pinnacles a human could reach.
Every time his fist energy clashed with my flesh, it was the fist energy that was being shaved away. Pure physical power was overpowering even the force of mana. And that wasn’t all.
“Hahahahahat! Good. Very good! It’s getting more and more fun! Now then, let’s see just how diligently you’ve trained in fist techniques!”
As if to prove that his brutish fighting style hid refined skill, Bruno displayed high-level fist arts. His punches were straightforward and simple, yet fast, powerful, and without a single gap—the very definition of orthodox technique. Against them, I could only desperately try to keep up.
Seeming pleased by that, Bruno gradually increased the tempo, and my defense began to crumble.
Kwaaaang!
“Ugh!?”
A straight punch slammed into my forearm, sending a jolt of pain all the way to the bone. Before I could shake it off, the same trajectory struck again—once, twice, three times—causing my arm to spasm from the continuous impacts. The moment my defense completely stiffened—
“Your side is open!”
Bruno’s fist smashed into my flank.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
The impact felt like it would burst my organs. My waist bent as my body was launched into the air. Biting my lip hard against the dizzying pain to regain my senses, I twisted midair to reduce the recoil and landed on the ground.
“Cough! Hack!”
Blood poured from my mouth as if my insides were damaged. I hurriedly suppressed the internal injury and struggled to my feet. Bruno approached with a leisurely stride, casually rotating his wrist.
“Kahahahat! For all that big talk, you’re not much, are you? Looks like you won’t be able to keep your promise with your lover!”
“She’s not my lover. She’s my sister.”
“Is that so? Well, it doesn’t matter either way. So, is that all you’ve got to show me?”
No matter how vast the gap in our realms, it seemed he was disappointed that I couldn’t even handle him when he wasn’t using mana. Seeing the clear disappointment on his face, I smirked and placed a hand over my chest.
“What you’re about to see from now on must remain a secret.”
“Hoo… So there really is something. Don’t worry. I won’t breathe a word of it.”
“You promised.”
I opened the Taiji.
Taiji Release
Thump!
With a heartbeat, the Taiji began to spin. From within, two streams of flame surged out, forming a typhoon. The flame typhoon that seemed to sweep away everything seized control of my mana road, connected to my lower dantian, and began evolving my body.
Fwoooooooosh!
Flames erupted. The two different fires that wrapped around my entire body gathered at my right and left shoulders, forming massive wings. A sharp, ferocious dragon wing and a sacred, beautiful phoenix wing blazed fiercely.
My body slowly rose into the air. When all the changes finally finished, Bruno let out a roar of pure ecstasy.
“Kahahahahahahahahat! This is excellent! You haven’t fully awakened yet, but given a bit more time, you’ll have the potential to fight me on equal footing!”
“I’m honored.”
“In that case, I’ll show you proper courtesy and use my mana as well. Fighting you with only my body would be an insult!”
Bruno condensed his mana into the shape of an axe. I had hoped he would fight me with only his body, but he had overestimated me too much. Unlike him, who enjoyed fair and equal battles, I preferred the easy, fast route of exploiting every advantage.
Can’t be helped.
Asking him to fight without mana now would only make him angrier, so I gave up on that idea.
“Then I’m coming.”
“Bring it!”
The moment Bruno gave permission, I flapped my wings powerfully and descended upon him.
Kwaaaang!
A meteor of flame collided with an ultra-powerful axe. The instant of impact shattered every bone in one of my arms, but transcendent regeneration restored it almost instantly. I immediately swung my other fist.
Baaang!
It was blocked by Bruno’s forearm. His arm was wrapped in thick protective energy that resisted even the flames of the phoenix and dragon. He went a step further and grabbed my arm.
Kwaaang!
In the blink of an eye, Bruno lifted me and slammed me into the ground. Fine cracks spread across my spine. Thankfully, the vertebrae themselves weren’t badly damaged. Swallowing the pain, I immediately used the rebound to swing my leg upward from below.
Baaang!
My foot struck empty air. The moment I lost balance again, the world spun rapidly behind my vision once more as the hard ground welcomed my back.
“Gahk!”
This time my spine shattered too. Now I understood why people who sparred with Bruno couldn’t stand up afterward. I was lucky I could regenerate with Hwasin-hwa, but anyone else would have been rendered combat incapable from the very first throw.
The instant my spine regenerated and sensation returned to my lower body, I kicked off the ground and struck Bruno’s abdomen.
Explosive Flame Heaven-Shaking Canon
Two spiraling streams of flame penetrated deep inside and detonated.
Guuuuuung!
A wave of explosive flames swept through his mana road. Even though Bruno was a Transcendent who had reached level 400, he couldn’t possibly emerge unscathed from that shock. The moment the grip on my arm loosened, I quickly slipped free.
Crack!
In that instant, Bruno exerted force and snapped my wrist.
What a monstrous human.
As I cursed him inwardly, Bruno suddenly let out a burp.
“Buuurp!”
Smoke leaked from his mouth. I knew it was the remnants of the flame I had driven into him. Bruno rubbed his stomach and said,
“That last one was pretty interesting. Can I look forward to more?”
“I still have plenty I haven’t shown you yet.”
“Khhuhu! Excellent. Then let’s keep going!”
Once again, I clashed with Bruno.
Kwaaaang!
Fists collided and shattered. Even after using Hwasin-hwa, only my mana output and regeneration had increased—my durability and physical strength remained the same. I responded by completely isolating the pain from my body and mind. As if observing from a third-person perspective, I let the agony flow past me and parried the incoming attacks.
That attitude must have pleased Bruno, because he grew even more excited and rampaged wildly.
“Uhahahaha! Come on, show me more! More! Show me your limit!”
Vrrrrrrum—!
With a mana resonance, the density of the energy condensed in his axe grew thicker. Naturally, the balance of the fight tilted in an instant. My fists, which had previously endured by fracturing and regenerating, now had their wrists snap with a single blow, dangling limply. The phoenix flames immediately gathered at my wrist and restored it at incredible speed.
Regenerating was good, but spending power like this so recklessly meant the backlash later would be enormous.
Isis is going to worry…
Since there wouldn’t be any visible wounds as promised, I wondered if she would let it slide or scold me relentlessly. …No, I already knew the answer. Isis would probably complain to both me and Bruno. My sister, who cherished me to an almost terrifying degree, wouldn’t care that Bruno was the commander of the western front.
While lost in thought, our exchange of blows continued. The spar finally ended ten minutes later—when the duration of Hwasin-hwa ran out. The moment it ended, I immediately lost consciousness.
*
When I opened my eyes again, what greeted me wasn’t an unfamiliar ceiling, nor—obviously—the Saintess’s enormous breasts, but Isis’s face. Her eyes were wet with tears. The moment she saw me awake, a single teardrop finally slipped down her cheek.
“You’re awake! I told you! I told you not to do something like sparring! What is this?! You said you wouldn’t get hurt! Liar!”
Isis pounded her own chest as if her heart was burning, trying to suppress her anger. Every time her fist struck, her voluptuous breasts jiggled wildly, making for quite the pleasant sight. I quickly sat up.
“Sister. Calm down. I’m really perfectly fine.”
“Then why did you faint? Do you know how shocked I was when I heard you collapsed?”
“I’m sorry. I apologize.”
“I don’t need an apology! Instead, promise me you absolutely won’t get hurt from now on. Understand?”
Isis stared at me stubbornly, as if she would never let me go unless I answered. Refusal was impossible in front of her.
“I understand. I promise. Actually, instead of that, I’ll grant you a wish. So please stop being angry, okay?”
“…Really?”
“Yes. At the very least, I won’t overdo it. Is that good enough?”
Thinking about it again, promising never to get hurt at all seemed impossible, so I subtly changed my words. However, that wasn’t what Isis was asking about.
“…Not the promise.”
“Huh?”
“The part about granting my wish… is that true?”
“Ah…”
When I let out a small sigh at her unexpectedly materialistic behavior, Isis shyly lowered her gaze. It was rather cute.
“Of course. Tell me anything.”
“Anything?”
“Yes. I’ll grant it all.”
“Haaauuuu… All of it…”
What on earth was she imagining? Isis suddenly turned bright red and buried her face in her hands. I watched her carefully.
“Sister?”
“…Just let me stay like this for a moment.”
Isis pushed my face away with her hand, expressing her refusal. I obediently nodded.
“Ah, okay.”
It took five whole minutes for Isis to regain her composure. That day, I ended up owing her a wish.
*
Several days had passed since we arrived at the western front. After finishing her daily duties and returning to her quarters, Regina paced back and forth, her anxiety growing.
“What should I do? There isn’t much time left.”
Today marked the fourth day. Only three days remained until they had to return to the academy. Considering the final day was entirely reserved for rest, in reality they only had two days left. Once they returned to the academy, creating opportunities would become much harder. She felt uneasy about what to do.
After circling the same spot for a while, Regina finally decided to use her last resort.
“I have no choice. I’ll have to ask my sister.”
Leona Solias. Her older sister, who was seven years her senior, held the position of vice commander here. She would be able to influence the academy students’ schedule to some degree. Of course, there was a downside to this.
If she killed Luan, Leona would be the first to realize who the culprit was. But so what? They were blood-related sisters. No matter how strict Leona was about separating public and private matters, she wouldn’t throw her own little sister in prison. Besides, if she left no evidence and simply denied it, that would be the end of it.
“Yes. That’s it.”
With a smile, Regina immediately left her quarters and headed for the vice commander’s office. Normally, one couldn’t enter the vice commander’s office without a clear reason, but as both an imperial princess and her younger sister, Regina was an exception.
Knock knock.
— Come in.
After receiving permission, she opened the door and saw Leona sitting at her desk, reviewing documents. The sunset light pouring in from the window behind her intensely highlighted her red hair and golden eyes. It felt like standing before a lion—one large enough to swallow her in a single bite.
“Regina? What brings you here?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“You’re asking me for a favor? How interesting. Go on, speak.”
Leona’s eyes sparkled with interest upon hearing that her sister—who had never once asked for anything in her life—had come to request something directly. Regina frowned slightly at the blatant anticipation but stated her business.
“You know Luan Priulri from our squad, right?”
“Hm? Ah, that student. What about him? Did you two fight or something?”
“Fight? It’s not exactly that— …Sigh, fine. Let’s say we did. I’d like you to create some time for the two of us to reconcile.”
For Regina, reconciliation with Luan would be completed by his death. Leona, of course, had no idea.
“I see. If my little sister is asking this earnestly, her big sister has to lend a hand. There happens to be a night patrol at midnight tomorrow. I’ll arrange for him to be left alone then. Will that do?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Haha! It’s nothing. If it goes well, make sure to tell your sister about it. Got it?”
Leona stood up like a gust of wind and patted Regina’s shoulder. Regina brushed her hand away, turned around, and answered.
“…Even if I don’t say anything, you’ll know if things go well.”
“Will I?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
Because if things went well, it would mean Luan was dead—there was no way Leona wouldn’t notice. Regina wondered what kind of expression her sister would make then, but she deliberately didn’t imagine it.
With this, I’ve at least created an opportunity.
Now it was time to set the trap.