Chapter 423: Human World [R-18] (61)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 423: Human World [R-18] (61)
My Aura Sense was tracking the real-time location of the bastard hiding somewhere and flinging dark energy from a distance.
I picked my nose, and a hefty booger clung to the tip of my finger.
‘Ugh… Disgusting. He’ll do anything as long as the audience can’t see.’
I heard Bi-yeon click her tongue in disapproval, but I ignored her and carefully wrapped my internal energy around the booger.
Then, I turned and flicked my finger toward the empty air.
“Booger Ball!”
—Fzzt!
A single booger shot through the air.
Its insignificant trajectory sliced through the mist. Then, in the next instant—
—BOOOOM!!
An explosion ripped through the air, forcing the hidden Ryu Ja-ho to reveal himself.
There wasn’t a single scratch on his body, but something small and round was stuck right in the middle of his face.
“...A booger?”
Ryu Ja-ho’s eyebrow twitched as he stared at the thing on his face. Bewilderment, humiliation, and then rage washed over him in an instant.
“You cur! How dare you inflict such an insult upon me—!”
Ryu Ja-ho’s sword trembled. His eyes contorted with fury, and the black smoke enveloping his body began to churn once more.
“You bastard…! I will not forgive you!!”
The black smoke surged behind him, the snake-like energy twisting and coalescing into the shape of a giant sword.
Bi-yeon scoffed.
‘He lost his mind over a single booger. Should we wrap this up now?’
“Yeah, I’m getting tired of this. Bi-yeon—Spirit Fusion.”
At my words, Bi-yeon returned to her human form. Wind gathered around her, pushing back some of the surrounding black mist.
The spectators, who hadn’t been able to see through the mist, began to murmur as they caught glimpses of Bi-yeon through the opening.
“Who is that woman?”
“Where did she suddenly come from?”
“Could she be… an ally of Jin Seo-yun?”
“No, something seems different.”
Then, a few spectators who had seen the footage from Belfast realized what was happening.
“Wait! Isn’t that… the spirit from Belfast?”
“A spirit? For real?”
“The sword turned into a person!”
A new wave of excitement rippled through the stands.
Bi-yeon approached me and held out her hand.
“Ready?”
“Always.”
I took her hand.
—Fwoooosh…
In an instant, Bi-yeon’s body dissolved into particles of light and flowed into mine. A refreshing wind enveloped my entire body as the spirit’s energy seeped past my skin.
My hair turned a vibrant teal, and a clear blue light bloomed in my eyes.
“—Hah.”
I took a deep breath. Instantly, the spirit’s energy and my internal power began to quietly condense. And then, I took a single step forward.
-Thud.
It was only a single step, but in that moment, the surrounding air compressed with immense pressure, and—
—KRAKOOOM!!
The ground shattered, sending shockwaves blasting in every direction. The battlefield, once shrouded in black mist, was torn apart in an instant, creating the illusion that the very sky was twisting.
The curtain of Black Smoke Hell that had enveloped Ryu Ja-ho dissipated futilely before that single step, and everyone watching stared at me with faces of pure shock.
“What… What was that!”
“He shattered the Heavenly Demon’s technique with a single step!”
“That’s impossible…”
Ryu Ja-ho muttered, his face pale.
“How… can this be… My Black Smoke Hell…”
I walked toward him slowly. One step, then another. With each step, the arena floor cracked and the air vibrated.
And when I opened my hand, a sword of wind imbued with fire energy materialized there.
“What was that you said earlier? Something about showing me the pinnacle of swordsmanship?”
My voice was calm, but the pressure within it completely crushed Ryu Ja-ho.
“Watch closely.”
The sword of wind in my hand glowed with a teal light as it cut through the air.
Ryu Ja-ho raised his sword with a trembling hand.
“It’s… It’s not over yet! The Heavenly Demon never loses!”
“Heavenly Demon?”
I tilted my head and smiled.
“That childish game is over now.”
“You bastard!”
Ryu Ja-ho squeezed out his last bit of strength and swung his sword.
“Heavenly Demon World-Annihilating Sword!”
A colossal wave of dark energy surged toward me. It was his final strike, infused with all of his aether.
But I didn’t move.
I simply raised the sword of wind in my hand—lightly, ever so lightly.
—Shhh-chak!
In an instant, Ryu Ja-ho’s attack was split in two.
“My… My Heavenly Demon Sword Art… in a single blow…”
“Let me show you what real swordsmanship is.”
I slowly raised my sword. The wind at my fingertips smoothly enveloped the blade, and a teal aura flowed out, seeming to swallow even the light from the sky.
The ki throughout my body began to simmer quietly.
Like ripples forming on a tranquil lake under the moonlight, refined ki circulated within me. That energy flowed into the sword, the sword into movement, and the movement into a state of martial enlightenment.
“Moon Shadow Sky Sword Dance: Thousand Moon Afterimage.”
In that moment, my body vanished. At least, that’s how it appeared to everyone watching.
Dozens, then hundreds of teal shadows spread out simultaneously. A fantastical sword dance unfolded as the afterimages of a thousand moons in the night sky rippled and overlapped.
One by one, the afterimages brushed past Ryu Ja-ho. They didn’t wound him. Yet, despite merely grazing him, they destroyed everything except for the ground he stood on.
“What… What is this…”
Ryu Ja-ho looked around, terrified. Hundreds of afterimages surrounded him at once, but he couldn’t tell which one was real.
Complete silence fell over the audience. No one could speak. They could only stare, mesmerized.
“This is true martial arts.”
Hundreds of afterimages spoke the same words in unison. And in the final moment, all the afterimages merged into one, appearing directly in front of Ryu Ja-ho.
The tip of my sword was touching his neck.
Ryu Ja-ho’s entire body trembled as he collapsed to the ground. His black robes were torn to shreds, and his face was impossibly pale.
“I… I have been defeated…”
His voice was barely a whisper. I withdrew my sword and returned to my original form. As the Spirit Fusion was released, my hair reverted to its normal color.
Raymond Crowley’s declaration echoed through the arena.
“The winner is—Jin Seo-yun!”
At that moment, the Korean spectators erupted in explosive cheers.
“We won!”
“Jin Seo-yun! Jin Seo-yun!”
But the Chinese side was completely silent. They had never dreamed that the Heavenly Demon, their pride and joy, would be so utterly defeated.
I looked at the stands and gave a small wave.
*
—CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
“Damn it!!!”
The ornate marble wall shattered and cracked. Oh Jeong-seok, the Sun Guild Master, glared at the screen, his eyes red with fury.
“Why does nothing I do… ever go right?!”
His breathing was ragged like a beast’s, and a murderous aura filled the entire office. As befitting a high-ranking ability user, his rage manifested as physical pressure, making the air heavy.
A bottle of expensive wine, placed on the desk for a celebratory toast, shattered, spilling red liquid. It was merely a sacrifice to his anger.
Beside him, a man in a black suit quietly presented a report.
“The Chinese President has lodged a protest… saying this isn’t what was discussed.”
“A protest?!”
Oh Jeong-seok’s voice jumped an octave.
“Who the hell thought that bastard Jin Seo-yun would win?! Ryu Ja-ho was an S-class who vied for the top spot in China!”
“Well… that may be, but in the end…”
“In the end, my ass! Who could have known he was that ridiculously strong?!”
Oh Jeong-seok shouted, throwing another object.
“That White Flame he used in Belfast! They said it was the same aether as Im Hye-rin's flames! But what the hell is this?! What is the identity of the flame coming from that bastard's sword?!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Sorry doesn’t fix anything! Do you think this situation is a joke?!”
Just then, the door opened and another subordinate rushed in.
“Guild Master! We have a huge problem!”
“What now!”
“Every broadcast station… is flooding the airwaves with reports about our guild!”
“Reports…?”
Oh Jeong-seok gritted his teeth and snatched the remote. The large monitor immediately turned on, displaying dozens of news channels at once. The screens were exposing everything: the Sun Guild’s various illegal activities, suspicions of collusion with the government, and even Oh Gyeong-hun’s atrocities.
—[Sun Guild’s Power-Based Corruption, Fronted by S-Class Ability User, Exposed]
—[The True Face of the Sun Guild, Which Controlled Even the Government, Can No Longer Be Ignored]
—[Guild Master Oh Jeong-seok: Evidence of Blackmail, Tax Evasion, and Hired Assassinations Found]
Oh Jeong-seok’s expression slowly twisted.
“……Those sons of bitches.”
At that moment, the door burst open again and another subordinate ran in, panting.
“Guild Master! The Association… a large force from the Association has stormed the building!”
“What?!”
“They’ve even mobilized the entire Suppression Unit! The outside of the building is already surrounded, and they say they’re about to force their way in…”
Oh Jeong-seok’s face contorted like a demon’s. A thick vein bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“……Call the old men. Now.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The subordinate was about to pull out his smartphone with trembling hands when—
—Creeak.
The door opened quietly. An old man slowly walked inside.
“They won’t answer the phone. So quietly, put that phone down.”
The subordinate’s hand froze.
Oh Jeong-seok glared at the old man, gritting his teeth.
“…Han Mu-gang.”
“Still as insolent as ever.”
The old man’s voice was low and quiet, but it was filled with a seething pressure. It felt as if the very air in the room was freezing over.
“Doesn’t the Association President have anything better to do? What’s the meaning of this, dragging Association employees all the way here?”
“You know full well. Your crimes are being laid bare on that screen, one by one.”
“Those are just allegations. There’s no proof.”
“Do you really think there’s no proof?”
Han Mu-gang took a bundle of documents from his coat and tossed it unceremoniously in front of Oh Jeong-seok.
—Thump.
“This is the evidence sent by an anonymous informant. Can you still deny it after seeing this?”
“Who dares…”
Oh Jeong-seok’s hands trembled as he flipped through the pages. Half of it was undeniably true, and the rest was cleverly fabricated.
‘Someone has set me up.’
Blinding rage boiled up inside him, and heat began to radiate from his body. A sun-like energy heated the space around him.
“That’s enough.”
Han Mu-gang’s eyes flashed. His tone was as gentle as ever, but the killing intent within it was intense enough to freeze the room’s temperature.
“The moment you use your ability, even the light punishment you might have received goes out the window. It would be, quite literally, self-destruction.”
Oh Jeong-seok clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
“Or are you really suggesting we have a go at it, right here and now?”
The corner of Han Mu-gang’s mouth lifted slightly.
“If you’re that confident, I’ll be happy to oblige.”
A red haze began to shimmer into existence around Han Mu-gang.
Oh Jeong-seok’s face hardened. He was reminded once again of who he was facing.
Han Mu-gang. The President of the Korean Ability User Association and, officially, the strongest S-class ability user in Korea.
“Damn it…”
Oh Jeong-seok forcibly retracted his ability. If he fought Han Mu-gang here and now, he could actually die.
“A wise decision.”
Han Mu-gang nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Now, come along quietly.”
Oh Jeong-seok said nothing more, following Han Mu-gang with a grim face.
—Click, click, click!
The moment he stepped outside the building, dozens of reporters swarmed him as if they’d been lying in wait. Camera flashes strobed, and a forest of microphones was thrust in his face.
“Guild Master Oh Jeong-seok! Do you admit to the charges?”
“Is it true that illegal human experiments were conducted within the guild?”
“Please state your position on the allegations of collusion with high-ranking government officials!”
Questions rained down on him, but Oh Jeong-seok kept his mouth firmly shut and walked on with a blank expression.