Chapter 419: A Difference in Class (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 419: A Difference in Class (1)
In any form, whether through emotion or otherwise.
And regardless of who the other person was.
To have one's name etched into another's memory always carried a special meaning.
For someone like Lu Bu, this was especially true.
"What is your name?"
One of the world's strongest fighters.
Countless people yearned to tell him their names.
That was why he paid no heed to any of them.
Except for the names of those he deemed worthy.
So, who did he consider worthy?
The answer was simple.
An opponent worth fighting at least once.
Someone who wouldn't make him regret the battle.
An S-rank, or one of the very few A-ranks who were nearly on that level.
The rank everyone coveted was, to him, the bare minimum.
Kim Do-jin spoke to the man looking down on him with arrogant eyes.
"Kim Do-jin."
"...A name I recall. The rising star from Korea, was it?"
"To think you remember me. I'm honored."
As he replied with a grin, the corner of Lu Bu's mouth twisted slightly.
"I couldn't possibly forget."
It was a name he could never forget, even if he tried.
After all, this was the very person who had delayed the completion of Lu Bu's grand design by several years.
"Thank you for coming to me."
Not having forgotten his grudge, Lu Bu aimed the tip of his spear at him.
"I was just wondering how I should kill you. You've saved me the trouble...!"
A light thrust.
But that was only by Lu Bu's standards.
"I'll send you to the afterlife before you can even feel the pain."
Whoosh!
For its target, the blow was no different from a death sentence, closing the distance at a ferocious speed.
Seeing this, Kim Do-jin immediately opened his mouth.
"Stop."
A single word, spoken softly, echoed out.
The will contained within it resonated with the surrounding mana, binding Lu Bu's body.
His movements came to a dead halt.
But it lasted for only the blink of an eye.
"An interesting trick."
Feeling the flow of an unknown energy clinging to his body, Lu Bu scattered his own aura in all directions, and the binding force dispersed, unable to hold him any longer.
"But it's far from enough."
That brief moment he had stopped him.
Kim Do-jin seized the opening, throwing himself out of the way, then clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Tsk... So this is my limit for now."
The time he had bound him with the will in his words—the Word Spirit—hadn't even lasted 0.001 seconds.
While he was disappointed by his clearly defined limits, a sense of anticipation also began to bloom.
He had just reached S-rank, and the first ability he used had succeeded in interfering with Lu Bu's body.
That alone was proof of the ability's immense potential.
‘Alright, I've gauged my limits.’
He was still far too weak to face Lu Bu head-on.
If he had the Saintess with him, he might have been able to block a few attacks, but even that was impossible right now.
That left only one option.
‘Run!’
To turn his back on Lu Bu, he had to tie him down, even for just a moment.
So, what could he use to stop him?
Gathering strength in his legs, he leaped backward and spoke.
"Rise."
His gaze fell upon the earth.
The moment his will manifested, the ground between him and Lu Bu began to tremble.
Rumble...!
Vibrations and noise shook the very axis of the earth.
Soon, dozens of massive rock walls shot up from the ground, blocking Lu Bu's path.
Seeing this, he laughed as if it were pathetic.
"How crude."
And it was true.
To put up mere rock walls before him, a man who could tear through thick steel plates with his bare hands.
But this was just a diversion, meant to obscure Lu Bu's vision for a moment.
Kim Do-jin's real move was only just beginning.
Crackle! Sizzle!
He gathered all the lightning-attribute mana within his domain, concentrating it into a single point.
Lightning Energy (雷氣) was an extremely tricky power to handle, even for Kim Do-jin, who could wield mana as if it were his own limbs.
This was due to the nature of Lightning Energy, which never stayed still for a moment.
Therefore, concentrating it was several times more difficult—and more dangerous—than with other attributes.
A single mistake during the concentration process could cause the gathered Lightning Energy to explode, tearing not only through the caster but everything in the vicinity.
In fact, dozens of cases of injuries occurred each year while learning lightning-attribute magic.
Despite being so dangerous and difficult, there were always those who sought to learn it.
Why?
‘Because its destructive power is just that immense.’
High risk, high return.
The greater the investment, the greater the reward.
Bzzzzzzzt—!
But for the current Kim Do-jin, lightning-attribute magic had transformed into something easy and powerful, completely free of its usual burdens.
‘Be still.’
This was the domain Kim Do-jin controlled.
An absolute space where even the innate restlessness of lightning had to die before his command.
Their movements suppressed, the bolts of Lightning Energy moved according to his gestures.
With them, he formed a single spear.
Crackle! Rumble—!
The symbol of a certain god, dyed entirely in gold from its tip to its shaft.
That god's name was Zeus.
A being whose actions he found utterly disagreeable, but whose power had been overwhelming.
He perfectly recreated the spear he had seen inside the Kraken's body.
A golden shaft.
A jagged, sharp golden blade.
The spear was completed as lightning coiled around it.
CRACKLE! CRACK!
All that remained was the name to be given to this weapon—the incantation.
A name was a power that etched a target clearly in the mind, allowing it to be recalled.
The name of the weapon forged by his uncle, the Cyclops, the first giant, and given to Zeus was...
「Astraphe.」
The Greek word for lightning.
He gripped the spear wreathed in lightning.
Normally, the moment he grasped it, even Kim Do-jin would have been torn apart by the Lightning Energy and charred black. But this was his domain.
"Hmph... Be still."
A single word to the insolently surging Lightning Energy was enough.
Lu Bu's spear, imbued with his Aura of Strength, swung horizontally.
At the same time, the rock walls began to crumble.
He slowly steadied his breathing and raised his arm.
He didn't bother with aiming.
Simply looking at the target he intended to pierce was enough.
Crash!
Just as the broken debris hit the ground, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Now...!"
He threw the spear in his hand with all his might.
CRACK! ZAP!
The moment it left his hand, the spear of lightning flew, scorching the air around it.
In the blink of an eye, the spear's tip pierced through the dusty space, its target none other than Lu Bu's beloved horse, Redhorn.
No matter how fierce a spell it was, mimicking Zeus's spear, it was still not enough to harm Lu Bu.
So, as a secondary plan, he aimed for Redhorn.
"Hmph...!"
Unable to bear watching his horse die, Lu Bu was forced to move.
Hee-hee-hee-neigh—!
In an instant, he pushed off with his legs to change the horse's position and swung his Bangcheon Halberd.
No matter how great a weapon it was, it was still a piece of metal that conducted electricity.
As if it had been waiting, the Astraphe collided with the Bangcheon Halberd, flowed up the shaft, and dug into Lu Bu's body.
Bzzzt! Crack!
"Ngh...!"
Thanks to his protective Aura of Strength, the Lightning Energy didn't penetrate and damage his body.
But he hadn't escaped completely unscathed.
The energy had coursed between his skin and muscles for a moment, causing a faint numbness in his body.
And it was the same for his beloved horse, Redhorn—Red Hare.
Hee-neigh...
Thud!
Struck by the arcing electricity, the beast cried pitifully and collapsed to the ground.
Lu Bu landed lightly on his feet, his gaze piercing through the still-unsettled cloud of dust.
In that short time, Kim Do-jin's presence had grown distant.
He could easily give chase if he wanted to.
Hee-neigh...
But the sorrowful cry of his beloved horse held him back.
Its life wasn't in danger, but it needed treatment.
Having taken a solid hit, Lu Bu gave a bitter smile, turned his back, and issued an order to his subordinates.
"We're returning. Move Red Hare."
"As you command!"
As Lu Bu left with heavy steps, he made a vow.
Kim Do-jin.
‘You, of all people...’
He would kill him without fail.
It was a moment that deepened the ill-fated connection between the two.
* * *
The upper floor.
Amidst the chaos of the ransacked area, it was the only place that remained calm.
A man appeared in this place where all the Hexagram members dispatched to China had gathered.
He was a member who had gone out to scout the situation, possessing a trait called 'Assimilation' that allowed him to blend into his surroundings.
He prostrated himself before a gaunt man and began to speak.
"I have something to report."
"Speak."
"It seems one of the Seven Deadly Sins has appeared."
The man, who had been lounging on a large chair, sat up with a start and asked.
"...Are you certain?"
"Yes, I am."
"Your proof?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
The prostrated member lifted his head.
The face he finally revealed was etched with terror.
A deep and intense terror.
"Whenever he passed by, Lu Bu's subordinates lost their strength and collapsed. And... each time, he grew stronger."
"..."
"It was as if he was stealing their power and making it his own."
As far as he knew, there was only one of the Seven Deadly Sins who could steal another's power.
"Greed...!"
Only the Divine Authority of Greed.
"Hu, huhu... So we finally meet."
The man's body trembled with joy.
"I look forward to this."
He had met quite a few of the Seven Deadly Sins before, but this was a first.
"A battle between those with similar Divine Authorities... Hu, huhuhu...!"
The man's nickname within the organization was 'Agwi'.
A faithful servant of Gula, who had been granted the Divine Authority of 'Unquenchable Hunger' from Gluttony.
It was the goddess's will to devour everything.
Therefore, he would devour even this one—who could be called one of his own kind—without hesitation.
Groooowwwl—!
"So hungry, so hungry..."
"I-I'll bring a meal, s-so, just, just a moment..."
CRUNCH!
"Gyaaaaaaah—!"
"H-hehe... Delicious. I'm not hungry anymore."
Chomp, chomp!Crack!Grind!
To forget, even for a moment, this agonizing hunger that only subsided when he was chewing and swallowing.