Kua's Ice Awakening
Kaboom!
Kua was overwhelmed by the tsunami he himself had conjured. Unlike mere water, the tidal wave was a weapon of destruction. It shattered the building's glass, sending water cascading down.
Swoosh!
Iruka emerged without a single drop on him, thanks to his telekinesis. In contrast, Kua had taken the full brunt of his own attack. The situation looked hopeless. Yet even in victory, Iruka seemed displeased.
"To throw yourself into the mission with such zeal. Your loyalty to Sky Group is truly touching."
Iruka's words were a misunderstanding, but his anger was genuine. They sparked a different train of thought in Isabel. Why do I want to win so badly? Why am I this desperate? The trigger wasn't this incident.
Even though it was a virtual gate, Isabel wondered what it felt like to risk everything for something—or someone. The root of that curiosity was, naturally, Zien.
If it were Zien...
He'd fought a 6th-rank Saber named Illu just for her sake, making an enemy of Desire in the process. Of course, Isabel knew that if someone else had been in her place, Zien would have done the same. In her eyes, that was Zien's conviction as a Saber.
He wouldn't have given up.
It might seem corny, but to Isabel, Zien was the most Saber-like Saber of all.
"Guess I just don't feel like playing along with your script."
Isabel snapped her fingers with a click. An explosion erupted right next to Iruka.
Boom!
"So shut up and come at me."
Isabel's expression was downright cynical.
Instead of avoiding close quarters, she charged straight at Iruka.
"Kua!"
Isabel shouted at the same time.
Kua's body ached all over from the impact, and he'd swallowed so much water he was retching. But Isabel's voice cleared his head like a splash of cold water.
"Y-Yes, got it!"
Kua activated his magic tool again, deploying a mana bubble. The bubble absorbed mana, making it hard even for Iruka to manipulate. And Isabel's assault was just getting started.
Boom! Boom! Kaboom!
Explosions chained through the air. Her innate talent was mana itself. Kua lacked the reserves to overwhelm Iruka, but Isabel could crush him with sheer volume.
Crack!
At the same time, Isabel unleashed a high kick at Iruka. Deploying a magic tool while engaging in close combat required computational power beyond ordinary limits. But she was a genius. Bewilderment flickered in Iruka's narrowed eyes.
"Such a shallow trick."
Iruka's fist met Isabel's in midair. The clash of massive mana sent shockwaves rippling outward. Thankfully, Isabel's magic tool formed armored gauntlets—her hands were unscathed. Iruka, on the other hand, took the damage.
"Ngh! My hand's burning..."
"No, it's the gauntlet, not your hand."
Isabel sneered.
Iruka's eyes narrowed further. Kua's mana bubbles closed in. Isabel had found her rhythm. Iruka needed a decisive blow to turn the tide.
Even association hunters... Kids are still kids. No matter how skilled.
Iruka smirked.
To him, Isabel and Kua looked like fledglings playing tough—impressive at first glance, but brittle once cracked.
The weak link is that little one.
Isabel's flame-wreathed kick came flying, but Iruka ducked. Then he lunged at Kua. The mana bubbles in the air sapped his strength, but he ignored them.
"Checkmate."
Iruka gathered maximum power into his fingertips. His thrust was now spear-like.
Swoosh!
A stab aimed at Kua's heart.
"Ah!?"
Fortunately, Kua reflexively summoned a water cushion.
"Kua!"
Isabel's voice rang out from close by. But the last thing Kua saw was Iruka's other hand thrusting from the opposite side.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
A chilling dread crawled up his spine. Something felt off to Kua. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Isabel stood before him.
"Cough... I told you to be careful..."
Blood trickled from Isabel's mouth.
Iruka's hand had pierced straight through her back.
"...Touching."
Iruka withdrew his hand. His judgment had been flawless; his killing blow had landed perfectly. Yet his expression was complicated.
"For things to resolve this easily."
"I-Isabel!"
Kua cried out in horror, but Isabel's voice remained calm.
"I'm fine. It's not like I'm really dying... Take up my share too."
Before she could finish, Isabel's body dissolved into particles of light and scattered. Reverse summoning from the virtual gate. Even at this unfamiliar sight, Iruka didn't flinch.
"A curious end. Is that a trait too?"
The one in shock was Kua.
"Shut up."
Kua exhaled sharply.
If it hadn't been for him, the fight's outcome might have been different. At the very least, Isabel wouldn't have dropped out so pointlessly. Kua's face darkened. His eyes, usually bright and cheerful, were hollow.
"Because of me."
This was exactly why Sabers needed to grow stronger. In life-or-death gates, power was paramount. Without it, the gate would steal away what mattered most.
"Isabel..."
As the stunned Kua stood there, Iruka aimed his fingertips again. He had no more time to waste. He needed to deliver the Blood Jade to Jeokhyeol and wrap this up.
"Don't feel too bad. I'll send you off next."
Twang!
Iruka's hand shot forward like a taut bowstring, aimed at Kua's heart.
Thud.
But that lightning-fast strike was caught in Kua's hand.
Grip!
Impossible with Kua's normal physical prowess.
But this Kua was different. His assimilation rate had gone berserk. The stigmata on the back of his hand glowed brilliantly, syncing with his emotions.
"I..."
Kua wiped his eyes with his other sleeve as he spoke. What drove him now wasn't sorrow or rage.
"...have to beat you."
What moved Kua was a fierce will to fight.
His mana surged, activating a skill. It began with faint steam rising from his body. Then...
Crackle!
A chill that froze the steam solid.
The cold spread rapidly, as if shielding Kua.
"I-Ice... freezing trait!?"
Iruka recoiled in surprise, but what enveloped Kua was a skill effect—not an attack aimed at him.
Whoosh...
The ice melted, blending with the chill to form a mystical mist. From within emerged a handsome man with cold features, blue eyes, and long blue hair.
"Now for round two."
His voice was icy cold.
But the pattern on the back of the man's hand matched Kua's exactly.
"Wh-What the hell is this?!" Crack! Crackle!
Kua extended his hand.
The ground—no, the entire building—froze over. Iruka's legs were encased in ice; he couldn't even flee.
"Isn't it fascinating? It's just water gone cold, yet ice is this ferocious."
Kua's voice was frigid.
His long index finger pointed at Iruka. Ice crystals bloomed in the air. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands—manipulating fragments this fine was beyond even Iruka.
"Th-This can't..."
"Checkmate."
A beautiful ice storm engulfed Iruka. Each razor-sharp crystal brimmed with mana. Kua's storm was voracious, devouring Iruka—and even his screams.
Swoosh—
The storm quieted, stained red, then vanished. Kua, returned to his original form, collapsed in a heap. He looked even smaller and frailer than usual.
"...I did it."
Quest: Aid the Remaining Hunters to Stop Rebellion
Details: Only Rebellion's leader, the nameless hunter, remains in the auction house...
The quest popped up, but Kua blacked out before he could read further.
What he'd just used was a transformation skill turning him into his future self from three years ahead. That future Kua was stronger, more mature in form, and had even achieved the rare second awakening of his magic tool. That was why he wielded ice instead of water. But like Zien's Moon Sword, Kua's skill came with massive penalties. He couldn't control its activation, let alone retire it at will.
I got lucky this time.
Without the skill, the quest would've failed for sure. But he'd beaten Iruka. Now, only Rebellion's leader, Jeokhyeol, remained. Facing him to close out the gate would fall to their party leader, Zien.
"Party leader... please."
With that final prayer, Kua lost consciousness.
At G Channel's broadcast station.
Brodo stared at Caston in a daze.
"What's the viewership right now?"
"Three times the starting number! Three times!"
"Kiii—kyaaack!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Brodo let out some unearthly screech, and Caston hugged him tight. The two men danced around gleefully. Then the door burst open, and the station chief teared up.
"I knew it! I believed in you!"
"Chief!"
Brodo pumped his fist and yelled. The chief, overcome with emotion, spoke slowly.
"How do you turn a gate broadcast into this?"
It was ridiculous when you thought about it.
"Zien! That kid sticks a flag in the chaebol heiress like some trash drama hero! One gets kidnapped by villains, and on top of that, you throw in this epic moral lesson?"
The chief shook his head with a stern expression.
"This won't do. You two need to be punished."
He grabbed his phone roughly.
"Name it—what punishment? Bonus or performance pay?"
Caston shuddered at the chief's aggressive tone and shouted.
"Performance pay!"
"Chief! I'll take the bonus!"
Brodo rubbed his hands together.
The chief grinned broadly.
"Good! I'll punish you real good!"
They made quite the trio. Haha—the three men laughed heartily. Then the chief clasped his hands behind his back.
"Hmm, but one worry..."
He pointed at the monitor linked to the viewer board.
"It's gotten too hot. Now we have to stick the landing like always. Zien beating that Rebellion hunter— that's a sure thing, right?"
Brodo answered on reflex, without a second thought.
"Yes! Trust me!"
"Right. Who else would I trust if not you? Haha!"
As the chief left.
Caston shot Brodo a contemptuous look.
"Why'd you guarantee it, PD? You a Saber or something?"
Brodo swallowed hard and shook his head.
"Fuck, I don't know... He'll win, right?"
For everyone's sake—or at least the station's happy ending—Zien had to conquer the gate.