Blazing Dawn
The wind howled.
Hands and feet wrapped in Cheongnyeom tore through the air, surging forward without hesitation.
BOOOOM!
Hyeondo’s fist, brimming with overwhelming power, shattered the wall and pillar he had used as a shield, yet its momentum showed no sign of weakening.
He was stronger than anyone I had faced so far. Not only was his Ineung exceptional, but his Cheneung was also at an impeccable level. That was why I could understand how Teraden had been beaten so badly.
Judging by the force behind it, I’d say two direct hits… No, maybe three or four.
If I allowed any more than that, it would be my certain defeat.
“Hup!”
Hyeondo closed the distance again and swung his arm.
I leaned my upper body back to let the blow pass, then tried to target his now-exposed left side. But the flames enveloping his entire body refused to allow even the slightest approach, let alone an attack.
Since there was nothing I could do for the moment, I decided to create some distance.
From our exchanges so far, I had learned two things about him.
The first—though it came with the caveat of “for now”—was that thanks to the Hwigwang Teraden had detonated at close range, his left eye wasn’t functioning properly, making his reactions half a beat slower.
The second was that the movement of his right arm was strangely unnatural.
Hmm. What now?
The violet hue coloring the sky had grown noticeably fainter, suggesting sunrise was not far off. I could maintain a defensive posture and stall until dawn broke.
But that wasn’t the kind of hollow victory I wanted.
Facing the man said to be the strongest of the preliminary class, I wanted to test exactly how far I could go. I wanted to push my limits.
Even if I lost, Blanser and Junior were still behind me. There was no need to worry.
So then… shall we see whether this ends in success or failure?
I couldn’t just waste the golden opportunity Teraden had created by sacrificing himself.
As for injuries, I could just get them treated once this was over.
Until his eyesight recovered, I would thoroughly exploit his weaknesses.
“Huu.”
After letting out a long breath, I decided to take the initiative this time.
SWISH!
I closed in on Hyeondo in a single breath and observed his reaction.
As if responding to my intent, he spread his furious flames and countered with sharp movements.
In close quarters, the Cheongnyeom wrapped around his body served as both spear and shield. The moment any distance opened between us, he would unleash a rain of fire without fail.
The buildings around us crumbled beyond recognition from the force of our duel.
RUMBLE!
While I was dodging the collapsing structures and the fiery downpour by shifting my body back and forth, Hyeondo suddenly slammed his foot into the ground with all his might.
The earth split apart as the destroyed debris shot into the air before crashing back down.
“This is…!”
The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck, and the thick, pale smoke completely blocked my vision.
At that exact moment, the faint shadow of Hyeondo beyond the smoke vanished with a thunderous roar.
His speed seemed to have increased momentarily. Compared to before, it felt at least a third faster.
Almost the instant his shadow disappeared, Hyeondo’s hand burst through the smoke from my right flank.
CRACK!
“Ugh!”
I had managed to notice his position and block the surprise attack.
But his fist smashed through my defense like a brute and dealt me a heavy blow.
The impact reverberated through my bones and spread throughout my body, leaving me dizzy.
This… I can’t afford to block it anymore. From now on, I have to dodge or deflect everything.
WHOOSH!
As if refusing to give me even a moment to think, Hyeondo burst through the dust cloud and ignited fierce flames in both hands.
He charged at me with even greater ferocity than before, and a chaotic melee soon erupted.
BOOM! BOOOOM!
Hyeondo continued to press me with explosive speed and Cheongnyeom.
If I tried to block his attacks head-on, I would end up in the same sorry state as before.
Drawing on the teachings I had learned from Ran, I pushed my Cheneung to its absolute limit and matched his speed, dodging or deflecting each strike one by one.
Hyeondo looked slightly bewildered by my response, which was different from what he had expected.
It made sense. Unlike Teraden, I still had most of my stamina intact. And since I had no Ineung, I had devoted myself entirely to Cheneung. That made close-quarters combat against him far easier for me than it had been for Teraden.
“You were the greatest variable. I’m curious why your strength was never known to us.”
“Hah. I’ll… take that as a compliment.”
“If I defeat you, it will be over. So I will no longer think about what comes after. I will pour every ounce of my strength into crushing you alone.”
“Even if you defeat me, Blanser and Junior will still be here to face you.”
“No. Those two must already be exhausted from fighting Jinbeon, Imdun, and the others. Once you fall, the rest will be easy.”
“Hearing that only makes me more determined not to fall.”
“You are strong. So I will give it my all. First, I must stop those annoying footwork of yours.”
BOOOOM!
With a battle cry, an enormous amount of flame erupted from Hyeondo’s body.
The flames exploded outward like a volcanic eruption, incinerating everything around us and turning the entire area into a sea of fire.
“This should prevent you from using those tricky movements anymore.”
A melee while surrounded by flames. This scene… felt strangely familiar. Was it the underground labyrinth in Dongye?
Of course, the flames here were on a completely different level from the lukewarm fire back then.
With flames engulfing every direction, we continued our fierce exchange even in the cramped space.
His body wrapped in fire had already become a powerful weapon in itself.
BOOOOM!
I was pushed back several steps by his charge when suddenly, from the left, the flames consuming the debris exploded with a loud bang and surged violently.
My posture broke for a split second, and Hyeondo immediately fired Cheongnyeom at me.
“Damn it!”
I tried to avoid the suddenly intensified flames, the Cheongnyeom, and the sharp debris all at once, but my feet got tangled.
“Finally… I’ve caught you.”
Hyeondo didn’t miss the opening. Just as he had done with Teraden, he grabbed my body.
HISSSSS!
“Kgh…!”
The horrifying sound of burning flesh was followed by excruciating pain, but I ignored it.
Instead, I used this very moment—while he was holding onto me—as my opportunity.
THUD! THWACK!
“Ugh…!”
In the blink of an eye, I ignored the blazing flames and drove my fists into his abdomen multiple times. Hyeondo’s face twisted as he let out a groan.
But instead of being pushed back, he folded his left arm over his opposite shoulder.
“Hup!”
Hyeondo then swung his folded arm diagonally across.
With my body held in place and unable to move freely, the best I could do was twist as much as possible to avoid the blow.
WHOOSH!
“Ugh!”
The flames bursting from Hyeondo’s fingertips grazed past my temple and the side of my ear.
I had avoided a direct hit, so the wound wasn’t severe. The real problem was the blinding flash that momentarily paralyzed my vision.
“As expected. I knew you would dodge even that.”
Hyeondo immediately tightened his grip on my body and yanked me toward him.
CRACK!
“Kgh…!”
In the end, I took a direct hit from him.
The tremendous force sent my body flying nearly ten jang through the air. Even after crashing into the ground, I kept rolling uncontrollably.
“Cough!”
Blood surged up from deep inside my body.
It felt like every rib on one side had been completely shattered…
“…!”
That was when it happened.
I flinched!
The moment I heard the voice ringing inside my head, I barely managed to lift my body only to immediately duck back down. Hyeondo’s foot swept right over where my head had been.
If not for that hallucination, I would have been in terrible shape by now.
“You… dodged that? I thought you had no Ineung? Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. This ends now!”
Hyeondo stomped the ground roughly. Above his right hand, a massive, spherical mass of Cheongnyeom formed.
Even from this distance, the heat it radiated made me feel as if it were already midday.
This was the largest and most powerful strike he had shown so far. It was also his declaration that he would end the fight with this one move.
The flames closing in on me carried an unyielding will to claim victory.
On the other hand, I had no secret technique capable of deciding the match.
But I couldn’t just sit still and accept defeat either.
Think. What is the best move I can make right now?
‘Reaching a level of Cheneung capable of fully enduring my first strike. That is your assignment here in Gaya.’
Suddenly, a conversation I had shared with someone in Gaya flashed through my mind.
“Ugh… I want to help, but my body still…! Blanser!! Junior!!”
THUD! THUD!
SWOOSH!
At Teraden’s desperate shout, the two who had been fighting other senior students a short distance away forced their way through, enduring some damage, and quickly approached from both sides.
“…I will assist you, Haru.”
“Sorry. Just buy me a little time.”
“Huff…! Leave it to me, Brother!”
The two, breathing heavily, charged toward Hyeondo without the slightest hesitation at my request.
“Single Point Concentration.”
“Deployment.”
“Get out of my way…! Move!”
CLANG! BOOOOM—!
With a single collision, Hyeondo sent both Blanser and Junior flying, then charged at me once again.
There was nothing left to hold him back.
“Thank you, both of you.”
“Haru, Brother!”
“Tsk! Still better than nothing. Don’t you dare lose!”
The Hwigwang that Teraden sent riding on the wind gently wrapped around my right arm.
It was only a faint amount, but it was enough for me to feel Teraden’s sincerity.
‘This time, it seems I must show a little… just a tiny bit of my true power.’
Remember. The greatest strike I can deliver right now. The final moment of Ran that I witnessed back in Gaya…!
It was obvious that with my current level, I couldn’t even reach one-tenth of what he had shown me. But if I could even slightly recreate that power…!
“This is the end! Great Flame!!”
While I had my eyes closed, recalling the memory of that day, Hyeondo had already closed in right before me.
The tremendous heat was scorching the front of my face, making it hard to open my eyes. But I couldn’t afford to lose track of his movements or stop recalling the memory.
What had Ran done back then?
He had bent his knees and lowered his upper body at the same time.
His arms were half-bent.
His center of gravity had been placed a little further toward the lower right.
If I copied Ran’s footwork exactly, the power wouldn’t come out properly. I needed to find a stance suited to me that could unleash the maximum force.
And the moment he entered within three jang—
SLASH—! WHOOOOSH!
I leaped lightly just as Ran had done and sliced through him in an instant.
Did I… manage to copy it a little?
I felt the sensation in my hands, so the attack imitating Ran seemed to have landed properly. However, I couldn’t escape the backlash of using his technique.
“Haa… haa… ugh!”
THUMP.
Because I had forcibly recreated Ran’s technique with an already injured body, my muscles tore and my cells screamed in agony.
“Haa… huff…”
Having collided head-on with Hyeondo’s technique, my throat felt as if it had been burned. Even breathing was painful.
Every time I struggled to breathe or coughed, the inside of my chest burned as if there were holes in my lungs.
My parched mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood. Swallowing saliva made my esophagus sting unbearably.
By the way… did I win?
Still lying on the ground, I tilted my head upward. Behind me, I saw Hyeondo clutching his side with one knee touching the floor.
“Kgh, what the hell is this…!”
He hadn’t fallen even after taking that hit. This is bad.
My vision was blurry, and I didn’t have the strength left to move even a single finger.
He slowly staggered toward me, but Teraden, Maru, Blanser, and Junior stepped forward to block his path.
“If you’re thinking of continuing, forget it. It’s over.”
Teraden, standing at the front, stopped Hyeondo and pointed beyond the horizon with his finger.
There, the sun had just begun to peek over the edge, waiting for us.
The night had ended. Dawn had broken.
The students who witnessed the scene let out thunderous cheers that shook the entire National Academy.
““Ooooh, waaaaaaaah!!””
It was regrettable that I hadn’t been able to defeat Hyeondo, but since we had won the Night of Illusions, the result was still satisfying.
The moment the tension finally released and my eyes began to slowly close, familiar faces—starting with Teraden—entered my narrow field of vision, which only showed a sky tinged with blue and clouds.
“You alive?”
“Brother! Brotheeeer!”
“Oppa! Are you okay?”
Looking at the faces staring down at me, all of them just as filthy as I was, it seemed everyone had gone through just as much hardship as me.
The sight was so ridiculous that a small laugh escaped me.
“Looks like you all struggled too. Everyone… ugh! Are you okay?”
“Don’t even talk about it. We’ve been fighting nonstop all night. My whole body aches like it’s going to fall apart. This was brutal.”
With Teraden’s help supporting my shoulder, I managed to stand up. Every participant of the Night of Illusions was now looking at me.
“Say something. They’re all waiting.”
At Teraden’s words, I slowly scanned the crowd waiting for me to speak and opened my mouth.
“Everyone… you’ve all worked incredibly hard. This Night of Illusions is our victory.”
The moment I finished speaking, another massive cheer shook the entire area.
As if announcing the end of the long, long night.
““Waaaaaaaaah!!””
“We won! We actually won!”
“Uwaaaaaah! Mommm!”
Watching the students embrace each other in joy or burst into tears, Teraden and I grinned and bumped fists.
“Hey! Junior! You okay?”
At Teraden’s question, Junior gave a small nod.
It was very slight, but the corner of his mouth lifted just a little. He must have been feeling happy too.