Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Next
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Woooooooooo!
As Xiaolan stepped into the arena, a torrent of boos erupted.
A stir went through the Constellations.
Even if they could somehow overlook Xiaolin, for a high-ranked Awakened like her to step forward was a clear overstep.
“I'll accept your challenge. But…”
Xiaolan unfastened the sword at her waist and tossed it far away.
“I won't use my weapon or my Stigma.”
Instead of gripping her sword, she clenched her fists.
Xiaolan's gaze fell on Oh-jin's stomach.
A wound so severe the flesh around the stab was necrotic.
“And.”
Xiaolan lightly clenched her hand, and a sharp icicle formed within her grasp.
Shunk!
Xiaolan's face twisted in pain.
Blood gushed from the icicle wound in her stomach.
Xiaolan emitted a chill, causing the flesh around the icicle wound to turn necrotic, then tossed the icicle aside.
“This should even the odds a bit, right?”
Pressing a hand to the wound piercing her abdomen, Xiaolan glared at Oh-jin.
Forgoing her sword was one thing, but not using her Stigma was a rather extreme handicap.
“You really didn't have to go that far.”
Oh-jin shrugged, shaking his head.
The corners of Xiaolan's eyes rose sharply.
“Whether it was necessary or not…”
Thud!
She stomped her foot lightly and clenched her fists.
Lowering her body like a predator stalking its prey, she shot forward, kicking off the ground.
“You can run your mouth after you've experienced it firsthand!”
Wham!
“Keoheok!!”
He didn't even have time to see her move.
Closing the distance of several dozen meters in an instant, Xiaolan slammed her tightly clenched fist into Oh-jin's solar plexus.
Oh-jin's body bent like a bow.
Before the pain could even subside, a right hook struck him across the face.
-Thud!
The staggering impact left him wondering if he'd been hit by a human fist or a battering ram.
Oh-jin's body spun like it had been hit by a cannonball before crashing to the ground.
“Cough!”
Blood poured up from his throat.
Staggering to his feet, Oh-jin let out a hollow laugh.
‘This is without her Stigma?’
Indeed.
The body of a high-ranked Awakened was too alien to be categorized as 'human'.
“What are you grinning about?”
Xiaolan's eyes blazed fiercely as she rushed toward the fallen Oh-jin.
Thwack! Pow! Crack!
Her fists flew at a terrifying speed.
Unable to even mount a decent defense, Oh-jin curled up like a pill bug, absorbing the barrage of attacks.
[Awakened Kwon Oh-jin is taking a one-sided beating! Is a high-ranked Awakened truly unbeatable, even without a weapon or Stigma?]
Spica's frivolous voice rang in his ears.
Just as she said.
Oh-jin was struggling just to block the onslaught, let alone counterattack.
“Hah, hah!”
He was gasping for breath.
Through his dizzying vision, Xiaolan's fists shot toward him like beams of light.
‘Stigma of the Hourglass.’
The world slowed down, like in slow motion.
Oh-jin read the trajectory of the approaching fist and twisted his body.
But.
-Swoosh!
“……!”
The fist changed direction mid-air, curving toward him.
Even without using the Stigma of the Hourglass, she had adjusted the path of her fist in that fleeting moment to follow Oh-jin's movement.
-Thwack!!
“Keoheok!”
Struck by the fist once more, Oh-jin was sent flying.
“…What was that just now?”
Xiaolan frowned, looking down at the fallen Oh-jin.
It had been a brief moment, not even a full second.
But Oh-jin had clearly reacted to her punch and twisted his body.
‘He shouldn't have been able to react.’
Even without her Stigma, she possessed a superhuman body gained from becoming a high-ranked Awakened.
The physical gap between them was like that of a grown man and an eight-year-old child. How could he possibly react and try to dodge?
“I don't know what trick you used.”
Xiaolan bared her teeth ferociously and charged at the fallen Oh-jin.
“It doesn't matter if you can react if you can't dodge!”
Crack!
She kicked Oh-jin's fallen body like a ball.
Oh-jin's body flew into the air, spraying blood.
Xiaolan grabbed his ankle and threw him violently.
-Thud! Crash! Bam!
Oh-jin skipped across the ground like a stone on water.
Soaked in blood, Oh-jin collapsed limply onto the arena floor.
“Hmph.”
Xiaolan crossed her arms and snorted.
She had won easily, but there were no cheers from the crowd.
Instead, she was met with gazes bordering on contempt.
‘Dammit.’
Even though she knew this would happen, it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
‘Still, I got to beat him to a satisfying pulp.’
Recalling her sister's desperate screams, she felt this level of revenge was justified.
[Yes! As expected, there was no upset! The winner is Awakened Xiaolan….]
Just as Spica was about to raise her arm toward Xiaolan.
“Who… gave you permission…”
Lying on the floor, Oh-jin slowly pushed himself up.
Staggering, swaying.
But not falling.
“To end it… like that?”
“You…”
Xiaolan stared at Oh-jin with a look of exasperation.
She clenched her fists and strode toward him.
“Give it a rest, you bastard.”
This was going way past the point of reason.
With a look of utter weariness, Xiaolan glared at Oh-jin and threw a light punch.
-Whoosh!
“Hmm?”
Oh-jin, who looked like he would collapse at any moment, dodged her fist.
Xiaolan frowned and swung her fist again.
Whoosh.
But again.
Oh-jin tilted his head and dodged her fist.
“What?”
Even if it was just a light punch.
It should have been impossible for Oh-jin to dodge in his ragged state.
“Yeah… I can see it now.”
Oh-jin chuckled, his eyes swollen like he'd been stung by a bee.
Xiaolan's punches, which he couldn't dodge even with the Stigma of the Hourglass, were slowly becoming familiar to his eyes.
He could now do what he couldn't before.
He could now see what he couldn't before.
Even in this moment, in his tattered, rag-like state.
He was growing endlessly.
“You…!”
Xiaolan's eyes widened.
She bit her lip and pressed her attack even faster.
“I was going to end this after a light beating, you bastard!”
Closing the distance, Xiaolan grabbed Oh-jin's left arm.
She grabbed his elbow and twisted it as if wringing out a rag.
-Crrrack!
“Aaaaaargh!!”
With the gruesome sound of shattering bone, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle.
A shard of white bone pierced through his elbow.
[S-Stop! Stop it at once!!!]
Vega cried out urgently as she climbed into the arena.
“Ah.”
Only then did Xiaolan realize she had gotten too carried away, flinching as she backed away.
“…Sorry. I didn't mean to go this far.”
Xiaolan turned her head, avoiding Oh-jin's gaze.
She bit her lip, a nervous expression on her face.
“I'll go get a potion from Deneb.”
As Xiaolan turned away from Oh-jin.
-Twang!
With the sound of a gunshot, a wire shot out and wrapped around her body.
Bzzzzzt!
Blue lightning coursed through the wire, striking her.
“Kyahk!”
A scream just like Xiaolin's erupted from her lips.
“You, you crazy bastard!!”
Xiaolan frantically grabbed the wire binding her with both hands.
The wire binding her snapped easily and fell to the floor.
“Heok, heok!”
When she turned her head, she saw Oh-jin, panting heavily, pushing himself up.
His left arm, twisted to the point of exposing bone, dangled limply as he approached Xiaolan.
“…What.”
Xiaolan's voice trembled as she spoke.
“What the hell are you?!”
She swung her arm roughly, as if swatting away an insect clinging to her skin.
Wham!
Struck by the back of her hand, Oh-jin tumbled across the floor and collapsed.
“Hah, hah! Shit, what the hell…”
As Xiaolan wiped the cold sweat from her brow and turned around again.
“Where… are you… going.”
A faint voice, as if it would cut out at any moment.
A voice as sticky and unpleasant as a nightmare.
Reached her ears.
“We… can still… go on, can't… we?”
Crrunch!
As if it were a nuisance.
Oh-jin grabbed his dangling left arm and ripped it off.
“Hey… you, your arm…”
Stumble, stumble.
Xiaolan backed away, her face pale with fright.
Oh-jin revealed his blood-soaked teeth and staggered toward her.
[Uh… A-Awakened Kwon Oh-jin…?]
Spica's expression, usually bright and cheerful like a blooming flower, hardened.
She wasn't the only one.
“D-Did he just… rip his own arm off?”
“What in the world…”
The Constellations watching from the stands were also gaping at the unbelievable sight, unable to close their mouths.
“…Stop.”
Xiaolan said, looking at Oh-jin with pale, horrified eyes.
He had wounds that should have made him collapse long ago.
His entire body was so soaked in blood and mangled that his face was unrecognizable.
But he didn't stop.
“I said stop!!”
As Xiaolan screamed and raised her fist.
“…Charge.”
Bzzzzzt!
Blue lightning condensed in Oh-jin's clenched fist.
Once, twice, three times, four times.
And.
Five times.
‘No.’
Six, seven, eight, nine times.
He continued to charge without stopping.
Crackle! Bzzzzzzzt!!
His clenched right fist emitted a blindingly bright light, as if it were on fire.
His right arm swelled grotesquely, as if it would burst at any moment from the excessive amount of condensed lightning.
But.
‘Charge.’
He doesn't stop.
There's no reason to stop.
Amidst the excruciating pain coursing through his right arm, Oh-jin's lips curled into a bright smile.
‘Just a little more.’
The excitement heating his mind.
The surging euphoria that rose with each pulsating heartbeat told him it was almost time.
“Th-This crazy bastard, really!!”
Seeing the immense mana gathering in Oh-jin's fist, Xiaolan rushed at him.
Oh-jin dodged her wild punch by ducking so low he almost fell to the floor, and then.
“There.”
Bzzzzzzzzzzzt!!
His right arm, which had been repeatedly charging, exploded.
No, to be precise.
Another arm emerged from within his right arm.
One made of vividly burning blue lightning.
The arm of a Thunder God.
-Tiring!
[The skill 《Lightning Lv9》 has risen to 《Lightning Lv10》!]
[You have acquired 《Body of the Thunder God Lv1》!]
[You have accomplished an achievement unattainable in the current Star!]
[The levels of all skills affected by 《Lightning》 will increase by 2!]
Blue message windows appeared with a loud sound.
Oh-jin swung his fist, now transformed into blue lightning, toward Xiaolan.
A tidal wave of lightning, defying even the laws of physics, poured out from the body of the Thunder God and engulfed Xiaolan.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaak!!”
Bzzzzzzzzzt!
Xiaolan was sent flying like a cannonball.
She flew dozens of meters before slamming violently into the arena wall.
“……”
Xiaolan, unconscious.
[…….]
“……”
“……”
A deathly silence fell over the arena.
Not only the Constellations watching the match, but even Spica, the announcer, could only stare blankly at Oh-jin, speechless.
In the silence where not even a breath could be heard.
Soaked in blood, Oh-jin slowly turned his head toward Deneb.
“Next.”