Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Sword of Justice (1)
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A week has passed since the massive raid caused by a Gate Outbreak in San Fruttuoso.
Oh-jin, Ha-eun, and Isabella had moved for the time being, relocating to the Colagrande family's main residence in Rome.
Because the incident was so large-scale, rumors spread rapidly, and Isabella had to manage a frantic schedule to deal with the aftermath.
This left Oh-jin and Ha-eun in limbo.
Isabella had drawn a clear line, stating it was a Colagrande family matter that she would handle herself, leaving the two of them stranded in the vast Colagrande mansion with nothing to do.
“Haaaaah.”
Lying on the bed in Oh-jin's room, Ha-eun let out a long yawn and rolled herself up in the blanket.
Wiggle, wiggle.
Ha-eun squirmed like a pupa undergoing metamorphosis.
But only for a moment.
“Ugh! How much longer do we have to stay like this?”
Tired of rolling around on the bed, Ha-eun kicked the blanket off and sat up.
Oh-jin picked up the blanket she had kicked to the floor and walked over to her.
“We have to stay here at least until the incident calms down.”
“Can't we just go home and come back later? Rome has a Sanctuary, so it's a quick trip home.”
“That's true, but…”
Even traveling through the Sanctuary, there were immigration offices for foreign Awakeners in front of each one, so it took longer than one might think.
“I plan to stay here until we find the culprit.”
“Culprit?”
“The one who messed with the Dragon Vein.”
“Ah.”
Ha-eun let out a low groan and nodded.
Truthfully, there was nothing lacking while living in the Colagrande family mansion.
The rooms were large enough to host a basketball game, and the food served at every meal was so extravagant it made her wonder if such cuisine had ever existed in the world before.
And the bathroom?
The first time Ha-eun stepped into the bath at the Colagrande mansion, she thought she had entered a palace of the gods straight out of Greek and Roman mythology.
Everything was excessively lavish, brilliant, and luxurious.
However.
“Something about this just feels so damn off.”
Ha-eun let out a deep sigh and flopped back onto the bed.
Oh-jin chuckled and replied, “Me too.”
For the two of them, who had lived at the very bottom of society, the extravagant life at the Colagrande estate felt as constricting as wearing ill-fitting clothes.
“It might be different if this was our house.”
It was like visiting a friend's house, only for the friend to suddenly leave, saying they had urgent business. It was impossible not to feel uncomfortable.
“Just be patient. You were the one who said Isabella seemed to be in a precarious situation, right?”
“Well, yeah, but still.”
Ha-eun heaved another deep sigh.
It might have been different if Oh-jin could have actively worked on recruiting Isabella as an ally during their stay at the mansion.
But with Isabella herself so busy she couldn't even show her face, it all felt meaningless.
“If you’re that bored, how about a spar with me?”
“A spar?”
Oh-jin nodded.
Since absorbing the Dragon Vein and reaching 8-Star, he hadn't fully assimilated his new power into his body.
‘I’m also curious about how much stronger I’ve become.’
Honestly, Oh-jin didn't know exactly how strong he was.
A typical Awakener’s strength could be roughly estimated by the power of their Stigma and their Star rank.
‘But I’m different.’
The power of Black Heaven and the Stigma of Lyra, one of the most powerful Stigmas.
On top of that, a talent that had astonished even Vega, the Constellation of Polaris.
Oh-jin himself was well aware of how anomalous he was.
[A spar with Ha-eun… It would certainly be worth a try.]
*Poof.*
Vega, who had been sitting on Oh-jin’s shoulder nibbling on fruit like a squirrel, nodded.
“Hoh. You, a mere 8-Star, want to take on your big sister?”
Ha-eun’s eyes sparkled with interest as she sat up on the bed.
She playfully poked Oh-jin in the side with a mischievous grin, but she knew full well.
Even though she was a high-ranking Awakener who had completed her physical reconstruction, she couldn't easily defeat Oh-jin.
No, a corner of her mind even thought she couldn't win no matter what she tried.
“I'd like to see this as well.”
Lyra, who had been sitting on the large carpet, rose and approached.
“Alright. Let’s head to the garden.”
Oh-jin nodded and led Ha-eun, Vega, and Lyra outside.
***
They called it a ‘garden’, but…
The space that unfolded outside the Colagrande mansion was far too vast to be described with such a word.
“What the hell? This house has a lake and a mountain inside it.”
Ha-eun clicked her tongue as she walked through the seemingly endless gardens of the Colagrande estate.
A home that felt like the very essence of capitalism.
“Makes you wanna start a revolution.”
“A revolution? Don't be silly.”
Oh-jin let out a small laugh and looked for a suitable place to spar.
“This looks good.”
In a wide, barren field, like an elementary school soccer pitch that seemed to have been made for the guards' training, there was training equipment specifically for Awakeners.
“Shall we start right away?”
Ha-eun clenched her fists and took a stance.
[Wait a moment.]
Vega zipped up into the air and raised her hand high.
*Crackle!*
A veil of blue lightning spread out from her.
“Wait. Did you just use your Sanctuary?”
[I have not cast a Sanctuary, so do not worry. It is merely a barrier of sorts to lessen the spread of shock and noise.]
“It’s not putting a strain on your divinity, is it?”
[Huhu. You are a child full of worries. Do you think I cannot control such a small thing?]
Fair enough.
There was no reason to deploy a barrier that would damage her divinity for a mere sparring match.
“Alright! So that means I can go all out, right?”
[It is not a particularly sturdy barrier, so control your strength accordingly.]
“Okie-dokie. Got it.”
Ha-eun nodded, then snapped her fingers as if a good idea had struck her.
“Oh-jin. Just sparring is a little boring, so wanna make a bet?”
“A bet?”
“Yep. The loser has to grant one wish for the winner.”
Well.
He had no idea what kind of wish she would make.
“Sure.”
“Hehe! It's a promise, then!”
Ha-eun grinned and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket.
She took out a thin cigarette and held it between her fingers.
“Flames.”
Think.
Imagine.
Yearn.
For a blazing fire.
A brilliant crimson flame, like the breath of a dragon.
“Burn like hell.”
*Fwoooosh!!*
A massive wave of fire washed over Oh-jin.
“Kugh!”
Even without touching the fire, the sheer heat made his skin turn red.
‘If I take a direct hit from that…’
He’d be a well-done roast.
‘She definitely has more firepower than me.’
To use an analogy from an old popular game, she was like a siege tank.
Slow in movement, but possessing long range and a powerful single strike.
‘But.’
Oh-jin’s eyes glinted sharply.
In terms of pure firepower, he couldn't match Ha-eun without using the Lightning God's Body.
But in every other aspect, he was not inferior to her at all.
No, it wasn't just a matter of not being inferior.
He was confident he could overwhelm her.
“Exceed.”
*Crackle!*
Blue lightning enveloped Oh-jin’s body.
He stomped the ground hard and shot into the air.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Ha-eun raised the cigarette between her fingers toward Oh-jin.
Like a conductor leading an orchestra, the flames twisted and soared, following the movement of the cigarette.
*Fzzt!*
Using Lightning Step to evade the flames, Oh-jin descended rapidly like a falling meteor.
‘Lightning Strike.’
*Crackle-crackle-crackle!*
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, aiming for Ha-eun.
“Hup!”
Ha-eun shouted and stomped her feet.
Flames erupted, propelling her body backward as if she’d been launched.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud!!*
Using the momentum from his descent, Oh-jin charged fiercely toward Ha-eun.
He gripped the black spear and swung it wide, as if to sweep the ground.
“Ugh!”
Ha-eun leaped up to dodge the spear.
She thrust her right arm forward and flicked the cigarette between her fingers at Oh-jin.
*Fwoooosh!!*
A wide curtain of flames engulfed Oh-jin.
‘Can't dodge this one.’
*Sizzle.*
The intense heat radiating from the curtain began to singe his skin.
“Heh! Can't do anything, can you, punk?!”
Ha-eun shouted with a triumphant expression.
Oh-jin watched the approaching wall of fire and lowered his stance.
‘No.’
It wasn't that there was nothing he could do.
“Thunderclap.”
*Booooom!*
He focused lightning at the tip of his spear and unleashed a Thunderclap.
His target wasn't the wall of fire, but the ground beneath it.
‘Fire is bound to rise upwards.’
The impact of the Thunderclap created a crater about three meters deep.
Oh-jin threw himself into the crater to avoid the flames.
“Wh-Wha?”
Ha-eun stumbled backward with a flustered look.
Oh-jin seized the opening and rushed toward her.
He reversed his grip on the spear and thrust the butt end at her stomach.
Just as it seemed Ha-eun, who was backpedaling, would be hit defenselessly.
“You think your big sister would go down that easily?”
Ha-eun's panicked expression vanished, replaced by a smirk as she twisted her body.
She caught the spear shaft aimed at her stomach with one hand and clenched her other into a fist.
*Fwoosh!*
A ferocious flame ignited in her clenched fist.
“Hyaaa!”
*Smack!*
Oh-jin’s body was sent flying backward after taking a blow to the face.
“Hehe! How was that? I really got you this time, right?!”
Ha-eun exclaimed in an excited voice.
As Oh-jin was sent flying helplessly, he crossed his arms.
And then.
*Shwiiiiing!*
Six wires shot out from the crater made by the Thunderclap and wrapped around Ha-eun’s body.
“Ugh!!”
This time, Ha-eun let out a genuinely surprised gasp.
She could easily burn through pathetic wires like these with her flames, but…
*Vvvvvvvvvt!*
The wires wrapped around her body roared as they retracted back toward the shooter.
Ha-eun frantically planted her feet to maintain her balance, but instead, Oh-jin’s body was pulled toward her as if launched.
*Crackle!*
The blue lightning covering the black spear sparked violently.
“Dammit!”
Realizing she couldn't escape, Ha-eun pulled six cigarettes from the pack.
“Flames!”
*Fwoooosh!!*
Six red fire dragons erupted from the tips of the cigarettes and coiled around her body.
“Burn with all your fucking might!!!”
With a fierce roar, Oh-jin and Ha-eun clashed.
*Kwwaaaaaaaaaaaaang!!!*
An eardrum-shattering roar and a tempestuous wind swept through the area.
The wind, which had been absorbing scattered rock fragments and devastating the surroundings, was deflected by the blue lightning barrier surrounding the open field.
As the dust cloud settled, what was revealed was…
“Cough!”
The sight of Oh-jin, collapsed on one knee.
“Huh? D-Did I win?”
Ha-eun looked around, her eyes wide.
Compared to Oh-jin, whose clothes were tattered and body was scorched by flames, Ha-eun was perfectly fine.
“Ugh. Yeah. You won.”
Oh-jin chuckled as if he couldn't handle her and shook his head.
“Yesss! I won! I won!”
Ha-eun cheered and jumped up and down on the spot.
“……”
Oh-jin watched Ha-eun, who was jumping around as if she could die of happiness, with a fond smile.
“A wish! You promised to grant me one wish!”
“Yeah. What is it?”
“Uhm. W-Wait a minute! I’ll think of it now, so just you wait!”
It seemed she hadn't expected to win.
Ha-eun clutched her head in a fluster.
“…Brat.”
While Ha-eun was lost in thought, Lyra quietly approached Oh-jin.
He frowned, looking displeased, and asked.
“Why did you let her win?”
So he couldn't fool Lyra's eyes after all.
Oh-jin chuckled, shrugged his shoulders, and walked toward Ha-eun without another word.
“……”
Lyra stared intently at Oh-jin’s retreating back.
‘I couldn't have seen it wrong. That brat could have easily beaten the lizard woman.’
But at the moment of the final clash.
He had intentionally let his power go slack.
“Hah.”
It wasn't hard to intentionally lose during a spar.
However.
Losing so naturally that ‘the opponent doesn't notice’ was another matter entirely.
‘That monster.’
Lyra looked at Oh-jin with wavering eyes.
It had been just over a year since Oh-jin received the Stigma of Lyra.
Even if he was a rank lower than Polaris, to be able to fight an Awakener of a higher Star rank—a 9-Star who had completed her physical reconstruction, no less—while ‘holding back’…
‘If he reaches 9-Star… just how much more of a monster will he become?’
A chilling shiver ran down his spine.
It was like looking up at a night sky filled with dark clouds.
A profound fear pressed down on Lyra.
‘…Then what about me.’
Lyra squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
“Ah! I thought of a wish!!”
Ha-eun grinned and shot one arm into the air.
She lightly wrapped her arm around Oh-jin’s and, with a playful smile, opened her mouth.
“My wish is—”