Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Magic Suit
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대군주
제 17 화
진설우 著
A sacrifice that would bring even greater thrill than embracing a beauty lay right before his eyes.
"Heh heh heh, I thought you were just some wench-chasing knight who'd abandoned his honor, but you're the real deal. Ha ha ha!"
Komora strode forward confidently, yet the Red Rose Knights, duty-bound to protect him, made no move to stop it. They even took a step back.
So Gun-ak faced off against the approaching Komora. As Komora sized him up, his eyes gleamed.
"You're Jamie, right?"
So Gun-ak let out a sigh. He glanced at Sophia, who was glaring at him with venomous eyes.
'Should've killed her after all.'
This misplaced mercy had invited greater sins. If he'd slain Sophia from the start, it would have ended with her alone. None of this—Komora before him, the Red Rose Knights, and even the mercenaries from earlier—would have happened.
Regrets were futile now. So Gun-ak extended his spear.
"I don't know what mad bastard you are, but come at me."
He hadn't shown his full power yet, but for Komora to charge in so boldly after seeing him handle the mercenaries meant the man had some hidden trump card.
Komora laughed at So Gun-ak's provocation.
"Ah, perfect. This'll be fun after so long."
Komora touched his belt.
'Chain sword?'
Even among the Black Dragon Corps, some wielded chain swords. The way they carried those flexible blades matched this belt.
But So Gun-ak's guess was wrong. Komora's belt held a treasure far beyond any chain sword.
Click.
As Komora fiddled with the belt, metallic clicks rang out in succession, followed by a burst of light.
Flash!
So Gun-ak quickly raised his sleeve to shield his eyes and tracked his opponent's presence. He'd expected a surprise attack amid the blinding light, but Komora hadn't budged from his spot.
"Hmm."
Once the light faded, So Gun-ak gripped his spear again and frowned at Komora, who spread his arms wide in pride, utterly unfazed.
"Ha ha ha ha! What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"
Silver armor now clad Komora. It was scale mail, formed from dozens of interlocking iron plates. Only his eyes remained exposed.
"Strange armor."
That was So Gun-ak's honest impression. Touch the belt, and it turns into armor. It was already beyond common sense.
Komora grinned at his reaction.
"What? You don't know this pricey beauty? This magnificent Magic Suit?"
Of course So Gun-ak didn't know. He'd only reviewed Jamie's life indirectly. Absorbing Jamie's memories fully would have burst his head.
So he'd watched Jamie's life like a play. The knowledge etched in his mind was only the most vivid events or intriguing bits. Even Jamie had never seen a Magic Suit in life.
A rare material, crafted by few, it was an exorbitantly expensive magical armor. Yet anyone who wore it could wield knight-level might instantly. That was the Magic Suit.
Knights coveted it above all, for it boasted defense enough to survive even the chaos of melee combat.
Even the Diel Family, at the peak of power and wealth, possessed only three.
"Heh heh heh, a moron who doesn't even know the Magic Suit. You must have no clue how great it is."
With those words, Komora charged forward. His speed was astonishing.
'Hmm?'
Startled by the unexpected agility, So Gun-ak retreated while swinging his spear.
Clang, clang!
Komora's longsword deflected every spear thrust.
'A master who can gather his energy like that?'
So Gun-ak had let his guard down inwardly and was now pushed back, swinging his spear repeatedly. Komora grew even more excited, slashing wildly.
So Gun-ak hadn't expected Komora to be this strong. He'd thought Rat, with his sharpest aura, was the strongest. He could beat Rat one-on-one, but if the other knights joined, it might get dicey.
Yet here he was, being pressed by the overlooked Komora.
'Must be that armor's doing.'
He didn't know the principle. But since donning it, even his aura had changed. His swordsmanship seemed diligently trained; his advance and retreat were stable enough.
So Gun-ak was merely surprised at first by the unexpected skill—he wasn't truly overwhelmed. Closer inspection revealed flaws from swordsmanship not reaching true mastery. Charitably, it was domineering swordplay; uncharitably, it was like a child's reckless flailing. Gaps everywhere.
Whoosh, clash!
As Komora thrust and charged, So Gun-ak jabbed at his side. Strong enough to pierce an inch of iron plate, yet it bounced off futilely.
"Tch. You bastard!"
No pain seemed to register; Komora swung even fiercer. But So Gun-ak wouldn't yield ground easily. He thrust again, only for the spear to rebound off the armor once more. It felt like some unknown force interfered.
"Annoying."
So Gun-ak leaped back, scowling.
Unusual armor. In his mind, heavier armor meant better defense, lighter meant better mobility.
No armor had both. Thicker plates were heavier; lighter ones fell short on protection.
Yet the Magic Suit was light enough to preserve high agility while offering freakishly high defense. The moment it touched, an unknown force repelled the spear tip. A harmony he'd never seen.
"Pretty flustered, huh?"
Komora advanced leisurely, closing the gap step by step. He hadn't reached So Gun-ak yet, and the man seemed to lack a solution. If they dragged it out, victory was his.
Ignoring the taunt, So Gun-ak quietly circulated energy from his dantian. The flow through his limbs converged to a single point.
Tremble.
The spear vibrated sharply. A keen aura emanated. The spearhead, infused with spear qi, could cleave steel. If even this failed, no spear blow would harm Komora.
Extreme Spear Ten Principles, Second Form: Twin Dragons Emerge!
Any two strikes had sequence. But the victim of Twin Dragons Emerge endured both simultaneously.
So Gun-ak's body bent back like a drawn bow, then shot forward. The spearhead flew like an arrow.
Komora's eyes widened. He gripped one shaft, yet two spearheads approached.
"Hmm?"
One aimed at his throat, the other his gut. One must be a feint.
Ka-clang!
"Ugh!"
He instinctively parried the throat strike, but its power nearly tore the sword from his grip.
The Magic Suit boosted not just defense via resistance, but also physical strength and agility. Even with that, he'd almost lost his sword.
But both strikes were real.
Pop!
"Gah!"
Komora doubled over like a shrimp, staggering back six steps. The worst pain he'd felt in the Magic Suit. To think he'd meet someone dealing this much impact.
So Gun-ak scowled in kind. Even infused with spear qi, it hadn't pierced. Pain inflicted, but no damage. Pain alone couldn't kill.
"Diamond indestructible body or something."
"You son of a bitch! I won't kill you easy!"
Komora spat the words and charged like a mad bull.
Jake watched, grinding his teeth. His slim chance of survival hinged on the mysterious black knight winning. Komora would never spare him.
With bound hands, he'd only watched—until he shouted.
"The Magic Suit has a weakness! Target the switch to deactivate it! There must be an easy-to-reach spot among what his hands can touch!"
"No, you—!"
One Red Rose Knight lunged at Jake. He struggled, but was quickly subdued.
So Gun-ak smirked at the unexpected aid.
'I've already spotted the weakness.'
Not the switch, of course.
Komora seemed rattled, halting his charge and leaping back. Life-or-death thrills were fun, but apparently not at the cost of his life.
"Hmph. Rat! Finish him off...!"
Mid-order, Komora's eyes bulged. So Gun-ak had tossed his spear and charged barehanded.
"You—!"
Komora swung reflexively. But it whiffed. So Gun-ak's form vanished from the spot.
"Where?"
Not vanished—an illusion from his swift pivot into Komora's left flank.
"It's over."
So Gun-ak's left hand seized Komora's sword-wrist. He yanked, and Komora stumbled forward helplessly, mid-thrust and unable to stop.
So Gun-ak's right fist hammered Komora's left side.
Thud!
The armor's odd repulsion hit, but So Gun-ak delivered no mere strike.
"Heuk!"
Komora flew sideways, gasping. Before Rat could intervene.
"Heuk, heuk."
His breaths came shallow and ragged. Then his legs buckled, and he collapsed.
Shrrrr.
The Magic Suit reverted to belt form, revealing Komora's agonized face.
"Kuhk!"
Blood spewed—dark and clotted. The Red Rose Knights rushed forward in shock, but So Gun-ak had already retreated, spear in hand, smirking.
"Internal Heavy Hand Method works, huh."
Those mastering external arts had sword-proof skin, immune to slashes or blows. Only Internal Heavy Hand Method, striking organs directly, was vulnerable.
It bypassed the Magic Suit's defense, ravaging Komora's innards. Without immediate energy circulation to heal, survival was slim. Even then, unlikely.
"No external wounds."
A Red Rose Knight checked Komora's side and shook his head. Komora's head lolled; his breathing stopped.
Rat was too stunned to speak. Komora was the Diel Family heir. Womanizer, knight-obsessed fool, sure—but otherwise prime to lead the family. And he'd died so abruptly.
Flames ignited in Rat's eyes.
Shing.
His sharp sword tip pointed at So Gun-ak.
"Do you know who you've slain?"
So Gun-ak loosely gripped his shaft, relaxing his muscles. No pushover. Had to be one-on-one. The others joining would complicate things.
"And do you know who you've messed with?"
Win or lose, So Gun-ak's voice rang with unyielding confidence.
Rat couldn't contain his boiling rage at the mirrored retort. But this man had beaten Komora in the Magic Suit. No underestimating him.
"What are you?"
So Gun-ak smirked at the question.
What did it matter? The moment they drew blades, their fate was sealed. No need to waste energy on banter.
Rat took the smirk as insult, fury surging anew.
"I'll make you pay with your death!"
As a knight failing his guard duty, no greater dishonor. Even returning meant death.
So Gun-ak spun his spear to loosen up, then aimed the tip at Rat.
"You've done plenty of atrocities yourselves, so quit yapping and come on."
He'd heard it slaying the Qingcheng Elder in fifty breaths, spearing two Shaolin Arhats from horseback, chasing down the Nangong Young Lord over days to finish him, massacring the Shandong Five Swords.
Were cultists rampaging the Central Plains only So Gun-ak?
The higher his infamy, the more righteous Murim folk charged to "atone his sins"—becoming fodder to inflate his legend.
Diel Family? So what?
'Some mid-tier faction's sect leader, at best.'
So Gun-ak shot forward like an arrow, spear thrusting like an awl. Nothing withstood the surprise assault.