Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Witch Blade Exposed
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Snuuup... Hng...♡
"Ah!? The moment I said it, the decisive moment popped up!"
"That's right. What happened to Ma Seo-jin? He was seen as a contender who could stop Aurora's three-peat, but is he really handing over the win this easily?"
In the center of the arena stood one man and one woman. The man lay on the ground, visibly flustered, while the woman pressed her wooden sword to his throat, wearing a faint mocking sneer.
"What is this? Even if it was an attack from his blind spot, given Ma's usual skill, he should have been able to handle it."
"Maybe it was that glancing blow to his forearm from the exchange earlier—the one ruled invalid? Was he injured?"
"Hard to say... But according to the referee, it didn't even connect, so no damage."
"We feel bad about it here, so imagine how Ma must feel. Still, wins and losses always come unexpectedly, don't they?"
"Exactly. Mental fortitude is part of a competitor's skill too. Let's give a round of applause to both players for their fierce battle."
"Woooah—Aurora, you're so pretty!!"
"Unnie's the best!!"
Unlike the wildly cheering crowd, the atmosphere inside the arena hung heavy. The defeated competitor, Ma Seo-jin, muttered to himself with a face full of utter incomprehension.
"My... my arm... why did it suddenly..."
"Just accept the result. How pathetic for a guy... Aren't you ashamed? Pfft..."
"Grit... You! What dirty trick did you pull?"
"Huh? Dirty trick? Tsk. So petty. Maybe you just lacked the skill to react. All pride and no spine, like a little worm. This is why men shouldn't even step into the dojo. Trash."
Pfft.
"Urgh..."
Even in entertainment-heavy fights like UFC, you don't taunt the loser like that once the outcome's decided.
Let alone...
This was trash talk far too vicious and disrespectful for a conversation between athletes—between martial artists.
It was pitiful for the guy on the receiving end after losing to Aurora, but he'd never know what hit him, now or in the future.
.
.
.
Among extremely rare Awakener abilities exists one called Witch Blade—or the Witch's Sword.
When landing a hit with a fist or blunt weapon, it inflicts all sorts of debuffs: confusion, sensory distortion, curses, madness, hallucinations, you name it.
Moreover, this ability ignores the target's Mental Power stat for higher Awakener defenses. A sort of armor-piercing skill.
It sounds like an incredible power at first glance, but it's actually useless on the battlefield.
Monsters or deep-sea Kaiju don't have human-like minds. They're perpetually berserk, their very existence a massive curse clump.
Hallucinations get shrugged off by beastly instincts, and sensory distortions just make them rampage harder—increasing the damage instead.
So, this ability—or similar ones—is only effective against humans. That's no exaggeration.
Awakeners with such conditionally advantageous PvP powers get transferred to special units that don't fight Kaiju.
Units deployed to suppress so-called 'Villains'—Awakeners shirking guardian duties for selfish gains. Slaying Witches.
They gather a tiny elite group, pay them peanuts, and with Villains on the rise, the workload's insane.
Aurora knew that, probably.
She knew that to maximize her life's output for input, she had to succeed as a kendo sport athlete no matter what.
That's why she obsessed so madly over records and reputation. That overly stiff speech like some pre-modern swordsman. The cold expression. Extreme emotional restraint. The flawless beautiful swordswoman character. How many years had she acted to build that image?
And on top of it all, she was born with kendo talent, stunning looks, and star quality. Incredible luck.
Aurora the kendo star had reached the pinnacle career path for an Awakener with Witch Blade—a power scorned outside human-vs-human fights. No exaggeration.
After my long analysis, I reached a conclusion.
"I get it now, Aurora. I know your secret."
She flinched.
"H-How... did you figure it out? You're supposed to be lost in madness right now."
The moment I realized everything was just my brain malfunctioning, all contradictions aligned logically,
Leviathan's form shattered like an illusion in an instant, replaced by Aurora, drenched in cold sweat.
My peak Mental Power score teamed up with logical analysis and self-suggestion to nullify even Witch Blade's piercing effect.
Since my mind's greatest madness manifested as that Leviathan, I guess that's how it played out.
"A bitch like you pulling off shady upset wins against top male players was suspicious from the start. You're a Witch Blade Awakener, right?"
"In a ruleset sealing unique abilities... only that ultra-rare trait attaching debuffs to physical attacks could enable such cowardice."
"It doesn't show on the surface, and by fine-tuning the intensity to just a slight sensory dulling, you gained massive advantages in every fight."
"The only group that could uncover Witch Blade's secret? Slaying Witches. But they're swamped. No time for kendo matches or filing complaints over petty judging disputes. You knew all that, didn't you?"
She twitched.
"Sh-Shut up! I've always fought fair and square!"
But her eyes trembled harder.
"Fair and square my ass... You just acted the part. Deep down, you knew the truth. That against promising rivals with your 'real skills,' you'd lose. So you secretly used your trait in matches."
"I said no!!"
Whoosh!
I could see the tip of her blade waver. The wooden sword sliced emptily through the air.
"No matter how much you played the beautiful genius swordswoman, you must've been wracked with inferiority and pressure inside. Your sword... it's as filthy as your heart."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! My sword isn't filthy!!"
Whoosh! Swoosh!
Her swings missed clear targets entirely.
Time to reel her in.
I deliberately stuck out one arm, easy to grab. Obvious trap, but in her current mental state, could she spot it?
"!... Got it!... Huh?"
Predictably, she latched onto my blatantly exposed shoulder like a flying armbar, trying to crank it. Some modified high school style?
Who's catching who, idiot..
Daring to clash raw strength in a joint lock?
I twisted the hand gripping my collar with brute force using my captured arm, then slammed her whole body into the ground.
BAM!
"Gahk!! Guuaaagh!"
She was an Awakener, so no broken spine, but blood poured from her mouth—lungs and trachea damaged.
Worse, her head hit hard, leaving her fully groggy.
I planted my foot on her chest as she writhed like a bug on the ground. Her breasts squished every way under my shifting sole—fun to toy with.
"Admit it honestly. Your pervert shit was just stress relief for the baggage in your heart, right? Huh? Or... does that mean you're a disgusting pervert by nature?"
"N-No!, *cough cough*, I-I didn't do th-that..."
"What's no? Heh heh heh."
Aurora sprawled on the ground.
Me standing over her, foot on her chest.
Our eyes met, and the same memory flashed simultaneously.
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.
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One day, after getting beaten as usual by Jin Kyung-pil's gang, I was searching for my disappeared bag.
It was already dark after class. No one around school.
They'd hidden it so well—no sign of it anywhere. I'd wandered to the underground kendo club room before I knew it. Passing the changing room, I realized odd noises were coming from somewhere.
Sniiiif... Haa...
Sniiiif... Haaaa...
What was that sound?
Snuuup... Hng...♡
Rustle rustle rustle.
Sound of cloth pressed to mouth and nose, inhaling deeply.
And...
Something rubbing rhythmically against soft fabric.
I couldn't stop my head from turning unconsciously.
"Hngt... Hngt... Snuuuup! Haaaa♡ Hnggt... Uuht, i-it's... co-coming...?"
A shocking sight burned into my retinas.
The school's idol. High school kendo girl Aurora. She had her nose buried in the crotch of some unknown sweat-soaked, salt-crusted kendo pants, huffing the stench relentlessly.
And squatting with legs spread M-wide, grinding her skirt's pantyhose-clad mound furiously, until...
Those pale, slender fingers finally yanked the pantyhose down, unable to endure anymore.
No doubt what she was doing.
'If she catches me seeing this, I'm more fucked than ever.'
The moment I turned to slip away quietly without a sound...
'Did they hide it here?' I opened a locker, and my body slammed into the door, making a huge bang.
"Wh-Wha-Who...!?"
She startled, tossing the pants she'd been sniffing like mad somewhere, grabbing a wooden sword in panic, but
With pantyhose snagged at her knees, stuck mid-rise mid-squat, staring at me.
'Haa... Fuck...'
Before she could scream or act, I preempted.
"...Don't worry. I'll pretend I saw nothing till I die. School life's hard enough already. See ya."
God, please no more hassle. Hated adding enemies on top of Jin Kyung-pil's crew...
"Wait!"
I ignored her panicked call from behind and bolted up the stairs.
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.
.
"Wh-Wha-Who...!?"