Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 236
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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Thud-!
KABOOM-!
Cold Blood Hwa Sin Yo and Jang Du's expressions hardened.
A nonchalant remark spilled from Sin Yo's mouth.
"I lost."
"Who did?"
"Do I really need to state the obvious? No need to watch any further. Jang Du, let's call the bet my win."
"......"
Jang Du stroked his chin, frowning.
He too had sensed his loss watching Kang Seol get pushed back relentlessly.
But something nagged at him.
'Was that feeling back then just my imagination?'
Within the solid bedrock, dormant lava had emanated from Kang Seol.
He'd guessed it was the kind that could turn the heavens and earth into a sea of fire if it erupted, but apparently not.
"Nothing to say, huh. I'm disappointed in my own eye for talent too."
"Let's go. I don't particularly want to watch an acquaintance turn into a lump of barbecue."
Swoosh...
Sin Yo rose from his seat and turned away.
The expressions of the countless people gathered here mirrored Jang Du's exactly.
Disappointment, and pity.
Some here had cheered for Conqueror Daeha, others for Kang Seol. This fight had disappointed both sides.
They'd thought it would be a splendid battle, the ultimate clash from the hearts of warriors of the era.
But the fights of top masters weren't always the best.
There were plenty of times when they put on worse shows than those of amateurs.
That was why dramatic finals were so rare.
Yet people cheered for the finals every time, drawn by their weight.
Why?
It was the anticipation of the miracle that might happen once in a blue moon.
The hope that a bloodbath worthy of the finals' gravity might come to pass.
Sin Yo started to leave the arena, looking at the crowd's twisted faces of dashed expectations.
But.
'...Hm?'
The people's expressions began changing all at once.
Faces mixed with irritation and disappointment morphed into ones filled with shock and bewilderment.
At that moment, Jang Du's voice rang out.
"Sin Yo, come sit back down."
Sin Yo turned to look at the Warrior's Heart.
"This bet... it's not over yet."
Jang Du's words perfectly described the sight Sin Yo was now seeing.
* * *
Whoooong...
[Taking the Night Raven form with Knight 'Moonlight Knight Karuna.']
[Absorbing 'Moonlight Knight Karuna's' stats.]
[Job: Knight status.]
[Shadow Hand is transforming.]
[Can use Moonlight Ascension.]
[Can use Montral Swordsmanship.]
[Can use Mental Manipulation Resistance.]
[Duration: Can use Black Waves.]
[Ultimate: Can use Night Sea.]
Information on abilities Karuna already knew and could use flowed into Kang Seol.
Naturally, there was no way Kang Seol didn't know what abilities his summon used.
The new info wasn't what they were, but how to use them.
Of course, he couldn't yank them out like pulling threads just yet.
Even when fused with Jamad, it had taken a long adaptation period.
Still, he'd adapt much faster than before.
His understanding of the Night Raven ability had skyrocketed from heaven to earth compared to before, and his own power had grown tremendously.
Swoosh...
Kang Seol met the eyes of Daeha still looking down at him.
The crushing pressure from before was long gone.
Ruuuush...
Rain cuts you off from the world.
The patter swallows the world's sounds, and the moisture blocks energies transmitted from others.
In exchange, it let him delve into himself more than ever.
Thump...
Thump...
The heartbeat.
Hah...
Haaa...
The breath's length.
Twitch...
Muscle movements.
Drip... Drop...
Even skin sensitivity.
'...I can feel it.'
Karuna's breath and Bitan's breath.
Only after becoming Karuna could Kang Seol understand him more.
You had to understand to unite, and uniting brought more understanding.
Karuna was strong, and Bitan was special.
Especially Bitan before he'd learned swordsmanship—he'd just been an odd sword. But realizing swordplay through Karuna turned him into a special sword.
'...I don't feel like I'll lose to anyone.'
Daeha faltered briefly at Kang Seol's changed demeanor but quickly regained composure and attacked as before.
"Your final struggle?!"
Whish-!
His staff whipped around before slamming down on Kang Seol from above.
From the defender's standpoint, it was an aura you absolutely couldn't meet head-on.
The downward crushing force carried immense power in itself.
Especially from Conqueror Daeha, who made those movements visible.
[Daeha uses Mountain Press.]
[If opponent defends successfully, damages weapon durability. If defense fails, ignores 200 defense for damage.]
Kang Seol didn't dodge.
KABOOOOOM-!
A heavy handfeel.
An strike carrying destructive power enough to crack the sheer rock cliffs.
"......"
But Kang Seol stood calmly, staff and sword locked.
'I let my power flow off him!'
The cracks in the sheer rock cliffs came because Daeha's strike's power had been absorbed into the ground he stood on, not Kang Seol.
'Don't fuck with me!'
Whish-!
BWOOOOONG!
[Daeha uses Troop Shredder.]
[Deals increased damage proportional to weapon attack power in a semicircle range.]
With only Kang Seol in the semicircle, he had to take the full brunt.
Claaaang-!
But Daeha's attack flew off into empty air, momentum wasted.
Kang Seol still showed no emotion, clashing with Daeha.
To Daeha, it felt like facing a massive wall.
Kang Seol was actually struggling just to cope with the changing situation, but Daeha didn't know that.
Kang Seol hadn't fully united with Karuna yet.
- Widen your stance more.
- Not enough power in your grip. For more natural movement when holding the sword...
Like this, Karuna was correcting Kang Seol's movements in real time.
When Night Raven first activated, Jamad had been the one moving.
Kang Seol's summoner-adapted body couldn't handle it properly then, so Jamad volunteered.
But now Kang Seol was different. Even without Jamad, he showed sharp movements, and his understanding of motions had grown daily.
Especially after coming to the Warrior's Heart, fighting battle after battle without summons had honed it further.
Thus, even in fusion with Karuna, Kang Seol could take control immediately and move decently.
But it seemed that didn't sit well with Karuna's castle.
- That's not it.
- When flowing power off...
Kang Seol let out a smirk.
Karuna's stiff-toned corrections felt just like him. At the same time, it felt like he'd truly returned.
Daeha's face twisted at Kang Seol's smile. Did he think he was being mocked?
"Haaaaah!"
Whoooosh-!
[Daeha uses Thunderbolt Staff.]
[When staff hits ground, damage transfers to all in range.]
KABOOOOOM-!
Daeha's staff plunged into the weakened ground, triggering collapse.
RUMBLECRASH-!
Soon, Daeha and Kang Seol tumbled, entangled, toward the opposite mountain, crumbling their own.
"Hrrrrgh!"
Daeha's power wasn't done.
KABOOOOOM-!
His Thunderbolt Staff struck once more, engulfing Kang Seol as he tried to steady himself.
CRASHCRASHCRASH-!
"It's collapsing!"
The Taoists and sorcerers shaping the arena's terrain cried out in shock.
To think Daeha alone would smash the nature they'd created.
CRACKLE!
The sheer rock cliffs fully crumbled.
The problem was the aftermath spreading across the arena.
"Can't control it!"
"Damage to spectator seats!"
"No need for new order! Just avoid chaos! Maintain balance!"
"Yes!"
The Taoists swiftly controlled the sheer rock cliffs' debris.
Ruuuush-!
The mountain shattered, but new rules overlaid it.
A spiral band of rock formed in the Warrior's Heart.
"My god..."
"Not dreaming, right?"
"Beautiful..."
"The best! The absolute best!"
The audience cheered.
Visual changes to the arena terrain had happened before, but never such a majestic sight.
RUMBLE-!
Like a hole punched in the sky, rain kept pouring.
"Rooooar!"
Boom!
Daeha and Kang Seol's fight continued seamlessly even after the fall. Neither seemed human in stamina or strength.
Daeha threw himself into the rain, swinging his staff.
BWOOONG-!
CLAAAAANG-!
KABOOM!
Savagely violent attacks without equal. Yet they couldn't disrupt the typhoon's core.
The eye of the storm faced Daeha without losing composure.
Grit!
'I can't lose!'
Daeha bore Gwak Seong's expectations.
He couldn't lose here to some unknown called Kang Seol. Never here, in the Warrior's Heart...
- Brother, Lord Gwak Seong's expectations for you are huge. Sometimes, this little brother envies you.
- Haha... What do you mean?
- Being so strong makes people expect things of you. Everywhere you go, it's all talk of you. Truly envious.
This was before Daeha succeeded Daesan as conqueror.
- But lately, people curse Lord Gwak Seong. They say he's hopeless, just sucking blood from High Blood relying on Brother Daesan's abilities. Is it really...
Clack-!
Daesan's hand rested on Daeha's head.
- Daeha, remember our childhood?
- ...I do. Catching and eating rats and bugs in Yocheon's slums. Still gives me chills thinking back.
- We were kids the Khan abandoned. I remember when I nearly died after getting hit by a carriage.
Daesan, as a child, had been flung by a speeding carriage wheel and hovered near death. Even now, it was a miracle he'd survived the massive injuries.
- I still can't forget the noble's face in that carriage.
- ....
- He worried more about the scratch on the wheel than my ragged self.
- I remember.
- We were kids worth less than a blemish on an object. Lord Gwak Seong took us in.
Daesan always obeyed Gwak Seong.
If ordered, he'd leap into hell itself. Even facing death.
- Truly grateful man. Calling him just a gambler comes from not knowing him. He's just... clumsy.
- Brother.
- He's the one we brothers must repay our whole lives. Don't forget that.
Much later, he died protecting Gwak Seong.
Smiling happily.
- He is... our father.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
He couldn't lose.
He absolutely couldn't lose this fight.