Chapter 97: Final Exams (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: Final Exams (7)
Elio Pine curled her lip.
“What the hell is that stupid bitch doing?”
“I'm not entirely sure, but it's clear she has no intention of joining us.”
“Do you think I'm asking because I don't know that? I mean, why? Why did that turncoat bitch Choi Seol-ah abandon us to side with that greenhorn?!”
Elio let out a hysterical shriek. Paul shrugged and replied nonchalantly.
“Perhaps she's spent too much time soaking among humans. Now, now, calm down, Lady Elio. We shouldn't get worked up right before our grand undertaking. I will handle that black-haired cadet.”
“Can you do it? No matter how much this is our home ground, he's the kid who defeated the Iron Leg at seventeen.”
Elio asked coldly. Paul placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head in response.
“Even if I were to lose, I can at least drain his stamina. Besides, I have been keeping a close eye on that cadet's strength for a long time. I will not let my guard down.”
“Paul, if you're that confident, you must have a plan, right?”
“Yes, please leave it to me, Lady Elio.”
Paul paused and glanced at Kang Geomma. Veins bulged on the cadet's forearm as he gripped his hilt. After a brief silence, Paul spoke in a low voice.
“To remain perfectly sane despite such dense magic power... he truly is something else. Normally, even if we fought ten times, I would have lost nine of them, but—”
As Paul narrowed his eyes, a turbid current stirred in the air.
“—you chose the wrong place, Cadet Kang Geomma.”
Paul gathered the scattering magic power, pooling it into both hands. The energy was so intense that his hair floated into the air.
Wrooooom!
Paul snapped his right fingers. Six spheres molded from earth floated up behind his back. Each one was the size of a cannonball.
Then, as he snapped his left fingers, the mounds of earth were coated in fiery embers.
I knew following Lady Elio and contracting with the 4th Corps Commander was the right choice.
A masterless villain cannot wield magic. Because they parasitize a Corps Commander to receive magic power and cast spells, it is impossible for them to draw up magic power on their own without a lord.
Elio and Paul's magic power had also vanished with Agor's death. They had sold their humanity to become villains, yet their power was stripped away before they could even enjoy their glory.
But one day, unexpected good fortune came their way.
After Agor's passing, the 4th Corps Commander, Permush, offered them a contract. The price of the contract was the body of Leon, the hero candidate.
For a demon of Corps Commander caliber to invade the human world, they had to possess a host. The stronger the vessel, the greater the portion of their true power they could manifest. Thus, the demons constantly coveted Leon's body, which was a vessel of near-infinite potential.
Elio and Paul had eagerly accepted the demon's whisper.
As a result, thanks to Permush's grace, the two villains now commanded both fire and earth magic.
I said I wouldn't let my guard down, but there's simply no way I can lose this.
The magic power pooled thickly all around them surged through every corner of his blood vessels. Paul let out a sinister smile.
He tried to maintain his composure, but the pleasure of his entire body heating up so delightfully made it hard to keep his lips from curling upward.
Wielding two types of magic? At this unheard-of phenomenon, a flicker of regret crossed Choi Seol-ah's face.
...Could I have wielded two attributes if I had signed a new contract with another Corps Commander?
However, it was already too late for self-reproach. Though she possessed the instincts of a turncoat, she wasn't about to reverse her decision in a matter of seconds.
I have no choice but to trust Lord Geomma.
Steeling her resolve, Choi Seol-ah quickly backed away. Far from being of help to Kang Geomma, she would only get in his way. There was also a slight, lingering thought of fleeing if things went south.
Step, step.
Paul advanced with confident strides.
He had already gauged Kang Geomma's full power to some extent from the cadet's duel with Mao Rang. A sword speed so fast it seemed to skip the process entirely. Paul, too, had been amazed by that staggering speed that seemed to transcend all limits.
Normally, I would have been cut down without even being able to touch him.
But he had a countermeasure: eliminating any open space.
What use would that nimble footwork be if his movements were restricted? Even if the boy managed to dodge this strike, Paul could simply keep showering him with attacks.
This environment was overflowing with the magic power needed to fuel his spells.
Above all, that bastard Kang Geomma was currently agitated. Though his eyes were colorless and transparent, his mindscape had to be in great turmoil. That aftershock would create a split-second opening, deciding life and death.
“I am going all out.”
Paul's narrowed eyes flew wide as he thrust his arm forward.
He fired the cannonballs heated by demonic flames all at once.
Kabaaaaam—!
The onslaught rushed toward Kang Geomma like a shower of meteors. With every impact of the boulders, a deafening explosion shook the ground.
The fierce bombardment continued relentlessly. Fierce sparks tangled with the thick dust, casting a dry, scorching heat over the area.
Choi Seol-ah rubbed her eyes. The moisture had evaporated, making her eyes sting.
Thus, she decided to observe the battle using all her senses except sight. Though she could no longer wield magic power, she was still capable of sensing it.
Her skin parching dry.
The smell of something burning.
The roar battering her eardrums.
The more she heightened her senses, the more vividly she felt the texture of the fierce battle. It was hot and violent.
Yet, for some reason, there was no sharp sound of anything being sliced or cut. Choi Seol-ah's closed, long eyelashes trembled with anxiety.
...Lord Geomma isn't losing, is he?
Choi Seol-ah shook her head to dispel the fleeting doubt. She had no choice but to trust her choice—or more accurately, her own intuition.
As soon as her eyes adjusted slightly to the dry heat, she squinted them open. This was a gamble with her life on the line. Even if it meant going blind, she intended to witness it.
Paul's casting bombardment continued without pause. He relentlessly condensed magic power in his hands. Once a sufficient amount gathered, he immediately snapped both hands to combine the two spells.
Wielding two types of magic simultaneously certainly made Paul a troublesome foe. However, what was even more annoying than that was his combat experience.
Loading, casting, bombarding.
These three processes took place in a matter of seconds in Paul's hands. At that, astonishment flared in Choi Seol-ah's eyes.
...When did that bastard Paul grow this much?
Drawing in magic power, instantly converting it into a spell, and launching it. Choi Seol-ah knew all too well just how absurdly talented one had to be to pull that off.
He didn't seem this good when I caught a glimpse of him before... Aside from the contract with the 4th Corps Commander, Permush, Paul must have experienced personal growth as well. Choi Seol-ah concluded as much.
Otherwise, she would feel inexplicably annoyed. She chose to believe what she wanted to believe.
This, too, was one of the proper mindsets of a villain.
Thus, Paul unleashed a relentless wave of attacks for several minutes. Rather than aiming precisely, it was a wild barrage meant to restrict his opponent's range of movement. Before long, the terrain had changed drastically from moments ago.
Boulders spewing fire were embedded in the floor and inner walls. Paul's pupils darted quickly behind his narrow eyelids.
...Where did he go?
Only Choi Seol-ah could be seen standing blankly in the distance; Kang Geomma was nowhere to be found.
Paul immediately sharpened his senses to search for Kang Geomma's presence. There was no way the boy had just stood there and taken it. Paul had clearly witnessed Kang Geomma's speed, which was so fast it was practically invisible.
Paul let out a low groan, his eyes darting rapidly. Right then, a chilling sensation sent goosebumps down his spine.
Just as he was about to turn his head, a flash of sword light gleamed from his blind spot.
A sharp blade tip pierced through the dust, ambushing Paul's flank and collarbone.
Thuck—! Stab—!
“Keugh!”
Paul's mouth flew open, tearing a scream from his throat.
The vivid sensation of the blade made his narrow eyes snap wide open.
A sharp, cold pain gouged his insides.
“!”
Paul's pupils contracted and dilated, finally reflecting the black-haired boy.
There was Kang Geomma, glaring at him from point-blank range with eyes flashing.
There wasn't even time for a reflexive reaction.
As Kang Geomma spun his body and swung his sword, a silver flash sliced smoothly through Paul's forearm.
Slice.
His severed right arm flew into his field of vision, spraying fresh blood. His brain sluggishly processing the event, Paul dithered in shock for a brief moment before—
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Screaming a beat too late as the burning pain finally caught up to him.
“Fuuuuuuck!”
Paul spat saliva as he hastily scrambled backward. His eyes darkened with a terror far greater than before.
Even though he could have easily decapitated him, Kang Geomma had deliberately inflicted only superficial wounds. And their locations were not vital spots, but his arm and the flesh of his flank.
Along with the fleeting thought of Why?, his gaze shifted to Leon. Leon lay there with a crushed forearm, blood pouring from his flank.
N-No way...?
Paul's pupils trembled. That bastard Kang Geomma was paying him back exactly what Leon and Saki had suffered.
F-From the very beginning, winning or losing was never the issue.
Only then did Paul realize that far from buying time, he was being completely toyed with.
“…….”
Even then, Kang Geomma watched him with transparent eyes. Black pupils filled with something that transcended mere murderous intent. Just meeting his gaze made his body shrink and his jaw lock.
“Aaargh! Aaargh!”
His mind completely blank with terror, Paul shrieked in despair. In a final, desperate frenzy, he snapped his remaining hand repeatedly. It was a frantic struggle, like a plea squeezed out of his very last breath.
Once again, a jagged, massive boulder rose behind Paul's back.
Having lost his right hand, he could no longer wield fire. Instead, he condensed all the scattered magic power.
Paul pushed the spell's power to its absolute limit and unleashed it.
Ruuuuuumble!
Kang Geomma watched quietly before tightening his grip on his hilt. A powerful energy gathered from his knuckles and instantly enveloped the entire sword. Immediately, a bluish light flowed along the blade.
...T-That is...
Paul screamed in horror internally.
Was that not Aura, which only the absolute masters of the peak could wield?
His face twisted in sheer bewilderment at a phenomenon completely beyond his comprehension.
In the blink of an eye, Kang Geomma raised his blade.
And he spoke softly.
“Die.”
The blade flickered.
Slash—!
The split mounds of earth veered off to the sides and crashed into the walls. The sharp blue light shot straight forward, piercing right through Paul. Immediately, a straight red line was drawn from the crown of his head to his crotch.
“T-This makes no se—”
Paul fumbled at his solar plexus, and then his body split in half.
Thud!
Paul, who had been a villain, became a vil/lain.
* * *
It was an unbelievable sight.
Choi Seol-ah, who had been watching, had her eyes widen to three times their size before shrinking back. She rubbed her eyes vigorously like a cat washing its face and opened them again.
Her gaze drifted toward the 'thing' that used to be Paul. The corpse, cleanly split in half, was rapidly losing its warmth. Choi Seol-ah felt her head throb.
This is insane.
Kang Geomma's arm seemed to blur for a split second, and then a flash.
And then, this.
That was an attack? To Choi Seol-ah's eyes, that single clash had been faster than lightning. It even seemed to be enveloped in Aura—to think he could wield Sword Energy at his age.
It was a shock so numbing it left her speechless. A strike that defied the laws of physics, a sword strike that was practically demonic.
Choi Seol-ah's gaze naturally shifted to Elio.
Her face was completely consumed by confusion and despair. It was a reaction not much different from her own. However, their positions were starkly different.
To Kang Geomma, Choi Seol-ah was an ally, and Elio was an enemy. Elio's lips, parted in shock, pursed shut.
Looking at her, a deep smile spread across Choi Seol-ah's lips. Even back when they were villains, Elio had blatantly belittled and looked down on her, but now she was trembling like a drowned rat.
Dumb bitch.
She looked at Kang Geomma's back. Wisps of smoke rose from his shoulders. The smell of burning from the frictional heat that had swept through the air tickled the tip of her nose.
...
Looking at Kang Geomma, she was certain.
Certain that the safest place in the world was undoubtedly by his side.
For Choi Seol-ah, that was more than enough.