Chapter 100
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Sun-Piercing Spear
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“Kraaah...!”
The agony of his eye being pierced through. Ahn Gil-hyeon let out a scream but swiftly swung his crescent blade once more.
Boom!!
Lee Se-hun staggered back slightly amid the erupting flames, and in that moment, his right eye—which had been impaled by the Shadow Ink Spear—twitched violently.
The spearhead had gone straight through it, yet it retained its form perfectly. It looked as if the attack hadn't landed at all, but the truth was a bit different.
Fwoosh.
A faint flame flickered from inside his inner pocket. One of his barrier talismans, which absorbed damage, had just been consumed by the attack.
'How the hell did this bastard get here...!'
He'd seen with his own eyes how the Red Shadow Corps hadn't even been able to lay a hand on him before getting wiped out. So how was this punk standing here unscathed?
He wanted to figure out what was going on, but Lee Se-hun wasn't dumb enough to give him time for that.
Clang!
The blades silently charging from behind slammed into the crescent blade in an instant. Spotting the ambusher, Ahn Gil-hyeon's eyes went wide.
'Red Shadow Corps?!'
Their entire bodies had turned hazy like shadows, and their physical abilities were enhanced, but that faint presence and movement were unmistakably the same Red Shadow Corps he'd seen earlier.
Seeing this unexpected enemy sparked a new possibility in Ahn Gil-hyeon's mind.
'No way... Was I the target from the start?'
Otherwise, there was no way this brat Lee Se-hun—who he'd thought was dead—would be ambushing him alongside the Red Shadow Corps.
Limited information and the sudden situation rattled his brain, leading him to imagine absurd scenarios.
“You're overthinking it!”
Lee Se-hun drew the Dawnlight Hammer and swung it with all his might.
“Kuh...?!”
Ahn Gil-hyeon was startled by the attack that perfectly exploited his opening but reacted swiftly.
The gap in overwhelming physical prowess remained, even if he'd seized the initiative. He instantly closed it, swinging the crescent blade down as if to cleave the hammer in two.
'Can't get cocky after one hit...!'
He didn't know what was going on, but he'd kill this guy now and take out the Red Shadow Corps too.
Ahn Gil-hyeon's eyes fixed on Lee Se-hun, expecting him to split apart with the hammer.
Fwoosh!
Crimson flames erupted from the Dawnlight Hammer, striking the crescent blade's edge dead-on.
Clang!
The crescent blade glanced off to the side, and the hammer rebounded backward with force. Ahn Gil-hyeon's eyes bulged at the scene so far from his expectations.
“What the...”
Had he failed to control his strength out of shock?
Before he could find an answer, attacks from the Red Shadow Corps poured in from all sides again.
“Amateur!”
Clang! Clang! Boom!
Ahn Gil-hyeon deflected every assault from the four undead assassins and Lee Se-hun. At first, he'd lost momentum and was a bit off-balance, but as time passed, his stance stabilized.
If he held out just a little longer like this, he could use a proper technique to finish them all in one go. Yet despite the advantage, Ahn Gil-hyeon felt an inexplicable unease.
'What... What's wrong here?'
Why were these guys—who should've died ages ago—sticking to him so tenaciously? And why were they yelling before attacking, drawing his attention?
It felt like they were luring his counterattacks. His eyes drifted strangely toward the crescent blade against his will.
Clang!
He spotted the spear shaft twisting from the crimson-hot hammer.
“You mad bastard...!”
The real target hadn't been him from the start—it was the crescent blade.
The moment he realized this too late and tried to detonate the embers scattered around him to create distance—
'Got him.'
The Dawnlight Hammer struck the Shadow Ink Spear's shaft, sending out a bizarre wave.
Boom!!
A ferocious explosion erupted around Ahn Gil-hyeon.
Lee Se-hun, who had observed Ahn Gil-hyeon's fights through his scouts beforehand, mimicked the mana wave 'Water Burst' from his first encounter with Yeom Seong-ha, detonating the embers early.
Unlike Yeom Seong-ha's controlled version in the past, Ahn Gil-hyeon had gone all-out in real combat. Even a decent hero would be on the brink of death, but—
'He's prepared thoroughly too.'
The mana surging wildly through the smoke told him it wouldn't end so easily.
“Kraaaah!!!”
Whoosh!
The crescent blade swung like an explosion, blowing away all the dust. Ahn Gil-hyeon, charred and battered all over, glared with bloodshot eyes.
All thoughts of carelessness or distractions were gone. Lee Se-hun didn't hesitate, hurling the White Light Dagger from his belt.
“Hup...!”
Crack!
The White Light Dagger bounced off without even grazing him and shattered. But the undead assassins seized the opening, lunging at Lee Se-hun's command.
“Stay back!!!”
Clang!!
Ahn Gil-hyeon blocked all the undead assassins' assaults, but his breathing grew ragged, and he started getting pushed back.
His eyes and face looked like he'd lost his reason, but his mind coldly analyzed everything.
'I've just run out of barrier talismans. I still have plenty of chances to win.'
The Red Shadow Corps specialized in ambushes, so they couldn't overwhelm him head-on. The embers could be countered by varying the Water Burst pattern.
Having assessed it all, Ahn Gil-hyeon steadied his breath to counterattack—
Screech—
His retreating foot snagged an invisible wire.
Boom!!
“You... sneaky bastard!!!”
An explosion rocked the forest depths, followed by Ahn Gil-hyeon's roar. Confirming the pre-set trap had triggered perfectly, Lee Se-hun let out a sigh of relief.
“Bought some time at least...”
If the undead assassins herded him toward the remaining traps and clung on fiercely, he could buy time to regroup.
Catching his rough breath, Lee Se-hun looked back at Yeom Seong-ha to secure the advantage.
“Hey! I'll toss you a spear now, so let's go tog— What?”
Lee Se-hun's eyes widened at Yeom Seong-ha, who hadn't moved a step since he appeared.
His face stared limply at the ground. At that deflated sight, Lee Se-hun asked incredulously,
“You... don't tell me you've given up?”
“...”
“Whoa. For real. Holy shit.”
Lee Se-hun marveled like he'd seen a rare artifact. Yeom Seong-ha's expression twisted briefly at the reaction, but once his will had crumbled to the bottom, it wasn't easy to rally it again.
Expecting shouts and collar-grabs, Lee Se-hun looked awkward at the lack of response.
'Not Mad Dog, more like a drowned mutt...'
The remark was dismissible to overhear, but it stirred various thoughts in Yeom Seong-ha.
Confirming he wasn't in fighting shape, Lee Se-hun stepped forward and stomped on the Sai Spear's blade.
“What...”
As Yeom Seong-ha looked up in confusion at the inexplicable act—
Thwack!
The spear shaft's end slammed vigorously into his solar plexus.
“Kuh... What the hell...!”
Yeom Seong-ha flew back limply. Since it was more a shove than a strike, he quickly regained his footing. Lee Se-hun picked up the Sai Spear's blade.
“You're dead. Just now.”
“...What?”
“So this is mine now.”
Lee Se-hun waved the Sai Spear's blade and tossed it lightly upward.
Bam—!
The Dawnlight Hammer smashed into it.
Flames burst out amid red shards. Realizing the Sai Spear's blade was utterly shattered, Yeom Seong-ha's eyes went wide.
'Why...'
Why destroy the Sai Spear in a situation like this?
As Yeom Seong-ha grappled with confusion, anger, and shame at having his weapon taken so helplessly—
Plop.
A red shard dropped into Lee Se-hun's outstretched hand.
The Sai Spear's blade, with both winged parts cut away, now straight and extended. Realizing it was another spear blade, Yeom Seong-ha looked shocked.
“Good enough, I guess...”
It should've been shaved down gradually, but smashing it at once left rough edges. Still, it had to do now.
Hooking the Dawnlight Hammer to his belt, Lee Se-hun pulled the Crimson Flame Spear from his subspace pocket and fitted the new blade.
Vmmm.
Crimson light filled the faded blade's interior, settling into a vivid red.
“Whew.”
Gripping the Crimson Flame Spear and Shadow Ink Spear, Lee Se-hun caught his breath and eyed Yeom Seong-ha staring blankly.
“What're you doing? Don't just stand there like an idiot—go.”
“Go...?”
“Told you. You're dead.”
Turning away, Lee Se-hun said indifferently,
“Go down and beg the sect leader for mercy. He'll let it slide seeing you like that.”
With that, Lee Se-hun dashed toward where Ahn Gil-hyeon had vanished. Watching his receding back, Yeom Seong-ha's mind went blank.
'I'm... dead?'
The words, no different from a joke, pierced the solar plexus branded by the single spear thrust, sparking a question.
'Why did I even fight?'
Because his master said to become sect leader. But if that was all, there was no need for this method.
He could've hidden his strength, or allied with anyone hostile to Yi Won-ryong.
Yet why had he chosen the inefficient, perilous path of fighting head-on without hiding?
'Because I wanted to prove it...'
That the spear arts his master taught him, that way of life, weren't wrong. He wanted to prove it himself.
So he'd refused compromise, overcoming every obstacle head-on to become Flame Flower Sect leader.
That was what his master truly wished for him.
“...Damn it!”
And the path he'd sworn to walk.
Boom!
Yeom Seong-ha kicked off the ground and charged into the forest, spotting Lee Se-hun ahead.
Beyond him stood Ahn Gil-hyeon, having dispatched three of the four undead assassins.
Looking ready to fight any second, Yeom Seong-ha bellowed at full volume.
“Stop!”
Lee Se-hun didn't halt despite hearing it.
Treated truly as a dead man, Yeom Seong-ha bit his lip hard.
What to say to get another chance? With that thought, a word burst from Yeom Seong-ha's mouth.
“Deal!!!”
Lee Se-hun halted and turned back. Steel ing himself, Yeom Seong-ha shouted,
“Double it! Hand him over to me!!!”
Lee Se-hun smirked at the desperate cry.
“Triple, asshole.”
He lightly tossed the two spears.
Thud!
The two spears tossed into the air landed in Yeom Seong-ha's hands. He dashed past Lee Se-hun toward Ahn Gil-hyeon, who had just finished the last undead assassin.
“How much of a joke do you think I am!!”
Battered by traps and ambushes, Ahn Gil-hyeon glared at the charging Yeom Seong-ha and kicked off the ground.
So what if a single worn-out spear became two puny ones?
Vowing to sever Yeom Seong-ha's neck the instant an opening appeared, Ahn Gil-hyeon swung the crescent blade.
Clang—!
The crescent blade's edge bounced harmlessly off Yeom Seong-ha's twin spears.
“...Huh?”
The black spear clung to the blade, dragging its trajectory down, and the red spear exploded through the gap, shattering his guard in one thrust.
Ahn Gil-hyeon's eyes bulged as his crescent blade was deflected so easily. Yeom Seong-ha surged into the opening.
Clang clang clang!
The distance closed in the first exchange.
In the narrowed space, the Flame Ring Remnant Fire Spear's area power weakened. Yeom Seong-ha's, drawn into his domain, relentlessly exploited Ahn Gil-hyeon's gaps.
Thud!
The downward crescent blade halted, smacked from both sides by the twin spears. Then Yeom Seong-ha's foot stomped the shaft.
Boom!
With the crescent blade pinned to the earth, the twin spears thrust at head and heart. Ahn Gil-hyeon desperately infused mana into his fist and swung.
Slash!
“Kuh...!?”
His gauntlet neatly severed as the price for deflecting the trajectory.
Sweating coldly at the sight despite the mana infusion, Ahn Gil-hyeon kicked the crescent blade's shaft with all his strength.
Bang!
Yeom Seong-ha's body flew back from the stomped shaft. Snatching the crescent blade and steadying himself, Ahn Gil-hyeon faced his foe.
“Hah... Hah...”
He'd thought that if—if only—he let Yeom Seong-ha escape today, he might become a threat someday.
But after that brief clash, Ahn Gil-hyeon realized his thinking was utterly wrong.
'He already... was a threat.'
The moment he hadn't beheaded Yeom Seong-ha in the first exchange, the moment those twin spears reached his hands—he was already facing that future.
Now it wasn't about assassinating Yeom Seong-ha; it was his own survival on the line.
Realizing this, Ahn Gil-hyeon poured all his mana into the crescent blade and swung with everything he had.
Vmmm!
A ring of flames enveloped his body along the crescent blade's arc.
The blade swung again toward the rapidly accelerating, glowing Flame Ring in midair.
Flame Ring Remnant Fire Spear
Sun Wheel Slash Mark
Flame slashes followed the trajectory, sweeping the area ahead.
A secret technique of the Flame Ring Remnant Fire Spear: compressing mana during battle and unleashing it in slashes. Yeom Seong-ha gripped his twin spears amid the flames engulfing his vision.
'Can't win with raw power.'
What he had was technique, elemental advantage, and talent.
Recalling the odd wave Lee Se-hun had shown long ago in the training grounds, Yeom Seong-ha infused black ink spirit mana into the Shadow Ink Spear, drawing a ring ahead.
Then he poured all his fire spirit mana into the Crimson Flame Spear and thrust with full force at the ring's center.
Vmmm!
The two elemental manas resonated as one.
Flame Ring Remnant Fire Spear
Sun Shadow Piercing Break
⟨ Sun Shadow Piercing Break ⟩
Bang—!
The massive flames blanketing the battlefield scattered in all directions, pierced at the center. Yeom Seong-ha shot through the gap, his Crimson Flame Spear blade impaling Ahn Gil-hyeon's abdomen.
“Guhk... What... is this...”
A bizarre flame wreathed in black smoke. Overwhelmed and torn apart his own flames—Ahn Gil-hyeon wore an incredulous expression.
His flames were purer and stronger, so why pierced through? Unable to comprehend, his eyes turned to the heretic before him.
“The obsolete ones are you.”
Yeom Seong-ha twisted his wrist half a turn on the shaft.
Boom!!
The explosion burst out, Ahn Gil-hyeon's body vanishing without a trace amid the flames. Yeom Seong-ha withdrew the spear from the remnants.
Weapon 'Crimson Flame Spear' has been changed to 'Sun-Piercing Spear'.
☀ Sun-Piercing Spear
Grade:Hero | Quality:Upper-Mid
A spear crafted by heating special wood over a long time.
It absorbs and stores flames, using them as nutrients to regenerate damaged parts.
Mana circuits inside maintain output efficiently, increasing durability in that state.
All imbued flames can be concentrated at the tip and released, with adjustable range.
*Can regenerate using stored flames. Current storage: 0%.
*Durability increases when mana is imbued.
*Skill 'Crimson Flame' usable.
A new spear, tempered in black flame, revealed itself.