The Comet's Charge
Even as those thoughts raced through her mind, Han Min-ha continued to soar through the air and tumble across the ground in an endless cycle. Song Do-yun slowly approached the fallen girl, who was struggling to push herself back up. With every step Song Do-yun took closer, Han Min-ha was hurled backward as if kicked by an invisible giant foot.
Jin Se-yeong muttered, gripping her pen tightly.
Professor Yu Hyeon-ju watched with a serious expression as Han Min-ha was sent flying again.
Wind Manipulation was exactly what the name implied—the ability to freely control the flow of air. It could range from summoning a gentle breeze to generating a full-blown typhoon. Of course, creating an actual typhoon was only theoretical; no hero had ever achieved it yet.
So Song Do-yun's ability wasn't telekinesis after all—it was Wind Manipulation. That explained everything. The bird that had flown in through the window that day must have been caught in a manipulated current of air and hurled inside. Quite cunning. For a freshman to show that level of creativity... as expected of an upper-class student.
The problem was that while Wind Manipulation used aura, the actual impact on Han Min-ha didn't come from aura itself but from the air currents. Air currents were a natural phenomenon. Aura, on the other hand, reacted strongly when it clashed with other aura. For that reason, striking Han Min-ha indirectly with powerful gusts of wind—a natural phenomenon—meant her heavy aura couldn't exert its full effect.
If one could manipulate aura skillfully enough, they might even ignore natural phenomena, but Han Min-ha hadn't reached that level yet. I'd assumed an aura-versus-aura matchup would favor her, but now that possibility seemed extremely slim.
The Head Hunters behind us offered rather pessimistic analysis. But I didn't see it that way.
Secreto fights dirty. They mercilessly trample weak opponents and pretend to retreat from strong ones only to stab them in the side. They complete their missions by any means necessary, accepting a certain degree of illegality or unethical behavior in the process. And Han Min-ha had received special training from me—a Secreto veteran. She could probably pull it off. If she could just figure out my intention.
Professor Jin Se-yeong asked worriedly.
As I spoke, I raised my hand and formed a blade with it. When Han Min-ha, who had just rolled across the floor, looked up at me with a pleading expression, I subtly twisted my hand to the side. That should have been enough for her to understand.
Han Min-ha, who had been staring intently at my hand, soon steadied herself and stood up.
Han Min-ha. You can do this. Show everyone what you're made of.
Having seen Professor Kyo Suhyeon's hand signal, Han Min-ha wondered what on earth it meant. She wiped the front of her goggles, thinking she might have seen it wrong, but she still couldn't figure it out. There was no time to ponder or analyze it deeply, though. Song Do-yun had already closed in right in front of her and unleashed her ability with a cruel smile.
Struck directly by an invisible, powerful gust, Han Min-ha rolled backward across the ground.
Song Do-yun walked toward her at a leisurely pace, as if there was no rush.
Her attitude suggested she was already certain of her victory.
Han Min-ha backed away to create distance and desperately racked her brain. The professor had definitely given her a special hand signal. He wasn't the type to act without purpose, so there had to be a way to turn this situation around hidden in that gesture. But... she couldn't understand it. What did twisting the blade of his hand even mean...?
Another gust. This time it was a narrow, sharp spike aimed at her abdomen. The force was so tremendous that Han Min-ha felt a sharp pain as if she'd been punched in the gut and doubled over.
Watching Han Min-ha retch up bitter fluid, Song Do-yun grinned viciously.
Creating fierce currents of air around her body, Song Do-yun continued.
She's crazy... Song Do-yun is actually insane...
With eyes that truly looked like those of a madwoman, Song Do-yun screamed furiously.
Then she rode the currents flowing around her and shot toward Han Min-ha like a bullet.
Faced with Song Do-yun's attack that had closed in before she could blink, Han Min-ha reflexively created a Basic Physical Barrier. It was truly an unconscious reaction—something her body had memorized thanks to Professor Kyo Suhyeon's brilliant special training.
The quickly formed barrier blocked Song Do-yun's wind current. But because it had been made in a hurry, the barrier's strength was extremely weak. As a result, the barrier twisted diagonally upon impact. Song Do-yun's current then rode that twisted angle and barely grazed Han Min-ha's cheek as it passed by.
Feeling a burning pain like she'd been scalded as a scratch appeared on her cheek, Han Min-ha instantly understood the meaning of Professor Kyo Suhyeon's hand signal.
So that's what he meant...!
Avoiding the second attack, Han Min-ha exploded her aura and used the recoil to distance herself far from Song Do-yun.
Watching the fleeing Han Min-ha, Song Do-yun gave a grotesque smile.
Song Do-yun covered her mouth exaggeratedly and laughed. "Hohohohoho."
Han Min-ha cut off Song Do-yun's words and spoke.
Song Do-yun froze in place, staring at Han Min-ha with trembling eyes.
Han Min-ha forced a trembling smile.
Song Do-yun shrieked like a demon and began firing murderous currents of air indiscriminately in every direction.
Assistant Teacher Bae Ye-bin screamed from the stands. But Han Min-ha didn't dodge. Instead, she charged straight forward while beginning to create barriers. Basic Physical Barriers, tilted diagonally left and right, rose up in front of her. The barriers deflected the air currents to both sides, and as soon as one shattered from the strain, a new one layered behind it. Through the narrow gap created by the wedge-shaped barriers, Han Min-ha dashed forward at tremendous speed. Her aura rapidly condensed, and her body began to glow purple.
Watching Han Min-ha approach while shattering all her abilities, Song Do-yun lost her mind, spitting as she hurled abuse. At the same time, she amplified all her aura to summon a monstrous gale. Its power was so intense that the filming drones circling overhead were sucked in, collided with each other, and shattered into pieces.
A whirlwind strong enough to demolish an entire wooden building roared toward Han Min-ha. The layered barriers shattered one after another as the gale struck her body.
Professor Jin Se-yeong shot up from her chair, snapping the pen she was holding. But Song Do-yun's gale was far too fast. The moment the visible, powerful whirlwind struck Han Min-ha directly—
Blown backward by the tremendous impact, Han Min-ha rapidly created twisted barriers behind her back, connecting them to form a sharp semicircular curve. Using Song Do-yun's own gale as propulsion, Han Min-ha rode the connected wall of barriers like a water slide, drawing a large arc and instead hurtling toward Song Do-yun at insane speed.
Gasps of amazement erupted from the spectator seats all at once.
Hmm. Unexpected, Han Min-ha. I thought you'd simply deflect the currents, but you went further and connected the barriers to create a runway. I didn't expect quite this much. Well done.
Thoroughly enraged, Song Do-yun didn't even notice Han Min-ha circling around from the side and continued pouring attacks straight ahead like a madwoman.
At Assistant Teacher Kim Yi Bit-na's shout—she was gripping the railing so hard it looked like it might break—Song Do-yun jolted back to her senses.
Only now grasping the situation, Song Do-yun spotted Han Min-ha returning like a boomerang along the wall of barriers and belatedly raised her arms to guard.
Professor Yu Hyeon-ju commented briefly.
Han Min-ha had already gathered as much aura as possible and was shining brilliantly purple. The ridiculously solid and heavy aura that resembled her father's. Condensed to the extreme, combined with the propulsion gained from taking the gale head-on. Right now, Han Min-ha was nothing less than an unstoppable violet comet.
Han Min-ha slammed straight into Song Do-yun.
KWAAAAANG—!!
A thunderous roar shook the ground, and thick clouds of dust billowed up. Bursting through that dust cloud, Song Do-yun was sent flying high into the sky. She flailed her limbs limply like a puppet with its strings cut, unconscious.
Professor Jin Se-yeong shot upward, shattering her chair, and caught the falling Song Do-yun.
A deathly silence fell over the arena. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the slowly clearing dust cloud.
The Head Hunters seated behind me pointed at the arena with their pens and let out stifled screams. Through the dispersing dust, Han Min-ha appeared, standing with her suit in tatters.
Assistant Teacher Bae Ye-bin vaulted over the railing and ran into the arena.
Han Min-ha gave a silly grin before collapsing into Assistant Teacher Bae's arms and fainting on the spot.