VS Namgung Hyung and the Huashan Sect Girl (2)

I hurled the longsword with pinpoint accuracy, sending it streaking viciously toward Namgung Hyung's right arm. At this rate, it would at least wound him. But then—

The Huashan Sect girl, still cradled in Namgung Hyung's arms, caught my flying longsword with her remaining right arm. A collective groan rose from the spectator seats.

"Everyone shut the fuck up, you goddamn idiots!!!" I roared back.

With the Huashan Sect girl now unable to use her remaining right arm either, Namgung Hyung's face twisted into a menacing scowl as he bellowed at me.

"Will you please stop spewing that bullshit!!"

Namgung Hyung snapped back to his senses in an instant. He shoved the Huashan Sect girl far behind him and fired an arrow straight at me. The distance made dodging impossible. I quickly condensed mana into my right hand and thrust it toward the incoming arrow.

- BOOOOM!!

Namgung Hyung's Imperial Archery Technique collided with my Cheonma Repulsor, creating a small explosion. At that exact moment, Jung Ayeon joined me.

"I'm counting on you!"

I immediately closed in on Namgung Hyung. The gap between us was now only three steps. At that moment, he flashed a grin and spoke with casual confidence.

Namgung Hyung inhaled sharply and planted his feet firmly. His already thick thighs seemed to swell even thicker.

"Fuck."

In the blink of an eye, Namgung Hyung created distance between us. He immediately nocked an arrow on his bow. This was an absolute crisis—I had no shield in hand. I would have to dodge purely through prediction. An extremely dangerous moment.

Right then, Elsia, who had been munching on snacks from the bench, suddenly lit up with a sparkle in her eyes. She pointed directly at Namgung Hyung and shouted loudly.

Namgung Hyung, who had been about to loose his arrow, flinched hard and whipped his head toward Elsia. Apparently, he couldn't tolerate the inch-pound system.

Elsia stood up from the bench and placed her hands on her hips. The motion caused her chest—already enlarged thanks to the voluptuous fruit—to jiggle dramatically.

For a brief moment, Namgung Hyung's brain completely short-circuited. And I wasn't about to miss that opening.

"Who told you to fall for that obvious bait?"

After all, this was entirely Namgung Hyung's own fault. The proof was that the professor commentating the match wasn't interfering at all. By the time Namgung Hyung froze, I had already reached right in front of him. With my left hand, I grabbed his bow and poured ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every ounce of mana I had into it.

The bow exploded from the mana I injected. The sudden blast made Namgung Hyung instinctively close his eyes and lose his bearings. That was the fatal opening.

Mana began condensing in my right hand once again. I thrust it forward, detonating the Cheonma Repulsor right at Namgung Hyung's solar plexus.

- BOOOOOOM!!

The impact sent Namgung Hyung flying far away, where he promptly passed out. I figured Jung Ayeon must have finished off the Huashan Sect girl by now, so I turned around with a relaxed expression. But the scene before me was completely different from what I'd expected.

"Huff... huff..."

The Huashan Sect girl had summoned flames on a scale incomparable to before. The moment Jung Ayeon's summons appeared, they were instantly engulfed and annihilated by the inferno. Jung Ayeon looked exhausted; she was down on one knee, breathing heavily.

"Hey, Jung Ayeon. You okay?"

Jung Ayeon was drenched in sweat, her gaze fixed on the Huashan Sect girl ahead. I wondered how the girl was creating flames when she couldn't even use her arms, so I observed her closely. The reason became clear immediately. It was the blood pouring from her severed left arm and the blood flowing from her pierced right arm.

The Huashan Sect girl laughed maniacally as blood sprayed everywhere. The scattered blood instantly turned into flames, blooming all across the arena.

"This is insane. Seriously."

The flames seemed to possess the properties of blood; they spread across the dueling arena like flowing liquid. It looked like her ability had undergone a sudden transformation in a moment of crisis. The important thing, however, was that it was an extremely dangerous ability. Even Jung Ayeon's summons were incinerated the instant they appeared. Without my Defensive Coat, charging into those flames would leave me roasted like a well-done steak.

While I was pondering how to turn the situation around, I noticed something had fallen where Namgung Hyung had been standing. It was a small remote control with a switch on it.

After all, isn't pressing a button when you see one human instinct?

Wondering what it did, I pressed the switch.

- Click.

The Huashan Sect girl collapsed on the spot.

"......"

"......"

While our brains were still struggling to process the sudden turn of events, I experimentally turned the switch off. The Huashan Sect girl, breathing raggedly with a flushed face, struggled back to her feet.

- Click.

Once again, the Huashan Sect girl collapsed to the ground.

A sudden silence fell between me and Jung Ayeon. Then, from somewhere, came a low buzzing vibration. It was coming from the Huashan Sect girl.

I couldn't hold back my disgust any longer and let out a groan mixed with curses.

"Holy fucking shit... this is too much..."

A wireless remote with a switch. And the Huashan Sect girl collapsing the moment it was turned on. There was an obvious conclusion one could draw from this, but I really didn't want to say it out loud. Honestly, I would've been fine with losing if it meant I could stay ignorant. But reality is cruel. We had already learned the truth.

As a result, the light in our eyes died instantly.

Without a word, Jung Ayeon and I slowly approached the collapsed Huashan Sect girl. The flames that had been spreading due to her pleasure-addled state had already gone out. When we got close, she barely lifted her head, suppressing her moans as she spoke.

- STAB!

I had already manifested a two-handed sword in my left hand and stabbed her. At the same time, I created another in my right hand and handed it to Jung Ayeon, who accepted it with eerie naturalness. Then we began mercilessly stabbing the still-twitching Huashan Sect girl.

- STAB!

- STAB!

- STAB!

'Ah, you're right. "Stab stab" is getting dangerous. I'll be careful.'

And so we continued stabbing the Huashan Sect girl like machines. No matter what she said or how she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reacted, we remained expressionless, silent, simply taking turns plunging our blades in perfect harmony. Eventually, the Huashan Sect girl convulsed between pleasure and agony before finally dying.

Just in case, I searched through her pockets. It was pure curiosity. But as they say, curiosity killed the cat. Another remote control, identical to the first, came out of her pocket.

I prayed desperately that this wasn't what I thought it was. Hoping against hope that it was nothing, I pressed the switch.

But despite my wishes, the moment I pressed it, Namgung Hyung—who had been unconscious over there—suddenly twitched.

At this point, our eyes had gone beyond dead and reached a state of complete emptiness.

Without saying a word, I hurled the two-handed sword with all my strength, striking Namgung Hyung. Jung Ayeon seemed to feel the same way; she ordered her summon to drive a blade into him as well. With that, the duel system finally ended.

The professor commentating announced the victor in a somewhat awkward voice. Only a few weak cheers rose from the spectator seats; everyone else remained silent. The situation was just too bizarre and difficult to process. Even we, who had witnessed it up close, felt incredibly disturbed.

It was our victory, but there wasn't even a shred of joy to be found. Thoughts of the tournament and everything else vanished completely. I just wanted to quit everything.

Jung Ayeon and I stared at each other with hollow eyes. At the same time, we both spoke the same words.

We won. It was just an incredibly dirty victory.

That day, Jung Ayeon and I grew up just a little bit more.