The Banquet (3)
Yusoha couldn't contain the surge of delight rising in her chest as she watched Seo Eun-ah's face twist in fury. Where the mockery ended, a bright, unmistakably gleeful smile bloomed in its place. The more rigid Seo Eun-ah's expression grew, the more radiant Yusoha's became. Everyone in the banquet hall understood the dynamic, so bewilderment inevitably crept across their faces. A few, of course, were openly enjoying the show.
"What did you just say? A pathetic mental victory?"
"You heard me perfectly."
When Yusoha nodded with cheerful nonchalance, Seo Eun-ah let out a disbelieving scoff.
"Ha, you've got to be kidding. How is that a mental victory? I only stated the obvious facts. You really were a halfwit without a Guardian Star, weren't you?"
"And yet that oh-so-impressive Guardian Star of yours still left you stuck at the same A-class level as this halfwit. What does that say? Especially when you hide behind your Guardian Star and never accomplish anything on your own?"
"From what I saw in the recent Hwanryeong tournament, you weren't exactly slacking either."
Seo Eun-ah seized on the Hwanryeong tournament to counter, but it backfired spectacularly. After all, Yusoha had only summoned Eclipse against Yu Danha—the top-tier A-class—and the S-class Shin Seongmin. Every other opponent she'd crushed alone.
"Oh dear, what are you even saying? I didn't call my Guardian Star once except when facing my sister and Shin Seongmin. For someone who can barely scrape by as A-class without a Guardian Star, you really shouldn't be talking."
The sharp edge of contempt lashed toward Seo Eun-ah—the exact expression Yusoha often wore when looking at someone whose pride far outstripped their actual ability. Seeing that look, Seo Eun-ah ground her teeth.
"...In the end, you're just as useless without your Guardian Star."
"It's hilarious that you're saying this now, after spending all this time tucking your tail between your legs every time I suggested we settle things."
"......"
Seo Eun-ah's mouth snapped shut. Yusoha's words were undeniably true. During the previous banquet, Yusoha—furious at the endless "halfwit" rumors—had gone looking for Seo Eun-ah to make her pay. But the girl had cleverly dodged her at every turn, and their score had never been settled.
In truth, Yusoha had considered using the media or other countermeasures, just as Seo Eun-ah had. The talented personnel in Hwanryeong would have executed any plan she voiced. Yet the reason she'd left Seo Eun-ah alone was simple: Seo Dohyeon, the girl's father, had come to her in person, bowed low, and apologized for raising his daughter poorly.
Watching a man like Seo Dohyeon humble himself so completely, Yusoha couldn't help but feel genuine pity for him.
Shaking off the memory, Yusoha fired another barb at Seo Eun-ah.
"After all that, who are you calling useless?"
"I simply didn't think someone like you was worth my time. What would I even gain by beating a halfwit without a Guardian Star? I'd be too embarrassed to even lift my head if people knew I was associated with you."
Seo Eun-ah answered while desperately clinging to her composure. Her absurdly inflated pride had eliminated any possibility of an apology. Not that Yusoha would have accepted one anyway.
Hearing those words, Yusoha smiled sweetly.
Got her. Dealing with people like me really is too easy. I should have done this from the start.
People who lived by their pride were inevitably sensitive to anything that chipped away at it. No matter how petty the provocation, Seo Eun-ah had no choice but to react.
Because I would have done the same.
After all, Yusoha was the same type of person—someone who lived and died by pride.
"Ah, so now I'm finally worth your time? After all, I have a Guardian Star now too."
As Yusoha grinned, Seo Eun-ah realized she had crossed a river with no way back.
Damn it.
Every insult she'd hurled at Yusoha until now had become spears of karma, stabbing her from all sides. It was only natural, considering how thoroughly she'd looked down on the girl. She couldn't back down now. If she did, her pride would shatter so completely that death would seem preferable.
Of course, losing here would be equally unbearable.
"...Fine."
In that moment, Seo Eun-ah's mind raced at full speed.
Once her Guardian Star appears, I have no chance. Even Shin Seongmin lost to it. So if I use that as an excuse...
Yusoha saw through her opponent's thoughts as clearly as if they were written on her forehead.
She's already assuming she'll lose and preparing an excuse. In that case, I'll simply remove the excuse entirely.
Having reached that conclusion, Yusoha made her offer.
"But as you know, my Guardian Star is far too strong for you to handle."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Nonsense? Could you beat Shin Seongmin?"
"......"
Seo Eun-ah's mouth clamped shut instantly. No matter how proud she was, even she couldn't bring herself to claim victory over Shin Seongmin.
Watching her fall silent, Yusoha couldn't suppress a sneer. Here was someone who constantly bragged that Guardian Stars were part of an Awakened's own power, yet she refused to acknowledge Yusoha now that she had Eclipse. Was her bloated pride causing some kind of mental regression?
Well. If she'd had any sense, she wouldn't have run her mouth so recklessly in the first place.
"So I'll fight you without my Guardian Star. How about it? That should be manageable, right?"
"...You're completely looking down on me."
"Only because you deserve to be looked down on. So what will it be?"
"Fine."
Seo Eun-ah nodded. Her pride had been scraped raw, and her reason could no longer withstand Yusoha's provocations.
If that's how it is, I'll just have to thoroughly beat down this bitch who refuses to summon her Guardian Star.
"Good. And while we're at it, how about a little wager?"
"A wager?"
"The loser plants their forehead on the ground and begs for forgiveness. The winner gets to watch from above at their leisure. What do you think? Money doesn't mean anything to either of us anyway."
"...That's perfect."
For the first time that day, Seo Eun-ah felt Yusoha had made a suggestion she actually liked.
The news that Seo Eun-ah and Yusoha were going to fight spread like wildfire through the banquet hall. The Hwanryeong family watched with expressions that said of course this was coming, while the Taehwa family turned to them with faces etched in pure panic, silently begging them to stop the fight.
"Um, Chairman Yu. We can't possibly allow the atmosphere of the banquet to be ruined like this."
"It's just kids settling their differences. What's the problem? Old grudges sometimes need to be aired out properly."
"...Isn't there any way to prevent this?"
Seo Dohyeon was quite desperate. No matter how troublesome his daughter was, what father would want to watch her publicly humiliated? After this, she might never recover mentally.
Yu Hyeok spoke to him with cold detachment.
"This is all karma, Chairman Seo. No matter how much you apologized to Soha's behalf, the resentment she carries won't simply vanish. If an apology was going to be made, your daughter should have delivered it to Soha herself."
"......"
It was the truth. Seo Dohyeon had nothing to say.
Yusoha observed Seo Eun-ah, who had hastily changed into a borrowed suit that didn't fit her at all. The ill-fitting clothes looked ridiculous, perfectly symbolizing Seo Eun-ah's pride that far exceeded her actual ability. Yusoha couldn't help but curl her lips in amusement.
Seo Eun-ah seemed aware of how foolish she looked and twisted her face in irritation.
Shin Seongmin, who had somehow been roped into acting as referee for this sudden duel, looked at both women with clear discomfort before speaking.
"Begin."
The moment Shin Seongmin gave the signal, Yusoha wrapped mana around her hand. The solid, metallic mana instantly formed a refined sword. Thanks to Rumeorn's training, the blade was far more solid than before, gleaming in her grip.
In that brief window while Yusoha shaped her weapon, Seo Eun-ah summoned her own Guardian Star.
"Tenia."
The water spirit Tenia. This was the primary reason Seo Eun-ah could reach A-class despite her somewhat lacking personal abilities. Tenia could freely manipulate water, and with sufficient mana from its contractor, it could generate tidal waves or even burst opponents apart by violently increasing the pressure of the blood flowing through their veins. Of course, that required overwhelming mana capable of stripping away an opponent's power like tearing paper, so it wasn't a technique someone with Seo Eun-ah's relatively modest mana reserves could use.
Still, even without those advanced applications, simply being able to control water made Tenia a formidable Guardian Star. Moreover, Seo Eun-ah's mana attribute was ice. She could freeze the water-based attacks Tenia launched and turn them into ice.
The moment it appeared, Tenia bared its hostility toward Yusoha and fired a fierce surge of water mana. Multiple streams shot forward like snakes, and Seo Eun-ah froze their tips into sharp points. The ice awls hurtled toward Yusoha, but she knocked every single one aside in an instant.
Having easily defended against Tenia's assault, Yusoha smiled with clear disdain. It was far easier than she'd expected.
She's A-class with only this much power?
It was almost absurd. Had she bribed the ranking officials or something?
Yusoha kicked off the ground and charged forward. As she ran, she wrapped her body in mana. The metallic energy enveloped her, beginning to form armor. She ignored all of Tenia's incoming attacks and simply kept running, just as Eclipse had once charged through Yu Danha's barrage of bullets toward Hidelixius.
The attacks Tenia produced with Seo Eun-ah's rather weak mana naturally couldn't penetrate Yusoha's defenses. Panicking, Seo Eun-ah wrapped mana around herself and created an ice barrier.
What the hell is this?
She seemed even stronger than during the Hwanryeong tournament. Which made sense. While Seo Eun-ah had been trusting in her Guardian Star and neglecting her own training, Yusoha had been relentlessly honing herself. Having now properly learned how to utilize her body under Eclipse's guidance, she was on an entirely different level than before. There was no way the idle, pampered Seo Eun-ah could handle her.
Yusoha swung her sword with all her strength at the ice barrier protecting Seo Eun-ah.
Crack.
The sound of the blade biting into ice rang out.
Crash!
The ice barrier shattered instantly. Seeing the sword now hurtling toward her face, Seo Eun-ah fell into complete panic. The moment the barrier broke, Yusoha seized her now-defenseless opponent by the throat.
"Gack!"
"You're disgustingly weak," Yusoha mocked.
At her taunting words, Seo Eun-ah could only let out a pained groan.