Episode 19 (4)
The Heavenly Devil’s eyes widened as she looked into Yoon-seok’s. She realized something as she momentarily lost herself into those depths.
‘This is absurd… how could I not realize it before? The person he didn’t want to lose to was himself!’
It was a road she was familiar with, and it had never been an easy one for her. She was the Heavenly Devil, after all, who had reached Moorim’s apex.
‘But how could this man come from such a place?’
The young man before her was full of fighting spirit and had a rough temperament. It was an attitude well-suited for someone who lived in Moorim, not on Earth. There, warriors pursue dominance over everyone around them by devoting their entire lives to governing their weaknesses.
‘It would be an insult to go easy against another warrior.’
This would be her last teaching and courtesy to him. She was certain that his spirit wouldn’t break even if he saw her overwhelming power. It would only motivate him to reach a higher place than where he was now. So…
“Rock.”
The moment her short whisper reached his ears, their battle began. Her first strike was a simple stab. It was an attack so ordinary-looking but flawless all the same.
Whik-!
The Heavenly Devil’s feet spurred off the ground as she flew forward.
Yoon-seok observed everything. The breathing of his opponent, the position of her feet, the minute movements of her muscles. It was extremely important to maintain awareness of this during combat. However, this time, it was different. Yoon-seok was making those evaluations subconsciously, his brain naturally performing a series of processes under the surface to decide his next move.
「The unique skill {Weapon Enhancement} is activated.」
Kagang-!
Yoon-seok’s sword, covered with a red aura, collided with the Heavenly Devil’s blade. Then, it bounced off. Even after using a Unique Skill, all he could do was slightly push her sword to the side. That’s how strong her attack was, that single thrust that contained a heavenly power. His body was rocked by that one attack.
But in such unfavorable conditions…
‘That felt so good!’
Yoon-seok rejoiced as the Heavenly Devil’s second attack began. This time, it was a slashing attack. It was, of course, not a simple one. Rather, it gave him the impression of a gentle romance. The attack wasn’t strong but incredibly soft.
‘Like that of a free wind.’
Whiing-!
As Yoon-seok moved to block the attack with his sword, he noticed something strange.
‘There is no sound?’
Despite the powerful swing, the Heavenly Devil’s sword was completely silent. It was as if her blade had completely blended with the wind. Somehow, Yoon-seok realized the secret of her technique.
The secret was compliance.
As he let his strength seep away from his sword, the sound coming from his blade gradually disappeared. In an instant, the two silent swords met. The soft overcame the strong, but it wasn’t water against rock clashing. Rather, both blades were the same, and the softer one would win. The swords intertwined, obstructing each other’s paths.
However, the Heavenly Devil’s sword was so flexible that it seemed like it was molten iron. Yoon-seok tried to stop it somehow, but his attempt was in vain. It was like trying to block an ocean’s waves with a net.
Huwook-!
It was one exchange that had the power of a dozen swords. In an instant that seemed like an eternity, he had avoided the worst, but at a heavy expense.
Tuk-!
His left arm was cut off from the shoulder as he used it to cover his neck. He used b Blood Pact} to explode the blood spurting from his shoulder to earn himself even a single second to step away.
‘Backstep!’
In the fleeting moment that his blood explosions bought him, he escaped and quickly corrected his posture. The Heavenly Devil seemed upset about it.
‘I knew he was going to do that. What a tricky guy.’
However, Yoon-seok ignored her expression. Even the pain from his left arm didn’t seem important to him. There was only one thing on his mind – how to stop the Heavenly Devil’s third attack.
‘This isn’t sparring anymore.’
Yoon-seok realized.
‘It’s a real battle this time.’
The Heavenly Devil wouldn’t allow him time to reorganize and correct his mistakes. As if to prove his thoughts…
Huwoong-!
Yoon-seok’s feet had barely touched the ground when the third attack came in. Her movements were so smooth and natural they seemed to be one with the previous attack. This time, it was a stab, but also not that at all. It was a vast sea with no end in sight, a tsunami that could swallow even a giant mountain. With the Heavenly Devil’s slight gesture as she extended the sword forward, Yoon-seok felt that he faced something so large and powerful no human could ever stand against it. A dreadful feeling washed over him as he began to feel overwhelmed.
Suddenly.
‘Did she stop?’
The nerves of his body became extremely sensitive. Everything around him seemed to be in slow motion.
It was as if time stopped for a moment. As he made eye contact with the Heavenly Devil, she gave him a brief smile. As if she was welcoming him into this special place. This place where time was in slow motion was where the Masters dwelled. Now, he was standing on the same line.
‘But… it’s still not enough.’
Yoon-seok continued to think about his next move. The first attack was as strong as a mountain, the second one as fluid as a flowing river. This time, it was a tsunami. It was a slow and powerful wave that could destroy everything. As he stared into the oncoming wave, Yoon-seok continued to think and observe. It was one of the things she taught him. To keep learning and studying, even in the face of death.
He stared at the oncoming wave thoroughly until finally, he saw something. There was a shimmering line across the tsunami.
‘Is this a trap?’
Perhaps, it was something the Heavenly Devil intentionally showed him. It appeared in an instant and disappeared the next. Just then…
b Ready for counterattack}
His remaining hand moved freely with the sword as if to cut along the line that appeared. With his b Multiply} skill, he increased the power of his sword by four times. Added with {Weapon Enhancement}, his sword glowed red as it tore through the wave.
The Heavenly Devil sighed as she watched his counterattack.
‘Perhaps, I had been too arrogant.’
In Moorim, she was an Absolute. She was excited to come to this place because there were a lot of strange things to face. However, when she realized what this place was, she despised it with all her heart. Just like in Moorim, she was the strongest among all the contenders she had faced. All her opponents’ skills and abilities were nothing against her simple sword.
When she first met him, she thought that he was no different from them. She was completely wrong. This clumsy little child, who still had many weaknesses to flaunt, would one day blossom to the point that he could match her. It would have taken decades for him to achieve that in Moorim, but…
This Tower was a place where all the laws twisted. It wouldn’t take that long.
“But not today!”
Her last attack. She deliberately showed him a small gap, not expecting much. It was a blow that contained an Absolute power far beyond Yoon-seok’s level. However, to her surprise, Yoon-seok found the gap she showed and broke the tidal wave. As she watched the incoming blade fly towards her, her instinct pushed her to avoid it and finish him off. His b Blood Pact} was now meaningless as his stamina had reached its limit.
However, she stopped her reflexive attack.
‘The three attacks I promised him are over.’
A promise is a promise.
‘Now, did I lose?’
The Absolute assessed herself. She was defeated, and the cause of her defeat was arrogance. She overlooked her opponent and showed him a gap, thinking that it was beyond him. Moreover, she made such a deal with him was proof enough that she was overconfident.
Everyone wanted to reach what she has achieved. They didn’t know that the apex they longed for was lonely and boring. She didn’t think that the Tower of Heaven would be any different.
But she was wrong. This wasn’t Moorim. She wasn’t an Absolute here. Now, she had encountered a promising young talent on the third floor. Who knew how many more interesting opponents she would face if she went higher?
‘Now, you have a new road to look forward to.’
It would probably be a very long and difficult road, but the Heavenly Devil wasn’t discouraged. Rather, she was delighted.
“See you again someday!”
The Heavenly Devil smiled at Yoon-seok as his sword parted the tsunami and flew towards her. She welcomed the blade with open arms, without any regrets. Here, if you die, you only lose a coin. She decided to think of it as his reward for making her realize a new goal.
Vwooong-!
With a single ray of light drawn in the air, the Heavenly Devil’s body was split in two.
「Victory」
「You will receive 16,000 AP as a reward」
「The unique skill {Predation} is activated.」
「Acquire one of your opponent’s skills at random.」
「Acquire the unique skill {Heavenly Body}.」
「Go to the waiting room on the 3rd floor.」
「Please prepare for the next duel. 」
It was the moment that marked the end of the week-long battle.
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