Chapter 123. The Four Heavenly Kings (3)
Yuuki Hina lowered her palm even farther.
The motion was mirrored by Shuten-doji’s hand, which pressed down with even greater force.
She intended to crush Kang Yujin to death like this.
I’ll kill you right here.
The A-rank Constellation contracted with Yuuki Hina, the ‘Wine-Drinking Child’ Shuten-doji, was said to have been born from the legendary serpent Yamata-no-Orochi and a princess from some region.
In the old capital of Kyoto, he had supposedly led countless evil spirits and committed all manner of atrocities, including cannibalism.
Among all Contractors of the ‘Wine-Drinking Child,’ Yuuki Hina had achieved the highest Bond Rank.
That was why she could use the Maximum Manifestation of his Constellation Armament.
The Constellation Armament of the ‘Wine-Drinking Child’ recreated the might of Shuten-doji, one of the most terrifying oni in Japanese history.
Once Maximum Manifestation was achieved, Shuten-doji himself could be manifested like this, allowing Yuuki to wield his power directly.
Even if Kang Yujin is the same kind of existence as Keito... with Shuten-doji’s strength...!
Yuuki poured in even more power.
Then suddenly, she felt an impact.
“Ugh?!”
What had he done?
Kang Yujin had escaped from beneath the giant palm.
Realizing what had happened, Yuuki hurriedly moved her arm.
She swung a fist after the rapidly moving Kang Yujin.
With a thunderous crash, the pavement around them shattered.
Fast. But...!
While guiding Kang Yujin’s movements, Yuuki used the other hand.
She intended to trap him from both sides.
Got you!
Shuten-doji’s palms closed in on Kang Yujin like someone trying to swat a mosquito.
Or at least, they were supposed to.
"...!"
By the narrowest margin, Kang Yujin slipped between Shuten-doji’s palms and charged straight toward Yuuki.
“Ah...?!”
She hurriedly moved her arm.
Using Shuten-doji’s forearm, she tried to protect her body.
The defense itself succeeded.
The arm blocked Kang Yujin’s fist.
But the impact traveled through Shuten-doji’s arm and reached Yuuki herself.
“Ugh!”
A heavy shock.
Yuuki nearly fell backward.
But she barely managed to hold her ground.
Don’t underestimate me!
Yuuki’s body was smaller than that of the average woman.
She also had a constitution that made it difficult to develop muscle, leaving her physical condition far below most people.
Even so, she wasn’t so fragile that a single hit would knock her down.
“Kang Yujin!”
Yuuki thrust out her right arm.
Drawing out as much of Shuten-doji’s power as she could, the same power that had once terrified the people of Kyoto a thousand years ago, she attacked Kang Yujin again.
He may be able to produce more explosive force than Shuten-doji for an instant, but in sustained strength, I should have the advantage!
Yuuki had mastered this power.
Shuten-doji had originally been an evil spirit Constellation, and apparently he rarely made Contractors at all.
For some reason, however, he had taken a liking to Yuuki and even allowed her access to Maximum Manifestation.
Once Yuuki became capable of freely using his Constellation Armament, she had trained desperately to master it.
Her physical condition was worse than most people’s, and she had no talent for magic or anything similar.
For Yuuki...
this was the only way she could stand beside Keito and fight.
I can do this! I can control Shuten-doji’s power however I want!
With absolute confidence, Yuuki continued attacking Kang Yujin.
She had been caught off guard before.
But if she used Shuten-doji’s overwhelming power and reach, she could pressure Kang Yujin as much as she wanted.
“Running away like that is pathetic...!”
“You want me to stand there and take it?”
Kang Yujin seemed to be using some sort of skill, moving in a rapid circle.
His intention to slip around Yuuki’s flank was obvious.
Since she already knew what he was trying to do, there was no reason to let him succeed.
“You’re not getting through!”
“Kuh...!”
Shuten-doji’s arm swung out and blocked Kang Yujin’s approach.
With a body nearly ten meters tall, Shuten-doji could stop an opponent’s movement simply by swinging his limbs.
“Die!”
Both of Shuten-doji’s fists slammed down toward Kang Yujin after his movement stopped.
The right fist missed.
But the left struck Kang Yujin directly on the shoulder.
Seeing him stagger, Yuuki felt a surge of exhilaration.
“Got you!”
She immediately opened Shuten-doji’s right hand wide and swung it horizontally.
She intended to slap Kang Yujin away and send him flying into the distant building.
Yuuki had trained this attack based on sumo’s harite.
It was one of her finishing moves, using Shuten-doji’s immense power to send countless enemies flying.
“HAAAH!”
The gigantic palm caught Kang Yujin perfectly.
A flawless hit.
A full-power swing.
I got him!
Yuuki raised her hand, thrilled once again.
The attack had connected perfectly.
Kang Yujin should have taken enough damage to leave him unable to continue.
But...
“Huh?”
Kang Yujin was nowhere to be seen.
He should have flown away and smashed into a building.
But he wasn’t anywhere.
“Where did he go?”
Yuuki hurriedly looked around.
No matter where she searched, she couldn’t find him.
“Up here.”
"...!"
Kang Yujin’s voice came from above her head.
He was hanging from Shuten-doji’s still-raised palm...
with a sword stabbed into it.
Impossible!
Because damage inflicted on Shuten-doji wasn’t directly transferred to Yuuki, she hadn’t noticed.
Yuuki gritted her teeth and swung her arm again.
She intended either to throw Kang Yujin away or shake him loose.
But Kang Yujin used that momentum instead.
He kicked off Shuten-doji’s palm and dropped downward.
"...!"
Yuuki raised Shuten-doji’s other hand to block Kang Yujin descending from above.
But when Kang Yujin swung his fist, a heavy impact struck.
Shuten-doji’s hand was knocked aside.
Internal energy?!
Her head was completely exposed.
If Kang Yujin threw a punch now, Yuuki’s skull would shatter like a watermelon dropped onto concrete.
But!
For the first time, Yuuki used her lower body.
Until now, she had remained in one place while attacking Kang Yujin.
But that didn’t mean she had no movement techniques.
Don’t underestimate me!
There had been others before Kang Yujin who tried to catch Yuuki off guard and land a fatal blow.
But when Yuuki, who had been standing completely still until then, suddenly moved, they would be the ones caught off guard.
He can’t easily change direction in midair...!
[Instant Step].
Yuuki activated the skill that allowed her to move a short distance at extreme speed.
In an instant, she escaped Kang Yujin’s attack range.
She saw Kang Yujin swing his arm uselessly through empty air.
It looked utterly pathetic.
If she used that opening to strike him with Shuten-doji’s monstrous strength...
“Ah.”
At the end of Kang Yujin’s arm, which had swung through the air...
was a massive iron ball attached to a chain.
That flail...!
Yuuki sucked in a breath.
Should she immediately use [Instant Step] again?
Or should she move Shuten-doji and block it?
That brief hesitation decided her fate.
The massive iron ball came flying straight at Yuuki.
She was pretty strong.
Thinking that, Kang Yujin returned his flail to his inventory.
Yuuki had been stronger than he expected.
She could use a powerful Constellation Armament through Maximum Manifestation, and she handled that Armament skillfully.
But she relies on it too much.
Even Lee Jukheon back when he used the Azure Steel Sword hadn’t relied on his Constellation Armament that heavily.
Yuuki seemed to have done some basic physical training, but it was still nowhere near enough.
Still... depending on the situation, even the Eight Guardians could be in danger against people like this.
He had already fought Matsushita.
And after fighting Yuuki, he now had a rough idea of the level of the Tenka Four Heavenly Kings.
Depending on the circumstances, even the Eight Guardians couldn’t be certain of victory against them.
“Hey. You okay?”
Kang Yujin hadn’t been fighting with the intention of killing Yuuki.
He had planned to stop the attack at the last possible moment.
Even the final flail strike had been carefully controlled.
She had probably rolled across the ground and scraped herself up, but she shouldn’t have suffered any serious injuries.
“Ah...”
Kang Yujin felt a little regret.
Because she had rolled around on the rain-soaked ground, the expensive-looking kimono was now completely ruined.
