Chapter 240. Beowulf (2)
Kang Yujin launched himself forward while drawing up every last bit of his internal energy.
He had no idea what trick Kim Nameless had used, but somehow he had slipped right into Beowulf’s guard and planted bullets in his body.
Beowulf had staggered from the impact.
Kang Yujin couldn’t let that opening go to waste.
Kim Nameless...
To be honest, Kim Nameless had never looked particularly strong.
Sure, he seemed far stronger than an ordinary Contractor, but Kang Yujin hadn’t thought he was on a level where he could directly interfere in battles between Constellations.
But once the fight actually began...
that assumption proved completely wrong.
He was... this strong?
Kang Yujin wasn’t talking about strength or speed.
Kim Nameless moved with eerie precision, as though he already knew exactly how his opponent would attack, and exploited every opening that appeared.
To Kang Yujin, that fighting style looked almost like a completed work of art.
Can he see every move the opponent is going to make? That’s incredible.
He had no choice but to admit it.
Kim Nameless was unquestionably formidable.
But...!
That didn’t mean Kang Yujin had any intention of falling behind.
I’ll win in my own way!
Last time, Kang Yujin had lost to Heracles.
His trump card, [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder], had been completely shut down when Heracles caught the attack itself with his hand.
But Kang Yujin hadn’t simply wasted his time since then.
Through repeated energy circulation, he had refined his internal energy even further.
He had also gone through trial and error to learn how to use it more efficiently.
And...
If I use the technique I’ve been refining all this time...!
In the past, Kang Yujin had simply repeated the exact movements Zhuge Jin had taught him.
But Kang Yujin and Zhuge Jin had completely different body types and levels of physical strength.
The motions Zhuge Jin had created for [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder] had been optimized for Zhuge Jin himself.
They were not optimized for Kang Yujin.
So Kang Yujin had begun searching for the ideal movements on his own.
He checked every joint movement one by one, trying to make everything as efficient as possible.
Eventually, he realized there couldn’t be a single fixed movement that was always correct.
The optimal form would inevitably change depending on the situation and the intended purpose.
That was when Kang Yujin began modifying [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder] in his own way and creating multiple variations.
He also returned to the fundamentals of his [Fa Jin] Skill, studying from scratch how to maximize the conversion between potential and kinetic energy.
For Kang Yujin, who had always preferred learning simple finishing moves, it was an incredibly difficult process.
Even so, he had patiently devoted himself to training.
Because no matter who the opponent was...
even if it was a Constellation...
he never wanted to lose like that again.
Beowulf’s eyes widened as killing intent poured from him and he raised his fist.
The relaxed attitude he had shown until now was gone.
This time, he clearly intended to crush his opponent with everything he had.
Kang Yujin didn’t shrink back.
This is the Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder I refined myself!
Beowulf’s fist shot toward Kang Yujin.
A straight punch carrying enough power to pulverize a person.
And Kang Yujin’s target...
was that very fist.
His variation designed specifically for destroying body parts, [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder: Form Breaker], struck Beowulf’s fist head-on.
And completely shattered it.
"...!"
Kang Yujin could see the shock in Beowulf’s face.
The overwhelming internal energy released by the modified technique didn’t stop after crushing his fist.
It surged up the arm and disabled the entire limb.
Beowulf tried to counterattack with the Giant’s Sword in his other hand.
But by then, Kang Yujin had already used [Circular Step] to move to Beowulf’s exposed side.
“HAAAAAAP!”
He already knew where to strike.
The exact spot on Beowulf’s side where Kim Nameless had risked himself to plant those bullets.
The wounds were still there.
Kang Yujin drove his true finishing blow straight into them.
A technique Kang Yujin himself had created to maximize destructive power against beings like Heracles.
The original [Heaven-Breaking Great Thunder] spread lightning-like internal energy across the opponent’s entire body, blowing away things like [Protective Aura] or a demonic barrier.
This version was different.
Instead of spreading the energy across the entire body...
he focused everything into a single point.
Like driving a spear of lightning into the target, he forced penetrating energy straight through.
Its name was...
[Heaven-Breaking Great Thunder: Infinity].
The instant Kang Yujin’s fist landed...
the overwhelming force erupted and pierced straight through Beowulf’s body.
Everyone held their breath.
I couldn’t confirm it directly, but even the Constellations in the Spirit Realm were probably doing the same.
Had a mere Contractor...
really defeated the S-rank Constellation ‘Hero King of Monstrous Strength,’ famous for his unparalleled courage?
Everyone, including me, watched in silence to find out.
"..."
Kang Yujin withdrew his fist and stepped back.
Beowulf remained standing.
He was using the sword over two meters long as a cane.
“Well, damn.”
At last, Beowulf spoke.
“This is embarrassing.”
His voice was surprisingly relaxed.
“To think I lost in a contest of fists.”
“I might have to give up the title ‘Hero King of Monstrous Strength.’”
“You really were strong.”
Kang Yujin slowly answered Beowulf.
“You’re probably one of the two strongest opponents I’ve ever fought.”
“The other one is Heracles?”
Beowulf gave a small grin.
“Whatever.”
“I got to cut loose and enjoy a real fight.”
“That’s satisfying enough for me.”
“Beowulf.”
I addressed him carefully.
“Why are you cooperating with Merlin?”
"..."
“What exactly do you gain from helping him?”
“Gain?”
Beowulf chuckled again.
“I don’t live my life calculating things like that.”
“What?”
“All I want is to fight powerful enemies with my own hands.”
Beowulf spoke with a peaceful expression.
“When I want to fight a monster, I go fight a monster.”
“When I want to fight a dragon, I go fight a dragon.”
