Chapter 259. The Demons’ Capital (2)
Alexandros’s Awakening Skill, [Dominating Heaven and Earth].
The three-hundred-meter giant created by this Skill had been moving in perfect sync with Alexandros until just moments ago.
It was the same as Yuuki Hina’s Constellation Armament that I fought before.
But now...!
That had changed.
The giant was no longer tracing Alexandros’s movements.
It had started moving completely on its own.
Alexandros fought independently.
And the giant fought independently as well.
So what happened when both of them attacked at once?
“Hmm!”
Heracles grunted as he caught the giant’s fist.
The three-hundred-meter giant created by Alexandros was actually gaining the upper hand against Heracles.
And Alexandros himself...
“Ghk!”
Kang Yujin bit his lip as he blocked Alexandros’s club.
He had felt this ever since they trained together under Heracles.
Alexandros possessed greater raw power than any Contractor Kang Yujin had ever fought.
“Alexandros!”
While fighting him, Kang Yujin raised his voice.
“Ha Mina is controlling you!”
“That seems to be the case.”
Alexandros’s voice was completely different from usual.
It was cold as ice.
“But it doesn’t matter.”
“Alexandros!”
“I’ll defeat you.”
“I’ll defeat Heracles too...”
Alexandros’s heavy strike came crashing down.
“And I will become someone who surpasses Heracles!”
BOOM! BANG!
The club techniques Heracles had personally taught him drove Kang Yujin backward.
Kang Yujin wrapped the [Saint’s Divine Fist] in [Protective Aura] and blocked desperately.
But he couldn’t find a chance to counterattack.
Why does it have to turn out like this?
Kang Yujin was confused.
He had gotten along with Alexandros reasonably well.
But Ha Mina had changed him like this.
First Saionji Keito.
Now Alexandros.
Another victim of Ha Mina.
Can we... never escape Ha Mina’s grasp?
When they captured Ha Mina, Kang Yujin thought the problem had finally been solved.
After learning that Merlin had been behind her, he had practically forgotten about Ha Mina entirely.
But now she had appeared again...
and turned Alexandros into an enemy.
How long was this going to keep happening?
Even if I defeat Alexandros... wouldn’t that just benefit Ha Mina too?
What Ha Mina wanted was to create a body qualified to become Lucifer.
If Kang Yujin defeated Alexandros, he would move one step closer to Lucifer.
That would only benefit Ha Mina.
And... will I end up like this someday too?
It wasn’t just Saionji Keito.
Alexandros had changed too.
Both had possessed strong, independent personalities.
Yet once Ha Mina touched them...
they inevitably became like this.
If Ha Mina is here...
and if she tries to control me the same way she controlled Alexandros...
could I resist?
The thought refused to leave his mind.
“So this is all you amount to, Kang Yujin.”
"...!"
Alexandros’s club smashed into Kang Yujin’s arm and broke his guard.
Alexandros immediately raised one leg.
A brutal front kick sent Kang Yujin flying backward.
That really was like Heracles...!
It was an attack worthy of Heracles’s successor.
The impact left Kang Yujin unable to move for a moment.
“I’ll finish you.”
Alexandros’s muscles swelled as fighting spirit burst from his entire body.
“What are you doing, Kang Yujin?”
At that moment...
a cold voice came from above.
"...!"
Kang Yujin hurriedly raised his head.
High in the sky, a winged horse was flying overhead.
A voice came from its back.
“Why can’t you focus on the fight?”
“That isn’t like you.”
A voice he could never forget.
Kim Nameless...
No.
The Nameless King.
“But Alexandros was taken over by Ha Mina...”
Kang Yujin couldn’t get the words out properly.
He had spent so much time thinking about what he would say when they met again.
But now that the moment had actually come...
he couldn’t speak.
“So I...”
“Kang Yujin.”
The voice reached him again as he stumbled over his words.
“You don’t need to think about any of that.”
“I don’t... need to think?”
“If your thoughts are a mess, think about it later.”
“For now, move your body however your heart tells you.”
“You can think afterward.”
His voice was still calm and cold.
But it didn’t waver.
And somehow...
that reassured Kang Yujin.
“If anything goes wrong because of that, I’ll clean up the mess.”
"..."
The moment he heard those words...
Kang Yujin understood something clearly.
This man truly was...
The Nameless King I admired.
Kang Yujin straightened his posture.
He clenched his fists...
and stared at Alexandros.
“Finished being spoiled?”
“Yeah.”
Kang Yujin took a deep breath as he answered Alexandros’s cold voice.
“This is enough.”
At last, he understood why he had wavered.
The reason Kang Yujin had been able to keep fighting without hesitation all this time...
was because of the Nameless King.
As long as he trusted the one watching over him and continued fighting...
Kang Yujin had believed he would stay on the right path.
But when he learned that Kim Nameless and the Nameless King were the same person...
that belief had shaken.
He understood it logically.
He had accepted it.
But somewhere deep inside...
a thought had remained.
Maybe the Nameless King isn’t really the person I believed he was.
But...
that wasn’t true.
“I can trust him and fight.”
He was still the Nameless King.
Someone Kang Yujin could believe in and follow.
Now that he had confirmed that...
he would no longer waver.
BOOM!
Kang Yujin kicked off the ground.
Alexandros reacted instantly to the sudden charge and raised his guard.
Kang Yujin ignored it.
He thrust out his fist while drawing up his internal energy to the limit from the very beginning.
[Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder: Instant]...!
The modified form of Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder, optimized purely for speed, slammed into Alexandros.
Alexandros managed to block it.
But for just an instant...
his knees shook.
Kang Yujin didn’t miss it.
He used [Circular Step] and slipped toward Alexandros’s flank.
“That won’t work...!”
After countless spars, Alexandros had become familiar with Kang Yujin’s movements.
Even if Kang Yujin used [Circular Step] to attack from the side...
Alexandros could respond.
So Kang Yujin didn’t stop after one step.
[Circular Step, Double Step]...!
Two short uses of [Circular Step] in rapid succession.
The irregular footwork made Alexandros lose sight of Kang Yujin for a split second.
[Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder: Form Breaker]...!
The modified Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder designed to destroy specific body parts shot toward Alexandros’s right arm.
Kang Yujin’s fist struck the elbow precisely.
Alexandros grimaced from the sharp pain...
and dropped his club.
“OOOOOH!”
Alexandros roared and charged barehanded.
But Kang Yujin smoothly redirected his attack.
He knocked it aside before it could even make contact, then broke Alexandros’s posture instead.
And once again...
he punched.
He entered a state of complete immersion and unleashed attack after attack.
I can worry about it later!
For now...
fight however your heart moves.
However your body moves.
Defeat the enemy in front of you.
Nothing else matters.
THUD! BANG!
Short, compact punches struck Alexandros’s torso one after another.
By now...
Kang Yujin completely understood how he needed to hit him.
“This... can’t be...”
Unlike before, Alexandros had been pushed entirely onto the defensive.
