Chapter 40

Chapter 40. White Banner Order (3)

Most Constellations actually expected Sama Yun to have a slight advantage.

Kang Yujin had a sturdy body, but he wasn't covered in huge muscles.

Compared to Sama Yun, who stood 198 centimeters tall and weighed 178 kilograms, Kang Yujin almost looked slim.

Until now, Kang Yujin had fought by relying heavily on his excellent physical ability.

But when it came to pure physique...

Anyone could see that Sama Yun looked far superior.

And that wasn't the only area where Sama Yun seemed better.

Sama Yun was a veteran Contractor with nearly ten years of experience.

He had fought countless monsters and demons.

He had also fought many other Contractors.

A huge amount of real combat experience...

And techniques perfected through those battles...

Kang Yujin couldn't compare.

On top of that, Sama Yun had also been contracted with an S-rank Constellation for a long time.

He had continuously received benefits from his Constellation.

Strength.

Stamina.

Agility.

Magic Power.

All of them had already received S-rank Enhancements.

In practice, Sama Yun had almost reached the maximum amount of benefits a Contractor could normally receive from a Constellation.

Kang Yujin might also be contracted with an S-rank Constellation...

But he had not been a Contractor for very long.

The only S-rank Enhancement engraved on him so far was S-rank Strength Enhancement.

He still had a great deal of room to grow.

Because of all these factors, most Constellations believed Sama Yun had the advantage.

If Kang Yujin wanted to win, he would probably need help from his companions, just as he had during the battle against the Four Perils.

That was what most Constellations believed.

Yes.

At least...

That was what they believed until now.

"Kang Yujin."

Sama Yun spat blood from his mouth.

"You made one mistake."

"Mistake?"

"I heard you have enough strength to destroy any enemy with a single punch."

Sama Yun smiled.

"Then you should've destroyed me with that first punch."

Immediately afterward...

Sama Yun moved.

Fast.

Until now, the fastest Contractor Kang Yujin had encountered was Lee Jukheon.

But Sama Yun was even faster.

The mountain of muscle charged forward at incredible speed.

[D-rank Constellation 'Ghost Who Burned the Tower' screams.]

[B-rank Constellation 'General Faster Than the Red Horse' shouts that it is dangerous.]

Kang Yujin couldn't counterattack.

He couldn't dodge either.

All he could do was raise both arms and defend.

BOOM!

The impact felt like being hit by a flying boulder.

Kang Yujin slid backward across the ground.

Sama Yun didn't stop.

His arms, thick as logs, moved without pause.

Heavy punches rained down on Kang Yujin.

[B-rank Constellation 'Archer Who Overcame Trials' laments that it is difficult to counterattack under such pressure.]

[A-rank Constellation 'Naval Commander Holding a Pitchfork' analyzes that Sama Yun could easily dodge even if Kang Yujin tried to counterattack.]

[A-rank Constellation 'Third Son of the War God' admires Sama Yun's technique as well as his physical abilities.]

Kang Yujin tried to understand Sama Yun's attack patterns.

But the moment Kang Yujin moved his arms into a stronger defensive position...

Sama Yun raised his leg.

The impact felt like being hit by a giant mace.

Kang Yujin flew backward.

"Hey, hey."

Jason's noisy voice came through the communication window.

"What's going on?"

"Kang Yujin is the one getting knocked around this time."

Jason grinned.

"That's completely different from usual."

"Oh no. This is terrible!"

"You sound strangely happy."

"Me?"

Jason laughed.

"Hahaha! Of course not!"

Was he remembering the time Kang Yujin had beaten him and enjoying the sight?

"Anyway, isn't this dangerous?"

Jason continued.

"He looks like he's being overwhelmed by Sama Yun."

"That's kind of how it looks."

"Honestly, I expected Kang Yujin to fight Sama Yun together with Lee Jukheon and the others."

Jason shrugged.

"I thought they'd have a chance if they did that."

"But..."

He shook his head.

"The others can't help Kang Yujin right now."

"..."

Jason was right.

Not only Lee Jukheon, but also Seok Taejun and Joo Minha were unable to help Kang Yujin.

Contractors from the White Banner Order and the Church were attacking them desperately, preventing them from moving.

Even trying to fly into the sky on the Chimera was useless.

"Looking at this..."

Jason narrowed his eyes.

"They definitely wanted Kang Yujin and Sama Yun to fight one-on-one."

"Probably."

I couldn't tell whether the Priest King had directly ordered it or Sama Yun had decided it himself.

But the enemy clearly wanted a duel between Kang Yujin and Sama Yun.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Jason asked.

"Are you giving him a Great Blessing?"

"..."

"Think carefully."

A Constellation could grant a Contractor a Blessing in real time.

It could increase their abilities or provide resistance against specific types of attacks.

Normally, a Constellation watched the Contractor and granted a Blessing whenever they believed it was necessary.

But it was impossible to personally watch every Contractor scattered around the world.

That was why most Constellations had automated systems.

Of course, I only had Kang Yujin's group.

So I personally handled all of their Blessings.

"You already know this, but after granting one Blessing, you can't grant another for a while."

Jason continued.

"And the strongest Blessing, the Great Blessing, only lasts five minutes."

The Great Blessing massively increased Strength, Stamina, Agility, and Magic Power for five minutes.

It consumed a lot of Origin Power.

But among ordinary Blessings, it was the strongest.

I had often used it to temporarily increase Kang Yujin's strength.

However...

Against a Contractor like Sama Yun, it had to be used carefully.

"If you give Kang Yujin a Great Blessing, Sama Yun's Constellation will give one to him too."

Jason explained.

"Or he could wait until Kang Yujin's Blessing ends and then grant Sama Yun a Great Blessing."

"..."

"It's a battle of timing."

Jason looked serious.

"You can't panic and give Kang Yujin a Great Blessing just because he's being pushed back right now."

Surprisingly, Jason was giving me sincere advice.

Was he actually worried?

To reward his goodwill, I decided to reveal a little of my plan.

"Don't worry."

"What?"

"I have no intention of giving him a Blessing right now."

"Good. First, watch how things develop and then..."

"To be precise..."

I interrupted him.

"I have no intention of giving Kang Yujin a Blessing just to defeat the current Sama Yun."

"What?"

Jason froze.

"What are you talking about?"

I answered calmly.

"Kang Yujin can defeat Sama Yun without a Blessing."

"What?"

"Stop talking so much."

I leaned back against my chair.

"Just watch the screen."

Jason fell silent.

I stared forward calmly.

"It's about to begin."

Sama Yun couldn't believe his eyes.

"..."

He hadn't held back.

That kick had been delivered with enough power to rupture a person's internal organs.

And yet...

Kang Yujin stood up with a perfectly normal expression.

"That hurt a little."

"..."

He was rubbing his stomach.

But he didn't look badly injured.

"Why are you fine?"

Sama Yun frowned.

"Is your armor that good?"

"There's something I realized recently."

"What?"

"I can't do much if someone cuts me with a blade or shoots me..."

Kang Yujin stretched his shoulders.

"But I think I can endure blunt-force attacks if I tense my muscles properly."

"..."

"If I'm completely caught off guard, it's different."

Sama Yun looked stunned.

Kang Yujin calmly brushed dust from his clothes.

"Oh."

He looked back at Sama Yun.

"There's something else."

"What?"

"I realized something while you were beating me up just now."

"What did you realize?"

The instant Sama Yun asked...

Kang Yujin moved.

"You really do learn a lot by fighting people."

It only lasted for an instant...

But Sama Yun felt like he was looking into a mirror.

Kang Yujin rushed forward using almost the exact same movement Sama Yun had used earlier.

By the time Sama Yun realized it...

It was already too late.

"Urgh!"

Kang Yujin's fist slammed into Sama Yun's torso.

Sama Yun hurriedly raised his guard.

But Kang Yujin didn't stop.

Punch after punch followed.

Every attack looked almost identical to the attacks Sama Yun himself had used against Kang Yujin moments earlier.

"Until now..."

Kang Yujin continued attacking while speaking.

"I thought fighting was just about finding an opening and punching it."

"W-What?"

"But I was wrong."

His expression remained calm.

"I understood that after watching you move."

His attacks continued without pause.

"Footwork?"

"Steps?"

"I don't know what you call it."

Kang Yujin shifted his feet.

"But today is the first time I realized how important moving your legs is."

He threw another punch.

"I also just realized that your posture when throwing a punch changes both its speed and power."

Sama Yun's eyes widened.

"You bastard..."

His voice trembled.

"You're only learning something that basic now...?"

"I can't help it."

Kang Yujin answered coldly.

"I only came out of that basement recently."

"..."

"Nobody ever taught me how to fight."

"...!"

Sama Yun shuddered.

He never learned how to fight?!

He couldn't believe it.

Then...

Had this man been fighting purely through instinct until now?

Impossible!

There were members of the White Banner Order who were simply stupidly strong.

Even when they were taught techniques, they couldn't absorb them properly.

Eventually, they could do nothing except rely on raw strength.

Kang Yujin was completely different.

Even earlier, while defending against Sama Yun's attacks, he had been reading the trajectories of those attacks and blocking intelligently like an experienced martial artist.

And now Sama Yun was being told that none of that came from technique or experience.

It had all been instinct?

If this bastard actually learns techniques and gains experience in the future...

A chill ran down Sama Yun's spine.

He could not allow someone this dangerous to remain alive.

If he becomes even stronger...

Sama Yun clenched his teeth.

"The world will become a nest of demons!"

If Kang Yujin had been an ordinary Contractor, Sama Yun would've praised his talent and wished him a bright future.

But Kang Yujin belonged to the Black Dragon Society and cooperated with demons.

That meant Sama Yun had to destroy him before he could grow any further.

"Hup!"

Kang Yujin's fist flew toward his face.

Sama Yun deliberately allowed the punch to land.

Because he wanted to grab Kang Yujin's arm.

I'll use everything I have...

His mouth split open and blood flowed down his lips.

I'll crush him right here!

Sama Yun grabbed Kang Yujin's arm and tried to twist it until it broke.

But...

Kang Yujin's cold voice reached his ears.

"With your level of skill, you probably already noticed."

Sama Yun froze.

Kang Yujin looked directly at him.

"I'm stronger than you too."

CRACK.

Sama Yun's arm twisted in the opposite direction.

[A-rank Constellation 'Third Son of the War God' marvels at his incredible bravery.]

[C-rank Constellation 'Prince Who Killed His Father' is shocked and asks where such strength comes from.]

[C-rank Constellation 'Attendant Faster Than Light' suggests that Kang Yujin may have trained in martial arts.]

[A-rank Constellation 'Adventurous Sailor' agrees that such physical abilities would not be strange for a martial artist.]

Some distance away from the battlefield...

An old highway bus lay overturned on the road.

A man wearing glasses sat on its roof and watched the battlefield through binoculars.

"The Constellations were probably misunderstanding something too."

"Bishop, what do you mean?"

A subordinate standing below the bus asked.

"Sama Yun is taller."

The man continued without even looking down.

"He's heavier."

"He has far more muscle."

"Naturally, everyone would assume Sama Yun has better physical specs."

"Bishop...?"

"But..."

The man's lips curled upward.

"That doesn't mean he's stronger than Kang Yujin."

He watched Kang Yujin fighting Sama Yun far in the distance.

Then he smiled.

"Kang Yujin is an experimental subject we modified with painstaking effort."

"He escaped before the process was complete, so he's still imperfect..."

His smile deepened.

"But there's no way Kang Yujin would lose a contest of strength against some muscle-brained gorilla."

He sounded almost proud.

Then he lowered the binoculars.

"Accepting the White Banner Order's request and coming all the way here was worth it."

He stood up.

"Let's head back."

"What?"

The subordinate looked surprised.

"We're returning to Cheonan already?"

"The battle isn't over yet."

"We don't have time to waste."

The man pushed his glasses back into place with his index finger.

Then he smiled.

"I need to prepare to welcome back my beloved experimental animal."