Chapter 93

Chapter 93. The Path of the Beast (2)

Cheon Sangwoon could use a destructive light that erased his enemies.

It was the concept of the fourth beast...

A creature that trampled and devoured everything...

Converted into energy.

Its speed and power existed on an entirely different level from ordinary magic.

But...

Cheon Sangwoon wasn't yet accustomed to using it.

He had to decide who he wanted to attack...

Aim precisely...

And then fire.

Of course...

The entire process took less than a second.

But against an S-rank or higher Contractor...

That was longer than it sounded.

Right now...

Kang Yujin had jumped from the Chimera and landed on the beast's head.

He was closing the distance aggressively.

At this range...

Kang Yujin's movements were far faster and more violent than before.

To fight him in close combat...

Even Cheon Sangwoon needed to concentrate.

That meant...

He had no room to raise his hand and carefully aim the destructive light.

If he showed even the slightest opening...

Kang Yujin would rush in and land a fatal blow.

That was why...

Cheon Sangwoon couldn't use the destructive light against Kang Yujin.

Kang Yujin could use [Shatter Everything].

An Awakening Skill artificially awakened through his Constellation.

By striking the absolute weak point of an object...

It could destroy anything with one blow.

But...

Because the attack had to land at the exact position, angle, and force...

It wasn't as easy to use as it sounded.

His target wasn't Cheon Sangwoon blocking his path.

It was the fourth beast beneath his feet.

There was no chance Cheon Sangwoon would simply allow him to use it.

Right now...

Cheon Sangwoon was doing everything he could to suppress Kang Yujin on top of the beast's head.

Even without Durandal...

Cheon Sangwoon remained powerful.

He launched sharp attacks without giving Kang Yujin even a moment to relax...

Constantly forcing him backward.

Because of that...

Finding the fourth beast's absolute weak point and striking it precisely was impossible.

If Kang Yujin showed even the slightest opening...

Cheon Sangwoon would rush in and land a fatal blow.

That was why...

Kang Yujin couldn't use [Shatter Everything] on the fourth beast.

"What an incredible exchange...!"

In one corner of the Spirit Realm...

Bradamante gasped while watching the observation device.

She had forgotten entirely that she was a prisoner tied up from head to toe.

Her eyes were fixed on Kang Yujin and Cheon Sangwoon's battle.

"Neither side is giving an inch!"

"They both know that showing even the smallest opening could be fatal!"

Lee Gyu shouted excitedly beside her.

His job was supposed to be guarding Bradamante while the throne's owner was away.

But he had already forgotten about that too.

"Looking at it now, Kang Yujin was unbelievably lucky just to get onto that monster!"

"If Cheon Sangwoon hadn't shown openings several times in a row, even the Chimera wouldn't have gotten him up there!"

"Exactly!"

"Cheon Sangwoon is overwhelmingly stronger while using the beast's power!"

"But once he allowed Kang Yujin into close combat..."

"That advantage became meaningless!"

"Now they have no choice but to fight on equal footing!"

If Kang Yujin had remained on the ground like before...

The destructive light would already have erased him.

Whether through coincidence or inevitability...

Cheon Sangwoon had repeatedly exposed openings.

And Seok Taejun had appeared with the Chimera at precisely the right moment.

That had allowed Kang Yujin to fight Cheon Sangwoon on equal ground.

"When I watch something like this..."

"I want to descend to Earth and fight too!"

"My blood's boiling!"

"Exactly!"

"As a knight, how could I watch something like this and not feel restless?!"

The two agreed enthusiastically.

That was how fierce the exchange between Kang Yujin and Cheon Sangwoon had become.

[A-rank Constellation "Flower-Tattooed Monk" grows excited by the fierce battle.]

[A-rank Constellation "Flower-Tattooed Monk" sponsors Kang Yujin with 5 million Coins.]

[A-rank Constellation "Flower-Tattooed Monk" sponsors Cheon Sangwoon with 5 million Coins.]

[S-rank Constellation "Hero King of Monstrous Strength" watches the battle with sweaty palms.]

[S-rank Constellation "Hero King of Monstrous Strength" sponsors Kang Yujin with 20 million Coins.]

[S-rank Constellation "Hero King of Monstrous Strength" sponsors Cheon Sangwoon with 20 million Coins.]

Countless Constellations were watching.

Even though the battle was still ongoing...

More than 100 million Coins had already been donated.

Kang Yujin ignored the messages.

The only thing he thought was...

With so many Constellations watching...

He couldn't fight in a way that would disgrace the honor of the Great One.

"Cheon Sangwoon...!"

Kang Yujin roared and charged.

But Cheon Sangwoon disappeared from his vision.

Kang Yujin instinctively twisted his body and raised one arm.

BOOM!

Cheon Sangwoon's fist collided with Kang Yujin's forearm.

Cheon Sangwoon had entered Kang Yujin's flank without leaving even an afterimage.

His movement was almost identical to the [Circular Step] Skill Kang Yujin had learned from Jegal Geum.

Could Cheon Sangwoon really reproduce that kind of movement without Skill assistance?

Their eyes met for an instant.

Then both attacked.

Every time their bodies collided...

The space around them trembled.

He's this strong even in barehanded combat...?!

Kang Yujin clicked his tongue.

But he didn't feel afraid.

Instead...

He felt exhilarated.

The fact that he was fighting a man this strong...

Excited him.

Riding that excitement...

Kang Yujin used [Circular Step] and slipped toward Cheon Sangwoon's side.

It was the same two-step variation that had landed a clean hit earlier.

BOOM!

But Cheon Sangwoon knocked Kang Yujin's fist aside with ease.

Kang Yujin couldn't land the attack cleanly like before.

"Don't think the same trick will work on me twice!"

Cheon Sangwoon roared.

His sharp fist aimed to pierce Kang Yujin's chest.

Of course...

Kang Yujin had already entered his next movement.

THOOM!

This time...

Kang Yujin blocked Cheon Sangwoon's attack.

Then he rotated his body and launched a low kick toward Cheon Sangwoon's legs.

More.

Kang Yujin didn't stop.

He moved at full strength...

Forgetting even to breathe.

More.

Again.

Again.

Again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Each time Cheon Sangwoon blocked...

The surrounding air trembled.

To withstand Kang Yujin's barrage...

Cheon Sangwoon had no choice but to maintain a defensive posture.

But every time a blow landed...

That posture shook slightly more.

It's working!

Cheon Sangwoon didn't possess a body made of steel.

Against the raw power of Kang Yujin's modified body...

Damage inevitably accumulated.

If Cheon Sangwoon still had Durandal in his hand...

This wouldn't have happened.

But with Durandal knocked dozens of meters below...

He had to block Kang Yujin's attacks barehanded.

And the damage kept piling up.

Even if he's an SS-rank Contractor...

Kang Yujin became certain.

That certainty made his fists faster.

Stronger.

I can win.

BOOOOM!

For the first time...

Pain appeared on Cheon Sangwoon's face.

"Kang Yujin!"

Cheon Sangwoon's defensive posture collapsed.

Kang Yujin didn't miss the fist-sized opening that appeared.

Zhenjiao.

He slammed his foot into the ground...

And drove his fist through that narrow gap.

Kang Yujin's full-power punch struck Cheon Sangwoon's chest.

With a thunderous impact...

Cheon Sangwoon was finally forced backward.

This bastard gets stronger the longer we fight!

Being pushed back...

Cheon Sangwoon inhaled sharply.

But...!

Of course...

He hadn't intentionally created this situation.

He had only been forced out of position because accumulated damage made it difficult to maintain his defense.

Even so...

Cheon Sangwoon's experience allowed him to find a path to victory.

"Ugh...!"

Instead of planting his feet and trying to stop...

He deliberately kicked off the ground and let himself fly farther backward.

He used the force of Kang Yujin's punch to create distance.

He grabbed one of the beast's horns with his left hand to stabilize himself...

Then raised his right.

To activate the destructive light.

"...!"

Kang Yujin immediately charged.

Would Cheon Sangwoon fire first?

Or would Kang Yujin reach him and knock his arm aside first?

Cheon Sangwoon was certain...

He would be faster.

But then...

He sensed something strange above him.

"...!"

His instincts forced him to move.

Far overhead...

The Chimera had appeared.

And from its back...

Magic Bullet-Type Magic rained down.

Seok Taejun had found Joo Minha...

And carried him into the sky.

Of course...

An attack like that wasn't enough to seriously hurt Cheon Sangwoon.

He could have simply taken it head-on.

But Cheon Sangwoon still moved.

The magic is camouflage!

Hidden inside the blinding barrage...

The Durandal Replica flew past Cheon Sangwoon's ear.

It had been thrown while Joo Minha's magic obscured his vision.

But Cheon Sangwoon dodged it.

Kang Yujin had also stopped for a moment to avoid being caught in the magical barrage.

So now...

"...!"

At that moment...

Lee Jukheon burst from behind a massive horn.

His speed was like lightning.

"Cheon Sangwoon!"

Yoon Miho's sword was in his hand.

A weapon more than capable of inflicting fatal damage on Cheon Sangwoon.

But...

Cheon Sangwoon reacted even to Lee Jukheon.

Lee Jukheon's movement was as fast as Yoon Miho's...

But Cheon Sangwoon's senses had sharpened even further by this point.

He saw through every movement.

"Ugh!"

Lee Jukheon took a blow to the shoulder and rolled across the beast's head.

At the same time...

Cheon Sangwoon turned and raised his right arm.

He had perfectly predicted that Kang Yujin would charge from that direction.

Block Kang Yujin's attack with his right arm...

Then counter.

It was entirely possible.

But what entered Cheon Sangwoon's vision...

Was Kang Yujin charging with Durandal raised in his hand.

"...!"

For the first time...

Cheon Sangwoon was completely caught off guard.

Why was Kang Yujin holding his weapon?

Seok Taejun must have recovered Durandal after it fell...!

The Magic Bullet barrage hadn't been meant to hide the Durandal Replica.

Even the Durandal Replica had been another decoy.

Seok Taejun had thrown Durandal to Kang Yujin...

And now Kang Yujin rushed in with it.

Cheon Sangwoon's right arm flew through the air...

And fell to the ground.

Then...

Kang Yujin's perfectly aimed fist struck Cheon Sangwoon's chest.

"He did it!"

Princess Longji cried out when she saw Cheon Sangwoon collapse...

Vomiting blood...

One arm severed.

It had been such a narrow reversal.

And because Princess Longji had been cheering for Kang Yujin's group...

She couldn't help but celebrate.

"Maintain your dignity, Princess Longji."

"Stop looking at me!"

"Even if you saw it, pretend you didn't!"

Hearing Wen Zhong's voice through the communication window...

Princess Longji flushed bright red.

Still...

She was happy.

Wiping the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes...

She immediately reached for the observation device to send a donation.

"Wait, Princess Longji."

"What?"

"What happens from here is more important."

"Nothing is over yet."

Wen Zhong's voice was tense.

Lying on the beast's head...

Cheon Sangwoon understood that he had suffered a fatal wound.

But he felt no sense of crisis.

The instant he realized he was critically injured...

He also understood that it wasn't really a problem.

Only my human body is wounded.

Cheon Sangwoon was connected to the fourth beast.

He was serving as the "new horn" that ruled it.

Although their bodies were still separated...

If Cheon Sangwoon wished...

He could completely merge with the fourth beast.

If he did that...

His current fatal injuries would no longer matter.

...Though he would no longer be able to maintain a human appearance.

If I become like that...

Can I still lead people?

For an instant...

Unease surged through him.

But Cheon Sangwoon tried to erase the thought.

Obtaining the beast's power and leading the world...

Was his duty.

He couldn't allow that conviction to waver.

With that thought...

Cheon Sangwoon placed his hand against the beast's head.

Then...

Something entered his vision.

A black-haired woman stood on the highest point of the beast's head.

Seo Youngmi?

Seo Youngmi was Lee Hyeonje's deputy...

An S-rank Contractor contracted to the "Fairy Who Controls Water."

She had followed Lee Hyeonje into battle today...

But hadn't done anything particularly memorable.

Why was she standing there alone?

And why...

Was she smiling so seductively?

"Ah..."

Cheon Sangwoon finally understood.

That smile...

That woman...

"Daji...!"

"You noticed rather late, Cheon Sangwoon."

Daji.

The nine-tailed fox demon he had released from her seal for this plan.

The woman he thought had escaped somewhere...

Had disguised herself as Seo Youngmi and come all the way here.

"Cheon Sangwoon."

"You gave me many roles."

"Disguise myself as Ha Mina and feed false information to the Eight Guardians."

"Seduce Kang Yujin and bring him to our side."

"Daji, you...!"

"But..."

"There was another role you wanted me to perform."

"One you never told me about."

Cheon Sangwoon inhaled sharply.

It was a secret among secrets...

Prepared so carefully that not even Somun Gwang knew.

Only one person could have discovered it.

That man who had once left Cheon Sangwoon.

"Daji, stop!"

"Why are you so agitated?"

"I'm only trying to perform the 'role' you planned for me."

Daji spoke mockingly.

"If something went wrong and you lost control of the fourth beast..."

"You intended to use me to control it."

"Daji...!"

"Of course..."

"You probably intended to make me a puppet."

"But I have no intention of letting that happen."

Impossible.

That demon didn't possess the knowledge required to perform the role alone.

Then...

Who was behind her?

"Just as you wanted..."

"I'll play the role of the 'woman riding the beast,' Cheon Sangwoon."

At that moment...

The connection binding Cheon Sangwoon to the beast became horribly twisted.

The fourth beast...

Which had remained silent under Cheon Sangwoon's complete control...

Began thrashing wildly and roaring.