novelraw Chapter 250 : Chapter 250
Chapter 250 : Chapter 250
Chapter 250: Decisive Battle (2)
As Ho-cheol swung his sword with both hands, the pendulum of victory that had tilted toward Smiley became taut again.
Craaack—!
Every time he swung the sword, cracks appeared in the air as if space were being crushed.
The cracks gradually increased in number, surrounding Smiley before anyone knew it.
Taking a step back, Ho-cheol stomped his foot hard.
Boooom—!
The cracks exploded and engulfed Smiley.
Through the rising dust, Peacemaker pierced through.
Clang—!
Ho-cheol tried to deflect the attack aimed at his solar plexus by tilting his sword, but its power left a heavy pain in his hand even though he had deflected it perfectly.
"It won't work. Such old-fashioned techniques."
Pushing away the dust lightly, Smiley hummed a tune.
Her clothes were just slightly singed; this kind of attack didn't leave a single scratch on her.
Without a word, Ho-cheol swung his sword downward, aiming for Smiley's legs.
Smiley gripped the staff in a reverse hold and struck down on the side of the sword.
The trajectory twisted, and she extended her hand forward, aiming for Ho-cheol's collar.
Ho-cheol twisted his upper body sideways to avoid her grasp.
The sword, sliding up along the side of the staff, aimed for her wrist.
Chaeng—!
Just before the sword could slice her wrist, Smiley also spun the staff in her hand—whirl—and deflected it.
Sword and staff clashed, continuing a contest of strength.
Screech—
The unpleasant noise of metal grinding against metal pressed down on the space.
"Aren't you going to use your Trait?"
At Smiley's question mixed with ridicule, Ho-cheol clicked his tongue.
To say such nonsense when she knew everything.
His Trait that compresses time was already being activated at full power.
However, Smiley stepped into his time all too easily and moved around freely.
Originally, Ho-cheol's Trait had the effect of half-suppressing the opponent's Trait as well, but Smiley's Trait only affected herself and didn't affect the battle itself, so she wasn't pushed back at all even in terms of compatibility with Ho-cheol.
Their powers pushed against each other and locked at the center line.
Smiley momentarily let go of the staff and swung her fist at Ho-cheol.
Ho-cheol bent his right arm and raised it to block the fist.
Thud—!
The power seemed to ring even his bones.
Simultaneously with her attack being blocked, Smiley swung her opposite leg.
A kick with intense momentum flying toward his left temple.
Ho-cheol moved the arm that had blocked the punch to the side and blocked the kick.
Even with just simple kicks and punches, the sound of air tearing echoed.
Receiving a series of attacks, Ho-cheol swung his sword.
The sword, shot out while twisting his wrist, ignored the laws of physics and changed its trajectory as it pleased.
The twisted sword strike narrowly sliced lightly under Smiley's eye.
One would expect hesitation or a frown from the pain at least once, but neither of them let out even a faint sound.
Chaeng—! Chang—! Clang—!
Sword and staff clashed consecutively, scattering sparks and metal fragments.
After exchanging hundreds, perhaps thousands of blows, it was Ho-cheol who realized the change first.
Crack—!
A very small but clear crack was engraved on the blade part of the Purple Crystal Sword.
Ho-cheol's expression hardened.
Following that, a deep smile appeared on Smiley's lips.
The skills were definitely equal.
Yet, he couldn't hold out due to the difference in the level of the weapons themselves.
Ho-cheol's Purple Crystal Sword was also a clear masterpiece made with great care by a master craftsman and reforged by his successor.
But Smiley's Peacemaker was a treasure that would be counted on one hand in human history.
Ho-cheol continued the battle delicately to minimize strain on the sword as much as possible, but.
Creak—
Eventually, unable to overcome the accumulated dull shocks, the crack grew larger.
Before long.
Snap—!
Eventually, the Purple Crystal Sword couldn't hold out and broke in half.
Purple fragments fluttered between Smiley and Ho-cheol.
His own face reflected like a mirror in the broken blade.
Smiley realized she was smiling brighter than ever.
"I. Won."
She declared, suppressing her laughter.
No matter how strong Ho-cheol was, the difference between holding a sword and being bare-handed was clear.
Bare-handed Ho-cheol couldn't beat the armed her even if he died and woke up again.
The weapon destruction just now was a fatal difference enough to determine the outcome in the taut battle.
And Ho-cheol's expression reflected through the broken weapon must be distorted as well.
Smiley's expression hardened upon seeing his face.
The moment their eyes met, his expression was all too calm.
As if he had predicted this situation, no.
Rather, as if he had been waiting for it.
Why?
Before Smiley could understand the meaning of that smile, Ho-cheol changed his stance.
Discarding the sword with only the handle remaining to the side, he placed his hand on his waist again.
His waist where there was nothing, where nothing should be.
Yet his posture looked as if he were drawing a sword.
And in his hand slowly drawing out…….
A real Purple Crystal Sword was emitting a more ferocious light than ever.
"What the!"
Smiley had no choice but to be astonished.
What was the Purple Crystal Sword that just shattered, and what is this again!
Just as Smiley had said earlier, this time Ho-cheol lowered his body and declared.
"You shouldn't let your guard down."
The hidden card Ho-cheol prepared.
He made a Purple Crystal Sword that looked exactly the same, and compressed the size of the real Crystal Sword infinitely through his Trait.
If it were Smiley, she would be certain of victory the moment his sword broke during battle.
And that would lead to letting her guard down.
Rather, it was an effective trap because he knew Smiley too well.
And as he expected, Smiley's carelessness was proven by her defenseless posture and fully exposed vital points.
Conditions, distance, and even state.
It was a situation where he could perfectly take her life.
Ho-cheol bit his lip and swung the sword horizontally just like that.
It was the final blow to cut flesh, sever bone, and stop her breath.
Smiley also belatedly adjusted her grip on the staff and thrust it toward Ho-cheol.
The moment the sword and staff crossed, both saw a short future simultaneously.
Ho-cheol's sword cut her down, and Smiley's staff couldn't reach him.
The one standing was Ho-cheol, the one falling was Smiley.
That was the end of this match.
It definitely should have ended like that.
Creak—!
A short silence flowed.
It was Ho-cheol who opened his mouth first in that silence.
The corners of his mouth trembled faintly.
"Can't be helped, huh."
It was Ho-cheol's obvious victory.
But if there was something he hadn't expected.
He was a softer human than he thought.
No, he had become soft.
At the final moment, he couldn't take the half-step he should have dug in further originally and withdrew his sword.
His sword, without a drop of blood spattered on it, only barely grazed Smiley's collar.
"Foolish."
Muttering a curse directed at no one knew who, he slowly lowered his head to check his solar plexus.
Unlike his sword, Peacemaker had struck his solar plexus properly.
A fist-sized hole appeared in his solar plexus which allowed the fatal blow.
And this time he looked back.
A mountain several kilometers away behind him.
The top part of that mountain had completely evaporated.
Even just the aftermath of the attack had that much power.
The state of his body that took that directly, naturally…….
Cough—
Ho-cheol vomited a mouthful of blood and barely kept his balance by stabbing his sword into the ground.
To think all his internal organs turned to mush just from being hit by one staff.
Well, since the other side must have sensed death and thrust with full power, it wasn't a very surprising result.
He barely raised his head and looked at Smiley.
"……Since I lost anyway, don't touch the people around me. Release that So-hee girl too."
Smiley, who had been looking back and forth between Ho-cheol and her staff in bewilderment just until a moment ago, belatedly came to her senses.
Hugging the staff and crossing her arms, she tilted her head.
The outcome was decided.
However, there was no joy of victory felt in her expression at all.
Rather, she narrowed her brows as if displeased.
"Is that something you should say right now, Hocheol? Shouldn't you be grinding your teeth saying it's not over yet and attacking somehow?"
Covering her mouth with one hand, she mumbled softly.
"This is troublesome. Well, can't be helped."
She crouched down and looked up at Ho-cheol who had his head bowed.
"I changed my mind. The friend you kidnapped. I'll kill her."
"……What did you say?"
Rarely, Ho-cheol asked back, genuinely flustered.
Of course, the personality of the resurrected Smiley was harsh and violent, but he didn't expect her to cross the line that easily to that extent.
However, she continued speaking in a relaxed tone as if it were still no big deal.
"You've changed. To worry about others first in a situation where your own life is at stake right now. Such a Hocheol isn't the Hocheol I want!"
Watching the flustered Ho-cheol, Smiley rested her chin on her hand and giggled.
"It's not just her, but those kids you cherished and wrapped around you. It's because of them. So I'll get rid of them all. So you can return to that original Jeong Ho-cheol!"
Don't be funny—
Ho-cheol tried to say that.
But when he opened his mouth, what came out instead of words was pitch-black dead blood.
Was it because of the fatal blow just now?
In an instant, his breathing became rapid and his vision blurred.
In a situation where even his consciousness was hazy, Ho-cheol barely held onto his consciousness and thought.
No, he couldn't think.
Smiley's low voice reached his ears.
"Because of you. They will all die."
Everything is hazy, and even the boundary between reality and fantasy is blurred.
Only the thumping— heart sound was heard exceptionally loud amidst the noisy ringing in his ears.
He couldn't even tell who the enemy was right now, or who the opponent to defeat was.
However.
One thing was certain.
"Because you are weak."
That if it's to protect something precious, he shouldn't be helpless like this right now.
Ho-cheol barely regained his senses.
Before he knew it, Smiley raised Peacemaker high with both hands.
"Here, take a nap for now. Many things will change when you wake up."
With those words as the end, the staff fell toward his head.
Must block it.
Thinking so, he used his Trait.
However, the Trait never activated according to his will.
In the first place, the Trait had already been activated before he even realized it.
Closing and opening eyes, exhaling and inhaling, the heart beating.
Things that happen naturally just to live were separate from his will.
And at this moment, Ho-cheol's Trait became a part of life activities like those.
It was the moment when not a tool, but body, mind, and Trait also rose to the same level as him.
In the endlessly slowed time.
Ho-cheol slowly raised his hand.
He gently pushed away the slowly falling staff with the back of his hand, and extended that hand further forward.
Beyond that, he saw her astonished expression.
Smiley tried to block Ho-cheol's hand in panic, but her movements were strangely too slow.
As if she couldn't keep up with her own Trait.
Before he knew it, he grabbed her wrist and twisted his body just like that.
Sliding his feet, he dug into her side and soon took Smiley's back.
With his remaining hand, he gripped her neck.
In a posture as if hugging her from behind, Ho-cheol muttered softly in her ear.
"No. It won't change. Anything."
Clang— Clang—
Peacemaker, falling belatedly, rolled on the floor making a clear sound.
***
"……What."
Only bewilderment was felt in Smiley's voice.
She was subdued in an instant by Ho-cheol, who was practically dying just a moment ago.
It wasn't even that she let her guard down like with the second Purple Crystal Sword situation.
In her view, Ho-cheol's figure disappeared for a split second just before being hit by the staff, and only the result of her being subdued remained.
"How on earth……."
Smiley's expression, mumbling as if she still couldn't understand, distorted.
Squeeze—
Ho-cheol applied more force to the hand gripping her neck.
Smiley's complexion turned blue.
If he applied a little more force here, he could make her comfortable again.
He didn't want to kill her.
Such feelings still remained, but which side should he protect in the end.
In front of such a question, his personal sentiments weren't that important.
Just as he was about to break Smiley's neck right there.
"W-Wait a minute!"
A familiar voice came from behind.
But Ho-cheol didn't look back.
Instead, distorting his expression, he became genuinely angry.
"I tried not to leave personal feelings as much as possible. Stop pulling such petty tricks, will you?"
To think she would try to induce his carelessness with So-hee's voice here.
To pull such a dirty trick.
Beyond anger or irritation, he even felt disappointment toward the fake Smiley.
If he looked back like an idiot here and took his eyes off Smiley for a moment, only a sluggish dogfight would resume again.
However.
"Aack! Stop it!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
Along with the sound of running, two hands grabbed Ho-cheol's forearm.
Only then did Ho-cheol realize that the voice just now wasn't simply played through a recorder.
He turned his head to the side.
The real So-hee was hanging on his arm.
It wasn't an illusion, nor a fake created through a Trait.
He hadn't seen So-hee for just a day or two, nor were they distant enough that he couldn't distinguish that.
That was definitely real.
"……What."
How is she here?
No, why is she here in the first place?
And what on earth is the reason for stopping him?
"L-Let go of that hand!"
"What nonsense are you talking about. If I don't kill this fake right now, you guys will all die right awa……."
"No! That person is the real Smiley!"
"What?"
Ho-cheol flinched in surprise and turned his gaze to the front again.
Smiley, whose face had turned not just blue but white due to lack of blood circulation, struggled to raise the corners of her mouth and smiled.