novelraw Chapter 85 : Chapter 85
Chapter 85 : Chapter 85
Chapter 85. World of Art (5)
The sharpest spear could not reach, and the heavy torrent hardened cold and crumbled.
Overwhelming difference in power.
Ryu Ji-ho felt breathless while looking at Riman.
Is this suffocating feeling what ordinary people feel when submerged underwater?
‘…What is he, that thing?’
He couldn't know.
Even scraping together all information in his head, he couldn't know information about that person.
‘…No, what does that matter?’
Whether he knows or not, killing him is enough.
And since the situation came to this, there was no choice other than killing the opponent.
‘…I tried not to use this at least.’
Swish-
Ryu Ji-ho extended his right hand forward.
And clenched the open hand at once.
At that moment.
Whoosh-
All flow of water stopped at once.
Water droplets were pinned in the air, and water pooled on the floor hardened in that state as it was.
A scenery like time stopped, 0.1 seconds later.
Every single particle of water seized by his mana started to expand rapidly.
Bubble……!
Water droplets as small as grains of rice swelled up to the size of bowling balls in an instant.
It wasn't that he injected air into the water droplets or anything.
Actually, the amount of water, its mass had increased.
Like creating fire and lightning in empty air using mana.
Ryu Ji-ho consumed his own mana to create water.
And using every single particle of water scattered in all directions as nuclei.
Kwaaaa……!
Water started filling the space at a terrifying speed.
The water level that wetted only about the calves at most filled up past the crown of the head to the ceiling at once.
This entire space of the 1st floor had turned into an aquarium as a whole.
"…I told you earlier, I'll drown you."
Even Ryu Ji-ho himself saying that was completely submerged in the water he increased.
But he didn't care.
Squish-
As his head was submerged in water, gills sprouted on the sides of his neck.
His gills sucked in water to absorb oxygen, and spread his mana into the water while exhaling.
Breathing underwater, and diffusion of mana.
His gills performed two functions simultaneously.
After completely submerging the entire 1st floor like that.
Ryu Ji-ho looked at Riman.
Riman still didn't have even a hem of his clothes wet.
Because he was in a state of wrapping a spherical barrier around his body.
Furthermore…….
Crack-
Water around Riman was already freezing pitch-black.
Ryu Ji-ho can no longer move frozen water.
That is, practically losing control.
Ryu Ji-ho, noticing this, immediately went into response.
‘I won’t fall for the same trick twice……!’
Whirl-
Ryu Ji-ho drew a circle with his finger in the air.
That movement created a flow, and that small flow soon spread to the flow of this entire water.
Water that was merely full and rippling started to flow fiercely at some moment.
Kuoooo……!
Water formed a fierce current and started to rage at a fierce speed.
Water flows.
And flowing water does not freeze.
Actually, Riman's freezing could no longer freeze the fiercely flowing water.
Even the parts he managed to freeze were broken and swept away by friction with the torrent.
Riman muttered.
‘So you counter freezing technique in this way…….’
Furthermore, due to friction created by this raging rapid current, even the barrier started to be whittled away.
‘…It’s dangerous.’
With immense water pressure created by a tremendous amount of water, plus friction force created by the rapid current.
It was obvious the barrier wouldn't last long.
Even if he built up the barrier even thicker and endured, it was useless.
Because oxygen amount inside the barrier is limited, and someday even that will be consumed completely.
Furthermore, since everything around was water, additional oxygen inflow couldn't be expected.
On the other hand, Ryu Ji-ho's situation was relaxed.
Because breathing underwater was free thanks to his innate gills.
That is, from Riman's perspective, if he endures, death by suffocation; if he doesn't endure, death by crushing.
Crack-
Cracks started to appear on the barrier again.
Time to make a decision.
Riman let out a shallow sigh.
And a moment later.
Crash!
Barrier breaks, and water rushes in.
Water wraps around Riman's whole body.
Body sinks into the water.
Bubble…….
Air bubbles rise from Riman's mouth.
And a smile appears on Ryu Ji-ho's lips.
‘Gotcha……!’
Ryu Ji-ho pushed water with all his might and crushed Riman.
Intention to break all bones in the body by crushing with water pressure and burst the body to finish it.
However, at that moment.
[Discharge]
Riman spewed electricity from his whole body.
Zzzt!
Streams of pitch-black electricity spread into the water.
Water is a conductor.
Electricity Riman spewed sprinted in all directions.
Ryu Ji-ho was flustered.
‘He uses even electricity……? What is that bastard?!’
Zzzt!!
Electricity extending like that flew toward Ryu Ji-ho in an instant.
Situation to become like a fish getting electro-fished helplessly.
Ryu Ji-ho hurriedly accelerated the water flow around him and flowed away the flying electricity.
Sizzle……!
Electricity scattering while being swept by the rapid current.
Riman muttered inwardly watching such Ryu Ji-ho.
‘He blocked it.’
However…….
‘Even so, only the cause of your defeat changes.’
Shaaaa-
At that moment, Ryu Ji-ho saw.
Water around Riman being dyed pitch-black.
‘What……?’
As if ink was released in water, water started to be dyed pitch-black centering on Riman.
‘W, what is that……?!’
That Riman activated [Discharge] with his whole body was actually not aiming for Ryu Ji-ho.
It was to disturb Ryu Ji-ho's mana seizing all water in this space.
Electricity spread into the water was also made of mana, and raging water was also controlled by mana.
If such current flows into such water, a situation where collision of mana is bound to happen.
Using that collision and interference, Riman disturbed Ryu Ji-ho's mana and created cracks in his control over water.
And through the gap created like that, Riman started projecting his mana.
Started dyeing the ownerless water path with his own color.
Shaaaa-
Riman Solaris, alias ‘Black God (Heukshin)’.
His magic is infinitely black, thus things encroached by his mana are all dyed black.
That water discolored black means soon, that water entered Riman's control.
Like that, the water filling this space started becoming Riman's quickly.
Ryu Ji-ho was flustered.
"W, what is it……!"
He also felt it.
That water discolored black became uncontrollable by him anymore.
"No, no……!"
Ryu Ji-ho desperately tried to stop the diffusion of Riman's mana.
Tried to stop water from being dyed black somehow.
It was useless.
Just as one cannot pick up ink dropped in water again, his effort was futile.
Because Riman's mana control was dozens, hundreds of times more sophisticated and sharp than his.
No matter how huge and hard a rock, it breaks due to a thread-like crack.
The crack Riman created seized this huge underwater space at once.
Whoosh-
Eventually, all water was completely dyed black.
Now not a single drop of water exists under Ryu Ji-ho's control.
The virtue of transparency possessed by water disappears like that.
Nothing can be seen.
Now there is no light here.
‘Damn it……!’
Ryu Ji-ho inhaled breath unknowingly.
Water sucked into the gills.
But that too was water already encroached by Riman's mana.
Sucking that in was the same as sucking in poison.
Therefore, the moment water passed through the gills, intense pain as if flesh was being torn to shreds assailed him.
‘Kkeuaaaa……!’
Sucking in water on inhalation, and blood spews out on exhalation.
The color of that crimson fresh blood was the only color he could add to this darkness.
‘Kkeureureup……!’
Gills were broken.
Cannot breathe underwater with nose and mouth.
Breath chokes up.
First time since birth.
Experience of drowning, underwater.
‘Bubble…….’
Consciousness fades away little by little.
At the same time, the sound of surrounding water being swept away somewhere is also heard.
Shaaaa-
Water level was lowering quickly.
Water was escaping through drainage facilities all over the building.
That this large amount of water was maintained until now was because it was held by mana.
But as Riman let go of these waters, water flowed away to where it should go on its own.
Furthermore, water created by mana decomposed back into mana particles too.
Like that, water drained in an instant.
"Cough, cough, keok……!"
Ryu Ji-ho spewed water from his mouth continuously while sprawled on the floor.
Every time he coughed, blood spewed from his gills.
Eyes lost focus, and body lost strength.
A wreck.
Therefore, even though Riman approached right under his nose, he could do nothing.
"I got all wet because of you, bastard."
Riman was wringing water out of his clothes by twisting the hem.
Ryu Ji-ho barely moved his lips and squeezed out words.
"You… are… exactly……."
"Do you know what is happening in this building?"
"……."
"I'm asking if you know what kind of human Francis Appel, whom you protect, is."
"…How could I not know?"
"You participated in that human's business knowing that?"
"I received money. Then I must do as told. That's all."
Cough!
"…It was just a very, very simple deal."
Puhuhu, laughing like that, he continued.
"Then why did you come here?"
"To earn bounty."
"See, you are the same as me."
Haa, haa.
Perhaps short of breath after pouring out words, Ryu Ji-ho gasped for breath once.
After barely catching his breath, he said toward Riman.
"…My mother is in the hospital."
"……."
"It's colon cancer. Stage 3. How much money it costs for chemotherapy and hospitalization… you can guess too."
"……."
"I needed money. Didn't matter what money. Because I can save my mother if I have money. So……!"
"Ji-ho."
Riman bent his knees, caressed Ryu Ji-ho's cheek, and said.
"You're an orphan."
[Incision]
Slash!
Blade-like wind pressure burst, and his head was separated from his body.
Riman muttered while standing up.
"Spouting lies that don't even make sense for a bastard who probably never saw his parents' faces in his life……."
Riman knew where Ryu Ji-ho came from.
One of the facilities commonly called ‘Black Orphanage’.
Such orphanages were places operated by tycoons rotting with money.
Naturally, it was absolutely not that those tycoons operated them with philanthropy.
Those places were places for training hunting dogs of those tycoons.
Providing good food and clean beds, and nurturing loyalty of inmates through this.
In that process, inmates with no talent or strong rebelliousness are sent out under the pretext of adoption and culled.
Growing up in such an environment, by the time they become adults, inmates' loyalty reaches the peak.
Since they raised them with such care, next is now the turn to use them.
Inmates are deployed to all kinds of dirty work of those tycoons.
Ryu Ji-ho was also one of such inmates.
His power was so outstanding that he had a reputation even as a freelancer, but basically, he was a dog of the orphanage owner.
‘Among Francis's fans, there are many high-ranking figures. Probably Ryu Ji-ho's owner was one of them too. So he probably dispatched Ryu Ji-ho here.’
Putting it the other way around, fighting Francis meant becoming enemies with her high-ranking fans too.
Turning those with power and money into enemies.
Killing Francis did not simply end with killing that one person.
‘…Well, it doesn't matter. It was a reality I would face sooner or later anyway.’
So Riman stepped toward the next floor without hesitation.
And-
Click.
Several gun muzzles were aimed at such Riman's back.