novelraw Chapter 168 : The Golden Insignia (6)
Chapter 168 : The Golden Insignia (6)
"Kuaaaaa! Die!"
Kang Woojung, who had thrown away all his weapons, charged in as if footwork and distance control no longer mattered.
'Has he abandoned technique to overwhelm with pure strength?'
This was a common phenomenon right after Ma-in transformation.
'Liberation, Tachypsychia Mode.'
I used all the doping techniques available to me simultaneously to maximize my combat power.
Bwooong!
Even so, it was quite impressive to see such a ferocious backhand straight extending concisely from just the right distance.
'He's fast!'
Punching techniques ingrained in his body.
I could more than imagine what would happen if I got hit, but.
Bwoong!
I read the trajectory and distance, avoiding it with a sway by bending my waist backward.
Jjaak!
While maintaining my core, I sharply delivered an inside low kick.
Though I aimed the low kick to rupture the thigh muscle, it wasn't enough to stop Kang Woojung's momentum filled with rage.
'No problem.'
Bwoong!
I preemptively blocked his continuing punches with my front hand while delivering a right inside low kick.
Jjaak!
By targeting his legs from a distance where our arms barely touched, Kang Woojung's backhand counter couldn't even graze the tip of my nose without me having to dodge.
I was truly maintaining a distance where I wasn't getting hit while my opponent was, through skillful distance control.
Shuk!
This time, I approached first, extended a jab, and then drove an outside low kick into his thigh.
Jjaak!
Though I threw the kick quickly without putting weight behind it, the sound was quite crisp.
However.
Bwoong!
Even while getting hit, Kang Woojung endured it with toughness and threw a front hand hook.
'As expected. The rhythm he learned remains, but his punches are essentially relying on instinct.'
Punches extended by pure instinct, without setup or psychological warfare.
That made them easy to read, and with the addition of Eye Power and reflexes, it felt as easy to me as facing an elementary school student's fists.
The reason I had initially suffered against Ko Kyeong-ho, who counterattacked while taking hits, was because his unique tactic of using that to close distance, disrupt timing, and brutally feed counters had been refined through decades of fighting.
But against someone like the current Kang Woojung, who had just transformed into a Ma-in and was pushing forward instinctively, I could easily respond with distance control.
'My pride was quite hurt then.'
That's why this was precisely the countermeasure I had come up with against Ma-in who used tactics.
'The principle is ultimately familiar. Thorough distance control, evasion, and defense as weapons for countering.'
To be honest.
Kang Woojung fighting with techniques before his Ma-in transformation was much more troublesome for me.
'Thanks to that, the fight actually feels easier for me now.'
Knowing exactly when to strike and retreat.
Having a plan and sticking to your own pace, not going along with your opponent's intentions.
In the end, these were all the tactics needed for victory.
And now, I was starting the fight by continuously planting low kicks to target his legs in order to block Kang Woojung's unique footwork and speed.
Shuk-bak!
A body blow while avoiding a straight.
Bakak!
Shaking his face with two jabs while avoiding the follow-up, then delivering a short uppercut like an acrobat while evading a punch with upper body movement.
"Damn it!"
Bwoong!
Kang Woojung, who had been hit repeatedly in the exchange of fists, made me retreat with an intense backspin blow.
"Hehehe, you little rat bastard."
After getting hit enthusiastically, perhaps his rationality returned a bit.
Kang Woojung assumed a proper stance and gathered his killing intent.
'Not a chance.'
I pretended to throw a front hand hook to draw a reaction, then.
"Heup!"
I delivered a low kick with all my strength to Kang Woojung's left leg.
Bakak!
"You bastard!"
Though his expression contorted as if it was quite painful, I retreated to avoid the mid-section body straight he delivered while closing the distance.
'My legs are longer than yours.'
I returned another outside low kick to his left leg.
"Kuhk!"
Perhaps because he'd been hit repeatedly in the same spot.
"Kuuuu."
Finally, Kang Woojung showed signs of limping as if his leg was uncomfortable.
'Damage has accumulated.'
In other words, it meant his legs were slowing down.
'From now on, I'll target the body.'
It meant it was time to use his strong wariness against low sections.
As Kang Woojung lowered his stance and put strength in his legs, wary of low kicks, I ostentatiously raised my leg to deliver a kick.
Baak!
I successfully landed a left middle kick, raising the trajectory to pierce his expectation.
"Uhk!"
He tried to grab my leg, but my quick withdrawal resulted in a swipe through the air.
Instead, I pounded the opening in his cover with a backhand straight and a front hand short uppercut.
"You bastard!"
I avoided his punch that cut through the air with upper body movement.
Pababak!
After safely receiving punches with my shoulders and guard by raising my covering.
Bweok!
I grabbed the neck of Kang Woojung, who had somehow approached to close range, and drove a knee kick into his ribs.
"Keok!"
Controlling Kang Woojung, who tried to retreat, with my palm, I gave him three consecutive knee kicks to the ribs.
Baak!
As I retreated, I pounded his liver with a left body blow.
Jjaak!
Then another right middle kick as I stepped back once more.
"Kuuuuu."
Pretending to throw a left middle kick, drawing out his guard, then crossing my feet in mid-air to strike his left ribs again with a scissor kick.
"Fuck this!"
Kang Woojung, whose breathing was immediately blocked, raised his leg and threw a low kick with a red face.
'Seems he felt wronged after getting hit continuously.'
But.
'His body is exposed.'
When kicking like kicking a soccer ball, it's normal for the cover to be completely open.
Baaaak!
So I went in, splitting the beat, and planted a heavy right body blow into his solar plexus.
Kuhuk!
Kang Woojung's figure in pain, with damage so great his waist bent.
'Good.'
Now was the time to switch to offense.
"You endured well, but there's a limit after all."
Unless the characteristic itself completely absorbed impact power, like Ko Kyeong-ho's.
No matter how tough a Ma-in was, it was only natural for damage to accumulate after being pounded repeatedly.
'Now I'll target the face.'
"Hook!"
Seeing my movement, Kang Woojung lowered his guard to block a middle kick.
Bakak!
A high kick with increased height by twisting my pelvis accurately struck his temple.
"Kuu!"
Then I delivered a spinning kick to his abdomen as I moved to the side.
Bweok!
"This bastard!"
I blocked his approach with an oblique kick to the knee of Kang Woojung, who was throwing a punch in complete anger.
In the gap as he stood still, I jumped up from that position of stepping on his knee and drove another scissor kick into his jaw by crossing my legs.
Bakak!
'That landed properly.'
A kick with high risk due to its large movement and unstable posture.
But it was sufficient to hit Kang Woojung, whose legs had slowed and whose body had accumulated damage while continuously targeting his lower and middle sections.
'And thanks to that, he takes even more damage.'
"You slippery bastard!"
The deeper his hatred and killing intent grew as he got hit.
Shushuk!
And memories from his human days began to return.
'His footwork has changed!'
Kang Woojung approached with intricate footwork that gave no opportunity for kicks, smiled with satisfaction, and threw a left straight.
Bak! Baak!
I too received the straight with my forehead while simultaneously planting a heavy right straight into Kang Woojung's face.
'That was heavy.'
But I too was confident in my toughness.
"Kuk!"
Moreover, as I, who had been aiming for evasion and counterattacks, suddenly embraced simultaneous counters and pressed roughly, it was Kang Woojung who was being pushed back.
Shushushuk!
I evaded the concise one-two straights with a slip, completely avoided the combination of a front hand short hook and backhand uppercut, and then planted a right hook through the opening in his exposed cover.
Bweok!
Though I gained great advantage with just one punch, instead of approaching further, I retreated slightly and switched to a southpaw stance.
This way, my right hand becomes the front hand, allowing for overwhelming front hand fighting.
Puk!
A right power jab thrust like a spear shakes Kang Woojung's face.
Baak!
After heavily pounding his body with a follow-up body jab.
I pinned down Kang Woojung's cover with my front hand again and planted a backhand straight.
Baak!
"Damn it!"
Just as Kang Woojung, who had allowed consecutive effective hits, tried to retreat to escape from his disadvantage.
'Where do you think you're running.'
Shuk!
Bouncing my body elastically as if fencing, I thrust another powerful front hand jab.
Shuk!
After avoiding his counterattack by lowering my body, I raised my body rhythmically and lifted his chin with a front hand short hook.
'Got it.'
I filled that large gap by delivering a left straight with my waist fully engaged.
Baaaak!
"Uuuhk!"
Kang Woojung staggered back three steps from the proper punch.
Bweok!
I continued to hit his side with a Taekwondo-style right side kick.
"Kuu!"
After switching my stance back to orthodox, I threw a front hand jab with syncopation.
Shuk!
Following a punch that emphasized flow rather than power, I pretended to extend a front hand body jab by assuming the stance.
The moment Kang Woojung reacted, remembering the previous attack.
'Got him.'
I instantly closed the distance by crossing my steps and struck Kang Woojung's temple with a right elbow.
Kwajik!
A perfectly landed attack.
I threw Kang Woojung, whose legs gave way, with a full-body throw.
"Keok!"
'It's over.'
Just as I was about to mercilessly stomp on his head.
Kang Woojung hurriedly disappeared by activating his ability.
'He regained his composure even in this state.'
My gaze followed Kang Woojung.
"Kuaaaak! I'll kill you!"
Kwak!
When the completely enraged Kang Woojung stepped on the ground, the asphalt floor shattered and fragments shot up.
'Could it be?'
And Kang Woojung moving dozens, hundreds of times among those fragments in an instant.
'This crazy bastard!'
The movement of dragging out mana as much as possible caused an overload on my optic nerves, which had activated Tachypsychia Mode.
'Damn it!'
I closed my eyes tightly and instead relied on my energy sense while thickly covering myself with Mana Shield.
Kwaang!
But I still flew several meters from a kick that came from the side.
'Has his strength increased further? This brute.'
It was powerful enough to penetrate through my shield and muscles, making even my bones ache.
'He's trying to rapidly regain his rationality.'
For a high-level Awakened like Kang Woojung, there was a high probability of quickly regaining rationality even after Ma-in transformation.
You could call it high recovery elasticity.
'If I don't settle this in a short time, he'll become an even more troublesome opponent.'
If by chance that guy succeeded in escaping and joined [Sword of Belphegor], the difficulty would increase further.
'I can't let that happen.'
Besides, when it came to tenacity, I was confident too.
'I know well that the damage accumulated on you is not ordinary.'
Even this current attack was close to a final struggle.
'No matter how tough you've become after turning into a Ma-in, you can't be tougher than me.'
The endurance of the Unlimited characteristic.
Plus the physique and stamina built through persistent, even obsessive training.
'You will definitely fall here.'
I had not the slightest intention of losing to him in determination.
"Hehe, right. I'll kill you with a sword."
Kang Woojung, who had sent me flying, laughed as he picked up the sword he had thrown with his own hands.
A fight of sword versus bare hands.
But it's okay.
"Try stabbing me."
"You crazy bastard."
Kang Woojung laughed.
"I'll do as you wish."
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
Shashashak!
Kang Woojung, who had changed positions dozens of times to get behind Su-hyeon, stabbed him with a sword imbued with sword energy.
Pook!
Kang Woojung's sword protruded through Su-hyeon's back.
But.
'This bastard?'
Kang Woojung couldn't laugh.
'He dodged this?'
There was no sensation of stabbing at all.
"Thanks for doing as I wished."
Su-hyeon smiled.
He had avoided the thrust by a hair's breadth, then grabbed the blade with his bare hand covered in Mana Shield to prevent Kang Woojung from escaping, and then.
Baaak!
He struck Kang Woojung's nose bridge with a headbutt.
"Kuuuk!"
The following right elbow shook his jaw.
Bak! Bakak!
Consecutive uppercuts and long hooks followed, mercilessly shaking his brain.
"Kuk, kuuuk!"
Su-hyeon again delivered a weighted flying high kick to the staggering Kang Woojung, but.
Shashak!
With his last survival instinct in the final moment, Kang Woojung changed positions and disappeared from Su-hyeon's trajectory.
'This bastard!'
Just as Su-hyeon was getting annoyed at his persistence.
"I knew you'd come here!"
Kwon Seung-yeon, who had been watching for Kang Woojung's escape timing without losing concentration, blocked his retreat.
"Fuck, get out of my way!"
Kang Woojung roughly threw a punch, but.
Bwoong!
Kwon Seung-yeon nimbly avoided the punch and grabbed his foot, increasing her weight to maximum and clinging on.
"You're not going anywhere, you bastard!"
"Y-you damn bastard!"
Just as Kang Woojung anxiously tried to attack Kwon Seung-yeon.
"Well done!"
Su-hyeon, who had rushed in, fed Kang Woojung a flying high kick and finally succeeded in complete subjugation.
Thud!
Looking down at the fallen Kang Woojung, Su-hyeon released his doping techniques and took heavy breaths.
"Huu. Huuu."
Su-hyeon's expression turned sour.
"......Damn it."
What's wrong?
"No, I think I overdid it."
Feeling his vision spinning, Su-hyeon leaned on Kwon Seung-yeon's shoulder.
'Liberation plus Tachypsychia Mode. No wonder.'
But it was still disconcerting to feel strength draining so rapidly, and Su-hyeon even ended up sitting down.
'This is a big problem.'
He already had a headache about the follow-up handling.
If he collapsed here himself, wouldn't it all be for nothing?
"Sorry, Kwon Seung-yeon."
"Uh, yes! Tell me, Su-hyeon!"
Seeing Su-hyeon's unusual state, Kwon Seung-yeon hurriedly laid him down and wiped his forehead.
"First, put a mask on me. I shouldn't be discovered."
"Y-yes, I understand!"
"And one more thing."
"Tell me!"
"Search that guy's chest and make sure to secure the wooden box."
"......!"
"......Don't get caught, no matter what."
"......"
Man, is that still important even in this situation?