novelraw Chapter 203 : Spear Devil (2)
Chapter 203 : Spear Devil (2)
Flying Strike, and then a slash riding the wind.
Su-hyeon and Jo Sujin simultaneously launched ranged attacks, and in that gap, Kim Taesung, transformed into his beast form, sprinted across the ground.
"Block them."
Lim Se-jin said.
"Understood."
'Grotesque Bird' Sung Hak-min partially transformed his legs, attempting to grasp Kim Taesung with the giant bird feet.
Tch!
"You should fight me!"
Sung Hak-min, who had struck Kim Taesung away with his massive wings, chased after him.
Clang!
After blocking the slashes from the two, Lim Se-jin swung his spear, returning a slash of his own.
Swoosh!
Su-hyeon and Jo Sujin, who had avoided the attack that sliced through the air, executed intricate aerial maneuvers and rushed toward Lim Se-jin.
"Good! Lee Ho-seung has trained his disciple well!"
Lim Se-jin became excited as he felt the intensity and dynamism of the energy emanating from Su-hyeon.
'His characteristic is enhanced spiritual sense. With just that, he fights with no blind spots, reading the opponent's presence.'
Su-hyeon thought.
Having elevated his level to such an extent that he no longer even needed sight, fighting blindfolded, and wielding a spear resembling a moon blade, proficient in both slashing and thrusting.
'Terrifying fighting spirit. Even my skin tingles.'
"Come and try."
Lim Se-jin's body, which had been relaxed until the two entered the range of his spear, moved smoothly yet so lightly it was difficult to capture with the eyes.
Clang!
He struck Jo Sujin's longsword with his spear.
Ching!
Then aimed for Su-hyeon's neck and chest with two thrusts.
"Tch!"
"Ugh!"
The groans of the two sounded like a choir in response to the almost simultaneous attacks.
'Nam Tae-hoon?!'
At a timing no one expected, Nam Tae-hoon appeared from behind Lim Se-jin's shadow.
'When did he...!'
The fact that Nam Tae-hoon was here meant that the remaining members of the 7th Unit had also joined.
But.
'It won't work on that guy!'
As if to prove Su-hyeon's concern, Lim Se-jin easily avoided the attack from behind and struck Nam Tae-hoon's stomach with the shaft of his spear.
Smack!
"Uugh!"
Feeling the terrible sensation of his ribs cracking, Nam Tae-hoon's body flew backward.
"Soft. I can see you clearly."
Lim Se-jin smiled as he checked Jo Sujin's attack, which had tried to take advantage of that moment to enter his range, by simply jabbing his spear.
"Good momentum."
After dodging Su-hyeon's diagonal slash by taking a step back, Lim Se-jin made a wide horizontal slash at him.
Ching!
After sending Su-hyeon flying, the tip of the spear, which was wildly shaking, immediately attacked Jo Sujin simultaneously, drawing blood from her shoulder.
"Damn it!"
Jo Sujin clicked her tongue at Lim Se-jin's robustness, who had handled the combined attack of the three as smoothly as flowing water.
'The completeness of his spear energy is otherworldly.'
Each time she clashed with the spear, her sword energy was heavily worn down.
"What are you doing? Have you lost your spirit already?"
Wooong!
As Lim Se-jin stepped into a true stance and pressured the three, Jo Sujin also stepped into her own true stance.
Woong!
"You're not the only one who can do that!"
But the true stance that Jo Sujin stepped into with all her might shattered when it met the shockwave created by Lim Se-jin's true stance.
Tch!
"Soft."
Jo Sujin, who had soared into the sky to avoid the shockwave, fired a whirlwind combining fire and wind.
Boom Boom Boom!
Lim Se-jin neutralized the attack by spinning his spear like a windmill.
"Tch, it's like he's swinging a reed."
Nam Tae-hoon, who had recovered from his damage and returned to stand beside Su-hyeon, grumbled.
"That bastard, isn't his compatibility with me too bad?"
"When it comes to someone like Spear Devil, compatibility isn't even an issue to begin with."
Nam Tae-hoon clicked his tongue as he watched Su-hyeon rushing forward, saying, "It's dangerous, so don't come into the range for now."
"I've got my pride, can't do that."
Clack Clack Clang!
Lim Se-jin, who had repelled Jo Sujin's charge, slashed at her waist while avoiding her longsword.
Ching!
As Su-hyeon, who had suddenly appeared, blocked that attack, Lim Se-jin's spear blade twisted Su-hyeon's Moonless Sword with an intricate movement, breaking his center of gravity.
'Damn!'
And then, with a concise motion without waste, a thrust.
However, Su-hyeon protected his abdomen by surrounding it with a hardened shield, preventing a penetrating wound.
"Oh."
Lim Se-jin, who had almost pierced through the hardened shield with an effortless thrust, said as if intrigued.
"You're someone with a hidden card."
Then how about this?
"Hup!"
A downward strike loaded with rotational force targeted Su-hyeon.
'!'
His shadow grabbed his arm, interfering with the attack.
"This is more interesting."
Lim Se-jin, who shook off the shadow with force, fired a slash at Su-hyeon, who was retreating and widening the distance in that gap.
Clang!
Although Su-hyeon merely blocked a simple slash, his body flew back more than ten meters.
'Damn it. He's completely playing around.'
Su-hyeon, who fully realized the stark difference in power, looked down at his trembling right arm.
'If he had made up his mind, both Nam Tae-hoon and I would already be dead.'
Even Jo Sujin might not have been able to escape unscathed.
Su-hyeon's gaze moved beyond Kim Taesung, who was fiercely fighting with Grotesque Bird Sung Hak-min, to his fellow Execution Force members.
'I can't expect help.'
Just as Su-hyeon was about to make some kind of decision.
"Chang-seong! Is that you?"
Jo Sujin, who had discovered something, shouted.
"Yes, it's me!"
Along with Oh Chang-seong's shout.
Wheeeng!
A light bullet fired by Koo Hyeong-min plunged toward Lim Se-jin.
Boom!
"Oh. Has 'Fist Tiger' come?"
Lim Se-jin smiled as he deflected the light bullet as if it were nothing.
"I'll go assist over there!"
"Yes, please do!"
Koo Hyeong-min, who had provided cover once, departed to help Kim Taesung.
"Roar!"
Oh Chang-seong rushed at Lim Se-jin, launching a fist wind.
"Today is a joyful day."
Lim Se-jin gripped his spear tightly.
"Kraaah!"
Oh Chang-seong, in his beast form, pressed Lim Se-jin using both boxing techniques and claw strikes.
But.
"Hmm. A fearsome warrior."
Despite the penalty of fighting inside a boxer's range with a spear, Lim Se-jin merely muttered appreciatively as he leisurely avoided and blocked the attacks.
'That bastard, he's gotten stronger since retiring from active duty.'
Jo Sujin snickered.
If Oh Chang-seong hadn't become an instructor, this man would have been her Deputy Squad Leader.
"What are you doing! Let's go too!"
"Yes."
"Hmm. 4-on-1, is it?"
Oh Chang-seong, Nam Tae-hoon, Jo Sujin, and Jeong Su-hyeon.
As the formidable four launched their combined attack, even Lim Se-jin's iron-like spiritual sense began to show gaps.
Slice!
"Hmm!"
Finally, Su-hyeon's Moonless Sword inflicted a small laceration on his side.
"Hehehe. How is it! Getting killed when ganged up on by four? Huh!"
Jo Sujin was exhilarated.
"Well, it is a bit chaotic."
Lim Se-jin stepped into his true stance.
Boom!
"Kuk!"
After pushing the four back, Lim Se-jin said.
"In that case, I'll just deal with you one by one."
"Bullshit! Who's going to let you do that?"
"It's not a matter of whether you allow it or not."
Snap!
Lim Se-jin flicked his finger.
"!?"
One of the Ma-in who had been watching amidst the engaged Ma-in extended his hand and spread fog.
"Fog?"
The fog, which spread thickly in the blink of an eye, completely obscured the vision of the four.
"What is this now!"
Jo Sujin, bewildered as the spiritual sense she had been feeling disappeared all at once, launched a slash into the void.
'This is crazy.'
In the fog where there was no sound of impact or presence, only silence.
'Damn it, that bastard!'
Jo Sujin gritted her teeth as she realized the truth.
'Who's left? Chang-seong? Su-hyeon? Or that shadow kid?'
Regardless of which, it was a problem in its own way.
"What a cheap bastard!"
Jo Sujin tried to blow away the fog by creating wind, but the fog, as if trapped somewhere, didn't fly away further and only returned.
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
'A fog dimension?'
I immediately understood the situation.
"Haha, so you were caught."
My body trembled finely as I felt the presence of Spear Devil walking through the fog.
"This is also entertainment, so let me tell you one good news and one bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"The bad news first."
"It's that there are only you and me in this place. No one can interfere in this space."
"What's the good news?"
"The time limit is 5 minutes. How about it, does that give you a little comfort?"
"It seems so."
"Haha, what a bold young man."
Lim Se-jin said, pointing the tip of his spear at me.
"Let's see if you can survive until then."
"That's my intention."
'Liberation.'
Thump!
The potential of my musculoskeletal system fully awakened.
'Eye Power activated, Tachypsychia Mode.'
Keeng!
My extremely developed eyes even made time seem slower.
'Mana Shield, Hardening Mode.'
A gauntlet of unparalleled hardness enveloped my left hand.
Wooong.
The sword energy encasing the Moonless Sword added an even more purified light.
'I'll pour out all my strength within 5 minutes.'
I lowered my stance, having drawn out the maximum specs I could currently achieve.
The goal was singular.
Survival.
"Hahaha! This is truly interesting! Lee Ho-seung, that bastard has raised a tiger!"
How many dozens of exchanges had we fought?
Each time Lim Se-jin laughed joyfully, my eardrums felt like they were about to tear.
Ching!
I blocked the spear blade that struck down concisely.
Crack!
I deflected the spear tip that thrust into the opened gap with a Mana Shield.
'Fast.'
The attacks, which felt too fast even with Tachypsychia Mode activated, were not allowing me to parry, dodge, and enter the range.
Above all.
'I can't catch up with speed because he reads my presence and responds.'
The initiation of my movement and his understanding of my intention and response occurred almost simultaneously.
Moreover.
"Why have you become so strong! You're not foolishly burning all your true energy, are you!"
Even the power drawn out through Liberation wasn't enough to push him back.
'In terms of simple physical abilities, there isn't much difference.'
Physical abilities enhanced by [Unlimited] were tremendous enough to offset even clear rank differences.
'The output of mana is too different.'
"Good! Then can you keep up with this too!"
Lim Se-jin's mana, endless like an undrying lake, created an even stronger output.
"Kuhuck!"
Having allowed a hit to my abdomen after my hands became disordered, I felt all the strength leaving my body as I sank to my knees.
"You endured for a long time. It's hard to withhold praise."
"Kuuuu."
A single blow.
With that one attack, Liberation, Eye Power, and Mana Shield all faded away.
'This resonates to the bone.'
My vision darkened with the sensation of difficulty breathing.
"It was quite enjoyable. You've already surpassed the skill level of Jo Sujin whom I faced before. It's a shame to kill you."
But the killing intent that pricked my skin was clearly telling me what his true intention was.
'Damn, not yet!'
It felt like almost 10 minutes had passed.
"But it can't be helped. Now die."
Just as the spear blade flew toward my neck.
"Where!"
Oh Chang-seong, who had broken through the fog, extended his fist wrapped in fist energy.
"Haha, a tenacious little one."
After blocking the fist with the spear shaft and spinning the spear once to strike the side and send him flying, Lim Se-jin twisted his head obliquely to avoid a slash that came from behind.
"Su-hyeon! Are you alive?"
"Yes. For now."
Even Liberation had faded away.
I had lost a significant amount of strength.
But at least my head was still attached.
"You held on well! Damn well!"
Jo Sujin shouted as she passed by me.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
Nam Tae-hoon supported me as I staggered with drained strength.
"You crazy bastard, how long were you held up by that monster?"
"...About 5 minutes."
"Wow, only 5 minutes? I almost died of anxiety."
Nam Tae-hoon stuck out his tongue.
"You're in tatters. Do you have any strength left?"
"...About 20 percent."
I felt mana flowing from my bracelet and directed my gaze forward.
'...It's still not working, huh.'
Lim Se-jin was still facing the combined attack of Jo Sujin and Oh Chang-seong without showing any signs of fatigue.
No, rather.
"Kuk!"
"Get it together!"
He was pressing the two with a fierce onslaught of lethal strikes, where it wouldn't be strange if their heads flew off at any moment.
"Shit. How the hell are we supposed to beat that?"
Nam Tae-hoon's mutter was simply explaining this situation.
Ching Ching Ching Ching!
Thrust, thrust, thrust.
Wrap around and slash, then strike down.
Watching Lim Se-jin's martial prowess, which was like witnessing the pinnacle of spear techniques, only one thought came to mind.
'At this rate, Jo Sujin will die.'
Oh Chang-seong too.
Kim Taesung, the squad members, Nam Tae-hoon.
And myself as well.
In the end, we would remain as victims decorating a page in Spear Devil's notorious history.
"...I can't let that happen."
"What did you say?"
I closed my eyes and expanded my status window to check my remaining points.
'Still 10p short.'
I really didn't want to go this far, but.
Now there was no choice.
[Delete skill 'Clear as a Mirror'?]
'Yes.'
[Skill 'Clear as a Mirror' has been deleted!]
[80% of the purchase points will be refunded!]
[You have acquired 20 skill points!]
'Done.'
Converting all my achievement points and adding the 20p I just gained, I had barely gathered 150p.
With this, I had all the necessary resources.
'I'll purchase Chukji.'
[Purchasing skill 'Chukji'!]
Chukji, a skill acquired by burning 150p.
An ultra-expensive skill that's 50% more expensive than Eye Power, which costs 100p.
But considering its performance, even this could be considered a bargain.
'...To think I'd unlock Chukji at this point.'
The events that kept coming, the skill points and achievement points that accumulated.
They made this feat possible.
Chukji.
Literally a movement skill that folds the ground to run.
However, the true value of this skill was elsewhere.
"Nam Tae-hoon."
"Huh?"
"I'll bring the two back, so step back."
"...Did you eat something wrong?"
"Do as I say. Please."
Swoosh.
As I took one step, Lim Se-jin's figure appeared before my eyes.
"!?"
I spoke in a low voice to Lim Se-jin, who was startled by the sudden presence.
"First, let me remove that ugly blindfold."