Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 178 : Dark Star (4)

Dark Star (4)

"Amazing."

Ryan Knox purely marveled at the sight before his eyes.

The blue flames that Lee Soo-ah had obtained by overcoming the magic power fission phenomenon were impressive, but the most astonishing thing was her Conceptualization Technique.

"Normally, the Conceptualization Technique manifests in the form of the weapon one uses."

If you use a sword, it's related to swords; if you use magic, it's typically related to magic.

Because it reflects your accumulated effort, talent, and mental image.

Kian Rogers's Conceptualization Technique was also extraordinary.

He was a man who aimed to lead UK into its most glorious era.

Thus, his Conceptualization Technique resembled the sun.

Above all, his scorching, intense Conceptualization Technique would not allow ordinary Hunters to even come near.

Especially for Hunters who specialized in close combat—it was unthinkable to lay a hand on Kian.

In fact, even Ryan Knox himself knew that when facing Kian, the key to victory was how to overcome those flames.

But for Lee Soo-ah, there was no need to overcome the flames from the start.

All she had to do was confront him with her own blue flames—and she had a strong resistance to heat.

If Kian Rogers ignited flames to emulate the sun, then for Lee Soo-ah, flames were life itself.

Of course, Kian's flames could never burn Lee Soo-ah.

"Life Lantern Ignition."

That was what Lee Soo-ah had just said.

"With what kind of heart, and what was she wishing for, to manifest something like this, I wonder."

A lantern was lit.

Long ago, when he had visited the East, it was a lantern he had seen in a Buddhist temple.

Life Lantern (命燈)—the Lantern of Life.

In other words, the flame representing a person's life, or lifespan.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

The audience involuntarily exclaimed at the blue flames blooming everywhere,

Blue flames brightly illuminating the otherwise dark arena, floating in the air.

'What is this...'

Kian inspected his own body.

There was a flame burning on his chest.

'If Lee Soo-ah's attack touches this, it's dangerous.'

He instinctively knew.

Even without being slashed or stabbed by a sword, if any attack touched this flame, it would be fatal.

Also, he could feel that this flame steadily burned away at his magic power, and rapidly sapped his stamina as well.

"Something like this..."

Kian gripped the sword in his hand and glared at Soo-ah.

There stood the embodiment of fire, clad head to toe in blue flames.

Her long hair was aflame, wrapped in blue.

The flames formed a blue band, flowing with the movement of her garments.

With every step she took, the ground melted and the scorching heat pricked at her skin.

'So this is how it feels.'

How other awakeners must have felt fighting him.

'Still...'

He could not lose.

Standing here as UK's representative, he must not be defeated.

"Are you still not going to use your Conceptualization Technique?"

Soo-ah looked at him and spoke.

If you don't use your Conceptualization Technique now, you'll lose, she was saying.

"Don't underestimate me."

The heat from the flames encircling Kian's body began to intensify.

Flames burning from gold to white.

"Whatever this lantern is, it'll be over quickly once I end it."

Kian's green eyes focused on Soo-ah.

"Little Hunter."

Kian had never thought he'd have to go all out in this fight.

After all, his opponent was just an Awakener a little over twenty.

He himself had lived as a genius counted among the best in British history, and had sat at the top for a long time.

But that thought was arrogant.

Thinking he needed to conserve his strength for the match against America—that was a mistake he shouldn't have made.

"I just hope you won't die."

Slowly, Kian's body rose into the air.

Kian's sword, burning the ground as he flew up, pointed at Soo-ah standing on the ground.

If he attacked head on, even with a protective barrier, it would surely affect the audience.

"... Lee Soo-ah!"

KWAANG!!

Fiery flames began to erupt violently from Kian's entire body.

White flames poured out, as if he wore armor of flame, melting the arena and softening the ground.

The heat spewing from his entire body, like flowing lava, had the crowd holding their breath.

If not for the protective barrier, just being present here would have been enough to burn them all to ashes.

'Sun Sword Kian Rogers.'

Or, the Sun King.

Soo-ah watched Kian and caught her breath.

The heat he exuded now surpassed Soo-ah's own.

Frankly, if she hadn't experienced magic power fission and if her flames hadn't devoured his, she might have lost her life to this heat.

【Personally, I think Kian is a good textbook for Soo-ah-ssi to take one step further.】

That's what Jung-woo had told her.

That meant he trusted that she could defeat Kian, no matter what.

Many audience members were watching her.

He might not care, but if she were to lose here, it could tarnish Jung-woo's name as well.

Conversely, if she won, she could further elevate his reputation.

Because, truthfully, she was practically the only Hunter raised solely by him.

"Hoo..."

She grabbed her sword.

Holding her breath, Soo-ah crouched low, watching the spreading tides of white flames.

Through the white flames, blue fire showed her the path.

The path to her opponent's death.

The life lantern was lit.

"I won't kill you."

After all, this was simply a duel.

Soo-ah's blue flames existed to burn away anything in her way.

They weren't meant to necessarily kill her opponent.

The same was true for her Life Lantern Ignition.

"...!!"

Kian's cry rang out.

Suddenly, her vision went white; the earth flipped, and the sun's flames engulfed the entire field.

As if to burn everything that existed here.

This was Kian Rogers's full strength.

He, with a human body, had created a small sun—an achievement worthy of awe.

If Soo-ah's blue flames hadn't resisted those flames, she'd have been gone in an instant.

'But...'

Within the flames, Soo-ah moved her sword.

Blue fire streaked inside white lightning.

Life lanterns bloomed one after another, rising above the waves of flame, guiding Soo-ah's path.

Soo-ah dashed along that path, slashing her sword in the trail of flame.

She cut through the fire.

A feat so absurd, anyone would scoff in disbelief.

Yet, Soo-ah's sword, blazing with blue flame, cleaved through the onslaught of searing fire.

Where her blue blade cut the white flame, blue lacerations widened, consuming the white blaze.

As if devouring the opponent's fire.

"Kh...!"

Kian's eyes widened.

He tried with all his might to burn away the oncoming blue flames, but it was useless.

Instead, his own magic power seemed to make the blue fire burn even stronger.

'Magic power fission...!'

Finally, Kian realized the principle behind the blue flames.

It was precisely the magic power fission phenomenon that Lee Soo-ah had overcome.

A flame that, when using magic power, instead burns the user's own body.

So, trying to block it with more magic power only fuels the flames further.

KWAAANG!!

In that moment, Soo-ah shot out through the white flames.

Scorched here and there, but not seriously hurt.

KAANG!!

Soo-ah's blade, approaching right in front of him, struck Kian's sword upward.

Then she reached her left hand toward the empty spot on Kian's chest.

"Disappear!!"

Pouring out the last of his magic power, Kian unleashed blue flames that momentarily stopped Soo-ah.

"...!"

But only for a moment; an even more powerful blue flame surged from Soo-ah's body, pushing back Kian's fire.

Slowly.

Very slowly, Soo-ah's left hand pierced the white flames, drawing near the life-lantern burning on Kian's chest.

"You...!!"

Kian yelled at her, bloodshot eyes blazing.

His desperate refusal to lose was palpable.

"Thank you."

So Soo-ah gave her thanks.

Just as Jung-woo had said, he had become a great textbook for her.

GRAB!

Soo-ah's hand grasped Kian's life lantern.

CRAAAAASH!!!

She didn't stab or destroy it with blue flames.

She simply grabbed it, and with that alone, Kian sensed every ounce of magic power left in his body being burned away.

WHOOSH!!

At the same time, blue flames exploded explosively from Soo-ah's back, accelerating down to the ground with her hand pressing on Kian's chest.

KWAANG!!

Kian's body drove into the melted earth, shattering the ground on impact.

"I... might... lose...!!"

As Kian struggled to escape Soo-ah's hand pressing his chest, the stadium floor, cracked like a spider's web, shook and broke apart.

An arena that would've remained unscathed even against dozens of ordinary Awakeners attacking full force now crumbled and melted to heat and Kian's struggles alone.

Such was the overwhelming might of an S-rank Awakener—it was akin to a natural disaster.

"You..."

Kian grabbed Soo-ah's right forearm, which was pressing his chest, glaring at her with burning eyes.

The tremendous grip made Soo-ah grimace in pain.

With each surge of blue fire pouring from her, Kian's body sank further into the earth.

But even under such immense pressure, Kian didn't let go of her wrist.

He could not lose.

He was the pride of UK; he had to remain its top Hunter.

He could not lose to anyone.

Not even America's Owen McGregor.

Absolutely not.

"I... cannot... lose..."

With even the last white ember burning out, Kian's movement stopped.

DROP.

Kian's hand, clutching Soo-ah's wrist, slipped away.

Soo-ah checked, then slowly released her grip.

She could finally breathe a sigh of relief at the pain in her bruised wrist.

Had Kian held out just a bit longer, her wrist would have broken.

"Ah..."

The audience fell silent as they watched.

So did the referee, injured in the fierce battle.

An incident had just occurred.

Sun Sword Kian Rogers was defeated by a young Korean Hunter.

Not by carelessness, but after a fierce clash where both gave their all.

Moreover, their battle was fiercer and more terrifying than any previous S-rank fight in Odyssey.

Seeing the unchecked power of S-rank Awakeners, all words died away.

All that remained of the arena was a field of blazing molten earth.

"Th-the winner is Korea's Hunter Lee Soo-ah!!"

Thus ended the match between UK and Korea with a powerful impression—Lee Soo-ah's victory.

***

"Good work."

At my words, Soo-ah, resting in the waiting room, lifted her head with difficulty.

"I'm exhausted."

"That's understandable."

"I did well, right?"

"Of course. You were amazing, really."

"Hehe."

Soo-ah gave a bright smile at my praise.

It was an adorable smile, impossible to imagine from someone who had just unleashed such devastating flames.

This battle had been fiercer than expected.

Kian Rogers hadn't held back at all against Soo-ah's Conceptualization Technique.

"You've improved a lot since you fought me,"

Baek Hojun, also in the waiting room, said with admiration.

"But..."

Soo-ah glanced with disappointment at her wrist, now deeply bruised.

Her left hand, left with intense pain from Kian's grip, would likely take quite some time to heal.

'I hope she recovers before the match against America.'

At least it wasn't broken.

"I think I can only go one more time."

Her next opponent would likely be Adeline.

With her wrist injured, it would be difficult for Soo-ah to fight beyond that.

"So..."

Soo-ah glanced at Yeon-ji.

As planned, Yeon-ji would likely fight Sol Mayer.

Unlike the others, Yeon-ji had watched Soo-ah and Kian's fight repeatedly from a slightly distant spot.

"It'll be okay."

"Huh?"

"I mean Yeon-ji."

Apparently, Soo-ah was worried about Yeon-ji.

Since Yeon-ji was A-rank, and Sol Mayer was S-rank.

"R-right? Sol Mayer is still a young Hunter, after all..."

Though he was young, he was still older than Soo-ah.

At any rate, Soo-ah was worried about Yeon-ji after experiencing firsthand the level of the British representatives.

'Kian turned out to be stronger than expected...'

Still, Sol Mayer was weaker than Kian.

Or rather, he used to be.

Now... I'm not so sure.

'In the end, I suppose I did get involved.'

I let out a small sigh and shook my head.

Still, there was nothing bad about it.

In fact, I thought it might be a good thing.

The current Sol Mayer, rather than the "real" one, might serve as a good stimulus for Yeon-ji.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Fake vs Fake round 2!

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】