๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐: ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐-๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ฌ
Monster Seigen.
He refused to be measured, so his rank is estimated based on the average of the 20-man squad and their testimonies:
Estimated rank: S+
He is a formidable fighter, ranked 9th in Japan and 57th in the world.
Shiwoo didn’t seem to recognize him, but Kang Yeo-hwa and Min Si-joon recalled his name as soon as they heard it.
One of Japan’s legends, The Monster, was standing right before them.
“Ho ho ho. No respect for your elders.”
Seigen slammed his staff on the ground.
With a thud, magic power and divine power spread out like ripples in all directions, creating an undeniable sense of overwhelming force.
A ‘move’ from a powerhouse that should never be taken lightly.
However, Min Si-joon couldn’t respond immediately or launch an attack.
‘๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ค?’
Team A was currently unable to use offensive skills.
He would have used a skill for defense or to restrict movement, but the problem was that there was no sign of the usual magic circle, and there was no subsequent reaction.
In that split second of hesitation, Kang Yeo-hwa’s body charged at the opponent.
“Hooโthere’s no hesitation from the Empress. Is that it?”
Seigen twisted his lips and smiled with amusement.
In Japan, perhaps because of his stronghold or as a matter of courtesy, he had never encountered an opponent who would charge at him like this.
Usually, even a light sparring session would be met with all sorts of worries and concerns from those around him.
But little did he know that such an amusing event awaited him in Korea, where he had come to visit his granddaughter.
A spar with S-Rank Hunters, no less.
The Empress’s fist, enveloped in magic power, struck Seigen’s face squarely.
Kuuuuung!
A heavy impact echoed as if a rock had been struck.
“Ugh. . .!”
Kang Yeo-hwa grabbed her outstretched hand with her other hand and quickly retreated.
Something pitch-black swirled around Seigen, absorbing her attack.
“This is my precious Black Sand. It’s mixed with iron ore and infused with magic power, making it harder than most metals.”
While Seigen boasted proudly, hundreds of formulas were drawn on Si-joon’s palm, creating a giant flame.
[Incinerate: Blazing Spear]
A dozen spears made of blazing flames shot towards Seigen like arrows.
“A flame attack, huh?”
As Seigen slammed his staff on the ground, the Black Sand transformed into three blades.
And it began to spin furiously like a propeller, meeting the baptism of fire head-on.
Bababababababak!!
Would the flames burn the Black Sand blades, or would the spears be shattered by the Black Sand blades?
The result was far more shocking than Si-joon had imagined.
The spears that had charged straight in were finely shredded by the Black Sand like a blender, and the spears that had cleverly bypassed Seigen and were aimed at him simply disappeared harmlessly against his staff.
“Ho ho ho. I have fought against those who wield fire many times. Not with children’s toys like these, but with the flames of a ‘god.'”
“Kagutsuchi’s flames are indeed powerful.”
Seigen chuckled at Min Si-joon’s retort.
Then,
[Warrior of the Wind: Divine Bow]
[Warrior of the Wind: Song of the Bow]
As if high-pressure water had condensed and exploded, Kang Yeo-hwa’s magic power followed the circuit to manifest a large magic circle and summon a divine bow and arrows.
Kwadud. . .!
A mass of magic power gathered at the arrowhead was aimed at Seigen.
Thungโ
As the Empress flicked her finger, a heavy arrow tore through the void.
Just as the ten anti-aircraft missile-like arrows were about to incinerate all obstacles in their path,
Seigen merely stroked his beard and smiled.
“The Mage is too defensive, and the Empress is too aggressive. It feels like they’ve each inherited only half of ‘his’ traits.”
He rumpled the Black Sand and draped it over his two fists and feet.
Like a suit of pitch-black, partial armor.
“I’m more of a brawler myself.”
Seigen’s fists, covered in Black Sand, clashed head-on with the Empress’s arrows.
Ppaaaang!
A loud boom erupted as if a thick chunk of iron had exploded.
And then the next shot,
Pakaga-giiiing!
And the next,
Seigen repelled all of the incoming [Song of the Bow].
Kang Yeo-hwa was slightly shocked.
Although she hadn’t poured her magic power into it with the intention of killing her opponent, it wasn’t a skill that could be broken so easily either.
‘๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐-๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐+ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ซ๐๐จ๐ฉ?’
There were three S+ Hunters in South Korea as well.
She had seen Do Kyung-hoo often enough during Gate subjugations, but the other two were distant even to her.
She had thought that with just a little more effort, she could reach them.
Little did she know that even she, with her S-Rank combat sense and magic power control, would be made to look like a rookie.
“Heh heh heh. They say you’re Siwoo’s disciple, but you’re nothing special. Wouldn’t it be better for that guy to just marry my granddaughter and become a househusband? With such poor teaching skills, how will he ever make a living?”
Seigen openly and blatantly provoked the Empress and the Magician.
Normally, such words would be met with nothing but contempt, but Kang Yeo-hwa was genuinely pissed off, and Min Si-joon was also unusually angry.
“In that case, would it be alright if we took things a bit more seriously from now on, Seigen?”
“By all means. I haven’t even left my seat yet.”
“Really. . .you’re something else.”
Seigen chuckled.
๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท๐ท
๐แบฬ๐แธฬ๐ฐ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐๐.๐๐ฐ๐
“Well then, I’ll leave it to you, husband.”
“. . .Yeah.”
Hikari greeted Siwoo softly, her face tense.
“By the way, what errand did you send Kumo on?”
“I asked him to bring someone to me.”
Siwoo snapped his fingers.
A signal to charge at him.
However, Hikari hesitated slightly.
Knowing Siwoo’s abilities, she couldn’t think of a way to attack him rashly.
Besides, if he were just any man with no feelings, that would be one thing.
But wasn’t he the man who already filled Hikari’s heart?
“Husband. . .what if you get hurt?”
At that whimpering voice, Siwoo let out a groan.
“The training uniform here converts most of the damage into numerical values the moment you put on the watch, so you won’t get hurt much.”
“Is that so. . .?”
“That’s why I’d like you to try using [Kagutsuchi] to your heart’s content.”
Hikari took a deep breath.
It had only been a day or two since she had subjugated [Kagutsuchi], but it felt like years had passed.
“Hikari.”
“Yes.”
“I’m here. Don’t worry.”
“Yes!”
ใ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ก๐ข๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.ใ
“. . . . . .”
Hikari’s heart was put at ease once more by Siwoo’s affection.
Strangely enough, she could trust this man’s words.
Not just to the extent of trusting him, but to the extent that she wouldn’t mind giving him her all.
Hikari instructed the spirit that lent her its breath to share its power with her heart.
Magic power and divine power flowed out like threads, spreading evenly throughout her body.
[Kagutsuchi: Honoo no Mai (Dance of Flames)]
Flash.
Embers manifested at the tip of the folding fan, beautifully embroidering the air like a long ribbon as they consumed oxygen.
“Well done.”
Siwoo nodded in satisfaction.
The flow of Kagutsuchi’s power and Hikari’s handling of the ability no longer showed any signs of the clumsiness she had displayed before.
It felt very stably synchronized.
The quiet flames swirled around and charged towards Siwoo.
‘๐๐ฉ’๐ก๐ก ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ.’
Siwoo manifested a formula under his feet.
Hundreds of shapes and characters intertwined, and dense magic power filled the circuit.
A bright blue flash illuminated the ground, creating a giant magic circle, and
[Breath of Water: Hundred Silk Carp]
A hundred crimson and white silk carp leaped out of the magic circle and swam swiftly towards the flames.
“Husband, you can use the water attribute too?”
Hikari looked at Siwoo with awe.
Normally, it was common for magicians to focus on one or two adjacent attributes.
This was because skills were usually granted with one attribute.
However, Siwoo not only wielded lightning, earth, ice, iron, and poison, but he also used incredible healing magic and now even water-attribute magic.
According to what she had heard from her grandfather, he seemed to use the wood attribute as well.
‘๐พ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ค?’
The scorching heat descended as if it would burn the silk carp to death.
However, only a very small number of them were consumed by the heat.
Instead, the carp devoured the flames and exploded their own bodies, causing Kagutsuchi: Fire Dance to gradually subside and eventually die out completely.
The few remaining silk carp swam towards Hikari, wagging their tails.
“As expected of Master!”
Hikari’s folding fan burst into flames.
She folded the fan and swung it like a sword at the charging fish.
Paang!
The silk carp exploded like small grenades, adding to the flames.
However, her flames did not die out easily.
When all the fish were finally gone, Hikari laughed triumphantly in her drenched kimono.
Then,
“It’s a waste of time to blow them up one by one.”
As Siwoo’s voice reached her ears,
Pajijijiji. . .!
The sound of an electric howl echoed from behind her.
“Kyaaa!”
A ‘weak’ attack that knocked her back a few steps.
“Magic power and divine power should be used as efficiently as possible, and your body should always be on guard against your opponent.”
Siwoo continued, holding up the yellow lightning crackling from his index finger.
“Why do you think I used lightning?”
“Well. . .because you’re good at it? But weren’t you not supposed to be able to use attack skills?”
“Yeah, I can’t use them. That [Breath of Water] was also a defensive skill manifestation.”
“Lightning. . .I don’t understand.”
“The answer is because Hikari is soaked in water.”
“Ah. . .”
“So, when did I come up with this move?”
Hikari hesitated to answer.
‘๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ? ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐๐ฉ? ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ?’
She didn’t know how to fight like her opponent, who seemed to foresee her every move like a game of chess or Go.
She had only fought with the belief that if she had enough strength, she would win.
But Siwoo, despite possessing overwhelmingly strong power, always considered his moves carefully when facing his opponents.
What kind of life had he lived until now?
“I don’t know. When?”
“The answer isโfrom the very beginning of the spar.”
“Huh??”
Siwoo’s body approached her step by step.
She took a defensive stance.
‘๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ? ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐. . .? ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ?’
Multiple thoughts rushed into Hikari’s mind at once.
Attack, preemptive defense, evasion, waiting.
She couldn’t tell which one was the right choice.
Then, as Siwoo’s body came within striking distance,
Pajijijik!!
Once again, lightning shot towards her.
“Kyaaa!”
It didn’t hurt much, but it was sharp and stinging.
The amount of damage on her smartwatch increased slightly.
“It’s against the rules to use attack skills.”
“I didn’t attack.”
“But you just sent that electricity at me. . .?”
“I didn’t do it. This is a ‘defensive’ skill.”
‘๐ผ๐. ๐๐๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ.’
Defensive skills weren’t necessarily used only to cancel out the opponent’s skills.
Hikari had learned the fact she knew in theory through experience once again.
“Right now, it’s just a tingling sensation like static electricity, but do you know what will happen if I pour more magic power into it?”
“It’ll hurt. . .?”
Siwoo approached her with a grin.
But then,
“Don’t touch my sister!!”
Kumo’s voice rang out, and a man in armor swung his fist at Siwoo.