Episode 204

After placing the used tablet back in its spot, I entered one side of the stands in spirit form and took a look around the arena.

“Keep dodging! Hahaha! Keep swirling, Halberd Rain!!”

I arrived just in time to see Ray Huang once again open Lu Bu’s chest to unleash the Lunar Halberd Missiles in every direction.

Wasn’t that dangerous? It wasn’t just me thinking this; everyone had the same thought, including Yoon Iseon, who momentarily glanced towards the referee’s seat.

-Eh, again, Lu Bu throwing the Lunar Halberd is an item that appears in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms… No problem with historical accuracy! The match continues!

Hearing Principal Kim Seok-dae, who had taken his place in the referee’s seat, speak, I recalled the Romance of the Three Kingdoms I had read as a child.

“Wasn’t it that they shot the Lunar Halberd with arrows, not that Lu Bu threw it?”

Since when did Lu Bu ever shout “Halberd Rain” while hurling the Lunar Halberd? As far as I was aware, such an event never happened, but everyone in the stands just tilted their heads in confusion, wondering, “Is that so?”

Pabababat. Once again, the Lunar Halberd descended from the sky. The sharp edges of the pole plummeted towards the ground, and being struck by such intense attacks could result in being pierced through and killed.

Yet, the match continued. Ray Huang shouted “Die,” but the interpretation of the judgment varied.

Was it an attack truly filled with murderous intent? Or merely a “spirit shout” to be judged?

That depended on the outcome. One must observe the unfolding of the battle to decide, but it seemed that the Principal, serving as the referee, judged it as a spirit shout.

Or perhaps it’s because Yoon Iseon dodged well.

“Yoon Iseon seems to be okay.”

That’s a relief. It’s not the defeat that concerned me, but the potential for sustaining fatal injuries.

The opponent, Ray Huang, was Chinese, and not to sound prejudiced, but he might believe that anything was permissible to win.

Was it prejudice? Even if it was, it didn’t matter. If he truly harbored such thoughts and committed wrongdoing, especially if that wrongdoing threatened Yoon Iseon’s life, then I must intervene.

As a villain-type character.

“Uhahaha! You dodge like a rat! Then, let’s go stronger! I’ll show you the power of a military god! A martial god!”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff!! You tiny thing!!”

Fortunately, it seems it hasn’t escalated that far yet, so I could momentarily shift my focus elsewhere.

[Doul. How many S-class individuals do you sense right now?]

[Seven. As reported.]

[That’s good.]

On Sejong Island, and right here in this arena, there were seven S-class individuals.

‘Snow White, Baridegi, Hayabusa.’

The visible S-class individuals were currently three.

‘And then, Armored Taejo, Cheok Jun-kyeong, and Naraje are concealing themselves.’

Three S-class individuals were concealing their presence at the scene, not revealing themselves publicly. It’s quite exceptional that Armored Taejo wasn’t flaunting his attention-seeking traits and was quietly hiding in the stands, but perhaps he’s exercising maximum restraint, looking forward to the main event to come.

‘They are targeting me.’

Using Hayabusa as a pretext, they were setting a trap to catch the Goblin.

[If the Goblin shows up, you’re going to pounce immediately, right? What do you think, Goblin?]

[Not just for the Goblin. I think everyone came out just in case. If seven people came out just to catch one Goblin, it’s truly an overreaction.]

[Then, what are they trying to catch?]

[Well, maybe the second Duoexini.]

Perhaps they were trying to catch another entity along with the Goblin.

‘They all came out fearing Pandemonium might appear.’

One Tosin was stationed on the Korean Peninsula, and all the remaining S-class individuals were gathered to protect the heart of Sejong Island.

It didn’t matter much if the Goblin escaped, but if a second Duoexini appeared and turned everyone into demons again, then it would indeed become a real international disgrace, a threat to the world.

[The Sephiroth Knights might also pop out. Hmm, it’s a pity. It would have been easier to respond if we knew why they came out.]

[Since we couldn’t contact you, isn’t it more accurate to say it was wrong to omit the report to you?]

[It’s not… wrong to say that. Although she’s affiliated with me, she didn’t come to Sejong Island following the order of the society, did she?]

I turned my gaze to one side of the stands. In the VIP stands, a woman with a fox-like impression, different from the others, sits among the audience.

Nadeshiko.

The moment I saw her, her gaze was precisely directed at me.

Could she see me?

No way. Just as I thought about moving my seat,

-Hello.

[!]

She accurately perceived where I was hiding and acknowledged me. Then, she quietly placed her index finger on her lips and smiled with her eyes. When the person next to her asked something, she started talking about something else while fiddling with her lower lip with her index finger.

[That’s fortunate. She indeed has sharp senses.]

Doul smiled broadly from inside me.

[It seems like she’s willing to turn a blind eye for now, right?]

[But it seems like she won’t leave me alone if I don’t meet her. For now, it seems fine, so let’s move according to the plan.]

It’s good that Nadeshiko had noticed us but was signaling that she’ll stay quiet; however, the problem was that Doul preferred a different direction.

[How about we kidnap Nadeshiko and escape when things get tough later?]

[Are you looking after your team member now?]

[Nadeshiko would probably get caught willingly, right?] [It’s not me who’ll get caught but her.]

Let’s not hide it. Nadeshiko was part of ‘the society’.

She’s not just a collaborator of the society but an S-class member who was also affiliated with the society, organized under Doul.

And like Doul, she was targeting me. There were several reasons, but the most significant one was that she had chosen me as her man.

[They say the older a woman gets, the more likely it is for her children to be born with disabilities.]

[Why bring that up?]

[Because she mentioned it herself. Although the probability of ability users having children with abnormalities due to late pregnancies is reduced, the societal pressure remains. Almost no 25-year-old female ability users haven’t had children, except for those who can’t or those excluding the S-class.]

Nadeshiko wanted to get pregnant. Before her body aged further, she wanted to have a child with the man she considered ideal during her physical prime.

…And that man happened to be me right now.

[How about just boldly seeding once?]

[Not this year.]

[If not this year, does that mean it’s okay next year?]

[Maybe.]

I came to watch Yoon Iseon’s final match, flustered by the unexpected positioning of S-class individuals, but now it seems okay.

Yoon Iseon was skillfully dodging Ray Huang’s Halberd Rain…

[She’s completely turned into a nine-tailed fox now.]

With a whoosh! Scattering pink flames, Yoon Iseon moved swiftly like a fox, perfectly dodging the falling fire techniques. Her tails had now increased to nine, fully embodying the nine-tailed fox concept.

[Since it’s not precisely aimed but just scattered, there has to be a blind spot. Even if there were no blind spots—]

Snap! One of her tails moved upwards and swatted a Lunar Halberd to the side. Even if it appeared as a fire technique, at its core, it’s a mass of magic power. When magic power collided with magic power, the stronger one prevailed.

Compared to the recklessly fired Lunar Halberd, Yoon Iseon’s tails are like blades condensed with magic power.

[That’s a relief. You were worried, weren’t you? Was there no need to come at all?]

[I’m worried about Yoon Iseon, but what concerns me more is that guy.]

Ray Huang was the one who launched the missiles. Besides being an A-class ability user, he’s someone who could easily fit into the original story. However, the issue lies in the fact that he’s fighting by drawing on magic power from beyond his own limits.

[If my guess is correct…as expected.]

“Kraaaa!!”

Slowly, a purple mist emanating from Ray Huang’s body began to flare up with a red hue.

[So it is.]

[I thought he was drawing mana from an external source, but he’s using mana powder to replenish his mana.]

Others were unaware.

But I could see it.

Ray Huang resorted to drugs. To clinch the A-class finals, to execute the technique known as spirit summoning, to emerge victorious, he must have turned to refined mana powder.

Mana powder was pleasurable, yet at its core, it boosted the mana of the user.

Naturally, its use in a duel would be highly effective.

“Die—–!”

The moment Ray Huang’s gun was precisely aimed at Yoon Iseon.

I-

“Henshin—–!”

A unique voice echoed from somewhere.

Kwaa—–ang!

“Reckless behavior is unacceptable.”

An unidentified assailant landed, delivering a kick to Ray Huang’s back and precisely creating an air hole in the head of the warrior Lu Bu, summoned by Ray Huang.

“This body makes its appearance.”

The figure who emerged in a sleek suit was none other than…

“Hayabusa.”

A hero.

Chejeok!

In the midst of the battlefield.

Ten circular rings, glowing with green light, flickered like coils.

And then.

“It’s, it’s the Goblin!!”

[Cowardly.]

In my Doul form, I reached out towards Hayabusa, who was standing on Ray Huang’s back.

[Do you intend to interrupt this sacred duel?]

“A sacred duel, you say? The outcome was already determined the moment this man resorted to using strange substances, wasn’t it?”

Hayabusa’s expression was hidden by her helmet, but she was smiling.

“Wow. To appear right after realizing an ability user utilized mana powder. Impressive. What made you suddenly appear?”

[That’s because.]

I slightly turned my head towards Yoon Iseon, who had appeared behind me, and then extended my fist forward.

[It’s to expel the one who prematurely ended the final match without it even being finished. After all, I came here as an audience member.]

What I showed to Hayabusa with my unfolded fist was a ‘ticket’. Obviously, it was fake.

“You mean…as an audience…?”

[I came to leisurely watch the match, but I can’t just stand by and watch an S-class interfere in an A-class match.]

Click, click. I lightly moved only my index finger towards Hayabusa.

[I expected that woman to win, but you ruthlessly trampled on that expectation by intruding.]

“She could have won? Against a drug user?”

[Of course. She could have overwhelmingly won regardless of the opponent’s unfair advantage. You stole that experience of victory from her.]

Winning against unfairness was the true victory. Hayabusa robbed Yoon Iseon of that victory.

[Now, I will execute the hooligan who intruded on the sacred duel.]

I came out not to execute a villain using drugs, but to chase away Hayabusa.

[I’ll show you.]

Once more, click, click.

[Defeat.]