Chapter 91

091. Desire (1)

Flame Sword.

Nam Gung Hyuk called the sword energy that flickered like a flame's haze "Flame Sword."

He also said it was a realm beyond sword energy, a level that fake sword energy could never reach.

I thought, what difference could it make just because the sword energy flickered like a flame? ...

But only after blocking Nam Gung Hyuk's curved sword, which bent and rushed at me with sword energy, did I realize its true meaning.

Kiiing—!

The fact that it was a realm that sword energy alone couldn't match didn't have much of a different meaning.

‘The sword energy is being devoured...!?’

It was as if the Flame Sword was a predator, greedily devouring the sword energy I formed.

It wasn't that the physical force of the sword energy was weak, but rather that the Flame Sword dominated the sword energy like an enemy with an unbeatable advantage.

Just by clashing blades, using sword energy became meaningless.

Ultimate Skill.

In an instant, I realized that this Flame Sword was a technique designed to break sword energy, and to me, who only knew how to use sword energy, it was a natural nemesis.

"Let's finish this with false sword energy."

Nam Gung Hyuk coldly announced the end and immediately completely destroyed the sword energy.

Clang!

Like a glass window shattering, the sword energy broke, and Nam Gung Hyuk swung his curved sword, aiming to slice through my sword as well.

But—.

「The special effect of the Blood Heaven Demon Sword imbues the blade with blood energy.」

Nam Gung Hyuk's curved sword, swung in an instant, ultimately failed to cut through my sword.

“...!?”

The moment the sword energy disappeared from the Blood Heaven Demon Sword in my hand, a reddish aura enveloped the blade.

「When used by someone with a sword skill, the blade is imbued with blood energy, and the flow of magic power through the blood channels becomes smoother.」

I didn't fully understand what it meant for blood energy to envelop the blade back then.

But as the sword energy overlaying the Blood Heaven Demon Sword disappeared, its true nature was revealed at that moment.

Moreover, the blood energy enveloping the blade was only slightly suppressed by Nam Gung Hyuk's Flame Sword and was not destroyed.

In other words, blood energy was a type of ability that the Flame Sword couldn't devour.

‘Nice...!!’

At that moment, I inwardly rejoiced and immediately stepped back.

「The duration of the unique characteristic 'Forced Duel' has ended.」

「The duel area within a 30-meter radius has been deactivated, and external interference is now possible.」

"Can't control the firepower, so stay out of the way...!"

At the same time as Catherine's voice was heard from outside, a burst of flames rushed from the right.

Seeing this, I quickly increased the distance between Nam Gung Hyuk and myself, but...

"Will you fall for such tricks again?"

Upon seeing the flames, Nam Gung Hyuk, contrary to me, stopped in his tracks and raised his momentum.

"Blue Heaven Flying Sword."

It seemed as if Nam Gung Hyuk was muttering, as if he intended to put everything into one strike.

For a moment, I thought he had activated a skill or ability, but I soon changed my mind.

How could someone who so despised skills and abilities mutter so confidently?

I instinctively judged that it couldn't be a skill or ability and stared intently at him.

Soon, Nam Gung Hyuk raised the Flame Sword to its limit and began to swing his sword as if dancing.

Kwaang...!!

Like a sky burning at sunset, the Flame Sword soon overpowered the flames.

In that instant, I anticipated that if Nam Gung Hyuk continued like this, he would become even more rampant and braced myself.

I had to stop him.

If I didn't kill him halfway at this point, I wouldn't survive.

This thought dominated my mind, and I moved my body forcefully.

Was that intense intuition not just mine?

Paaang!

Kim Seung-hoon, who had just escaped from the building debris, also rushed at Nam Gung Hyuk with Ohama, as if mad.

With his abilities reduced and his skills sealed, he couldn't just stand by and watch.

As long as Nam Gung Hyuk was still using the Flame Sword to extinguish the flames, there was still a chance.

Swaang!

With that resolve, I shot a Lightning Sword Energy at Nam Gung Hyuk at maximum output.

However...

"Blue Heaven Wheel Sword."

As Nam Gung Hyuk, who had just extinguished the flames, muttered and swung his sword in a circular motion...

Zeeeeeeng!

The counterattack of the Lightning Sword Energy, as well as everything around it, was cut away by the Flame Sword like a storm.

***

Horizon.

The scene before me could only be described as such.

「The skill 'Ashen Blood' is activated.」

「All types of pain inflicted on the user are reduced by 60%.」

"..."

With my left arm completely gone up to the shoulder and my right eye completely blinded, I looked at the newly formed horizon.

This was the horizon created by the destruction of all buildings in the area and the disappearance of the once magnificent Shinjuku.

I felt a sense of futility at the fact that this scene was caused by a single person.

In reality, Nam Gung Hyuk was a monster beyond my comprehension.

The Blue Heaven Flying Sword and Blue Heaven Wheel Sword he talked about were not skills or abilities but pure techniques.

Yet, I couldn't stop Nam Gung Hyuk and could only barely survive.

"..."

「The skill 'Shield of Retaliation' has broken, and the reflection of accumulated damage is no longer possible.」

I was still alive only because of Ashen Blood and the Shield of Retaliation.

In a moment of quick thinking, I used the Shield of Retaliation to protect others centered around me, blocking the sword attack.

‘...No, I can't really say I blocked it properly.’

All I did was exhaust all my magic power to neutralize one attack.

I couldn't even use the true effect of the Shield of Retaliation, which reflects accumulated damage.

The result was惨不忍睹.

Kim Seung-hoon, who had just escaped from the building debris, was once again pinned under a building.

Catherine and Oh Chun-seok fainted from the shock wave that penetrated the shield.

"Damn..."

It was a complete defeat.

In contrast, Nam Gung Hyuk, the one who caused this disaster, was not in as serious a condition as I was.

Although his stamina seemed to have dropped significantly, he was breathing heavily and his hands, which held the curved sword, were trembling violently...

But he didn't have any part of his body completely destroyed like I did.

Of course, I was also regenerating my lost body parts through Ashen Blood, but they wouldn't fully recover.

Now, with my stamina drained, my body wasn't regenerating properly.

But Nam Gung Hyuk also seemed to have no remaining inner energy, so our situations were similar for the moment.

I had lost my left arm and my right eye, but Nam Gung Hyuk was in a situation where it was difficult to even hold his sword.

Thinking about this absurd situation, I tightly gripped the Blood Heaven Demon Sword in my right hand.

Gripping the hilt of the sword, a reddish aura immediately enveloped the blade.

Of course, it was weaker than when I activated the blood energy with a large amount of magic power.

‘Even if I can't win, I can at least inflict fatal injuries on each other.’

At least I had the minimum means to fight Nam Gung Hyuk again.

If Nam Gung Hyuk decided to fight again, I would face him with the resolve to die.

That was the conclusion I reached.

Just as I aimed the Blood Heaven Demon Sword at Nam Gung Hyuk, ready to fight again...

"…It doesn't seem to be the right time to decide the outcome yet."

Nam Gung Hyuk quietly burned with a fierce gaze and spoke to me as if squeezing out the words.

"…This time, I will acknowledge my defeat. But next time, it will be different."

Following his words, I frowned, not understanding.

But when Nam Gung Hyuk, with his trembling hands, pulled out a blue stone from his scorched blue martial arts uniform, I understood his intention.

"Dimensional travel..."

"Will you block it?"

"..."

"If you do, one of us will die here."

That was true.

Even though Nam Gung Hyuk was exhausted, I had lost my left arm and was completely blind in my right eye.

Without my left arm, my sense of balance was lost, and with one eye, my sense of distance was completely gone.

‘I will die.’

Even if we didn't easily give up our lives, a proper clash would mean I couldn't survive.

Of course, Nam Gung Hyuk wouldn't survive either, but I didn't want to take such a gamble.

"Today, I will acknowledge my defeat and withdraw, but I will meet you again."

Nam Gung Hyuk, barely maintaining his wobbling body, tightly gripped the blue stone.

Wooom!

"Stay well, sword demon."

Nam Gung Hyuk stepped into the blue portal that appeared behind him and disappeared.

"..."

I watched as the portal closed like it was turned off, and then turned my gaze.

The buildings in Shinjuku were split in half and collapsed due to Nam Gung Hyuk's sword.

"Admitting defeat... This is no different from my defeat."

I couldn't protect anything.

Seven years ago, I lost my parents to the horde of monsters pouring out of the dungeon break.

This time, I also failed to kill Nam Gung Hyuk and protect Shinjuku.

All I accomplished was sending Nam Gung Hyuk back to his original position.

This realization made my heart twist with pain.

However...

Before I could even feel the mental pain, the aftereffects of the battle rose from my entire body.

The absence of my left arm, the blindness in my right eye, and various other large and small injuries gradually dulled my consciousness.

Thud.

"..."

I couldn't resist and fell to the ground, closing my eyes.

***

"…You finally woke up."

When I opened my eyes, I saw the face of the red-haired beauty, Catherine.

She looked as if a critically ill patient had miraculously awakened.

‘Well, I was a critically ill patient, after all.’

With my left arm completely gone up to the shoulder and my right eye blinded...

Realizing this, I immediately moved my body, which felt weak, to activate my senses.

Immediately, I felt the sensation of my fingers and the movement of my left arm.

Moreover, my right eye, which had been blinded, had recovered to the point where I could distinguish objects.

‘Ashen Blood must be working properly.’

The Ashen Blood skill, which had already shown excellent regenerative power, had even increased in level during this battle.

It was impossible for a skill that could regenerate damaged body parts to fail to heal this extent.

With a sense of relief, I slowly rolled my eyes to look around, and Catherine spoke.

"This is a hospital near Tokyo."

"…Do you not need treatment, Miss Catherine?"

"Are you saying this while knowing what condition you were in…?"

"..."

"My left arm was completely gone, and my right eye was blinded."

"I know."

Since it would recover with the Ashen Blood skill, it wasn't a big issue for me.

However, Catherine, who didn't see it that way, continued with tears in her eyes.

"Thanks to the shield you used, we are all safe, but you are in this condition."

"..."

"To be honest, if it weren't for you, I would have died. I am grateful for that."

"Ah, yes…"

"But you need to take better care of yourself. Fighting like that, you would run out of lives no matter how many you had."

"..."

Feeling the emotion in her words, I silently looked at her and nodded.

"I will keep that in mind."

Hearing advice from someone's goodwill for the first time in a long time, I smiled bitterly.

Only then did she realize her emotions were heightened, blushing and composing her voice.

"…Anyway, the doctor said you need rest, so focus on recovering for a while. You, no, only you, deserve it."

With that, Catherine took out three small bottles from her pocket and handed them to me.

"These are skill proficiency increase potions given as payment by the Japanese Hunter Association."

Each potion increased a skill's proficiency by 10%, a reward anyone would covet.

"…But why three?"

"One is your share, which was supposed to be given to you, one is the potion I received, and one is one I had."

"…Yes?"

"Since it's hard to hold, take them quickly. Honestly, if I don't do this much, I can't face my savior."

"..."

Honestly, I wondered what she would gain by doing this much for me, but...

Seeing her blushing even to her ears, I felt it would be rude not to accept, so I took the three skill proficiency increase potions.

"…Thank you."

Only then did Catherine stand up as if she had completed her task.

"Then I'll be going. See you later."

With that, she quickly left the room.

I placed the three potions on the table and sat up.

"Ouch…"

Although my injuries had healed, my entire body felt strangely prickly.

I could understand why the doctor said I needed rest.

I put on the slippers provided by the hospital and walked to the window.

Creak—.

"Hmm."

When I opened the window, I felt the cold winter air from outside.

"…"

However, in contrast to the cold wind, my heart beat more intensely.

I immediately recognized what this emotion was.

Desire.

Currently, I was frustrated by not being able to defeat Nam Gung Hyuk and desired a more intense power.

It was like lighting a fuse that could never be stopped, and the heat in my body wouldn't subside.

With each heartbeat, the emotion intertwined and changed.

It was as if I wanted to experience the intense growth I achieved in the fierce battle with Nam Gung Hyuk again.

It was as if I felt guilty for not protecting anything, just like I lost everything seven years ago.

It was as if I wanted to reach the level of the Flame Sword that Nam Gung Hyuk possessed, purely out of a desire to grow.

My heart raced many times, but I just looked out the window, as if to calm this heat in my heart.

"…"

Although spring had not yet arrived, it would soon pass, like this winter in Tokyo.

Soon, the time would come when this desire would be resolved.

For now, it was time to use this desire as kindling to prepare for growth.