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Chapter 100

Boom!!

Flames erupted, forcing Se-Hoon slightly back. As he retreated, he briefly saw An Gil-Hyun’s right eye, which should have been pierced by the Nocturne Piercer, trembling faintly.

It appeared as if the attack had no effect, but in reality, it had.

Fwoosh-

A faint flame dimly flickered within the pocket of An Gil-Hyun’s top, signaling that his protective charm had been consumed upon absorbing all of the damage from the attack.

How on earth did this guy get here?

He had witnessed firsthand Se-Hoon being utterly defeated at the hands of the Silent Shadow Squad, unable to land even a single blow. So how could he be standing here, unscathed? What could explain this unexpected resilience?

He wanted to understand the situation, but Se-Hoon wasn’t foolish enough to wait for him.

Clang!

Blades silently surged behind An Gil-Hyun, forcing him to turn and counter with his crescent moon glaive all in an instant. And when he pushed them back and found out who the assailants were, his eyes widened in shock.

The Silent Shadow Squad?!

Their bodies blurred like a shadow and their physical abilities were more enhanced than before, yet their faint presence and movements were clearly those of the Silent Shadow Squad he had seen earlier.

Assaulted by their unexpected hostility, An Gil-Hyun’s mind raced with newly sparked possibilities.

Was I the target from the start? Otherwise, there was no way Se-Hoon, whom he presumed dead, would ambush him with the Silent Shadow Squad.

With limited information and the sudden turn of events cluttering his mind, it was natural that he was coming up with countless unbelievable scenarios.

“You seem quite lost in thought!” Se-Hoon shouted, swinging the Forgefire Hammer with all his might at An Gil-Hyun.

“Urgh...?!

Though caught off guard by the attack that had precisely exploited his vulnerable spot, An Gil-Hyun quickly reacted. Se-Hoon had the upper hand, but even he couldn’t overcome the overwhelming physical disparity.

Now focused, An Gil-Hyun quickly closed the distance, swinging his crescent moon glaive, trying to split the hammer.

You got way too cocky from that first attack...!

He didn’t understand exactly what was happening, but regardless, all he had to do was simply eliminate both Se-Hoon and the Silent Shadow Squad.

With his decision made, his eyes fixed on Se-Hoon as he was about to split the hammer into two.

Fwoosh!

Crimson flames arose from the Forgefire Hammer, precisely striking the blade of the crescent moon glaive.

Clang!

The crescent moon glaive was deflected, and the Forgefire Hammer sprung backward with great force. It was a situation significantly different from what An Gil-Hyun anticipated, which widened his eyes in shock.

“What the...”

Had he panicked so much that he had failed to control his strength? However, before he could dwell on it, attacks from the Silent Shadow Squad poured in from all directions.

“Quite clumsy!”

Clang! Clang! Boom!

Despite being thrown off by their coordination, he managed to fend off the onslaught of attacks from the four undead assassins and Se-Hoon. And as time passed, he managed to stabilize his stance.

If he could just hold on a little longer, he would be able to use a proper technique to take all of them down in one blow. But... he felt an inexplicable sense of doom, even if he had the upper hand.

What exactly... what exactly went wrong?

Why were these guys, who should have been dead long ago, clinging so persistently to him? Why were they purposely shouting before they attacked, drawing attention to themselves?

Feeling more and more like they were baiting his counterattacks, his gaze strangely fell on his unresponsive crescent moon glaive.

Clang!

Causing him to finally notice that the shaft was gradually being deformed with each consecutive strike from the Forgefire Hammer.

“This crazy bastard...!”

He hadn’t been their target from the beginning—it was his crescent moon glaive all along.

Realizing this belatedly, he began to detonate the residual flames he had set around him to create some distance. But someone had been waiting for that.

Got you.

Se-Hoon struck the crescent moon glaive’s shaft once again with his Forgefire Hammer, creating a strange pulse.

Boom!!!

A terrifying explosion erupted around An Gil-Hyun.

Having been observing An Gil-Hyun’s combat with Eyes of Clairvoyance, Se-Hoon imitated the mana impulse, Explosion Trigger, to detonate the residual flames before the user could—just like when he first met Sung-Ha.

Unlike how Sung-Ha had controlled his power in the past, though, An Gil-Hyun had exerted his full strength in this life-or-death situation. Thus, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the blast from the residual flames left any ordinary hero in a near-death state.

Unfortunately, it seems like he was thoroughly prepared.

The movement of mana within the smoke indicated that the ordeal was not over yet.

“Argh!!!”

Whoosh!

With an explosive swing, An Gil-Hyun swung the crescent moon glaive to clear the cloud of smoke. Appearing all charred and disheveled, he glared at Se-Hoon with bloodshot eyes.

The look in his eyes was now one of complete alertness, devoid of any complacency. Seizing the moment, Se-Hoon pulled a White Light Dagger from his waist and threw it without hesitation.

“Hmph...!”

Crack!

Though An Gil-Hyun easily deflected the White Light Dagger and shattered it to pieces, it was within Se-Hoon’s calculations; he had been aiming to create an opportunity for the undead assassins to launch a coordinated attack.

“Come here!!!” An Gil-Hyun shouted.

Clang!!

He had managed to block the onslaught of the undead assassins, but his breathing had become disordered and he was beginning to be pushed back. His eyes and face seemed to have any sign of rationality, but his mind was still rapidly assessing everything.

It’s just that I used up all of my protective charms. I still have a chance.

He knew he would overpower the Silent Shadow Squad in a head-on confrontation, seeing as they specialized in ambushes. He also knew how to vary the frequency of his Explosion Trigger to prevent the residual flames from exploding preemptively.

Thinking the situation wasn’t that bad, he steadied his breathing and was about to launch another offensive, but his composure was soon shattered.

Creak-

His foot had tripped an invisible wire.

Boom!!

“You... you bastard!!!”

Confirming that the trap he had set up was successfully activated upon hearing the explosion from the forest and An Gil-Hyun’s scream, Se-Hoon sighed in relief.

“At least we’ve bought some time...”

If the undead assassins could keep leading An Gil-Hyun through the surrounding forest to trigger the remaining traps, they would buy them enough time for him and Sung-Ha to rearm themselves.

Taking a moment to steady his ragged breathing, Se-Hoon returned to the waterfall and Sung-Ha to ensure they could secure their advantage.

“Hey! I’m going to pass you the spear now, so together we can... huh?”

Trailing off in disbelief, Se-Hoon started at Sung-Ha who hadn’t moved an inch and was still staring powerlessly at the ground.

At this disheartening sight, he could only incredulously ask, “Have you... have you seriously given up?”

“...”

“Wow. You actually have. Oh my God,” Se-Hoon exclaimed in amazement over and over, as if he had seen some precious artifact.

His reaction caused Sung-Ha’s eyebrows to furrow momentarily, but since his spirit had been ground to the finest of powders, it wasn’t easy to reform it again.

Having expected Sung-Ha to shout or grab him by the collar in anger, Se-Hoon wore a grim expression due to the completely opposite reaction. The conversation between An Gil-Hyun and Sung-Ha wasn’t supposed to have been taken seriously, but it seemed to have provoked many thoughts in Sung-Ha.

He isn’t the Mad Dog any longer; he’s just a completely drenched cur now...

Swallowing the fact that Sung-Ha could not be sent back into the fray, Se-Hoon stepped forward and stomped on the blade of Sun Shooter.

“What are you...”

Seeing Se-Hoon’s incomprehensible action, Sung-Ha looked up questioningly.

Smack!

Only to fall back listlessly due to Se-Hoon powerfully jabbing the end of the spear shaft into his solar plexus.

“Ugh.... What was that for...!”

Since it was more of a push than a hit, Sung-Ha quickly regained his posture.

Meanwhile, Se-Hoon picked up Sun Shooter and said, “You just died right now.”

“...What?”

“So, this is mine now.”

Playfully shaking Sun Shooter in front of Sung-Ha, Se-Hoon tossed it upward and then struck its blade fiercely with the Forgefire Hammer.

Boom-!

A shower of sparks burst, sending red fragments into the air. Seeing the shattered fragments of the spear blade, Sung-Ha’s eyes widened.

Why...

Why would Se-Hoon deliberately destroy Sun Shooter in this situation?

He grappled with confusion, anger, and the shame of his helplessness due to just watching his own weapon be destroyed.

Thump.

Then, a red fragment fell into Se-Hoon’s extended hand.

Seeing that, Sung-Ha realized Se-Hoon had only broken off the sides of the spear blade and straightened the main part into a new form. The fact shocked him.

“This doesn’t seem good enough...” muttered Se-Hoon.

Although the new blade had many imperfections, seeing as how it had been hastily destroyed when it should have been slowly chipped away, there was no other choice but to use the quickest method with whatever was available in its current state.

Hooking the Forgefire Hammer back on his belt, he began fitting the Crimson Flame Rod from his void pocket with the new blade.

Soon, the inside of the blade, which had faded from use, began to glow a deep crimson, gradually intensifying to a vivid red.

“Whew,” Se-Hoon exhaled, steadying his breath. He then looked at Sung-Ha, who stared blankly back at him.

“What are you doing? Don’t just stand there; leave.”

“Leave?”

“I told you, you’ve already died.”

Turning away, Se-Hoon finished in an indifferent voice, “Just leave right now and beg the Sect Master to spare your life. He might just pity you, seeing how pathetic you look right now.”

With that, Se-Hoon sprinted away in the direction An Gil-Hyun had vanished.

Sung-Ha’s mind went blank.

I’m... dead? Sung-Ha thought, watching Se-Hoon’s back getting further and further away.

The words, almost playful, pierced deep into his consciousness, stirring a troubling question within him.

What was I even fighting for all this time?

Although his master had indeed instructed him to become the next sect master, if that were truly all, he wouldn’t have needed to resort to such drastic measures. He could have hidden his power or simply allied with those who opposed Lee Won-Ryong.

So why had he chosen not to hide and instead confront everything directly? Why had he chosen this inefficient and perilous path?

I just wanted to prove myself...

All along, he had wanted to prove that the spear techniques and the life taught by his master were correct. That was why he had chosen not to compromise and faced all the obstacles head-on, aspiring to become the next sect master.

He knew that was what his master had truly hoped for him.

“Damn it!”

That was the path he had vowed to follow.

Boom!

Getting back on his feet, he rushed into the forest, catching sight of Se-Hoon ahead of him. He also spotted An Gil-Hyun further past and noticed he had already dealt with three of the four assassins, looking poised to engage in battle with Se-Hoon at any moment.

Seeing that, Sung-Ha shouted at Se-Hoon with all his might, “STOP!”

However, Se-Hoon didn’t halt, treating him as if he were truly dead. Biting his lip in frustration, Sung-Ha pondered what he could say to gain another chance and make him listen.

Then, a phrase burst forth: “It’s a deal!”

At that shout, Se-Hoon finally stopped in his tracks, turning his head and looking back.

Seizing the moment, Sung-Ha shouted again with resolve, “I’ll pay double; just hand the spears over to me!”

“Haha. It’s triple the price, you bastard,” Se-Hoon said, casually tossing the two spears at him.

Catching the two spears hurled toward him, Sung-Ha swiftly bypassed Se-Hoon and charged right toward An Gil-Hyun, who had just finished dealing with the last remaining undead assassin.

“How... how dare you underestimate me!”

Battered from the numerous traps and ambushes, An Gil-Hyun looked toward the approaching Sung-Ha and immediately stomped on the ground in defiance.

What difference does changing from one worn spear to two seemingly insignificant ones make?

Determined to behead Sung-Ha immediately when given the chance, he swung his crescent moon glaive.

Clang-!

However, unlike his expectation, Sung-Ha’s twin spears easily deflected the crescent moon glaive.

“...Ah?”

The black spear shifted the trajectory of the crescent moon glaive and the red spear followed up by bashing it back with explosive force. An Gil-Hyun’s eyes popped open upon the effortless deflection, and Sung-Ha seized that moment to press the attack.

Clang, clang, clang!

The distance between the two closed quickly.

The power of the residual flames An Gil-Hyun previously deployed slowly diminished as the space narrowed, while Sung-Ha, having drawn him into his range, relentlessly exploited any openings with his own residual flames.

Clang!

Seeing the crescent moon glaive swung downward once again, Sung-Ha blocked with twin spears, getting them all stuck together. He then immediately directed the crescent moon glaive further down before stomping on the crescent moon glaive’s spear shaft.

Thump!

Pinning the crescent moon glaive to the ground, he launched a chilling flurry of strikes, targeting An Gil-Hyun’s head and heart.

In desperation, An Gil-Hyun infused his mana into his fists and struck back.

Crack!

“Ugh...!?”

He had managed to divert Sung-Ha’s attack, but his gauntlet had been cleanly sliced through. Seeing how Sung-Ha had managed to cut through the gauntlet even though he had infused quite a lot of mana, An Gil-Hyun began to sweat coldly as he frantically kicked the shaft of his crescent moon glaive with all his might.

Bang!

Sung-Ha was thrown backward, and An Gil-Hyun, having recovered his crescent moon glaive, steadied himself and took stance again.

“Huff... huff...”

He had originally thought that Sung-Ha would become a threat only in the far future if he had let him escape today. However, after that brief exchange, he realized he was completely wrong.

He was... already a threat to begin with.

Having failed to kill Sung-Ha during their first encounter and then letting the twin spears be passed into Sung-Ha’s hands, he was now faced with a certain truth—it was now about how he would survive.

Realizing it wasn’t about the assassination any longer, An Gil-Hyun infused the rest of his mana into the crescent moon glaive and swung it with all his might one last time.

Whooom!

As the crescent moon glaive slowly traced its circular path, he soon became surrounded by a ring of flames that was rapidly accelerating and shining brighter and brighter. He then swung the glaive toward the brilliantly glowing flame ring.

Inferno Ring: Sun Disk Cleaver

A fiery slash swept forward.

It was a secret technique of the Inferno Ring that released all of the compressed mana infused in a single strike.

Facing the ensuing flames, Sung-Ha gripped his twin spears tightly.

There’s no way I could overpower that.

He knew that his only chance was to utilize his advantage in finesse, compatibility, and talent.

Recalling the strange pulse Se-Hoon had shown at the training grounds long ago, Sung-Ha infused the Nocturne Piercer with darkness mana and created a flame ring in front of him.

He then poured all his fire mana, Crimson Flame Soul, into the Crimson Flame Rod and thrust toward the center of the ring with all his strength.

Whooom!

The two different elemental manas resonated as one.

Inferno Ring: Eclipse Shatter

Boom-

A massive flame engulfed the battlefield. And piercing through its center was the Crimson Flame Rod, dispersing it in all directions. At the end of the spear’s path was An Gil-Hyun’s abdomen, which it pierced through with ease.

“Cough... what is... this...”

An Gil-Hyun couldn’t believe how this strange flame entwined with black swirls tore apart and overwhelmed his own; he was sure that his flame was purer and more powerful.

He stared at the heretic before him, unable to understand the situation.

“The old ones are you guys.”

Sung-Ha twisted his spear half a turn.

Boom!!

An explosion erupted, and An Gil-Hyun’s body vanished without a trace. Staring at the remnants of the flame, Yeom Sung-Ha withdrew his spear.

[The equipment ‘Crimson Flame Rod’ has been transformed into ‘Sun Piercing Spear’.]

[Sun Piercing Spear]

[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Above Average]

[A spear made by heating a special type of wood over a long time.

It has the ability to absorb and store flames, which can then be used as nourishment to regenerate damaged parts.

The implanted mana circuit helps maintain efficient power output, increasing the spear’s strength.

It can concentrate and release all of the absorbed flames from the tip of the blade, with an adjustable range.

*Can regenerate using the flames stored in equipment

*Strength increases when infused with mana

*Enables the use of the skill Crimson Flame

*Current stored flame: 100%]

A new spear, refined by the flame of Black Flame Wheel, was revealed.