476

 [Chapter 133]

[The Snake, Flower Petals, and Winter (3)]

The atmosphere changed.

Goodwill turned to hostility.

The change in atmosphere caused by a difference of one word settled heavily over the arena.

"—You'd better not think about leaving here in one piece now."

The man pulls his greatsword from the ground.

With those words, the Blaze Clan members gripped their weapons.

The mana covering their blades is dense.

Those who live and die by battle revealed their true intentions without filtering.

"Go tell your Clan Lord. A member of the Twelve Seats should act like one. Ask him what he was thinking causing trouble like this."

Nevertheless, Eunha wasn't intimidated.

Rather, he was arrogant.

And Eunha also infused his internal mana into his two swords.

Patterns appear on the pure white blades.

Red flower petals on the right hand.

A black snake on the left.

These crazy squid bastards are determined. Sending only named players... There are even two of the Eight Hells...

Looking at what they're doing, he's not one of the Twelve Seats but just a Slayer, that battle-crazed bastard.

Eunha checked the faces of the players in front of him.

There were two familiar faces.

The man speaking on behalf of the clan members was <Destroyer > Lim Chae-seong.

The man wearing spiked gauntlets was <Red Iron> Hwang Seok-ha.

They belonged to the Eight Hells, the collective term for Blaze Clan's elite that the media glamorously promoted.

The aura emanating from the other clan members suggested they were players with considerable skills.

—Here they come.

Lim Chae-seong roared.

The players moved at the monstrous cry that shook the space.

The first person to charge at Eunha was Lim Chae-seong.

As if intending to end it quickly, he swung down the greatsword he had raised overhead in one go.

"...Kuk...!"

Monstrous brute strength.

The arena floor shattered.

Eunha avoided the attack by using Cheonbo to half-rotate.

But he couldn't block all the fragments created by the attack's aftermath.

He received minor injuries.

Checking the wound on the back of his hand, he watches out for those bursting out of the dust cloud.

Cheonbo

Mana Crusher

Madness

He had already grasped their trajectories.

He blocked the sword that emerged from the dust cloud with Winter Crawling Through Snowflakes while rushing forward.

Then he infused mana into his right hand and struck a slash on the back of the man wearing heavy armor.

Immediately after, he finely shaped the residual mana on the blade into thorns and scattered them around.

He doesn't hold back.

They won't die anyway.

There was no way Blaze Clan members would die from such attacks.

Sure enough.

The man was unharmed except for falling forward.

Just then—

—On this hill and that ridge

Soaked with blood and sweat

Excluding the man fallen on the ground.

Three men sang a military song.

It was chorus magic.

Magic that intuitively visualizes images through lyrics while inflating the scale of the image.

Eunha saw the Blaze Clan members' mana violently fluctuate.

Their momentum rose, and their physical abilities seemed to have increased sharply.

These guys' chorus magic is annoying...

Fortunately there aren't many of them so it seems to just be pumping up their muscles, but it's still troublesome to deal with—

—Eunha frowned.

His feet wouldn't move as he thought.

At the same time the three deployed chorus magic to buff themselves, another one deployed debuff magic.

"Phew..."

Eunha regulated his breathing.

Lim Chae-seong is preparing magic.

The man who looks most agile is quickly closing the distance.

Hwang Seok-ha is running from behind to support the man, and one person is continuously stacking debuff magic that restricts movement.

The Blaze Clan members are deliberately attacking using the advantage of numbers.

But Eunha wasn't flustered.

He had experienced being ganged up on by named players several times in his previous life.

He won each time.

And he will win now too.

—Winter Blooming Coldly

Winter Blooming Coldly responds.

The sword containing blue-green mana emits an intense light around it.

The red flower petals engraved on the pure white blade deepen as if materializing in reality.

Assumptions become reality.

Red flower petals manifest in the world.

Countless petals grandly fill the surrounding area in a circle.

It cancels buffs and debuffs.

The people charging in couldn't advance forward as they were caught in the storm, and the petals obscured their vision.

Eunha didn't miss the opportunity.

Cheonbo

Frenzied Dance

Revolver Shot

Eunha kicked off the ground.

He who broke through the petal storm attacked the man at the front.

The man reflexively responded but couldn't block all the trajectories that changed according to the situation without form.

Eventually the man collapsed to the ground.

Eunha stepped on the falling man's back and jumped into the air.

His head points downward.

Even in that situation, Eunha accurately aimed Winter Blooming Coldly.

A bullet like a huge thorn flies and pierces Hwang Seok-ha's back as he wanders in the storm.

But the opponent is one of the Eight Hells.

Hwang Seok-ha who deduced Eunha's position from one attack bared his teeth.

Their eyes meet.

Hwang Seok-ha lowered his posture and leapt towards Eunha falling to the ground.

—Idiot.

Hwang Seok-ha pulls back his fist.

The fist pulled back behind his back moves forward, accurately aiming at the falling Eunha.

Eunha smiled.

He hadn't flown into the air without preparing any countermeasures.

Arrogant Counterattack

Eunha's necklace flashed.

The fist that started burning with mana is blocked by the technique and offsets the impact.

Instantly, the technique that absorbed the impact burst out towards Hwang Seok-ha.

——!!

An explosion sound.

A fierce explosion swallowed him.

Nevertheless, Eunha didn't let his guard down.

Because he saw Hwang Seok-ha use an artifact just before receiving the counter.

Sure enough, Hwang Seok-ha was standing unharmed where the explosion cleared.

No, he wasn't unharmed.

His upper clothing is in tatters.

He grits his teeth hard and brings his two fists together.

Those fists are dangerous.

If I get hit without properly defending, I could be knocked down in one go.

And from what I know, around this time <Destroyer > should be preparing—

———!!!

—Another explosion sound.

An even larger roar than the explosion just before split the ground.

It was <Destroyer >'s doing.

The cracked ground finally breaks.

Eunha quickly moved his body to find footing.

"...Kuk...!!"

Just then, the man who had fallen to the ground pounced on Eunha.

Eunha who stepped in the middle avoided, then using one foot as an axis, rotated once.

While rotating, he shot the mana contained in the blade towards the man.

Just then, his instincts warned him.

"—Aaaaaaah——!!"

<Red Iron> Hwang Seok-ha.

A fist falling vertically from behind blocked Eunha's escape route.

The only escape route was to the right.

And Eunha could sense that he had fallen into the trap of those who seemed like mere battle maniacs as he jumped to the right.

Nevertheless, there was only one path.

And in the direction he was heading—

"—This is the end."

<Destroyer > Lim Chae-seong.

He was taking a stance with massive mana wrapped around his sword.

An overwhelming momentum just from looking.

Finally Lim Chae-seong swung down his greatsword.

———!!

Magic exclusively for high-rank monsters.

Flames generated through massive mana as a medium swallowed Eunha.

The world is covered in flames.

The momentum of the flames does not falter and roars to burn all combustible substances.

The fierce heat does not subside.

And finally.

The wall of fire that blazed high lowers and the smoke clears.

—Winter Crawling Through Snowflakes

In there.

Eunha was holding a sword that was frantically devouring the flames.

Winter Crawling Through Snowflakes grins.

The black snake engraved on the blade writhes and opens its mouth.

When the color of the blade that absorbed the flames turned red—

"—This is perfect for honing practical skills."

Eunha opened his mouth towards him who was dumbfounded.

Lim Chae-seong snapped back to his senses.

But by then it was already too late.

Because the mango spewed out hellfire.

Kuooooooooo

The being that couldn't be identified as a snake or dragon was covered in flames.

That being wriggles its body made of flames and charges at Lim Chae-seong.

Once again, flames engulf the world.

☆

<Cutting the Gordian Knot> No Eunha.

Now he was an existence no different from a guaranteed hit ticket in the industry.

As a result, industry insiders who wanted to at least speak to him somehow had come to this place.

Regulus Clan, currently ranked second in the country, was in the same position as other clans.

"As expected of guys under Kang Hyeon-cheol... Is there not a single normal person in that clan?"

Regulus Clan Lord Gu Yeon-su.

He who had come to the comprehensive division competition even while dumping his work on executives clicked his tongue.

Because Blaze Clan members suddenly intruded as soon as the demonstration match ended.

Then they requested a duel with No Eunha.

To which No Eunha blurted out for them to all come at him together.

"...Don't tell me he's not normal either. That shouldn't be. Our clan doesn't accept crazy people... Ah, right. Yeonhwa, you know No Eunha well, don't you?"

"Eunha is... like Eun-a."

"...Is that reliable information?"

It was no different from arrogant behavior.

No matter how outstanding Eunha's skills were, his opponents were those who had secured considerable recognition in S-grade Blaze Clan.

Two of them were members of the Eight Hells belonging to the executive level.

They were players comparable to Regulus Clan's Seven Lions.

Yet Eunha said he would face five people alone even knowing that.

"...He pissed them off."

In the end, anger settled on the faces of the Blaze Clan members.

Not just them, but the industry insiders present also frowned.

Word had spread implicitly in the industry that No Eunha had a tough personality.

Even taking that into account, his personality was too tough.

He's completely self-centered.

His sister has such a gentle personality, so why is the brother so tough?

Since Ryu Yeonhwa who happened to be off duty today was also in the seat next to him.

Gu Yeon-su asked about No Eunha while inwardly organizing his impressions of him.

He's a tricky type to handle.

He was a person who could break down the clan's discipline.

Even so, he was well worth the risk of bringing into the clan.

"It's been about 2 years now? To think he became strong enough to face the Eight Hells in 2 years... He's really a monster, a monster."

"...Yes. He seems to have gotten stronger than before."

Gu Yeon-su stuck out his tongue.

While Ryu Yeonhwa received a B-grade evaluation by the Mana Management Organization's standards, she received an S-grade judgment in Regulus Clan's evaluation which placed more emphasis on skill in evaluation scores.

Moreover, she even took down one of the Seven Lions recently.

Gu Yeon-su thought her skill improvement alone was unprecedented, but he never expected to see an even more amazing talent than her.

What on earth do you have to eat and how do you have to grow to produce such a monster?

People are overwhelmed.

Gu Yeon-su felt the same.

He was at a loss for words seeing No Eunha not being pushed back even while facing five people.

"Wow... Those bastards are really serious. They're even using chorus magic?"

No Eunha is riding the flow.

The Blaze Clan members seemed to have belatedly assessed his skills coolly.

As a result, they even used chorus magic.

Chorus magic, which is like a symbol of Blaze Clan.

Resounding lyrics that dominate the space.

People were excited hearing the military song created by just three players.

But that was it.

"Is that the power of the Cheoksa Danyo Jomun Mirror? Seems like magic that would be quite helpful during raids."

Red flower petals spreading out centered on No Eunha.

The red flower petals that whirled like a storm canceled the effects of buff and debuff magic.

Gu Yeon-su's eyes shone seeing the magic that made No Eunha <Cutting the Gordian Knot>.

"But the Eight Hells are still the Eight Hells. If they get beaten by a student, where would the face of an S-grade clan go?"

Nevertheless, the five players gradually became accustomed to dealing with No Eunha.

On the other hand, No Eunha must have been somewhat exhausted from facing 6th rank monsters before the duel.

In that situation, he was even facing five people alone, so there was no way he could respond properly.

Moreover, they were veteran players experienced in battle.

In the first place, the fact that five people were having a hard time cornering No Eunha alone was already face-losing.

But didn't player Do Wan-jun say that before?

If you observe No Eunha's movements, you can tell he's trying to hide his skills.

It certainly is like that.

Gu Yeon-su narrowed his already small eyes even further.

He watched No Eunha's movements closely.

At some moments, his movements seem to flinch.

He's hiding his true skills.

Why is he trying to hide his skills?

Well, they say only amateurs show off their skills, but he's still a student.

Shouldn't he be raising his value to the people here?

Gu Yeon-su fell into thought.

Why was No Eunha hiding his strength?

The conclusion that came after thinking was twofold. One was that he was hiding his skills with some grand plan, and the other was that he had no choice but to hide his skills.

For example, if there was lethal magic among the magic he was hiding. Or if there was other magic that would make people wary.

"Even if that's the case... There's no way he could have learned such magic at that age. What magic is he hiding?"

Gu Yeon-su stroked his chin.

Soon he removed his hand from his chin.

Because No Eunha had clearly fallen into a trap.

It was checkmate.

The duel was as good as over given that <Destroyer > Lim Chae-seong was waiting at the path No Eunha escaped to.

"Crazy..."

Gu Yeon-su couldn't help but curse.

Lim Chae-seong attacked No Eunha by unleashing magic that burned the space without holding back his strength.

Magic too dangerous for an academy student to block.

As if representing his thoughts, screams erupted from all over.

The spectator stands became a crucible of chaos.

Just then—

"—It's okay."

Ryu Yeonhwa opened her mouth.

Her gaze was watching the scene of flames blazing high without the slightest tremor.

Gu Yeon-su was able to gather his wits seeing her confident appearance.

Eventually the flames that magnificently filled the barrier gradually lost momentum and—

—Winter Crawling Through Snowflakes

 Then the flames exploded again.

The flames ripple as if alive.

No Eunha was at the center of it.

The mango he grips in his left hand greedily sucks in the flames.

""""...""""

It's an eerie sight.

It was also mysterious.

When he swung the sword containing flames, a being that couldn't be identified as a dragon or snake revealed itself to the world.

The being whose entire body was made of flames exploded flames as if roaring and pounced on the Blaze Clan members.

Gu Yeon-su watched that scene with his mouth open.

"...What's that sword now? Did it just absorb magic?"

Dual wielding.

Including him, people had said it was nonsense when No Eunha first tried to use dual wielding.

But now No Eunha was handling dual wielding splendidly.

Setting that aside, each sword possessed power that couldn't be ignored.

Who on earth made those devices?

He was certain that once this duel ends, people will set out to find the maestro who made the swords for No Eunha.

But putting that aside.

"Why? You said it's okay but you look worried."

"..."

Gu Yeon-su glanced sideways.

Ryu Yeonhwa had been fidgeting constantly for a while.

She seemed worried about No Eunha facing five people.

The way she was gripping her spear tightly looked like she would rush out immediately if any problem arose.

Gu Yeon-su burst out laughing seeing her restless appearance when she usually seemed taciturn.

So he decided to help her as the Clan Lord.

"But no matter how I think about it, five people facing one person is too much. Do those things have no pride?"

"...That's right."

"It seems like someone should go help... Hey, how about you go help, Yeonhwa?"

"...Is that okay?"

"Of course! Blaze Clan caused this mess anyway, so just make up a plausible justification—"

—Cold Plum Style 

Waterfall

Without even properly listening.

Ryu Yeonhwa jumps down into the arena.

A hole appeared in the barrier in an instant.

"—I'll join in."

"Yeonhwa noona!?"

The world of rippling flames passes.

A world of winter arrives.