46 Tricks and Extreme Persistence

--- Chapter 45 ---

"Huh?"

Queen Medusa was speechless. She didn't expect such a thing to come from Baek Ain's mouth.

A chance to become his wife?

And if she wins, that's it.

How ridiculous.

"I thought you'd bring something interesting into this insignificant game, but I could be wrong... I'll kill you right now." Queen Medusa stretched her finger at Baek Ain, sending a laser-like beam to his chest.

"Die, Ant-like Human..."

Swoosh!

The beam traveled like lightning and cut through the air, reaching Baek Ain's chest. However, he tilted his body to the right and dodged the beam casually.

"You..." Queen Medusa was perplexed.

After all, to dodge her attack like that, Dou Emperor's speed and sense are needed.

Are you saying this young human possesses Dou Emperor's level of sense? That's absurd.

'He redirects my attack once. I thought it was a bluff, but it's not.' Queen Medusa frowned while gazing into Baek Ain's hazel-gold eyes. Those eyes didn't show an ounce of nervousness.

[Lightning Impulse]

'Fuck, I almost die.' Baek Ain cursed while hearing Alicia's notification.

If Baek Ain did not have Lightning Impulse, he could have received critical damage earlier. He could dodge by himself, but trusting his instinct is more important in this scenario.

Baek Ain sighed inside and played it cool.

"What? Do you think the best is unfair?"

"Maybe we should change it then..."

"Hmph! This queen isn't interested anymore. You can die worthlessly, human!" Queen Medusa responded with such venom.

Baek Ain shrugged and returned, "What about this then... If you defeat me, I'll help solidify your connection with Green Lotus Core Flame. You might hide it from others, but I know very well you didn't form a complete harmony with that Heavenly Flame."

"Heck, I bet you didn't use the right method to absorb it."

Upon hearing that, Queen Medusa was stunned on the spot.

"Of course, the wife part is still included. Aih, the betting is becoming unfair at this point." Baek Ain sighed as if he had lost something, leaving Queen Medusa speechless again.

"So... What do you think? Will you accept this insignificant human challenge?"

Left with such choices, Queen Medusa stayed quiet for a few minutes as she calculated the pros and cons of this bet. She didn't know Baek Ain tricked her into thinking deeply.

Baek Ain is no genius.

He's formerly a lazy guy who just graduated from university.

Facing such a tight and dangerous situation, where his overall advantage is not very advantageous. Baek Ain had to think of a way to defeat the strong while being a cockroach before them.

Be wicked.

Be toxic.

Be playful.

Be calculative.

Be unfair.

Baek Ain has to use every trick in his sleeve.

And the first step to winning this fight is to get his words into Queen Medusa's head. A typical provocation won't work on Queen Medusa because she was a queen for a reason, so he has to take drastic measures by proposing to her in a bet.

She wouldn't expect such a thing.

And with her pride, she won't reject such a bet with juicy rewards.

It's a one-sided fight, after all.

'That what she should think at the moment?' Baek Ain observed Queen Medusa's relaxed expression. Her red eyes shone with confidence that she could win this fight anytime she wanted.

Queen Medusa smirked and said, "Very well. I accepted this small bet of yours."

"Tell me in which way you wanted to be killed, human?"

"Butchered to pieces or erased from existence?"

"Well, painless death will be fine. However, let's put another condition to this bet." Baek Ain responded calmly.

"The condition to win this bet is when your opponent surrenders first. You can injure your opponent critically, which means cutting limbs and other dirty tricks are allowed."

"It's a one VS one fight, so outside help is prohibited. Unless the great Queen Medusa is so afraid that she asks for the assistance of her followers."

"Hmph, I should be the one who said that." Queen Medusa huffed while crossing her arms.

"Both parties agreed. Here is the partial reward. I put the method to absorb Heavenly Flame inside this spatial ring." Baek Ain threw a black-colored ring at Queen Medusa.

"You can get the rest of the reward after searching my corpse. If you could kill me, that's it."

Queen Medusa caught the ring and commented, "We'll see about that soon."

Baek Ain grinned inside and added, "What are you waiting for, Queen Medusa? Let's start the fight."

BOOM! SWOOSH!

Baek Ain disappeared from Queen Medusa's vision as he used Wings of Freedom and Dou Qi Wings simultaneously. He also activated Golden Crow's Possession, which increased his cultivation realm to 6-Star Dou King for a minute.

Pulling out the Severed Green Lotus Blade and Corrupted Scythe, Baek Ain surprised Queen Medusa with a slash on her stomach.

Queen Medusa tried to catch Baek Ain, but Hai Bodong's comment stated his speed was faster than most Dou Emperors. Since she looked down on Baek Ain, he could swiftly land the first hit.

And he didn't hold back.

"Seven Star Blade Art: Final Act."

"Devouring the World!"

Queen Medusa's red eyes widened as she felt immense pressure coming to her abdomen area. She let out a piercing scream and released all her cultivation at once, rendering any incoming attack useless.

However, it was too late.

ROAR!

A fiery golden tiger appeared and bit her stomach, leaving a small hole.

The Corrupted Scythe got destroyed when attacking Queen Medusa's stomach, which was "faintly." covered with thick scales.

CRACK! BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

"Despicable Human!" Queen Medusa felt a searing pain in her stomach.

She stretched her slender hand and attacked Baek Ain with full force, sending him to the ground. Even with Lightning Impulse, Baek Ain couldn't dodge such an attack.

BAM!

"Fuck, too shallow..." Baek Ain landed on the ground with every bone broken to pieces, coughing blood profusely. His healing factor started to kick in, but not fast enough.

"Die!" Queen Medusa appeared, having her right hand coated with menacing purple Dou Qi.

Baek Ain blinked and watched the hand land on his poor chest, crushing the ribcage and some internal organs into pieces.

CRACK! BOOM!

He groaned in pain but bit his tongue to suppress it.

"I won." Queen Medusa declared while standing proudly before him.

Baek Ain smiled faintly and lifted his left hand painfully, swiping his index finger to the left.

Queen Medusa frowned and moved her head to the left, finding nothing but thin air. "Y-You!" She returned her focus to him.

Baek Ain has completely healed himself with Senzu Bean and charged at her quickly. His fist was covered with Gnome's Heavenly Four-Colored Flame and Golden Flame, forming a thick layer of energy.

"Three Breakthrough Punches!"

Baek Ain smashed his fist against Queen Medusa's beautiful face and mercilessly continued with the other two. The mix between lightning-like speed and heavy attack created enough momentum to blow her several meters away.

BOOOOOOOOM!!

Queen Medusa felt a pang in her head. Everything becomes blurry for a second as Baek Ain clutches onto her snake tail, pulling it with all his might.

"MOVE! GOD DAMN IT!" Baek Ain threw her to the sky.

SWOOOOSH! BOOOOOM!!

"Come on, come on, come on!" Baek Ain soared to the sky with multiple uses of Super Jump, chasing after Queen Medusa.

He clenched his fist and used all his Dou Qi Energy in his attack. His right hand became green and shone like an emerald.

"Green Sun's Wheel X Seven Star Blade Art."

"Iai Hand-Chop."

BAM!

Baek Ain landed his hand chop on Queen Medusa's stomach and created a green line. The line expanded and became the green sun, changing the sky for a brief moment.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

"Kuugh!" Queen Medusa released a painful groan.

"Do you think you could fly in the sky alone? You forgot I was once a Dou King, human!"

"And you're fighting the Dou Emperor! A peak Dou Emperor!"

A pair of majestic purple energy wings appeared on Queen Medusa's back. She received Baek Ain's attack just fine, as only some of her internal organs were shaking, but the damage wasn't so special.

"You surprised me before, but you can die now!" Queen Medusa lunged and pierced Baek Ain's chest with her arm, grabbing his beating heart.

Cough!

"Checkmate." Baek Ain flipped his index finger because Queen Medusa had fallen into his trap.

As they fell from the sky, Queen Medusa threw Baek Ain's corpse to the ground and burned his blood clean off her arm.

A big mistake.

Looking at the broken corpse, Queen Medusa haughtily scoffed and commented, "You're not much, after all."

"You surprised me a few times, but a dead man should stay dead."

Queen Medusa reached for the black-colored spatial ring from Baek Ain before the fight, checking the content. A white smoke suddenly invaded her nose with an acidic scent.

She coughed and had a nosebleed.

"W-What happened? There is no method in this spatial ring!" She was startled and felt weird for some reason.

Baek Ain suddenly appeared from behind and stabbed Queen Medusa's stomach with a Severed Green Lotus Blade. "Don't trust your enemy too much, my queen." He commented with an exposed heart as his flesh fixed itself.

BAM!

Queen Medusa whipped Baek Ain with her tail, sending him flying like a broken kite.

BOOOMM!

[Last Man Standing activated]

[You have one second to recover your body, host]

Baek Ain wiped the blood from his mouth and popped 5-tier pills to recover his body. Unlike the first damage he received from Queen Medusa, he didn't need Senzu Bean to catch her off guard again.

He used it once to recover his Dou Qi, so using another one will be repetitive and wasteful.

"ARRGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Queen Medusa screamed at the top of her lungs.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, HUMAN!"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BODY!!"

Baek Ain sat on a broken rubble and replied, "Poison."

"Not just normal poison because I know Snake People, especially you, are immune to most poison people know."

"I used White Poison Arts, which absorbed the poison from Woeful Poison Body and combined it with Geocentric Change Poison from the depth of earth."

"Geocentric Change Poison is awfully effective against snake people because it affects all your senses, including the heat sensor."

"Additionally... You haven't absorbed the Green Lotus Core Flame completely, which means an intervention from a similar type of fire will cause a rapid reaction in your body."

"My Heavenly Flame is formed from several thousand earth spirits, having similar properties to Green Lotus Core Flame. Soon, your body will combust because you can control your Dou Qi."

"You can try to Evolve as you planned before fighting me, but do you think I'd let you?" Baek Ain slowly stood out of the rubble, limping as he walked toward Queen Medusa.

His steps are clear, but one could hear bones grinding each others every walk Baek Ain made.

Queen Medusa hissed in pain as she slithered to function while facing Baek Ain. She scowled and said, "I shouldn't have accepted the bet."

"What, Are you going back on your words now?" Baek Ain's body was "thinly." covered with Golden Flame again. "Aww... Queen Medusa is so petty."

"You might poison me, but I could still kill you a thousand times." Queen Medusa returned, attacking Baek Ain relentlessly.

Baek Ain faced her straight ahead and swung his Severed Green Lotus Blade. He dodged and exchanged blows with Queen Medusa, having his body blown into pieces a few times.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Baek Ain let out a howl, stunning Queen Medusa for two seconds.

[Super Jump 10x]

[Steel-like Body 10x]

"Energy Blast!" Baek Ain moved forward with afterimages and charged Queen Medusa's stomach with concentrated energy.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Their attacks met each other, causing everything around them to explode in extreme heat.

Queen Medusa pressed Baek Ain down with her tail and said, "Give me the antidote."

"This is my victory."

Baek Ain laughed with half his body becoming meat pulp and responded amusingly, "Hahaha~! It seems you forgot the condition to win this fight?"

"This fight will only end when either of us surrenders."

"And I WON'T EVER SURRENDER!"

"You can kill me a thousand times, but I won't die so easily."

"Grrr... Then Die AGAIN!" Queen Medusa tortured Baek Ain for hours, not realizing her control over Green Lotus Core Flame started to slip off.

After three hours, Queen Medusa's chest heaved up and down. She looked at Baek Ain's sorry state and gritted her teeth because the poison had spread all over her body.

"You damned human!"

"Hehe... I know you started losing control over Green Lotus Core Flame. One small mistake and poof, the Heavenly Flame will become wild." Baek Ain grinned with a bloody mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Queen Medusa let out a frustrated scream, punching Baek Ain again.

The ground in her throne room cracked, and the surrounding forest is "thoroughly." burned by golden flames.

"Haha..."

Their heavy breathing filled the area.

Queen Medusa continuously destroyed Baek Ain to the pulp, but he seems immortal. No matter how many injuries and pain Baek Ain went through, he'd recover with that shameless grin on his annoying face.

BOOM!

Queen Medusa's stomach suddenly exploded, exposing a wisp of green light.

"No!" She panicked immediately.

"Yes!" Baek Ain cut his right, which was "firmly." smitten by Queen Medusa's tail.

He used Super Jump and hugged Queen Medusa's hip, biting her stomach.

"GET OFF OF ME, HUMAN!" Queen Medusa was enraged.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY BODY!"

"DON'T WANNA!" Baek Ain shouted back.

[Life Drain]

[Fire Devouring]

"Y-YOU DARE!" Queen Medusa noticed her life energy and Green Lotus Core Flame were "slowly." absorbed by Baek Ain.

"HEHEHE~!"

"THIS IS THE FIGHT OF ENDURANCE, BABY~! LET'S WHOSE WILL IS MORE POWERFUL!" Baek Ain released his Gnome's Heavenly Four-Colored Flame, mending it with Green Lotus Core Flame.

"YOU OR ME!!"

"YOU, SHAMELESS BASTARD! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

'I also have another trick up to my sleeve, Medusa!' Baek Ain thought while activating another skill.

[NIRVANA TOUCH]

Queen Medusa felt a weird sensation on her lower half and stared at Baek Ain in disbelief. She blushed in anger.

He casually laughed and continued his tricks.

As time passes, Queen Medusa tries everything to get Baek Ain off her body. However, he's like a sticky leech that is stuck on her.

An hour passed, and the Green Lotus Core Flame began to cover both of them.

Another hour passed, and their bodies were "literally." charred because of the extreme heat. Even though Baek Ain possessed Golden Crow's Blessing, this Green Lotus Core Flame is powered by Queen Medusa's Dou Qi, making it more destructive.

However, Baek Ain won't leave Queen Medusa.

"I must win!"

"GIVE UP, MEDUSA!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!! NEVER!" Queen Medusa screamed at him.

They stared into each other's eyes, having an intense staring contest as their bodies crumbled gradually. Several Snake People gathered in the area but couldn't touch either Baek Ain or Queen Medusa because the extreme heat could kill the Dou Emperor upon contact.

Queen Medusa witnessed Baek Ain's determination.

Even though he experienced a thousandfold of her pain, he didn't even blink and focused on absorbing the fire.

'This human!'

'This parasite!'

'This LUNATIC!'

'I won't give up, no matter what! I won't lose to a human!'

That's what Queen Medusa thought.

After six hours, The Green Lotus Core Flame erupted and blazed everything in green hell.

Pain, misery, and disbelief filled Queen Medusa's head.

Why can't this human die?

Does he hate to lose that much like her?

Queen Medusa is at her very limit.

Even peak Dou Emperor has a limit. Dou Emperor is strong, and there is no mistake in that statement.

However, Dou Emperors are no GODS!

'I-I lost? My body couldn't make it.' Queen Medusa lost her words.

'At this point, I'll lose everything...'

'I don't want to lose everything...'

"Why are you so persistent? Can't you die?"

Baek Ain chuckled as his whole body burned like a stove and replied, "No. I can't die yet, Queen Medusa."

"I have discovered my loved ones in this world. I don't want them to be sad."

"I don't want to leave them in misery."

"It's cliche, but my love for them won't allow me to give up."

"Losing them is more painful than dying in this fiery hell."

"That's why giving up is not an option..."

"I must succeed!" Baek Ain's voice filled Queen Medusa's ears.

'Love?" Queen Medusa fell into deep thought. She clenched her hands because she lost to such a weak feeling of a human.

However, it makes Queen Medusa question her goal.

Twelve hours passed, and Baek Ain was close to his time limit.

Baek Ain cried because he might fail this quest.

'Please...' He pleaded internally. He doesn't want to leave Yafei and Lan Rou in this world.

Cough! Cough!

Queen Medusa coughed profusely. There is a hint of redness on her cheeks.

She looked down at Baek Ain and finally said, "I-I... I give up."

"It's your victory, human."

"Ah..." Baek Ain felt like something unbelievable struck his chest.

Alicia's notification appeared in his head.

[Ding! You have finished "Queen Medusa." quest]

All the stress build-up in the battle between Baek Ain and Queen Medusa exploded simultaneously, and he fainted.

Queen Medusa is dying because of excessive exposure to poison and berserk Green Lotus Core Flame. She watched Baek Ain fall to the melting ground and catch him with her burnt snake tail.

She could have killed him right now.

"Love..." She mumbled while brushing Baek Ain's face.

"Hmph! Let's see the nonsense love you were speaking about, human."

"Don't blame me for being cruel, but you're the one who proposed to me first."

Queen Medusa breathed in and used the ancient method to evolve into Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. She kissed Baek Ain's lips and gradually disappeared into a wisp of green fire that entered his body.

Her consciousness faded as a small white snake with dim red eyes condensed from her former body, slithering into Baek Ain's embrace.

"HURRY! HELP THE QUEEN!" Several Snake People approached the throne room.

However, a thick ice wall suddenly covered the area and fetched Baek Ain quickly.

"Fucking hell, Brat. You did it." Hai Bodong hurriedly escaped from the Tager Desert.

"Ehem, I'm proud of you, but don't get the wrong idea. You're still far from gaining my blessing to marry Yafei."

"CATCH THAT HUMAN!" The snake people chased after the Ice Emperor.

After hearing the shouts, Hai Bodong's face became pale as he noticed Heavenly Gryphon in the sky. He created several ice platforms and landed on the back of the 5-rank magical beast.

"GO!" He screamed in panic.

Lan Rou nodded and commanded Heavenly Gryphon to fly quickly, disappearing into the horizon.

Baek Ain's group escaped the Tager Desert, leaving angered and confused snake people.

Lan Rou covered Baek Ain's naked body with a blanket and said, "I know you could do it, Ain."

That night, a legend and criminal was born.

A man appeared one day and challenged Queen Medusa to a fight.

The result is unclear, but the snake people brand the man as a criminal for taking Queen Medusa away, despite no evidence besides some of her burnt scales.

Meanwhile, humans in the Tager Desert called him the "Golden Monarch." for shining the Tager Desert in golden light that day. They said he freed humans from Snake People's grasp, which is true, but some people exaggerated the story to the limit.

Even so, Baek Ain's feat spread across the Jia Ma Empire.

No, even the neighboring empire knows about his feat.

However, they didn't know his identity as the Ice Emperor hid Baek Ain in the Miteer Family Mansion quickly. They also suppressed any news regarding him.

Golden Monarch.

That title will strike fear in anyone who hears it in the future.

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