Ch.123Crown King Ma Seung

“I should have just brought those kids with me.”

That was the first thing Sephiroth said as he looked at the man who had fallen from the sky. Seo-rin was thinking the same thing.

“My name is Ma Seung. I am from the Cheonryong School, a one-man martial arts sect… I’m not sure if you’ll understand. Anyway, when you die by my hand and go to the afterlife, tell Yeomra this: Ma Seung, Master of the Cheonryong School, killed you.”

Thud-

One step. The large man, Ma Seung, had only taken a single step forward. Yet with that step, the atmosphere began to churn violently.

His aura sent chills down the spine. Seo-rin calmly steadied her breathing and drew her sword.

Shing-

“First, I want to thank you for safely sending off those two kids, Yujin and Yuri.”

“If you’re grateful, couldn’t you just let us go?”

At Sephiroth’s question, the corners of Ma Seung’s mouth turned upward. An ugly smile that revealed his gums. Ma Seung answered.

“I came all this way to find you. I think that’s answer enough.”

Seo-rin’s gaze swept the surroundings. They were near the border. If they had gone just a little further, they would have stepped onto Imperial territory. If only they could fight within the Empire’s domain, they could have expected reinforcements.

While she was lamenting this missed opportunity, it happened. With a sudden vibration in the air, Ma Seung’s figure, which had been far away, was pulled closer as if drawn by an invisible force. It was movement that seemed to transcend space and time. If she hadn’t deployed her sensory field, Ashen, she would have been caught off guard.

She had dared to look away in front of a master whose victory she couldn’t guarantee. A clear mistake. Seo-rin hurriedly swung her sword.

Clang-!

“Ugh…!”

The moment fist met sword, a tremendous impact shook Seo-rin’s body. Her small frame was pushed back significantly, raising a cloud of dust. That was the signal for the fight to begin. Belatedly reacting, golden mana erupted explosively from Sephiroth’s entire body.

A brief moment felt like an eternity. In just over a second, Ma Seung and Sephiroth exchanged more than ten offensive and defensive moves. The energy waves that continuously burst forth during that short time shook the space around them.

Trees that had been deeply rooted were uprooted and sent flying, and the ground where Sephiroth and Ma Seung stood was overturned.

Amidst this chaos, Seo-rin joined the fray. The first thing one learns upon joining the Blue Wing is how to coordinate attacks with other members. The current Seo-rin could match her movements with Sephiroth without even using the Empire’s Dawn, which was designed for coordinated attacks.

Clang-!

A single sword wasn’t enough to withstand all of Ma Seung’s attacks. Ten swords naturally unfurled from Seo-rin’s back. The ten swords that had been floating in the air buzzed like fierce bees, circling around Ma Seung.

As if they could attack at any moment.

And indeed, they could. These were swords that flew and struck from the air, not wielded by human hands. Each time a slash came from an unexpected direction, Ma Seung’s eyes twisted slightly.

“Is this the martial art of the Ten Thousand Swords? It’s a bit different though. His swords were like dragons, but these are like flies!”

With a thunderous battle cry, Ma Seung lifted his leg and stomped on the ground.

Boom-!

A wave of internal energy burst forth with a massive impact, shaking the space. It was then that something went wrong with the ten swords Seo-rin was controlling. As the ten swords, now out of control, slowly fell, Ma Seung’s hand quickly extended to grab one, and he threw it.

Whoosh-!

The speed was terrifying. In an instant, the energy wave that burst from Ma Seung’s hand added propulsion. Seo-rin smoothly extended her hand toward the rapidly approaching sword.

With a faint breeze, as Seo-rin’s body rotated, the sword that had been flying toward her went behind her back and settled into place.

This scene repeated ten times. Even while fighting Sephiroth, Ma Seung had thrown all ten swords that were falling near his body at Seo-rin.

His bulky physique was unbelievably fluid. The angles at which his arms and legs bent defied imagination. How was his muscular body capable of such movements?

It was at that moment. With a short explosive sound, a golden figure was sent flying at high speed. The scent of blood followed. Sephiroth had allowed Ma Seung to land an attack.

As Ma Seung kicked off the ground, seemingly going for the finishing blow.

Seo-rin blocked his path. Mana surged throughout her body, forming a barrier of sunlight. It was the maximum utilization of Sun Force. But it didn’t stop there. Ten swords flew in front of Seo-rin, forming a layer. Wind wrapped around the swords, rippling threateningly.

‘Still not enough…’

Having directly received Ma Seung’s punch, she knew. The current Seo-rin couldn’t properly withstand Ma Seung’s fist attacks.

“How pathetic…!”

Boom-!

The fist that flew in, vibrating the air, instantly grew larger. The punch, imbued with tremendous force, first struck Seo-rin’s swords. With that single blow, the ten swords lost control and flew away.

Simultaneously, Seo-rin took a step forward. A fierce storm was swirling in her right hand. The ten swords had effectively blocked Ma Seung’s fist for a moment. As Seo-rin’s upper body rotated slightly, the massive fist grazed her shoulder.

Just the graze was enough to shatter the Sun Force barrier surrounding her body. Seo-rin, with a sharp smile on her lips, extended her hand.

Ice Dragon-Heart

Wind Strike.

It was Seo-rin’s strongest single-strike technique. A cold storm burst forth from her roughly extended arm with the sound of thunder.

Boom-!

In an instant, the protective energy around Ma Seung’s body where Seo-rin’s hand had touched became disrupted. He must have taken massive damage. Yet Ma Seung didn’t retreat at all. It was the moment Seo-rin raised her gaze to look at his face.

Ma Seung, with blood on his lips, smiled and extended his other hand toward her.

She couldn’t dodge. Having expended all her breath, she had to take the hit. But the Sun Force barrier that would protect her body had already shattered and was scattering in all directions.

“Haa…”

In that brief moment, Seo-rin’s low breath enveloped the arena. When the shattered Sun Force mana took on a white frost.

A certain space centered on Seo-rin was covered in white snow.

Boom-!

Seo-rin received Ma Seung’s attack with both hands. Despite not having the Sun Force barrier to protect her body, she was able to withstand it without difficulty.

Inner World Manifestation

A World for the Empress

Her heart pounded as if it would burst. Due to the multiple changes in mana utilization in a short time, she felt sharp pain throughout her blood vessels. But it was fine. She had succeeded in trapping Ma Seung in her space.

Whoosh-!

A strongly swirling wind brings forth dark clouds. Through the white snowstorm, a pack of white wolves appeared. Watching this scene, Ma Seung frowned and spoke.

“Magic from this world…? No, it’s closer to a technique?”

Muttering, Ma Seung stepped back, continuously swinging his large hands. He could detect the abnormality that had occurred to him. The moment his internal energy was released, it scattered completely.

He couldn’t hold onto it for even a moment.

Seo-rin slowly steadied her breathing. Thanks to the opponent’s confusion, she had a moment of respite. The cold air entering her lungs began to suppress the pain throughout her body.

She had returned to her homeland. A world created solely for her, only for her. Here, everything she imagined was possible. Even techniques of a realm currently beyond her reach could be brought down to her level.

With her breath, vivid sunlight swirled around Seo-rin’s body, along with the cold winter wind.

Sun Force

Constant Operation

After creating a barrier to protect her body, what Seo-rin did was summon the scattered swords. As the white wind spread with the snow, ten swords rose into the air.

Seo-rin didn’t stop there. The space created for her detects what the user needs and creates it on its own. With each fierce gust of wind, swords made of ice crystals continued to appear.

The total number of swords created was one hundred. Seo-rin pointed her Ice Dragon Sword with a hundred swords behind her back.

Watching this scene, Ma Seung raised both fists.

“What an arbitrary space. The price you’ll have to pay must be significant… I wonder how long you can maintain it.”

Ma Seung muttered briefly as he drew up his internal energy. Although he was restricted by not being able to release his internal energy, the situation remained unchanged. He believed in his victory without a doubt.

Ma Seung, facing Seo-rin, began to run. Each time his legs struck the ground, white snow burst forth. It wasn’t the release of internal energy, but pure physical ability. It looked as if a bomb had exploded.

Seo-rin didn’t move from her spot. Like the Ten Thousand Swords technique, she controlled the hundred swords and sent them flying. The rapidly flying swords converged in one place, forming the shape of a thin dragon.

Thud-! Crack-!

Each time the ice dragon and Ma Seung collided, ice fragments and blood splattered upward. Due to the absence of the protective energy around Ma Seung’s body, his skin was being directly damaged. But Ma Seung wasn’t just taking hits.

Each time his heavy fist struck the ice dragon, ice swords shattered, reducing the size of the dragon. And so, Ma Seung continued to advance without stopping.

By the time Ma Seung reached close to Seo-rin.

A massive wolf head emerged from beneath Ma Seung’s feet. Seo-rin frowned. The giant wolf existing in her mental image was a familiar entity. But its appearance was different from before.

The half-white, half-black appearance felt so unfamiliar.