Ch.140Hayato Subjugation Battle

When three hundred swords of Seo-rin filled the train car, the door separating the compartments shattered, and a blurry figure rushed out. Its speed was remarkably swift.

Theo was the first to clash with the enemy. He possessed the fastest speed among the group and had the quickest reactions.

*Crackle-!*

‘A child…?’

Theo frowned as he saw his opponent’s appearance. The figure before him looked like a very young boy. However, he didn’t let his guard down. Reincarnators often possessed skills that had nothing to do with their outward appearance.

*Creak-!*

In that moment, Theo began to lose ground in terms of strength. Biting his lip, he immediately activated his Thunder Body technique, channeling lightning throughout his entire body.

*Rumble-!*

It was at that moment. Between the two of them, a snow-white girl quickly approached and intervened. Her timing was impeccable—right when Theo’s power momentarily surged, seemingly overwhelming his opponent.

Seo-rin extended her hand and struck at the boy.

Ice Dragon – Heart

Wind White

*Boom-!*

The train shook with a tremendous impact. All the windows shattered, and the seats where passengers had been sitting splintered and scattered in all directions.

Yet the boy withstood Seo-rin’s strike without being pushed back much. He retreated just two steps—only two steps. Having absorbed all the impact with just that, a smile even played across his face.

‘The one I saw earlier…’

It was the boy who had been sitting with them earlier. Seo-rin frowned and immediately prepared for her next attack. There was no need to be wary of the opponent’s attack. After all, she had friends here who had been fighting alongside her for years.

Right after, black petals fluttered toward Seo-rin and Theo like scattered flowers. Flora’s materialized mana moved as if to mesmerize the gaze. Then, Flora’s figure suddenly appeared among the petals.

She was positioned behind the boy. Flora’s widely swung sword seemed about to pierce through the boy’s back. However, the boy moved even faster.

Transferring the sword he had been holding with both hands to one, he turned his upper body, extended his hand, and deflected Flora’s strike to the side.

All of this happened in a single breath.

A brief silence.

Through it, Seo-rin spoke.

“Who are you?”

The boy didn’t answer. Instead, he stomped his foot. Just before the boy’s leg touched the ground, Seo-rin, Flora, and Theo all widened the distance without needing to be told.

Immediately after, a massive shockwave erupted with the boy at its center.

*Boom-!*

It was an incredibly powerful full-body energy release. Despite unleashing such enormous energy, only the train’s ceiling and walls were destroyed. The ceiling that had been covering the sky soared upward and disappeared into dust.

Remarkably, the floor of the train where the boy had stomped remained intact.

Seo-rin frowned. She had directly experienced such a technique in the past. She spoke.

“What’s your relationship with Ma-seung?”

At Seo-rin’s question, the boy’s eyes widened. Then he asked.

“Oh, you know Ma-seung?”

“No one here knows him better than I do. Because I killed him.”

“Hmm…”

The boy scratched his head at Seo-rin’s answer. He seemed far too relaxed for someone facing an enemy. It gave the impression that he had that much confidence.

“This is a bit awkward. I did cross over to find my disciple’s killer… you say it was you?”

“Disciple?”

“Ma-seung was my disciple.”

He said this while appearing as a young boy. That made it all the more bizarre. It would have been easier to believe if the boy had claimed to be Ma-seung’s disciple instead. It was also strange that the master of someone who used fist techniques would wield a sword.

“That’s a shame. I was planning to make you the next head of the Cheonryong Gate…”

It was then. As the boy’s words trailed off, a massive shockwave erupted from the front section of the train. It was the collision of familiar energies. It was also a signal that the full-fledged duel between Hayato and Cheong-ik had begun.

“Seo-rin.”

*Crackle-*

Theo’s voice dissolved into the lightning as his figure blurred. When Theo reappeared, he was in front of Seo-rin. He had approached with lightning and flashes of light.

With his sword pointed at the boy, he said to Seo-rin.

“Go ahead.”

“What?”

“You’ve been waiting for this day.”

Both Theo and Flora knew Seo-rin’s circumstances well. They knew how much she wanted revenge, how much she hated the person named Hayato.

Sephiroth had personally stepped in. The combined attack of a vice-captain and senior knights was ongoing. Judging by how Hayato’s momentum was being greatly pushed back, it was clear which way the battle was progressing.

If she wasted time here, Seo-rin would forever lose her chance to take revenge personally.

Flora nodded, seeming to share Theo’s thoughts.

“Who said I need to be sent—”

Just as the boy frowned and tried to step forward while watching this, Theo’s figure burst forth in front of him with a *crackle* of light.

The sound lagged behind. Theo swung his sword at a speed that transcended the sound barrier.

“Go!”

In an instant, the hesitating Seo-rin turned around. Theo and Flora weren’t fools who would throw themselves into a fight they couldn’t win. Surely, they must have a hidden card up their sleeve.

If they couldn’t win against this opponent, they wouldn’t have shouted for her to go.

Though their time together had been short, the three knew each other well.

As Seo-rin’s figure blurred, Flora filled the empty space. The black petals falling from the sky began to spin chaotically.

***

Seo-rin rushed forward, commanding three hundred swords. The sight of the swords racing along the length of the train resembled a dragon from mythology.

It didn’t take long for Seo-rin to reach the battlefield. Rushing through the air, Seo-rin leaped into the scene and assessed the situation.

One senior member was in critical condition, pushed into a corner and being treated by Clara, while the rest of the intermediate members had disappeared somewhere. The only ones still in decent shape were the vice-captain Sephiroth and two senior members attempting a joint attack.

Seo-rin descended into the train car where the fierce battle was taking place and unleashed her swords.

*Roar-!*

Three hundred swords, interlocking with each other, created a strange resonance. Like a dragon’s roar. The dragon formation made of swords poured down toward Hayato.

Those who belatedly noticed Seo-rin’s arrival acknowledged her.

“Seo-rin?”

“I’m coming forward.”

Seo-rin responded curtly and stepped forward. Hayato was moving within the dragon of swords that had poured down. His blessing had the power to slow down targets that came close to him. She could tell that the sword dragon had not touched his body.

As Seo-rin’s body extended like a blurry wind becoming a gale, the dragon of three hundred swords burst apart, revealing Hayato inside.

He looked quite different from before. His face, which had always been relaxed, now showed urgency, and his left hand hung limply. It seemed the wound inflicted by the Ten Thousand Sword Emperor had not healed.

“You…!”

Hayato’s face showed shock as he belatedly recognized Seo-rin. As he looked around, he seemed to be searching for someone he feared.

Who could he be looking for?

In that moment, Seo-rin felt as if time had slowed down. Her mind was clear, but her body’s reactions became infinitely slower. It had been happening since she got close to Hayato.

Seo-rin exhaled softly. If her body had slowed, she just needed to move faster to resolve the issue. She switched the mana she was using from Sun Force to Theo’s Thunder Flash.

*Crackle-*

The blue lightning surging through her body dramatically increased Seo-rin’s physical speed. She returned to her original pace.

In the slowed time, Hayato seemed to trust in his blessing, looking past Seo-rin to assess the next situation. His gaze was directed toward where Sephiroth stood.

Seo-rin immediately swung her sword. The extended Ice Dragon Sword unleashed a rapid slash.

*Slash-!*

“Wh-what?”

Hayato’s expression turned bewildered. He couldn’t believe that Seo-rin’s slash had reached him. Blood belatedly burst forth, soaking Hayato’s chest.

Seo-rin didn’t stop moving. Using the momentum from her slash, she added a rotation. Her body spun in place, preparing for the next attack.

A thrust.

Her two arms extended in a straight line, firmly supporting a single sword, delivering a swift strike toward the target.

*Clang-!*

But Seo-rin’s attack didn’t succeed. Hayato, reacting belatedly, blocked Seo-rin’s thrust using the flat of his katana, his face showing indignation.

If it was blocked, she would just break through. Seo-rin immediately changed the mana cultivation technique she was using. Though immense pain shot through her meridians, it was more bearable than before.

Ice Dragon – Heart

Fire Dragon – Heart

Simultaneous operation.

As the two energies interlocked, the mana that erupted from within Seo-rin’s body exploded at the tip of her sword.

*Flash-!*

‘Not yet.’

She needed to end this more decisively. Barely swallowing the blood rising in her throat, Seo-rin raised the three hundred swords that had scattered around.

*Whoom-!*

The three hundred swords that had been emitting a rough howl all flew in at once.