Ch.204Chapter 8. A Toast to Your Patriotism (5)

I left the used tablet where it was, then entered the spectator stands in my spirit form to survey the competition venue.

“Keep dodging! Kuhahaha! Continue to rain down, Mancheonhawoo!!”

I arrived just as Ray Huang was opening Yeobongseon’s chest again to scatter Bangcheonhwageuk bullets in all directions.

Isn’t that dangerous?

Not just me, but everyone had the same thought, and even Yoon Yi-seon, the person directly involved, momentarily turned her head toward the judges’ stand.

-Eh, well, Lü Bu throwing the Bangcheonhwageuk is documented in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms… historically accurate! Continue the match!

At President Kim Seok-dae’s intrusion into the judges’ stand, I recalled what I’d read in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a child.

‘Wait, wasn’t it about shooting arrows at the Bangcheonhwageuk, not throwing it?’

When did Lü Bu ever throw a Bangcheonhwageuk while shouting “Mancheonhawoo”?

As far as I knew, such a thing never happened, but everyone in the stands just tilted their heads wondering, “Is that right?”

Pababapat.

Again, Bangcheonhwageuk spears rained down from the sky.

The sharp blades fell toward the ground—a continuous, intense attack that could pierce through someone’s body and potentially kill them if hit.

Yet the match continued.

Though Ray Huang was shouting “Die!” the interpretation of his intent determined the ruling.

Was it an attack delivered with genuine killing intent?

Or would it be ruled as just a “battle cry”?

That depended on the outcome.

The judgment should be based on observing the battle process, but the president who had seized the judge’s seat seemed to be ruling it as a battle cry.

Or perhaps it was because Yoon Yi-seon was dodging well.

‘It seems I don’t need to worry about Yoon Yi-seon.’

That’s a relief.

I wasn’t worried about her losing, but rather about her suffering a fatal injury.

Her opponent, Ray Huang, was Chinese—not that I wanted to be prejudiced—but he likely believed that anything was permissible to secure victory.

Is that prejudice?

I don’t care if it is.

If he actually acts on such thoughts and commits foul play that threatens Yoon Yi-seon’s life, I’ll have to step in.

As the villain executioner.

“Uhahaha! You scurry around like a little rat! Let me show you something stronger! I’ll show you my full power! The power of the War God!”

“You said you were the Martial God!”

“Don’t nitpick details!! You tiny brat!!”

Fortunately, it hadn’t reached that point yet, so I could briefly turn my attention elsewhere.

[Taowu. How many S-ranks do you sense right now?]

[Seven. Just as reported.]

[Good.]

Seven S-ranks at Sejong Island, specifically here at the competition venue.

‘Snow White, Princess Bari, Hayabusa.’

Three S-ranks visible on the surface.

‘Plus Armored Taejo, Cheok Jun-gyeong, and Thunder Empress hiding.’

Three S-ranks concealed at the scene, not showing themselves publicly.

It was quite unusual for Armored Taejo to suppress his attention-seeking tendencies and quietly hide in the stands, but he was probably exercising maximum self-control in anticipation of the main event to come.

‘They’re targeting me.’

Using Hayabusa as an excuse, they’ve set a trap to catch the Goblin.

[They’re planning to pounce as soon as the Goblin appears, right? What do you think, Goblin?]

[I think they’ve all come just in case, not just for the Goblin. If they needed seven people just to catch one Goblin, that would be serious overkill.]

[Then what are they trying to catch?]

[Who knows. Maybe Dueoksini Mark II.]

Perhaps they’re trying to catch something else besides the Goblin.

‘They’ve all gathered because they’re worried Pandemonium might appear.’

They’ve stationed Battle God alone in the Korean Peninsula and brought all the other S-ranks to guard the center of Sejong Island.

They might not care if the Goblin escapes, but if a second Dueoksini appears and turns everyone into demons again, it would go beyond international embarrassment to become a global threat.

[The Sephirot Knights might pop up too. Hmm, too bad. If I knew exactly why they’re all here, we could respond more easily.]

[It’s because we couldn’t contact them. Or rather, isn’t it your fault for omitting reports to me?]

[I wouldn’t call it a fault… She may be under my command, but she didn’t come to Sejong Island under the Syndicate’s orders, right?]

I turned my gaze to one side of the spectator stands.

In the VIP section, a woman with distinctly fox-like features sat among the crowd.

Nadeshiko.

The moment I spotted her, her gaze turned precisely in my direction.

Can she see me?

Surely not.

Just as I was about to move positions out of caution—

Hello there.

[!]

She acknowledged me, accurately perceiving my hidden location.

Then she placed her index finger against her lips and smiled with her eyes.

When someone beside her asked something, she began talking about something else while playing with her lower lip with her index finger.

[That’s fortunate. She’s quite perceptive as expected.]

Taowu grinned inside me.

[It seems she’s willing to pretend not to notice for now?]

[…But she’s also implying she won’t let it slide if I don’t meet with her. For now, things seem fine, so let’s proceed according to plan.]

It’s good that Nadeshiko noticed us but signaled she’d stay quiet, but the problem is that Taowu’s preferred direction is different.

[When we need to make a hasty escape later, how about kidnapping Nadeshiko on our way out?]

[Are you looking out for your team member now?]

[Nadeshiko would let herself be captured willingly, don’t you think?]

[She wouldn’t be the one getting captured—I would.]

There’s no point hiding it.

Nadeshiko is part of “the Syndicate.”

Not just a collaborator, but an S-rank who belongs to the Syndicate, one of the agents under Taowu’s command.

And like Taowu, she’s after me.

There are several reasons, but the biggest is that I’m the man she’s set her sights on.

[They say the older a woman gets before having children, the higher the chance of birth defects.]

[Why bring that up?]

[Because she said it herself. Even though ability users have a lower chance of birth defects from late pregnancies, the social atmosphere is still like that. Almost all 25-year-old female ability users have already had children. Except those who can’t have them or S-ranks.]

Nadeshiko wants to get pregnant.

Before her body ages further, she wants to bear the child of her ideal man while she’s still in her physical prime.

…And unfortunately, I’m the one she’s targeted.

[Why not just plant your seed and be done with it?]

[Not this year.]

[If not this year, does that mean next year is okay?]

[Perhaps.]

I came to watch Yoon Yi-seon’s final match but got distracted by the unexpected presence of S-ranks, but the situation seems manageable now.

After all, Yoon Yi-seon is brilliantly dodging Ray Huang’s Mancheonhawoo…

[She’s become a complete nine-tailed fox now.]

Whoosh!

Scattering pink flames, Yoon Yi-seon moved as swiftly as a fox, perfectly evading the spears falling from the sky.

Her tails had grown to nine, and she was moving completely in line with the gumiho concept.

[Since he’s just scattering them randomly rather than aiming precisely, there are bound to be blind spots. Even if there weren’t—]

Slap!

One of her tails moved upward and knocked a Bangcheonhwageuk aside.

Though they appear as spears, they’re essentially masses of magical energy, and when magical energies collide, the stronger one wins.

Compared to the randomly fired Bangcheonhwageuk, Yoon Yi-seon’s tails were like blades of concentrated magical energy.

[That’s good then. Didn’t you come because you were worried? Was there no need for you to show up?]

[I am worried about Yoon Yi-seon, but what concerns me more is that guy.]

Ray Huang, The Marksman.

Apart from being an A-rank ability user, he seems like someone who might have appeared in the original work, but the problem is that this man is fighting while scraping his magical energy from depths beyond his limits.

[If my guess is correct… as I thought.]

“Kuaaah!!”

Gradually, the purple mist around Ray Huang’s body began to glow with a reddish light.

[Just as I expected.]

[He seemed to be drawing mana from elsewhere, but he’s actually using mana powder to replenish his mana.]

Others don’t notice.

But I can see it.

Ray Huang has taken drugs.

To win the A-rank finals, to use this divine summoning technique, to secure victory, he must have used refined mana powder.

Mana powder not only provides pleasure but fundamentally increases the user’s mana.

Naturally, using it in a duel would give a significant advantage.

“Die—!”

The moment Ray Huang’s gun aimed directly at Yoon Yi-seon.

I—

“Henshin—!”

An original-sounding voice came from somewhere.

KWANG!

“Dangerous behavior cannot be tolerated.”

Creating a precise air hole in the head of the War God Yeobongseon that Ray Huang had summoned, while simultaneously kicking Ray Huang’s back to the ground, an unidentified attacker landed.

“I have arrived.”

The figure who appeared in a sleek suit was.

“The name is Hayabusa.”

Not a Rider.

“The Great Hurricane.”

But a hero.

Snap!

In the middle of the battlefield.

Ten circular rings glowing with green light sparkled like coils.

And then.

“It’s, it’s the Goblin!!”

[Coward.]

In my Taowu form, I reached out toward Hayabusa, who was stepping on Ray Huang’s back.

[Do you intend to interfere with a sacred duel?]

“…A sacred duel, you say? The outcome of this match was already decided the moment this man used that strange substance.”

Hayabusa’s expression couldn’t be seen because of his helmet, but he was smiling.

“Hey. For an ability user to detect mana powder use and appear immediately—that’s impressive. Why did you suddenly show up?”

[Well.]

I slightly turned my head toward Yoon Yi-seon who had appeared behind me, then extended my fist forward.

[To drive out the hasty one who ended the finals before they were truly over. I came here as a spectator, you see.]

Opening my fist, I showed Hayabusa a “ticket.”

It was fake, of course.

“You mean… you’re a spectator…?”

[I came to leisurely watch the match, but I couldn’t stand by while an S-rank interfered with an A-rank competition.]

Tap tap.

I lightly moved only my index finger toward Hayabusa.

[I was expecting that woman to win, but you trampled that expectation with your intrusion.]

“…She could have won? Against someone using drugs?”

[Of course. No matter what cheating the opponent resorted to, she could have overwhelmingly triumphed. You stole that victory experience from her.]

True victory is winning even when the opponent cheats.

Hayabusa robbed Yoon Yi-seon of that victory.

[Now, I shall execute the hooligan who intruded upon this sacred duel.]

I didn’t come to execute the villain using drugs, but to drive away Hayabusa.

[Let me show you.]

Once more, tap tap.

[Defeat.]