Ch.223Chapter 9. S-Class Reader (8)

Armored Taejo’s attacks are mostly long-range bombardments.

Either firing beams from his hands.

Or launching steel projectiles.

Or extending his armor and launching it while gripping it with his fist.

While the public calls him “Armored Taejo,” based on his ability, he should be called:

“Steel Master.”

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Steel beams erupt from the ground.

Tearing up the floor of Jamsil Stadium, H-beams like those seen at construction sites burst through the ground.

“Kuk!”

Yoon Yi-seon kicked off the ground and dodged the emerging H-beam.

Some beams shot straight up toward her, but the most threatening ones were those blocking her movement.

[Ah! There it is! Armored Taejo’s specialty! The Steel Prison!!]

Whether rebar or anything else, he freely manipulates steel objects to create prisons.

The simpler the ability, the stronger it tends to be.

“How long do you plan to just run away?!”

Taejo flew high into the sky, raising both hands upward.

Simultaneously, dozens of H-beams that had erupted from the ground began spinning around Taejo.

Their mass and volume were clearly different from the fox-fire protecting Yoon Yi-seon.

“Since you’re A-rank, you probably won’t die! But I won’t hold back!”

When Taejo extended his hand downward, the H-beams aimed at Yoon Yi-seon.

KWAAANG!

The first H-beam rushed toward Yoon Yi-seon.

She jumped backward with a large somersault, and the H-beam crashed into the ground where she had been standing.

“Not yet!”

KWAGWANG!!

H-beams continued to crash into the stadium ground.

Wherever Yoon Yi-seon dodged, H-beams struck, and some even fell in anticipation of where she would move next.

“Kuuugh…!”

Yoon Yi-seon dodged the attacks with all her might.

She used her maximum magical power to avoid the attacks, but Taejo’s attacks were faster and stronger than Ray Huang’s.

“Did you think it was over? There’s so much ammunition on the battlefield!”

With one hand, Taejo launched H-beams at Yoon Yi-seon, while extending his other hand toward the H-beams he had already thrown.

Soon, the H-beams that Yoon Yi-seon had dodged returned to Taejo and began spinning around him, quickly becoming new projectiles flying toward her.

“Kyaak…!”

Just as she was about to dodge, Yoon Yi-seon was hit directly by an H-beam.

She barely avoided a direct hit by deploying a pink flame barrier in front, but the impact sent her tumbling backward.

Uh-oh.

Worried voices briefly swept through the crowd.

They were momentarily startled, thinking she might die, as such an attack would certainly kill any ordinary person instantly.

“…Kugh.”

But Yoon Yi-seon merely rolled on the ground, without limping or bleeding.

WAAAA!!

The crowd finally erupted in cheers.

For Yoon Yi-seon, encouragement for her struggle against an S-rank opponent.

For Taejo, praise for demonstrating overwhelming S-rank power.

[This is S-rank! Different from A-rank! Completely different!!]

The announcer’s commentary echoed throughout the venue.

Both Yoon Yi-seon and Taejo inside the stadium could hear it, and the announcer’s words would certainly influence the match.

Primarily psychologically.

[Now, Yoon Yi-seon! Will she collapse here? Or does she have a hidden trump card!]

If she falls, it ends there, and if she’s going to counterattack, now would be the time.

“Haaap!”

Yoon Yi-seon merged her three spread tails into one.

Soon she gathered the fox-fire around her into one with a circular motion of both hands, and the fox-fire grew larger than a basketball.

Gooo.

Pink flames began to concentrate in Yoon Yi-seon’s hands.

The flames gradually gathered to form a large sphere, and she aimed it at Taejo floating in the air.

“Too slow.”

She tried to fire it.

“The Steel Prison doesn’t discriminate.”

“This is…!”

“It’s good that you’re concentrating to gather mana, but unfortunately, that’s a losing move against an S-rank.”

KWAAANG!

If only there hadn’t been H-beam bombardments falling around her.

“Don’t even think about escaping the Steel Prison!”

PAKANG!

The H-beams that had fallen around Yoon Yi-seon suddenly began to topple sideways.

Like circular dominoes falling simultaneously, the H-beams interlocked as they fell, creating a fence around Yoon Yi-seon.

“This is…!”

Yoon Yi-seon stopped gathering mana into the sphere, but had no chance to escape.

The H-beams melted toward the remaining space below, soon creating a steel mesh too tight for a person to pass through.

“There’s only one way to escape.”

The top of the dome-like steel fence.

“If you’re trapped in a well, you must climb up.”

Instead of clouds that should be floating in the blue sky, Taejo was extending his hand toward the opening.

“Let me teach you. That there’s a higher sky in places A-ranks cannot see.”

The remaining H-beams merged into one and began to fall toward the dome’s ceiling.

The speed made it look like a giant steel meteorite slowly falling, and screams erupted from the stands.

KYAAAAAAAK!!

Even the transparent ice wall protecting the audience stands shook momentarily.

Everyone’s hearts sank, fearing Yoon Yi-seon might die, but Taejo’s attack didn’t stop.

“Wait, is he…!”

“He’s not just covering the ceiling, he’s going to crush her!!”

“REFEREE!!”

Gugugu.

Despite the audience’s shock and fear.

Kung.

The H-beam mass fell into the dome.

A light dust cloud rose from the ground, but there was no response from inside.

“N-no way…”

“Come on, there’s no way she’s…”

“…Even if she died, it’s her fault. She challenged an S-rank without knowing her place.”

Just when it seemed the match was decided.

KWAAAAAANG!!

Pink flames exploded between the H-beams.

The metal pieces were torn apart by the explosion, covering the ground, and a pillar of pink fire rose above the dome.

Flutter!

Yoon Yi-seon jumped high.

Though faint, she fluttered her three tails, standing on the edge of the H-beam that had been blown open by the explosion, catching her rough breath.

“WAAAAAAA!”

The challenger was not dead yet.

She hadn’t been defeated, hadn’t fallen.

Even if she was on the verge of collapse, Yoon Yi-seon clenched her fists and summoned her fox-fire again.

“Give up. If you acknowledge your weakness now, you won’t get hurt any further.”

Taejo, floating in the sky, declared while looking down at Yoon Yi-seon.

“You are A-rank. If you want to breathe the same air as S-ranks, you’ll need to become much stronger.”

“Haaap!”

Yoon Yi-seon launched her fox-fire with a shout.

Much sharper and more precise than before, the fox-fire rushed toward Taejo like arrows.

And.

PAAAANG!

It reached Taejo and exploded.

“Huh?!”

“He… didn’t dodge?!”

Pink explosive smoke enveloped Taejo.

The fox-fire exploded upon contact with Taejo, and Yoon Yi-seon caught her rough breath with her hand extended forward.

“Did I… win?”

Just as Yoon Yi-seon spoke in a puzzled voice.

“Weak.”

From within the explosive smoke, Taejo emerged without a scratch.

There wasn’t even soot from the explosion, and his protective suit remained perfectly intact.

“You can’t challenge an S-rank with just this level of power.”

“Ah…”

Frustration and despair gradually crossed Yoon Yi-seon’s face.

The audience sensed the outcome when they saw her expression realizing her attacks were no longer effective.

This match.

Once again, an A+ rank was merely an A+ rank after all.

“Wouldn’t it be better to give up now?”

“…Even if I fall, I will never give up.”

“Good. Then I’ll defeat you with my full power. Feel it yourself. The power of an S-rank.”

Passs.

As Taejo extended his hand to the side, the damaged H-beams began to gather around him again.

“The steel dragon soars.”

Gugugu.

The H-beams instantly turned to powder.

The powder began to spin around Taejo, starting to form a single entity.

“Manifest.”

The metal powder reconsolidated, creating a massive figure around Taejo.

“Iron Blood King.”

Was there ever such a person?

Not in history.

But if such a person existed, it would be the one before them.

KUNG!

Landing on the ground with black military boots resembling traditional Korean footwear, a giant over ten meters tall with flowing royal robes had a gleaming ceremonial crown on its head.

Wiiing.

As the angular eyes flashed golden, the exterior turned red and began to emit a brilliant light.

“WOAAAAA!!”

Cheers erupted from the stands.

Regardless of gender, shouts rang out for the victor.

[The Royal One has arrived.]

Everyone swallowed hard at that dignified voice that spread beyond the walls of Jamsil Stadium.

This was truly “Armored Taejo.”

The golden lines shining on his chest gradually glowed like a golden dragon pattern.

Concentration of mana.

Armored Taejo crossed his arms in an X-shape in front of him, and soon golden magical power began to swirl around the “Steel Sovereign.”

JJEOJJEOK!

The transparent ice wall protecting the audience grew thicker.

The audience sensed it.

Even Snow White, who was watching the match, had strengthened the defensive wall, indicating an extremely powerful strike was coming.

“Go! Armored Taejo!”

“Show us S-rank power!!”

“Kyaaak! Lord Taejo!!”

Just as the cheers for Taejo reached their peak, Yoon Yi-seon’s face flashed on the electronic scoreboard.

She looked utterly bewildered.

More than the earlier frustration and despair in her eyes, she bit her lower lip in confusion at the sight of Armored Taejo himself.

[Behold. This is the dignity of an S-rank.]

Armored Taejo extended both hands in front of his chest.

Simultaneously, the “gun port” on his chest opened.

[Thunder Cannon to Heaven.]

KWAAAAAAAA!!

A golden bombardment rushed toward Yoon Yi-seon.

The magical barrage was so powerful it seemed like it might devour not just the pitcher’s mound where Yoon Yi-seon stood, but the entire infield.

“KYAAAAK!!”

Everyone was shocked by the tremendous display of light.

Even if it was to demonstrate S-rank power, such overwhelming force—

PAAAAT!

Armored Taejo’s Thunder Cannon split left and right.

Pink flames rose in front of Yoon Yi-seon on the mound, dividing the bombardment into two streams.

[Ah! She’s holding on!! She’s withstanding it!!]

Despite being pushed down from the mound, Yoon Yi-seon blocked the bombardment with both hands joined in front.

Gradually her tails’ light grew dimmer, and even the flame barrier blocking the front weakened.

Yet Armored Taejo’s light remained strong.

An overwhelming difference in magical power.

If she couldn’t overcome that difference, she could never challenge an S-rank.

Passs.

The bombardment stopped.

Not because Taejo’s magical power was exhausted, but because Taejo himself withdrew it.

“……”

Yoon Yi-seon had been pushed back to the batter’s box.

Her fox tails had disappeared, and she remained frozen with her head bowed forward and hands extended.

[You are strong.]

That will to burn herself white-hot and face the fight without retreating until the very end.

[However, you could not reach me.]

“Now it’s over—”

Just when everyone thought it was over.

Hwarak.

Behind Yoon Yi-seon’s back, a deeper pink flame burst forth.

“…Huh?”

[…No way.]

The audience stirred.

“Is, is she becoming a demon…?!”

“Like Ray Huang?! No! She’s turning into a demon because she can’t win!”

Everyone was suddenly filled with shock and fear.

“Taejo! Quickly, that woman!”

[DO NOT ACT RASHLY!!]

The audience froze at Taejo’s lion-like roar.

It was truly a royal command.

[Heh, heheh.]

But soon, Taejo began to laugh like a child.

[So it comes.]

Sensing something, Taejo clenched his fists again.

And.

PAAAAAT!!

Nine deep pink tails glowed and enveloped Yoon Yi-seon.

And as the tails slowly opened like a lotus flower, Yoon Yi-seon appeared from within.

A clearly different, more mature Yoon Yi-seon, wearing a light pink hanbok that glowed.

“…I’ll show you.”

Brushing her bangs back with her elongated hand, Yoon Yi-seon smiled.

“The dignity of an S-rank.”