Ch.224EP.50 – The Knight Ruminates on Defeat (3)

Boom!

The sound of the city wall collapsing came from behind, but Ihan didn’t even care.

Whether walls collapsed or mountains crumbled, what mattered now was confronting the superhuman before him with all his might.

There was no luxury to look elsewhere, and Ihan loosened up his body.

Tap, tap tap.

As he repeatedly bounced his body like taking steps, there wasn’t a single visible injury on him.

Despite being slammed so violently into the city wall…

If there was any injured part at all.

“That stings like hell.”

Only the spot where he’d been flicked hurt.

How strange that the flick hurt more than being smashed into the wall?

“What a monster.”

“That’s rich coming from you. And I’m not a monster, but a superhuman.”

“…Right, something worse than a monster, a superhuman.”

“Enough grumbling. Are you just going to whine?”

“As if.”

Tap…

Finishing his warm-up steps, Ihan glared at Baltar Grace.

Like a predator eyeing its prey.

But no matter how much he observed.

‘Indeed, not a single opening.’

His opponent had not even the slightest gap.

Even if there was one, it would merely be a deliberately set trap.

Therefore.

‘Here I go.’

He abandoned the foolish idea of looking for openings.

What he needed to do was.

Bang!

Charge. To forcibly create an opening in that monster.

Ihan’s legs instantly expanded, generating tremendous power as he charged.

With acceleration comparable to a cheetah’s zero-to-sixty and the breakthrough power of a tank, Ihan’s charge was nothing short of a missile.

It was a formidable force that could devastate the surroundings just by landing, truly a technique that shouldn’t be used against humans, but…

Thwack.

“You’ve certainly gotten stronger, ho ho.”

“…!”

“Put more strength into it. A young man shouldn’t be this weak.”

…His opponent wasn’t human.

Ihan’s charge was futilely neutralized.

Boom!!

Only the shockwave from Ihan’s charge swept through the surroundings, sending knights rolling on the ground, but that was all.

Baltar, who had effortlessly caught his body slam with one hand, smirked.

“It reminds me of when you said you were going to be an instructor, though it didn’t suit you. Back then, you also did a body slam with that technique, Gungshintanyeong or whatever. Looking back, it’s quite nostalgic…”

“Eeek!”

Crack!

Ihan strained with all his might to escape from Baltar’s grasp.

But the more force he applied, the heavier his body felt, as if caught in an inescapable spider web, and he remained suppressed.

“Let’s recreate that moment.”

Thud.

Baltar’s other hand touched Ihan’s shoulder.

And then…

“You called this Naegajungsoobeop, didn’t you?”

“!!?”

“It’ll hurt a bit more than last time.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ihan’s body was slammed into the ground.

And it wasn’t just a simple slam.

Craaaaaack!

“Kuheeeock!”

The pressure from Baltar’s Naegajungsoobeop struck not only Ihan’s body but also the earth, causing the ground to collapse.

‘How is this just “a bit”…!?’

If Ihan had generated missile-like power with his charge, Baltar had created a missile with just his palm.

The intense shockwave that started from his shoulder turned everything inside his body upside down, and Ihan nearly lost consciousness.

“Cough!”

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Whoosh!

“Then I’m disappointed.”

Thud.

Baltar placed his foot on the fallen man’s back.

It was just a light tap, but as soon as Baltar’s foot stepped on his back…

Thump──!

…He was crushed again as if a ton of weight had been placed on him.

“You had that technique, Cheongeunchu or whatever, two years ago, didn’t you? I tried to interpret it in my own way. However, it was difficult to match 600kg, so I just set it at exactly 1,000kg. How is it, quite heavy, isn’t it?”

“……”

“Ho ho, have you passed out?”

“D-damn it, w-why are you stealing my ideas…!”

“Hmm, still fine, I see.”

“!!?”

Rage welled up inside him.

Fine, my ass!

If he hadn’t used Geumgang at full power, his back would have ruptured long ago.

That’s how intense the force was.

‘If I hadn’t undergone Hwangoltaltae, I’d be dead by now, damn it!’

Crack!

Ihan felt overwhelming gratitude toward the fairy, but thanking her with water offerings would have to wait until later. Right now…!

“Oh!”

Escaping from this man’s grasp was the urgent priority.

Pababat!

Ihan dug into the ground like a mole and disappeared.

This evasion method was so unexpected that even the great Baltar looked surprised as Ihan’s figure quickly vanished into the soil.

“I knew you had abandoned the path of humanity long ago, but was becoming a mole your goal?”

Baltar’s voice sounded mocking, or perhaps provocative.

To such a Baltar, Ihan said:

“Don’t underestimate moles, mister.”

Puk! Perbuk! Pereok!

He decided to show Baltar the terror of moles.

Gradually, holes began to appear all over the ground.

It was the emergence of holes that could trigger trypophobia, and just as one might wonder what this trick was about.

Pereong!!

“…Huh?”

A fist blast shot up from a hole, grazing Baltar’s shoulder.

But perhaps knowing that one hit wouldn’t be enough, as befitting someone from a past life.

Ihan said:

“Let’s see if you can block this too.”

Pereeeong!

He used the holes as gun barrels to fire fist blasts.

Fist blasts containing the principles of Baekboshinquan and Gyeoksantau were fired like a machine gun toward Baltar.

Pereong!

Pereong!!

“Ho ho! What a madman I’m witnessing!”

Baltar laughed, saying he had never seen such tactics before.

Even he, who had lived over 70 years and faced all kinds of mysteries, swordsmanship, and magic, had never encountered such a method.

To enter the ground and then indiscriminately unleash power like this-!

‘He’s not just randomly throwing power either.’

Pereok!

When he directly met a fist blast with his hand to feel the power within, his hand tingled.

Though the method itself might seem ridiculous, those facing it directly would feel their hearts grow cold with worry that their heads might fly off.

“You amusing fellow, putting on such a ‘performance’ for a bored old man.”

…But while others might need to worry about their heads.

This didn’t apply to Baltar, who found this interesting performance merely endearing.

It was like the emotion of seeing a grandchild who had just learned to talk, clumsily saying “G-grandpa!” while crawling toward you.

So, for the one who had moved him so.

“I’ll get a bit serious too.”

Click.

Baltar drew his iron sword.

The unsightly iron sword, which looked almost decorative, was on the verge of rusting without any maintenance.

But why?

The moment it was in Baltar’s hand, the rusty iron sword.

“Well, I’ll just cut everything down.”

Slash!

It was swung with a cutting power that could be called nothing less than a masterpiece.

A horizontal slash.

A very basic cutting motion that anyone learning swordsmanship would have swung thousands or tens of thousands of times.

But if swordsmen were to see the horizontal slash that Baltar was now wielding, they would all doubt their eyes.

It was perfect.

It seemed like the ideal cutting motion that no one else could achieve, and it was a beautiful movement that made even blinking seem wasteful.

That’s why it was tragic.

Since all the knights had fled the training ground, giving up the fortune of seeing Baltar’s sword, no one witnessed Baltar swinging his sword.

…In a way, it was fortunate that no one was there.

Because if they had been.

Snip!

─They would have been beautifully cut down.

For a moment, Ihan’s fist blasts that had been hovering in the air collectively stopped.

Not only that, but even the flow of air seemed to hesitate, and then.

“I’ve cut them all down.”

Pop!

Over a hundred fist blasts burst like balloons all at once.

The bullets that had been firing at Baltar were neutralized, and while it was certainly an amazing sight.

Thud.

“Now, how long are you going to play mole?”

The moment he lightly stomped his foot, cracks spread across the ground…

Puhwaaaak!

The entire floor, except for where Baltar stood, was flipped over.

“……”

“Ah, there you were.”

Only after the ground was flipped did Ihan finally reveal himself, and as he soared high into the sky, being hit by falling debris mixed with sand and stone fragments, he gaped in astonishment.

He didn’t even mind the sand or gravel entering his mouth.

He was too dumbfounded.

“…The ground isn’t a carrot or radish to be diced like this…”

It was a moment when a field-sized dirt floor was completely diced and flipped over, and Ihan couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

This was a moment that showed why Baltar was called the “Sword God” during the era of the Military God.

* * *

Puhwaaaak!

Soil poured down, and the city walls continued to crack and collapse due to the shockwaves.

Not even five minutes had passed since the fight began, yet the royal castle was on the verge of collapse.

This alone was no small incident, but the two men didn’t care about such ‘trivial matters.’

If punishment came, they would accept it.

That was the mindset of Ihan and Baltar.

And now.

“Well, will you admit defeat now?”

Baltar asked, still with his sword drawn.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Baltar with a sword and without were different people.

For Ihan, who was already being thoroughly beaten, an even greater crisis had clearly arrived, and in reality, admitting defeat would have been the sensible thing to do.

“Have you gone senile?”

“…Disrespectful brat.”

Of course, Ihan wasn’t going to declare defeat so easily.

Click.

Ihan drew his sword, as if imitating Baltar.

It was the first time he had drawn his sword, something he rarely used.

After all, blades could potentially kill opponents, making power control nearly impossible.

However.

“You’re not someone who would die just because I drew my sword. Today, I’ll use my blade.”

“Of course. Your sword is nothing but a toy compared to mine.”

“…That’s true, but it really pisses me off.”

His opponent was Baltar.

Someone he would absolutely never kill.

“Truth is often painful.”

“…Damn it!”

Though frustrated by this fact, Ihan resolved to give it his all.

“Huuuu…!”

Ihan pushed his concentration and senses to their limits.

With the conviction that ‘this’ was the only means to land a blow on him, he.

Woong-. Woowoong-.

Began to forge his blade.

The sword’s resonance, the sword’s cry rang out as Ihan’s energy flowed into his iron sword. Additionally, as he added techniques stolen from the northerner and the dark-skinned man-

Whaaaak!

“…You’ve created something interesting.”

“The power won’t be so interesting.”

Sword Aura.

Though it seemed to contain the beautiful stars of the night sky, its power was by no means beautiful but destructively powerful, continuously emanating.

Wooowoong!

It was a compressed, formidable power that should never be used against people, a technique that made even the user dangerous.

Ihan pointed this at Baltar.

“Even you might find this a bit scary, old man?”

Ihan provocatively aimed his Sword Aura.

Suggesting that even someone like him couldn’t take this lightly.

But.

“Hmm, is that all?”

“…?”

“Ho ho, well now. You seem to have forgotten who I am.”

“???”

“Yes, if you’ve forgotten, I should teach you.”

Wooowoong-!

Suddenly, from Baltar’s iron sword, energy identical to Ihan’s… no, even more powerful energy began to form a vortex and concentrate.

And it.

Whaaak!

“!”

Instantly formed a ‘Sword Aura.’

A Sword Aura that appeared even more powerful than Ihan’s…

“……”

To Ihan, who stared blankly at this, Baltar smiled kindly like a gentle teacher.

“While other knights barely manage to handle sword cries or sword energy, for ‘us,’ such things are easier than breathing. That’s because ‘we’ are.”

Crackle!

“<Aura Users>.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a change occurred in Baltar’s Sword Aura.

As if kindly showing that Sword Aura was merely the foundation and there was a next stage.

Surge!

An ominous undulation appeared in the Sword Aura. It was like a wave, and when the fragments of light created by that undulation gradually formed a beautiful sphere like glass beads.

“…Aura Sphere.”

Ihan felt like he was about to lose his fighting spirit.

Sword Aura Compression Sphere, or Sword Sphere.

Seeing the destructive spheres being continuously produced as if they could destroy everything, Ihan merely.

“…Ha.”

Let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.