Ch.242242 – Resolve of Life and Death

# Chapter 242 – Resolve of Life and Death

Deadcat recalled.

The power contained in Oknodie’s tri-colored ball.

‘I’ve lost one illusion stack.’

When was the last time?

The last time she had lost a stack.

Right…

Second year, first semester, advanced class midterm exam.

This was the first time since then.

Another advanced class student, Mandela.

Even when she was defeated by her, she thought:

The Academy is really fun.

Outside, she would have been bored without being able to use the abilities she had developed, but thanks to this place, she had the satisfaction of developing her abilities and becoming stronger.

Her impression of receiving Oknodie’s tri-colored ball was the same.

It was an interesting power.

The hell-fire enhanced with dark mana would burn her hands, and the blue freezing power would freeze the mana’s action that would try to stop it.

A contradictory property that requires raising mana to block it but doesn’t allow the attempt itself.

The skill to implant these conflicting properties without collision was extraordinary.

Top of the class.

Worthy of being called the pinnacle of first-year students.

‘And she added three more to it.’

The attack coming this time was a six-colored ball.

A power with three additional properties.

Still, the response would be the same.

Take it with her body to reduce its power and secure the ball.

After that, it would be over.

She would ignore the swordsman paralyzed by killing intent and take down the first-year top student, Oknodie.

‘If I can just withstand this strike, victory is mine.’

Deadcat’s body was struck as it traced a writhing trajectory toward the incoming ball.

BOOM!

Once again, Deadcat’s body was flung back helplessly.

But there was a difference from before.

When Deadcat reappeared in place after dispelling her illusion, there was no ball floating above her.

The ball that had struck her body came back around and hit her again from the front!

“!?”

Deadcat realized.

Oknodie had thrown a truly nasty ball.

<Space Severance> and <Matter Transfer>.

A closed loop where a specific section of space is cut and its front and back are connected.

That ball never stopped.

It just kept moving forward.

Even if it destroyed all her illusions and blew away her real body, as long as its power remained, it would keep flying at her.

<Nine Lives>

A cat named for having nine lives.

Deadcat had implemented a similar technique by combining it with magic.

Like a dead cat, beyond the illusions that died off, she would appear intact in place. The Imperial Knight who had been counterattacked by her had said:

-Deadcat…

The girl decided on her name that day.

I am Deadcat, she said.

A chilling technique acknowledged even by enemies.

Her illusion had nine stacks.

And now, following the second stack, the third stack had been lost.

‘I couldn’t stop it at all.’

It was the effect of another power contained in the six-colored ball, different from <Space Severance> and <Matter Transfer>.

Some kind of means related to <Unstoppable> that maintains the speed and effect of an object at its peak.

Unless she discovered its identity and secret, nothing would change even if she wasted several stacks.

A strike that cannot be received without wisdom.

Who wouldn’t be surprised that a mere first-year student could throw such a ball?

‘She must have figured it out from the first strike.’

Her developed <Nine Lives> had been analyzed by the previous attack, and Oknodie had come up with a perfect counter.

This was a challenge.

Just as I broke through your technique, can you break through mine?

The fourth stack disappeared.

Still, she couldn’t figure it out.

Any more loss would be dangerous.

She received the ball with both hands full of concentrated mana.

BOOM!!

She was hit.

The flame carried by the blue metal ball exploded and bounced off.

A variation that caught her off guard, assuming the properties would be the same as the tri-colored ball.

To hide a trap that explodes upon contact with external mana.

The fifth stack disappeared.

Her margin was gone.

Thud thud

Almost simultaneously with the attack she was blocking with her hands, collision sounds came from somewhere behind her.

Her keen hearing claimed it was the sound of a ball colliding with a wall.

Strange.

The ball was right in front of her.

Why would there be a sound from behind?

It was as if it were similar to her own <Nine Lives>…?

“!!!”

The sixth stack disappeared.

And the moment of realization arrived.

Beyond being analyzed.

She had been completely read.

Despite showing it only once.

The principle of her ability.

The method of manifestation.

All of it had been grasped.

‘This isn’t fun.’

This wasn’t enjoyable.

It wasn’t the pleasure of defeating a strong opponent that she desired.

One-sided hunting wasn’t present here.

Even if it was, it wasn’t for her.

The formidable opponent before her.

It was for that monster.

‘This is too much.’

She realized.

What happens if she gives that child a “next chance.”

Everything would be taken.

Without leaving a single thing.

She would use everything shown as her own technique.

There was only one chance.

To overcome that child.

She had to end it with the strongest finishing move that would never allow a second chance.

‘It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the principle.’

She would respond with a strike that doesn’t require understanding.

The seventh stack vanished.

The eighth repeated offensive.

Simultaneously, Deadcat unleashed her power.

<Mana Overexpression>

<Domain Declaration – Mana Vacuum Zone>

An explosive release of power that doesn’t allow the manifestation of any magical abilities.

In a normal environment, natural mana that would have assisted in the manifestation of magic instead steals mana from manifested magic, canceling the magic manifestation.

An advanced mana control technique that’s impossible without perfect mana usage reminiscent of a vacuum state!

<Mana Blocking>

Hiding mana so that natural mana cannot detect mana to be stolen from within living beings.

This too is a type of advanced control technique solely to nullify the enemy’s magic.

Its difficulty was comparable to <Dark Blocking>, the superior technique to <Pain Blocking> that Oknodie had demonstrated earlier.

Whoosh.

The energy imbued in the ball dissipates.

This should do it.

If it’s just a ball with high physical force, she could stop it with one illusion stack.

‘Perfect.’

Stop the ball with the eighth stack and defeat Oknodie with a decisive strike before her real life is threatened.

Before the instructor can intervene.

Faster than anyone else.

The calculation was complete.

Success rate over 70%.

If she doesn’t make a mistake, Oknodie won’t just lose the match but actually lose her life.

Maybe she’d be expelled.

But it doesn’t matter.

Because she would leave after defeating the greatest talent.

The time until graduation.

Trading it all for a moment of victory.

This exchange… not bad at all.

Oknodie.

There’s enough value in the pleasure of taking down this genius.

‘All that’s left is execution.’

The moment of reproducing the answer drawn in her mind exactly as if replaying it.

It’s the time to confirm with her own eyes and feel with her whole body that her answer was correct.

It should have been that way.

An impurity she had initially excluded from her perfect calculation intervened.

<Eastern Killing Sword Technique>

<Flash Strike>

A single strike delivered with a flashing light.

Its speed and trajectory were undoubtedly aimed at her neck.

She had to choose.

Would she block the ball with the eighth stack, unleash a fatal strike to take Oknodie’s life, and then die by Sing’s sword?

Or would she block the ball with the eighth stack, give up the counterattack, and prepare for Sing’s strike?

BOOM!

The eighth stack disappeared.

With all stacks gone, the physical force in the six-colored ball was dissipated.

The hand that should have struck the ball floating in the air ignored it.

CLANG!

The blade broke in half.

Deadcat chose to prepare for Sing’s strike.

* * *

Death.

Death.

There was no way to avoid death.

Deadcat.

A second-year advanced class student.

The strength of that cat beastkin was unpredictable.

Sing felt fear.

Charging in meant certain death.

Realizing this by instinct, Sing couldn’t move his hand.

‘How can she block it?’

Looking at Hestia’s hammer, he couldn’t understand.

‘How can she try to receive it?’

Seeing Son Ocheon’s two-handed block, he was confused.

They weren’t weak.

But the difference between them and himself wasn’t great either.

If he fought seriously…

He was confident he would win.

His intuition was sharp.

Having lived in the Eastern Empire where drawing a sword at the wrong time could lead to death.

“Give her a hit. That arrogant senior who lives to bully juniors.”

The answer to his question came from Son Ocheon’s bold smile.

It wasn’t that he believed he could win.

That idiot hadn’t even detected the killing intent.

He didn’t even realize that the opponent could kill someone like him anytime if they wanted to.

Such clumsiness ironically led to an unpredictable result.

‘I see.’

There’s a difference between what one can do and what one actually does.

Hestia was just being polite.

She hadn’t faced real killing intent.

Son Ocheon was a coincidence.

Deadcat hadn’t even included the possibility of him interfering in her calculations.

What about himself?

The pleasantries were over.

The coincidental interference had happened.

His case was different from the other two.

‘I might really die.’

For revenge for his sister, to return home and kill those who needed to be killed.

He should sheathe his sword now.

He should quietly watch Oknodie take a hit and settle for second place.

‘But I refuse.’

As the ball struck Deadcat’s body, he widened his stride.

His sword extended.

The next moment, the blade shattered and three large streaks of blood were carved into his chest.

‘So this is it.’

The premonition of death.

The moment he had constantly felt and wanted to avoid.

But he had avoided it.

The sword broke and his chest was severely injured, but.

He didn’t lose his life.

His intuition.

Deadcat’s killing intent.

They produced a result different from the calculation.

“Sing. You’re out.”

Forced return.

Appearing outside the court, Sing gave a hollow laugh.

In the moment of taking the optimal stride with desperate resolve.

He hadn’t even realized he had crossed the court’s line.

That led to this result.

The resolve indifferent to life and death had actually saved his life.