Ch.95Starlight Knight

“Lo, Lona…?”

“It’s Lona…! That’s Lona!”

Some children who recognized Seorin shouted excitedly. Recently, one of the most powerful forces had arrived here. Children who judged they had a chance began approaching her side, as if wanting to add their strength.

However, in the next moment, the children had to sit down on the ground. A massive pressure swept through the hall with a strong wind, heavily pressing down on every living being.

No physical pressure had been applied. It was merely the pure fighting spirit flowing from the girl’s body that stiffened the bodies of the apprentice knights. Everyone present realized it. This was not a fight they should interfere with. The children breathed heavily as they slowly backed away.

It was the moment when the wind swirling around Seorin subsided. Hakam’s and Seorin’s figures disappeared simultaneously, then reappeared in the middle space, clashing violently.

Bang-!

At the moment of collision, Seorin could realize it. The transmigrator using Hakam’s body was employing the martial arts of the White Frost tribe perfectly. Moreover, traces of sorcery were clearly glowing over his twitching muscles.

‘The sword…’

The sword could advance no further. A strange light enveloping Hakam’s fist was protecting his body from Seorin’s Moonlight Sword. For a brief moment, as they engaged in a test of strength, Seorin opened her mouth.

“Hakam… what happened to the original owner of that body?”

“I was wondering what you were talking about…”

It was the moment when the answer flowed from Hakam’s mouth. The fist that had been opposing Seorin’s sword suddenly pulled away, and that massive body rotated lightly. The speed was excessively fast, and the transition of movement was natural.

It was the moment when Hakam’s foot stepped forward onto the ground. Seorin’s Moonlight Sword blocked his path as if racing through space.

Swoosh-!

It was a slash wrapped in wind. Even without touching the actual sword, the sharply crafted wind damages the skin. Hakam’s right arm skin was slightly split, and he had to back away.

Seorin frowned. Only after using the spirit’s power could she penetrate the sorcery’s power and damage his skin. It meant she should use the White Frost tribe’s martial arts rather than the Taebaek Snow Dragon Sword.

That way, she could deliver the spirit’s power more powerfully. The moment she realized this, she moved. After sheathing the sword in her hand, she lowered her stance with clenched fists.

Keeping his distance while examining his right arm, Hakam also took the same stance as Seorin. It was the basic fighting stance of the White Frost tribe, the Hungry Bear stance.

Observing this, Hakam clicked his tongue as if realizing something.

“Tsk… I told them to kill everyone back then…”

That was the signal. Seorin and Hakam simultaneously stomped the ground. The burst of energy overturned the dirt floor, raising dust. This was repeated every time Seorin’s and Hakam’s arms collided.

Bang-! Crack-!

As the exchange of attacks continued, Hakam was taking the losses. Seorin’s fists pounded his skin, followed by wind blades flying with a time delay. Though it was a fight of fist against fist, the wounds resembled those made by a blade.

‘No blood is flowing…’

Seorin’s gaze swept over Hakam’s body. The wounded areas increased, but no red blood flowed down. It looked similar to her own body in the past. Between the split skin, red flesh wriggled, repairing the wounds.

At that moment, Hakam’s fist faintly grazed Seorin’s forehead. Despite the wind armor she had wrapped around herself, it couldn’t prevent her skin from tearing. With a stinging pain, red blood flowed down.

Seorin’s left arm moved on its own, beyond her will.

‘Seiran…?’

The quickly moving left hand swept over the blood flowing down her forehead. It was the movement of her awakened sibling. Seorin relaxed her strength, allowing her left hand to move freely.

The blood on her fingers quickly drew the White Frost tribe’s battle paint. It traced a circle on her forehead and swept down below her eyes. It drew whisker-like shapes on her cheeks and beast-like teeth below her chin.

And finally.

The blood-stained left hand swept through the air. As the remaining blood on her fingers burned hotly, a snow-white wolf appeared beside Seorin.

“You are…”

Step-

The wolf’s footsteps were clearly audible. The distinctive fishy smell of a beast carried by the wind enveloped the hall. The spirit had manifested in this place with a physical form. Seorin felt a warm sensation in the wolf’s gaze.

It was the one that occasionally appeared in her mental world. It probably had a deep connection with her sibling. Perhaps it was a spirit that had formed a contract with her in childhood, unknown to anyone.

Thus, Seorin charged toward Hakam with the wolf.

Countless shooting stars falling across the blue night sky brightly illuminated the hall. With each flicker of light, Hakam’s figure was pushed back. With each strike from the wolf’s teeth and claws, and Seorin’s fists, his wounds increased, and strength drained from his body.

Hakam flailed his arms with an urgent expression. His heavy fists, imbued with powerful strength, created sounds of air displacement, but Seorin and the wolf gracefully evaded the attack range as if they were one body.

At that moment, Seorin’s posture changed. Her upper body lowered, and both arms touched the ground. A faint wolf-like form appeared over the small girl’s body.

This was not a human’s fight but a beast’s. Seorin and the wolf ravaged Hakam while running at high speed. Wrapped in wind, they could even remain airborne for brief moments. Like swimming through empty space, a snow-white light stretched like a tail.

‘This time I’ll catch him for sure…’

He was a transmigrator using a brother’s body. The dead should rightfully be allowed to rest in peace. She could not tolerate him using his body to accumulate evil deeds.

Strong winds wrapped around Seorin’s arms and legs. She had become quite familiar with the spirit’s power. Now she had reached a state where wind would rise with just her will.

‘Like breathing.’

Everything should flow naturally. Seorin clenched her right hand and spread her legs shoulder-width apart. Her lowered stance rotated her waist as she pulled her right hand back, as if accumulating power.

It was the preparation for a powerful strike. She spent one breath like this. Hakam noticed and tried to retreat, but the wolf suddenly lunged forward and bit his body.

Crunch-!

“You, you bastard!”

Spirits are inherently beings without physical bodies. They exist as mental entities. Even if they manifest physical bodies in the material world through a sorcerer’s contract, their fundamental nature remains unchanged.

Therefore, Hakam’s action of striking the wolf was meaningless. His brutal fist shattered part of the wolf’s body, but that part only became faint. The head with its sharp teeth, gnawing at his body, did not disappear.

In an instant, the wind blew. The faint form of the wolf split into several strands, wrapping around Hakam’s arms and legs. The next moment, the faint form created new wolf heads.

Crunch-!

“Arghhhh!”

The wolf heads restrained Hakam’s limbs. Sharp teeth dug into his skin, creating sounds of bones dislocating. Even the sorcery’s defense was useless against the spirit’s power.

The traces of sorcery covering Hakam’s body flickered faintly.

This was two breaths so far. She had spent considerable time preparing for the final strike. Seorin put strength into her right hand. The calm wind forming above it was absorbing all surrounding sounds.

Whoosh-

All preparations were complete. Even the wind armor protecting her body had changed to a faint breeze. As the wind dispersed from Seorin’s body, she thrust her right hand forward.

One of the shooting stars falling from the sky suddenly changed direction and flew toward where Seorin and Hakam were standing. It happened in a split second. No one could respond. They only recognized that light was approaching.

Flash-!

The first thing she perceived was a bright light. Following it, a powerful shockwave and enormous sound shook her entire body. But Seorin did not abandon her attack. Even though the light had disrupted her aim, she thrust her hand, releasing the storm gathered on it.

Boom-!

The storm that spread out along the ground was swallowed by the light. The next moment, Seorin was rolling on the dirt floor.

“Ugh…”

A massive light had fallen from the sky. But she didn’t feel as much pain as expected. Was she lucky? Seorin slowly got up, holding her head. As the mild pain gradually subsided, her vision returned to normal.

The next thing Seorin recognized was a girl wrapped in starlight.

With the floating girl, Handel, as the center, everything around was slowly rotating, carried by starlight. It was inexplicable. What on earth had happened to that small girl?

As Seorin was casting a questioning gaze, she detected Hakam’s movement in the next moment. He too had not died. Quickly turning her gaze, she could see Hakam staggering to his feet as if he had just regained consciousness.

Seorin hastily drew her sword. Immediately after, she detected an ominous feeling. It was a feeling difficult to express in words. A strong intuition warned Seorin that while it might not harm her now, it would come as a massive trial in the future.

Thud-

Seorin’s leg stepped forward greatly. Intense mana burst out and swirled around as her foot touched the ground.

Shing-

The Moonlight Sword, drawn in an instant, absorbed the moonlight shining from the sky and the starlight swirling from all directions, emitting a bright light.

Seorin’s gaze quickly moved between Handel and Hakam. The mana surging from her heart extended like a storm and was channeled to the tip of her sword.

The next moment, the Moonlight Sword shot rapidly from Seorin’s hand.

It was aimed at Hakam.

Thunk-!

The Moonlight Sword, advancing like a beam of light, pierced Hakam’s chest, lifting his body into the air. Immediately after, light burst from Handel’s body, covering the entire world.

Flash-!

As time passed, the light subsided. In the gradually returning surroundings, only Handel’s figure could not be found.