Confusion 5

At the site of the explosion.

Where acrid smoke was rising, there was one man.

He was an insignificant man.

There was no interest in his appearance or name.

Michaela immediately drew her sword.

Cold energy surged, rushing through the blade.

She swung her sword without hesitation.

A freezing slash was fired, freezing the entire area.

As if the climate had changed.

Only the summer there turned into deep winter.

“…Phew.”

But a voice was heard.

It was the voice of a man breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Isn’t it a bit too much to start swinging a sword without warning…?”

“Shut up.”

Without listening to the end, she launches herself.

A fierce slash heads towards the man.

“This isn’t easy. Is level 100 really that different?”

“…”

He avoided it.

All of it again.

As if he knew in advance where the sword energy and slashes would fly.

“Then.”

Cold energy ripples like a storm.

It declares that those just now were mere child’s play.

Like a disaster.

As winter approaches.

People facing nature as an enemy are bound to tremble.

“The development that that wasn’t your full power just now is a bit tough…?”

Lee Si-woo swallowed dry.

S-class Awakener.

Although he volunteered to act as bait for stalling time, confident in knowing their strength to some extent having fought once before, this was beyond imagination.

“Tsk. No choice.”

He said, somewhat miserably.

In an extremely vile voice.

“You know what? This area is where many Japanese people wander.”

“…You bastard.”

“The slashes just now might be fine. But the power you’re about to unleash…. You understand what I’m saying even if I stop here, right?”

“Hostages, is it?”

Michaela’s expression distorts like an evil demon.

Her personal feelings as a former member of the hero party who saved the weak.

Her feelings for her lovely one who would cry if innocent people died.

All gathered in one place.

Exploding violently.

Lee Si-woo involuntarily trembled.

“I hope you don’t think too badly of me. I have my reasons…. Though saying this probably doesn’t make much difference in me being a criminal.”

It was understandable.

He had taken innocent foreigners hostage.

Lee Si-woo was a diversion.

To disperse their forces and deal with the weaker of the two Falling Star Swordsmen first.

“I’m sorry about this.”

They don’t have malice towards them.

It’s just that building a connection with Kim Il-soo this way was better for dealing with Lee Yeon.

…What would the old man say if he saw this from the afterlife?

If heaven and hell exist in this world, Lee Si-woo wouldn’t be able to go to his side even after death.

Michaela readjusted her grip on the sword.

Her anxious mind scattered her thoughts.

Moreover, the man’s movements.

They were such that even Michaela missed reacting to them.

It seemed it would be a fight that couldn’t help but take some time.

This was their second confrontation.

In the original story, it would have been the first.

Glaring at Kim Il-soo.

Han Seoyeon recalled the original story.

The mid-boss with strength second only to Lee Yeon.

Of course, there’s no way to win right at the first encounter.

The catharsis from defeating Nam Gung-hyeong was only momentary.

The protagonist is frustrated by the huge obstacle that is Kim Il-soo.

How did that scene unfold again?

Kim Il-soo pitied the protagonist.

The protagonist with a sage-like personality despite being powerless.

Just like when he first met Han Seoyeon.

Originally, the point where the protagonist is revealed to be the Falling Star Swordsman was later than now.

Kim Il-soo sympathized with the protagonist and invited him as a comrade.

“If possible, I wanted to meet you as a comrade.”

Of course, the answer was rejection.

But Kim Il-soo turned a blind eye once.

“I will kill you.”

She can no longer rely on the villain’s arbitrary mercy.

She had no intention of relying on it in the first place.

“It’s a pity, truly. Truly…”

“No.”

Han Seoyeon declared.

“I won’t die. Neither will I, nor the senior.”

The original story has been overturned.

Yet no one has to die.

“We’ll all return alive.”

Good triumphs over evil.

The battle between good and evil is always predetermined.

“You will lose. Here, today.”

Han Seoyeon might not be a pure good person.

Nevertheless.

“I will defeat you. With this sword.”

Even if not a munchkin.

Because she had things to protect.

─Lightning Flash.

Without warning.

Han Seoyeon’s drawn sword shot out like lightning.

“Huh…!”

Kim Il-soo barely avoided it by a hair’s breadth.

The power imbued in the blade was quite different from before.

“A traitor serving dictatorship dares to utter such nonsense!”

Enraged, he threw a punch.

Wind pressure rushed at a speed comparable to the speed of sound.

Han Seoyeon nonchalantly twisted her body to avoid it.

It was different from before.

Previously, she was exhausted and her level was low.

Moreover, if she avoided the opponent’s attack, she couldn’t guarantee the safety of those she had to protect.

It wasn’t so now.

The distance was wide, and Kim Il-soo no longer had the ‘General’s Bracelet’.

“A young one whose blood hasn’t even dried, what do you know to say such things!”

“I know everything. Including that murder is not the right thing to do.”

Han Seoyeon could face Kim Il-soo with all her might.

“What you’re trying to do is nothing more than an ordinary criminal act.”

“It’s nothing more than killing a traitor!”

“You’re wrong. That’s not the right answer.”

─Omnidirectional Swordsmanship.

Fist meets sword.

As they meet, their values clash.

“No one gave you the right to say such things.”

“I have the right. The right to save 80 million compatriots!”

“No.”

Han Seoyeon was angry.

Yet she maintained the posture of Clear Mind and Still Water.

“You have no right at all.”

“Then, are you saying that con artist Lee Yeon has the right!”

“Don’t derail the point. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

A low voice.

Cold anger rises.

“The senior is an ordinary person. One you can find anywhere. A perfectly ordinary student.”

Lee Ha-yul’s temperament is not good.

Her nature of discriminating people based on their abilities is not right.

“Young. Still not an adult. Hasn’t done anything wrong. Hasn’t killed anyone, hasn’t bullied anyone. Hasn’t committed any unforgivable crime against anyone.”

But that was all.

She hasn’t done anything bad at all.

“Nonsense! Weren’t you a victim of that vixen too!”

“Then I’ll forgive her.”

If she made minor mistakes.

I’ll forgive that much.

“I will forgive. There’s still a bright future ahead. It’s too early to end it all over just one deviation.”

To end a life over a few harsh words.

What a ridiculous law that would be.

“You might not know, but her personality has improved quite a bit recently. That’s what it’s like for a child in their growth period. Even if they step onto the wrong path, they can turn back. They can move towards the right path.”

The blade gradually turned black.

Like the color of ashes.

“You don’t have the right to judge such an innocent person.”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Crack.

More power is added to Kim Il-soo’s fist.

“My comrades and I have that right! The right to judge criminals and regain our honor! Don’t pretend to know anything, you ignorant youngster!”

Antagonism.

No, the one being pushed back by a small margin was Han Seoyeon.

The gap kept widening.

Even if she had leveled up, in a pure head-on battle, Kim Il-soo was still several steps ahead.

“It’s meaningless to continue talking!”

The odds of winning in close combat were infinitely low.

But Han Seoyeon didn’t have any techniques to attack the enemy from a distance right away either.

So, what Han Seoyeon chose was not pure swordsmanship.

But a kind of crude trick.

Crack.

Flesh tore and skin was gouged.

Closing the distance.

Han Seoyeon deliberately took Kim Il-soo’s punch.

“…Huh.”

There was no way for Kim Il-soo to avoid her sword at this distance.

“Still young indeed. Your short-sightedness is clear.”

Then blood splattered.

It was Han Seoyeon’s blood.

“Ah…!”

“One who gazes into the abyss must not forget that the abyss also gazes back.”

Saying that Han Seoyeon found Kim Il-soo’s weak point also means the opposite is true.

“That sword of yours is certainly formidable, but.”

Kim Il-soo’s hand avoided the sword and struck Han Seoyeon’s hand holding it.

“In the end, you yourself are completely defenseless.”

“…Ugh!”

A sword with the highest attack power, but leaves the user completely defenseless by draining all their mana.

Kim Il-soo exploited that weak point.

The impact rushes in like a flood, pouring down like a waterfall.

Han Seoyeon’s left hand still didn’t let go of the sword.

But her right hand was too mangled from the recent attack to hold the sword anymore.

No strength entered it.

She stretched out that right hand aimlessly.

As if trying to grab onto something.

“What an ugly struggle. I’ll give you credit for that spirit of not holding back any means to face a stronger opponent.”

Kim Il-soo sneered and lightly knocked away the right hand he saw.

Han Seoyeon swung her sword to create distance.

The blazing blade faced the ground.

Cement dust swirled, obscuring vision.

“A trick of the eye, is it.”

Kim Il-soo’s gaze turned to the back right.

He was about to throw a punch there─.

“It’s the left.”

“…!”

Pretending to throw a punch.

Then he threw a punch at the figure on the left.

“Cough! Hack, hack…!”

“A technique using mana application? Impressive. But you’re still not skilled at erasing killing intent.”

He throws a punch.

As if waiting for just that moment, Han Seoyeon regained her senses and avoided it.

Then.

─Flowers Don’t Bloom Ten Days.

Ten magnificent flames assault Kim Il-soo’s body.

“Unfortunately.”

As if he had been waiting for just that.

Kim Il-soo sees through it.

Another fist strike.

Han Seoyeon readjusts her grip on the sword hilt in response and swings her sword again.

─When things reach an extreme, they reverse.

The sword traces an arc like the rising moon.

Vainly cutting through the air.

“Unfortunately, I’ve long since seen through everything.”

“Ah…”

Thud.

This time, Kim Il-soo’s fist truly sent Han Seoyeon’s body flying.

“It’s over.”

An absolute difference in skill.

There was a gap in combat power that couldn’t be bridged in just a few months.

Han Seoyeon’s body was in tatters.

Blood dripped steadily, and there were few places uninjured.

Just standing was everything.

Her right hand was barely recognizable.

Her left hand holding the sword was precarious, looking like it might break like a dry twig at any moment.

“That’s enough!”

Lee Ha-yul shouted.

“Stay back! The rest, I’ll…!”

“…I told you, it’s not okay.”

Han Seoyeon didn’t back down.

Her red eyes were solely focused on Kim Il-soo.

“I will protect you. Without fail.”

Eyes that have resolved their determination.

Eyes that have decided to burn even life itself.

“Don’t be stubborn. You’ve lost.”

Every time he saw those eyes, Kim Il-soo felt deeply regretful that the girl had taken the wrong path.

“I knew all the techniques you would use.”

Sword Discussion Book.

With that item sponsored by the Constellation, Kim Il-soo had long known Han Seoyeon’s techniques.

“And I also know that you have no more trump cards left.”

Ordinary techniques.

Tricks.

Ultimate techniques.

All of them were exhausted.

Kim Il-soo had perfectly dismantled them all.

“I’ll finish this with my own hands.”

“…I see.”

Kim Il-soo steeled his resolve.

“Farewell, student Han Seo─”

“So you used the Sword Discussion Book.”

“…What?”

But what came back was neither a scream nor a calm final moment.

“I was waiting. Just for you to say those words. Because you tend to talk a lot.”

A smile confident of victory.

[‘Secret Technique’ – Do you want to use it?]

[Y/N]

Han Seoyeon reached out her finger to the air, to the status window.

[Y←/N]