episode_0133

Chapter 133 – Night Patrol

CRASH! As I met the surging fist, a jarring impact on my shoulder and tremendous recoil sent my body flying backward. Even without using magic, such power. Bruno’s physical body alone was powerful enough to knock out an average knight.

“Hmm… your strength is quite impressive.” “Thank you for the compliment.” “Your durability seems considerable, so there’s no need to hold back.” “What?” “Take this too!”

Bruno began to move in earnest. As if the previous attack wasn’t his full power, he poured out a frantic offensive with even greater speed and power. It was an all-out assault with no defense, as if he didn’t fear a counterattack.

BOOM! CRASH! RUMBLE! Can a human body truly become this strong? Perhaps I was witnessing one aspect of the culmination a human could reach. Each time his fist force collided with flesh, it was the fist force itself that was worn away. Pure physicality overcame even the power of magic.

And that wasn’t all. “Hahahahat! Good. Very good! This is getting more and more interesting! Let’s see how hard you’ve trained your fist techniques!” As if to prove that delicate techniques were mixed within his brute fighting style, Bruno demonstrated high-level fist techniques. His fists were simple and straightforward, yet fast, powerful, and without a single opening – truly textbook. Against that, I was barely able to keep up. Perhaps pleased by this, Bruno gradually increased his tempo, and my defenses began to crumble.

CRASH! “Ugh!?” A straight punch struck my forearm, delivering a stinging shock deep into my bones. Before I could shake off that pain, the impacts continued along the same trajectory, once, twice, thrice, causing my arm to spasm. At that moment, my defense completely stiffened.

“Your side is open!” Bruno’s straight punch struck my side. THUD! With an impact that felt like my insides were about to burst, my waist twisted, and I was sent flying into the air. In agony that blurred my vision, I bit my lip hard to regain my composure and rotated my body to lessen the impact, landing on the ground.

“Cough! Ugh!” Blood poured from my mouth as if my internal organs were damaged. Quickly suppressing my internal injuries, as I struggled to get up, Bruno leisurely walked over, spinning his wrist.

“Hahahahat! For someone who talked big, that was nothing special, was it? Looks like you won’t be able to keep your promise with your lover!” “She’s not my lover, she’s my sister.” “Is that so? Well, whatever. So, do you have anything more to show me?”

Even if there was an overwhelming difference in our levels, it seemed disappointing that I couldn’t even handle him without him using magic. At his clear disappointment, I grinned and placed a hand over my chest.

“What you’re about to see, you must keep it a secret.” “Ohh… So there’s definitely something more, isn’t there? Don’t worry. I won’t breathe a word of it.” “You promised.” I opened my Taegeuk.

Thump! With a thump, the Taegeuk spun, and two streams of flames unleashed from within, forming a tempest. The tempest of flames, surging as if to sweep away everything, overran my Mana Road and connected to my Dantian, evolving my physical body. WHOOSH! Flames surged upward.

Two kinds of flames, coiling around my entire body, gathered on my right and left shoulder blades respectively, forming massive wings. Sharp, rugged dragon wings and divine, beautiful phoenix wings blazed fiercely. My body slowly lifted into the air. When all the transformations were finally complete, Bruno let out a wild laugh filled with ecstasy.

“Hahahahahahahahat! This is excellent! Though it hasn’t fully awakened yet, with a little more time, it has the potential to fight me on equal footing.” “It is an honor.” “Therefore, out of courtesy, I shall also use my magic. Fighting you with only my body would be disrespectful!”

Bruno coalesced his magic into an axe. I had only wanted him to fight with just his body, but Bruno overestimated me too much. Unlike him, who enjoyed fair and equal fights, I was the type who preferred the easy and quick way to win.

‘Can’t be helped.’ If I asked him to fight with just his body now, he’d probably get angrier, so I’d better give up.

“Then I’m coming.” “Come!” The moment Bruno’s permission dropped, I flapped my wings vigorously and descended upon him.

BOOM! The fiery meteor and the supreme axe clashed. The instant they collided, all the bones in one of my arms shattered, but they quickly regenerated back to normal thanks to my transcendent regenerative power. I immediately swung my other fist.

SMACK! It was blocked by Bruno’s forearm. His forearm was enveloped in thick body-protecting aura, resisting even the flames of the phoenix and dragon. Instead, he took a step forward and seized my arm.

CRASH! In the blink of an eye, Bruno lifted me and slammed me onto the ground. Fine cracks spread across my spine. Fortunately, my main spinal column was largely unharmed. Swallowing the pain, I immediately used the rebound to swing my leg upward.

SWISH! My foot struck empty air. Just as I lost my balance and swayed, the world rapidly vanished behind my vision once more, and the hard ground welcomed my back.

“Gah!” This time, my spine was shattered too. Now I understood why people who sparred with Bruno couldn’t walk out on their own. It was fortunate that I could regenerate with my Incarnation Transformation, but for others, they would have been incapacitated the very first time they were thrown.

The moment my spine regenerated and feeling returned to my lower body, I kicked off the ground and struck Bruno’s abdomen. Blazing Heaven Art! Two streams of flames, spiraling, penetrated deep inside and exploded. RUMBLE! A wave of blazing heat swept through his Mana Road.

Even though Bruno was a transcendent being who had reached level 400, he couldn’t be completely unharmed by this impact. Taking advantage of the loosened grip on my arm, I quickly slipped away. CRACK! In that instant, Bruno exerted force and broke my wrist.

‘What a monster.’ As I was muttering curses internally, Bruno suddenly burped. “Burp!” Smoke wafted from his mouth. I knew it was the remnants of the flames I had infiltrated into him. Bruno rubbed his belly and spoke.

“That last one was quite interesting. I can have higher expectations now, right?” “There’s still more I haven’t shown you.” “Hehehe! Excellent. Then let’s keep going!” Bruno and I clashed once again.

CRASH! Fists clashed, and broke. Even with Incarnation Transformation, only my magical output and regeneration had increased; my durability and physical strength remained the same. I responded by thoroughly separating my physical pain from my mind. As if observing from a third-person perspective, I shed the pain and fended off the continuous attacks. This seemed to please Bruno, as he grew even more excited and rampaged.

“Hahahaha! Do more. More! Show me your limits!” HUMMM! With the sound of mana resonance, the density of the formidable energy condensed in his axe deepened. Naturally, the balance of the fight instantly tipped. My fists, which had been mitigating damage by merely fracturing, now had their wrists broken with a single strike, dangling loosely.

Then the phoenix flames gathered on my wrist, rapidly restoring it. Regeneration was good, but by overusing my divine power like this, the backlash that would come later would be much greater.

‘Isis is probably worried.’ I didn’t know if she’d let it slide since I wouldn’t have any injuries as promised, or if she’d scold me relentlessly. …No, actually, I knew. Isis would probably complain to both me and Bruno. My sister, who cherished me terribly, didn’t care even if he was the commander of the Western Front. Lost in thought, the exchange of blows continued.

The spar ended 10 minutes later, when the duration of my Incarnation Transformation ran out. At that moment, I immediately lost consciousness.

***

When I opened my eyes again, what greeted me wasn’t an unfamiliar ceiling, nor, as one might expect, the Saintess’s large chest, but Isis’s face. Her eyes were wet. Upon seeing me, she finally shed a single tear.

“You’re awake! Didn’t I tell you not to do things like sparring?! What is this?! You said you wouldn’t have a single scratch! Liar!” Isis thumped her chest, as if her insides were burning, trying to suppress her anger. Each time her fist struck, her ample chest bounced wildly, a delightful sight for the eyes.

I quickly sat up. “Noona. Calm down. I’m really fine.” “And such a child faints? Do you know how surprised I was when I heard you collapsed?” “I’m sorry. I apologize.” “I don’t need your apology! Instead, promise me you’ll never get hurt again. Understand?”

As if she wouldn’t let me go unless I answered, Isis gazed at me stubbornly. Refusal was impossible in front of her.

“Okay. I promise. No, instead of this, I’ll even grant you a wish. So, please calm down. Okay?” “…Really?” “Yes. I won’t overdo it, at least. Is that enough?” Thinking about it again, it seemed impossible not to get hurt at all, so I subtly changed my words.

But what Isis asked wasn’t that. “…Not the promise.” “Huh?” “Is it true you’ll grant me a wish?” “Ah…”

I let out a small sigh at her unexpectedly materialistic behavior, and Isis shyly lowered her gaze. That was quite cute. “Of course. Tell me anything.” “Anything?” “Yes. I’ll grant everything.” “Haaah… Me, everything…”

What on earth was she thinking? Isis suddenly flushed crimson and buried her head. I observed her closely. “Noona?” “…Just let me be for a moment.” Isis expressed her refusal by pushing my face away with her hand. I obediently nodded. “Ah, alright.”

It was five minutes later that Isis regained her composure. That day, I ended up with the obligation to grant a wish.

***

A few days had passed since I arrived at the Western Front. Regina, who had returned to her lodging after finishing her daily duties, tapped her foot impatiently, her heart growing anxious.

“What should I do? There’s not much time left.” Today was the fourth day, and only three days remained until she had to return to the academy. Considering that the last day would be entirely for rest, it was more accurate to consider the remaining period as two days. It would be difficult to seek opportunities once she returned to the academy, and she felt anxious about what to do. Regina, who had been pacing, finally decided to resort to her last resort.

“I can’t help it. I’ll ask my sister.” Leona Solias. Her sister, seven years her senior, held the position of Vice Commander here. She could interfere with the academy students’ schedules to some extent.

Of course, there were problematic aspects if she did this. Leona would be the first to realize who the culprit was when Ruan was killed. But what did it matter? She and Leona were sisters of the same blood. No matter how strict Leona was about public and private matters, she wouldn’t be able to throw her own sister into prison, would she? More importantly, she wouldn’t leave any evidence, so she could just deny it.

“Yes. That’s it.” Regina, with a smile, immediately left her lodging and headed for the Vice Commander’s office. Normally, the Vice Commander’s office couldn’t be entered without a clear reason, but she, as a princess and a sister, was an exception.

Knock knock. “Come in.” After receiving permission, she opened the door and entered, seeing Leona signing documents at her desk. Sunset light poured in from the window behind her, further emphasizing her red hair and golden eyes. It felt like being in front of a lion. And a giant lion, one that could chew her up in a single bite.

“Regina? What is it?” “I have a favor to ask.” “You, asking me for a favor? How interesting. Tell me.” Her sister, who had never asked for anything in her life, had come to ask for a favor in person, making Leona’s eyes sparkle. Regina frowned at the overflowing expectations but still brought up her request.

“You know Ruan Friuli, who’s in our squad, right?” “Hmm? Oh, that student. Why him? Did you two perhaps have a quarrel?” “Quarrel? It’s not just that— …Haa, alright. Let’s say it is. I’d like you to make some time for the two of us to reconcile, if nothing else.”

For Regina, reconciliation with Ruan would be completed with his death. Though Leona had no idea.

“So that’s how it is. My sister is asking me like this, so as her older sister, I should help out, shouldn’t I? Coincidentally, there’s a night patrol at midnight tomorrow, I’ll make sure he’s left alone at a suitable time. Is that enough?” “Yes. Thank you.” “Hahat! It’s nothing. If things go well, tell your sister about it, alright?”

Leona got up like a gust of wind and patted her shoulder. Regina brushed her hand away, turned her back, and replied. “…Even if I don’t specifically tell you, you’ll know if things go well.” “Is that so?” “Yes. Absolutely.”

If things went well, it meant Ruan was dead, so Leona couldn’t possibly not know. What kind of expression would she make then, I wonder. Regina didn’t bother to imagine that face.

‘With this, I’ve created an opportunity.’ Now it’s time to set the trap.