Chapter 307: Reunion (3)
I relayed Bae Hu-ryeong"s words.
"Sorry,"
"...."
"For being late."
The elder"s breathing slowed down.
It might have even stopped for a moment.
"Ha...."
I couldn"t see her expression. The brim of her conical hat was wide. The shadow was deep. Because her bangs covered her eyes, I couldn"t see the elder"s pupils.
All I could hear was her scoffing, grinding her teeth in derision.
"Ha."
Like raw flesh being ground on a millstone.
On top of the elder"s teeth, her life was being finely ground. It left behind only traces of scorn, scattering around.
"Even if you say sorry now,"
[Quest Progress.]
"It"s too late to,"
["The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t" nods.]
"make such a lame excuse."
["The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t" acknowledges your progress.]
"You wouldn"t dare say it"s my fault, right? Even if I have lived over a thousand years, it"s been one hundred fifty years. One hundred and fifty years. That"s unreasonably long for a human. Who would imagine staying on one stage for one hundred fifty years?"
[Quest Progresses.]
"It"s long. Idiot."
["The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t" declares quest completion.]
"It"s just, too long."
[Quest Clear.]
[The quest you temporarily partic.i.p.ated in is now concluded.]
[All followers of "The Incarnation of Love and l.u.s.t" are granted the right to ascend to the next stage.]
"...."
Before I knew it, the elder was gripping my collar with both hands. As a G.o.dslayer, a witch who nailed six constellations, and the master of all spiders, she had five fingers.
"...This child. You"re, the successor of the Sword Emperor."
-Yes.
"It wouldn"t be just anyone who becomes a successor. Your faction prides itself on tradition and legend, saying it"s a one-person succession, not that I"m curious, but you always bragged about it."
-Of course.
"If this child fails, even you won"t be able to climb the 100th floor."
-Unfortunately, that"s more likely.
Over the elder"s shoulder, Bae Hu-ryeong silently crossed his arms.
The two of them stood on my shaky words, talking to each other.
"If you made him your disciple just because he can use a bit of aura, I"ll kill him."
-It"s surprisingly your freedom to kill whomever you want.
"Draw your sword."
Thud.
The elder released my collar.
One step, two steps, she backed away.
Finally, as her bangs fluttered, I could see her expression.
"It"s not G.o.d who decides who has the right to climb to the 51st floor. Tell those so-calledconstellations b.a.s.t.a.r.ds to get lost. Quests? d.a.m.n it. Go eat s.h.i.+t."
The elder was looking straight at me.
Pointing her staff my way.
"I"ll test you. Heir of the Sword Emperor."
"...."
"If you"re so weak that you can"t even climb the ninety-ninth floor, then be despair here. You must have become a G.o.d after pa.s.sing the 40th floor. You acted like a G.o.d to those ignorant races and enjoyed all kinds of luxury. Then, at least kneel before me and show that you"re nothing but a mere human."
"...."
"Confess to your race that you"ve been lying all along. Even if you don"t have the strength to climb the hundred floors, at least you"re in a position to free your race from the oppression of nonsense. I will question your qualifications."
I glanced at Bae Hu-ryeong.
Bae Hu-ryeong showed no reaction.
Is that so.
"I don"t think the Constellations are G.o.ds."
"They"re just beings who can do a little more than others. Calling them dragons wouldn"t change anything. Grey Spider. Whether it"s the hunters who persecuted you in the past, or you who now rule the hunters, it"s all the same to me."
I unfastened my sword sheath from my belt.
"But that"s just what I think."
And then I let it go.
[The G.o.ddess of Protection remains silent.]
Thump.
The holy sword made a sound as it hit the ground.
Early on, after leading Constellation Killer to another world and being torn apart, the G.o.ddess of Protection, s.h.i.+ny, who regained her peak strength through my hands as she was gathered back into one, silently accepted her fall.
"I enjoy fighting according to the opponent"s way of thinking."
I took my stance.
There was no sword.
Like the Grey Spider, I only had five fingers.
"That way, I can shatter them completely."
I clenched my right fist.
"Come at me."
"I will crush you without borrowing any of the Constellation"s powers."
With my left hand, I beckoned, come here.
A cheap taunt.
"...Really."
Seeing this, the elder, who had only let out scoffing laughter as if being torn apart, finally burst into hollow laughter.
She laughed and took off her hat.
"I don"t know about other things, but it"s clear that the Sword Emperor chose you as his successor based on your character."
Thud.
The black conical hat fell to the ground.
"I used magic because it allowed you to kill people faster and more efficiently. Beating them one by one with fists, it would take forever to annihilate the five races and deal with the G.o.dly brats. It was simply a choice of efficiency."
Her staff dropped.
Her thick robe dropped.
Lastly, the black hairpin that was skewered through the elder"s hair crumbled in her hand.
"That doesn"t mean I haven"t learned to use my fists. Kid."
The grey hair flowed down.
"You might not know, but I am a genius among geniuses."
"Hmm. It"s not really related to the current situation, but I suddenly remembered the old saying, "a most unlucky fellow." It"s what I always thought when I saw the Sword Emperor, but for some reason, the same words come to mind now when I look at you, Grey Spider. Why is that? Maybe it"s because you two are a match made in heaven."
"Do you have wisdom teeth?"
"What?"
"Do you have wisdom teeth? In your mouth."
"...Yes?"
"Good."
The elder lowered her waist and took a stance.
"If your molars fall out, use your wisdom teeth to fill them. Baby."
In an instant.
The elder"s figure disappeared.
4.
The shock came before the sound.
Boom...!!
My skull twisted. Then, not from my ears but from inside my head, a loud explosion resounded. The pain came afterward.
I then realized that the Grey Spider"s fist had struck my right cheek.
Right before me, the elder was laughing with her fist clenched.
"Wow—oh—-."
Aura.
Acceleration.
"The Sword Emperor"s girlfriend sure knows how to throw a punch—-."
"Tooth 26. First large molar."
In the accelerated timeline, the Grey Spider muttered.
Pop!
On the opposite side, my left cheek, a sharp pain burst.
"45th. Premolar."
"—–."
"What to do. Already two teeth have been knocked out."
Something whizzed in front of my eyes.
Turns out, it was a blood-stained tooth.
The elder had caught my tooth, which had been ejected from my mouth, and deliberately rolled it in her palm.
"If you get hit two more times, will all your stored wisdom teeth fall out too? Ah. Right, I didn"t ask your age yet. Do you only have milk teeth? As you get older, you"ll get permanent teeth, so take good care of them."
"Great."
I smiled.
"I"m okay with this."
And then, like a snake, I stretched out my arm and twisted the elder"s wrist. Squeeze! I faked a twist, and the elder resisted, not wanting to be dragged along.
But that was exactly what I wanted.
I relaxed the strength in my hand.
Like releasing a rubber band, my body shot forward.
Thump...!!
My forehead struck her face. It was a headb.u.t.t like hammering a nail. A squishy sensation vibrated from my forehead.
"This, f.u.c.king, son of a b.i.t.c.h—-."
The elder"s nosebleed poured out in mid-air.
Regrettably, it couldn"t be helped. Like me, the elder must have strengthened her whole body with aura, but when a hard forehead collided with a hard nose, it was obvious which one would break.
"You shouldn"t bleed like a child from your nose, Elder."
I threw a punch.
"How old are you to be so undignified?"
"I"ll beat the c.r.a.p out of you and make you an old man!"
"Then I shall rejuvenate you, Elder. See? This proves my character is a bit better than yours..."
My teeth flew out.
"Wow, haha! Aha!"
My p.r.o.nunciation was slurred. Indeed, if three teeth are missing, p.r.o.nunciation becomes unstable. But what does it matter? With aura for telepathy, there"s no problem.
"This guy is amazing!"
"Crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
Somewhere, there was a cracking sound. It seemed like a rib. Why I"m not sure, even though it"s my body, is because I shattered the Grey Spider"s s.h.i.+n before I could check where I was broken. Thus, we each recognized our own pain a step too late.
"AAAAAH!!"
"d.a.m.n, ugh. b.a.s.t.a.r.d."
While screaming, I stomped on the elder"s foot. The elder cursed and struck my chin. Below, above. Left and right. A brawl ensued wherever we could hit. "Ugh," "Keuk!" Our screams crossed once more.
["The Eye Living in the Labyrinth" is at a loss for words.]
["The Lone Seeker of Truth" watches the duel.]
["The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains" is dumbfounded.]
Before long, even the Constellations were watching our dogfight. But it was only for a moment. As soon as the messages filled my head, the Grey Spider lifted her right foot and slammed it down on the ground, Boom!
Whatever magic was in that stomp, I don"t know. One thing was certain: the noisy messages disappeared instantly.
"p.i.s.s off!"
The Grey Spider"s face, soaked in nosebleed, contorted like a demon. Her roar echoed over the monopolized city, a city she had ruled for a thousand years.
"This is my fight! It"s not for those star-headed b.a.s.t.a.r.ds to gawk at! If any more of those starry b.a.s.t.a.r.ds babble, I"ll chase them to the ends of h.e.l.l and tear their souls apart! So, shut up!"
What"s this?
"That"s cool!"
"And you, shut up too!"
My jaw was shattered. No joke. It really broke. But still, I didn"t stop laughing. I used aura to reconnect the shattered bones and replace the severed nerves. Even the ribs. And my just-broken left knee.
The opponent was the same.
Even as our bodies were wrecked, the speed of our punches didn"t drop.
"The Sword Emperor hates you!"
-What?
Bae Hu-ryeong, who had been quietly watching, was startled. Regardless. I laughed heartily and threw my punches with all my might.
"He really hates you, so he ran away to the 99th floor!"
-What the h.e.l.l is this guy saying!
"He was fed up with being stalked by you!"
-No! Hey! When did I ever?!
"He said he felt peaceful not seeing you for 150 years!"
The beauty of provocation is that, even if it"s baseless agitation and fabrication, it infuriates the listener.
Normally, one would just ignore it. But in a situation far from normal, say, when exchanging punches, and especially when one"s nose bone is shattered, the instep is crushed, and the s.h.i.+n is split, things change.
"This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, really a f.u.c.ker, huh?"
The elder"s face was on the verge of pa.s.sing out from anger.
"Hey, hey! You"re putting too much power into your punches! You"ll tire out before me! Have you forgotten about conserving energy?"
"What the h.e.l.l is with that stupid way of speaking!"
"Apologize to Venomous Snake! He"s done nothing wrong! Don"t you feel sorry for him? You cold-blooded! Unbelievable!"
"Ah, s.h.i.+t. Ah. Where did this lunatic come from...."
Good.
The opponent"s breathing was disturbed.
At that moment, thud…! I struck the elder"s side hard.
"—–d.a.m.n."
The elder"s face soured.
"I won"t use the power of the Constellations!"
I burst out laughing.
"But I didn"t say I wouldn"t use my tongue!"
"What is this d.a.m.ned street rat,"
"This is human power! Human power! Aren"t I showing you a fight full of humanism just as you wanted? Is there a problem with that!"
"f.u.c.k, really, d.a.m.n, ah,"
"Okay. An opening."
I struck again.
"——!!"
"Grey Spider! You are strong!"
Seizing the moment her breathing faltered, I struck more where I had hit, pounding my fists even harder into those spots. The rhythm had completely s.h.i.+fted to me. Blood rushed to my head and endorphins flowed.
"I"m just a bit stronger! Hahaha!"
"Ugh...."
"Because! In front of the Sword Emperor! You can"t afford to fall apart in front of the Sword Emperor, whom you"ve reunited with after 150 years! You"ll want to show a splendid figure, saying you"re better and superior to him! But I don"t have such concerns! It"s impossible for me!"
Taunt.
I put strength in my back leg and pushed off the ground.
"I"ve already shown all kinds of foolishness in front of the Sword Emperor!"
And then I threw an uppercut.
With all my strength.
With all my might.
"What difference does it make if I add one more embarra.s.sing history here!!"
"——."
Time seemed to stop.
The elder"s movement, which had been just a reflex response to pain, staggered and twisted.
With her jaw struck by my punch, the elder glared at me in that same position.
"What kind of..."
I dare say she wore the most aggrieved expression in the universe.
"This kind of, Sword Emperor-like b.a.s.t.a.r.d...…"
Thud.
Finally staggering, the elder collapsed onto the ground where she had spread the spider webs with her own feet. She had fainted. Even in unconsciousness, the elder did not close her eyes. She glared at me with her eyes wide open.
As if to say, the "beautiful duel" she had imagined was never meant to be like this.
"Phew."
However, standing on the world with two feet is more admirable than glaring at it with two eyes.
I stood tall and let out a laugh, ha-ha, ugh-haha.
"I won!"
And then I roared.
Loud enough to echo throughout the entire city.
"I! I won!"
-....
"The one who annihilated five races! The forsaken master of grey! The G.o.dslayer! The greatest pillar! I, the Death King, have defeated the master of all spiders!"
There was no response.
The Constellations were chased away by the Grey Spider. The regular followers and other spiders, busy fiercely battling around the spire, had no time to pay attention here. People had long evacuated, fearing they might get caught up in our fight.
Only Bae Hu-ryeong was watching this way, with an indescribable expression on his face.
"Look at this! Did you see!"
-....
"It"s my victory! The ties you had, the regrets you held, the one you thought you left behind! I! With these hands! With these two fists, I have won! So, how about that!"
-....
"I"m something to be proud of, right!?"
"Proud enough to go crazy, right!?"
Why is that?
-Yeah....
Bae Hu-ryeong looked incredibly embarra.s.sed.
-Kim Gong-ja, you"re driving me a bit crazy….
Of course.
The final victor is me…