Nine.
Hwoook—!
A fist scraped past the side of my face.
I shifted my gaze and carefully examined my opponent’s body.
Though her expression briefly looked exhausted, there was no issue in executing her movements.
That means.
“Excluding the mental aspect, her physical fatigue recovers quickly too.”
I watched each and every spectacle with interest, savoring them.
Even then, the attacks continued.
A knee came in targeting my abdomen. As I twisted my body to evade, cone-shaped ice poured down at that spot.
Seeing that, I immediately ignited flames.
“Guyeomtaeryunhwa.”
Hwaruruk—!
The flames erupting from my body became fragments and burst toward the ice.
Papapapang—!!
Shiiiiik—!!!
As fire and ice met and exploded, steam burst forth.
The thick steam briefly obscured my vision, but.
Since both of us were martial artists of the Flame Realm, this was not a problem.
Shiiik—!
A sharp offensive continued, piercing through the steam.
I avoided the attacks by moving my head and rolled my eyes.
“Oh.”
I looked at the arm that had aimed for my head just before.
I had clearly just torn it off, yet I could confirm that her—Yuseon’s—arm was regenerating.
“Can a torn-off arm regenerate too?”
Realizing this, I sneakily glanced behind me.
It was the direction where I had thrown the torn-off arm.
Surprisingly, Yuseon’s arm had fallen there intact, but.
Tadak—tak…!
I could see it gradually burning away and disappearing.
“If the body regenerates, what fell off gets annihilated?”
It was a fascinating phenomenon.
What I could tell even from watching so far was.
That it far surpassed the regenerative power one would simply have for being a dragon.
“That is definitely within the realm of Authority.”
It was a level that made no sense unless described as Authority.
I turned my gaze back and looked at Yuseon again.
She was glaring at me with viciously wide eyes while briefly keeping her distance.
The sound of her grinding her teeth reached even here.
“What… are you doing right now?”
“Hm? What?”
“Are you toying with me?”
Yuseon’s voice was filled with anger.
“Why aren’t you counterattacking?”
Right after tearing off her arm.
The offensive had continued for quite some time.
Yuseon had rushed at me in a one-armed state as if unwilling to lose, and.
I could have blocked if I wanted to, but I didn’t bother to stop her resistance.
The reason was simple.
“I’m not going easy on you. I’m experimenting.”
“…What?”
“I haven’t seen everything yet.”
Yeah, I hadn’t seen it all yet.
“What else you have.”
I still hadn’t seen everything.
So.
“Try more. I’m fine, after all.”
“…!”
Eudeudeuk.
The tooth Yuseon had been biting down on ground roughly.
And.
Hwooouk—!
“!”
Cold air surged in from the giant hole piercing the palace.
The cold air brushed past my back.
Where was this going? There was no need to even wonder.
“Looks like she’s going to do something.”
The cold was all heading toward Yuseon.
Rough, cold energy swirled around Yuseon and filled her body.
“Hm.”
A strange feeling.
I wondered if that was also Authority, but I could immediately tell it wasn’t.
Jjeojeojeok—!
The cold gradually gathered and began to take form on Yuseon’s body.
Ice covered Yuseon’s body.
It was as if.
“Armor?”
A means of protecting the body. It was similar in form to armor.
Was that also part of the Ice Arts?
Its appearance was unusual, but it wasn’t strange.
“It’s not much different on this side.”
I enter combat shrouded in the flames of the Guyeomhwaryun Gong.
Fire arts practitioners sometimes use energy like that too, so it wasn’t strange, but.
“It doesn’t seem to be for that purpose.”
Over here, it’s strictly used for offense, but.
For it to take that form. No matter how I looked at it….
Seuk—!
“…!”
I hurriedly twisted my body at the presence.
Swish—! Wind brushed past the spot where my body had been.
Kung—!!
I turned my head at the sound from behind; the pillar behind me was collapsing.
Split cleanly in half.
“Oh.”
I looked at Yuseon in admiration.
It wasn’t just the armor; a sword was now in her hand.
It wasn’t just an ordinary sword.
A sword made entirely of ice.
It felt completely different from a normal steel sword.
I spoke to Yuseon upon seeing that.
“Were you a swordsman?”
We had been fighting with just fists. Since her movements themselves were neat and practiced, I had naturally thought Yuseon was a martial artist type, but.
“The sword wind from just now….”
Was surprisingly sharp and precise.
To the extent that she couldn’t have used it without training in the sword.
“…”
Cheok.
Yuseon pointed the tip of her sword at me and opened her mouth.
“…Did you think I would lose to you just because I can’t use Authority? Not a chance. The result won’t change.”
“Really? That’s a bit fascinating—.”
I couldn’t finish my sentence. Because Yuseon had rushed at me.
“She really has a temper.”
The thing is.
Shiiik—!
“…Oho?”
It was a completely different feeling from her movements earlier.
Much faster.
Much stronger.
Shik—! Seogeok—!
Every time she lightly swung the sword, somewhere in the palace was sliced away.
Ice flowers could be seen sprouting from the cut spots.
“Does it cut and freeze?”
A surefire countermeasure.
I thought it wasn’t bad.
“Her speed seems about twice as fast. Her attacks…”
Kkigigigik—!
I nodded as I saw another pillar being sliced away.
“Those are doubled too.”
I continued observing Yuseon while evading the flying attacks.
It was interesting.
What the girl could do.
How far she could go.
Learning about them one by one.
“Both speed and attack have doubled in strength.”
A fascinating martial art.
I had thought Yuseon’s attacks just now were definitely her going all out.
Was she acting? No, I didn’t think so.
There was something odd about calling it hidden power.
Sarak—!
As I moved about dodging, some hair was cut off.
Seeing that, I was certain.
“That girl can’t use a sword.”
Yuseon was indeed a martial artist type.
Her sword usage was incredibly awkward.
Yet.
Saaak—!
“Yet the sword energy is precise, right?”
The force expressed at the tip of the sword was particularly intense.
Which meant.
“She doesn’t know how to use a sword well. Yet her attacks are strong.”
Conversely, since she was a martial artist, it would be better to fight without the sword.
For her to insist on using the sword like that.
“There must be a reason she has to use it that way.”
Another reason she couldn’t fight without holding the sword.
The more I watched, the more regretful I felt.
Not for another reason, but.
“That isn’t Authority.”
It wasn’t Authority, and precisely because I couldn’t eat it, I felt regret.
“Stop dodging like a rat…!!”
As her attacks continued to fail, Yuseon scrunched up her face fiercely and.
Kiaaaaaah—!
Suddenly screamed at me.
What kind of crap was that now? I looked at her with somewhat strange eyes.
Wince.
“Huh?”
My body stiffened for a moment at the sound the girl made.
Amazing, is this possible too?
In that brief hesitation, that short moment, Yuseon’s sword had already reached my throat.
At this rate, I’d get stabbed?
Then what should I do.
The method was simple.
I looked at the approaching Yuseon and spoke.
[Stop.]
“…!!”
Just as my opponent had done to me.
I could stop my opponent too.
Utteuk—!
At the dragon word, Yuseon’s body stiffened.
It lasted at most one second. The duration was short, but.
Ung—!
That was enough for me.
Unlike when using Simkwon, this time I took a large stance.
Kung—! As I stirred up energy, my heart rampaged violently.
Gigigigigik—! A sensation as if my insides were being torn passed through me.
It was because I was invoking Tuapacheonmu.
I twisted my waist strongly.
Kwagak—!
I stepped forward fiercely with my front foot to brace the recoil.
Afterward.
Hwiririk—!
I moved my Gwijeong and wrapped several layers around my left fist, making it a bit thicker.
Similar to the form of a gauntlet.
It would never tear or break.
The characteristic of Gwijeong would shine in such places.
“Tuapacheonmu.”
Ilshik.
Tuamugwon.
I drove the fist wrapped in energy, with perfect form, into Yuseon’s upper body.
Kung—!
The fist shattered Yuseon’s ice armor and dug into her solar plexus.
Wadeudeudeuk—!!
“Keoheok…!”
It connected properly.
My senses told me so.
Kwaaaa—!
The wind rushed in, and Yuseon’s body soared up as she burst her energy.
Kweng—! Kweng—! Kweng—!
She flew away, smashing through the few remaining pillars in succession.
I dusted off my hands as I watched.
Then I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times while thinking.
“The recoil has decreased.”
Specifically, the recoil when using Tuapacheonmu had clearly decreased.
Originally, after using it a few times, the pain would multiply making it impossible to use in succession.
Based on having just used it, it seemed there would be no issue using it continuously now.
“Even so, using it continuously is still impossible.”
The recoil decreased; it’s not gone.
Because this crazy martial art was still painful.
Looking at this, it was a martial art that only suited humans who weren’t in their right mind, like the Paejon.
However, it meant I could mix Tuapacheonmu into combat now.
Meaning I had at least passed the stage where I would hesitate thinking about the recoil.
“Hey, you okay?”
I spoke as I stepped forward.
Yuseon could be seen buried in the debris.
“Keol-leok….”
She looked in worse shape than before.
Probably because she took a direct fist strike.
I knelt down to meet the eyes of Yuseon, who was sitting and bleeding.
“Hmmm.”
I raised my hand and gripped Yuseon’s chin, lifting it.
“How is it?”
“…Keok…heog….”
She spat out words while her gaze moved to her chest area.
Precisely, the solar plexus area.
The part I had struck.
“Your organs are all gone. Seems like they burst?”
I pressed firmly on her rib area with my other hand.
“Kgeueuuu…!!”
At this, Yuseon let out a scream of pain.
“Your bones are gone too. Badly.”
As if proving that the attack had properly penetrated not only her armor but also her protective aura.
Yuseon’s body was a mess. If left like this, even as a figure of the Flame Realm, she would reach death within ten seconds at most.
I smiled as I thought of that.
“How is it?”
“…Heok…heog….”
“Can you regenerate from this too?”
“…!”
“I hope you can. That way…”
I spoke while looking into Yuseon’s eyes.
“Just like you said. Wouldn’t it be ‘fun’?”
“…Keol-leok….”
Emotion formed in Yuseon’s eyes as she vomited blood.
Fear? Or perhaps discomfort? It was something along those lines.
Whatever it was, it didn’t matter.
Whatever she thought of, it had nothing to do with me.
“Is that a secret art of the Ice Palace? It’s fascinating. It doesn’t seem to be simply covering yourself in ice. Does it do something to your body physically?”
“…”
“It wasn’t bad in terms of speed and power either.”
Though her actions seemed clumsy.
It seemed she simply couldn’t control her elevated body.
“What’s the principle behind it? Is it related to your regeneration?”
As I continued asking with a look of interest, Yuseon, who had been glaring at me while bleeding.
“…Y-you monster-like human.”
Suddenly spat harsh words at me.
Hearing that, I let out a small laugh.
“Wrong.”
Kwak.
“Keuk!”
I grabbed her neck.
“We’re not human. We.”
“…Kgeueuu….”
It was troubling to be called human at this point.
How far had I gone to throw that away—.
I thought back and suddenly tilted my head.
“What did I do?”
It was a part I couldn’t remember.
Thinking about it, I didn’t seem to have done much.
“Rather, I did all sorts of things trying not to lose it.”
Now, that wasn’t a very important point either.
“Nothing more? Something you can show me.”
“Heuu…keuk….”
Try more.
I’ll watch all you want. Try whatever you can.
That way.
“Because it’ll taste much better when I eat it.”
I continued smiling with that in mind.
“I learned a thing or two from you.”
This was sincere.
The fight just now was one such thing.
Knowing I could use Authority was one thing, but being able to actually see it was quite helpful.
Also.
“I realized I shouldn’t fight like a martial artist.”
I could feel that I had my own way of fighting.
“Huu…hu….”
“Anyway. Nothing more?”
As I spoke, I focused my gaze on Yuseon’s abdomen.
Seuuu….
I could see it. Yuseon’s body regenerating in real time.
“So even organs regenerate.”
Arms regenerate when torn off. Organs regenerate when burst.
Truly, where is the limit of that regeneration?
It seemed slower than with the arm, so it appeared to differ depending on the wound.
Is that all?
“That means an arm is something you can give away without issue.”
I covet it.
It was different from the Paejon’s teachings, but.
I still thought that suited my fighting style the best.
Though there was also the unknown realm Yuseon had unfolded.
It wasn’t that; I simply coveted her regenerative power too much.
“Seems like you have nothing more to show?”
“Heuu….”
Yuseon answered with a pained groan instead.
The regeneration process didn’t seem very peaceful.
Watching this, my smile faded, and a sense of regret naturally passed over me.
“Is this the end?”
She had shown something that looked amazing.
But it felt like less than I expected.
“If not, that’s fine.”
As my interest cooled in an instant.
Coldness seeped into my voice as well.
“Now tell me where that guy is.”
“…Do I… look like I… would tell…?”
Heuheu.
This time, Yuseon let out a laugh.
It wasn’t scorn. It was closer to a laugh filled with incredulity.
“Devouring… Authority… such an irrational thing… where in the world does it exist…?”
I nodded deeply at Yuseon’s words.
She was right.
Authority seemed important at a glance, yet it was a power that neutralized it. From Yuseon’s perspective, it must have been absurd.
But.
“That’s just how life is.”
Life is the pinnacle of irrationality.
“I didn’t particularly want this either.”
Did anyone think I obtained this kind of Authority because I wanted it?
I simply woke up and found myself with this.
“A power for dragons.”
My greed was such a power.
Ridiculous.
How many dragons are there for my Authority to have such an effect?
As if.
“It’s like it was thrown at me to fight dragons.”
My opponent is not human.
It seemed to say so.
In reality, it wasn’t much different.
Thus, as I was clicking my tongue inwardly at a situation I didn’t much like.
“…In the end… does the light not come for me?”
Yuseon spoke.
“I’ve lived having many things taken from me.”
Her cracking voice felt somewhat miserable.
“Born a woman against my will, positions I couldn’t hold. Even the affection I barely longed for. I…!”
Yuseon cried out desperately.
Her life had been like that.
Being pushed down the succession order lower than other bloodlines without talent, simply for being a woman.
And losing the one she so longed for—.
“Sorry, but.”
Kkwak.
I cut off her words and gripped Yuseon’s neck.
“Keok!”
“Not interested. What reasons made you like this. I’m not interested at all.”
I sealed Yuseon’s mouth.
“Why try to spew useless words. We’re not close like that.”
Anyone watching would think we’re close.
Why try to talk about your family affairs on your own?
I considered listening for a moment, but it was something I wasn’t interested in at all.
“So what? Should I say ‘oh, is that so? What a pitiful life. So you couldn’t help becoming like this’? Should I say stuff like that? What a load of crap.”
There’s no need for reasons behind committed acts.
What would change even if I knew?
“If you did it, it’s simply something you did. You stupid bitch.”
Where are you sneakily trying to make excuses.
“I’m not interested in your reasons and circumstances. Neither is the world.”
There are no villains without reason.
Words spat by some good person somewhere.
But these were also the words I hated most.
“Don’t think about a moral victory. Get ready to answer what you’re asked. Don’t be annoying.”
“Keuk…keueuk…heuheu….”
Yuseon laughed at my words.
Each time she laughed, blood flowed from her mouth, soaking my hand.
“Do I… look like I… would tell?”
She seemed to say she wouldn’t be toyed with by my words.
Though Yuseon seemed to say that.
“Ah, it’s fine.”
I answered her flatly.
“I will ask, but you’re not the one who will answer.”
“What…?”
As Yuseon expressed doubt upon hearing my words.
“What do you mean…?”
Kwamang—!
“…Keureuk…!!”
I simply raised my fist and struck Yuseon’s heart.
Tududuk.
Yuseon spewed black blood, her eyes rolling back.
I didn’t burst it. I adjusted it on purpose.
The exact amount to endure one more hit.
I immediately spoke to Yuseon.
“I’m going to hit you one more time. I’ll really burst it, so think carefully.”
Yuseon had already lost consciousness from the previous blow.
Even so, I addressed her.
No, to be exact.
It was to the bastard inside her.
“…”
Tuk.
The unconscious Yuseon dropped her head.
It seemed he intended to let this slide.
“Not answering?”
Then just die.
Ung.
The moment I was about to strike the heart once more.
[…Oh dear.]
I flinched.
[How truly rough.]
I stopped my swinging fist at the voice coming from Yuseon.
Seureuk.
Yuseon, who had been drooping, raised her head and looked at me.
Though her eyes still showed only whites, I could tell.
She was definitely looking at me.
[Ninth Pure-Blood.]
I raised the corner of my mouth at the bastard’s words.
It was the correct answer.
Just as I had expected.
The bastard. That is.
[How did you know?]
The will of ‘Bingjeong’ was welcoming me.