Episode 43
Kwaaang!
A calamity had descended upon the Valley of Death.
The valley, which had steadfastly preserved its form for over a hundred years, was destroyed beyond recognition.
The cause was the deafening roar of explosions echoing through the gorge.
The source of those explosions was Jeon and Deiodeun.
Shuaaah!
Deiodeun’s sword split the air.
The target was Jeon’s neck.
In that instant, Jeon’s body recoiled backward as if someone had yanked a string.
Drawing back with his waist held rigidly straight, Jeon’s gaze remained locked on Crayon.
What Crayon sought was none other than Jeon’s throat.
Allow the slightest gap, and his head would fly.
Even so, Jeon did not lose his composure.
Ssspit!
By a hair’s breadth, Crayon passed Jeon’s neck.
Though it had not cut him directly, his neck split open lengthwise and blood trickled out.
Fortunately, it was merely a surface wound.
A chilling sensation spread across his throat, but Jeon did not panic as he swung his hand.
At that, sand rose from the ground and attacked Deiodeun.
The attacks writhed like living snakes flying toward him.
It was Viper, the advanced form of Sand Blaster.
A skill as deadly as a viper; hence the name.
It was a method of utilization he had mastered through his fierce battles with Deiodeun.
Dozens of vipers flew forth, each targeting Deiodeun’s weak points.
Yet not a single one managed to land a blow.
They were blocked by a faint membrane and dispersed before even touching his body.
It was the Aura Shield, the defensive measure of martial class Awakened.
The vipers shattered against the Aura Shield and scattered, but Jeon was not disappointed.
Rather, he was satisfied simply by having drawn out a defensive measure like Aura Shield from Deiodeun.
That was how overwhelming a being Deiodeun was.
For the past ten days, Jeon had not once managed to inflict a meaningful blow on him.
Even so, he did not despair or break.
Though wounded countless times and wandering between life and death, he rose again to fight Deiodeun.
In that process, he had grown fearsomely.
He had been more tense than when facing any demonic beast, and had desperately sought a way.
To survive against the monster called Deiodeun, he had no choice but to develop in real time.
It was impossible for ordinary people or other Awakened, but it was possible for Jeon.
No—Deiodeun had forced him to make it possible.
He had pushed Jeon to the extreme and drawn out every last drop of his potential.
Peobeobeobeobeong!
The vipers struck Deiodeun incessantly.
He blocked them with his Aura Shield, but each blow was by no means light.
So much so that even the peerless Deiodeun was gradually pushed back.
When Deiodeun was finally pushed to the desired position, Jeon snapped his fingers.
Ttak!
Gaaang!
In that instant, the sand beneath Deiodeun’s feet began to rotate at a terrifying speed.
Sand Mixer had activated.
“Hmph!”
But Deiodeun snorted and lightly escaped from the Sand Mixer.
It was then.
Nearby, soldiers made of sand rose and attacked him.
It was Sand Soldier, one of Jeon’s skills.
And there were as many as six of them.
In the past, he could only control two, but in that short time, the number had tripled.
The six Sand Soldiers each attacked Deiodeun.
While the Sand Soldiers drew his attention, Jeon prepared Exion.
Exion emanated from his pores.
Jeon’s form, engulfed in fine sand, resembled a black mist.
Jeon, clad in Exion, personally attacked Deiodeun.
Kwang!
With an explosive roar, Deiodeun’s body slid backward.
But because he had blocked with Crayon, he was completely unharmed.
Jeon had not expected to wound him anyway.
Kwakwakwang!
The vipers pounded Deiodeun incessantly, and the Sand Soldiers assisted.
Following that came Jeon’s attack using Exion, and even the Sand Mixer.
All of it continued without a moment to breathe.
In an instant, all his mana was depleted.
Jeon recovered his mana using Ellura’s necklace.
And he poured out every skill once more.
Kwakwang!
With the explosion, a sandstone cliff collapsed, and a cloud of red dust soared high into the sky.
“Huff, huff!”
It was as Jeon, having poured everything out in an instant, exhaled ragged breaths.
Shuuu!
Deiodeun revealed himself through the red dust.
Despite Jeon’s all-out bombardment with everything he had, Deiodeun had not sustained a single wound.
“Damn it!”
Jeon urgently tried to evade with Sand Step.
But Deiodeun charged in without giving him the chance.
Kwang!
“Kuek!”
Jeon was struck by Crayon and sent flying far away.
At least, because he had protected his body with Exion, he avoided a fatal wound.
But the shock of his organs shaking left him unable to breathe.
At Jeon in that state, Deiodeun’s J Strike came flying.
Kwaaang!
The impact felt like his entire body was being disassembled, and he couldn’t even scream.
Jeon flew for quite some time before being slammed into a wall.
Deiodeun looked at him with a contemptuous expression.
“How long are you going to stay stuck there? The enemy won’t wait for you to get up on your own, you cripple!”
“Kueuk!”
“Get up. If you can breathe, you can get up.”
“Damn iiiiit!”
With every ounce of his strength, Jeon rose.
Blood flowed down his face and chest.
He had survived, but he had suffered wounds deep enough to require days of treatment.
Deiodeun aimed Crayon and spoke.
“If you’re going to whine over just that much, go back to Neo Seoul right now.”
“Who said I’m whining? Hiyaaah!”
Jeon kicked off the wall and launched himself at Deiodeun.
Deiodeun’s eyes flashed as he looked at the charging Jeon, and he laughed.
“Hehe! That’s more like it. You need at least that much tenacity for it to be worth breaking you.”
He swung Crayon mercilessly, and Jeon was slammed into the wall once again.
That situation repeated dozens of times.
***
“Huu!”
Jeon exhaled softly and looked ahead.
His entire body was a complete mess.
His face was broken and torn all over, bleeding, and his body was covered in injuries both large and small.
The robe draped over him was torn into rags, and his disheveled hair made him look like a beggar.
But the gaze visible between his locks was deeply settled, not trembling in the slightest.
At the end of his gaze stood Deiodeun.
He did not know how much time had passed since coming here.
Judging by how his prepared jerky was almost gone, it seemed he had spent at least several months here.
During that time, Jeon had fought Deiodeun to the point of exhaustion.
The battles with Deiodeun had truly been an endless string of defeats.
Broken, broken again, and broken continuously.
Not once landing a meaningful blow on Deiodeun, he had suffered defeat after defeat.
Even so, Jeon did not give up.
He felt that if he could just land a proper blow to Deiodeun’s face, he would have no other wish in the world.
Until then, he absolutely could not give up.
Through his decisive battles with Deiodeun, Jeon’s skills had risen fearsomely.
Fighting Deiodeun alone was harder than fighting hundreds of demonic beasts.
No matter how strong demonic beasts were, there was a limit to their intelligence.
But there was no limit to Deiodeun’s strength.
Physical might, combat sense, and experience accumulated over a century.
These three elements achieved perfect balance, making him even stronger.
Deiodeun attacked Jeon without mercy.
While there was the intention to raise Jeon’s skill, the reason he honed his own body and mind was greater.
Right now, his body and mind were at their peak.
They were so sharp, like a blade honed to its utmost edge, that not a single variable was tolerated.
Right now, Deiodeun could perfectly control not only himself but his opponent and the surrounding situation as well.
Letting Crayon hang down to the floor, Deiodeun walked toward Jeon.
He was simply walking, yet an incredible momentum flowed from his entire body.
Just facing him made one feel suffocated, as if one’s whole body would be crushed.
“Huu!”
Jeon exhaled once more.
It was a situation he had experienced dozens, hundreds of times.
Now, he had learned with his body how to escape this oppressive pressure.
Jeon relaxed every muscle in his body.
His mind was calm.
His body was flexible, ready to react at any moment.
Following with his eyes was too slow.
The flow of air, color, humidity, the surrounding smells, and even the heat—all of it had to be felt through his skin and reacted to in real time.
If even a single one of these was missing, he could never oppose Deiodeun.
The moment Jeon’s nerves became hypersensitive to their utmost, the air in the area grew cold.
‘He’s coming.’
Jeon erected a sand wall in front of him.
Kwang!
The sand wall burst apart helplessly as Deiodeun revealed himself.
But Jeon was not surprised.
Because it was a scene he had already anticipated.
Erecting the sand wall was merely to buy a fleeting moment.
The instant Deiodeun broke through and emerged, Jeon vanished into the sand.
Now, hiding and moving within the sand was as natural as breathing.
Even while submerged, he grasped the outside situation as clearly as the lines of his palm.
Because the sand in the area conveyed information to him.
Pasak!
He felt the sound of Deiodeun’s footsteps.
In that instant, Viper activated.
Dozens of sand vipers flew toward Deiodeun’s entire body.
“Cheap tricks…….”
Deiodeun swung Crayon and instantly blew off the sand vipers’ heads.
Then, he thrust Crayon into the ground with all his might.
Kwaaang!
With a roar, the sand on the ground exploded.
An enormous amount of sand shot into the sky as if a volcano had erupted, revealing Jeon.
But Jeon was not flustered.
Because he had already anticipated this.
Around him, Sand Soldiers rose.
This time, there were as many as ten.
While fighting Deiodeun, his skill had developed to the point where he could move ten at once.
The ten Sand Soldiers moved receiving Jeon’s commands in real time.
Giving individual commands to so many Sand Soldiers placed an enormous burden on Jeon’s brain as well.
Jureureuk!
His nose burst and his vision turned completely red.
The tremendous pressure on his brain caused even the capillaries in his eyes to burst.
His head spun momentarily, but Jeon soon gathered his senses.
He raised both hands like a conductor.
Instantly, Vipers flew toward Deiodeun once more.
And he stirred up sand to obscure Deiodeun’s vision.
In the meantime, Jeon’s body floated into the air.
The sand supporting him shot into the sky like a pillar, lifting him up.
From an altitude of at least a hundred meters, Jeon observed the entire situation.
Sand Soldiers were shattered, and vipers were cut down.
Sand Mixer did not work at all.
Yet Jeon was not disappointed.
Because he had not expected them to work from the beginning.
His true aim was not those skills.
Cheueuuu!
Before anyone knew it, a black haze wrapped around his body.
He had released Exion.
He concentrated the flickering Exion into his right arm, which wore a gauntlet.
In that instant, Deiodeun raised his head and looked up at Jeon.
The moment their gazes met in midair, Jeon muttered.
“Here I come, you old dog!”
He launched his body straight from a hundred meters in the air.
Jeon fell like a meteor.
The target was Deiodeun’s face.
He swung his right fist, wrapped in Exion, with all his might.
Kwaaaang!