Meeting Room.
Seira and Ichiro, taken by surprise by Han Seo-Jin’s unexpected report, sharpen their gazes.
“What’s this about danger? The kid?”
“My daughter is in danger? What nonsense is that?”
Seira secretly harbors a crush on Kim Deok-Sung.
And for Ichiro, who has awakened as a doting father thanks to Kim Deok-Sung, Han Seo-Jin’s words felt like a bolt from the blue.
Ichiro’s eyes darken ominously.
His demeanor isn’t the usual doting father; it’s something much colder.
The leader of the Japan Hero Association, the strongest hero in Japan, and the country’s most influential power figure stood there.
“Give me more details. If this is a lie, you’ll pay for interrupting my rest—Korean agent.”
Faced with two titans, Han Seo-Jin nods unwaveringly.
“Understood.”
Thud.
She places a recorder on the table.
Click.
Han Seo-Jin’s delicate hand presses the button.
[Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. What’s happening?]
[I’m in danger. At least an EX-rank power is needed. As soon as possible…]
[Understood. I will prepare immediately, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.]
*Crackle… Crackle… Cut.*
The recording was short but alarming.
The expressions of both individuals harden.
Without needing any further explanation, Seira and Ichiro already knew.
The voice contained within was Kim Deok-Sung’s own.
And they understood the threat they were facing was at least EX-rank or higher.
“From what I’ve confirmed, the area where Mr. Kim Deok-Sung and Shinozaki Rin are located is in a communication blackout.”
Han Seo-Jin’s eyes freeze.
She bites her lip.
Drip.
Perhaps from biting too hard, blood trickles from Han Seo-Jin’s lips.
Han Seo-Jin feels furious.
The only hero force in Korea, the national hero of South Korea, and more importantly, the hero she loves and admires, is in a dangerous situation.
Yet here she is, forced to rely on the strength of others.
From Han Seo-Jin’s report and recording, an overwhelming surge of magical energy rises in Seira and Ichiro’s bodies.
A terrifying magical wave erupts from Ra and Ichiro’s bodies.
“Where is that kid? I’ll go right now.”
With a jolt, Seira rises from her seat.
She couldn’t protect him.
For Seira, who bears trauma from the past, Kim Deok-Sung’s danger was a catastrophic event that shook her mental state.
“How dare someone threaten my daughter in this country, in Japan; it seems they’ve lost their senses.”
Ichiro stands up, suppressing his burning anger.
Han Seo-Jin calls out to Seira.
“Chairman.”
“You called?”
Seira and Han Seo-Jin’s eyes meet.
Snap.
Han Seo-Jin kneels on one leg, speaking with a respectful demeanor.
“Please ride on me.”
Han Seo-Jin’s eyes burn coldly.
A question mark appears on Seira’s face.
“Ride on you?”
“I’m a Speedster. If it’s my Gift, I can take you to where Kim Deok-Sung is faster than anyone else. So.”
Han Seo-Jin clenches her fist.
It’s all she can do.
She knows this, yet feels a bit angry.
“Please ride on me.”
“I understand.”
The moment Seira nods and climbs onto Han Seo-Jin’s back.
Flash.
In a gray flash, the two women’s figures disappear from the meeting room.
Ichiro, witnessing this, rests his hand on the Japanese sword at his waist.
Flash.
With a green flash, battle gauntlets are equipped on his entire body.
“I must go as well.”
With a cold, short remark, Ichiro kicks off the tatami mats of the meeting room and flies out through the broken door.
Zooming······. Crash.
Shishiotoshi in the garden is caught up in the aftershock and shatters.
I’ve completely lost it.
Whoosh.
A terrible chill mixed with a cold wind sweeps through.
Fwoosh.
The black aura of true name liberation wraps around him, burning away the chill of eternal frost, but how long it will last is uncertain.
This area, no, the entire deserted island is enveloped in the enemy’s conceptual development.
This place where the conceptual development unfolds is the enemy’s territory and sanctuary.
Just standing still, doing nothing, his magical power and stamina are debuffed in real-time, dwindling away.
Even when he moves, it feels like being submerged in water, the pressure bearing down on him.
If it were a game, you could say it’s like being on the receiving end of a CC spell.
“Damn it······.”
He curses.
White breath escapes his lips.
It feels like the entire world is bearing down on him with malice.
“Hah!”
Beside him, Rin lets out a battle cry and strikes with her sword.
Boom.
A dark blue trajectory paints the air as a loud explosion rings out.
The shockwave tears through the cold air.
Flinch.
Ivan’s eyebrows twitch.
Despite countless attacks hitting him and being restrained by chains, Ivan’s body remained unscathed, not even a hair harmed.
His body, wrapped in a magic field and covered by white ice armor, rendered him invulnerable.
Ice Armor.
The defense technique he showcased after being restrained in Volume 15 of the original work.
Ivan crouches inside his armor, gathering his magical power.
Whiiooowwwwww.
A sharp, cutting wind gathers around Ivan.
Woo-wooo-wooooom.
Vibrations spread around his body.
It’s ominous.
[Partner, swing the sword!]
Swish.
He swings Durandal.
The blazing black flames scorch the cold air, directly hitting his ice armor.
Boom!
With the sound of metal getting hammered, the black flames bounce off without melting the ice and sparkles fly everywhere.
“Heh.”
A twisted smile forms on Ivan’s lips.
The magical power condensed in his body increases exponentially.
Pachup-pachup-pachup-pachup!
White magical sparks pop as a snowstorm swirls around him.
He’s definitely preparing a big move to break free from his restraints.
There’s still no sign of support arriving.
So, we have to keep him in check.
To do that, I need to deal true damage that ignores the defense of the ice armor.
[Gyokusan Tohya. Partner.]
Just like the Black Prince said, it’s time to unleash the hidden technique of the black sword art for penetrating damage.
It’s my turn to use Gyokusan Toh.
‘But that’s not enough.’
Unlike the drug user William, Ivan is the real deal.
Just one Gyokusan Toh won’t be enough to keep him in check.
“Rin.”
Evangelin is in a dying state, and the saint can’t do anything due to the restraints.
The only remaining ally is Rin.
Right now, I need her help.
“Did you call for me, Deok-Sung?”
“Use the ‘Sōzen Ittōsen’.”
Shinozaki Ichidō style, Sōzen Ittōsen.
With that powerful draw technique, I should be able to pierce through the thick ice armor and deal damage.
“I understand. I will follow your lead.”
Swish.
Rin puts away the Totsukano Tsuru in its sheath.
She grabs Durandal.
Whoosh.
The black flames blooming on the sword’s blade ignite the cold air.
[Sync]
We layer the synchronization.
The Black Prince’s talent becomes imprinted in my mind like a tidal wave.
Drip.
Blood flows from my nose.
Feeling the metallic taste in my mouth, I swing Durandal.
[Black Sword Art]
[Hidden Technique]
A slow but powerful thrust filled with strength scatters the black flames as it flies towards Ivan.
At that moment.
Whooooosh!
Rin’s booming voice pierces through the wind from beside me.
“Shinozaki Ichidō! Hidden Technique──!”
A chill mixed with a sharp wind rushes from Rin’s sheath.
Snap!
The blade of the Japanese sword, accelerated by using the sheath as a launching pad, slashes through space with a dark blue flash.
“──Sōzen Ittōsen.”
[Gyokusan Toh]
With it, the thrust of Gyokusan Toh, accompanied by the black flames, directly strikes Ivan’s body.
Kawwawawawang──!!
An ear-splitting explosion rings out.
The shockwave and aftershock sweep the area.
The frozen ground trembles, and dark clouds disperse.
The pure white snow scatters everywhere while thick white smoke rises.
“······Did we take him down?”
Rin whispers a revival spell in a low voice.
No, please don’t say that.
There’s no way this is enough to defeat him.
Keeping him in check through restraint.
That will be enough.
The Black Prince remains silent.
Ssssssssssssss.
As the smoke clears, his figure is revealed.
A large crack runs horizontally across the previously unscathed Ice Armor.
“Our attack finally took effect! Deok-Seong!”
A voice filled with joy escapes from Rin’s lips.
Just as she said.
This should mean there’s been considerable damage inside.
The moment I grab Durandal to put pressure on again…
“Huhuhuhuh…”
Ivan laughs with a voice right out of an anime.
For some reason, it gives me a bad feeling, a foreboding sense.
“That was an excellent attack and judgment for a student. But I suppose the lack of experience shows…”
“Lack of experience, you say…?”
Just then, a question mark pops up on Rin’s face.
[Partner! Beneath Shinozaki, there’s magic! Magic is gathering!]
The Black Prince shouts frantically in my head.
[Sync]
We sync again.
Ziiing.
My head feels like it’s going to split.
Thump, thump.
My heart races painfully.
The Magic Core and Black Stone resonate, getting hotter.
A violent surge of magic floods the magic circuit.
My vision distorts chaotically. The Prince’s talent gnaws at my mind, expanding my senses.
Not just my five senses but also my intuition and feeling.
Through the expanded intuition, I sense it.
Beneath Rin, curling up, is a massive presence of magic.
At that moment, scenes from the original story flash through my mind instinctively.
His area-of-effect skill, an explosion of ice magic from beneath the ground.
Frozen Blast.
It’s unmistakably the precursor to that damned skill.
My face hardens.
I grit my teeth.
“Black Beast of the Far East. Looking at your expression, it appears you’ve already figured it out. I’m not breaking the restraint, but rather gathering power to target you.”
A smile spreads across Ivan Antonov’s face.
“However, it’s too late. I’m already prepared.”
As he said, we can’t stop it.
If this continues, the target he’s aimed for, Rin, will be swept away.
A question mark appears on Rin’s face.
“What are you talking about, villain!”
With a resolute voice, she aims the Totsuka no Tsurugi at Ivan.
“Get out of here now! Rin!”
I shout at her, urging her to escape immediately.
“Ah, got it. Huh?”
Just as she tries to move her feet.
A bright white ice wraps around her ankles.
Only then does Rin’s face harden as she senses the ominous energy.
“Huhuh…”
Ivan laughs.
She still doesn’t know.
And soon, she’ll be caught up in the Frozen Blast.
[Partner, how…]
The Black Prince’s voice echoes in my head.
If hit directly by that skill, it’s at least incapacitation and at most death.
The image of a bloodied Evangelin flashes before my eyes.
We couldn’t stop it.
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