Chapter: 156. Mobilization Run – Final –
Step back quickly.
Pak. Papap.
The silver blade lodged in the spot where I had just been, but since I had anticipated this, I didn’t even lift my head.
Time is precious.
I immediately swung the hammer. Broadly and quickly, the trajectory engulfing my entire body.
Kang. Kagagakang.
The sound of metal clashing echoed in my ears.
However, the cause of that metallic sound was entirely different weapons than the ones that were fired earlier.
Throwing darts, meteor hammers, crescent blades, flowing swords.
A collection of rare weapons you might only see in a weapon museum.
But, unfortunately, the power contained in each of those rare weapons isn’t that strong.
Wasn’t it obvious that all the weapons had been swept away in just one swing?
Among those weapons, one particularly caught my eye.
A thick, elongated blade, a brightly shining object.
…Machete?”
Why is that even here?
I can understand the other weapons.
They’re strange weapons from martial arts novels.
Even if those weapons are impractical in reality, they are practitioners, so there’s no need to consider general practicality.
Each of those weapons probably holds the spirit of someone awakened as a hero.
So, there’s no need to be surprised by the variety of weapons. At this point, for practitioners, unless they awaken with a specific weapon, it’s just a matter of preference.
Still…
That can’t be a machete.
Where could you possibly find a practitioner who awakens with a machete as a weapon?
Or is it treated like a one-handed sword?
Could it be that my confusion and surprise manifested in my body?
My actions were a bit slow.
A moment spent gazing at the machete hanging in the air due to the blow from my hammer and the practitioner who caught it.
In that brief moment, the hammer that wasn’t retrieved was forgotten.
In absolute time, it was a very short moment, but my opponent didn’t miss it.
“Jin! Grab it!”
Now a familiar, bright voice of Chris echoed, and the ground beneath my feet shook violently.
In the midst of that confusion, I heard it.
A huge rumble of the earth paired with an oddly cute sound.
The source of that sound was a gigantic mole.
With sharp claws, it clawed at the ground.
That thing, with one claw holding my foot, swung its claws toward me.
Who would have thought a moment of negligence would lead to this?
Following the machete, I was met with Chris’s mole friend.
It couldn’t be helped.
I poured all my strength into my foot.
And kicked.
Magical Girl style. Fierce Kick.
Except for the foundation-laying part, it’s not a technique I use that often, but I had been using it frequently in demonstrations these past few days.
That massive strike filled with power hit the ground.
Bang.
“Kwik.”
The earth split, and the mole that had grabbed my foot transformed into light, still making its cute sound.
If it had been used against a human, the power of the Fierce Kick would have instantly shredded it apart, but since Chris’s summoned creature doesn’t die, it doesn’t really matter.
Instead of worrying about creatures like that, I should really be contemplating the serious situation I’m facing right now.
That thought drew forth a bitter smile.
With that bitter smile, I raised my head.
Because the battle is far from over.
Once again, throwing darts and heavy needles came flying at me.
Those shining silver elements dazzled my eyes, but I didn’t feel any sincerity there.
That’s not the main attack. What I need to watch out for is something else.
Of course, it doesn’t mean those weapons lack power.
They definitely carry enough force to injure me if I directly take a hit.
I’m not saying anything bizarre about the killing intent contained in the weapons.
Rather, it’s a more fundamental instinct that has kept me alive this long.
It informs me that those weapons are a bait.
A flying bait.
The tempo the enemy had already stolen from me.
Then I should take the initiative back, even if it’s a bit forceful.
I adjusted my grip on the hammer, shortening my hold, and swung it.
Kang. Kagang.
The short metallic sound matched the shining silver reflections shimmering across my field of vision, but I didn’t focus my gaze on them.
The core attack is coming.
If I get distracted by the shining silver flash, I’d just end up with narrow vision, like Baek Sihyeon.
Besides, my short grip on the hammer means I can’t execute the wide defensive action I did before.
If I fail to precisely catch the core attack coming, I’ll inevitably lose the initiative as the price.
But I’m confident.
With my posture stabilized from the actions earlier, all trivial objects that could cloud my judgment had vanished.
What’s left is just accepting their intentions.
Is it an ambush?
Or a fair charge?
A special ability?
Surrounded by numerous floating silver weapons, in that brief moment of thought, a pink flash entered my field of vision.
To surely take me down, three flashes aimed for my vital spots.
Is it Han Abin?
Well, it fits her favorite attacking method. Setting the stage to corner the opponent and dealing a difficult-to-avoid strike.
She precisely picked three critical points that would be difficult to block or dodge.
The solar plexus, pelvis, and between the eyebrows.
There’s no way I could block all three spots with just one swing.
It’s generally a passing grade, but…
Still, it’s quite amateurish.
If I had lost the initiative, I wouldn’t have been able to block with my hammer.
In a situation where my posture was broken, and how could I have managed to block it while holding the hammer tightly?
But now, I’m different.
A stable stance. The hammer held short.
The optimal situation to block three arrows.
So, I smiled and tracked the direction the arrows came flying from.
Looking for her, to target next.
She must be panicking; if things don’t go according to her plan, she’ll likely lose her confidence like before…
With that thought, I looked at her face.
But that wasn’t it.
There was only one archer staring at me with a serious expression.
Unfazed, her mouth tightly shut, one hero looking directly at me.
Indeed. I see.
I swung the hammer.
From the low-hanging arm, the momentum shot upward.
Kang.
The sound echoed twice through my hands, resonating with the vibrations.
Then I had to block the third arrow.
“I didn’t expect it to be an assassination type,” I muttered as I exerted force to raise the hammer’s trajectory.
Suddenly, appearing beside me was a practitioner I aimed to strike.
Pek. Pajik.
Two sounds burst forth.
The sound of the hammer hitting the solar plexus and the noise of the practitioner flying through the air.
The arrow enveloped in pink mana pierced through my head.
“Hit…? Did I win…? How?”
Is she unable to believe her arrow has hit?
I heard the voice of my distant student, but that was clear.
Why?
“Anna…”
That arrow pierced through my mouth.
Yeah.
Oh, but does it carry mana or something? My mouth tingles.
I spat out the arrow and walked towards my disheartened student, tapping her shoulder with my hammer.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of my footsteps resonated across the plains, but they all showed no response.
Chris had either run out of mana or she fainted, her eyes rolling back.
The practitioners were knocked out by my Fierce Kick.
Han Abin, shocked at having used all her cards yet still unable to win, sat down.
In that situation, I stood before my seated student, aiming my hammer at her.
“Is it over?”
There was no answer, but it was clear the outcome was decided.
“Well then, let’s handle the aftermath…”
“Not yet… No.”
What?
Pajik.
Yellow electricity scattered.
Mild electricity, lacking any real power.
Before I could even recognize its nature, a powerful attack began to surge.
Quickly turning my body, I prepared to block, and just as I did, the nature of the attack came into view.
In a rush, she ran at me with her hands glowing, veins standing out, her eyes wide open.
Suffering from the electricity, her clothes were starting to burn, but she didn’t care.
The reaction she displayed was an ear-splitting smile, her throat silent from the burning yet resonating with joy.
What could that smile mean?
Has she finally seized victory for the first time?
Or is it a self-defense mechanism from the overwhelming pain of electrification?
Or perhaps she was simply always laughing, and the electricity was just making her look a bit distorted?
Regardless of my thoughts, her hand reached out toward me.
Without any power to electrify her weapon, she poured all her strength into her bare hands.
Evading is impossible, but several countermeasures sprang to mind swiftly.
Release the limiter.
Trusting in my durability, I go for the counter.
Infuse mana into the hammer for an Afterburner transformation…
A plethora of countermeasures popped into my head, but I could see her face.
Her face, filled with determination to attack me with all her might.
With a smile, looking directly at me.
The muscles in my face trembled.
I can imagine that if she sees me right now, she would be smiling.
My mind cleared.
The numerous killing techniques and countermeasures that had swarmed my head until just now vanished.
I looked directly at her.
With a confused voice, the pain swept through my body.
Then silence descended over us.
A lengthened silence.
Perhaps longer than from the first attack until Baek Sihyeon’s hand made contact with my body.
Damn. That hurts like hell.
Still, I should smile.
“Uh? What do you mean ‘uh’? You didn’t think I would block it, did you?”
Ignoring the pain coursing near my heart, I threw a quip at my clueless student.
“What are you doing? That’s your first victory.”
Although we only barely managed to gather with nearly ten practitioners and Chris included.
Ultimately, I let myself half go near the end, so it’s partly my fault.
Still, this had to be right.
In a situation like that, the cards you can use are items that could take a life.
Using the opponent’s strength for a knife hand counter.
Overwhelming power by releasing the limiter.
Using sudden acceleration for an Afterburner attack that even I couldn’t control.
“Uh? Yes? Master, did you really think I… Ah?”
“Right. You hit, so just accept it.”
…Is this a dream? I couldn’t have landed a blow on my master…
I should just leave this fool be.
No matter what I say, she’ll keep acting that way, needing time to accept reality.
Well then. With the rest all fainted, there’s no one to talk to…
Except…
“Was all this part of your plan too, Abin?”
I spoke to my kneeling student, who had fallen to the ground.
Yet she, too, seemed unable to believe the situation, forming her words with a pale expression.
But there’s no helping it. Let’s go with a question-and-answer session.
“Did you communicate with the practitioners or Baek Sihyeon via telepathy?”
“I struggled a bit to adjust the frequency but…”
No wonder their teamwork seemed exceptionally good.
“How about the magical arrows three-point shot? A new technique?”
“Yes… That practitioner hero said arrows shouldn’t be shot that way…”
Well, they should know well about techniques concerning weapon arts.
Even if it’s not their primary weapon, they could have a mountain of knowledge nearby.
“That was impressive of you to think of using that technique. If it had been even slightly delayed, I would have detected everything and it would have been over.”
Perhaps she had been calculating from the start.
When Baek Sihyeon first revealed her shining silver weapons, I mistakenly thought she was participating in the attack too, but that was a fake-out; she must’ve focused solely on forming an electric field from the beginning.
“If that’s the case… I supported her…”
“Supported?”
“Using telepathy… I assisted Sihyeon’s calculation ability…”
“So it wasn’t something you prepared from the start…”
It felt like something significant was coming out, but suddenly my vision started to turn black.
As expected. Did the part I got hit in affect this?
Even in this body, it seems like my body wants to maintain negative feedback against shock.
With the overwhelming impact jarring against my heart.
Naturally, that would generate a shock.
It was a mistake to openly take the hit.
I should have at least evaded it, or jumped back to lessen the impact.
But, it can’t be helped.
Let’s consider this as a celebration of my students’ first duel victory.
It might become a trauma for my students, but that’s how it goes.
With that last thought, my consciousness faded away.
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