Chapter 83

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 83: Stubborn (2)

As Yeongwoo revealed the support of Dogo, a wedge-shaped logo was drawn along the trajectory of the blade when he pulled out ‘Underdog’.

Whoa!

Kim Taejoon’s eyes widened at the clearly impressive effect, but it was Jo Sangik who was the most surprised among the audience.

Although he had met various Strongest Swords through the assembly, this was the first time he had seen something like this.

‘What on earth is this person…?’

The feeling of strength still didn’t come through.

But there was definitely something.

Something different from mere strength.

Sut!

Finally, Yeongwoo spoke as he held the Underdog.

“The friend who is with me right now didn’t reach out from the beginning. So let’s settle things first.”

It was a statement implying that his thoughts might change after being hit.

Kim Taejoon, who had been looking down at him, raised his granite chin and turned his eyes to the sky.

「Well, can you handle me? I feel like the heavens have given me enough power.」

Then, with a colder look than before, he looked at Yeongwoo again.

「If every Strongest Sword is going to attack me from now on, then I should take care of you two first.」

Kim Taejoon was very quick to make decisions.

「I’m sorry.」

With this significant statement, his pale white body writhed.

Ttuk.

At the same time, an unbelievable message appeared in Yeongwoo’s field of vision.

「The sensory value has temporarily increased from the existing 600 to 2,144.」

The Golden Flash had stolen Kim Taejoon’s sensory value of 1,544.

This meant that his basic sensory value exceeded 3,000.

‘Nonsense!’

There was no time to be silently shocked.

The Gyeongbuk Sword Law was immediately ordering to depart in response to the opponent’s attack.

Taat!

As Yeongwoo hurriedly moved back, almost at the same moment, a rock fist came down and struck the ground.

Kwajak!

“Ugh!”

“This…!”

Both Yeongwoo and Jo Sangik were astonished at the unbelievable speed of the attack.

‘Why is it so fast?’

If that attack had come towards them, could they have dodged it immediately?

Facing a combat power markedly different from that of the second day mutant, Jo Sangik felt a chilling sensation down his spine.

「Guaat!」

Meanwhile, Kim Taejoon, who had punched the ground, swept the ground upwards, sending asphalt waves towards the two Strongest Swords.

Kwakwakwakwak!

Although the vision of both Yeongwoo and Jo Sangik turned pitch black for a moment, the Strongest Sword’s technique worked even when their sight was completely obscured.

The order to maneuver sideways to avoid the attack was transmitted to both Yeongwoo and Jo Sangik.

Tat!

Pat!

As the two of them instinctively withdrew their bodies in different directions, Kim Taejoon realized that the consecutive two evasions were not a coincidence.

「The world has become interesting. So this is what it means to be a Strongest Sword.」

However, the two Strongest Swords didn’t hear that line.

They were already swinging their swords at Kim Taejoon from both sides, trying to corner him to the death.

Whoosh!

Finally, the first attack from the two Strongest Swords commenced.

Jo Sangik swung his Gokdo, while Yeongwoo wielded the Black Sword, aiming forcefully at their opponent’s torso.

However, strangely, the only battle mark that appeared in the sight of the two Strongest Swords was all destruction.

This meant that the current attack would at best disrupt the posture of the opponent.

And indeed.

Crash!

Before the blades of the two Strongest Swords could touch Kim Taejoon’s body, they were both grabbed by his hands.

“Ah…!”

“Ha.”

Yeongwoo was surprised that even Jo Sangik, whose abilities were obviously much higher than his own, had his sword caught.

Conversely, Jo Sangik sighed at the fact that the level of the Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword was not significantly different from his own.

Moreover, both Strongest Swords couldn’t even pull their swords out of Kim Taejoon’s grasp.

“Do… Do you have no other tactics?”

As a bewildered Jo Sangik seemed to ask Yeongwoo to come up with something more, Yeongwoo extended the length of the Black Sword to five meters, increasing the distance between him and Kim Taejoon.

Shyaat!

A kind of emergency escape.

Then, instead of Kim Taejoon, Yeongwoo threw Underdog high into the air above his head.

Swish!

“What’s going on right now…?”

While Jo Sangik made an incredulous expression, Yeongwoo even let go of the handle of the Black Sword he was holding.

Next.

Bang!

He dashed straight towards the back of Kim Taejoon, who was still facing off against Jo Sangik.

“This guy…!”

In a manner that looked like an escape to anyone, a curse burst from Jo Sangik’s mouth, and at that moment, Kim Taejoon’s expression changed strangely.

「Huh…?」

It was because the Black Sword he had been holding suddenly began to produce tremendous power.

As if it would burst out at any moment.

So Kim Taejoon strengthened his grip on the sword with even more force.

Swish!

His body was forcefully pulled backward.

「Ah!」

The Black Sword, receiving a remote retrieval command, began to return to its owner while still entangled with Kim Taejoon.

Thud!

As the center of his body became disoriented and his two legs began to grind against the asphalt floor, Kim Taejoon’s face showed bewilderment for the first time.

In addition to this.

Whoosh!

From the dark sky above, a tremendous sound of destruction resounded.

It was the Underdog that Yeongwoo had thrown high returning.

‘What’s all this?’

Even Jo Sangik, who was hanging on to Kim Taejoon along with his sword, was equally astonished.

Although he had asked for something more from the Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword, he hadn’t expected such a skill.

Swiftly, Kim Taejoon let go of both the Black Sword and the Gokdo, regaining the center of his body.

Then, he barely managed to strike down the Underdog that flew at him like a bullet.

Boom!

With a tremendous roar, flames erupted. At the same time, granite fragments wrapped in dust scattered in all directions.

「Huh…?」

Kim Taejoon’s left palm was partially cracked from hitting the Underdog.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

It was a moment that proved the effectiveness of the formidable weapon, Underdog.

【Increases power by 25% against targets larger than the user.】

And it was also a moment that confirmed that Kim Taejoon’s granite body was not invincible.

‘But why isn’t the infliction of pain activating?’

Yeongwoo titled his head as he looked at the returning Underdog covered in dust.

Didn’t the Golden Punishment inflict pain just by touching the opponent’s body with the weapon?

But this time, Kim Taejoon, despite the damage to his body, showed no signs of suffering.

‘Could it be that those rocks are all some kind of shield?’

If that were the case, it meant that until that outer shell was completely removed, the Golden Punishment couldn’t be utilized.

“….”

As Yeongwoo was about to sigh in the darkened vision, Kim Taejoon attacked Jo Sangik alone this time.

He had decided to reduce the opponent’s numbers from the head.

「Die!」

Kim Taejoon, who had sustained injuries from the two unions, was much more excited than before.

Even though there were dozens more Strongest Swords outside this intersection, he was deeply disappointed that he couldn’t even suppress just two of them.

Bang!

Kim Taejoon’s furious fist pounded the ground in succession.

It was due to the advice of the Gwanak’s Sword Technique to only avoid instead of blocking the sword.

However, it didn’t mean there was room for counterattack.

Kim Taejoon was a monster who exceeded both strength and sensory values of most Strongest Swords.

Bang!

“This, hey!”

Having barely evaded Kim Taejoon’s third attack by a hair’s breadth, Jo Sangik finally requested support from Yeongwoo.

“Weren’t we supposed to cooperate earlier? What happened?”

Of course, Yeongwoo hadn’t deliberately refrained from participating in the battle.

It was just that Kim Taejoon’s fists had made Jo Sangik move back and forth, prolonging the perceived time.

“Hold on a little longer, I’ll figure something out.”

As Yeongwoo said this, he was already close to Kim Taejoon’s back.

‘It seems difficult to penetrate that outer shell with the Black Sword, so I’ll have to keep attacking with the Underdog.’

The Gyeongbuk’s Sword Law also proposed tactics that were not much different from Yeongwoo’s thoughts.

After throwing the sword again, it suggested attacking remotely.

But how many more times would he have to use that method to chip away at Kim Taejoon’s outer shell?

‘Before that, I might get hit first. It was really close earlier.’

Perhaps Gyeongbuk’s Sword Law couldn’t find a sharp answer either and was repeating the same advice as before.

After all, it couldn’t advise suicide against an unbeatable opponent.

“….”

Although Yeongwoo had some doubts about the guidance of the Gyeongbuk Sword Law for the first time, there was no other way.

‘Well, I have no choice. Let’s see how Kim Taejoon responds this time.’

In the end, Yeongwoo decided to follow the advice of the Gyeongbuk Sword Law once again.

Whaam!

Then, after throwing Underdog high above Kim Taejoon’s head…

Crash!

He dashed forward with the Black Sword gripped in both hands.

“Hyuap!”

A diagonal slash with all his might.

Simultaneously, he recalled the previously thrown Underdog from afar and executed a dual-sided attack.

Splatter!

When the formidable noise, similar to before, echoed, Kim Taejoon, who was chasing Jo Sangik, stopped his pursuit and looked back.

「Am I going to fall for the same trick twice?」

Then, he easily caught Yeongwoo’s Black Sword, which was swinging with the Dogo’s spiky pattern.

Thunk!

The same development as before.

And then, Kim Taejoon deflected Underdog, and it was Yeongwoo’s turn to elongate his Black Sword and retreat.

“….!”

However, the hologram shown by the Gyeongbuk Sword Law stood still and did nothing.

As if there were no further instructions.

What?

Is it leaving it up to me?

Or perhaps…?

「I got you.」

In that brief moment of confusion for Yeongwoo, Kim Taejoon’s massive hand firmly grabbed Yeongwoo’s torso.

Originally, he should have used his right hand, which had just dispatched Underdog, to grab Yeongwoo.

However he hadn’t planned to defend himself in the first place.

「This is like giving away flesh and scraping the bone.」

Thud!

As Kim Taejoon exerted force in his grip, blood spurted from Yeongwoo’s mouth, staining Taejoon’s forearm.

“Urgh!”

And simultaneously, as Underdog returned to Yeongwoo, it struck Kim Taejoon’s right wrist, which was holding Yeongwoo.

Thaang!

With a resounding impact, flames erupted under Yeongwoo’s chin, and soon the sound of Underdog hitting the ground was heard.

Tik.

The full-force attack was successful, but it failed to penetrate Kim Taejoon’s body.

“You… fool!”

Jo Sangik swung his sword at Kim Taejoon’s back with a desperate face, but Kim Taejoon didn’t even flinch.

「I told you, I feel like I’ve been given enough power by the heavens.」

Kim Taejoon wore a triumphant expression.

But then, not even a second later…

「Huh?」

Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide and rolled his eyes twice.

As if someone had eaten spoiled food without realizing it.

「What’s this?」

A strange energy enveloped his entire body.

Then, he immediately felt his hand holding Yeongwoo getting hot as if it were on fire.

「Ugh!」

Kim Taejoon instinctively pushed Yeongwoo away, but the mysterious pain was already spreading up his arm and throughout his body.

「W-What did you do?」

As Kim Taejoon expressed his confusion, Yeongwoo, who was sprawled on the ground, managed to open his mouth amidst the intense pain.

“One of my persuasion methods.”

Then, he raised his bloody arm and grabbed the horn hanging around his neck.

“And this.”

The whistle approached Yeongwoo’s lips.

“It’s my last resort.”

Beep-beep-beep!

Finally, Yeongwoo blew the whistle, and the sky began to open once again.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]