Chapter 80: An Insignificant Bond (2)

Mao Lang exhaled with difficulty.

“Haa⎯ haa⎯.”

The echo of her breathing resonated in her ears. As her lost senses gradually returned, she began touching her neck.

“Ah, it’s still attached.”

Her legs, devoid of strength, collapsed onto the dusty ground. Mao Lang let her head drop forward before lifting it to look ahead. The blazing sun struck her eyes harshly.

“……”

Her opponent, standing with the sun behind him, observed her from above. The midday shadow concealed his expression. Mao Lang opened and closed her lips without making a sound.

‘That just now… was that…?’

The domain of mental territory.

A state of emptiness that only supreme masters could attain.

It is said that only Seven-Star level heroes or someone like Altair Auditore, the head of the Auditore family, could wield it freely.

But, as with everything in the world, there are always exceptions. If talent far surpasses accumulated experience, it is possible to touch that threshold even at a young age.

‘All Mute…’

An unpleasant face crossed her mind. An insurmountable wall.

Mao Lang managed to stand up with difficulty. Her legs still trembled, and her joints bent in strange directions.

Holding her breath, she fixed her gaze on the black-haired student.

‘Kang Geom-Ma.’

She replayed the previous moment in her mind. Before she had even swung her sword, her neck had already been severed.

The process and the result had been inverted. Undoubtedly, his use of the domain had reached the extreme limit.

Mao Lang could not find words to describe what she had felt.

‘A monster like that… is a student at the academy?’

A monster in human form, disguised. Now she understood why Shun and Jin panicked and trembled at the mere mention of his name.

Even someone like Mao Lang, known as the “Relentless Iron,” could not stop herself from trembling. At that moment, a question crossed her mind.

‘Why did he use the domain?’

He could have crushed her easily in the real world, yet he chose not to.

After all, it was a duel in an alternate space. There would be no physical repercussions in the real world.

‘Did he do it to protect my dignity?’

By using his domain, he not only demonstrated the overwhelming difference in talent but also avoided provoking conflict between nations.

It sounded like an excuse, but it was not entirely illogical.

Mao Lang was regarded as a star of the continent. If she had been defeated disgracefully, her nation’s reputation would have suffered.

An incident like that could have sparked tensions between countries. Perhaps Kang Geom-Ma had foreseen this and, for that reason, chose to use the domain.

‘He’s not just strong.’

How far ahead can this boy see? Was the kimchi just a pretext?

She prided herself on her political cunning, yet she had been completely outmaneuvered by a seventeen-year-old. She could not grasp the depths of his mind.

“Haa.”

A dry sigh escaped Mao Lang’s lips. She forced her eyelids open and looked straight at Kang Geom-Ma.

“…Kang Geom-Ma.”

Among the elites, occasional rumors circulated.

“So it’s you.”

The prodigious student who descended from the heavens, and moreover…

“The next Seven Stars.”

The officially recognized successor of the Swordmaster, Siegfried.

Crack.

Mao Lang clenched her teeth tightly. The emotions she had been suppressing began to surface in her eyes.

Envy, jealousy, fear, respect.

As the future leader of the House of the Iron King, Mao Lang had talent, but she was not the best. She knew that herself.

The Swordmaster Siegfried, known as the strongest human, who had reached the Seven-Star rank at the age of twenty.

Saki Kojima, the Master of the Bow, considered the strongest of his generation.

And All Mute, the hero of the United States, the world’s dominant superpower.

The heights those individuals had reached were far too distant for Mao Lang to even dream of.

That was why she had chosen politics. She used schemes and backdoor maneuvers to eliminate her opponents.

However, against overwhelming power, politics was nothing more than a cheap trick.

‘But…’

Mao Lang gathered strength in her legs. She activated all the blessings passed down through generations in her family.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Her calves tensed, and the ground began to crack. A whirlwind of wind swirled around her. Her muscles emitted a dull sound as they tightened to their limits.

“All this time, I haven’t just been playing around.”

Mao Lang grinned fiercely, though a torrent of blood spilled from her lips. Even so, her stance was unwavering.

A sharp pain surged from her knees, yet she felt light, as if the chains that had bound her had been removed.

“Haa…”

Mao Lang exhaled deeply. Letting go of all worldly concerns, her legs felt as light as feathers. She looked directly at Kang Geom-Ma and murmured softly.

“Thank you, Geom-Ma.”

“……”

Kang Geom-Ma tilted his head slightly, saying nothing. Mao Lang smiled serenely.

“Thanks to you, I have regained clarity.”

Soon, Mao Lang’s upper body seemed to tilt forward for a moment.

Boom!!

A deafening roar shook the ground. This time, it was a real physical phenomenon, not something within a domain. The air around her legs vibrated like a mirage.

In an instant, the distance between them disappeared. Mao Lang planted her left foot firmly on the ground.

The power of a kick comes from balance. The more stable the stance, the greater its destructive force.

With her left leg rooted to the ground, Mao Lang swung her right leg. The force generated from her core surged through her muscles, reaching the tip of her foot.

The devastating attack of the Relentless Iron was aimed at Kang Geom-Ma’s temple with enough force to not only shatter his skull but obliterate his entire body.

Whoosh!

Mao Lang’s kick traced an empty arc through the air. The wind stirred up a cloud of dust around her due to the failed impact.

In the spot where Kang Geom-Ma had been standing, not even a shadow remained.

Mao Lang’s eyes frantically searched for him.

‘Above? Below? To the side?’

Her pupils scanned swiftly in all directions.

At that moment, a sharp sensation, like a needle, pricked her spine. The sound of a blade slicing through the air came from a blind spot in her vision.

‘Behind.’

Mao Lang swung her airborne leg horizontally. The tip of her foot carved a clean arc as it sought to strike Kang Geom-Ma’s face.

Clang!

A metallic sound rang out. A blade so thin it seemed fragile had stopped her steel-like foot, which should have crushed his face.

Mao Lang’s eyes widened. How? How could he stop it? The answer was terrifyingly simple.

He had deflected the impact by twisting the blade with precise control. A movement more meticulous than a machine’s.

From his solid stance, it seemed that Kang Geom-Ma had only moved his wrist. At least, that’s what the spectators believed.

But Mao Lang had seen it clearly.

Crack.

The sound of the blade fracturing echoed, and at the same time, as if healing a wound, the metal fused back together.

Kang Geom-Ma had channeled the [Blessing of Transfer] to activate the [Blessing of Regeneration] on Murasame. It wasn’t a calculated maneuver but an instinctive manifestation.

The blade, forged from the materials of demonic beasts, was composed of living cells. The blessing coursed through the cracks in the blade like veins, restoring it.

‘A… a monster!’

At that moment, Mao Lang’s face reflected shock and confusion.

Right then, Kang Geom-Ma flicked his blade. A cold silver flash cut through the air and grazed Mao Lang’s left arm.

Slash… thud.

The arm displayed a clean, red cut before the severed flesh fell to the ground.

Mao Lang’s eyes locked onto the empty space where her arm had been. A cold breeze brushed against her side.

“……!”

The laughter and murmurs that had filled the arena came to an abrupt halt. The eyes of the crowd no longer reflected awe, but a trance-like disbelief. The scene they had witnessed felt surreal—like a dream.

“Aaaaaaaahhh!”

A piercing scream erupted a second too late. From where her left arm had been, a fountain of blood gushed violently. With her remaining hand, Mao Lang tried to stem the flow as she staggered backward.

“Haa… haa…”

Her breathing grew weak. Mao Lang barely managed to lift her gaze forward.

Kang Geom-Ma flicked his sashimi, shaking off the droplets of blood clinging to the blade. The crimson drops fell like dew from the tip of his knife.

He turned his gaze to Mao Lang. His white eyes emitted a frigid glow.

“A… ghost!”

A chill ran down her spine. Mao Lang felt the looming presence of death.

Without realizing it, her legs stepped back. When a living being is on the verge of death, its body instinctively fights for survival.

Her reason screamed at her to run, but fear had paralyzed her brain.

Her legs and arms moved on their own. Her feet adopted a stance she hadn’t chosen, and her one remaining arm trembled as it lifted.

‘I don’t want to die.’

The sheer will to survive fueled her movements. Mao Lang felt her vision slowly darkening.

Thud—

Her feet struck the ground hard, kicking up dust. The sound of her joints cracking was audible.

Mao Lang forced every last ounce of strength from her weakened ligaments and muscles, raising her leg upward. At the same time, the wind began whirling violently around her foot.

The pain was so overwhelming she felt like she would lose consciousness.

But the tip of her foot pointed directly at Kang Geom-Ma.

It resembled a cannon just before firing.

Finally, her subconscious spoke.

“Thunderous Wind.”

Whooooom!

A fierce gust of wind surged forward, kicking up dust in its wake. The spectators gaped, unable to utter a sound.

“…I thought you were smarter than your brothers.”

Kang Geom-Ma shook his head.

“But at least your spirit isn’t bad.”

He leaned forward slightly and adjusted his grip on his sword, flipping it into a reverse grip.

His stance resembled that of a beast baring its claws.

Those unfamiliar with him furrowed their brows, wondering why he had assumed such an unstable stance.

But those who knew him swallowed hard and thought the same thing.

‘Here it comes.’

Time seemed to flow in slow motion.

Kang Geom-Ma’s eyes perceived the intersection between the present and the future, marked by a thin red line.

The wind-infused attack rushing toward him should have torn his limbs apart. That was the logical outcome…

—Swish

His blade sliced effortlessly through the wind.

—Slash

Metal pierced flesh.

The sound was clear and brief.

Crunch.

The noise of bones snapping and flesh tearing echoed.

The ferocious gale suddenly stilled.

In the next instant, a mechanical, detached voice reverberated throughout the arena.

[The duel in the subspace has concluded.]

One by one, the empty gazes of the audience began widening.

[The victor is…]

They swallowed collectively.

[Student Kang Geom-Ma of Joaquin Academy.]

The star of the continent had fallen.

***

“Haaa.”

I wiped the sweat sliding down my face. The traces of battle dissipated along with the subspace barrier.

I cast a broad glance at the stands. Most people were staring at me with astonished expressions, not even blinking. Among the crowd, a few familiar figures stood out.

Vladimir Yeszov, Mahatma Sindbad, All Mute, and their companions. All of them were watching me with evident caution.

It was uncomfortable.

‘This is why I wanted to end it in a more moderate way…’

I turned my gaze toward Mao Lang. Her dilated pupils showed that she had yet to fully regain her senses. Mao Lang trembled weakly, like a flame on the verge of going out.

“……”

I had launched the first attack in the subspace. There was no grand reason for doing so.

There were still two and a half days left of the festival, and I needed to continue running my kimchi stew business. I didn’t want to cause an unnecessary scandal.

Think about it—who would want to eat at a stall where the chef uses a knife to cut people?

Sure, my weapon is a sashimi knife, but that doesn’t change things.

Honestly, I thought that would be enough for her to understand.

But Mao Lang, unexpectedly, reignited her fighting spirit.

As one of the strongest young warriors of her generation, her tenacity was remarkable.

Mao Lang showed no hesitation in pushing her body to the limit and unleashing all her blessings.

It was a tactic that fully capitalized on the characteristics of the subspace, where physical interventions have no real effect.

‘She didn’t build her name for nothing.’

I scratched my chin as I pondered.

Either way, the fact that she provoked me by calling kimchi stew by another name was a clear provocation. Regardless of her intent, that had irritated me.

I turned my gaze back to Mao Lang. Her grayish pupils were beginning to show signs of life.

After confirming her condition, I took a step toward her.

Step, step.

“……!”

With each step I took, Mao Lang’s pupils, which had just begun to regain vitality, trembled violently.

I had learned a lesson from her twin brothers.

‘To avoid future resentment, it’s best to settle this properly now.’