Chapter 97: Final Exam (7)

Erio Pine twisted the corners of her lips.

“What the hell is that bitch doing?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s clear she’s not planning to join us.”

“You think I don’t know that?! What I want to know is why, why the hell did that damn traitor, Choi Seol-Ah, abandon us to side with that blood-soaked brat?!”

Erio shouted furiously, while Paul shrugged indifferently before responding.

“Perhaps living among humans has influenced her. Come now, calm yourself, Miss Erio. This is no time to lose your temper before the main event. I’ll take care of that black-haired cadet.”

“Are you sure? No matter how favorable this terrain is for us, that boy defeated Relentless Iron at just seventeen years old.”

Erio asked coldly, but Paul placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head in respect.

“Even if I end up losing, at the very least, I can wear him down. And believe me, I’ve been observing his strength for quite some time. I won’t make the mistake of underestimating him.”

“If you say it with such confidence, I suppose you have a plan.”

“Yes, leave it to me, Miss Erio.”

Paul paused, observing Kang Geom-Ma. His arms were tense, muscles visibly defined as he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, reflecting the intensity of the situation. After a moment of silence, Paul murmured in a low voice:

“With so much magical energy in the air, and yet he remains composed… Impressive, as always. If we fought ten times, I’d lose nine. But…”

Paul narrowed his eyes, and the air around him seemed to vibrate with a murky energy.

“…This place is not in your favor, Cadet Kang Geom-Ma.”

Gathering the scattered magical energy, Paul concentrated it in his hands, creating an aura so powerful that it made some of his hair levitate.

Snap!

With a snap of his fingers, six spheres of earth emerged behind him, floating in the air. Each was the size of a cannonball. Another snap, and small sparks began igniting on the spheres, engulfing them in flames.

‘Following Miss Erio and signing a contract with the Fourth Corps Commander was definitely the right decision.’

Villains cannot use magic on their own. To do so, they must act as parasites to a Corps Commander, who provides the necessary magical energy. Without a master, magic is beyond their reach.

Erio and Paul had lost their power after Agor’s death, even after selling their souls to become villains. However, fate smiled upon them one day.

The Fourth Corps Commander, Fermush, offered them a contract. In exchange, they had to deliver Leon, the hero candidate.

For a Corps Commander-level demon to invade the human world, they need a vessel. The stronger the vessel, the more power the demon can manifest. That’s why Leon, with his near-limitless potential, was the perfect target.

Erio and Paul accepted without hesitation, and thanks to Fermush, they could now wield both fire and earth magic.

‘Even though I said I wouldn’t underestimate him… There’s no way I can lose this.’

The magical energy saturating the air flooded Paul’s veins with an intoxicating sensation. Though he tried to maintain his composure, the euphoria made him smile.

Meanwhile, Choi Seol-Ah watched from a distance, feeling a twinge of regret upon realizing that Paul could use two magical elements.

‘Could I have wielded two elements if I had signed a contract with a different Corps Commander?’

However, it was too late for regrets. As much of a traitor as she was, she had no intention of changing her decision so quickly.

‘I just have to trust Kang Geom-Ma.’

Resolute, she stepped back a little further. She knew that far from helping, she would only be a hindrance to him. Besides, if things got worse, she already had an escape plan.

Tap. Tap.

Paul advanced confidently, convinced that he had the upper hand. He had studied Kang Geom-Ma’s combat style during his duel with Mao Lang.

That inhuman speed and precision in his attacks had left him impressed.

‘Normally, I wouldn’t even be able to touch him.’

But there are countermeasures. Eliminate empty space.

What use is agile footwork if your movements are restricted?

Even if he dodges this attack, I just have to keep striking.

This is an environment where magical energy, the core ingredient of magic, is abundant.

More than anything, that bastard Kang Geom-Ma is emotionally unstable. Even if his eyes seem colorless and transparent, his mind must be deeply shaken. The aftershocks will make the difference between life and death.

“I’m going all in.”

The fire-heated cannonballs launched instantly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A barrage surged toward Kang Geom-Ma like a meteor shower. Each time a rock collided, a thunderous crash echoed, shaking the ground.

Continuous, relentless bombardment.

Fiery sparks froze within the white dust, creating a dry and hazy atmosphere.

The explosions rattled the ground, and dust and sparks filled the air. The environment became dry and oppressive.

Choi Seol-Ah narrowed her eyes, trying to ignore the dryness of her eyelids. She observed the battle through her other senses—the heat, the sound of the explosions, and the scent of scorched earth.

Despite the chaos, she couldn’t hear the distinct sound of a sword cutting through. Her eyelashes trembled with uncertainty.

‘…There’s no way Kang Geom-Ma is losing, right?’

Choi Seol-Ah shook her head to dispel a fleeting moment of doubt.

She had no choice but to trust her own decisions—or, more precisely, her own instincts.

As soon as her eyes adjusted to the dry heat, she opened them wide. This was a life-or-death gamble. She was determined to witness it, even if it meant losing her sight.

Paul was undoubtedly a formidable enemy due to his ability to wield two types of magic simultaneously. However, what was even more frustrating was his combat prowess.

Charging, launching, bombarding.

These three processes were executed in Paul’s hands within seconds. The surprise was evident in Choi Seol-Ah’s eyes.

‘…Paul, when did you reach this level?’

He absorbed the magical energy from the environment, converted it instantly into magic, and released it in an instant. Choi Seol-Ah understood perfectly how absurd it was to accomplish such a feat.

When she had seen him before, he hadn’t seemed this strong… Aside from his contract with the Fourth Corps Commander, Fermush, Paul must have experienced significant personal growth. That was the only conclusion Choi Seol-Ah could reach.

Otherwise, she would have felt an inexplicable sense of nausea for some reason. Believing what she wanted to believe was her only option.

That, too, was a fundamental attitude of a villain.

Paul continued his offensive for several minutes. This wasn’t about precise attacks—it was a wild bombardment meant to limit his opponent’s movements. Before they realized it, the battlefield had completely changed.

Fiery rocks were embedded in both the ground and the inner walls. Paul’s pupils darted swiftly beneath his thin eyelids, searching for any trace of his opponent.

‘Where is he?’

All he could see was Choi Seol-Ah awkwardly standing in the distance, but Kang Geom-Ma was nowhere in sight.

Immediately, Paul heightened his senses, scanning for Kang Geom-Ma’s presence. There was no way he had just taken all of that silently. Paul had seen firsthand how incredibly fast Kang Geom-Ma was—so fast he was barely visible.

Paul focused and quickly rolled his eyes upward. At that moment, a chilling sensation ran down his spine, followed by a terrifying shiver.

Just as he was about to turn his head—

The glint of a sword flashed through a blind spot in his vision.

The razor-sharp tip of the knife pierced through the dust and struck Paul’s side and collarbone.

Shing!

“Ugh!”

Paul’s mouth opened, letting out a pained gasp.

The vivid sting of a blade made his eyes widen instantly.

A sharp, cold pain shot through his stomach.

“!”

Paul’s pupils contracted, then dilated once before locking onto Kang Geom-Ma.

The sight of Kang Geom-Ma’s glowing eyes staring at him from up close was the last thing Paul expected to see. He had no time to react.

As Kang Geom-Ma twisted his body and swung his sword, a flash of silver light sliced cleanly through his forearm.

Slash.

Paul’s right arm detached and floated through the air, spraying fresh blood. His mind, sluggish from the shock, momentarily froze.

“Aaaaahhh!”

The scream came late, only after the searing pain consumed him.

“Damn it!”

Paul cursed as he staggered backward, trying to put distance between them. His eyes, now darkened with terror, revealed an even deeper fear than before.

Though Kang Geom-Ma could have ended him immediately by severing his head, he only inflicted wounds on his arms and sides, avoiding vital areas. This left Paul thinking—why?

His gaze instinctively drifted toward Leon, who lay with his crushed forearm and blood pouring from his side.

‘No way…’

Paul’s pupils trembled. Kang Geom-Ma was returning exactly what had been done to Leon and Saki.

‘From the beginning, this was never about winning or losing.’

Only then did Paul realize that, far from buying time, he had been completely manipulated.

Kang Geom-Ma watched him in silence, his colorless eyes filled with something beyond mere killing intent. Just by looking at him, Paul’s body trembled, and his jaw quivered involuntarily.

“Aaaaahhh! Argh!”

Paul screamed again, his mind trapped in a whirlwind of fear. Desperate, he waved his remaining hand in a frantic, pleading motion, as if trying to grasp onto the last remnants of his strength.

From behind Paul, a grotesque, spiked rock emerged once more.

Without his right hand, he could no longer conjure fire. Instead, he gathered all the scattered magical energy around him.

Paul concentrated all his power into a single spell and launched it with everything he had.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kang Geom-Ma watched in silence, gripping his sword tightly. An intense energy began to radiate from his knuckles, enveloping the entire blade. A soft blue light began flowing along the edge.

‘…No way. Is that—?’

Paul’s face filled with shock.

It was an aura, a technique only the most powerful experts could wield. Paul was completely baffled at seeing something that lay far beyond his understanding.

As Paul struggled to process it, Kang Geom-Ma raised his sword.

And in a low, chilling tone, he spoke.

“Die.”

The blade vibrated.

Slash.

The piles of earth split cleanly in two, crashing against the walls with a thunderous impact. The brilliant blue light surged forward, cutting through Paul without stopping.

A straight red line appeared from the top of his head down to his groin.

“This… can’t be…”

Paul tried to touch his chest, but his body split cleanly in two.

Thud.

The villain who was once Paul was reduced to two perfectly severed halves.

***

It was an unbelievable sight.

Choi Seol-Ah’s pupils, as she watched the scene unfold, widened at least three times before shrinking back down.

She rubbed her eyes as if trying to wake from a dream and opened them again.

Her gaze locked onto “that”—what had once been Paul. His body, cleanly sliced in half, was rapidly losing its warmth. Choi Seol-Ah felt a buzzing in her head.

“This is insane.”

Kang Geom-Ma’s arm seemed to blur for an instant before something flashed.

And then—this situation.

Was that even an attack? In Choi Seol-Ah’s eyes, everything had happened faster than lightning. It even seemed as if auras had been woven into the motion, and at such a young age, he could control that energy so incredibly.

The impact left her speechless. It was such a monstrous sword strike that it seemed to completely defy the laws of physics.

Choi Seol-Ah’s gaze naturally shifted toward Erio.

Erio’s face was utterly lost in confusion and despair. Her reaction wasn’t much different from Choi Seol-Ah’s. But their positions were clearly opposite.

To Kang Geom-Ma, Choi Seol-Ah was an ally, while Erio was an enemy. Erio’s lips twisted under the weight of the shock.

As she watched her, a deep smile crept onto the corners of Choi Seol-Ah’s lips.

Even back in her villain days, Erio had looked down on her and openly belittled her. But now, she was trembling like a drenched rat.

“Idiot.”

Choi Seol-Ah looked at Kang Geom-Ma’s back. Smoke rose from his shoulders. The scent of burnt air lingered in her nose from the heat of friction that had swept through the air.

“……”

As she watched, Choi Seol-Ah became certain.

The safest place in the world was, without a doubt, by his side.

For Choi Seol-Ah, that was more than enough.