Chapter 168: Next (6)

As Xiao Lan stepped into the arena, a wave of boos came from the crowd.

“

Boooooo!

”

Murmurs among the Celestials grew louder. Even if they somehow agreed to overlook Xiao Lin facing Kwon Oh-Jin, a high-ranking Awakener like her was clearly crossing the line.

“I’ll accept the challenge, but...” Xiao Lan unsheathed her sword and tossed it far away. “I won’t use any weapons or my Stigma.”

She clenched her fists instead of using a sword.

Xiao Lan looked at Kwon Oh-Jin’s stomach, which had a wound so severe that the surrounding flesh was already necrotizing.

“

And...

”

Xiao Lan casually clenched her hand, and a sharp icicle formed in her palm.

She stabbed herself and grimaced in pain as blood gushed out from her stomach. Then, she released a chilling aura and necrotized the flesh around the wound before casually tossing the icicle aside.

Xiao Lan glared at Kwon Oh-Jin while rubbing her stomach. “This should balance things out a little, right?”

Not using a weapon was one thing, but giving up her Stigma as well was a considerable handicap.

Kwon Oh-Jin shrugged and shook his head. “You didn’t need to go that far.”

Xiao Lan’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll find out whether it was needed or not!”

She stomped and clenched her fists. Like a predator stalking its prey, she lowered her stance and launched forward explosively.

Thud!

Kwon Oh-Jin barely had time to react. In an instant, Xiao Lan had crossed several dozen meters and punched straight into his solar plexus.

Wham!

“

Kugh!

”

Kwon Oh-Jin bent like a bow. Even before he could register the pain, a follow-up right hook slammed into his face.

Smack!

The overwhelming impact made it hard to tell if a human had punched him or a battering ram had struck him. He spun like a ragdoll before crashing to the ground.

“

Kugh!

” Kwon Oh-Jin coughed out blood.

He staggered as he got up and hollowly laughed.

So this is without using her Stigma?

Indeed, the physique of a high-ranking Awakener was far too abnormal to be categorized as merely human.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

Xiao Lan glared fiercely as she charged toward Kwon Oh-Jin. Her punches flew at an unbelievable speed.

Wham! Whack! Smack!

He curled up like an insect, unable to do anything but endure the relentless barrage.

Spica’s chirpy voice echoed in his ears.

“Awakener Kwon Oh-Jin is taking a one-sided beating! Even though she’s not using her Stigma or weapons, is a high-ranking Awakener really just too much for him?”

Kwon Oh-Jin wasn’t just unable to counter. He could barely defend himself against the onslaught.

His breathing grew ragged.

“

Haa... haa!

”

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Through his hazy vision, he saw Xiao Lan’s fist dart toward him like a beam of light.

Stigma of Hourglass.

The world slowed as if in slow motion.

Kwon Oh-Jin read the trajectory of her incoming punch and tried to dodge.

Whoosh!

Her fist abruptly changed direction mid-swing.

Xiao Lan couldn’t use the Stigma of Hourglass, but she had adjusted her aim in a fraction of a second to follow his movements.

Wham!

“

Kugh!

”

Her punch sent him flying once again.

Xiao Lan frowned as she looked down at Kwon Oh-Jin. “What the hell was that?”

It had only been a split second, but she definitely saw him reacting to her punch and attempting to dodge it.

There’s no way he should’ve been able to react.

Even without her Stigma, she possessed a superhuman physique from ascending into a high-ranking Awakener. Their power difference was like a grown man fighting an eight-year-old child, yet Kwon Oh-Jin had managed to react to her attack.

“I don’t know what trick you’re using, but...” Xiao Lan bared her teeth and charged at Kwon Oh-Jin once more. “Even if you can react, it doesn’t matter if you can’t dodge!”

Xiao Lan kicked him like a ball.

Thwack!

Kwon Oh-Jin soared into the air as blood sprayed. Xiao Lan grabbed his ankle and violently threw him.

Thud! Thump! Bang!

He bounced along the ground like a skipping stone before collapsing onto the arena floor, soaked in blood.

Xiao Lan crossed her arms and scoffed, “

Ha.

”

Even though she easily won, the crowd didn’t cheer. Instead, contemptuous gazes fell on her.

Damn it.

She had expected this, but the bitterness still lingered.

Still, at least I beat him to a pulp.

Recalling her sister’s agonizing screams, Xiao Lan thought that this level of revenge was justified.

“Yes! As expected, there’s no turn of events here! The winner is Awakener Xiao...”

Spica was about to raise her arm toward Xiao Lan.

“Who said... it’s over?”

Kwon Oh-Jin, who had been lying on the ground, slowly began to get up. Though he staggered and wobbled, he didn’t fall.

“You... think... this is... the end?”

Xiao Lan looked at him as if she were sick of it already. “You...”

Clenching her fists, she walked toward him.

“Enough is enough.”

This had already gone beyond what it was supposed to. Now it was practically overkill.

Xiao Lan causally swung her fist, looking at Kwon Oh-Jin with a fed-up expression.

Whoosh!

“

Hm?

”

Kwon Oh-Jin, who looked ready to collapse at any moment, successfully dodged her punch.

Xiao Lan frowned and swung again.

Whoosh.

Again, he tilted his head just in time to avoid the blow.

“What the hell?”

Even though she only lightly swung, Kwon Oh-Jin shouldn’t have been able to dodge in his tattered state.

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled. His swollen eyes looked like they had been stung by a bee. “Finally... I can see it.”

He started to read Xiao Lan’s punches. The same ones he couldn’t avoid even with the Stigma of Hourglass. Now he was doing things he hadn’t been able to do. Seeing things he hadn’t been able to see before. Even now, battered to the point of no return, he was still growing.

Xiao Lan’s eyes widened. “Y-You!”

Biting her lip, she attacked with even greater speed.

“I was just going to end things here, but!”

Xiao Lan closed the distance and grabbed Kwon Oh-Jin’s left arm. Like wringing out a rag, she twisted his elbow. The chilling sound of bones shattering rang out as his left arm bent at an unnatural angle.

Crack!

“

Ahhhhhhh!

”

White shards of bone pierced through the flesh of Kwon Oh-Jin’s elbow.

“S-Stop! Stop this at once!” Vega shouted desperately and rushed into the arena.

Only then did Xiao Lan realize that she had gotten too carried away.

“

Ah.

”

She flinched and her shoulders tensed as she stepped back.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to go this far.”

Avoiding Kwon Oh-Jin’s gaze, she turned away and anxiously bit her lip. “I’ll grab a potion from Lord Deneb.”

As her back turned to him, a wire shot toward her and wrapped tightly around her.

Bang!

Blue electricity coursed through the wire, shocking her.

Crackle!

“

Kyahh

,” she screamed just like Xiao Lin. “Y-You crazy bastard!”

Xiao Lan frantically grabbed the wire around her with both hands and easily tore it apart. She turned back and saw Kwon Oh-Jin struggling to his feet, panting heavily.

“

Huff, huff!

”

His broken left arm with protruding bones dangled back and forth as he approached her.

“What the hell,” Xiao Lan said in a trembling voice. “What the hell are you?!”

She swung her arm violently like swatting away a bug clinging to her.

Thwack!

Struck by the back of her hand, Kwon Oh-Jin rolled across the ground and collapsed.

“

Haa, haa!

What the fuck...”

She turned away again and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

“Where... do you think... you’re going?”

A faint whisper, barely hanging by a thread, reached her ears. It sounded sickening and unpleasant like a nightmare.

“We... can... keep going... can’t we?”

As if it were nothing but an annoyance, Kwon Oh-Jin grabbed his dangling left arm and tore it off.

Crack!

Xiao Lan staggered back, her face drained of all color. “H-Hey... y-your arm...”

Baring his blood-soaked teeth, Kwon Oh-Jin staggered toward her.

Spica, who had always worn a bright smile like a blooming flower, now stood frozen with a hardened expression. “

Uh

, Awakener, Kwon Oh-Jin?’

She wasn’t the only one who reacted like this. The Celestials watching from the stands also became speechless with their mouths agape in disbelief.

“D-Did he just tear off his own arm?”

“What the hell?”

“Stop.” Xiao Lan’s face turned pale as she looked at Kwon Oh-Jin.

He was so wounded and soaked in blood that he could collapse at any moment. Even his face looked unrecognizable, but he didn’t stop.

“Stop it already!” Xiao Lan desperately screamed and raised her fist.

“Lightning Charge.”

Crackle!

Blue lightning condensed in Kwon Oh-Jin’s fist.

Once. Twice. Three times. Four times. And five.

No.

Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.

He didn’t stop and kept repeating Lightning Charge over and over again.

Crackle! Crackle!

His right fist shone with a blinding light. His arm had swelled to the point of exploding due to the excessive amount of condensed lightning.

Lightning Charge.

However, he didn’t stop because he had no reason to. Despite the excruciating pain in his right arm, Kwon Oh-Jin smiled brightly.

Just a little more.

The thrill that boiled his brain, the exhilarating pulse that surged with every heartbeat—he could feel the climax approaching.

“Y-You crazy bastard!” Xiao Lan shouted.

Xiao Lan charged at him in desperation, sensing the immense amount of mana gathering at his fist.

Kwon Oh-Jin ducked, almost to the point of touching the ground, and dodged her wild punch.

“I did it.”

Craccckkkklllle!

His right arm, which had repeatedly condensed the lightning, exploded. No, to be precise, another arm appeared from within—an arm made of blazing blue lightning.

A blue status window popped up with a loud chime.

Ring!

[Lightning has reached Lv10!]

[Kwon Oh-Jin has acquired the skill Lightning Form Lv1.]

[Kwon Oh-Jin has achieved an accomplishment impossible for his current star rank!]

[All skills influenced by Lightning have increased by 2 levels!]

Kwon Oh-Jin swung his fist that had now transformed into pure lightning toward Xiao Lan. Using Lightning Form, which transcended the laws of physics, a wave of lightning rushed toward her.

“

Kyahhhh!

”

Crackle!

Xiao Lan went flying like a cannonball and slammed into the arena wall dozens of meters away. She slumped against the wall and fell unconscious.

A deathly silence fell over the arena.

The Celestials watching the match and even Spica, who served as the host, stared at Kwon Oh-Jin without uttering a single word.

In that silence, where not even the sound of breathing could be heard, the bloody Kwon Oh-Jin slowly turned toward Deneb.

“Next.”