Chapter 237: A Hero For The Little Things (7)

“Goddamn it.” Kwon Oh-Jin bit his lip hard as he stared at the blue knight leisurely approaching.

It was one thing after another. He had considered the worst-case scenario of running into the blue knight.

I hoped my prediction would be wrong.

As always, the world never went the way he wanted.

Will I be able to beat it?

He recalled how the blue knight had utterly overwhelmed Jason Hardy and Orlando Vale. The only method that came to mind to defeat it involved using Open Heaven.

No, I can’t use Open Heaven.

Once he relied on that power, he would inevitably lose himself. That much was certain. Unless the situation was truly beyond saving, using Open Heaven wasn’t an option.

“Right now, this isn’t a situation I’d call beyond saving.” Kwon Oh-Jin narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his spear.

He couldn’t think of a way to defeat the blue knight, but he had a plan to go against it head-to-head at least.

The blue knight came to a halt. From within the helmet, its burning crimson eyes locked onto Kwon Oh-Jin. Without a roar or a cry, the blue knight slowly unsheathed its rusty sword.

Shiiing.

A biting chill spread through the air, and a suffocating tension settled like a string stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

Kwon Oh-Jin looked right behind the blue knight and suddenly shouted, “Namgung Hui! Now!”

The blue knight quickly turned its head, but not even a mouse could be seen.

“I knew it.” Kwon Oh-Jin smirked and kicked off the ground. “You can understand humans.”

Lightning exploded from his speartip toward the blue knight. The blue knight swung its rusty sword to intercept it, but lightning wasn’t so easily deflected.

Crackle! Zzzzt!

The blue lightning snaked along the rusty blade and surged through the blue knight. Its legs wavered slightly.

“

Hup!

” Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t miss this opening and charged toward it.

The blue knight reacting to his words meant it had some level of intelligence.

“Azure Lightning!”

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Crackle!

Lightning exploded outward in a fan shape, but the blue knight dodged it with uncanny movements like when it had faced Jason.

Kwon Oh-Jin infused his spear with lightning and viciously attacked. Their spear and sword clashed.

Bang!

He fired his wire shooter at a nearby tree, letting go of his spear and launching himself into the air.

The spear ricocheted, spinning away after clashing with the rusty blade.

Clank!

“The fact that it's got intelligence means it can be tricked.”

While airborne, Kwon Oh-Jin spun in midair and quickly descended using Lightning Strike.

The blue knight remained composed and looked at Kwon Oh-Jin. It slashed upwards as he plummeted like a thunderbolt.

Clang!

Kwon Oh-Jin’s lightning-charged fist collided with the rusty sword.

“

Agh!

”

The sheer amount of mana radiating from the blade crushed his fist. Kwon Oh-Jin clenched his teeth and leaped back to create some distance.

So it’s not that easy to fool, huh.

Even a bluff that involved abandoning his weapon, an act close to suicide, had failed due to the blue knight’s quick reactions.

Kwon Oh-Jin frowned and activated the Stigma of Aquarius to heal his mangled fist. “Tough son of a bitch.”

It felt different watching from a distance and actually fighting the blue knight. Facing it head-on now, he could truly feel the blue knight’s absurd strength. His heart pounded wildly, and a fierce thrill crept along his spine.

Thump. Thump.

How long had it been since he felt this kind of excitement? Like dancing on a blade or performing a death-defying act on a cliffside, his nape flushed with heat and endorphins washed over him like a drug.

“

Haaa...

” Kwon Oh-Jin exhaled quietly and stretched his hand toward his spear that had been flung away.

A streak of blue lightning arced out and drew the spear back into his grasp.

Crackle!

He recalled how Riarc once told him that he was out of his mind.

I agree.

He slowly licked his lips at the euphoric thrill he hadn’t felt in so long. It flooded his entire body with heat. Kwon Oh-Jin let out a crackling laugh.

The blue knight cocked its head, seemingly confused at his laughter. It looked at him like one would look at a bizarre, deep-sea monster. Getting that kind of look from a monster felt new, but he didn’t care.

“All right. Let’s go again.”

Kwon Oh-Jin readjusted his grip on the spear and lunged forward. His spear and its sword clashed with a resounding metallic sound.

Clang!

The span of a second split into dozens of fragments as they exchanged blows at a speed the naked human eye couldn’t follow.

It's fast.

The blue knight’s sword strikes were short, precise, and above all, fast. It blocked every attack effortlessly as if it already knew every move Kwon Oh-Jin would make.

If there's such a thing as the most efficient swordsmanship, this would be it.

The knight only used the smallest movements and the minimum amount of force when countering his spear. Even while deflecting his attacks, the blue knight countered with sharp thrusts.

Slash!

Kwon Oh-Jin twisted away barely in time, but he couldn’t stop the blade from grazing his shoulder. Blood gushed from his wound.

It's cold.

Was it because they were in an ice cave? The area where the sword had scraped his shoulder started turning blue as if he had caught frostbite.

A low breath escaped the blue knight’s helmet. “

Ssss...

”

Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t tell why, but it felt like the blue knight was enjoying this.

Clang! Clang!

They exchanged hundreds and thousands of attacks. With each clash, Kwon Oh-Jin sustained more wounds. Every cut from the blue knight’s sword left frostbitten marks on his skin, and his movements visibly slowed.

“

Haa, haa!

” His breathing grew ragged. White puffs of breath spread out like cigarette smoke.

Not yet.

Kwon Oh-Jin stared at the blue knight and bit his lip.

Bang! Bang!

He fired his wire shooter to gain distance, but the blue knight dodged it with ease as if it had already gotten used to it. The misfired wire fell limply to the ground.

Not yet.

The blue knight slid forward with its sword in hand.

Slash!

The rusty blade grazed across Kwon Oh-Jin’s chest, and blood seeped into his clothes.

Not yet.

He collapsed back, and his spear rolled across the ground.

The blue knight silently stared down at him, let out a short breath, and sheathed its sword.

“

Hooo

...”

It slowly walked forward and reached toward Kwon Oh-Jin on the ground.

“Now!”

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes snapped open, and he imbued mana into his wire shooter.

Shhhh!

The wire lying limp suddenly whipped around the blue knight’s legs and yanked from both sides.

Caught off guard, the blue knight quickly drew its sword to cut the wire. In that split second with its attention focused elsewhere, Kwon Oh-Jin launched forward at the blue knight and swung his fist. Using Lightning Form, his right arm transformed into blue lightning.

I’ve only got one shot.

From the very first time he encountered the blue knight, he had been waiting for this moment.

Stigma of Hourglass.

Time stopped. Within that frozen world, only the blue knight’s rusty sword moved at an incredible speed. The blade aimed straight for Kwon Oh-Jin’s shoulder. At this rate, he would be impaled before his punch even landed.

Whoosh!

The rusty sword passed cleanly through his shoulder as if it had slashed through air instead of flesh.

Kwon Oh-Jin’s Lightning Form fist violently slammed into the blue knight’s helmet.

Crackle!

The blue knight flew back and tumbled across the ground.

Kwon Oh-Jin dryly laughed as he watched the knight roll across the floor. “

Ha

. You’ve got to be kidding me. You blocked that?”

At the last moment, just before the punch struck its head, the blue knight had sharply redirected its sword and used the flat of its blade to block the blow. As a result, the rusty sword in its hand shattered into pieces and scattered across the ground.

Kwon Oh-Jin stared at the fallen blue knight in disbelief. “Goddamn...”

The aftermath of using Lightning Form had shredded his right arm and turned it into a ruined, limp mess. He had no other choice now besides using Open Heaven.

“

Ugh...

my head.”

It seemed the rusty sword hadn’t absorbed all the shock as the blue knight’s helmet completely broke apart, and a familiar face emerged.

Kwon Oh-Jin knew that person all too well. “Allen?”

Allen Oskal of Mizar, an apostle of Deneb as well as a Seven Stars. He staggered to his feet with one hand holding his head.

Allen faintly chuckled as he scratched his head. “I figured you’d be strong, Mr. Oh-Jin... but honestly never expected you to be this strong.”

Allen wiped the blood running down his forehead and shook his head in disbelief.

“Is he really only an eight-star?”

Kwon Oh-Jin could hear him muttering and laughed in disbelief. “

Ha

.”

The blue knight’s true identity had been Allen.

Clap clap clap clap clap!

Kwon Oh-Jin could hear someone clapping from behind. He turned around and saw a woman he had never seen before standing there. She looked stunning with dark green hair, a slender figure, sparkling emerald eyes, and was just as tall as Song Ha-Eun.

The woman clapped enthusiastically and burst into delighted laughter. “Wow! That was amazing! Seriously, I didn’t think you would actually land a hit on Allen! Oh, I'm Rebecca. You’ve heard of me before, right?”

Rebecca Bell of Phecda was a high-ranking Awakener of Gemini. Almost everyone knew her name.

“

Hmm...

But maybe the name NT would sound more familiar to you,” she said.

“What?”

Rebecca smiled brightly and walked up to Kwon Oh-Jin. She gently caressed his stunned face and grinned with a playful sparkle in her eye.

“

Haha

. You did great, mister. When you said that you kept your promise earlier, I swear, I almost fell for you right then and there.”