Jaehee was watching Jeongwoo and Lee Shinhoo clash from behind a wall. Both moved so fast that nothing could be seen properly. There were just flashes of sparks bursting here and there.
Jaehee swallowed dryly while watching the two people fight.
“Damn it. Getting caught so stupidly.”
Just looking at how Lee Shinhoo and Jeongwoo were fighting now, it was clear that Lee Shinhoo was not an opponent for them.
To think they believed they could hold out without even gauging Lee Shinhoo’s abilities. From Lee Shinhoo’s perspective, how ridiculous and laughable must it have been?
Jaehee and his group couldn’t even properly face the summon that Lee Shinhoo summoned, let alone Lee Shinhoo himself, and got caught just like that. Three people were taken down by the three-headed dog alone. What was fortunate at least was that Lee Shinhoo didn’t kill the rest.
There were a few who suffered serious injuries, but still, they were at a level where they could recover if they drank potions. Lee Shinhoo didn’t even tie them up separately and put them in different spaces, so they probably ate potions and recovered.
Lee Shinhoo split the empty air to create new spaces and put the hostages inside. To Lee Shinhoo, the air seemed like a drawer.
“To think I have to just stand here stupidly watching and waiting for Jeongwoo to rescue me—I’m utterly pathetic.”
Jaehee slammed his fist against the wall of the small space that was barely large enough for him to stand in. He tried taking out his sword and swinging it, tried punching it, but it was no use.
Jaehee bit his lips tightly. He felt so stupid for not understanding Lee Shinhoo to this extent.
Though Lee Shinhoo’s course of action was difficult to understand, he thought it would be possible to persuade him to some degree. But it was all his miscalculation. Lee Shinhoo had already turned his back on humanity long ago, and Lee Shinhoo was no longer someone who could be persuaded.
Jaehee found it utterly pathetic that all he could do was cheer for Jeongwoo from inside this narrow space.
Bang, bang bang! Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-bang!
There was a loud noise. Jeongwoo and Lee Shinhoo clashed swords several more times. Both were evenly matched, so it was difficult to judge who was being pushed back or had the advantage.
After the clash, the two stood a little apart and glared at each other.
Since they were still at the stage of probing each other’s full strength, no one seemed to be injured yet.
“Is this all you’ve got even after receiving a Constellation’s power? Did you betray humanity to receive that measly power? I thought you’d have some grand and amazing power—don’t tell me you were stupidly deceived by a Constellation?”
“And you received Oratory as your power from a Constellation? That’s pretty shabby for that.”
“No way, I received proper power. This eloquence is just mine, so maybe that’s why it’s shabby. Well, can’t help it.”
Jaehee looked at Jeongwoo with a hollow feeling. Whether Lee Shinhoo intended it, from the space where Jaehee was trapped, he could see Jeongwoo and Lee Shinhoo’s appearances clearly.
Lee Shinhoo and Jeongwoo were evenly matched even in their war of words. Now that there was nothing to hide from each other, they seemed to be scratching at each other with their best efforts.
“…What? Is Jeongwoo hurt?”
While observing the two, Jaehee noticed a wound on Jeongwoo’s exposed nape and muttered.
Now that I think about it, that wound, I think I applied potion on that…? Why hasn’t it healed yet?
When potions were used, they healed external injuries almost instantly. Even if it was a wound deep enough not to be instant, more than a day had passed, so it should have been completely healed by now.
Then Jaehee felt something strange. A feeling like he was missing something important. Jaehee examined Jeongwoo more closely. Below Jeongwoo’s face that seemed fine, he could glimpse impatience that couldn’t be hidden. At first he thought of course he’d be impatient since all his comrades were captured, but looking again now, he thought maybe it wasn’t just for that reason alone.
“Let’s not drag this out unnecessarily long, Lee Shinhoo. Anyway, we’ve both shown all our cards.”
“Ha, now that’s something I’m glad to hear.”
Jeongwoo spoke while lightly cracking his neck left and right. Lee Shinhoo smirked while watching such a Jeongwoo.
“If you’re going to fight with a Constellation’s power, fight with full strength, and if not, just fight with your body. I don’t care either way.”
“I’m not one to not use what’s come into my hands.”
As soon as Lee Shinhoo finished speaking, Jeongwoo’s body turned red. He had transferred the flames that were rippling on his sword blade to his own body. At that moment, Lee Shinhoo’s face hardened. Since Lee Shinhoo came to Eternal Guild’s office, this was the first time seeing such a hardened expression.
“Hey, you crazy bastard…!”
“It feels strange to be called a crazy bastard by a crazy bastard. Why? Weren’t you prepared for this?”
“If you receive a Constellation’s power directly into your body, you can no longer…”
“Ah, enough. You’re acting like you’re going to give me a health checkup. To worry even about your enemy’s health—what a very compassionate humanist we have here.”
“You youngster, you’re really being reckless to the end.”
Jaehee looked at Jeongwoo worriedly. It seemed like Jeongwoo acting like that wasn’t just to provoke Lee Shinhoo.
Then Jeongwoo shot forward. Thanks to the flames completely wrapping Jeongwoo’s body, it looked less like a person’s movement and more like flames rippling forward.
“Eeeeyaaaahhhh!”
Lee Shinhoo shouted loudly and swung his sword. Dark blue flames rippled like waves from Lee Shinhoo’s sword. Jeongwoo didn’t even use his sword and blocked Lee Shinhoo’s sword with his arm. The red flames rising from Jeongwoo’s arm devoured Lee Shinhoo’s blade as if swallowing it.
It could only be described as devouring. The red flames greedily expanded their size and climbed up over Lee Shinhoo’s blade and blue flames.
“This bastard…! You’re really crazy about dying! Is it recklessness from youth, or lack of thought?”
“I don’t know about others, but I don’t want to hear that from you. Aren’t you Earth’s strongest when it comes to being thoughtless?”
Jeongwoo smirked and struck Lee Shinhoo’s stomach with his fist. Instantly, with a chilling *thud*, Lee Shinhoo was pushed back. Following that, with a *bang*, even after shattering desks and chairs to pieces, Lee Shinhoo flew further back and was pushed all the way to the wall.
“Ptui.”
Seeing Lee Shinhoo spit out blood-mixed saliva, Jeongwoo grinned.
“You still haven’t completely transformed your body yet, have you? Well, becoming that kind of monster as a human would be a bit repulsive.”
“You…, this bastard…”
For a Constellation’s Avatar to accept more of the Constellation’s power, physical transformation was essential. Some Constellations honestly explained this fact and sought consent, but some Constellations deceived their Avatars.
Kim Shin was exactly that example. Kim Shin’s Constellation didn’t tell Kim Shin that the more he used his power, the more physical transformation would occur.
Unlike such Kim Shin, Lee Shinhoo was a case where he knew that fact and used the Constellation’s power while appropriately controlling it himself.
“Ha, is the sword you’re holding my sword or your sword? I’m not quite sure either.”
At Jeongwoo’s words, Lee Shinhoo looked at the sword he was holding. Even though Jeongwoo had already let go, the red flames continued to ripple on Lee Shinhoo’s sword, threatening the dark blue flames.
Lee Shinhoo bit his lips. That it was like this even without contact was proof that his power was far inferior to Jeongwoo’s.
He didn’t want to draw any more power from the Constellation, but there was no choice.
It seemed like he could hear the Constellation Dark Night cackling in Lee Shinhoo’s ears.
A Constellation’s power, to put it simply, was like loan sharks. In the sense that while it could meet immediate needs, the price to be paid was far greater than that.
The Constellation Dark Night always tempted Lee Shinhoo to use more power, saying it would lend him greater power, but Lee Shinhoo had been using only the minimum power until now. But today, it seemed there was no other way.
Lee Shinhoo took a deep breath and slowly began accepting the Constellation’s power. It was uncomfortable and disagreeable in many ways, but there was no choice. Dark blue flames slowly rose from his head to his toes.
It would be foolish to back down here just because accepting the Constellation’s power was disagreeable.
He had already crossed a path of no return. Right now, there was no method other than breaking and cleaning up Jeongwoo.
Lee Shinhoo breathed slowly while feeling the power penetrating his entire body.
He hadn’t completely cleaned up all of Earth yet, but after cleaning up Woo Jeongwoo and Shin Jaehee, the rest wouldn’t be that difficult.
Because most of them were those without the qualifications of a King.
Lee Shinhoo narrowed his eyes and looked at Jeongwoo. Woo Jeongwoo’s body, which had already deeply accepted the Constellation’s power, looked like it was burning itself.
From now on, it would be a fight of who could endure longer.
