Chapter 938 – #203_Crossroads(7)
#932
1.
Conceal 30% of your power.
Keep a trump card up your sleeve.
In public society, these two maxims were practically common sense, so much so that repeating them felt trite.
Since you never know when or where you might have to fight for your life, you must always hide your sharpest fangs.
In that sense, Urshula wore a rather thorough mask.
She was a witch who manipulated the concepts of ‘bending’ and ‘twisting,’ but she made a name for herself by borrowing symbols and manipulating ‘gravity.’
She covered her blackish-purple magic with a dark veil, ensuring that no one could know her true abilities.
Therefore, there was only one instance when Urshula would reveal her all, that is, wield the ‘Spear of Reversal.’
When she met an opponent against whom she couldn’t guarantee victory without risking her life, and when she was prepared to die on the spot.
In Urshula’s words, it was only when a clash of glorious achievements occurred.
And in Urshula’s eyes, Shin Siwoo was an opponent worthy of respect.
“Twist.”
-Wooooooom!
The ‘Spear of Reversal’ was, in fact, inappropriate to call a spear.
It was not a weapon for close-quarters combat, and its usage was different from that of a typical cold weapon.
Its essence was closer to a ‘rotational axis of twisting.’
Urshula raised the spear to shoulder height and swung it slowly.
Compared to Siwoo’s swordsmanship, it was a strike that was significantly lacking in speed and skill.
However.
As I said before, the essence of the Spear of Reversal was a rotational axis.
-Kukwakwakwakwa!!!
The entire space in a straight line with the Spear of Reversal was distorted all at once.
The platform, which had barely maintained its shape, was shattered like a model with just one swing.
A vortex of destruction, disregarding the strength and hardness of matter, twisted the narrow underground space equally.
“Bloom.”
Before that storm could engulf Siwoo, he had already escaped the range of the attack and was sprinting.
To think she would actually swing that thing? Even if Siwoo’s body was fast and agile, it was no easy task to always ‘avoid being in a straight line with the enemy’s spear tip.’
Moreover, that wasn’t the only thing to be wary of.
-Blub blub
A concentration of magic was observed in the path of his evasive maneuver.
Amidst the collapsing and shattering surroundings, the sound of bubbles was strangely vivid in his ears.
At the same time, four circular twists appeared in the space where he was evading.
Although they were not as powerful as the twists created by the Spear of Reversal, they were vicious booby traps that he couldn’t guarantee surviving if he collided with them.
Indeed.
This was what it meant to be a 22nd-level witch.
Urshula, who had seemed somewhat ambiguous, was now living up to her name and pouring all her power into Siwoo.
“Haa!”
-Screeeech!
He used the ribbon fluttering at his waist as an anchor, deploying it into the ground to brake and change direction.
In the past, such a sudden reverse motion would have caused a shock that felt like his spine was breaking, but Siwoo was now used to strengthening his spirit body through magic.
Like a snake avoiding a wildfire, Siwoo evaded all attacks and explosively bounced back toward Urshula.
“Not a chance!”
There was a problem.
No matter how fast and agile Siwoo was, he couldn’t seem to close the distance.
Not only did he have to avoid all the spear tips, but he also had to bypass the booby traps, while Urshula only had to swing her spear around in place.
“Ahahahahaha!!!”
Urshula, as if enjoying herself, laughed with her mouth wide open and swung her spear repeatedly with a crazed look in her eyes.
The platform was transformed beyond recognition by the terrifying vortex of power that even warped space, making the term ‘underground space’ seem meaningless.
The ceiling collapsed, and the walls twisted.
Even the ground, which had become harder than most alloys due to the previous crushing gravity, could not withstand the vortex of destruction and cracked open in long fissures.
It felt like facing the last boss in a shooting game, where one hit would mean game over.
Amidst the relentless onslaught, Siwoo learned the hidden patterns and found a momentary opening.
-Kiiiiiiiiing!
The amplifying halo of an angel.
He concentrated the momentarily doped magic into the red branch.
The spear, having greedily sucked in the magic, responded by shining with a fierce red light.
It was the deadly radioactive field, the distortion field, that had nearly killed Siwoo just by holding it in the past.
“What…!”
Urshula was startled as Siwoo’s movements, which already exceeded the average witch’s mobility, accelerated as if they were fast-forwarded, and she instinctively thrust her spear out.
Even in such a situation, the Spear of Reversal maintained its structure without any disruption, proving that Urshula was a first-rate witch.
Barely dodging the vortex of destruction, Siwoo took another step.
He had closed the gap to the point where he could see the subtle movements of her eyes, which were trembling with shock.
But the Spear of Reversal still blocked his path.
It was impossible to jump over it and kill Urshula.
There are things in the world that cannot be estimated by laws or experience.
A spear that emits a concentrated distortion field and a spear that is the axis of twisting.
What kind of phenomenon would a clash between the two spears cause?
But even amidst the fear of the unknown, Siwoo had no intention of backing down.
Neither did Urshula.
————!
A deafening roar that seemed to tear the ears.
With the death throes of physical laws, the two spears, which contained the same properties, vehemently pushed each other away.
They did not simply push each other away; they tried to destroy each other as if they had malice.
The red and blackish-purple magic, bursting like sparks, twisted, bent, mixed, and fell, drawing bizarre patterns never seen before.
“Kuh…!”
A shock that turned his vision white spread from his fingertips to his entire body.
Even though he was protecting his entire body with armor and enduring the recoil by using a field to control the distortion field, it felt like his body was being sucked into a massive piece of heavy equipment.
With ominous creaking sounds, his upper arm, which had been trembling, dislocated.
A metallic taste rose from deep within his throat, and his legs gave way.
-Kwaaaang!!!
That was why the two of them could only clash spears for a mere second.
The two of them were flung in different directions by the recoil, which had become so strong that it was impossible to push through with force.
“Cough! Amazing! You’re… amazing!”
Urshula, who had jumped up, coughed up blood but smiled, revealing her blood-red teeth.
He had to admit it.
It wasn’t just about discussing the level of freely using various magic.
It was the courage to take a bold step, disregarding safety in a situation where anything could happen.
It was the fighting spirit to get up immediately despite having received a considerable shock and being knocked down.
Among all the opponents he had met so far, none had made his heart race like this.
No one had made Urshula throw everything she had into the fight like this.
Shin Siwoo was a formidable enemy who brought him the greatest joy.
A formidable enemy who had made him exhale a blissful sigh deserved a reward.
“I never thought you’d make me this happy, Mr. Shin Siwoo.”
She adjusted the Spear of Reversal, which had momentarily lost its shape due to the impact of the clash.
“I’ll give you joy with the utmost respect as well.”
-Wiiiiiiing!
The rotational axis of twisting, which had been at least as thick as a ‘spear,’ became even thinner.
The power was being concentrated even more toward a single point.
The Spear of Reversal, which had become as thin as a pencil lead, was now ready.
The turbulence that would emanate from its tip was on a different level than before.
It was a one-hit kill magic that would surely bring about the end if caught in it.
-Crack!
Siwoo wrapped his shoulder with the ribbon and violently popped his dislocated arm back into place.
There was a pain that made his vision blurry, but his arm moved properly.
It was one of the methods he had learned when sparring with Rinne in the past.
He sensed that the battle with Urshula was reaching its climax.
She would probably show her best move, and Siwoo would have to use everything he had to break it.
“Hoo…”
He wrapped the ribbon around the red branch, which had been going wild since the clash with the Spear of Reversal.
He used the ribbon, which was engraved with a magic formula to control the field, to induce the runaway of the distortion field.
-Kiiiiiiing!!!!
The golden magic, which had been amplified several times through repeated amplification.
He circulated it through the halo of an angel and doped it dozens of times in an instant.
It was called doping, but the actual process was closer to overclocking.
Siwoo, who had prepared his final move by overworking his magic circuits and taking all the recoil into his body, looked at Urshula.
No matter how friendly she was to Siwoo, she was evil.
She was a monster who had submerged tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of humans in the sea without any emotion.
Nevertheless, Urshula had shown respect to Siwoo.
Then Siwoo should at least show respect as well.
“Here I come.”
“Good, show me.”
Thinking that this exchange would be the last, he unleashed everything he had built up so far.
That was all.
2.
‘Resurrection,’ which involved discarding a dead body and sprouting a new body using the Peony Flower as a medium.
This did not simply mean physical recovery.
It meant restoring everything, including magic power, mental strength, and the durability of magic circuits, to their optimal state.
This was extremely compatible with Eloa, who specialized in one-hit kill magic, and this characteristic was no coincidence.
When Aea gained new power and decided on its direction.
She had devised a technique to eliminate Eloa, who was the biggest threat to her.
There were already three of Aea’s corpses lying dead on the floor.
It was the result of Eloa’s desperate struggle to squeeze out the limited efficiency of her magic, but….
“Haa…. Haa….”
“Is that all?”
Looking at Aea, who was immediately sprouting anew, Eloa sensed the future.
This was the end.
It was unknown how many times she could resurrect.
But for Eloa, who was already burdened with consumption, Aea’s fighting style was like a custom-made trap.
A dark despair and helplessness surged within her.
Her fighting spirit, which had burned like fire in difficult situations, was now as opaque as if it had lost its light.
Then.
“Oh dear…. How unfortunate.”
A voice was heard from somewhere.
“A pitiful person who has not only lost her disciple but also had her meaning in life denied and is destined to die at the hands of her disciple’s enemy. This is where you will die, Eloa Tiferet.”
At first, she thought it was Aea’s sarcasm.
But when she looked around, there was nothing there.
“But, what if there was another way?”
Only a whispering voice echoed in her head.
“Let’s make a contract.”
