Chapter 168: Next (6)

Chapter 168: Next (6)

Boooooooo!—

Booing erupted from the crowd when Shaolan took a step into the arena.

The celestials' agitation only grew.

Even if they somehow agreed to overlook Shaolin, sending out a high-ranking Awakener like Shaolan was an act that clearly crossed the line.

"I accept your proposal, however..."

Shaolan unclipped the sword hanging on her belt and threw it far away.

"I won't use my weapon or stigma."

Instead of grasping her sword, she clenched her fists.

Shaolan's gaze headed to Ohjin's stomach. His injury was so severe that the flesh near his sword-pierced skin had started to necrotize.

"And..."

A sharp icicle was made in her hand once she lightly clenched it.

Pshk!—

Shaolan's face distorted in pain.

Blood gushed out of her stomach where she had stabbed it with the icicle.

After releasing cold energy near the injury and necrotizing it, she threw away the icicle.

"The conditions are, to an extent, equal with this, right?"

Shaolan glared at Ohjin while gripping the injury on her stomach.

Restricting the usage of the sword wasn't a big deal, but not using her stigma was quite a substantial handicap.

"There really wasn't a need to go so far."

Ohjin shrugged and shook his head.

Shaolan's brow raised.

"Why don't you save that talk..."

Boom!—

She clenched her fist and moved forward.

Shaolan lowered her body like a predator hunting for prey and shot off.

"...for after you experience getting hit!"

Bam!—

"Ugh!!"

There wasn't even a gap to see her movements properly.

Shaolan clenched her fist tightly and struck Ohjin on his chest after closing the distance of over dozens of meters in an instant.

His body curved in like a bow.

A light hook followed up the punch before the pain resided and directly hit Ohjin's face.

Pow!—

The power behind the attacks was so devastating that it made him wonder whether he was hit by a human or a battering ram.

His body spun and crashed into the floor.

"Cough!"

Blood ran up his neck and poured out.

Ohjin twisted his body up while chuckling.

'This is her without using her stigma?'

Indeed, it didn't feel right to categorize the body of a high-rank Awakener as 'human'.

"What's so funny?"

Shaolan widened her eyes and rushed at Ohjin.

Pow! Tak! Bam!—

Her fists were swung at a terrifying speed.

Ohjin couldn't even retaliate as he received the pouring attacks while curling his body up like a pill bug.

[Awakener Gwon Ohjin is getting one-sidedly beaten! As expected, is facing a high-rank Awakener impossible, even without the use of their weapon and stigma?]

Spica's frivolous voice was heard.

As she said, Ohjin was already having difficulty trying to block the attacks, let alone retaliate.

"Huff! Huff!"

He had to catch his breath.

Shaolan's fist aimed at him like a flash of light through his blurry vision.

'Celestial Stigma.'

The world slowed.

Ohjin read the path of the approaching fist and twisted his body accordingly.

However...

Swoosh!—

"...!"

The fist changed paths in the middle of the punch.

Despite not using the stigma of Clepsydra, she was able to change the direction of her punch and follow Ohjin's movement in that fraction of a second.

Pow!!—

"Kugh!"

Ohjin was hit by her fist and sent flying away.

"...What was that just now?"

Shaolan frowned and looked down at Ohjin.

He had certainly reacted to her punch and twisted his body in an extremely short frame of time.

'There's no way he was able to react to it.'

Even if she wasn't using her stigma, she'd obtained a superhuman body while advancing as a high-rank Awakener.

The difference in physique was just about the same as an adult male and an eight-year-old kid. Being able to react to her punch couldn't be possible.

"I don't know what trick you pulled—"

Shaolan fiercely bared her teeth and sprinted to Ohjin.

"—but reacting is no use if you can't avoid it!"

Bam!—

Ohjin sprayed blood and was lifted into the air as she kicked his body that was on the ground like a ball.

Shaolan grabbed his ankle and violently threw him.

Bang! Boom! Bam!—

He bounced on the ground like a skipping stone as he was thrown.

Drenched in blood, Ohjin powerlessly collapsed on the floor.

"Hmpf."

Shaolan crossed her arms and chuckled.

She was able to attain victory easily, but there was no applause to be heard.

Rather, gazes that were closer to contempt were headed toward her.

'Damn it.'

Even though she already knew it would turn out that way, it tasted bitter.

'Still, I was able to beat him up to my heart's content.'

She thought that the amount of revenge was appropriate when considering the dreadful screams of her little sister.

* * *

Translator - Maccas

Proofreader - ilafy

* * *

[Indeed! There was no twist! The winner is Awakener Shao—]

When Spica was going to raise her arm in the direction of Shaolan...

"With whose permission..."

Ohjin slowly raised his body.

Even though he twisted and stumbled... he didn't collapse.

"...are you declaring it over?

"You..."

Shaolan looked at Ohjin like she was tired of it.

She clenched her fist and stomped towards Ohjin.

"Enough is enough."

He had already crossed the line several times at that point.

Shaolan stared at him with a fed-up expression and lightly swung her fist.

Swoosh!—

"Hm?"

Ohjin tottered as if he was going to collapse at any moment but avoided her fist.

Shaolan frowned and swung her fist again.

Swoosh—

However, Ohjin tilted his head and avoided her fist once again.

"Huh?"

No matter how lightly her fist was swung, it should've been impossible for him to avoid it in his half-dead state.

"Yeah... I can finally see it."

Ohjin cackled and slowly opened his bulging eyes that looked like they had been stung by bees.

Little by little, his eyes started to get used to Shaolan's fists that he had been unable to avoid, even with the use of the stigma of Clepsydra.

He started to do things he couldn't do before.

He started to see things he couldn't see before.

Even at that moment, despite being in a completely tattered state, he was growing endlessly.

"You..."

Shaolan's eyes widened.

She chewed her lips and attacked him at a faster speed.

"I was only going to end things here!"

Closing in on Ohjin in an instant, she wound herself around his left arm.

Like wringing a rag, she grabbed his elbow and twisted it.

Crunch!—

"Ahhhhhh!!"

His left arm was twisted at a freaky angle with the frightening sound of crunching bones.

A shiny white fragment of bone pierced through his skin and stuck out of his elbow.

[S-Stop! Stop right there!!!] Vega shouted urgently as she stepped into the arena.

"Ah."

Shaolan, who then realized that she had gotten too heated, flinched and stepped back.

"...Sorry. I had no intention of taking things this far."

Shaolan turned her head away and avoided his gaze.

She bit her lips with an anxious expression.

"I'll bring a potion from Sir Deneb."

When Shaolan turned her body away from Ohjin—

Bang!—

—a wire shot out and wrapped around her body.

Bzzzzzt!—

The blue lightning that flowed through the wire smote her.

"Kyah!"

A scream that was similar to Shaolin's left her mouth.

"Y-You insane bastard!!"

Shaolan quickly grabbed the wires that were wrapped around her with both hands.

They were easily broken and fell to the floor.

"Huff, huff!"

Once she turned her head, she could see that Ohjin was raising his body with ragged breathing.

He approached Shaolan with his bone-exposed left arm dangling

"...What?"

Shaolan spoke with a trembling voice.

"Just what is wrong with you?!"

She swung her palm like she was swatting away an insect stuck to her skin.

Smack!—

Ohjin rolled on the ground and collapsed after getting hit.

"Huff, huff! What the fuck is this...?"

When Shaolan wiped the cold sweat off her forehead and faced away once again—

"Where... do you think you're going?"

—a faint voice on the verge of cutting off... a voice that was sticky and unpleasant like nightmares... rang in her ears.

"We... can still... do more, right?"

Crunch!—

Ohjin grabbed and tore off his dangling left arm like it was an annoyance.

"Hey... y-your arm..."

Shaolan stepped back with a pale face.

Ohjin bared his bloody teeth and staggered towards her.

[Um... A-Awakener Gwon Ohjin...?]

Spica's face, which once only expressed a bright smile that was like a colorful flower, stiffened.

It wasn't only her...

"D-Did... he tear off his arm just now?"

"What is going on...?"

The celestials that were watching the fight were also unable to close their mouths at the unbelievable scene.

"...Stop," Shaolan said while looking at Ohjin with frightened eyes.

It wouldn't be strange if he fell unconscious with those injuries. Even when his whole body was drenched in blood and his face was wrecked to the point it was unrecognizable, he didn't stop.

"I said stop it! Now!!"

When Shaolan cried out and raised her fist...

"...Charge."

Bzzt!—

Blue lightning condensed in Ohjin's clenched fist.

One time, two times, three times, four times, and five times...

'No.'

Six times, seven times, eight times, nine times...

Charges repeated without stopping.

Bzzt! Pzzzzzt!!—

His right fist emitted a blinding light, and his right arm bloated hideously as if it was going to explode from containing too much energy.

However, he didn't stop.

'Charge.'

There was no reason to stop.

He smiled brightly while feeling the horrifying pain that traveled up from his right arm.

'A little more...'

Excitement heated his head.

He could instinctively realize that the exhilarating feeling that soared up along with his beating heart wouldn't last much longer.

"Y-You crazy fuck!!"

Shaolan quickly rushed towards him after seeing the immense amount of mana gathering in his fist.

After Ohjin avoided her violently swung fist by bending down in a motion that was similar to stumbling down...

"It's done."

Brzzzzzzt!!—

His right arm that had gone through repeated charges exploded forth.

No, to be accurate... it was a new arm that appeared from within his right arm.

—The arm of a lightning god that consisted of blazing blue lightning.

Ring!—

{ has increased to !]

[You have obtained !]

[You have accomplished a feat that should not be possible at your current Star rank!]

[All skills that are influenced by the skill have leveled up two times!]

Blue messages popped up with a noisy ring.

Ohjin's swung his blue lighting fist at Shaolan.

Storms of lightning shot forward from the body of a lightning god that was said to even transcend the laws of physics.

"Kyaaaaaaah!!"

Bzzzzzt!—

Shaolan was sent flying several dozens of meters back and violently crashed into the wall.

"..."

She lost consciousness and fainted.

[...]

"..."

"..."

A deathly silence settled down in the arena.

Not only the celestials in the stands but even the host, Spica, was unable to speak a word as they all focused on Ohjin with dumbfounded looks.

From within the silence where not even the sound of breathing could be heard, Ohjin slowly turned his blood-drenched head to face Deneb.

"Next."