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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 94
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The hand gripping the spear felt unusually heavy.
"..."
To unleash the incomplete skill, I held my breath, my mind sinking deeper, cold as a sharply honed blade.
—Thrust and twist a single point.
At first glance, it seemed like an incredibly simple principle and concept.
How many times had I swung my spear until now? Even vaguely, I knew I had swung it countless times.
The number of times I'd thrust with the spear during training easily surpassed thousands. When I focused on training, I'd thrust hundreds of times a day, so it was inevitable.
"Han Cheon-seong, focus."
"Yes."
In front of me, Kali stood at a distance, watching me.
As always, she held her ground with dignity, her gaze fixed on the spearhead, different from how she looked in the classroom.
Facing those cold eyes, devoid of thought or emotion, purely focused on reality, I engraved it once more into my mind.
'Kali's very existence—I will make it the driving force of my will.'
To perfect this concept, that is how I view her.
A being who has reached the ultimate power I must strive for, allowing me to burn my will even brighter.
And yet, I had to believe in my spear, that it could reach her.
Various thoughts drifted through my coldly settled mind.
'How many times had I been broken in my previous spar with Kali?'
By count, it was probably well over dozens of times.
Nevertheless, my spear continued to aim for her.
No matter how many times I fell, I wasn't broken, and I continued to temper my spirit as if hammering it strong.
————!
And then, I suddenly began to see it.
Another image of Kali began to superimpose itself over the dignified figure of Kali standing before me.
With a powerful vibration that echoed through space, she was now holding a sword.
It felt as if the intense ringing, characteristic of the transcendental vibration, was even audible in my ears.
Just as my spearhead had aimed while recalling Leonhardt before, this time I could envision Kali's strength, seeing her as my antithesis.
*Shhhk.*
The hand gripping the spear grew heavy beyond any comparison to before.
The spearhead naturally pointed downwards.
It was an entirely different kind of oppressive force from what I felt when recalling Leonhardt... as if it were crushing my entire body.
I had been able to confront the immensely powerful aura of the Sky-Shattering One-Sword with my spear.
But when I set Kali as my antithesis, even confronting her with my spear required immense resolve.
Recalling Kali with her vibrating sword, I couldn't even dare to confront her with my spear.
The outcome was painted too clearly.
—Absolute defeat.
My absolute defeat instantly came to mind.
Even if I challenged her hundreds, thousands of times, my spear would never reach her.
Innumerable images flashed through my mind: the moment my spearhead met Kali's sword, it would shatter miserably, its fragments scattering widely in the air.
And it felt like reality.
No matter how much time passed, no matter how much aura I imbued into my spear, the moment Kali was designated as my antithesis, the outcome would not change in the slightest….
He clenched his teeth.
Biting his lip, he forcefully steeled his will to lift the lowered spear shaft once more.
But... the spearhead wouldn't budge.
The spear shaft, once lowered, showed no sign of rising again.
The image of Kali shimmering before my eyes was like a colossal wall.
And it existed so naturally, as if to make me realize just how solid and unyielding it was.
'...Lift the spear.'
Forcibly steeling his mind, he continually wrestled with his spirit that threatened to break.
I had already decided to confront her—that wall—with my spear.
And I had already been broken dozens of times.
Then, even now, I had to confront it somehow.
Even though I knew my spearhead would break,
Even though I knew I would be broken again,
And even if my spirit were to break so futilely.
I had to confront it.
Only then could I move forward.
If I didn't expect a smooth path ahead, I still had to confront it.
I knew my body would be covered in blood on this difficult, thorny path. But I had to endure it to move forward.
After continually steeling his will against breaking, the lowered spearhead finally began to slowly rise upwards.
It ascended far slower than it had descended, but little by little, it was finding its original trajectory.
'And even if I break... I won't just collapse, will I?'
Hadn't I already experienced it countless times?
How many times I had been broken and fallen against her during training.
Despite that, I continued to rise again and face the reality of my defeat.
The gap between her and me. I continually faced it, engraving it into my eyes and body.
Continually facing that absolute wall that I couldn't reach no matter how hard I tried, I built my spirit even more firmly.
In the face of a reality where my spear couldn't reach, I had intensely steeled my will, as if filling that gap with my own spirit.
*Shhhk.*
The slowly rising spear had now regained its original trajectory.
Even though the ringing from Kali's sword became even more realistic, continually assailing my ears, my mind was now utterly calm.
I could face that wall, her, without wavering.
The prerequisite for unleashing my spear was finally complete.
And unleashing my spear, I would thrust and intensely twist a single point.
And, without fail, I would erase that power.
Demolishing the colossal wall, I would confront it with my spear.
As he completely solidified his single-minded resolve, mana slowly began to infuse the spear.
————!
A blue light, even more brilliant than the mana he had imbued into the spear in the park, infused the entire spear shaft, captivating his gaze.
And soon, that blue light, as if possessing a will of its own, slowly rotated, naturally enveloping the spear.
A spiral of blue light began from the spearhead.
The spiral of blue light slowly rent the air, and as it gently enveloped his body from its tip, his entire being felt noticeably lighter.
A more concretized concept conveyed its principles, as if refreshingly illuminating his mind.
How the spiraling spear would tear through the air as it advanced, and how, no matter how immense the opposing force, it could be erased.
New principles continually pierced his mind, like black ink inscribing characters on a pristine white wall.
"..."
The corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted, and he felt unusually refreshed.
Even now, Kali remained in his vision, holding her ground with dignity.
The intense ringing of the vibrating sword hadn't weakened in the slightest, still fiercely conveying its impact to him.
The wall remained solid and tall.
But he could no longer hesitate when looking at her.
Lifting and aiming the spear wasn't difficult, nor was his entire body crushed by the oppressive force any longer.
'I can reach her.'
He had to believe he could definitely reach her.
Whatever lay at the end of his spear's aim, he could reach it.
Only then could he complete it.
Because amidst the many dangers he would face in the future, he wouldn't have to rely on anyone, but could break through the situation and advance with his own strength.
The moment he thought it, he was already taking a step forward.
*Shrak.*
It was like a silent step.
As if the spiral itself was guiding him, indicating the direction he should take.
How his spear should reach that colossal wall.
…
The brilliantly shining spear, imbued with a spiral of blue light.
The moment it tore through the air and surged forward, Han Cheon-seong, too, moved like light, as if he had become one with the spear forming the blue spiral.
After that.
What happened next unfolded in mere moments.
***
The spiral of blue light.
It embroidered the space beautifully, as if enchanting anyone who beheld it.
But even so, Kali, who had been observing him indifferently, took a step almost simultaneously the moment Han Cheon-seong seemed to take his.
A sharp click.
Unlike Han Cheon-seong's silent steps, a powerful aura, enveloped in red light, swirled around her entire body, as if carving a colossal footprint.
—!
In a single instant, everything was over.
The moment the spear tore through the air and surged forward, Kali was already within arm's reach.
Kali had surged towards Han Cheon-seong even before the light-like spear could surge.
And Kali, confronting the spearhead, seized the spear shaft with near-divine skill and powerfully slammed it into the ground.
*KWAANG!!*
Amidst an unprecedented explosion and immense aftermath, Kali was already instantly outside the spear's range.
And not just her alone, but with Han Cheon-seong.
*Chak.*
With a step that touched the ground, a small bead of sweat formed on Kali's forehead.
With a tense expression and an eerily indifferent gaze, she stared blankly at Han Cheon-seong, who lay cradled in her arms.
Han Cheon-seong, already unconscious.
"..."
Kali, biting her lip tightly, couldn't say a word for a moment even as she looked at him.
And then she took in the anomaly that had unfolded in one corner of the training room.
*Sssshhhk…. *
The mysterious blue light, forming a spiral, lingered faintly, circling Han Cheon-seong's body and illuminating him splendidly.
Kali let out a deep sigh and carefully opened her mouth.
"What am I... to do with you?"
Even as she spoke, a chill ran through her chest.
Just moments ago, she had engaged in a deep conversation with Han Cheon-seong about the skill, but now, in practice, a completely unexpected outcome had unfolded.
Contrary to her expectation that Han Cheon-seong would follow the proper sequence and naturally reach the skill.
Han Cheon-seong's talent had already far surpassed her expectations.
The dangerous steps that should have been taken carefully, one by one. Han Cheon-seong had, without even realizing it himself, transcended four or five steps, looking ahead to what came next.
She had wished for Han Cheon-seong to gradually concretize and accept the concept of the skill. But his talent wouldn't allow it.
"..."
She blankly turned her head to look at the training room where the spear was impaled.
The self-replicating training room was built to withstand any impact. It was specially designed to endure even her powerful transcendental ability of vibration, so normally, no trace of destruction would remain.
Yet, centered around the impaled spear, a clear spiral trace remained on the ground, showcasing its destructive power.
At the same time, the miserably shattered fragments of the spearhead, deeply embedded in the ground, were also noticeable.
'If I hadn't properly deflected that power.'
Just thinking about what the outcome would have been sent a shiver down her spine.
She could protect her body even from those fragments.
But the reality of Han Cheon-seong being brought to death by his own spear instantly seemed to play out before her eyes.
And it wasn't just about deflecting the aftermath now.
Even as she looked at the unconscious Han Cheon-seong, a sigh escaped her.
"Because Han Cheon-seong's body can't endure it."
The very concept of the skill Han Cheon-seong was pursuing was exceedingly dangerous.
She didn't know how grand an ideal he had envisioned, but he was trying to see beyond his limits. A colossal power that his own body couldn't withstand.
Yet, Han Cheon-seong kept trying to look beyond that, despite everything.
No matter how powerful his will, there should have been a moment when it broke, when his body tried to restrain him. But he overcame even that, forcibly pushing past his own limits.
A faint breath escaped her as she thought.
"This can't go on."
Even as she carefully shifted her steps... she couldn't continue this training any further.
A countermeasure needed to be devised.