"You okay, Koko?"
Jinhwan turned his head, spotting Koko. Her silver eyes glowed faintly, her clothes still dirty from the fall. Yet in mere seconds after waking, she had healed both herself and Jinhwan, even giving him a buff strong enough to let him throw Zeze just moments ago.
Koko simply nodded.
Something's different.. This strength, I can feel it pulsing through my body. It's way beyond the buffs she's given me before.
Jinhwan steadied his breath, chest rising and falling heavily as he studied her.
Wait… did she enter that state without realising?
His eyes widened.
If that's the case... then I need to end this quickly.
Before he could dwell further, movement stirred in the dust where Zeze had been thrown. A sharp strand of spider web shot out, aiming straight for Koko.
But before it could reach her, Jinhwan's hand lashed out. His right hand gripped the sticky thread, the surge of power from Koko's buff making him faster and stronger than ever.
"I'm still alive, insect."
Jinhwan tightened his grip on the web, it felt almost like a thick rope in his hands. He takes a deep breath, as he shifts his weight onto his right foot and spins.
His body picked up speed fast, kicking up small walls of dust around him as the web wound tighter and tighter with each rotation. The sudden acceleration caught Zeze off guard, leaving him no time to release the thread. In an instant, he was yanked toward Jinhwan, pulled like a ball on a string.
Zeze's eyes widened at first, then curved into a grin. With his upper body bound by the web, he still braced himself, limbs twitching, ready to shoot them out the moment he closed in.
A smirk appears on Jinhwan's face.
"Catch ya."
Jinhwan slammed his left leg into the ground, the sudden force halting his spin. His foot dug in like a pole anchoring him to the earth. Muscles in his chest and arms tightened as he yanked upward, tearing through the web that had wrapped around his body.
Zeze was pulled in close, too close. Before he could react, Jinhwan's right fist snapped forward, crashing into his jaw Zeze was in mid-air. The impact caught him completely off guard.
"What were you saying?"
Jinhwan's left arm hammered into Zeze's gut, folding him forward in pain.
"What are you?"
A brutal knee followed, smashing into Zeze's face. Blood sprayed from his nose as his body staggered.
"A protector?"
Jinhwan's fist slammed into Zeze's chest. The second strike snapped into his neck.
The third crushed into his gut, forcing spit to fly from his mouth.
Zeze was unable to do anything, but Jinhwan didn't stop. His knee shot up, smashing into Zeze's ribs. Then his elbow cracked down across his back, then another fist hammered into his face, sending blood spraying.
Each strike landed harder than the last, sharp cracks ringing out with every blow, like his bones were being crushed with each strike.
The buff Jinhwan is getting from Koko is surging through Jinhwan's body, his speed and strength climbing with every movement, making each hit faster than the last one, overpowering Zeze.
"Protector, my ass."
Jinhwan seized Zeze's face with his left hand and slammed him down, driving his skull against the ground before striking another blow across his face.
"You know what it means to be a protector, right? Of course you do, you might know it better than me."
Grabbing one of Zeze's limbs, Jinhwan spun and hurled him at the massive wall surrounding the city. The impact made blood spill from Zeze's mouth. Before he could even fall, Jinhwan was already in front of him.
A strike to the neck. Another to the stomach. Then the left shoulder. Then to his right shoulder. Then at his chest.
Jinhwan's fists blurred, moving at an unnatural speed, pounding Zeze again and again. Each blow drove him deeper into the wall, the stone cracking under the relentless assault.
"A protector breaks before his family.. his people... his city.... his country..... or whatever it is he's sworn to protect. But what's the point of calling yourself a protector when you're fine, and the things you're supposed to protect are the ones breaking first?"
As Zeze heard these words something inside of him snapped.
"YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT, YOU BRAT!!"
Zeze roared as he caught both of Jinhwan's fists. His limbs shot forward, thrusting past Jinhwan's guard and driving straight into his stomach.
A faint smile curled on Jinhwan's lips.
"Did you forget I have a healer? And she's in 'Final Flow' right now."
He slammed his forehead against Zeze's, the violent crack making Zeze loosen his grip. Seizing the moment, Jinhwan grabbed the limbs piercing his stomach and ripped them free. As they tore out, his wounds sealed instantly, flesh knitting back together under Koko's healing.
But before he could press forward, Zeze's left foot shot out, slamming into Jinhwan's chest. The force launched him through the air, straight toward Koko.
Jinhwan clenched his jaw, frustration flashing across his face. He couldn't control his body in midair. At the last instant, he thrust his left hand downward, tearing into the ground itself. His arm ploughed through dirt and stone, slowing his momentum just enough. The ground ripped apart beneath him, and with that drag he finally came to a halt, stopping only a few feet in front of Koko.
But there was no time to breathe. A sudden strand of web shot out, wrapped around Jinhwan's right arm. The sticky thread pulled hard, draining his mana as it tightened. Yet even as it tried to sap his strength, Koko's buff surged through him, refilling what was stolen.
"This stupid spider."
Jinhwan wrapped his hand tightly around the web.
"Koko, duck!!"
The moment he spoke, he planted his feet and spun. Then again. And again. Each rotation is faster than the last. Koko dropped to her knees, still pouring her buff into him without pause.
Zeze's body slammed into the ground, then a broken car, then the wall, each impact was heavier than the one before. Jinhwan's speed kept climbing, the dust around him whipping into a swirling tornado. Finally, with a sharp tear, the web snapped. Zeze was hurled away, his body crashing through a distant building, the walls collapsing around him.
Jinhwan dropped to the ground, breath ragged, his strength faltering as he tried to push himself onto his knees.
"Hhuuaak!"
He vomited onto the dirt, his body trembling.
Koko hurried to his side, kneeling beside him. Her hand pressed gently against his back, her silver eyes filled with concern.
"Are you okay?"
She asked her voice filled with concern
Jinhwan just nodded as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stayed there for a few seconds, letting his brain stabilise from the motion sickness.
"Let's go."
He got up looking towards the direction Zeze had crashed.
"Just stay behind me and keep the buff I'm still not sure if he is dead or not."
Koko nodded at his words as they both walked towards that direction.
[Episode 41 End]