Semifinals (7)
'He's definitely different.'
Inside the battle hall, Xenos's expression had completely stiffened. He had also watched the entire match on screen.
'As expected of One Heaven. Our one and only sky.'
It was a performance worthy of that name.
The public probably wouldn't understand. They would probably just think that the summon HunGyo lightly moved around and stab stab! easily killed them.
'No.'
Baek Jinwoo.
Jones, Kobe as well.
The specs of the two summons were probably similar, or even if there was a difference, it would be small.
They both had full rare rune sets, full enhancement, and were practically plastered with Omnipotent Rune polish.
To begin with, this was American capital power. It would be stranger if they couldn't do even that much.
However.
'It's a difference in minute control.'
Even if 「Battle of Summoners」 looks like a game decided by rank and runes, the reality is completely different.
There are far greater details melted into it.
Center of gravity, the efficiency of sword paths, breathing, the location of vital points, and so on.
Even in a single movement, countless variables have to be taken into account.
Also.
A single mistake can create an overwhelming gap and determine the outcome.
'And that HunGyo was controlling every single one of those variables.'
You only know that after playing a lot.
If you spend all night running player battles, and keep clashing with other rankers over and over as practice, those are the things you naturally come to learn.
If he himself had been standing there instead?
He didn't know if he would have won, but he definitely wouldn't have been defeated that miserably.
"Lord Xenos...."
"It looks like next is your turn, big brother."
"At this rate, I'm afraid we might lose."
He could feel the worried gazes of the U.S. national team members.
They must be scared. Scared that they might really lose to that God Ji-nu.
"Big brother, that guy really is a monster."
The defeated Clint Jones whined. Xenos immediately grew irritated.
"Shut up. Who here doesn't know that?"
At his cold reply, Jones flinched and lowered his head.
"Haven't I told you again and again? God Ji-nu. That bastard is a monster among monsters. Before the match, you didn't believe it, and now that you've gotten hit once, you come back whimpering like some beaten mutt. It's honestly pathetic."
"I'm sorry."
"If your fundamentals had only been solid, you could at least have worn down that HunGyo's strength. You and Kobe couldn't even do that."
"..."
Jones shut his mouth tight. It was a blunt truth he had no answer for.
Before going out, hadn't he been brimming with confidence, saying, "Big brother! Whether it's God Ji-nu or whoever, I'll take care of him myself!"
Only now did he remember the look Xenos had given him then, a look of utter disdain.
"Watch my match. What fundamentals really are. In what way you all lost so easily. If you watch the match, you'll understand."
"Th-that means..."
Hope flickered in Jones' eyes. If he was speaking this confidently, did that mean America could still win?
"Don't entertain false hope. I'll do my best as well, but I never said I would win."
"Th-then."
"That isn't what matters. The balance among the great powers has already begun to change. What matters is not the semifinal ranking, but what you can learn and feel from this match."
Seeing God Ji-nu made it clear.
That before long, South Korea would stand alone above the five great powers. And that from the 5th World League onward, there would be no way to stop that God Ji-nu.
That couldn't be helped. It was like a natural disaster that came with the seasons.
What they could do was this: Protect their place among the five great powers!
"To those who improve, the same honor as before will follow. But to those who fall behind, we can no longer hand over the national team seat of our United States."
Xenos swept his gaze across the national team.
"Do you all understand?"
"Yes, captain!"
Xenos nodded.
Then in front of the screen, rrrrroll! the dice rolled.
On the uppermost face was none other than Xenos' face and name.
"I'll be back."
Swish!
With that sound, Xenos vanished from the battle hall.
Ssswish!
Summoned onto the stage, Xenos lifted his head and looked forward.
".....God Ji-nu."
There he was. The black-haired Asian man, Baek Jinwoo.
"Hoo."
A sigh came out naturally.
Just looking at him made him feel like there was no answer.
'It was the same in the past.'
Back in the highest tier of player battles, when he queued up hoping to win even a tiny reward...
Every so often, that man would appear.
No matter how much he struggled, he would be completely crushed, and later on, he had even started surrendering the moment he entered.
Of course, back then it had been a battle between individuals, but...now the honor of a nation was at stake.
Three hundred forty million Americans were cheering for him.
Xenos slowly lowered his head.
Swoosh.
Then he summoned five summons at the same time.
Tyrant (A-rank)
Synthesis Alchemist (A-rank)
Vocalist (B-rank)
Vocalist (B-rank)
Vocalist (B-rank)
All of them were humanoid summons.
Tyrant was a martial artist who fought with his fists!
He had already experienced the power of the Synthesis Alchemist at the London casino.
As for the Vocalist, it was a buffer that sang...
"So you're saying we go without weapons."
Baek Jinwoo nodded.
It was definitely a lineup worthy of Xenos. A setup where he sealed all metal that existed with the Synthesis Alchemist, then overwhelmed the opponent with fists and song!
"Baek Jinwoo, I put this together as a counter to your HunGyo."
"...."
"Please understand. Maybe not against Rachel, but when it comes to facing you, there really isn't a better combination than this."
That was certainly true.
Rachel used divine beast-type summons like Yellow Dragon and White Tiger... so sealing metal wouldn't do much against her.
But a player like Baek Jinwoo, who used HunGyo(sword) and Gale Slayer(scythe), would have no choice but to struggle badly against that composition.
"Well built."
Baek Jinwoo acknowledged it coolly.
A hand-to-hand HunGyo.
It wasn't that HunGyo couldn't fight barehanded, but compared to using a sword, his level of mastery would naturally be lower.
"But well. What matters isn't the weapon. It's who controls it."
"...I agree."
Xenos nodded and continued.
"Can I ask just one thing?"
"What is it."
For Baek Jinwoo, whose English was weak, Xenos asked slowly and with simple words.
"Even if I happen to win this match, there won't be any disadvantages waiting for me, right?"
A deep smile formed at the corner of Baek Jinwoo's mouth. It wasn't a sneer, but a gentle smile.
"Since when did the great Xenos become such a coward?"
"When the opponent is God Ji-nu, getting scared is only natural. The other Emperors would be the same."
"You don't need to worry about that. You can't beat me anyway."
"....You can't know that until we try!"
There was no longer any need for more words between them.
Wooooong!
The Synthesis Alchemist's cylinder lit up first.
At the same time, the sword HunGyo was holding crumpled and turned into a lump of metal.
HunGyo looked at his hand with a regretful expression.
"What are you doing? He took your sword. Go wreck him."
Sorry, but the moment our HunGyo became EX-rank, he came to know the skills of every summon in the world.
Tyrant? Yeah, he's good with his fists.
'But I don't know if that's enough to beat our HunGyo.'
Really.
Taat!
Tyrant and HunGyo charged at each other at the same time.
The Synthesis Alchemist fell back behind them, and—
"Dag mijn liefde D"
"Ik zal je beschermen d"
The Vocalists began performing together at the same time.
The Vocalist was both a buffer and a debuffer.
For allies within the area, it increased movement speed and attack speed, but for enemies, it reduced them instead.
Also, the more of them there were stacked together, the more the effect multiplied. With two units, it doubled. With three units, it became four times as strong.
Kwaaaaang!
Tyrant's and HunGyo's fists collided, and both were flung back even faster than the speed at which they had charged in.
"...."
Watching that, Xenos bit down hard on his lower lip.
'You're telling me he can still move that fast even while being affected by the Vocalists' sound technique.'
He had expected HunGyo to be strong. How could he not, after everything that had been shown in this tournament?
But he had never imagined he would be comparable even to Tyrant's fists.
'Focus.'
I'd already told the national team guys. To watch this match carefully. That I would show them what fundamentals really were.
Fwhaaaash!
Once again, two fists flew toward each other.
KWA-AAAANG!
With that single blow, the stage floor split apart and the air itself was torn open.
HunGyo and Tyrant alike. Both glared at each other with clenched teeth.
Even while feeling pain like their entire bodies were being torn apart, neither of them gave an inch.
KWA-AANG!
HunGyo threw an uppercut, and Tyrant blocked it with his elbow.
A-rank Tyrant was, by setting, the king of back-alley brawls who ruled the streets! Its foundation was so formidable that it managed to block even the fists of the transformed HunGyo.
KWAAAANG!
Another collision!
An explosion of force erupted between the two summons.
—Ngh!
Swept back by that explosion, HunGyo frowned.
More than Tyrant, the songs of the Vocalists resonating and stacking up behind him were even more irritating.
But it wasn't as if he could do anything about them either.
'Hup!'
Because Tyrant's fist was already flying toward his head like a beam of light!
Just as HunGyo instinctively raised his guard to block—
'No.'
His lord's control intervened.
Don't block. Dodge!
HunGyo gritted his teeth and widened his eyes as he stared at the incoming fist.
At the exact moment he reflexively twisted his head aside, he also bent his waist and spun, just as his lord controlled him to do.
At the same time, an upward body blow!
KWAAAAAANG!
He felt something connect with his fist.
'Did it land?'
It seemed like he had dealt damage.
But Tyrant didn't stay still either.
A kick—so sudden he couldn't tell when or from what angle it had come—slammed into HunGyo's abdomen.
—Puh-uhk!
HunGyo's body was launched into the air.
Whirl!
But he twisted his body again and landed while regaining his balance.
'This is the first time.'
Tension appeared on HunGyo's face as well.
The opponents he had faced before had all fallen easily for simple feints or counterattacks, but Tyrant's movements were different.
Its fundamentals were undeniably solid.
'My lord.'
What should I do?
If it were a sword, maybe, but fists are a bit much.
All kinds of skills existed in his head, but only in his head. For them to come out through the body and become truly embodied, they required bloody effort and time spent training.
Smirk.
That was when the corner of Baek Jinwoo's mouth lifted.
'At this level, this is definitely doable.'
"HunGyo."
He muttered quietly.
"Relax your body. From now on, follow only my control."
Yes.
HunGyo relaxed.
As if Tyrant had seized the momentum, it charged in again.
Fwhaaaash!
Its fist sliced through the air and stabbed in sharply.
It was so fast and irregular that it looked as if the fist had split into three.
Power so destructive that even grazing it would probably cause a fracture.
And yet, even in that state, HunGyo remained relaxed.
'I trust my lord.'
There were only two supreme geniuses HunGyo knew.
In martial arts, Aso was overwhelming. But taken overall, it was Baek Jinwoo.
How much of a genius was his lord?
He had memorized in full the incantation formula of the Clear Heaven Heart Technique after hearing it just once, and was gradually making it his own.
'Clear Heaven Heart Technique.'
The name might not sound all that grand, but HunGyo could feel just how great a breathing method it truly was.
He didn't know whose it was, or where it had come from, but among all the techniques in his head, it was the greatest breathing method of all time!
He had explained it as if it were nothing special because he didn't want to burden his lord, but the one mastering it before his eyes was none other than his lord himself.
If that lord was controlling him, was there any reason to be afraid?
'It's being dodged.'
Sssst!
Without even realizing it, HunGyo's lips curled upward.
Because he understood what his lord's control was trying to do.
Before he could even think it through, his body moved first.
Fwhaaaash!
HunGyo also threw a punch. It was so fast that his fist seemed split into three as well...
'The same.'
HunGyo was clearly copying Tyrant's punch.
KWAGAGAGAGA!
And it was even more precise, faster, and more efficient than Tyrant's own punch.
After seeing Tyrant's fist just once, he had grasped its weakness and thrown out a punch that perfectly compensated for it.
'Kh.'
A thrill so intense it made his whole body tingle ran through HunGyo.
So this was his lord's genius?
His body wouldn't stay still. After throwing that punch, he immediately dashed to the side.
KWAAAAAANG!
He felt fist strike fist.
He should have collided with Tyrant's punch and been knocked back—
But HunGyo had already run past Tyrant.
His destination: the Vocalists.
'Good.'
At last, I can stop the song coming out of those damned mouths!
Even while running, he threw punches in three directions.
KWAGAGAGAGA!
Punches shooting out like snakes, aimed at each Vocalist's head!
Xenos' mouth fell open.
'Th-that... what in the...?!'
KWAAAAAANG!
All three punches pierced through the Vocalists' faces at the same time.
Pu-hwak!
Their heads burst apart like smashed watermelons.
'You really are...'
Xenos was dumbfounded.
This went beyond fundamentals. It was perfect application, and on top of that, he had copied the opponent's skill through sheer control.
'Are you seriously insane, God Ji-nu?'
At that moment, that was the only thought that came to mind.
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