BXBX NOVEL Chapter 175
Chapter 175: Duel (3)
Heart Sword.
Commonly known as the Mind Sword.
It was a technique that Kim Minwoo couldn’t use even when he was flying high with various main characters.
But now it’s different.
[Using Guidance of Fate (SSS)!]
[Selecting Park Siwoo!]
[Current favorability 85.]
[Future point of ’85’.]
[Possession degree of ’85’ is applied!]
Favorability of 85, higher than the previous 83.
A little further into the future.
A little more proficient.
So the monstrous future Park Siwoo possessed his body.
The result was close to ruin.
The moment the Heart Sword was swung, Lucas’ right arm was cleanly cut off.
Buzz!
The numerous witnesses began to show astonished eyes.
Until the duel began, they thought Kim Minwoo was crazy.
He did such crazy things. Fighting Lucas was one thing.
Then he should have summoned a spirit beast before the duel started.
At least he should have prepared something.
He had to do something, but Kim Minwoo did nothing. As if he was giving up his life.
It was one of two things.
Either he wanted to die.
Or he really had something he believed in.
The result was revealed.
The latter.
However, there were too many questions.
‘What?’
‘He didn’t move?’
The objective situation was simple.
Lucas cast a spell.
Kim Minwoo stood still.
But the result was the opposite.
World Mage Ranking 27th.
Even in the overall ranking of all classes, he was easily in the top 200.
In other words, he was one of the top 200 strongest in the world.
Lucas’ arm, who was such a person, was cut off.
Even Lucas himself didn’t seem to know what had happened.
“Kuh-eok!”
Lucas grabbed his bleeding arm in a hurry, sweating profusely. His eyes were filled with fear beyond bewilderment.
‘What was that?’
An unknown energy cut his magic in half. If he hadn’t hurriedly twisted his body in fear…
‘I would have died.’
Cleanly in one strike.
With his body cut in half!
Gulp.
Lucas swallowed.
Of course, he thought Kim Minwoo would have a hidden card he believed in.
But this was beyond imagination.
‘Was this a skill he was saving?’
What about mana consumption?
It didn’t matter if he could only use it once. But what if he could use such a bizarre skill multiple times?
Alarm bells rang in Lucas’ head.
Kim Minwoo.
He wasn’t just a kid hiding a single claw.
He was an adversary he had to fight with everything he had, risking his life.
[Lucas uses the power of the ‘Shadow Apostle’!]
A dark power completely covered his body. His breathing became rough.
Kim Minwoo’s eyes gleamed.
‘That’s the power from back then.’
The power of the Shadow Apostle that Jonas used. The difference was the concentration.
Much more sinister and dark.
Lucas’ presence grew rapidly, enough to engulf the entire training ground. The audience also opened their eyes wide. Through the incident at the airport, they knew that the Griff family dealt with evil powers.
Naturally, they thought Lucas would also wield such power.
The only thing they didn’t expect was…
That the power was beyond imagination.
‘The ground…’
‘Is shaking?’
A duel hosted by the system.
They set a boundary and fight within it. In other words, no matter what kind of havoc is wreaked inside, it rarely affects the outside.
But now it’s different.
A dark power surges, and the audience seats shake slightly.
It meant that the energy Lucas possessed was tremendous. If it weren’t for the white boundary of the duel, they would have been affected by that power as well.
‘At that level…’
‘Even considering all classes, he’s in the top 100.’
The quick-witted ones had finished their calculations. Lucas’ power, surrounded by a dark aura, would be great enough to rank within the top 100 in the entire world.
Top 100, they say.
Making an Awakened in the 200s jump 100 ranks in an instant?
In the top tier where there’s a huge gap between each rank?
Even if it’s an evil power, most Awakened would bow down and accept it.
‘What kind of power is that?’
Half curiosity.
And half anticipation.
‘If this happens… what will happen?’
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the two.
—…I’ll give you a proper fight.
Lucas uttered a chilling voice. Black mana, like death itself, blazed around him.
“Sorry.”
—…?
“No matter how I look at it, I don’t think I’ll lose.”
The moment the words ended.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Hundreds of spells bombarded the spot where Kim Minwoo had been.
Spells filled with hatred and malice.
The entire training ground shook violently from the massive explosion.
Despite this, Lucas’ face didn’t relax. Just as there’s a term for the “feel of the sword” in swordsmanship, magic is the same.
The moment it hits the opponent’s body, a unique wave is transmitted.
Yet…
His senses were empty, like a calm lake. Even when he fired hundreds, no, thousands of spells, it was the same.
His eyes, divided into eight like a spider’s, scanned all directions.
His senses were sharper than ever. Yet, he couldn’t even feel the presence of the guy.
A chilling feeling ran down his spine.
‘Get caught, get caught…’
Lucas chanted endlessly.
The great Hardronox.
The Shadow Apostle.
Its appearance resembles a giant spider.
The core members of Griff were empowered by such an Apostle.
But even the bestowed power has a difference in rank.
The power he and Jonas received was incomparable.
Naturally, the way they used it was also worlds apart.
Jonas simply utilizes the power bestowed upon him.
But he was different.
He understands how to utilize the essence of power.
‘Spider.’
It’s a ruthless hunter.
It knows how to use traps.
Secretly and lethally.
Already around him, an aura like an almost invisible spider web had spread in all directions.
Even though it couldn’t be found with the naked eye, anyone approaching would surely find out. Because they would get caught in the web.
The stickiness of the spider web imbued with the power of the Apostle was so strong that even a world ranker wouldn’t be able to escape it in one go.
Just a little bit would be good.
If he could just stop him, he would hunt him down in one breath with overwhelming firepower.
—Damn it! Don’t hide like a rat, show yourself!
As if panicking.
As if he felt an indescribable fear, Lucas unleashed spells around him.
Just a little bit would be good.
If he could just induce a little carelessness in the guy, this acting wasn’t anything.
That’s when it happened.
The spiderweb at the back shook.
With the weight of exactly one person.
Lucas’ eyes glowed red.
There was no doubt that the stupid prey was caught in the trap.
—Haha! Die!
As if there was nothing happier than this.
With his mouth ripped open, he roared and turned around, reaching out his hand.
Just before the magic went off.
“What the…?”
Lucas’ eyes widened.
A figure hung limply in the air.
But it wasn’t a person.
‘…A skeleton?’
It was a skeleton.
A shiver ran down his spine.
He had momentarily forgotten.
Kim Minwoo wasn’t a swordsman; he was a necromancer, and Lucas had been so focused on his strange skills that he had forgotten that.
What was even worse was the fact that Kim Minwoo had seemingly known the location of the spiderweb and had thrown just one skeleton with precision.
“I’m here.”
The whisper came right next to his ear, followed by a ripping sound.
Slice!
Lucas’ neck flew off.
A fountain of dark blood erupted.
* * *
The favorability of 85 was incredibly powerful. He could just see it, feel it – how the energy Kim Minwoo wielded would flow, where it would go, how he would use it.
It meant one thing.
The future Park Siwoo’s power was overwhelmingly superior to Lucas’ who was using the power of the Apostle.
A master can easily predict the actions of an amateur. The only thing lacking was the physical specs.
Guidance of Fate didn’t swap bodies.
In other words, the hardware remained the same.
‘But the software is going crazy.’
Of course, even this was a cheat.
The sword transcends the material plane.
And it wasn’t just the sword that transcended the material plane…
[Your body temporarily transcends the boundaries of the material plane!]
The favorability that had grown to 85 made even this kind of feat possible.
For a moment, Kim Minwoo’s body became blurry. He felt a floating sensation, as if swimming in the sea.
He could see Lucas’ magic filling the training ground.
Yet, not a single shot hit his body.
The message about transcending the material plane.
‘It’s probably because of that.’
His magic was no longer a threat.
But there was one thing that was different.
The spider web-like aura spread around his body.
‘I can’t get caught in that.’
It seemed to be Hardronox’s ability.
That’s why it felt threatening even with Guidance of Fate.
So he threw a skeleton as bait.
Lucas turned around with a joyful face.
The spiderwebs around him blurred.
Instead, the energy gathered in Lucas’ hand became even denser.
If Merhen had seen this sight, would she have called him a fool?
[Entering the material plane!]
In no time, he had approached the back of Lucas’ neck and cut it with the Heart Sword. The Command Sword pierced his neck as smoothly as cutting a cake.
—Kaaack!
Lucas screamed.
He effortlessly cut through the magic that was being randomly fired around him.
The neck was more than 90% severed.
The dangling head cried out.
—Wh-why isn’t it healing…?
Eight spider-like pupils fluttered frantically.
Lucas’ body trembled.
The power of the Apostle is great.
Even if his neck was completely cut off, it could regenerate.
But now it’s different.
The recovery ability wasn’t working at all.
Kim Minwoo shrugged and replied.
“I cut it off. Your essence.”
—Wh-what nons…ense… Kuh-eok!
Lucas collapsed.
A dizzy spell washed over him.
The power of the great Apostle wasn’t working, as if it had malfunctioned.
Gradually, the power drained from his body. Barely lifting his head, he shouted in terror.
—N-no way…!
To die here?
To a mere kid like this?
It was an outcome he hadn’t even considered.
That’s why it was even more terrifying.
—Haaack…!
The eight pupils began to spin frantically.
“What are you looking for so desperately?”
—I… can’t… die… like this…
Lucas pleaded desperately in a fading voice. The split pupils returned to the shape of a human’s.
The body, which had been wriggling like a worm, gradually began to stop functioning.
That’s when it happened.
Lucas’ eyes, which had been rolling madly, opened wide.
His gaze turned towards somewhere in the audience. He saw a middle-aged man with a very ordinary appearance. A man smiling as if amused.
There was nothing unusual about it.
But one thing was different.
The fingers tapping on his arm like playing a piano. At first glance, it seemed like a meaningless action.
But it was different for Lucas.
It was a gesture he had seen for a very long time, since Han Siah was born. A gesture he was very familiar with.
There was no mistake.
It was the High Priest.
—Kuh… High Priest… help…
The man with the gentle smile raised his finger.
Swish.
Immediately, his figure vanished without a trace.
‘High Priest?’
Kim Minwoo’s face turned sharply.
In the direction Lucas was looking.
The spectator seat was empty.
As if it had never been there from the beginning.
[The opponent has died!]
[You have won the duel!]
[Level increased by 15!]
[Command Sword absorbs the blood of the prey!]
[Command Sword blooms!]
[New effect unlocked!]
[The sword is imbued with the blood containing special energy!]
[Effects are greatly enhanced!]
The duel ended with the message.
At the same time, a white light began to envelop Han Siah’s body.