Chapter 189 – First Clash (4)

There was no room for conversation in the midst of battle.

-Boom!

With a thundering roar, the ground sunk and debris flew from the cracked road.

The stable master, Tuberose.
As a direct subordinate of Cistus, he possessed exceptional skills surpassing those of an average A-rank hunter.

No… his speed alone was beyond A-rank.
There were plenty of deputy executives who reached the S-rank as well.

The Flower’s executives were only unable to utilize their full power because they had each reached a certain level and were divided. He too was a master of the field.

-Boom!

Even so, he was being pushed back.
He managed to dodge one punch, but the following strike hit him, pinning him to the building next door.

-Crunch!

As the steel frame snapped and a hole formed in the building, Tuberose looked at his opponent.

“*Cough*…”

Though weakened compared to other executives and deputy executives.

Despite this, there was no lack of power to overthrow the Hunter Association.

Such a Tuberose was overwhelmed by a single human.
Not even granting them liberation.
Blood boiled and eyes quivered.
Tuberose crawled out from within the building and imbued the dagger in her hand with magic.

“… Hah, damn it. Who are you?”

It had been quite some time since the hats of their robes had been removed.

Si-heon and Tuberose stared each other down.
Their clashing gazes brimmed with murderous intent, emitting an explosive tension ready to burst at any moment.

“…”
“Why don’t you explain first?”

Buy some time.
That fleeting thought crossed Lee Si-heon’s mind as he stomped on the ground.

Tuberose sliced the flying chunk of concrete in half.
The bisected concrete soared through the air and landed behind her.

Si-heon’s eyes remained calm and composed.

“I’m someone who saves cities, so I should at least know your name, right?”
“…”

The formidable strength of the opponent was instinctively recognized.

And within him, an oddly immense anger surged.
A primal emotion that scraped down his spine. A bead of sweat, tense and ready to burst, rolled over his shoulder blade.

…Perhaps.
If he couldn’t end it here, this person might become a lifelong enemy.

There were countless skilled individuals who opposed Flower.
Among them, White Peach, the Sage, and Mugung.
Each had reached a pinnacle in their own right, holding positions akin to Flower’s high-ranking officers.
They could all be considered heroes of their time.

‘Yet… it doesn’t seem like they’re on that level.’

However, it was undeniable that their spirits felt similar.
Their latent potential made them even more dangerous.
He needed to know their skills, their temperament, and at the very least, their names.

“Tuberose.”
“…?”

He began by revealing the name.

“Under Cistus’s command, the stable manager. A deputy of Flower.”
“…”
“We’re on the brink of death anyway, so it’s alright to hear your name, isn’t it?”

It wasn’t as if there were no chance of victory.
By using their full power, they could endure for several minutes.
And… if somehow a large dosage of injection were administered, there was even the possibility of instant death.

Tuberose discarded the syringe with the broken needle and picked up a new one. Soon, words burst forth from Si-heon’s mouth.

“What are you saying?”

Lee Si-heon’s voice resounded heavily. The corners of Tuberose’s trembling lips stiffened.

“A deputy director?”

It seemed as if he was mocking him slightly.

“Yes… with a little investigation, you’ll quickly learn my name.”

As if his status was of no consequence, dark magic power snaked its way up Si-heon’s arms.

“But I have no obligation to tell you.”

‘…!’

Black magic. A familiar posture.

‘Is it just my imagination…?’

A feeling of disconnection crept over his shoulders. The weight of the air caused a sinking sensation in his chest.

Before kicking off the ground to move, Lee Si-heon loosened his shoulders and cracked his neck.

– Woodeuk.

The sound of bones dislocating and then snapping back into place resonates.

– Thud!

The opponent moves. Tuberose instantly narrows his eyes, crossing his arms in an X-shape to survey his surroundings.

The new figure briefly appears and immediately materializes in front of Tuberose. The fist he swings connects squarely with Tuberose’s face.

– Hook!

He dodges by bending his head. Tuberose promptly thrusts his dagger into the opponent’s neck, but the man strikes the center of his wrist and simultaneously sweeps his leg, toppling Tuberose’s balance.

“…!”

He struggles to catch his breath.

– Knocked up!

The pressure mounts quickly. Tuberose’s body teeters on the brink of collapse, the knee closing in on his waist. He is certain that if this series of fluid, relentless strikes connects, he will be rendered incapable of combat.

‘Wait.’

Until the certainty of victory shifts to his opponent.

The opponent’s knee burrowed into Tuberose’s waist, shattering his ribs. In a brief moment, there was no time to feel the pain.

– Eugh! Deuk!

The knee delved deeper into his body, fractured bones piercing his lungs and organs. Tuberose, with eyes wide open, bit down hard on his teeth, waiting for the right moment.

Orgasm.
And persistence.

Finally, when carelessness appeared on the opponent’s face, Tuberose made his move. The sharp syringe needle aimed at Lee Si-heon’s thigh.

Just a bit. Even a single drop.
If so… they could both die.

– Huung!

In that instant, Tuberose’s body spun through the air. The sky came into his view.

‘… Did he react to that?’

Blood spurted from his mouth. As he turned his head to look at the ground, he saw a cement floor instead of Lee Si-heon right before his eyes.

– Perok!

Tuberose collapsed onto the road, writhing in agony. When he raised his head from the ground, Lee Si-heon’s face appeared right before him.

He didn’t even open his mouth, merely glaring at himself.
As if gazing upon a trivial weed.
As simple as clearing the abundant weeds scattered along the roadside.

“Ugh… Kuk, *cough*,”

Swift and powerful.
No hesitation in his actions, and he never lets his guard down.
The broken vial of fluid flowed within his grasp.

“…Ugh.”

His face contorted at the pungent smell of blood filling his mouth.
Yes, life or death.
It had been quite some time.

Drawing forth the white magic, Tuberose clenched his teeth tightly.
Lee Si-heon, sensing his intentions, retreated.

[Blossoming]

Manifesting the innate power, expressed in a form utterly distinct from that of a wooden puppet.
A Flower that has blossomed possesses abilities akin to the World Tree’s.
Tuberose, enveloped in white magic, pursued Si-heon’s every move.

His eyes squinted, adjusting to the starkly different speed.

-Boom!

A single blow.

As Lee Si-heon’s silhouette receded, Tuberose allowed his body to relax.

– Geudeuk, deodeuk.

A world seen through yellow-tinted pupils.

The Moonlit Fragrance blooming beneath his body. Petals fell between Tuberose’s legs. Though not under moonlight, the radiance emitted was bright enough to rival the sun.

A beautiful scent. A dangerous pleasure. Tuberose, his very name embodied these qualities.

Sensual mana flowed from his body like smoke.

‘An ability completely useless in battle.’

A body from which narcotic substances seeped. The potency of the intoxicating substance doubled when in bloom.

When intoxicated, mana increased… elevating the individual’s potential. Tuberose could effortlessly adjust the intensity.

The same applied to himself.

– Bulkkeun.

Blood surged across his forehead and neck. He directly experienced the effects without expelling the substance his body produced.

Gradually expanding muscles. A sword’s aura overlays the clenched dagger.
A ferocious energy was now flowing from Tuberose’s side.

“It’s my turn.”

Tuberose, having lost reason and become violent, had twisted his handsome face. They both kick off the ground and collide. Dagger and fist graze each other as they pass.

– Kwajik!

Lee Si-heon’s shoulder is pierced.

Tuberose’s eyes gleam with ecstatic delight.

* * * * * * * *

【The World Tree of Purity urges you.】

Don’t pressure me.
I’m actually hurrying, you know.

During the fight, I sensed that my opponent was concealing something.

‘A Deputy Chief.’

At this point, would one possess such power?

Utilizing the Black Blade could grant victory, but the issue is its performance has become excessively powerful.

Heavenly Demon Technique.
The eighth mystery of an ability acquired from the past.

The Black Blade, brought forth by the application of this ability, places immense strain on the body simply by wielding it. Frequent use rapidly shortens one’s lifespan. The body cannot withstand the surging magical power.

‘Eventually… the old man said I’d be able to use it without risk.’

But now is not the time, as it is difficult to use. With many watchful eyes, identifying the user of the Heavenly Demon Technique is all too easy.

If the former Black Blade merely offered a modest enhancement, the Black Blade with unleashed potential now serves as a final card that cannot be carelessly revealed.

Indeed… much like that fellow.

– Sigh.

Tuberose, as if believing itself to be the moon, emitted a radiant glow throughout its being and released petals to fall at its feet. The scent was far from enticing, filling the air with a dreadful odor.

“It’s blooming.”

Wood undergoes lignification, liberation.
Flowers bloom.

It’s amusing.
Yet, it’s also melancholic that humans lack any similar talents.

– Squeak.

Upon regenerating the punctured shoulder, I could finally move my arm slightly.
The clothes are enchanted to naturally restore themselves.

“…You.”

Tuberose furrowed his brow, looking at my recovered shoulder.
Did he sense some sort of incongruity?
Soon enough, a smile blossomed on his face.

“Ah, I see. I’ve heard of someone like you.”
“What are you talking about?”

Hehehehe-

A laughter laced with pain escaped his lips.
His body, reeling as if intoxicated, swelled once more.
Tuberose stared at me, the corners of his mouth stretching into a grin.

“…Do I owe you an explanation?”

He clenched both fists and assumed a stance.

A massive surge of magical power approached like a tidal wave.

“I don’t know how long you’ll be there-“

The massive form of the approaching foe.

“-but you’d better wash your neck and wait.”

His fist, larger than before, hurtled towards me. It wasn’t a dagger. Could I twist my head and dodge it? It wasn’t fast enough for that. With a grimace, I focused my strength into one hand.

‘…If I make a mistake, I’ll miss my chance.’

So, I needed to land a decisive blow first. I compressed the magic power I had created.

I surveyed my surroundings, ensuring that no one else was present. Machines like CCTVs were at a standstill.

“Five.”

I initiated my first technique. Tuberose’s fist was almost upon me.

The fifth. The flattened form… the Slicing Circle.

A thin, circular blade materialized. Like a hovering bee, I channeled a cluster of magic power into the edge of my hand and struck down with force.

– Whoosh!

Blood spurted from his fist in a solid line, the crimson trail extending ever forward.

As if slicing through the opponent’s fist, the attack penetrates and splits the opponent’s arm in two vertically.

“…!”

Tuberose’s flustered face.
I pull back belatedly, but it feels insipid.

In the past, their composure stood out, leaving me no choice but to be on guard. But now, in this excited state, the opponent becomes easy. I immediately press my palm against the man’s heart.

“One.”

White Peach.

The massive body of Tuberose. From behind them, a pure white mana stem extends.

– Kwaang!

A strikingly different attack from before.
It’s not excessively wide, and there’s little magic radiating needlessly around it.
The magic is focused entirely, sprayed toward a single point.
The skin of Tuberose is cut like fragments, falling away like petals.

“… The nerve.”

They gaze at me as if there’s no regret, even in the face of death.
A fleeting smile forms on their face.
At this point, it’s madness.

Kneeling, Tuberose appears far smaller than before.

“Hehehe.”

But the smile never ceases.

“…You’re dying.”

Rather than being filled with remorse, the tone suggests a sense of liberation from constraints.

“You will suffer for the rest of your life.”
“…Do you know me?”
“I know a similar story… With you–”

Abruptly, the voice cuts off. Tuberose vanishes as if they never existed. The body is gone. Beneath the spot where they disappeared, only a single flower remains atop a pool of blood.

Picking it up, I take it all in.

—

▶Tuberose(?)
[Category: Consumption]

‘Two years of ephemeral love. Memories under the moonlight.’
—

As I concentrate, a strange memory flows into my mind. A white-haired woman is brutally killed right before her eyes. It’s not mine – perhaps it belongs to this person. I no longer observe the memory, crushing the flower beneath my foot.

– Squelch!

Petals are trampled and ground into the asphalt of the road.

No past deed can justify its actions.
He knew that, which is why he didn’t beg for his life.

I had no intention of revisiting those heartbreaking memories.
Vanished petals.
Yet in the midst of it all, my body seemed to accept this as an opportunity.

【With the power of the petals, your acquired ability increases by 0.4.】

It granted me a remarkably generous ability.
Could it be the power of King Mokryeong’s vessel rather than that of the World Tree?

It wasn’t like this when I killed other Flowers, but those who had reached the higher ranks seemed to be different indeed.

“Hoo.”

Having finished my task, I donned my robe’s hat once more and gazed upon the sky.
The needlessly bright sun cast its light upon the half-ruined road.

For some reason, it appeared as though I could see the moon from afar.
The time when both sun and moon rise simultaneously. There are moments like this.

‘Ah, but…’

My daughter…
In the end, I couldn’t make it to her performance.

A bitter breath escaped his lips.