Chapter 330 – The Flowers of Light and Darkness (1)

Prajna gritted her teeth.

– A minor misstep could render all efforts futile. Prajna, I speak to you.

‘I am aware.’

Their task was to minimize the count of shrubs and national trees within the hotel. By the time Prajna’s monsters had reached the vicinity of the battleground, the plan was already fully in place.

They had managed to severely disrupt the system of the cradle. They concentrated the movements of the knights and hunters towards the foundation. The moment they entered the cradle without spilling blood, it was virtually over.

All that remained was to annihilate the disoriented national trees and shrubs. Despite the fact that the national trees were clustered beneath the sage, the resistance was more fierce than anticipated.

– Kkrrrk.

The symbols etched into the foreheads of Prajna’s two flanking monsters began to enlarge.

“What in the heavens…”

A shadow rapidly approached her, scaling the tree.

– Fwoosh!

Its movements were akin to a wolf, steadily tightening its grasp on its prey. A petite shadow was darting towards her.

“…Who are you?”

Prajna was livid. It had been a while since A.B. had stalled the movements of Lee Si-heon and Marronnier.

The battle should have concluded there. Without the magic of King Mokryeong and Marronnier, the inside of the hotel was as good as a hollow shell.

‘However…’

Blood streamed from Prajna’s lips. The existence of the two unknown entities far exceeded her expectations. The two unknown beings who were with Lee Si-heon.

From the first trial, the two had only left an impression of weakness, along with their less than national tree level performances.

– Wrragh!

Prajna’s face contorted in agony, and a girl leapt forward, shooting into the air, her legs stretched out.

– Kboom!

Prajna hurled herself to the side. The monster right behind her exploded as it was struck by the girl’s foot. Aori, barefooted in a pristine white dress, her flaming red hair whipping around, glared at Prajna.

“I’ve found you.”

Drip, drip-

A girl, her feet stained with bright red blood, looked down at herself. The girl, whose hands were behind her back, had dealt with the monsters using just her feet and was now grinning.

– Whrrr.

A black power began to swirl at her feet. The blood that had stained them evaporated, revealing her pure white feet.

Her petite, bare feet with their densely packed toes were rather endearing.

They were the feet that had just pierced through a monster.

“Who are you, truly?”

Prajna asked, her voice laced with unease. Aori blinked her round eyes several times and chuckled in a coquettish tone.

“Do you need to know?”
“…….”
“Hmm. Mmm. Eh? On second thought… the King might like this.”

With her cold voice trailing off, Aori began to look at Prajna with a lascivious gaze. Her torn clothing just barely concealing her nipples and genitals. The brown skin was oddly enticing. The symbols etched all over her body would drive some people to madness.

Aori’s tongue flirted with the corners of her mouth.

A shiver ran through Prajna, and she assumed a combat stance. Vines surged from her hands, their speed and destructive power befitting that of a sovereign, unfurling like magic.

-Swish!

Yet, Aori’s velocity exceeded it. The girl vanished from sight, then reappeared behind Prajna, her legs ensnaring Prajna’s head and slamming it to the ground.

-Thud!

Prajna’s consciousness flickered as her head struck the earth. The movement was too swift to register.

-Gasp.

Aori straddled Prajna’s fallen form, her thighs squeezing her adversary’s throat. Brushing the dirt off her dolphin pants, she looked down at the slowly recovering Prajna.

The granddaughter of King Mokryeong.

Had the world continued in the King’s favor, Aori would have been his heiress. Her vitality, indicative of Mokryeong’s lineage, suppressed Prajna’s momentum.

“Sto–”

-Gulp!

“Silence, or face death.”

Aori’s hand bore down on Prajna’s face, stifling her attempt to manifest her power. Her expression twisted in pain, as if her skull would shatter.

“Who knows, if the King is charmed, you might become a concubine.”
“…what are you saying?”
“I said, keep quiet.”

Aori’s hand slipped between her thighs, tightening around Prajna’s throat. As she applied pressure on the vocal cords, Prajna’s breath hitched, rendering her mute.

“No second chances. You pathetic little whore.”

‘What?’

Could she be addressing me? Me, a magician?

“Choke.”

Prajna’s eyes glowed a bright yellow, capturing Aori’s image. The moment Aori’s prophecy triggered, Prajna caught a glimpse of her future and smirked.

“?”

Aori was taken aback by the sudden mockery.

‘…Already turned on by the thought of getting screwed?’

She dismissed the thought, pressing her ear to the walkie-talkie. In case Prajna attempted petrification, Aori kept her grip on her throat.

“Your Majesty, victory is ours.”

Hurry and join me for a feast.

Just as she was about to declare her victory, Prajna’s body beneath her began to dissolve.

“Huh?”

A sticky black mass clung to Aori’s lower body. Prajna’s form had melted away, leaving a meager clay figure wedged between her thighs.

[What happened?]

Aori’s eyes widened in surprise at Lee Si-heon’s belated inquiry.

“…She escaped.”
[Did you catch her?]
“I had her, but then…”
[That’s enough. Well done.]

Could a magician switch between their physical and spectral forms? A dejected Aori dropped her gaze to the floor.

“I thought it was time to indulge the King.”
[What?]

Anyone familiar with women would know. Aori was filled with regret.

That woman was an enchantress.

* * * * * * *

At the edge of the walking path, halfway up the mountain, civilians who had sought refuge were seated, quaking in terror.

“Here’s a glass of water.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Lee Hyang meandered, radiating smiles to the individuals around her. Those who saw her handing out water managed to crack a small, somewhat composed smile.

No matter how tense the moment, the sight of Lee Hyang, bustling about, never failed to extract a chuckle.

– Grumble!

A sage, at the epicenter, amplifying his magic. The pure white energy expanded, shepherding the seated civilians to a distant refuge.

Communications had already been established with various nations, so after the teleportation, the personnel waiting at the airport would autonomously escort the civilians back to their homes. Manifestations of magic occurred several times. The sage, now with beads of sweat adorning his forehead, momentarily seated himself on a rock to alleviate his fatigue.

“Can we proceed?”

Lee Si-heon, who had quietly approached, queried the sage.

“Another ten minutes, and we should be nearly done. I wonder how the others are faring.”
“Weren’t you the one who knew best, Sage?”
“As I’ve always said. Even I do not possess the knowledge of everything.”

Si-heon shook his head at the sage’s weary laughter. His body was visibly in shambles.

While no overt injuries could be seen on his body, the torn and singed clothes, the fallen flesh, and the coagulated blood gave away the extent of blood he had lost.

Most of the people seated around directed their gaze towards Lee Si-heon. Although the majority looked worried, a few felt a tinge of fear looking at him.

The very people he had saved were now in fear of him. Depending on the person, it could be cause for disillusionment. But Lee Si-heon merely shrugged off those looks, instead sporting a playful smile.

“Are you playing the bear again today?”
“……”

The sage’s face was ripening. Like a perfectly ripe apple, inviting one to take a bite.

“You truly…!”

– Thwack!

With a smack to his back, Lee Si-heon’s body tilted. He descended the mountain, his shoulders relaxed as if fleeing the scene. The sage, unable to bring herself to be angry, could only puff out her cheeks slightly as she watched his retreating figure.

‘…How on earth is he a king.’

Lee Si-heon was headed towards the entrance of the hotel. Without needing to use her magic to track him, she knew exactly where his final destination was.

The sage turned her gaze towards the civilians still climbing up. Casualties had significantly reduced, much lower than predicted.

Even considering the assistance from the Order, it was nothing short of a miracle, given the absence of reinforcements. The sage, smiling unconsciously, rinsed her face with her dry hands and rose from her spot once again.

Once more, a surge of magic arose, enveloping all in its reach.

The end of the brief confrontation was within sight.

* * * * * * * * * *

The hotel entrance, where the fiercest battles had raged. Lee Si-heon found himself there when the last of the hotel’s civilians had finally made their escape.

The crumbled hotel facade bore the weight of mortality; a cadet lay crushed beneath. There were also several valiant souls who had sacrificed their lives in the fulfillment of their duty.

Among the seventeen Lee Si-heon had gathered, some had tragically fallen. Surrounding him were the poignant remnants of the gruesome struggle, the scars of battle etched into the very fabric of the place.

Bodies sundered from their heads. Buildings aflame due to enchantments.

The sky was choked with black smog. Si-heon, navigating the mud, halted at a certain point.

-Thud!

The sounds of intersecting offenses. Baobab was faring better than anticipated.

“Is that all?”
“Ha.”

A note of weariness began to creep into Plum’s smirk.

“What are you saying, you imbecile?”

Bao raised both fists. His expression hinted at a perverse enjoyment of the conflict, but he was flagging.

The Battle King. Even with enhanced physical strength, stamina was finite, the sole pitfall of this seemingly limitless power. Bao’s gaze was foggy, as if he had received several blows to the jaw. His tightly clenched fists occasionally wavered, missing their mark.

Plum, too, had absorbed numerous strikes, yet his body remained unscathed.

“If only I could have been freed…”

Soo-yeon, brandishing her sword, surveyed the surroundings. Deeming there were no civilians left, she supposed it was permissible to employ her powers. That seemed to be her assessment. Upon locking eyes with the approaching Si-heon, her expression hardened significantly.

“……”

Saku, a distance away, was in no condition to fight, her body marred with countless wounds. Her eyes were wide, their focus lost.

“Gasp, gasp….”

Her breaths came in heavy gasps as she confronted her sister. Everyone understood that her reluctance to unleash her power, despite being on the brink of death, stemmed from the fear of causing collateral damage.

“Saku.”
“…Yes.”
“I think you may proceed now.”

Upon receiving Soo-yeon’s approval, Saku, who had been staggering, gritted her teeth and rose to her feet.

-Snap.

The eyes that had endured so much now radiated a lethal intent. Even her kind heart was now ablaze with anger.

“Do you think that using your strength now will change anything?”

The defiant Haku and Saku, who was squinting in response.

-Crunch.

Slowly, the sound of footsteps grew from behind them.

They had held out for a long time. To be precise, Plum had been toying with them all along.

If he had been resolute, marshalling all his strength and pressing forward, he could have dispatched any number of lives.
He was aware of it, yet he perceived people as mere diversions.

[chirp]

A diminutive bird alights, catching hold of the shoulders of the man who appeared to be a lifeless husk.

In that instant, an echoing explosion resounded.

-Boom!

Accompanied by the creation of a pristine white circle, arrows entwined with magic cascaded between Maehwa and Baobab, on the brink of collision.

An explosion of magnificent scale followed, potent enough to swallow up the majority of those present.

Beep-

A surge of magic power so fierce, it was as if tinnitus rang beyond the shattering sound.
Saku and Soo-yeon, who barely escaped the explosion, gazed upon Lee Si-heon with an expression of sheer astonishment.

“…Si, Si-heon?!”
“You….”

What exactly was he attempting to do?
They were nearly swept away to their death.

A surge of energy so potent it threatened life itself pressed down on the earth.
By the time it reached Baobab, he had been briefly swept up by the explosion, enough to scorch his skin.

“Ah, that damned…”

He clicks his tongue as if repulsed.
The gaze of Haku and Maehwa finally converged upon him.

“Lee Si-heon?”

A grotesque smile curled on the edges of Maehwa’s lips. Upon reaching Haku, her visage hardened.

“Why is that wretch here? A.B was explicit… Damn that Bam. Two of you couldn’t manage one? Hey, Maehwa.”
“Lee Si-heon….”
“Ah, this bastard’s lost his mind.”

Without offering a response, Lee Si-heon once again set his foot in motion.
The bird that had been perched on his shoulder exchanged a few words with him before soaring into the air.

Maehwa’s gaze was firmly fixed on Lee Si-heon.

-Whizz!

At the simultaneous movement of the tiny bird, the eyes of the two men met.

“Lee Si-heon…!”

Maehwa once again voiced his name.
His eyes, ferocious and predatory, quickly scanned his form.

“…Disciple of Baekdo. That’s what I heard.”

A child-like smile filled his face.

“Baekdo?”

At the unexpectedly innocent tone of Maehwa’s voice, Si-heon responded.

Maehwa sprang into action.
Taking one step at a time, he gradually increased his pace, sprinting towards Lee Si-heon who was at a considerable distance.
Baobab reacted, attempting to move. But the speed had escalated to a point beyond his grasp.

-Boom!

An arrow, birthed from above Lee Si-heon’s shoulder, was released, aimed at his forehead.

-Bang!

“……Ha.”

Despite the arrow barreling towards his face, he continued his charge.

“Si-heon!? Flee-“

Just as Maehwa’s unscathed form was about to engulf him.
Saku’s words were abruptly cut off. Her pupils trembled, as though she had witnessed something astonishing.

“Gah, gurk.”

Maehwa, in the midst of his charge, wobbled. He collided with the ground.

-Crash!

A sensation of being crushed spread throughout his body. Recalling the memory of his first trial, Maehwa, with a smile, managed to lift his rigid body.

Straining muscles, rivulets of sweat, and bloodshot eyes.

“Hehehe.”

Maehwa beheld Lee Si-heon, standing mere inches from his nose.

Si-heon’s face crinkled in discomfort at those eyes lost in ecstasy.

– Whoosh!

Suddenly, the sound of something soaring through the air. Originating from the distant heavens, it echoed, reminiscent of thunderbolts. The chilling sensation caused Maehwa’s head to lift gently.

“…”

In the distance, against the somber sky, were hundreds of dark red, grotesquely shaped spears densely etched.

The spears, edged with a ghastly hue, were oozing an eerie magical energy, sketching arcane circles and forming the silhouette of lengthy javelins.

Almost simultaneously, a meteor shower descended, seeming to envelop the creaking body of Maehwa.

“Stupid fool.”
“…Hmph.”

A smirk graced Maehwa’s face.

The cataclysmic bombardment, large enough to engulf a small town, had befallen him in what felt like a mere moment.