Chapter 331 – Black and White Flowers (2)

Lightning strike.
Like thunder, the barrage of lances pierced the man’s body.

– Flash!

The numerous lance tips, infused with magical energy, easily exceeded seven feet in length alone.
Black marks were etched onto Plum’s body.

– Quaang!

Striking down.
Plum’s body bent towards the floor, and once more, a lance came down upon him.
As his hand touched the floor, another lance shaft penetrated the back of his hand.

“Ugh, heh, heh-heh-heh!”

Plum, emitting a laughter imbued with madness, attempted to break free from the force that stifled him.

His muscles twitched, and he took a step forward.

– Quaang!

Thud!

Plum’s body sank back down.

The lance that struck again pierced his neck.
Each time the magically charged lance punctured Plum’s body, it left blackened, burnt traces on various parts of his flesh.
There were no external wounds, but internal injuries remained.

Shoulders and wings, calves, and the top of the foot. Head and left eye.
His eyes trembled violently as the lightning struck Maehwa.

– Kkugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugug.

A torrential downpour ceased.

Where all the windows were lowered, only black mist swirled around.

‘It’s not over yet.’

Wriggling.
A silhouette flinched in the fog.

– Paht!

As anticipated, Maehwa’s body emerged from the mist.
Maehwa charged toward me. Calmly, I drew magical power across both hands.

He leaned forward, nearly toppling over. Pristine white magic danced gracefully across his back.

– Thud!

Kicking off the ground, he stepped forward.
The sequence of actions repeated.

– Bam!

“Cheonyangbo (天壤補)”

As Maehwa’s body galloped through the surge of immense magical power, he fell to his knees once again.
A closely guarded secret technique, wrought from a lifetime of relentless effort, that placed the world beneath one’s feet.

The power was unlike that which White Peach had wielded. At least back then, it was an enigmatic force that I, with my latent potential at its zenith, had briefly harnessed.

With great effort, I seized the sky and earth and upended them.
My own strength was insufficient, making it difficult for me to wield this power with ease.

-Koo-gu-gu-gu!

As I reached the pinnacle of martial arts, my magic intertwined, not only reclaiming my original power but also…

Cracks spread throughout the ground as a rumble echoed across the landscape. Plum, kneeling on the floor, sank deeper and deeper into the earth.

‘Eleanor, Lucy.’

With a single utterance, magical energy surged. The number of windows multiplied one by one.
Plum raised his head with great difficulty, his eyes reflecting my visage.

‘Fire.’

One shot.

-Paang!

Two shots.

-Paang!

‘Keep going. Until not even bones remain.’

The vigor of Plum’s encased body began to falter. Unrelenting, I created windmills and fired them off.

Five, six, seven.
Ten, twenty, thirty.
As exhausted moans escaped from the lips of Lucy and Eleanor, who were perched on my shoulder, I momentarily halted my onslaught and gazed upon Plum at my feet.

Just then, the fog lifted, revealing his face.
Blood streamed down his forehead.

“…”

– Fwip!

Plum’s body, which had been lying prone, suddenly sprang up and targeted my neck.
I narrowly stepped back, just out of reach of his fingertips.

“…It’s a power I know.”

Plum murmured with a raspy voice, his pale blue lips quivering.

– Grin.

The corners of his mouth curled up, baring his stark white teeth.
Fangs dripping with blood. The blood held upon his punctured tongue trickled down his chin.

“I’ve seen it before. Yes, on that day-“

A pure white light gradually bloomed over his body. I furrowed my brow at the surge of mana emanating from behind my back.

“White Peach… So you really did learn from him?”
“……?”
“Ah- he’s powerful. Beautiful… more stunning than anyone. Hehehe.”

Plum spoke fervently about matters unasked, his hands covering his face.
His nails dug into the skin, leaving long, jagged scars.

-Drip, drip.

The blood from his hands fell, moistening the dry earth.
His face became further consumed by madness.

“…I wonder what she would look like when she lost her disciple-“

His words were cut off midway.
Plum’s body contorted, reaching out to grasp my throat.

I managed to change the mistletoe into the form of a gauntlet and fend him off.

-Bang!

I retreated and loaded the windmill.
The moment I was about to fire, Plum vanished from my sight in an instant, too quick for my eyes to capture.

“[My lord, he’s behind you- Chirp!?]”

Suddenly, Lucy’s voice ceased. Feathers fluttered through the air as a woodpecker burst open.

Halting the whirlwind, I turned my back and blocked the incoming fist with my elbow.

– Paang!

A shockwave erupted from the single collision. Draping my body in a black aura, I repeatedly tracked Maehwa’s movements with my eyes.

[Jjaek, what!?]

Caught in a relentless spin, Eleanor, the tree sprite, seemed utterly bewildered. But I couldn’t afford to consider her plight right now.

Maehwa appeared and swung his fist.

– Kwang!

Two impacts. I brought my knees and elbows together to block the punch. Despite my efforts, the force momentarily pushed me back, causing my body to stumble backward.

“You’ve grown weak.”

A mocking voice reached my ears as I reeled through the air. I offered no response to his derisive laughter.

I cautiously surveyed the unfolding situation.

‘…’

– Kkwadeuk!

As I braced for the attack, my ribs cracked despite maxing out my aura. However, the shattered bone fragments instantly reattached themselves.

Plum’s movements were carefully observed for an extended period.

“…Lee Si-heon!”

Irregular and barbaric, yet talented and poised. For a brief moment, the image of White Peach flashed in his movements.

“Ha, ha, ha!”

Fighting skills that offered a glimpse of admiration and envy.

I recognize those movements. He’s accepting the power of the Heavenly Demon to a certain degree. Unlike me, his magical traits are similar to White Peach’s, so it must have been easier for him to replicate them.

He adapts the Heavenly Demon Technique in his own unique way.

Plum has traversed the same path that Cheondo, White Peach, and I had surely taken at least once. It was evident in his movements.

-Paang!

The arm that deflected the attack tingled. Plum came to a halt and examined my face. I casually adjusted my stance and took a deep breath.

“Whew. Haa.”

Fist forward, foot to the side.

I prepared to counter Plum’s attack.

“…”

Maehwa, gazing at me, clicked his tongue as though bored.

“Is that all?”

– Clank.

“Not yet-“

For a brief moment, the familiar chime echoed. Space folded along with the pristine white petals.

“-There’s so much more!”

– Kwaah!

The ground heaved like the ocean. Maehwa, flickering as if blinking, accelerated several times, multiplying his speed in an instant.

My arm throbbed with intense pain as Maehwa’s petals traced a straight line.

An extraordinary magic began to gather in his grasp. Maehwa’s eyes narrowed. The space blurred before my eyes, and a straight line of radiant blossoms quivered.

‘No way.’

A shiver ran down my spine. Truly, could he have stolen that much technique?

Unperturbed, Maehwa displayed his own skills.

“Hehehe.”

He murmured.

“White Peach (梅).”

– Kwaahhh!

* * * * * * * *

For Maehwa, the only glimmer in this monotonous world was a young girl, newly of age, appearing on a small screen.

[What was the difficulty in conquering this dungeon?]
[There was none.]

She was a white-haired woman who always haughtily dismissed reporters’ interviews and strode away. Sometimes her eyes were red, other times blue.

But one thing was certain: she was the most beautiful person Maehwa had ever seen, a beauty that others might describe as love at first sight.

‘I want to be like her.’

Desperately, Maehwa yearned to resemble her.

‘Hold my fist like this.’

‘Place my foot to the side.’

The blossoming flowers were white, like her magic—pure and radiant. More beautiful than any other flower, it was one Maehwa never wanted to pluck. Yet, there was a longing to pick it once and claim it as their own.

“Remarkable.”

That was the driving force behind his efforts. There was someone he sought to emulate. Talent had always been abundant for Maehwa. His potential, greater than anyone else’s, swiftly propelled him to lofty heights.

Starting as a C-rank hunter, he progressed to B-rank, and then A-rank. Before long, he transcended even that, reaching the S-rank, just like the one he admired.

Though Maehwa’s power was more formidable than any other wielder of the elements, it allowed him to draw closer to his dream. He first realized his power when a careless misstep triggered a trap, causing the death of his teammates. By the time he had mastered the technique of eliminating his comrades through traps, Maehwa’s body had become more robust than anyone else’s.

“I can become like him.”

The method was immaterial. The crucial thing was reaching that point.

However, Maehwa’s aspirations were shattered in an instant.

“Move aside.”

When he defeated an adversary he couldn’t best, with a single punch.

Maehwa, who had become haughty after receiving the emblem of an S-class hunter, couldn’t help but fall in love with Baekdo amidst the catastrophe that unfolded in China.

To resemble him, he would need to kill even more people and strive relentlessly.
I want to reach that person.

Regardless of the concepts of ethics and morality, it was only Baekdo who mattered to him.

…

“I can reach him.”

He murmured.

The exhilarating sensation spreading from his fingertips made Maehwa’s movements even more swift.

“I’ve reached him.”

– Mancheop Baekdo (梅).

The magical power coursing through his body underwent a bizarre transformation. Petals of an unseen form bloomed, encapsulating the traits of two distinct trees.
A monster.
Why was he entrusted with such a monumental task of national significance?

“Finally, finally!”

Lee Si-heon’s actions were the catalyst.
He had succeeded in persistently investigating and emulating the elusive aspects that seemed unattainable.

Overwhelmed by Maehwa’s voice, his body grows even more rigid. Perhaps now, one could catch a glimpse of that particular area.

Climax.

The transcendent realm, an ethereal landscape only reachable by those who have reached the peak, willing to endure the pain of bone-shattering and the acceptance of death.

– Seize!

Lee Si-heon’s arm, which allowed for a full-force blow, resurrects and grasps Maehwa’s neck. It was his fist that had felt so heavy just a moment ago.

“You’ve grown weaker.”

Now, he advances.

No.

Even in this state, he is still ahead.

He can do more. Become much stronger. Reach higher. He can briefly experience the pinnacle of White Peach’s domain.

– Kwaaang!

Lee Si-heon’s body bends sharply upon colliding with a massive rock. His eyes, bloodied and bruised, continue to watch with an expression that seems to conceal something.

Ridiculous.

In this fleeting moment, he has overcome so many barriers.

“The disciple of White Peach,” he said, as his own attack struck him and he slumped to the ground.

“Kuh, keuhuhuhh.”

Mad laughter bloomed alongside the false peach blossoms.

“Hahaha! Isn’t it amazing?”

Laughter spilled forth, its movement outpacing everyone present.

Even Soo-yeon and Saku, who took to the air and clung to the trees, and Baobab from Africa couldn’t surpass him. The low-quality ridicule couldn’t be easily dismissed. The weight in the voice was extraordinary, causing cold sweat to run down everyone’s bodies. Haku, who was on the same side, lost her fighting spirit and slumped to the ground.

This truly made him appear as someone on the verge of reaching a transcendent realm.

“Lee Si-heon. Thank you. I was able to come this far because of you.”

Si-heon’s eyes furrowed, but he paid it no mind. Power, speed, even martial arts – he had the upper hand in everything.

“After I kill you.”

A finger pointed at Lee Si-heon’s heart. The silhouette of a person he had longed for flashed through his mind.

“Next, White Peach. Kill her.”

“…”

“No, not just kill her. Slowly, savoring the process.”

He would employ every possible method. He believed it was a matter of courtesy when killing someone he had once admired.

“Silence her cries and violate her! Once I’ve seen her weep, I’ll cut her throat.”

“…What?”

“First, I’ll present her severed head to you. Wouldn’t it be amusing to see her expression when she beholds her disciple’s head?”

A heavy voice echoed in his ears. His face, which had been tense just moments ago, now turned cold and emotionless.

It might even be enjoyable to watch her final moments.

“Her fair, white skin… that translucent flesh. Heh, hehehe.”

The bulge in the center of his trousers swelled suddenly. Plum raised his fist one last time.

I will witness the end. The two flower petals clenched in his fist struck down towards Lee Si-heon’s forehead.

-bang!

– Beep!

‘It’s over.’

Ringing tinnitus in his ears.

-flash-

It was a fleeting moment. The sound vanished from his ears, and the flower petals and mana dissipated all at once.

His vision suddenly tilted, swaying left and right. The moon suspended in the sky plummeted to the ground. Pupils rolled on the dirt floor, pressed against the upturned ceiling. There was no sensation in his fist.

‘Huh?’

He was dead.

Such an illusion took hold of him. The body that returned became aware of its reality. The pure white magic enveloped his body, burning it and gradually slicing it into pieces.

Unconsciously, he reached for his ears, which no longer registered sound. His right ear had been severed.

-thud! thud! thud! thud!

The sound of his heart. Blood vessels raced urgently as muscles contracted.

The tension of encountering a natural foe. Black petals tumbled to my feet.

-Jerbuck.

A man ablaze from head to toe advanced one step at a time.

-Jerbuck.

The black liquid on his wrist swiftly materialized into clothes, while the blood evaporated, unveiling his pallid face. He gazed downward at himself with disdain.

‘…What the…’

-Thump, thump.

Death looms.

Only in the fleeting moment when sound vanished from the world could I comprehend my predicament.