The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-236

Baaaaaam!

Booooooooom!

Shin Yo, the Cold-Blooded Flower, and Jang Du had frozen expressions.

“He lost,” said Shin Yo, indifferently.

“Who are you talking about?” asked Jang Du.

“Isn’t it obvious? It would be a waste of time to watch the rest. Jang Du, I won the bet.”

“.....”

Jang Du furrowed his brows while rubbing his chin.

He, too, knew that Seol had lost. He was forced on the defensive and could not land even a single counter.

But… something still lingered in his mind.

‘Was what I felt then… just in my head?’

He sensed an immense amount of power within Seol, hidden beneath a strong, rumbling wall like magma underground.

He also knew that if Seol had unleashed it, everything around him would turn into a sea of flames, but... perhaps he was mistaken.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m also disappointed in my insight.”

"Let’s go. I don’t enjoy watching someone being turned into a punching bag."

Stand…

As Shin Yo stood up, she took a glance at the people around her.

The expressions of the audience were no different from Jang Du’s.

Disappointment. Worry.

While there were people cheering for Dae Ha to retain his spot, there were also people cheering for Seol to become the next conqueror. But this fight… disappointed people from both sides.

They believed it to be an incredible battle… a battle that could one day be claimed to be the greatest in the Warrior’s Heart’s history…

However, a fight between two skilled individuals wasn’t guaranteed to be the best.

In fact, it often involved pettier, more underhanded tricks than a street brawl between two thugs.

It was just that rare for a dramatic showdown to unfold on the final stage.

Yet, everyone always got excited for the finals, gripped by its significance.

Why?

It was likely because of expectations—expectations for a miracle to finally happen.

The audience was hopeful, praying for a battle worthy of the weight of the term ‘finals’.

Shin Yo tried to leave, imprinting their upset expressions into her mind.

However…

‘...Huh?’

Their expressions began to slowly change.

From expressions of anger and disappointment to shock and surprise.

She then heard Jang Du.

“Lady Shin Yo, come back.”

Shin Yo turned around, facing the stage once more.

“Our bet… might not be over yet,” he continued.

Jang Du’s words perfectly describe the scene unfolding before her eyes.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Glooooooow…

[You enter the Night Crow form with Knight ‘Karuna, the Moonlight Knight’.]

[You absorb Karuna, the Moonlight Knight’s stats.]

[Your class is changed to Knight.]

[Shadow Hand is changing.]

[You are able to use Soaring Moonlight.]

[You are able to use Montra Swordsmanship.]

[You are able to use Mind Control Resistance.]

[You are able to use Passive: Black Wave.]

[You are able to use Exceptional Skill: Night Sea.]

Seol received information on Karuna's skills.

Seol obviously knew about all of Karuna's skills since Karuna was his summon.

However, the information he received now wasn't just descriptions, but instructions on how to use them.

Despite this, Seol couldn’t immediately wield them at full strength.

After all, it had also taken him some time to become accustomed to Jamad and his skills.

Still, Seol wouldn’t take as long as before to adapt to it.

Back then, he lacked a complete understanding of Night Crow. The difference in his knowledge of this skill now, coupled with his increased strength, would expedite Seol's adaptation to it.

Glance…

Seol then locked eyes with Dae Ha, who continued to look down on him.

However, Dae Ha’s overpowering aura had disappeared long ago.

Pourrrrrr…

The rain created a barrier between people and the world.

Its sound muffled the noise of others, while its droplets added a sense of separation between oneself and those nearby.

However… it was also for those exact reasons that you were able to dive deeper into yourself.

Bathump…

Bathump…

The sound of your beating heart.

Haah…

Haaah…

The length of your breaths.

Wriggle…

The feeling of your muscles moving.

Drip… drip…

Even the sensitivity of your skin.

‘...I can feel it.’

The sound of Karuna's and Agony's breathing.

After becoming Karuna, Seol was able to understand him more.

Through understanding, they were able to unite, and through uniting, they were able to deepen their understanding of each other.

Karuna was strong, and Agony was special.

When Seol lacked an understanding of swordsmanship, Agony was merely a unique sword. Now, with Karuna’s knowledge, Agony had transformed into a special weapon.

‘I feel like… I could beat anyone.’

Though Dae Ha was initially shocked by Seol’s transformed appearance, he quickly regained his focus and attacked once more.

“Is that your last resort, huh?!”

Fwip!

He swung his staff high, trying to rain down more attacks on Seol.

Seol, the recipient of that attack, could instinctively tell that he shouldn’t block it.

Though an overhead attack was already dangerous, there was an immense power radiating from it as well.

Not to mention, the person doing it was Dae Ha, the conqueror.

[Dae Ha used Mountain Press.]

[If the target successfully blocks this attack, deal damage proportional to the weapon’s durability. If the target fails to block this attack, deal damage while ignoring 200 defense.]

Seol chose not to dodge the attack.

Baaaaaaaaaaaam!

An incredible weight was behind Dae Ha’s blow.

In fact, the cliff behind them formed cracks at impact, breaking even more.

“......”

However, Seol seemed indifferent after the two had clashed.

‘He redirected my power!’

The cracks formed on the cliff weren't because Seol bore the brunt of the attack but because the attack was absorbed directly by the ground.

‘Don’t make me laugh!’

Fwirl!

Fwooooooosh!

[Dae Ha used Destroy Platoon.]

[Deal damage to all enemies in a semicircle in front of you, proportional to your amplified weapon damage.]

As Seol was the only person in the semicircle in front of Dae Ha, he was dealt all of the damage.

Baaaaaaaam!

However, Seol avoided his attack once more.

Still with an indifferent look on his face, Seol continued to face off against Dae Ha.

Dae Ha felt as if he were up against a massive wall.

Though Seol was having an extremely hard time getting used to the changes, there was no way Dae Ha could know.

Seol was still trying to combine perfectly with Karuna.

- Widen your stance more.

- There isn’t enough strength in your grip. If you want to have more natural movements, you need to…

In real-time, Karuna continued to fix and adjust Seol’s movements.

The first time Seol used Night Crow, Jamad had been in charge of the movements.

This primarily was because Seol had been on the backlines the entire time and couldn't use Night Crow properly then.

But the current Seol was different from then. Even without Jamad, his moves had an edge, and his understanding of techniques and movements was different.

In fact, this aspect of Seol had immensely grown while fighting real battles in the Warrior’s Heart without his summons.

It was because of this growth that Seol was able to execute somewhat decent moves even after taking control of his body from Karuna.

But even that wasn’t enough to satisfy Karuna.

- Not like that.

- When you’re deflecting attacks, you should…

Seol couldn’t help but smile.

Karuna’s direct way of teaching, with his strict tone of voice, seemed just like him. At the same time, it truly felt like Karuna was finally back.

As Seol smiled, Dae Ha grimaced. He took it as Seol looking down on him.

“Haaaaaaaah!”

Fwooooooosh!

[Dae Ha used Lightning Staff.]

[When the staff strikes a surface, deal damage to all targets within a certain radius.]

BAAAAAAAAAM!

As Dae Ha slammed his staff onto the ground, the weakened terrain began to collapse.

Rumble rumble rumble!

After destroying the mountain they were standing on, both Dae Ha and Seol fell onto a nearby, connected mountain peak.

“Hrghhhhh!”

However, Dae Ha wasn’t done yet.

BAAAAAAAAAAAM!

Dae Ha used his skill again, striking the ground near Seol as he was trying to regain balance.

Crumble crumble!

“It’s going to break!”

The shamans and Daoists responsible for maintaining the arena terrain were in shock.

They never expected that Dae Ha alone would destroy the artificial landscape they created.

Craaaaaaaaaackle!

The Strange Cliff was completely destroyed.

However, the bigger problem was that the aftershocks from its collapse seemed like they were going to affect the audience as well.

“We can’t contain it all!”

“The audience will get hurt!”

“We don’t have to create a new law for it. We just have to prevent them from being destroyed! Everyone, focus on maintaining the balance!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Daoists quickly began reigning in the rubble.

Crumbleeeeee!

Though the mountain was destroyed, a new law was quickly written to cover it.

A spiral belt made of rocks formed inside the collapsing mountain, birthed anew at the center of the Warrior’s Heart.

“Oh my god…”

“This isn’t a dream, right?”

“It’s beautiful…”

“Amazing! This is amazing!”

The audience began roaring with cheers.

There had been instances of the stage changing during a match, but none as beautiful and grand as this.

Craaaaaaaaackle!

It continued to rain, as if there was a hole in the sky.

“You bastaaaaaaard!”

Baaaaam!

Their fight continued even after they fell, and the terrain changed completely. The two seemed to possess almost superhuman levels of stamina and strength.

Dae Ha, leaving his body at the mercy of the rain, began swinging his staff faster.

Fwooooosh!

Baaaaaaam!

Whaaaam!

Though Dae Ha’s attacks were relentless and fierce, they were far from enough to break through the center of the storm.

The storm leisurely continued to fight him, an indomitable force he could never hope to conquer.

Clench!

‘I can’t lose!’

Dae Ha was shouldering Gwak Seong’s expectations.

There was no way he could lose to a nameless individual like Kang Seol here. It could be anywhere else, but not here. Not in the Warrior’s Heart...

- Dae San, Elder Gwak Seong has such high expectations for you. At times, I am jealous of you, brother.

- Haha… What do you mean?

- Your strength, your ability that allows others to place their trust in you… Wherever I go, you’re all they talk about. I really am so jealous.

This was a story from before Dae Ha adopted Dae San’s will to become the conqueror.

- But recently… I’ve heard people insulting Elder Gwak Seong. That he’s just a useless mosquito, sucking away at your blood. Is he… really someone like that?

Pat!

Dae San placed his hand on Dae Ha’s head.

- Dae Ha… do you remember when we were still just little kids?

- …I do. We grew up eating the rats and bugs in Yocheon’s slums. I still get shivers when I think about them.

- We were children abandoned by the Khan Empire. I remember the time I almost died because I got hit by a carriage.

When Dae San was young, a wheel broke off a moving carriage and struck him, nearly causing his death. In fact, the injury was so severe that his survival to this day is considered nothing short of a miracle.

- I… still remember the face of the noble who exited the carriage.

- ……

- Instead of worrying about me, who was on the brink of death, they were more concerned about their damaged wheel.

- I remember it as well.

- We children were less valuable than a damaged item. And the one who took us in is Elder Gwak Seong.

Dae San was always obedient to Gwak Seong.

In fact, he would have willingly leaped into hell if Gwak Seong had commanded it, as if he were ready to die in his place at any moment.

- I am truly grateful to him. Those who simply label him as a gambler don't really know him. He is just… a bit clumsy.

- Elder Brother…

- He is someone we have to spend the rest of our lives repaying. Never forget that, okay?

A long while after that, Dae San died while protecting Gwak Seong.

He died with a smile, ever so happy.

- He… is our father.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

He could not lose.

This fight was something that Dae Ha could never lose.