Chapter 733
Chapter 7: The Clash of Flames
Hwang Ah Gangram unfurled once more.
Shin Ryong, clad in armor, exhaled heavily.
“Guh… huh…”
The once brilliant form of his armor had long since lost its luster.
Was it the effect of the explosion? Or the aftermath of the sparring? He was barely holding onto any shape at all.
It was the form conjured solely to stave off the blast.
“Ugh…”
Having suddenly burned through a significant amount of inner strength, Shin Ryong stumbled.
Yet even in that situation, he did not release Hwang Ah Gangram.
Not yet.
The attack was far from over.
<Flame Burst--!!!>
Flames poured forth.
Shin Ryong raised his arms to shield himself from the fire.
<Impact--!!>
“Guhhhhhh!!”
The shock hit him directly.
He could only manage to fend off the heat.
The blood streaming from his scars soaked through his martial robe.
As expected, his right hand seemed to be broken.
It hurt.
Had he ever been hurt like this since birth?
Probably not.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
Unable to withstand the flames any longer, he knelt on one knee.
The incoming fire showed no signs of stopping.
He clearly saw it pouring out for several dozen seconds just moments ago. Where was this energy still coming from?
‘…Did he say he used half…?’
Thinking back, it was enough to make him gasp for breath.
So the remaining half was this much?
‘Just what… are you…’
What could be his true identity?
Wasn’t it glaringly different from the figure he saw at the Dragon Meeting?
Surely all human time must be equal.
‘Could it be our times were different?’
Had he walked while the author had sprinted?
Or had he run while the author soared?
He couldn’t tell anymore.
He didn’t know anything now.
“Guhhh… aaaaahhh!!”
Letting out a ki yell, he braved through.
That was all he could do.
He couldn’t win.
He knew that the moment he saw it.
So Shin Ryong thought.
‘So what?’
Wasn’t it something he had known before the fight even began?
No, back then, didn’t he have at least a glimmer of hope?
Perhaps he could reach him with his efforts.
Wasn’t the goal he longed for not so far away?
Maybe he could win if he fought.
That’s what he must have thought.
But once he fought, he realized.
He was not in the same realm as him.
If he had been seen, he had already gone around the distant path ahead.
He couldn’t grasp him; he couldn’t reach him.
If he didn’t see him, he couldn’t see him either.
That was the extent of Gu Yangcheong and Shin Ryong’s positions.
Realizing that, Shin Ryong asked himself again.
‘So what?’
Does that mean I have a reason to give up?
“Yaaaahhh—!!!”
No.
‘Not at all.’
<KWA-A-A-A-A--!!>
Hwang Ah Gangram radiated light.
The heavy belief that gripped him seeped into the armor.
Its shape not only recovered but also started to solidify and strengthen.
“What the hell?!”
Gu Yangcheong let out a gasp, flames still erupting.
Hwang Ah Gangram began to emit light.
“Look at that crazy bastard.”
His heart realm stabilized.
The imperfect martial arts transformed into a perfected form, and the fortified armor not only defended but began to push back the assault.
‘Getting stronger while fighting? Ridiculous.’
Where did he suddenly gain enlightenment after being beaten like that?
Shin Ryong’s inner strength had not changed.
If anything, it was likely reduced. There couldn’t be any left after wasting it like this.
It was simply.
‘He started using it efficiently.’
He was eliminating the waste and transmuting it into power.
It was honestly laughable.
‘That should be something Seongyul’s brat should learn from.’
He was in a position where he could have given up long ago.
Instead of floundering in despair, Shin Ryong’s momentum became even firmer.
He would prevail.
The energy felt from him was nothing but that.
‘That’s why geniuses…’
Whenever they learn one thing, they immediately put it to use.
It was annoying.
He barely managed to use one thing after learning it.
No doubt, he felt annoyed.
Strangely, a smile crept onto his face.
Tightening up.
He exerted force in his legs.
The flames did not cease, and he leaped forward to close the distance.
“…!”
Shin Ryong flinched and raised his arms defensively, but Gu Yangcheong was already too close.
Wooong! The flames subsided, and heat enveloped his feet.
<Myriad Flame Piercing!>
A fierce fiery kick struck directly onto Shin Ryong’s arm.
To be precise, it was his right arm.
<KWAZAAM-! THUD-!>
The attack pierced through, shattering Hwang Ah Gangram’s armor.
“…Guhhh!”
The arm that had been raised for defense was, of course, the broken one.
Shin Ryong let out a cry.
It was obviously a targeted strike. Yet.
CRACK-!
“Huh?”
In one motion, Shin Ryong seized Gu Yangcheong’s ankle with his left arm.
<CHIIIIIIICK--!!>
“AHHHHHH!!”
Flames burned away at his hand.
Despite the agonizing pain, Shin Ryong did not let go.
He screamed but tightened his grip around the ankle.
WHOOSH-!!
“Wow this bastard… truly.”
With his broken right arm, Shin Ryong unleashed the Hundred Steps Divine Power toward Gu Yangcheong.
Seeing that, Gu Yangcheong let out a hearty laugh.
“I like it.”
<KWA-BAAM-!!>
Shin Ryong’s desperate attack found its mark in Gu Yangcheong’s chest.
<KU-GU-GU-GUUNG-!!!>
Hit head-on, Gu Yangcheong flew through the air.
“Whew!”
Even while witnessing that, Shin Ryong did not stop.
With all his might, he threw another punch.
<THUD-! THUD-! KU-GU-GU-GUUNG-!!!>
The successive strikes of the Hundred Steps Divine Power echoed loudly across the sparring stage.
“Whew! Huff huff!”
Shedding sweat and blood, Shin Ryong did not halt.
<THWAM-! THWAM-! THWAM-THWAM-THWAM-!!>
With every blow he delivered, his inner strength fiercely depleted.
His legs trembled.
His lower dantian reached its limit, and the crushed joints warned him that moving further would be catastrophic.
He might very well die.
There might be no next time.
It didn’t matter.
‘I can’t care less.’
Even if it meant dying here.
He would fulfill his duty.
So Shin Ryong thought as he pressed on.
But.
TWIST-!
“…!!”
Perhaps due to the accumulated fatigue, his legs finally lost strength, forcing him to stop attacking.
“Cough….”
Barely regaining his stance, dizziness nagged at him as he stumbled.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Even breathing felt painful.
He could feel drool trickling from the corner of his mouth. Aware of this, Shin Ryong did not wipe it away.
His gaze was fixed solely in front.
Beyond the dust made of fragments.
Shin Ryong stared at that place only.
Hadn’t he pounded enough? Surely it had to be over? Such a trivial thought did not surface.
He had not lost.
He knew that.
To prove it, it seemed.
“Ptooey.”
From within the dust, Gu Yangcheong’s voice emerged.
Not long after, the dust cleared.
“Seriously hurts, doesn’t it?”
Gu Yangcheong appeared, slightly weary.
Though he, too, bled from the chest, Shin Ryong grimaced upon checking his condition.
‘…Nothing has changed?’
He distinctly felt the sensation of impact.
It seemed he had landed most of his Hundred Steps Divine Powers, yet Gu Yangcheong looked slightly tired but otherwise unharmed.
‘Could he really be a monster…?’
Is he not human?
What sort of body allows for such feats? Now even doubts of his existence arose.
“Hey.”
“…!”
He called out to Shin Ryong.
“Just so you know.”
At the same time, he lowered his hand slightly.
“This is gonna hurt, okay?”
He didn’t ask what he meant.
“…Guh.”
Slowly, something began to gather in Gu Yangcheong’s hand.
Shin Ryong’s instincts screamed at him to block it, but he couldn’t move.
His legs wouldn’t obey.
<FWHIRR... FWHIRRING--!!>
The same blue orb from earlier. Was he about to use that again?
But the changing form made Shin Ryong’s heart race wildly.
It was dangerous.
Survival instincts battered his entire body, yet still, he stood frozen.
Eventually, the orb transformed, and Gu Yangcheong clutched a spear-like flame.
“…”
It looked like a clear threat.
The heat contained in the spear could be felt from here. Even the surrounding space was distorted.
He had to flee. That was truly unacceptable.
He needed to escape immediately.
The last remnants of his sanity screamed in his ear.
Swoosh.
Listening to that, Shin Ryong raised his fist.
<CLANG-!>
Once more, he cloaked himself with Hwang Ah Gangram.
“…”
“…”
In that state, they exchanged glances without further prompts or words.
No more warnings or dialogue were needed.
“Ha!”
With all his might, Gu Yangcheong thrust the spear at Shin Ryong.
SHHHHHHHH—!!!!
The spear whistled through the air as it hurtled toward Shin Ryong.
With speed enhanced by rotation, the spearhead met the armor.
<KWA-A-A-A-A-A---!!!!>
A tremendous sound erupted.
“Guhhhhhhh—!!!”
<CRACK...!>
The pressure pushed against his feet, which sank into the ground.
“Ughhhhh… AAAAAHHHHH!!!”
<KWAZAAM!>
The armor began to slowly crumble.
At this rate, it would pierce through.
This nameless martial art was, as Gu Yangcheong warned, beyond the level of mere blocking.
What was he to do then?
‘Let it pass.’
He adjusted his angle.
It was impossible to hold back now, but he had to change the trajectory while maintaining that force.
“Guhhh…!!”
It wasn’t a matter of ability anymore.
He had to.
Immediately, Shin Ryong focused his energy into his injured right arm.
The power of the armor coalesced into a single point, boosting its defense.
Then.
“Huuh…”
He slightly lifted his right arm and, using the remainder of energy in his left arm, swung it down against his right.
<SLAM-!!>
With the impact, the angle of his arm twisted.
<THUD-! HAAAAA---!!!>
With a skewed angle, the spear’s trajectory was redirected upwards.
The spear shot swiftly into the sky, and soon after.
<KWA-A-A-A-A-AANG---!!!>
It exploded in mid-air, creating a blast far surpassing the previous one.
“Ugh… huh….”
Shin Ryong trembled as he looked up at the spectacle.
He did it.
“Did I… did I block it—!?”
I… I—
“I blocked it—!!”
SWISH.
“Huh?”
Something just passed by me.
<KWA-A-A-A-AANG---!!>
“Guhhh?!”
The explosion from behind sent Shin Ryong tumbling to the ground.
Startled by the sudden impact, Shin Ryong looked back.
“…What the…?”
He couldn’t utter a word upon seeing the aftermath.
The sparring stage was completely in disarray from the previous explosion.
What on earth is going on?
Shin Ryong stared, dumbfounded.
“Why are you thinking for yourself?”
From the front, Gu Yangcheong’s voice reached him.
With a creak, Shin Ryong turned his head.
There stood Gu Yangcheong.
“Did you think blocking one strike meant you saved the world?”
He had the same spear as before, looking down at Shin Ryong.
“…”
In a daze, he continued to stare at the spear.
Gu Yangcheong spoke again.
“There’s still one left. So, shall we try again?”
“…Haah…”
Staring at the spear in silence, Shin Ryong muttered.
“…What the hell…”
That was the first curse he’d ever uttered in his life.
Do it again?
That thing?
“…”
Within mere seconds, as thousands of thoughts raced through his mind, Shin Ryong looked at Gu Yangcheong and said.
“I… concede.”
It was beyond him now.
Taking a deep breath, Shin Ryong admitted his defeat, and just as he did, the referee shouted.
“Th-The Mount Shan Clan’s Gu Yangcheong wins…!”
Shortly after Gu Yangcheong’s victory was confirmed.
– UAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!
Cheers erupted across the battlefield.
WAAAHHH—!!!
– So Yeomra! So Yeomra! So Yeomra!
This was undoubtedly the loudest cheer since the Martial Arts Tournament began.
