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Before Jeong Ha-yul could draw up her magic power.

While the Jeong sisters were arguing with the Chinese man and woman, the Awakened Ones from Japan also arrived.

“The Prophet is with the Korean side.”

“What about the U.S.? Why are they just sitting there?”

“Looks like they’re waiting to watch the showdown between China and Korea.”

“What should we do?”

“We should wait for an opportunity to jump in. We can’t let the Prophet slip away like this.”

“…Feels sketchy, but let’s give it a shot.”

The Japanese Awakened Ones seemed to be stepping back, waiting for the fight between the Chinese side to end.

The sight of S-Class individuals from the U.S., Korea, China, and Japan gathered in one place was a rare scene.

“…This is the first time I’ve seen so many S-Class in one place.”

Serena Olson had been an ordinary person until recently, when she awakened to A-Class.

In a lifetime, it’s hard to even see one S-Class, but here there are seven. If you include CIA Deputy Director David, who was sent flying earlier, that makes eight in just one day.

It wasn’t strange to feel overwhelmed.

“Is this some kind of world summit…? Serena, come over here. You might get hurt.”

Jeong Gyeoul pulled the dazed Serena Olson aside.

“Let’s just watch.”

“…Shouldn’t we help the Demon King?”

“We can switch in if it looks like he’s losing.”

“Something I’ve been curious about… Are you stronger than the Demon King, Gyeoul?”

Jeong Gyeoul never loses her composure, no matter who or how many opponents she faces. Plus, judging by the words of the U.S. S-Class, they seemed to fear her.

“I’m the strongest here, so don’t worry and just enjoy the show.”

Serena was half-doubting but clung closer to Jeong Gyeoul.

Meanwhile, Jeong Gyeoul didn’t stop provoking and fabricating stories about Xiao Lin.

Jeong Ha-yul closed her eyes and began drawing up her magic power.

Her long lashes and gray hair started to flutter.

“Come at me.”

Jeong Ha-yul slowly gestured toward Xiao Lin.

“You arrogant brat!”

Xiao Lin, who was already furious, didn’t hesitate to strike first.

She kicked off the ground and charged with an unseen hand movement.

Just as the magic power flowing from each of her fingers was about to reach Jeong Ha-yul—

Thud!

Xiao Lin’s hand was deflected, making a heavy sound.

The impact was so powerful that Jeong Ha-yul’s arm, which had deflected the fingers, also bounced back.

The recoil generated a shockwave.

The clash of such immense magic power was beyond what could be considered a mere fistfight between humans.

“This is the difference between you and me.”

“…!”

Jeong Ha-yul, with one arm bouncing back, instantly channeled power into her other arm.

Kwaaaang—

The Demon King Punch, amplified by the opponent’s own force, struck Xiao Lin’s abdomen.

Even if Jeong Ha-yul was inferior to Xiao Lin in fist techniques, her magic power and combat senses far surpassed Xiao Lin’s.

“Ugh!”

Despite using the essence of I-hwa-jung-muk to release maximum magic power, the tremendous impact still hit her abdomen hard.

“Ouch, that probably ruptured something inside.”

“…She got hit pretty hard, but is it that bad?”

“Considering her bones are fully grown, only her organs got ruptured. If it were me, my ribs would’ve been completely shattered.”

Jeong Gyeoul, who had once fought with broken ribs, frowned as she answered Serena’s question.

“So, is it over now?”

“Probably not. That kind of attack is bearable. If she can’t handle it, she’s just being dramatic.”

Jeong Gyeoul, who had adapted to fighting with broken ribs since childhood, was a tough old soul.

“…Didn’t you just say her organs ruptured?”

If even the pain of ruptured organs is something a hero has to endure… I don’t want to be one…

Jeong Gyeoul had said it so casually, but she ended up instilling fear in Serena.

Unaware of her lack of consideration, she focused on the fight between Jeong Ha-yul and Xiao Lin.

No, even if she had noticed, she would’ve been too engrossed in the fight.

Thud! Thud! Thwack!

Xiao Lin’s fist technique—no, her Qi Method—was sharp and seamlessly connected.

Just when it seemed like she was putting all her strength into a strike, her other fingers would fly in.

Like a true martial artist with all sorts of principles intertwined, even Jeong Ha-yul was taken aback.

‘…Real martial arts are trickier than I thought.’

Despite her seemingly reckless personality, her skills were the real deal.

The intricate movements between attacks were highly impressive.

Enough to inspire Jeong Ha-yul, whose fighting style had become rigid from self-taught punches.

“You can’t be serious!”

“…”

Xiao Lin had experienced this before.

The look of someone getting deeply absorbed in something during a fight.

It was the same feeling she had when Jeong Gyeoul stole and learned her fist technique in England.

Like Jeong Gyeoul’s sister, who had said, “Your fist technique is amazing,” Jeong Ha-yul was now saying, “Your Qi Method is amazing.”

Xiao Lin quickly created distance, looking bewildered.

“Are these guys seriously stealing my Qi Method too?!”

Jeong Ha-yul, clumsily using the Qi Method, casually replied.

“Your technique looked pretty good.”

Even while doing so, Jeong Ha-yul was reverse-engineering Xiao Lin’s techniques.

Absorbing the path of magic power, the movement of force, and the pulse of muscles, she was stealing and learning Xiao Lin’s Qi Method.

“You brat!”

Bang—

The floor caved in.

With a deep step, Xiao Lin’s fingers shot toward Jeong Ha-yul’s eyes at incredible speed, but she dodged lightly and stepped back.

“While copying your technique, I came up with a better idea.”

“Shut up! Don’t mock my Qi Method that I’ve honed for nine years!”

A blue light flashed in Jeong Ha-yul’s eyes.

An enormous amount of magic power was swirling inside her body.

“China seems to be done already.”

“The matchup was bad, fighting the Demon King in close combat.”

“Our country made the right call sending us two.”

The Japanese side seemed to have already confirmed the outcome.

“You said the Demon King’s attack was deflected earlier… Will this one hit?”

“Well, it depends on what my sister has realized.”

The silence was brief.

The heavy and majestic aura around Jeong Ha-yul began to sharpen.

Tap! Whoosh!

Jeong Ha-yul kicked off the ground so lightly that not even dust rose.

No one present had ever seen such a light step.

‘The power might be weak…’

‘Without any weight behind it, the Demon King is playing a dangerous game.’

The U.S. and Japanese sides thought Jeong Ha-yul had made a mistake.

Only Jeong Gyeoul, who recognized the true value of the attack, smiled faintly.

‘I thought she might win with physical combat, but she’s going to lose again.’

Xiao Lin spun her body, using the momentum to counter Jeong Ha-yul’s attack.

Thwack!

The sound of fingers clashing was so deep it was hard to believe.

The two fighters were at their peak focus.

The entangled magic power fragmented, tearing their clothes and injuring their bodies, but neither flinched.

Xiao Lin was the one pushed back.

Her fingers started bending in unnatural directions, and her muscles twisted.

“Ugh!”

As Xiao Lin swallowed a groan, Jeong Ha-yul wrapped her lower body in magic power.

One attack wasn’t the end; the essence of the technique Jeong Ha-yul had devised was accumulation.

Taking another step, Jeong Ha-yul drew up more magic power.

The magic power, flowing straight without faltering, gathered at her fingertips again.

Even just drawing up magic power, it overshadowed the first attack with even greater force.

‘This ends it.’

As she was about to release the doubly accumulated magic power to destroy Xiao Lin’s magic circuit—

Xiao Zhan rushed between them.

“Enough.”

Xiao Zhan slapped Jeong Ha-yul’s hand with an open palm.

Thud!

At the same time, Jeong Ha-yul’s other hand wrapped around Xiao Zhan’s arm and grabbed his shoulder.

In an instant, Xiao Zhan’s arm was at risk of being torn off, but he showed no change in expression and threw Xiao Lin behind him.

Crunch—

A grotesque sound echoed as the arm was torn off.

“A machine?”

Jeong Ha-yul, who had torn off the arm, and everyone else watching were all stunned.

The arm, which looked like it had mechanical parts implanted here and there, was entirely mechanical—something no one had imagined.

“We’re leaving.”

“Who said you could?”

“My chance of beating you is 13%, but my chance of cutting your wrist is 82%. If you’re willing to lose a wrist to kill us, I’ll fight.”

Xiao Zhan’s expressionless face was eerily unsettling.

“I’m not the only one here. What if Gyeoul steps in?”

“That’s also a valid point, but. Would you make your sister commit murder?”

“…”

Jeong Ha-yul glanced at Jeong Gyeoul and frowned.

“We’re not psycho siblings like you.”

“Then we’re leaving.”

Xiao Zhan, carrying Xiao Lin, left the battlefield without looking back.

Jeong Ha-yul, also starting to tire, trudged toward Jeong Gyeoul and Serena.

At that moment.

The Japanese Awakened Ones, who had been waiting for an opportunity, charged at Jeong Ha-yul.

“De-Demon King! Behind you!”

“It’s too late! Die!”

 

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