Chapter 103 (1/2)

Terms used in this chapter:

Dark Ghost – also known in Korean as ‘eudoksini.’ It is a ghost or demon that will swiftly grow in size and become powerful if they are continuously stared at, though it will shrink and eventually disappear if ignored.

The warriors of the Blade Song tribe who inherited the blood of the Hyjal Orcs were physically superior.

They were more like beasts than humans in terms of physical abilities such as strength, agility, and so on.

Sun Song was one of the best among the warriors of such a tribe.

Red Wind wouldn’t be able to last a few seconds if she fought him head-on in a battle of strength. Or rather, it was clearly at a level where her whole body would crumble because she couldn’t bear it.

‘I’ll be honest. If you got hit with just one blow, it would be difficult for you to win.’

Their weight difference alone was more than three times.

Their difference in muscle strength might as well be more than six times.

If she got hit, that was it.

If she suffered from a blow on her chest or stomach, she wouldn’t be able to properly breathe.

‘So you can’t get hit even once.’

It was an unreasonable demand.

But if she couldn’t do it, she had no chance of winning.

And one more added to this.

A word from Cordelia, who was silently watching Jude teaching her while next to him.

‘It’s okay, don’t think too hard about it. You just have to look carefully and avoid it. I’ve always done that.’

She said that with such a big smile that Red Wind couldn’t even refute her words.

“Uooo!”

His shout shook her eardrums.

Sun Song roughly kicked the ground and rushed at her in a terrifying speed.

Red Wind concentrated.

She even held her breath and looked at him.

She naturally recalled Jude’s words.

‘Well, this beast’s words aren’t wrong.’

‘Beast? Beeaast? Wurf-wurf! Wurf-wurf! Grrrrrr!”

No, not this one.

The next thing he said.

‘Look carefully and completely avoid it. It’s possible to do it. I will – no, we will make that possible to do.’

Time had stopped.

She could see the grains of sand rising in front of her.

She could also see the saliva coming out of Sun Song’s big mouth.

Having the blood of Winter Elves, Red Wind’s eyes were innately good in the first place. Jude’s magic scroll additionally helped her.

ye of Tiger>.

A spell that maximized the eye’s ability to discern shapes and details of everything it sees.

That wasn’t enough, so Jude trained her.

‘This is how Sun Song moves.’

“Kuooo!”

Sun Song swung his scimitar.

Red Wind had met Sun Song for the first time today, and it was also the first time she had seen him swing his scimitar with all his strength.

But it was familiar.

That attack.

The speed of Sun Song.

‘Look.’

Jude wasn’t just talking about momentary movements.

How the attack would continue.

What the scimitar’s trajectory was and how far would it reach.

Jude taught her.

Jude made her become familiar with it.

‘Look carefully and completely avoid it.’

Cordelia’s words.

And another of her words.

‘Then you’ll feel it. Not only through sight but you’ll feel it with your whole body at some point.’

She didn’t understand what Cordelia was talking about then.

She wondered what Cordelia meant about feeling the attack with one’s whole body.

She really liked Cordelia, but she thought that Cordelia wasn’t good at explaining.

But Cordelia wasn’t wrong.

Her unnie told her how to do it.

‘I can feel it.’

It wasn’t just the sight.

Her sense of hearing reacted.

Her sense of touch reacted.

She felt it beyond her five senses and perceived it through her sixth sense.

Sound, the vibration of the air, and the momentum of Sun Song’s force.

‘I think I understand.’

She understood what it meant to feel with one’s whole body.

And what she should do now.

‘There are two things.’

The scimitar gradually approached in the slow-moving time.

She recalled Cordelia’s words whispering to her again between Sun Song’s roar.

‘Once you feel it, there are two choices you can make.’

The blade drew near.

It felt like it would reach her anytime soon.

Red Wind saw Sun Song.

His face that was yelling a battle roar was terrifying as if proving that he had the blood of Hyjal Orcs.

His canine teeth protruding from his mouth reminded her of a beast than a person.

And his eyes.

His bloodshot eyes that stared at Red Wind.

A person’s face was reflected in his eyes.

It was Red Wind’s own face.

But the face reminded Red Wind of Cordelia.

The beauty who enchanted even those of the same sex, spoke as her canine teeth shined.

‘Either you step back or move forward.’

She usually stepped back.

It was normal to step back.

But that just meant running away.

There were times when she had to move forward.

‘The criteria for judging it…hehe, you’ll know it yourself when that moment comes.’

‘You’re talking as if there’s something, but you’re not actually thinking about it. ‘Coz you’re a beast.’

‘Do you want to die?’

She remembered unnecessary things, but it wasn’t bad.

A smile spread over Red Wind’s face. She was surprised when she widely smiled, but she took a step forward.

Shaaak-!

The scimitar cut the air.

Above the head of Red Wind who evaded the attack by bending her waist backwards.

The scimitar cut off a few strands of her pure white hair and scattered it. Sun Song was unable to control the power of his swing and continued moving forward while Red Wind disappeared from his sight.

T/N: Okay, it seems that the author made a mistake here. When Red Wind was first introduced, she was described as having azure hair that was reminiscent of the clear blue sky. But the paragraph above said that she had pure-white hair. I double-checked the Korean words used in the earlier chapters and here, and it really referred to her hair. Perhaps it was a typo by the author and the azure color being referred was her eyes and not the hair.

It was just a second.

A mere moment.

“Huu.”

Red Wind exhaled. She straightened her back and saw Sun Song’s clearly exposed back. Instead of looking at the face of Sun Song who hastily turned his head to find her, she swung her sword. The slash stirred up the wind.

Slaaash-!

Her sword only slashed the air.

But she had intended it.

The Phoenix rose and followed the sword’s trajectory as it charged and attacked.

Stretching out like a sword, the Phoenix struck Sun Song whose giant body was then greatly hurled backwards.

Boom!

There was a blast.

No one heard of the small and light footsteps that echoed together with the blast.

Thump.

After rotating once, Red Wind fixed her position and held her breath.

She felt Sun Song again with her whole body.

She sensed him flying away, rolling on the floor, and groaning in pain.

“Haa.”

She let out her breath.

And Red Wind thought.

‘This…is this the world you live in?’

She was wrong.

The world of Cordelia was more special.

Jude had met geniuses of all kinds, but even he had to admit that the world seen by a combat genius, who could only be described as a beast, was impossible for the current Red Wind to reach.

But it was enough for now. If she could feel and read Sun Song’s movements, then it was enough.

Bang!

Red Wind kicked the ground this time. She rushed towards Sun Song.

It was a splendid fight.

Red Wind quickly moved amidst the flames.

But like a seasoned warrior, Sun Song did not let himself be swept away from the battle.

He knew.

Just one hit.

That he could win with just one hit.

So he endured it.

As he endured the pain, she wildly swung her sword again and again. Red Wind refused to give up as she danced with her sword like willow leaves fluttering in the wind.

Slash! Slash!

Red Wind’s attacks poured out in succession.

Sun song received Red Wind’s attacks with his body and shot a series of attacks towards her.

Baaaang!

Flames sprung out.

Since both sides used fire, the fight looked flashy and splendid.

Different flames came together and clashed.

“As planned.”

Jude said as he watched.

Cordelia nodded her head.

Because Jude had memorized all of Sun Song’s combat patterns, Red Wind was able to ‘feel’ Sun Song.

Although it was the result of receiving help from different kinds of magic, what she felt was the real deal.

“Red Wind will win.”

Jude agreed with Cordelia’s conviction.

Because Jude’s calculations agreed with the words of Cordelia who perceived results while skipping the process with an intuition that was close to foresight.

Red Wind would win.

It would take some time, but it would eventually lead to her victory.

So Jude averted his gaze.

While everyone gathered here were focusing on the fight between Red Wind and Sun Song, he took a step back and thought.

‘An unfounded apprehension?’

Several chieftains gathered in Karaval.

The Eastern Alliance would be established regardless of who won the Karaval.

So if they moved, now was the perfect moment.

If someone wanted to interfere, it should have been now.

However, the Angry Bull tribe did not come.

Perhaps they hadn’t completed their military expedition in the west yet.

Maybe they were trying to avoid a situation where it would become dangerous if they moved the troops they left behind in their home base.

It was a possibility.

But would they just let go of this opportunity and watch?

Jude thought about the land of Gentle Snow Breeze where the Karaval was held.

It was an open plain on all sides, so they would know early on if someone wanted to invade it.

‘It’s impossible with a few troops.’

It was ridiculous to count the number of warriors gathered here.

There were also several powerful chieftains, so even if they dispatched elite troops, they would still need a dozen units.

‘If that’s the case, they would have been sighted.’

Moreover, Gentle Snow Breeze was here now.

She had retained her powers unlike Violent Avalanche. But even then, she did not detect any movement of troops when she looked around.

No enemy was coming.

The west had given up hindering the establishment of an eastern alliance.

So everyone was focused on the Karaval only.

Everyone who had gathered here focused their attention on the battle between Red Wind and Sun Song.

Jude had been doing that until now.

That was why he doubted it once more.

He wondered if there was anything he missed.

Perhaps there was something he did not think of.

‘Sky.’

It was still clear and blue.

Sunset would arrive soon, but the sky was still blue now.

‘West.’

Jude turned his head and looked west.

There was still nothing visible. Only the plain with white snow was seen.

‘Am I worrying for nothing then?’

Though that would be the best scenario.

Jude bitterly smiled and tried to watch Red Wind’s fight again.

But someone pulled on Jude’s arm before that.

“Jude.”

Cordelia.

He understood it the moment their eyes met.

He understood from Cordelia’s frowning expression and her twisting her body about as if she wanted to answer the call of nature.

A foreboding.

Cordelia couldn’t really explain what that ominous thing was, but she certainly felt something.

So Jude focused.

He tried to find something he missed.

And Cordelia pulled Jude’s arm again.

“Tremor.”

She said with widely opened eyes and pointed to her feet by gesturing with her chin. Therefore, Jude also figured it out.

The moment he heard Cordelia’s words, he concentrated and managed to notice it.

He could feel the vibration.

Very small tremors.

It was hard to feel unless one was as sensitive as Cordelia.

It grew bigger. It was getting closer.

“Under.”

Jude and Cordelia looked at their feet at the same time. They raised their heads and simultaneously shouted.

“Watch out!”

“It’s coming from underground!”

The invasion from outside finally happened.

As if an earthquake had occurred, the tremors instantly became violent and the ground cracked!

Booom!

Massive spikes shot up from the ground.

Whether it was their aim or just an accidental coincidence, it came from under Red Wind and Sun Song’s feet.

Baaang-!