Chapter 64: Heavy Rain (6)

Chapter 64: Heavy Rain (6)Taking a deep breath, Kwon Oh-Jin slammed his spear into the ground and launched himself into the air. Thud! He raised his right arm and fired the wire shooter—not at Ashad Khan but at his subordinates standing beside him. Whoosh! The subordinates were caught off guard. “H-Huh?” The wires shot out at supersonic speed and coiled tightly around the enemies. With a flick of his wrist, Kwon Oh-Jin hurled them toward Ashad Khan like cannonballs. Ashad Khan’s eyes gleamed with intrigue for a brief moment. “Oh, wow.” Without hesitation, he sliced his subordinates in half with a swift swing of his blade. Slash! “Aaaagh!” Blood and organs spilled out, painting the air as a crimson curtain of blood followed the arc of the curved blade. Kwon Oh-Jin, however, had aimed for this brief window in the first place, having never expected Ashad Khan to hesitate. Now! He extended his left arm and activated his wire shooter. Bang! The wire shot out and latched onto a nearby rebar before Kwon Oh-Jin channeled his mana into the shooter. With a mechanical screech, he rocketed downward, gaining explosive momentum. Gripping his spear with both hands, he aimed directly for Ashad Khan’s head. Lightning Strike. Blue lightning crackled at the tip of the spear's blade, engulfing the entire weapon in a ferocious blaze. It’s not enough, Kwon Oh-Jin thought. The gap in power he had sensed between himself and Ashad Khan through the Stigma of Canes Venatici was staggering. Explosive Lightning, five times. The raging lightning concentrated at the tip of Kwon Oh-Jin's spear. Sharp, needle-like pain stabbed through his veins as his mana circuits screamed in protest, far too narrow for the immense amount of mana he was pouring out. It was like trying to draw water from a massive tank using a tiny straw. I’ve got no choice, though. Biting down hard on his lip, he endured the searing pain. Unless he was willing to push his circuits to their limit, he wouldn’t be able to unleash an attack strong enough to matter. Crackle! The blue lightning erupted in a violent torrent, burning away the curtain of blood as it charged directly toward Ashad Khan. fгeewebnovёl.com Black feathers materialized and wrapped around Ashad Khan, forming a dense, armor-like cocoon. Whoosh! He exhaled briefly, raising his curved blade and angling it to deflect Kwon Oh-Jin's spear along its edge. Boom! A massive explosion followed, scattering lightning in all directions. The attack failed to pierce through Ashad Khan's black-feather armor. Damn it! Kwon Oh-Jin thought, instantly channeling all his lightning into his legs. Explosive Lightning! He quickly created distance between himself and Ashad Khan. The ferocious lightning crackling around him made Ashad Khan's eyes widen in surprise. “... Impressive," he remarked. "It’s hard to believe you’re only a four-star Awakener.” When Ashad Khan had first received internal reports of the Thunder Wolf wrecking their operation to awaken the fragment of the Black Stars beneath Sokcho, he had expected the apostle of the North Star to be strong—but the destructive force he now faced was far beyond his expectations. The Thunder Wolf was growing at an unprecedented rate. “However...” Ashad Khan’s gaze sharpened as black mana swirled around his curved blade. “That’s all there is to it.” He slowly swung his blade horizontally. Swoosh. The motion was slow—so slow that even a ten year-old child could dodge it. The strike lacked any apparent force, like the gentle dream of a pleasant afternoon nap. Kwon Oh-Jin furrowed his brow, his grip tightening around his spear. What the hell? There was about fifty meters between the two of them. Even if Ashad Khan swung with all his might, there was no way it could reach him. And with that sluggish speed, even if Ashad Khan were right in front of him, evading it would have been child's play—or so Kwon Oh-Jin thought. Boom! A deafening roar blasted through his eardrums. Following the slow path of Ashad Khan’s blade, a chain of explosions detonated, impossible to dodge. Acting purely on instinct, Kwon Oh-Jin thrust his spear forward, where blue lightning clashed head-on with the raging explosion. Boom! “Agh!” Kwon Oh-Jin cried out. The force of the impact ripped his palms open, but he still clung to the spear. The gap in power between the two Awakeners was overwhelming. Ashad Khan chuckled leisurely, lifting his curved blade once more. “Your reflexes aren’t bad... or maybe you just have strong intuition?” He brought the blade down slowly, like a drop of dew slipping off a leaf. Kwon Oh-Jin took a deep breath as he tightened his grip on his spear. He had no reason to fall for clumsy provocations. Stay calm. He needed to understand Ashad Khan’s ability first. Channeling his mana into his eyes, he noticed tiny black feathers—each no larger than a fingernail—shooting off the slowly swinging blade. Is that what’s causing the explosions? he thought. Spinning his spear, he activated Azure Lightning. Streams of lightning spread out in the shape of a fan, colliding with the black feathers. Boom! The resulting explosion was too bright for his eyes to handle. Even though he was a considerable distance away, the shockwave sent him flying backward. Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue at the absurd level of power. So those feathers were what destroyed the warehouse. Ashad Khan smirked coldly. “Do you think it’s over already?” Kwon Oh-Jin frowned. "What?” The black feathers, which he thought had been eradicated, suddenly triggered a secondary explosion. Boom! Kwon Oh-Jin hastily summoned a wall of lightning to shield himself, but the explosion ripped through it effortlessly and slammed into him. “Kugh!” He was thrown backward, bouncing off the ground like a skipping stone. Thud! Boom! Crash! He finally stopped as he collided with a pile of debris—a tangle of rebar and concrete. Thin wisps of smoke rose around him. “Kugh!” Scarlet blood gushed from his throat, and he heard a voice right in front of him. “Even your body is unnaturally tough.” “Ugh!” Kwon Oh-Jin hastily grabbed his spear and struggled to get on his feet, but the curved blade was already swinging toward his neck. Clang! The spear and blade clashed violently, causing sparks to fly in all directions. Clang! Clang! Clang! The relentless exchange continued between the spear and blade for over ten seconds before Ashad Khan chuckled in disbelief. “In another year... no, even half a year from now, you would’ve turned into an unstoppable monster.” A chill ran down Ashad Khan's spine. Is this truly the skill of a mere four-star Awakener? “But that future will never come to exist now,” he added. The Thunder Wolf is going to die here today. The curved blade lashed out like a viper, striking the spear. Clang! The silver spear spun wildly through the air as it was knocked out of Kwon Oh-Jin's grasp. “Damn it!” he muttered, scrambling backward just in time to catch the spinning spear. His breath came in ragged gasps. “Haa, haa!” Kwon Oh-Jin wasn’t losing in terms of weapon-handling technique, but his palms were stripped raw, skin torn away to reveal the red flesh beneath. “Agh...” His hands trembled. He still had plenty of mana left thanks to the Stigmas he had absorbed through the Black Heaven. In fact, his sheer amount of mana likely surpassed Ashad Khan’s. But I don’t have enough firepower. The amount of mana I can release at once is far less than he can. His mana circuits were too narrow; his physical limits as a four-star Awakener were dragging him down. In this situation, he had only one option left. I didn’t want to use this, but I don’t have a choice. “Have you finally realized the difference in strength between us?” Ashad Khan asked. Biting his lip, Kwon Oh-Jin clenched his blood-soaked hands tighter around his spear. Yeah, I did, you son of a bitch. “Exceed.” Crackle! A red warning message flashed before his eyes, which he ignored. “No matter what...” Boom! He lunged forward, leaving behind burning footprints formed from blue lightning. “—Huh?!” Ashad Khan’s eyes widened. He swung his curved blade, detonating explosions along its path. Kwon Oh-Jin yelled, “I’ve had enough of your crap!” He channelled all his mana to the tip of his spear, crushing his already strained mana circuits, like forcing high-pressure water into a twisted hose. Sizzle! The lightning converging at the tip created a fierce, blue flame. Ring! [Thunderbolt has reached Lv7.] [Kwon Oh-Jin has acquired the skill Lightning Flames Lv1.] [Lightning Flames is a powerful skill that is compatible with Sword Aura. While its destructive force surpasses Sword Aura, much more mana will be consumed.] [Thunderbolt Lv7 has influenced the proficiency of Lightning Flames Lv1.] [Lightning Flames has reached Lv2!] [Warning! Kwon Oh-Jin’s current physical state is not suited for using Lightning Flames!] [Mana consumption is increasing drastically!] Messages poured in, one after another. This system and that bastard... Kwon Oh-Jin thought. “Can’t they shut up already?” The blazing lightning clashed violently with the curved blade. Boom! “Kuuugh!” Ashad Khan hurled backward, slamming into the ground like Kwon Oh-Jin had earlier. Ashad Khan wiped the blood trickling from his lips as he stared at Kwon Oh-Jin in shock. “What the hell?” His gaze darkened as he felt an intense, unprecedented amount of mana radiating from Kwon Oh-Jin, who was covered in blue lightning. “Thinking you’d be a threat in half a year was naive of me.” Kwon Oh-Jin is already a dangerous threat to the Black Star Society. Ashad Khan staggered to get on his feet. “I can’t leave a nuisance like you alive.” Though Kwon Oh-Jin had turned the tide with his trump card, Ashad Khan wasn’t out of cards himself. “Oh great star of the Owl," he chanted. "Bestow this lowly servant of yours the blessing of the Black Stars.” Woong! A surge of black light erupted from the Stigma on his chest. “Bow, praise, exalt,” he continued. Countless black feathers swirled violently around him. Whoosh! From the chaotic storm of black wings, Ashad Khan emerged, stepping forward calmly. “The time of the Owl has come,” he declared. 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