226 Ant and Angel
[Elias | Level 30]
It was a fairly high level, but nothing that blew his mind, though it did cause him to take further note of the man.
What stood out most in his appearance was his heterochromia: his right eye was scarlet, and his left eye was of an emerald shade, similar to his own.
He’s got the same eye condition as Yeong-Un, he thought.
The addition of the exuberant gambler Elias’ bet, the crowd went wild as further stakes were placed on the drink-off.
He stayed at the table, though the stench of booze and the constant splashing of golden ale made him get up from the seat just as a loud, jarring noise came from outside the tavern–FWOOM.
It sounded as if something sharply descended, landing just outside of the establishment. Though he seemed to be the only one to notice this as the cheers and roars of the patrons dulled the sound, that or they were all too drunk to pay it any mind.
“I’ve gotcha…!” Korian slurred his words, slamming another mug down before letting out a hefty belch.
Archie slammed another down as well, smiling with flushed cheeks as he burped as well, “…I’m just gettin’ started ‘ere, mate!”
While they were going at it strongly still, he looked towards the tavern doors as his heightened hearing picked up approaching footsteps even beyond the constant flood of noise spilling from the mouths of the intoxicated patrons.
…What was that impact just now? He thought.
Just as the doors to the tavern swung open, a tall figure stepped through; a man with lengthy, straight locks of a silver shade, entered the establishment as he stretched his neck side-to-side.
It was a face he was all too familiar with; a sight that flipped a switch in his mind the moment his eyes laid on the man.
[Baek-Hyeon | Level 54]
There was only a millisecond in which he was frozen; a frozen moment of shock before his blood skyrocketed in temperature, his body flexing as adrenaline surged through his veins.
[Kill Switch: ON.]
In an instant, he set-off, not saying a word yet as he kicked forward with his full-strength, springing and blinking towards the man not even a second after his boot initially entered the interior of the tavern.
“Baek-Hyeon–!” He yelled out.
Even the angelic-empowered man was surprised by the red-haired assassin’s presence, which was due to his inherent ability to stay out of focus of unengaged entities.
He tackled the gray-uniformed, golden-eyed man out of the tavern, bashing him with his shoulder as he threw Baek-Hyeon out of the doors and onto the street.
Baek-Hyeon landed on his feet, holding an unpleasant expression as he brushed his chest off, “…Jeong-Hui. I can’t catch a break today, can I?”
“Shut up, you traitorous coward!” He screamed out, holding his fists up.
“Come on, then. I’ve got some rage to take out,” Baek-Hyeon said casually, straightening himself out.
The people in the street cleared the way, spectating as the red-haired young man burst forward again, spinning into a kick as the angelic-bodied man raised his arm to block it, but it was a faint. Instead, he spun around once more and swerved into another attack–opting to sweep the man’s leg.
As his leg kicked against Baek-Hyeon’s own, the impact landed, but there was no effect as the man remained standing strong, looking down at him.
“Don’t delude yourself into thinking you can challenge me,” Baek-Hyeon told him, “Last time was merely a fluke. I was caught by surprise–”
“King Fist!”
[Spirit: -300 | 2900/4000]
Before the man could finish his arrogant ramblings, a fist sank into his gut, presenting an explosive impact that sent him sliding back several meters.
He followed up with more close-quarters combat techniques, spinning around and generating flames in the advent of his kick, slamming his leg against the man’s side then spinning around and launching a liver kick that was potent and precise.
Though it was a direct hit, it only left Baek-Hyeon momentarily stunned, but unharmed as he brushed the dust off of his coat once more, “–As I said, a fluke.”
It was as if he repeatedly hit a solid wall of impenetrable steel; nowhere did he feel any semblance of damage was inflicted through his blows.
[Martial Arts Proficiency: Taekwondo: +1 | 41/9999]
[Martial Arts Proficiency: Kungfu: +3 | 4/9999]
[New Technique(s) Acquired: Fa-Jin]
Instantly, he utilized the new technique inherent to Chinese martial arts, closing the distance with a [Blink Step] while extending his momentum before stomping his boot down and using a potent palm strike; the “Fa-Jin” ability focused his explosive power to its utmost.
The impact of his palm came directly against Baek-Hyeon’s chest, producing a shock wave that emitted from his back as the blow managed to inflict some level of damage–though minor, on the seemingly unbeatable man. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Baek-Hyeon was surprised for a moment, but composed himself as he huffed, “Vermin.”
This time, it was Baek-Hyeon who took the initiative with an attack, simply waving his index finger as he manifested a golden javelin that spawned from a radiant sub-space.
“Die,” Baek-Hyeon said with impunity in his golden eyes.
The air hissed as the divine javelin launched forward as if thrown by a railgun, still he managed to sidestep it with a [Blink Step], however–
“That won’t work,” Baek-Hyeon commented casually, folding his arms over his chest.
Switching direction in mid-air, the javelin spun around, changing its course and launching towards the red-haired assassin again.
“–!” He looked back in surprise.
Is it tracking me? Dodging it won’t work, then! He realized.
With dodging out of the question, he relied on a new technique he had just acquired: he intertwined his fingers momentarily before spreading his hands, revealing crimson threads stretching from his grip.
[Crimson Threads]
“Hm?” Baek-Hyeon watched in surprise.
A lofty amount of threads were unraveled at once as he tossed them out, weaving them into a wild array of many layers, managing to ensnare the mystical javelin in the web of red threads. The strings were incredibly durable and sharp, allowing him to intertwine and layer them multiple times over to increase their strength enough to completely halt the javelin by enveloping it heavily.
[Spirit: -100 | 2800/4000]
Mana was used based on how much length of the crimson threads he used, which made it incredibly flexible to use for any situation.
…Good first impression, huh? It was a gamble, but it worked. Only one-hundred mana for that much thread? I think I can get used to this, he thought.
After capturing the javelin, he moved his thread-bearing hands as if commanding a puppet, flinging the projectile around and releasing it back towards the man who initially summoned it.
Baek-Hyeon caught it back in his hand, moving his head to the side as he just barely avoided its sharp end, “…Hm.”
Murmurs from the crowd were unheard by the two that were involved in the personal conflict as they both initiated at the same time.
The moment Baek-Hyeon lifted his boot centimeters from the ground, the black-uniformed assassin already vanished from his position.
Though the onlookers lost track of him, Baek-Hyeon’s eyes immediately tracked him: the red-haired assassin blinked multiple times from wall-to-wall, moving swiftly and flanking the Assimilation System user.
Just as he used another blink to close in, drawing both of his daggers and aiming for the man’s neck, Baek-Hyeon responded in kind, manifesting a golden sword into his hand.
“Cease.”
“Cease.”
Mere inches from the throat of Baek-Hyeon, his black-steel daggers stopped, and mere inches from his head, the seraphic weapon of the traitorous man had fallen still as well.
The reason they both came to a stop so close to finishing the battle was the presence of two of the crimson, dragon-armored sentinels.
“Violence is prohibited within the walls of Minjing,” the left sentinel said.
“Cease this or forfeit your lives,” the right sentinel warned.
Both of the guards stepped between the combatants, having intervened with such speed and precision that a bloody end was not met. Still, despite neither a win or a loss being found, Baek-Hyeon looked less than pleased.
It surpasses reason. Despite his level being almost half of mine…He’s able to contend with me to this level. There’s no doubt I’d annihilate him, but…something about him isn’t right, Baek-Hyeon thought.
…I wouldn’t have been able to cut his throat like this, but if I could drag him into Devil Slaying Hour again, then maybe…Jeong-Hui thought.
They both backed off within the presence of the sentinels who were almost robotic in their strict adherence to the law and enforcement of it.
Baek-Hyeon turned away, taking his leave, “I’ll admit you’ve grown strong, Jeong-Hui. You’ve sharpened that edge of yours–I assume I’m partly responsible for that.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he said with scorn.
“Hm,” Baek-Hyeon looked at him for a moment before setting his gaze forward, “Rest assured, my sights aren’t set on you, Jeong-Hui.”
“Huh?”
“You’d be wise to look past your grudges, too–for the time being, at least. This floor contains monsters above even I–for now,” Baek-Hyeon said, “I plan to ascend this Tower, and I’ll do anything to do so. If it means assimilating you, that may happen. However, as you are right now, I don’t see any merit in doing so. You’re an ant to me; you’ve never once forced me to exert myself. Take solace in that; my sights are elsewhere, ant boy.”
“You…!”
“I’ll be seeing you,” Baek-Hyeon waved him off without looking back.
Before he could say another word or retaliate, within the presence of the merciless sentinels of the city, the golden-eyed man disappeared within the crowd.
He really is here after all…Shit! If things couldn’t get any worse…He thought.