Chapter 79 – Ace Up

“Too bad Croft and Lena did not join me. Maybe they decided to believe in you after all.” Qinglong said with a smile on his face. The smile looked almost casual, but there was something unsettling behind it. His eyes remained fixed on Shin, watching him carefully as if he were studying every twitch of his expression. The air around them felt heavy, and the silence between their words made every small movement seem louder than it should have been. Shin could feel the tension crawling across his skin as he forced himself to return the smile.

“So you knew it was me all along?” Shin asked, forcing the corners of his mouth upward despite the cold sweat slowly running down his cheeks. The droplets slid along his skin and gathered beneath his chin before falling onto the ground. His fingers tightened slightly around his Halochassis glove, and the familiar weight of the artifact reminded him that he still had one final advantage. Even so, his stomach remained knotted. If Qinglong had truly known his identity for this long, then every encounter they had shared suddenly felt far more dangerous.

“I had my suspicions the first time I saw you perform Lena’s Gun Kata. But I needed proof. Unfortunately, those two idiot girls did not want to believe in me.” Qinglong shook his head with a quiet chuckle, almost as though he were disappointed by their refusal to listen to him. “So I’ll just take justice with my own hands.” His voice became colder at the final words, stripping away the playful tone he had used moments earlier. The spear in his hand shifted slightly as his grip tightened around its shaft, and the metal gave a faint creak beneath his fingers. Shin's eyes narrowed when he noticed the movement, realizing that Qinglong was no longer interested in proving anything to anyone.

“Come on. One last round. You. And I.” Shin said, clenching his Halochassis glove. The armor beneath the glove seemed to respond faintly to his grip, its strange power waiting to be awakened. Shin lowered his stance, ready to activate it at the slightest opportunity. His heart hammered against his ribs, and he could feel his muscles tense beneath his clothes. He knew that fighting Qinglong without the Halochassis would be dangerous, but allowing himself to be intimidated would only give his opponent more control over the situation.

“No.” Qinglong laughed. The sound echoed strangely through the area, carrying none of the warmth of genuine amusement. “I’m done playing fair with you. The gloves are off. It’s time that I outsmart you.” His grin widened as he spoke, and Shin immediately sensed something wrong. Qinglong was not looking at him anymore. His eyes shifted toward someone standing nearby, and that tiny movement was enough to make Shin's stomach drop. Before Shin could understand what he intended to do, Qinglong suddenly moved.

All of a sudden, Qinglong drove his spear downward and stabbed it straight through Risha’s foot. The sharp sound of metal piercing flesh was followed by a violent splash of blood that stained the ground and speckled Qinglong’s weapon. Risha’s body jerked from the sudden pain, her face twisting as her hands instinctively reached toward the wound. The smell of fresh blood quickly filled the air, mixing with the metallic scent that seemed to cling to the battlefield.

“Mmmmmph!” Risha cried in pain, her voice muffled as she struggled to remain sitting. Her fingers trembled as she tried to steady herself, but the spear pinning her foot made even the slightest movement agonizing. Her breathing became ragged, and tears of pain gathered at the corners of her eyes as she glared at Qinglong.

“Risha!” Shin cried. His entire body stiffened when he saw the blood spreading across the ground beneath her. His expression immediately hardened, and the fear that had briefly flashed across his face was replaced by raw anger. He turned toward Qinglong and glared at him with enough hatred to make his jaw ache from how tightly he clenched it. “You bastard!” Shin's hand instinctively moved toward the Halochassis glove, his body already preparing to activate it.

Shin was about to activate the Halochassis glove, but Qinglong calmly raised his index finger and slowly waved it from side to side. The gesture was almost childish, but the expression on his face made it clear that he was completely in control of the situation. “Ah, ah, don’t use that.” Qinglong smiled like a devil who had finally cornered his prey. “That Halochassis gives you an unfair advantage in fights. Give that to me, and Risha’s life will be spared.” His words were delivered with disturbing calmness, as though he were making a simple business offer instead of threatening a wounded person's life.

Shin gritted his teeth until his jaw began to hurt. His eyes flickered between Qinglong and Risha, desperately searching for another option. His fingers remained wrapped around the Halochassis glove, and he could feel the hard surface pressing against his palm. Every instinct inside him screamed that handing it over was a terrible idea. The Halochassis was not merely a weapon. It was the only thing standing between him and enemies far stronger than himself. Yet Risha was standing only a few meters away, bleeding because of him. Shin slowly moved the glove behind his back, his movements deliberate and reluctant, before beginning to remove it from his hand.

The process felt painfully slow. Shin loosened the straps and pulled the glove away from his arm, feeling the sudden absence of its weight against his skin. The cold air touched the exposed parts of his hand, making him acutely aware of how vulnerable he had become. He then threw the Halochassis glove across the ground. It slid and scraped against the surface before coming to a stop near Qinglong’s feet.

“There. Happy now?” Shin said. His voice was restrained, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable. He kept his eyes locked on Qinglong, refusing to look away even though every part of him wanted to rush toward Risha.

Qinglong bent down and picked up the Halochassis glove. He examined it carefully, turning it over in his hands while his eyes traced the strange markings and mechanisms covering its surface. “So this is what Alex told me about. The Halochassis glove. The thing that gives you the power of the fallen angels.” His thumb brushed across its surface, and a fascinated expression briefly appeared on his face. Then that fascination twisted into something cruel. Qinglong smiled. “Without this, you’re nothing.”

“Now release Risha.” Shin said. His voice was quiet, but the desperation beneath it was obvious. “Let her go.” His eyes moved toward Risha for a moment. She was still struggling to keep herself upright, her face pale from the pain as blood continued to drip from her injured foot. Shin's hands curled into fists at his sides, powerless to do anything without putting her life at even greater risk.

“Hahaha!” Qinglong suddenly laughed. He gripped the Halochassis glove tightly between both hands and began to crunch it with his strength. The material groaned under the pressure, and Shin's eyes widened when he heard the faint sound of something inside the glove cracking. “Next time… I mean, there’s not gonna be a next time, but…” Qinglong tilted his head and smiled. “Have a few cards under your sleeve.” His laughter continued softly as he squeezed the glove, enjoying the helpless expression on Shin’s face.

“You’re right. I have no more cards in my sleeve. You win, Qinglong.” The words felt bitter as they left his mouth. He hated saying them, but he knew that Risha’s life was more important than his pride. For now, he had no weapon, no armor, and no way to overpower Qinglong without risking the life of the woman standing behind him.

“I win?” Qinglong's eyes were filled with rage, but he was still smiling. The contrast was deeply disturbing. His expression looked almost cheerful, yet the fury burning behind his eyes made the smile seem more like the face of a psychopath. His fingers tightened around the damaged Halochassis glove until his knuckles turned pale. “What good would that do to me!? You took everything from me!” His voice rose sharply, the words echoing through the area as years of resentment finally broke through his controlled expression. “My fame! My pride! My lover! You made me a laughing stock!” His breathing became heavier as he stared at Shin, his smile trembling with barely contained hatred. “You killed my lover!”

Shin stared back at him, his expression becoming colder. For a moment, he said nothing. The accusation hung heavily between them, but Shin could not allow Qinglong to rewrite everything that had happened between them. The image of Manny flashed through his mind, followed by the memory of his friend's final moments and the anger that had never completely disappeared. Shin's fists slowly tightened again, his nails pressing into his palms.

“You killed my friend too.” Shin said.

“That was a fucking accident!” Qinglong shouted. His smile finally disappeared, replaced by a furious expression as his voice echoed through the area. “The thing you did to my girlfriend, that was on purpose! What is it, huh? I kill your friend, so you kill my lover, so that we get even?” His grip tightened around the spear until his knuckles turned white. The muscles in his arms visibly tensed, and the anger in his voice seemed to vibrate through the air. “But you killed my friends too! Cattleo, Zerova, Garruk, Elwyn… All of them died, just because you wanted revenge!? I take one, so that you can take five!? And who’s next? Lena?” His breathing became heavier as he spat out the names, each one carrying years of resentment and grief. The veins around his forehead stood out, and yet there was still something unnerving about the way his lips twitched upward, as though even his rage could not completely erase the pleasure he felt from seeing Shin cornered.

“Your friends are evil heroes.” Shin said coldly. His expression hardened as he stared directly into Qinglong’s eyes. “All of you, except Lena… are demons. You all deserve to die.” His voice remained steady despite the danger surrounding him. Beneath that calmness, however, his heart was pounding violently against his chest. He knew he was standing on the edge of death, especially after giving up his Halochassis, but the memories of everything the Celestial Wardens had done prevented him from feeling sympathy for Qinglong. To Shin, the names Qinglong had mentioned were not simply the names of fallen friends. They belonged to people whose actions had caused suffering, death, and misery to countless others.

“Hahaha!” Qinglong laughed. The sound began as a low chuckle before rising into a loud, distorted laugh that carried across the mansion grounds. His rage had reached its limit, but instead of calming him, it seemed to make him even more dangerous. His eyes widened, and his smile stretched unnaturally across his face. “You as well.” The words came out almost cheerfully, but there was no humor behind them. His fingers shifted around his spear, and his entire body suddenly moved with murderous intent.

Qinglong threw his spear toward the defenseless Shin. The weapon tore through the air with a sharp whistle, its polished shaft spinning as its spearhead pointed directly at Shin’s chest. Shin watched it approach, but he did not move away. For a fraction of a second, Qinglong seemed certain that he had finally won. The spear was already too close, and Shin had no visible weapon or armor capable of stopping it. The sharp metal reflected the surrounding light as it raced toward him, carrying enough force to pierce through his body.

However, just in the nick of time, Shin revealed that he was wearing another Halochassis glove. The glove he had just given to Qinglong had been a dummy, but it had not been an ordinary imitation. It was the Halochassis glove of Samael, the artifact Aether had given to Shin after Shin mentioned that he had quit. Shin had deliberately hidden the truth beneath his clothing and used Qinglong’s arrogance against him. The glove Qinglong had taken was not the one Shin needed for this fight. The real Halochassis was still attached to his right arm, concealed until the exact moment he needed it.

The real Halochassis glove was Azazel.

“Awaken, Azazel.” Shin whispered.

The moment he spoke the words, the glove reacted. Mechanical components shifted beneath his sleeve with a series of sharp clicks, followed by the hiss of energy flowing through its internal mechanisms. Plates unfolded across his arm like pieces of a machine awakening from a long sleep. Crimson-purple light began to shine between the seams, illuminating Shin’s skin with an eerie glow as the transformation raced from his hand toward his shoulder. The air around him seemed to tremble from the sudden release of power.

The spear was already upon him when Shin raised his transforming arm. The weapon struck his right arm with a violent metallic clang, but instead of piercing his flesh, Shin caught it in the midst of the transformation. The impact sent a jolt through his entire body, and his boots scraped against the ground as he absorbed the force. His teeth clenched as the spearhead pressed against the armor forming around his arm, but the Halochassis held firm.

Without giving Qinglong any time to react, Shin twisted his body and pivoted on his foot. The movement redirected the force of the spear rather than resisting it. His shoulder turned, his hips followed, and his newly armored arm swung forward with explosive momentum. Shin then launched the spear back toward Qinglong with all the strength he could muster.

“What the-”

Qinglong barely had time to react before his own spear slammed into his chest. The impact lifted him from the ground and sent his body flying backward like a rag doll. His armor and clothing tore slightly beneath the force as the spear drove into him, and a burst of blood erupted from his mouth. He crashed into the edge of the mansion wall with tremendous force, the stone surface cracking outward from the point of impact. Dust and fragments of masonry fell around him as several jagged cracks spread across the wall like a spiderweb.

“Gah!”

Qinglong's body remained pressed against the damaged wall for a moment before he slid downward slightly. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and stained his chin, while the spear remained lodged in his chest. His breathing became rough and strained, but Shin could already see the wound beginning to change. The flesh around the spear slowly moved as the Ultimate Dragon Warrior's regeneration began to take effect.

Meanwhile, Shin’s transformation continued. Armor plates locked into place across his torso and shoulders, while mechanical structures expanded along his limbs with a series of precise clicks and metallic snaps. Crimson-purple energy flowed through the newly formed armor like glowing veins. Finally, as the transformation completed, Shin’s crimson-violet eyes began to glow beneath the darkened helmet.

“You know, you were right.” Azazel’s cybernetic voice echoed across the battlefield, deeper and more mechanical than Shin’s natural voice. “That is why I always have an ace up my sleeve.” The statement carried a faint edge of mockery, a deliberate reminder that Qinglong had allowed his confidence to blind him.

“Hah.” Qinglong gave a short laugh despite the spear buried in his chest. He reached up and wrapped his hand around the weapon. His fingers tightened around the shaft, and with a grunt, he pulled it out. Blood immediately spilled from the wound, but the damage was already closing. Flesh knitted itself together beneath the torn clothing, muscles and skin rapidly regenerating until the hole in his chest disappeared. Within moments, only blood remained as evidence of the injury.

“It doesn’t matter now.” Qinglong smiled as he tossed the spear aside. “It doesn’t matter if you defeat me again, and again, and again. I will always rise up.” His emerald eyes began to change as he spoke. The green color gradually darkened, turning red as something monstrous awakened within him. The atmosphere around Qinglong seemed to grow heavier, and a low growl escaped his throat as his body began to transform.

Dragon wings suddenly burst from his back, tearing through his clothing as enormous scales spread across his skin. A long dragon tail emerged behind him and slammed against the ground with enough force to send dust scattering across the floor. Half of Qinglong’s body became covered in thick dragon scales, their surfaces reflecting the surrounding light with a hard, almost metallic sheen. His silhouette grew more monstrous with every passing second, no longer resembling an ordinary human warrior. The Ultimate Dragon Warrior had finally stopped holding himself back.

“I don’t need to defeat you either.” Qinglong said, his red eyes fixed on Azazel. “I will only need to live another day, and your life is over. Lena will know your dirty secret.” His grin widened as he pointed his attention toward Shin. “Once she knows who you really are, everything you built will fall apart.”

Azazel remained silent for a moment. Then the armor shifted as Shin raised both hands toward his sides. Mechanical locks released with a series of sharp metallic clicks, and two swords slid into his hands. The blades immediately began to glow with crimson-purple energy, their surfaces surrounded by the unmistakable shimmer of gamma ray radiation. The energy crackled around the weapons, casting an unnatural light across the ground and making the air itself seem to distort around the edges of the blades.

These were the weapons Shin had been saving specifically for Qinglong.

He had not revealed them during their earlier encounters. He had kept them hidden, waiting for the right opportunity and the right enemy. Qinglong’s regeneration had always been one of the greatest obstacles Shin faced. No matter how many times he defeated him, Qinglong simply returned to the battlefield. But now Shin had something capable of changing that equation. The gamma ray energy coursing through Azazel’s swords was the key to finally overcoming Qinglong’s regeneration.

Azazel lowered his stance, both crimson-purple blades angled toward the transformed dragon warrior. The energy surrounding the swords continued to crackle, bathing the battlefield in an ominous glow. Across from him, Qinglong spread his dragon wings and tightened his grip on his spear, his red eyes burning with murderous determination.

“Come then.” Azazel said, his cybernetic voice echoing through the ruined mansion grounds. “About time we ended this.”