Chapter 449

Only after the thunder that even a sonic boom couldn’t catch up to had already roared did they finally get a clear view of Kyou’s form.

Kyou appeared right in front of Kim Che-geon, and Kim Che-geon—like he’d sensed that terrifying speed in advance—swung his greatsword at the Kyou that had manifested.

He couldn’t beat Kyou in speed, but he could anticipate.

When the spear of the lightning god and Kim Che-geon’s greatsword collided—

Kwarrrrrrrrrrrrrng—————!!!

Shockwaves and tearing air-blasts spread out around them as if thunder were raging.

A fissure even larger than the cracks Kim Che-geon had made earlier split open.

Power on the level of secret arts collided and turned the area into scorched wasteland—

and Helena reduced the impact with nothing more than a casual flick of her finger.

Watching a battle that was practically myth, the viewers had no choice but to gape.

If Embris and Reaper’s fight had been the peak of technique,

then this was the peak of raw power.

Simple and brute-force—

but exactly because of that, it was a fight that made your blood boil.

-Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

-???????????????

-This is it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Holy shit!!!!!!!!!

-A mountain just collapsed;;;;;;;;

-At this point they’re basically at a level that can reach single rankers, aren’t they?????????

-How are these people not even rankers;;;;;;;;;;;

-That makes no sense;;;;;;

-Right;;;;;;

Seeing their power collide, the viewers couldn’t help getting fired up.

That was what the broadcast was for.

Meanwhile, Seong and Helena were carefully watching and analyzing their fight.

It was power on the level of secret arts, but—

‘It’s not a secret art yet.’

‘It’s the step right before a secret art.’

With just a little more training, it felt like they could polish it into a complete secret art.

More precisely, there were secret arts that already existed—

but those were secret arts that had originally existed and the system simply handed over.

What Seong and Helena were talking about now were secret arts you forge yourself—your own.

Those were stronger,

and you could use them better.

Thinking that, Seong and Helena focused even more on Kim Che-geon and Kyou’s fight.

Once Kyou entered a god-mode state, the flow of the match looked obvious.

Kim Che-geon was getting pushed back hard, and Kyou was pressing.

Still—

-????????

-It looks like Kim Che-geon’s gonna lose, but he’s hanging on by a hair????

-Kyou’s strong, but doesn’t he have trouble maintaining that mode?

-Yeah, yeah, that’s what I remember too.

-If Kim Che-geon holds out, does he win???????

-Is Kim Che-geon taking the team leader seat!?

People cheered for Kim Che-geon like that, but since Kyou’s mode was vicious, they didn’t look like they were expecting too much.

Even so, Kyou used storm and lightning to pressure Kim Che-geon nonstop, and Kim Che-geon, showing genius-level ability, used the black horse to hold out as much as possible.

If Kim Che-geon hadn’t lost his chance to cut off Kyou’s left arm in the opening exchange, then the one who would’ve lost here might’ve been Kim Che-geon.

-Wow, if the left arm hadn’t gotten cut earlier, he would’ve won;;;;;

-Yeah but it did get cut? He’s already losing, right????

-Premature Kyou, hurry up and drop!!!!

-When is his energy gonna run out?!

-This is brutal as hell;;;;

-Kyou win!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Kim Che-geon win!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Show them who Joseon’s number one sword is!!!!!!!!!!!

-Isn’t that Yuna?????

-Ah, right.

-And Kim Che-geon isn’t even Korean;;;;;

-Whatever, you know what I mean!

He predicted and avoided the lightning god’s attacks.

He blocked the wind god’s attacks somehow.

And he was even looking for chances to counter.

When Kyou tried to press in further, counters flew at him and he came up just a move short, unable to keep crushing Kim Che-geon—and on the other side, the moment Kim Che-geon tried to step in, the ground effects Kyou had laid down forced him to pull back.

A situation so fierce and urgent you could call it a hair’s breadth.

That was why everyone was cheering.

-Wow, my hands are sweating.

-This is genuinely so exciting.

-Aaah!!! Kyou, just a little farther there!!!!

-Ah!! If Kim Che-geon had landed that sword there, he would’ve had an advantage since Kyou’s missing his left arm!!!!

-Ah!!!! He dodged that!

-Ah, he slipped out of that!!!

Everyone had someone they were rooting for, and they were cheering for Kim Che-geon and Kyou any way they could.

Kyou and Kim Che-geon, unable to even look at the cheers, didn’t let their focus slip off each other for even a moment.

They dragged their obsession up, trying to force a conclusion no matter what.

If the fight dragged on longer, Kyou would be at a disadvantage.

That was why Kyou was getting a bit impatient.

Especially since he’d already lost his left arm and Ujeong—of course he’d be impatient.

Kim Che-geon tried to dig into that impatience and break through somehow, but—

‘This isn’t easy.’

That was how hard it was—enough that Kim Che-geon thought that to himself.

There had been so many dangerous moments that, if it hadn’t been for the black horse, you had to wonder if Kim Che-geon would’ve gone down long ago.

Kim Che-geon was getting a bit impatient too.

He wanted to beat Kyou no matter what and bring back the authority of the team leader.

But that wasn’t easy either.

As Kim Che-geon and Kyou traded hundreds of exchanges like that,

the black horse eventually kicked off even the empty air, able to run across the sky,

and Kim Che-geon tried to attack Kyou—who was flying around—again and again.

Kim Che-geon’s sword energy flew in from every direction, not at all ordinary, and even in the middle of that, Kim Che-geon started using his own swordsmanship too.

Originally, he hadn’t wanted to use anything except Joseon sword.

But he had no choice.

Fighting while mounted was, no matter what, better suited to the European swordsmanship passed down in his family.

The moment Kim Che-geon abandoned “Joseon,”

ironically, he grew even stronger and began pressuring Kyou.

In the middle of their battle in the sky,

Kyou fired lightning, and Kim Che-geon, gripping the black horse’s reins, predicted it and dodged—then swung his greatsword at Kyou.

In that moment, Kyou gathered the lightning god’s power and the wind god’s power into one and defended.

Kwaaaahhhhhhhng————!!!

A sound rang out—not like a sword being swung, but like a massive blunt weapon slamming down—

and Kyou’s divine form dropped to the ground.

Friction with the air heated Kyou’s body red-hot as he crashed down and created a massive crater, and just as Kim Che-geon tried to drive the black horse in to finish—

Kwarrrrng————!!!

At the belated thunder, Kim Che-geon couldn’t even react as lightning pierced through his right shoulder and the black horse’s right hind leg.

Chwaaaahhh———!!!

The instant Kim Che-geon got hit like that—

-?????????????

-What?????????

-Why is lightning coming down from above??????

-What is that????

-How did that happen??????????

-What the hell just happened????????

-Seriously what is that???????????

-The black horse got hit????????

Right when the viewers had been certain Kim Che-geon was about to win, it happened.

Kim Che-geon and the black horse got hit out of nowhere.

Before he could even fully process it,

Kim Che-geon already processed it.

Fresh blood blossomed from Kim Che-geon’s right shoulder and the black horse’s right hind leg where the lightning had pierced them, and in that moment, Kim Che-geon understood what had happened.

After being knocked off the black horse by a direct lightning hit, Kim Che-geon twisted his body and looked up into the sky.

And sure enough, up there, Kyou’s thunderclouds were glinting, cradling greedy lightning.

Kyou, pushed right up to the edge of defeat, had used his head—pretending to fire lightning at Kim Che-geon, but actually shooting it into the storm clouds above and turning them into thunderclouds.

Then he fired lightning from those thunderclouds and pierced Kim Che-geon and the black horse.

The moment Kim Che-geon tried to grab the reins and climb back up to counter—

thunder sounded again.

Kwarrrrrrrrrrrrrng————!!!

When the thunder roared, it was already too late.

Kyou, in a completely battered state, had already appeared, gripping the spear of the lightning god, and pierced straight through Kim Che-geon’s abdomen.

A strike Kim Che-geon might’ve avoided even while wounded—if he hadn’t been knocked off the black horse.

That was why Kim Che-geon’s face crumpled.

In the final battle of wits, he lost in the simplest possible way.

And Kyou’s figure gradually blurred, and the lightning god form and wind god form faded away.

Watching that, Kim Che-geon felt genuine regret.

And even Kyou’s face—someone you could call the victor—was filled with regret too.

This win and loss could be explained clearly.

-Aaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!!!!

-Of all times!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Aaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-He had bad luck??????????????

-Seriously a hair’s breadth ????? no, not even half a hair ??????

-Aaaaaaahhhh, losing this ????????

The viewers were deeply disappointed too.

Of course, the viewers cheering for Kyou were—

-Wow, I almost lost;;;;;

-Kyou did great!!!!!!!!

-Wow, he barely won off luck;;;;;;;;

-Not even one second—if it was just a little later, Kyou would’ve lost.

-Wow, he wins this;;;;;

Everyone could feel that Kyou won by an incredibly narrow margin.

Since Helena and Seong recognized that too,?the two of them stepped in, recovered the collapsed Kyou and Kim Che-geon,?and Helena treated them.

Kim Che-geon, once recovered, was frustrated—but luck was one element of battle too.

So he had no choice but to accept the result.

“Hoooo... I have been defeated.”

Only now did Kim Che-geon’s persona return.

And looking at Kim Che-geon like that, Kyou said,

“...This time I won because I got lucky, but next time, I’ll beat you completely, noona.”

At those words filled with resolve, Kim Che-geon snorted with a laugh and turned away.

Because the loser shouldn’t say more than that.

Once even Kim Che-geon’s match ended like that,?Seong called out.

“Next is Reaper and Kyou’s match, then.”