Chapter 75 – Catastrophe (Part Four)

“What?”

Heo Yu-ra doubted her own eyes and ears.

Kang Hyeon-seo was looking down at her with insolent eyes, and the sword she had thrown forward.

If she wasn’t seeing things, it must have been a challenge to a duel, right here and now.

“If you’re scared, you can at least offer up your neck.”

*Shing!* Hyeon-seo drew her own sword from her waist and stepped forward.

Hearing her words, Heo Yu-ra’s expression crumpled.

“This… crazy bitch!”

Heo Yu-ra shot to her feet and picked up the sword stuck in the floor.

Jo Yoon, finding the unexpected turn of events amusing, quietly stepped back, crossed his arms, and watched.

Now that things had come to this, he couldn’t step in and stop them.

No matter how deep the grudge, intentionally putting another in danger on a life-threatening mission was unacceptable, and it was an extremely sensitive issue among the Awakened.

Although it was clearly illegal, it was tacitly accepted to the point that the victim was given the right to decide the punishment.

It was something that rarely happened among high-ranking Awakened, where numbers were few and even small news drew great attention, but this time, the situation had undeniably blown up.

Unlike the intrigued Jo Yoon, Lee Soo-yeon looked back and forth between the two with an inexplicably anxious gaze.

It wasn’t that she was worried about Hyeon-seo, knowing the skills she had witnessed over the past few days.

It was Hyeon-seo’s sudden 180-degree change that was making her uneasy.

“Looks like the stupid bitch had some pride after all, huh?”

Heo Yu-ra sneered at Hyeon-seo, who had come to confront her now.

But Hyeon-seo didn’t open her mouth again; she just watched silently.

It wasn’t a glare, nor was it filled with malice, but it was an unsettling gaze for some reason.

*’This is actually for the best.’*

Heo Yu-ra threw off her ruined Defensive Coat and glanced down at her sword for a moment.

Everything she had initially planned had gone completely awry due to a minor mistake.

And Heo Yu-ra believed Hyeon-seo was entirely to blame, her resentment and anger directed solely at her.

Since neither of them had a Defensive Coat anymore, she decided to worry about the consequences later and kill that woman right here and now.

Kang Hyeon-seo’s fighting skills were probably at the level of a C or D-rank Awakened at best, so it wouldn’t be difficult to cut her life short while pretending to have misjudged her strength.

But in an instant, before Heo Yu-ra could even notice, Hyeon-seo’s fist was upon her.

*Smack!*

The fist struck hard, and Heo Yu-ra’s head whipped to the side.

Heo Yu-ra was sent flying a considerable distance, rolling once on the ground.

“Uh… ah…?”

Heo Yu-ra unconsciously clutched her cheek, a dazed expression on her face as she stared blankly ahead.

She had been momentarily lost in thought, but she hadn’t noticed Hyeon-seo’s fist approaching at all.

It was the first time she had experienced something like this since becoming an Awakened; the situation was absurd.

Hyeon-seo slowly walked toward the fallen Heo Yu-ra.

That one precisely landed punch was payment for stabbing her in the back.

And what came next would be for the countless people who had suffered and died because of her actions.

“Ugh…! I’ll kill you!”

Belatedly overcome with rage, Heo Yu-ra furiously got to her feet and raised her sword.

*Clang!* The two Awakened stomped their feet fiercely, and their swords clashed.

Amidst the resounding ring, their eyes met.

There was no unnecessary power struggle or stalemate with their swords locked.

Almost simultaneously, they twisted their arms, changing the angle of their swords, and launched threatening attacks at each other, aiming for an opening.

But the fight, which she expected to be over quickly, did not end so easily.

*Clang!*

Hyeon-seo dodged the powerful downward strike by moving aside, smoothly deflecting the attack with the sword in her hand.

At the same time, her other arm drew the sword sheathed on her left hip, and the forcefully drawn blade was immediately swung as if to slice Heo Yu-ra’s waist in two.

Faced with another sword suddenly flying at her while their blades were crossed, Heo Yu-ra hastily retreated, pulling her body back.

*Scraaaape!* Heo Yu-ra’s feet dragged across the floor, leaving long marks.

*’That was dangerous…’*

The sharp attack made Heo Yu-ra’s brow furrow.

It was an unfamiliar attack pattern, utilizing two swords.

While the sword was considered the standard weapon for the Awakened, there were countless other weapons used depending on one’s ability or preference, from blunt weapons and greatswords to firearms, poisoned needles, and scythes.

But even among that wide variety of armaments, Awakened who used two swords simultaneously were few and far between.

The Awakened she had seen so far who used uncommon weapons were mostly pathetic, and she had always scoffed and sneered at them.

Most of them were just showing off, despite lacking the skill to even master the standard style.

But Kang Hyeon-seo was different.

She was clearly stronger than Heo Yu-ra had thought.

She nearly matched her speed and wasn’t far behind in strength.

There was no room to relax, as another dangerous attack grazed her neck.

Of course, even so, this was Aegis, and her skill still shouldn’t have been enough to get in without any connections.

*’Still, she’s a long way off!’*

Heo Yu-ra fiercely parried the two swords coming at her, then forcefully kicked Hyeon-seo away.

And without hesitation, she used her ability.

*Swoosh!* Heo Yu-ra’s body seemed to vanish for a moment before reappearing right in front of the recoiling Hyeon-seo.

*Clang!*

Hyeon-seo reacted quickly and barely managed to block, but the speed was completely different from before.

Heo Yu-ra pressed on relentlessly, giving her opponent no time to think.

Her high-speed ability momentarily overloaded her body, allowing her to generate incredible speed.

Its drawback was that it rapidly consumed stamina the faster she went, but Heo Yu-ra, through constant training, possessed far more stamina than other Awakened of a similar level, making it a tremendously powerful tool in combat.

*Shk!*

The sword grazed Hyeon-seo’s arm, tearing through her clothes and skin, drawing blood.

Sensing she had gained the upper hand, Heo Yu-ra became even more aggressive, pressing her attack.

Against a thrust aimed precisely at her chest, Hyeon-seo crossed both her swords and deflected it to the right.

But Heo Yu-ra had been aiming for that opening from the start; she immediately twisted her body and extended her leg toward Hyeon-seo’s exposed left side.

Hyeon-seo took a considerable blow to her ribs and staggered back.

No matter how trash her personality was, Heo Yu-ra’s skills were the real deal.

She was one of the faces representing Pace, one of the country’s six major Awakened corporations, and had been recognized for her skill and achievements enough to join Aegis. No further explanation was needed.

Furthermore, she had ample experience fighting other Awakened, so she didn’t let go of the advantage she’d gained and pressed even harder.

Hyeon-seo was continuously forced back, one or two steps at a time.

But all Heo Yu-ra could do was make her retreat little by little; she couldn’t inflict any more wounds or land any threatening blows.

Hyeon-seo endured, parrying Heo Yu-ra’s relentless attacks better than expected.

*’This bitch!’*

Heo Yu-ra, who had been elated by her dominance in the fight, frowned at Hyeon-seo’s unexpectedly strong defense.

Heo Yu-ra used her ability again to increase her speed, and Hyeon-seo was pushed back, struggling just to block the faster attacks.

But something was strange.

Again, it seemed Heo Yu-ra was dominating with her superior speed, but after some time, Hyeon-seo found her footing again.

So Heo Yu-ra, as if challenging her, increased her speed even further.

An ominous thought crossed her mind, but she tried to deny it.

It was impossible for her to lose.

*Screeeech!*

After several exchanges, Hyeon-seo’s and Heo Yu-ra’s swords clashed again, and this time, a brief stalemate ensued.

Because Hyeon-seo stubbornly endured no matter how much she increased her speed, Heo Yu-ra also felt a considerable drain on her stamina.

“Is what I’m thinking correct?”

Jo Yoon said, watching the fierce battle between the two.

Several odd points that had been bothering him as he watched the fight now formed a single conclusion in his mind.

Lee Soo-yeon thought the same and spoke.

“Yes… I think so.”

“What a nasty hobby.”

Of all people, even Jo Yoon let out a dry laugh and shook his head.

The increasingly heated battle slowly began to enter a lull.

“Hah… Hah…”

Heo Yu-ra retracted her sword and gasped for breath.

Having used her ability to its maximum in the prolonged fight, even Heo Yu-ra, who was confident in her stamina, was exhausted.

In contrast, Hyeon-seo, who had a wound on one arm and was bleeding, stood perfectly still, not even breathing heavily.

She simply remained silent as before, exuding a chilly aura and watching with that same unsettling gaze.

“You… Don’t tell me…!”

At this point, even Heo Yu-ra, who had been vehemently denying the absurd possibility in her head, seemed to realize something and stared at Hyeon-seo.

The fact that it looked like Hyeon-seo was barely managing to block her barrage of attacks was all an act.

She finally realized that from the very beginning, Hyeon-seo had been intentionally toying with her.

As she increased her speed, her opponent matched it. The more she struggled, the more Hyeon-seo had adjusted her power just enough to give her a glimmer of hope.

She waited for Hyeon-seo’s answer, her arm trembling, but she said nothing.

She just gave a small, mocking smirk.

It was a beautiful face, one where even the cold aura she was now exuding seemed strangely attractive.

But to some, that same face was the most loathsome of all.

“You… You… I’m going to kill you!”

Heo Yu-ra charged at Hyeon-seo like a madwoman.

She had already half-lost her mind.

For Heo Yu-ra, who was so confident in her skills, Hyeon-seo’s act of looking down on and mocking her was more insulting and humiliating than any other slight.

But that was as far as she got.

The sword in Hyeon-seo’s left hand pierced straight through the charging Heo Yu-ra’s chest, penetrating her lung.

*Drip, drip.* Blood fell to the floor.

“Kuh… Ugh…”

Heo Yu-ra looked down at her own chest with bloodshot eyes, as if in disbelief.

With a trembling hand, she weakly gripped the blade that had pierced her, and soon, her strength gave out, and she collapsed to her knees.

As the situation became far more dangerous than expected, the two team leaders flinched reflexively.

But Hyeon-seo didn’t stop there.

*Thrust!*

She plunged her remaining right-hand sword precisely into her heart.

And so, with two swords buried deep in her body, Heo Yu-ra died without even a scream.

Hyeon-seo stared for a moment at Heo Yu-ra’s limp form before kicking her away with one foot and pulling out both swords at once.

A gush of crimson blood spurted from the wounds, and the already breathless Heo Yu-ra fell backward limply.

Bright red blood streamed across the floor.

“What on earth…”

Lee Soo-yeon stared at Hyeon-seo with a horrified expression, the incident having happened in the blink of an eye.

Hyeon-seo looked down at her blood-stained swords with an indifferent expression, then flicked the blood off them.