Chapter 135

“I am Kirgish, a Guardian of the Empire. State your identity.”

“…….”

“Hmph! A boring fellow. Here I come!”

As the red-haired youth who called himself a Guardian raised his hand, the axe that had been in the center of the crater rose on its own and returned to his grip.

And from him, a profound amount of Magical Power began to emanate.

At the same moment Taewoon distorted his body using the power of Apostle Transformation, a fierce Fighting Spirit erupted from the axe, splitting a portion of the forest in half and devastating everything in its path.

A small wound appeared on Taewoon’s waist.

“Ho, you use an interesting technique. Is that your specialty?”

“…Perhaps.”

“Fine. Then I shall respond in kind.”

As he drew out his Magical Power, the giant axe transformed into two one-handed axes, settling into both of his hands.

Simultaneously, leaping into the air while creating a whirlwind, he incessantly launched blades of Magical Power toward Taewoon.

“Haha! Instead of hiding like a rat, why don’t you come out and trade blows with me?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“What?”

Before he knew it, Taewoon had occupied the rear of Kirgish, who was falling through the air. Explosively summoning a chillingly bright Magical Power, Taewoon began to strike.

‘Eight Ghost Spear: Fifth Form, Soul-Severing Whirlwind!’

Taewoon’s Barata rotated rapidly, entwining the wind, which soon became a gale that accurately targeted Kirgish’s vital points.

“Kugh!”

Kirgish quickly adjusted his stance and blocked the spear with the side of his axe, but seemingly surprised by the power beyond his expectations, he crashed to the ground with a grimace.

Two sounds of collision echoed through the air. Hiding in the dust, Kirgish kicked off the ground, slammed his axe into the earth to split the terrain, and charged at Taewoon once more.

“Don’t get cocky over this much!”

Red Magical Power erupted from the line drawn on the ground, and soon, flames like a furnace surged up, beginning to block all of Taewoon’s retreat paths.

However, there was no way such one-dimensional interference could stop Taewoon’s movements.

Though he felt a slight resistance, as if there were some special deterrent, Taewoon forcibly broke through it. Smearing blood on the Wax Mask, he awakened the power contained within it once again.

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

“What? How on earth……”

Kirgish panicked and tried to respond to Taewoon’s movements, but he was a moment too late, perhaps because he had been preparing a powerful blow.

‘Eight Ghost Spear: Sixth Form, Arhat Slash!’

Taewoon’s Magical Power, now mixed with a red aura, took on a blade-like Keen Edge and permeated the spear. It sliced through the atmosphere in an exquisite trajectory, delivering a deep cut to Kirgish’s flank.

Blood spurted. Having suffered a significant wound, Kirgish’s expression hardened as he retreated and began to guard against Taewoon.

“Want to try more?”

“…I admit it. I didn’t expect someone of this caliber to be among the Exploration Team.”

It wouldn’t have been strange if the match had already been decided, but a fierce fighting spirit was still burning brightly in Kirgish’s eyes.

Soon, taking a stance, he began to gather all the Magical Power within his body, blooming a brilliant red light, and his Aura began to increase explosively.

‘What is this?’

Like a Martial Artist exploding their Latent Power by consuming innate Qi, his presence soared rapidly, transforming into something entirely different from before.

“Before you catch the General’s eye, I, Kirgish, shall take your head. Consider this my final courtesy.”

Kirgish’s Magical Power overflowed to the point of becoming visible and began to take shape; the edge of the axe glowed red, intermittently spitting sparks.

‘Damn it…… did he have a trump card hidden all along?’

The sight of him rapidly surpassing his own limits was reminiscent of Kalliedu drawing out all of Kyurihi’s power.

Enveloped in red sparks, Kirgish tore through the air with a single sonic boom and charged at Taewoon. Taewoon hurriedly dodged, but the axe thrown by Kirgish’s right hand began to relentlessly pursue him.

“Run if you can!”

Taewoon shook off the axe once with a mysterious spear technique, but for some reason, it increased its speed again and continued to aim for Taewoon’s neck.

“Pierce through, Barata.”

Even though tree trunks surged from the ground to block the path, the axe pierced through them without the slightest hindrance, continuing its pursuit of Taewoon.

Furthermore, Kirgish was also constantly looking for an opening, making it difficult to even decide where to focus his attention.

‘If he could use that power indefinitely, he would have done so from the start. There must be a time limit.’

Wasn’t Taewoon’s own Apostle Transformation also an ability that couldn’t be used for long periods?

The problem, however, was that Taewoon was currently fleeing from the Empire’s forces and was not in a position to engage in a battle of attrition.

‘It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to break through from the front.’

Finally hardening his resolve, Taewoon placed his hand on the Red Wax Mask and began to concentrate, focusing his mind beyond it.

Since it was his first time using Apostle Transformation twice in a row, he was slightly worried, but fortunately, an ominous light leaked from the Wax Mask, and a massive will shook Taewoon’s mind.

‘No, it’s even more than before……’

The Red Wax Mask became a conduit, pushing a seemingly endless amount of immense power into Taewoon.

As Taewoon recited a single spell that came to mind, his form blurred, and his presence shifted in an instant.

The moment the axe was about to hit the nape of Taewoon’s neck, Taewoon moved behind it in a flash, grabbed the handle of the axe, and threw it back at Kirgish.

“What?”

Then, he moved behind Kirgish again. Showing movements that were utterly incomprehensible—as if watching a screen with dropped frames—Taewoon began to press Kirgish relentlessly.

A series of strikes, then another.

A Spear Strike that Kirgish thought he had blocked from the front suddenly sliced through his flank, and an attack that was clearly launched from behind aimed for the front once more. Kirgish became greatly flustered, unable to regain his pace.

“Kugh!”

It was spearwork as if possessed by a ghost. Soon, admitting he could not defeat Taewoon in a direct confrontation, Kirgish tried to step back and reorganize his stance, but Taewoon did not let him.

‘Star Absorption Great Technique!’

A strange suction force generated from Taewoon’s outstretched hand greedily devoured his Magical Power. In that instant, Kirgish lost his strength and left a wide opening.

And.

“Ke, hugh!”

Taewoon’s Barata, preparing the final blow, finally pierced Kirgish’s heart accurately.

As Taewoon took several deep breaths and gathered the Magical Power within his body, Kirgish’s lifeless corpse collapsed to the ground.

The troops would be chasing after him soon. Just as Taewoon finished his preparations and was about to move, a chillingly powerful presence began to be felt from the other side of the forest.

‘…What is this? This is on a completely different level even from the Empire’s elites!’

The fallen Kirgish had by no means been an easy opponent, but he didn’t even compare to the person now revealing their Fighting Spirit.

Feeling a sense of crisis piercing his back, Taewoon clicked his tongue and quickly began to assess the situation.

‘The consumption was greater than I thought. If I face someone like that now, I have no confidence in my ability to oppose them.’

Yet, at the same time, Taewoon instinctively felt that he could not escape the owner of that presence by ordinary means.

He had no choice but to try once more the transcendental movement ability of the Red Man skill he had used during the Dungeon exploration with the Baran Guild.

‘Apostle Transformation is also nearing its end. I only have one chance.’

Fortunately, perhaps because he had been focused on the battle, he felt a connection with the Wax Mask that was closer than ever before.

Concentrating his mind, Taewoon smeared the blood from his waist onto the mask, and soon, a red mist began to fill the surroundings.

‘Last time, I used the skill to break through a passage that was physically impassable.’

But what he needed now was to move a bit ‘further’ than usual.

Finally drawing up all his energy, Taewoon focused on the landscape of the lake region that came to mind, and with Aquila’s help, he created an optical illusion as if the place were right before his eyes.

At first, he couldn’t quite get a feel for it, but as he focused on the flow of power coming from the mask and his own inner self, a moment came where everything seemed to connect as one.

‘Now!’

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

When he slowly opened his eyes, Taewoon was already at the entrance of the lake region, a place he had visited several times.

Fortunately, he no longer felt the gaze pursuing him, and only then could Taewoon be certain that he had completely escaped their pursuit.

‘…It was by a hair’s breadth.’

Was that possessor of terrifying Magical Power also one of the Empire’s Guardians?

Though he hadn’t even seen the face, he could intuitively sense that the man would become one of the greatest obstacles blocking Taewoon’s path in this Theater.

‘Even if I face him in peak condition, I wonder if I can oppose him……’

However, while his worries grew, the gains from this action were not insignificant.

First, he could clarify the Empire’s purpose in gathering Exploration Teams, and he had a rough idea of what they were plotting on this island.

The information obtained today would certainly serve as a sufficient milestone in determining his future course of action.

‘In that case, to Clear this Theater, do I need to thwart their purpose and completely dismantle the conspiracy entwined with this island?’

It was the most likely possibility, but he couldn’t yet decide on the method to achieve it.

Frowning slightly, Taewoon began to quickly organize his thoughts.