The life of a flower clinging to a branch.
It bloomed once, going against the seasons.
It spreads a trace of a fragrance that lasts a long time without wilting.
-Sssssss.
"…This is unbelievable."
Someone lost in thought, muttered that.
In the center of the stadium. From that very spot.
The black peach blossoms created by the man were entwined, forming a single wave.
"Who is that person…?"
Everyone was unable to close their mouths.
The front petals.
The waves created by the flowers blooming in sequence.
The illusion of an after-scent that stung the nose.
It scrambled the consciousness of everyone sitting in the stands.
"Was there such a student at the academy?"
"What is this…"
How many people here knew the name of the man standing up on the stage?
Even those who knew Lee Shiheon might not have known the full extent of his power.
Who would have thought?
That a student ranked 152nd could, without anyone else's help, exert such pressure against the monster known as Jung Siwoo.
But he seemed to have done it.
In the short time between admission and the exam.
The petals he bloomed contained the emotions he usually didn't speak of.
The meaning of black magic was resistance and domination.
The nature of the magic possessed by him, who had lived a suppressed life.
When the man, always laughing frivolously, erased the smile from his face and started blooming,
It finally showed its true value.
Great potential realized late.
A promising seedling grew slowly.
The black petals bloomed by Lee Shiheon were the fruits of effort between the past and death, a resistance against reality.
A nameless tree here began to reveal itself.
Like a dragon…
Turning its black-painted petals like its scales.
…Everyone was silently watching that scene.
My heated body ached sharply.
The magic that spread from me was like black paint scattered randomly in the sky.
It was more extensive and robust than expected.
"...."
I took off the bandage on my right arm and threw it away. Soon after, the sound of scrap metal rolling behind me was heard.
I opened my hand. I clenched it tightly.
The surging magic fluctuated with the movement of my hand. My magic was as if it was engulfed in complete darkness without a single speck of light.
Power overflowed.
I slowly extended my fist forward, passed the other hand behind my back, and stretched one leg firmly.
'Come.'
In that darkness, I gazed forward.
Judging my opponent.
Until the still-living white light swallowed me up.
──Kwaang!
With a loud explosion, the petals split.
The thrust that reached out was made as if to split my body like the Red Sea, as if to cut off a part of my body.
Jung Siwoo's full power, never seen before.
With my entire body, I received Siwoo's full capabilities, which had been held back until now.
-Kwajijijik!
My whole body staggered once.
My head snapped back, muscles in the upper body twisted, and my body was pushed back.
The arena that was chaotic with petals and magic, was suddenly cleared.
"Ah."
A gasp. I straightened my neck and adjusted my mask.
The atmosphere in the stadium was deathly quiet.
At first glance, it seemed like Siwoo's strike had devoured all my magic and hit my vital point. But that wasn't the case.
I checked my opponent's face from behind my mask. I also assessed my remaining magic and my condition.
"...."
"...."
Both of us had lost our smiles.
-Pak!
We rushed towards each other. Black and white mixed, and several explosions filled the air.
-Kwang!
Once with the sword,
-Kwang!
And once with the fist.
Without the referee being able to intervene, we pressured each other to the limit with our speed.
A sword strike came straight down and lashed at my shoulder. Ignoring it, I ran and punched him in the chest.
-Ppajijik!
His bones broke. My collarbone was crushed.
This match, filled with murderous intent with every strike, showed a completely different aspect than before.
From surprise to chill, the audience's expressions turned to horror.
Without time to notice such changes in the atmosphere, we only read each other's movements.
Jung Siwoo charged at me.
'To the right.'
No, to the left.
I stretched my foot to the opposite side.
A twisted sword strike narrowly missed my neck.
The wave of magic tore through the battle suit, cutting through flesh and splattering blood.
'Below.'
I struck his abdomen.
The sensation of muscles being torn and intestines twisting thrillingly passed between my middle and index fingers.
The areas we allowed each other to hit were blood-red and torn open.
Yet, we moved at speeds unseen by others, exchanging attacks.
Despite the pain, neither of us twisted our eyes even once.
We never lost our composure to the intense pain at any moment.
Both of us had long since crossed over more severe near-death experiences.
I was entangled in pseudo-religions, pierced all over with swords.
There was a time when chainsaws cut my tendons and neck muscles.
Trapped in the shackles of the past, I endured trials akin to torture.
The sensation of my body numbing from the pain of flesh being cut was familiar.
Beyond familiar, I had become numb.
Perhaps even at death, I wouldn't feel myself dying.
'You too.'
This guy must have been the same.
Just twenty. A guy who barely sprouted in society. The same guy who made a fuss to save just one of his siblings.
Would he fear defying a god?
Such a reckless guy wouldn't hesitate to burn his own body.
"Sseup-"
With a short inhalation, Jung Siwoo's swift sword strike lashed at my shoulder.
-Kwajik!
The broken wooden sword flew up into the sky.
"…Hoo."
A long exhale. I pulled back my fist and pierced right through the solar plexus in front of me. Jung Siwoo's body staggered and fell backward.
"Hup, kuk!"
Jung Siwoo flew and crashed against the wall.
I gasped for breath roughly, staggering where I stood.
It had been a long time since the black sword had invaded the deep magic circuits beyond my physical limits. Yet, the match was not over. I limped forward.
"Ugh…"
The pain surged up.
My barely clinging mask fell off. Exposing my face, I felt a cool breeze on my skin. Why was my face wet?
…Ah, right. I had taken a hit to the head.
I wiped my hot eyes with my hand. Bright red blood soaked into it.
-Huuk, Huuk.
My breathing sounded as if it wasn't mine. I lightly furrowed my brow.
Jung Siwoo, who had just gotten up, saw my face and, staggering, stood up, showing his broken sword again. His handsome face was covered in blood. It was hard to see what he looked like. Probably the same for me.
Yet, the match was not over. As if to prove it, magic began to flutter on Jung Siwoo's sword blade.
-Woong Woong!
White magic trailed along the broken edge of the sword.
I, too, drew out my remaining magic and wrapped it around my entire body.
The black snake seemed to crawl up my body, soon becoming falling petals (Nakyeong) and slowly settling to the ground.
Into my muffled ears, Jung Siwoo's low murmuring stretched out.
"...Heukyeong (Black Shadow)"
Flash-
The white magic suddenly turned black.
My ankles sank beneath the ground. The entire floor of the stadium was black, as if engulfed by a black hole.
The sensation of being constricted in the lower body, as if stuck in a swamp.
Ferocious light began to emerge from Jung Siwoo's eyes.
"Jin (Suppression)."
The atmosphere was trembling. The sound of a whistle came, but even its timbre was faint.
The magic enveloping this place pressed down on me as if to kill.
I looked around and stepped into the swamp.
In the darkness, I layered another darkness and cut off the shadows binding my feet.
The instant escape from binding. Jung Siwoo still watched my movements, holding his sword.
"Young Honjeoldo (Soul Theft)."
His hand moved up and down once.
A strike so sharp, it felt like death upon impact.
This secret technique, known as Oui, unfolded before me.
-Flash!
Dozens of split beams divided the sky and earth.
It was as if the world itself had split.
The magic swirled chaotically. I bit my tongue hard.
The intense scent of blood filled my nostrils, quickly bringing me to my senses.
'If I don't move now.'
Blood dripped as I parted my lips.
'The referee or the president will come to end it.'
Using techniques that overly surpassed the opponent's skills was prohibited. That was why the match was temporarily stopped when Jung Siwoo and I first exchanged attacks.
The death of a student was not a light matter, so they might have already started acting.
…Well, it had already crossed the line for a student match.
-Kwak.
I clenched my right fist heavily.
'But still.'
I couldn't back down here.
The black petals, coiled like a whirlwind around my elbow, began to turn white. The reversed color. I took my stance, inhaled, and clenched my teeth.
Bloom.
"The white flower that blooms-"
The peach blossom at the end of my fist pushed through the darkness-eroded space.
Now was the time.
"...Il (One)"
Pale but vivid leaves of fire fluttered.
"Baekdo (White Peach)"
I finally countered the extended black flash. My fist strike interlocked with the sword strike.
-Kwagagagaga!
Both techniques clashed and tangled with each other.
Thin magic scattered in all directions, petals crumbled, and the floor tiles shattered.
A shield that hadn't been activated until now was triggered by the flash that spread across the entire stadium.
-Jijeun.
As the shield cracked,
A massive explosion occurred.
-Master
The VIP seats for S-grade hunters.
At the very top of the stadium, Cheondo, watching the battle, leaned on her chin and scoffed at her disciple.
-Just hypothetically, listen and answer. If it's just idle talk.
The almost desperate fight between the two men.
It didn't matter whether it was Jung Siwoo or Lee Shiheon.
All the spectators sitting here were already overwhelmed by them.
-Even if I lose in the first round if I show that much power, could I be selected as a forest keeper?
Cheondo didn't know what concerns Lee Shiheon had while talking with Jung Siwoo.
She knew that this guy Siwoo was a candidate for the World Tree's husband, but that was all she knew and cared about.
-Now you're talking weak? That's not like you.
-No, it's not a weak talk… Just answer my question.
It was possible.
If they showed a match with such an impact, what couldn't be done?
Even in the evil path, reaching the peak makes one a great person.
If a student proved they were naturally gifted as a student, the forest keeper selection committee would take notice.
-Is that so?
Why he was suddenly asking this.
Cheondo chuckled, looking at Shiheon, who was standing half-dead.
His eyes were still alive, and he had enough strength.
-But why suddenly?
-No… Well. For the love of comrades and country.
Lee Shiheon's body slowly fell backward.
-It's nothing.
To Cheondo, it didn't look like exhaustion.
Rather… to her, the Heavenly Demon's eyes, Jung Siwoo's body seemed more disheveled than Lee Shiheon's.
'That's not important.'
Whoever provoked whose feelings didn't matter.
Standing in place now was Jung Siwoo, the top student.
'He took a direct hit from Baekdo; he's going to have a rough time.'
Watching Jung Siwoo's shattered magic circuit, Cheondo clicked her tongue.
Physicians began to run toward the fallen students. The audience became heated, and the noise in the VIP room grew louder.
[Cheondo, what happened in the match?]
"Didn't you see with your own eyes?"
[But I'm not sure… Seems like we need to make a decision.]
"Normally, the one who falls first is judged to have lost."
[Hing… Our dongsaeng worked so hard…]
Hwangdo's sobbing made Cheondo smile slightly.
Turning her head and flicking her finger, the mask lying in the stadium flew into her fingers.
-Hoo.
Cheondo blew on the mask to clean it and tucked it into her waist, then slowly started walking.
'Let's go welcome the disciple.'
She thought a little scolding for disobeying his master wouldn't matter.
'What punishment should I give?'
Still, she didn't dislike him.
Rather, she wanted to hug him tightly.