Chapter 134
As Tae Sang-cheon was inwardly exclaiming in shock and clicking his tongue, a heavy impact struck.
Thwack!
With a dull thud, a searing pain shot through his head, causing his body to stagger and his legs to weaken.
However, Lee Seong-jun didn't even allow him this small respite.
Grabbing Tae Sang-cheon's collar with his left hand, Lee Seong-jun lifted his body into the air.
Immediately after, he drove his clenched fist into Tae Sang-cheon's abdomen.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound that seemed impossible to have been caused by a mere fist, Tae Sang-cheon's body was sent tumbling across the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As Tae Sang-cheon's body bounced and rolled, the ground caved in from the impacts, scattering rock fragments and dust in all directions.
Feeling the terrible pain coursing through his entire body from the successive blows, Tae Sang-cheon completely abandoned his arrogance.
'...He's strong.'
Lee Seong-jun was a far more formidable being than he had thought, possessing talent worthy of humbly accepting defeat even if experienced.
However, he couldn't simply acknowledge defeat.
'Defeat means death.'
This fight was a life-or-death struggle, meaning they had crossed a point of no return.
He couldn't even hope for mercy.
In Lee Seong-jun's eyes, there was no trace of compassion or mercy; they were as sharp as daggers.
Having often looked at people with such eyes himself, Tae Sang-cheon knew exactly what kind of person bore such a gaze.
He would not hesitate to strike mercilessly.
As he clearly recognized Lee Seong-jun, Tae Sang-cheon felt a chill run down his spine, and his pupils began to tremble as if an earthquake had struck.
"It seems you've finally realized the difference in our levels... but it's too late."
Lee Seong-jun uttered in a cold voice as he slowly walked towards Tae Sang-cheon to finish the fight.
Thud. Thud.
At this sight, fear began to blossom in a corner of Tae Sang-cheon's heart.
He wanted to flee immediately if he could.
But there was no way out.
'No matter where I go, no matter where I hide... Lee Seong-jun will surely pursue me.'
It meant an inescapable death.
The only way forward was to defeat Lee Seong-jun.
'The possibility is...?'
He made a cold assessment, considering Lee Seong-jun's abilities and talent he had witnessed earlier, as well as his own current condition.
'30 percent.'
Of course, he wasn't trying to bluff.
'If I use Flame Soul Awakening and immediately press the attack, even Lee Seong-jun won't be able to respond easily.'
Flame Soul Awakening, the SSS-rank skill he had obtained upon reaching the 4th job advancement.
It had the effect of increasing all stats by 100 points and doubling the efficiency of fire-related abilities.
As it was his trump card that had never been revealed to the world, there was no way Lee Seong-jun could have prepared countermeasures.
Although slim, there was hope of seizing victory.
'...Lee Seong-jun hasn't completed all his growth yet.'
It meant that if he could overwhelm him with absolute power, he could sufficiently grasp victory.
"Flame Soul Awakening."
As Tae Sang-cheon uttered in a low voice, it happened.
Whoosh!
The flame soul residing in his heart awakened.
The flames that surged within his body were karmic fires and pure qi, unrestrained by the limitations of the surrounding terrain.
It meant they were flames that couldn't be extinguished by mere water vapor.
Whoosh!
The flames that shot high into the sky spread in all directions, even evaporating the water vapor that had settled in the area.
Naturally, Tae Sang-cheon's flames began to rage more fiercely, eventually engulfing everything in the vicinity.
Boom!
The ensuing explosion soared high into the sky.
The open space where the two had been standing caved in, creating a crater-like formation.
Even at that moment, the flames continued to surge, endlessly burning life and turning the world to ashes.
It was a fierce blaze that even high-level experts who could envelop their entire bodies in protective qi would struggle to withstand.
But Lee Seong-jun's face showed not the slightest hint of agitation.
No, rather, a smile bloomed on his lips.
"...This should be interesting."
Ding!
[User 'Lee Seong-jun' activates Star's Advice, Star's Favor, Earth's Blessing, Wind's Protection, Strength, Vitality, and Agility Enhancement.]
[As the number of active buffs exceeds 5, the active skill Star Fusion is triggered.]
[Due to the Amplification effect, the effectiveness of enhancement skills increases by 50% each.]
[Agility stat increases by 95.]
[Strength and Vitality stats increase by 87 each.]
As Lee Seong-jun, enveloped in a golden aura throughout his body, felt the power surging within him, Tae Sang-cheon, with a fierce glint in his eyes, let out a roar.
"Uaaaah-!"
Sensing instinctive danger from Lee Seong-jun's suddenly changed aura, Tae Sang-cheon drew upon even his most fundamental internal energy.
Boom!
The flames erupting from Tae Sang-cheon's entire body exploded like an active volcano.
'...Lee Seong-jun possesses overwhelming talent.'
If given even a little time, he would quickly adapt to his power.
It meant he couldn't afford to engage in a battle of nerves or exploration.
'I'll settle this with one blow.'
The moment Tae Sang-cheon clenched his fist, the flames that had been spreading throughout the area converged to a single point, raging even more fiercely and burning the world.
Even Tae Sang-cheon at the center couldn't be said to be in a completely intact state.
Despite enveloping his entire body in protective qi, his skin was melting, but Tae Sang-cheon continued to condense the flames.
Whoosh!
The flames burned so fiercely that through the gaps in Tae Sang-cheon's melting skin, stark white bones were visible.
Seeing Tae Sang-cheon literally putting his life on the line, Lee Seong-jun furrowed his brow and cast a disapproving glance.
"How foolish."
Believing in his trump card, his hidden power, he was staking everything on this final blow.
It was an action even first-class warriors wouldn't take.
'To think he believed he was the only one with hidden power.'
Masters who have reached a certain level all conceal 30% of their strength.
In the Thousand Continent where Lee Seong-jun had lived in the past, this was considered common sense.
This meant that even during his battle with Tae Sang-cheon, Lee Seong-jun had never used his full power.
Tae Sang-cheon's current action was no different from a moth diving into flames.
"Hup..."
As he took a deep breath, Lee Seong-jun's eyes turned a captivating red, and the blood qi he had been holding back exploded outwards.
Naturally, the red blood qi undulated along with the heat haze of the flames.
At the center of this dazzling spectacle that threatened to entrance onlookers stood Lee Seong-jun, majestically extending his hand into the air.
Boom!
The blood qi in the area surged, forming two spheres in the air.
Even if fired in this state, it would demonstrate a destructive power that most ranker-level hunters wouldn't dare to face.
However, it was insufficient to extinguish Tae Sang-cheon's flames, which had concentrated qi at a single point.
In fact, the compatibility between blood qi containing moisture and fire was not very good, meaning he was fighting at quite a disadvantage.
Nevertheless, Lee Seong-jun chose to confront it head-on.
Of course, it wasn't out of arrogance.
He made this choice because he was confident in his ability to overturn the situation with his qi manipulation skills and power control techniques.
No, from the beginning, how could he, Lee Seong-jun, hailed as the greatest Blood Demon and Demon God of all time, lose to a mere warrior of the Manifestation Realm?
Moreover, this was a battle of pure power.
The martial arts of the Blood Demon, which manipulate blood, the foundation of life itself, possessed a destructive power that was in a league of its own.
Therefore, Lee Seong-jun concentrated the two rotating spheres in the air into a single point.
Boom!
As the two colliding spheres exploded with a thunderous sound, Lee Seong-jun enveloped that explosion by forming a sphere of blood qi in the air.
Simultaneously, he continued to make the blood qi exploding inside collide, creating an even fiercer destruction.
This was an incredibly complex process of maintaining the external sphere to withstand the explosion while simultaneously causing the internal blood qi to collide.
However, Lee Seong-jun's face was full of composure.
This was a martial technique he had used hundreds, no, thousands of times from his past in the Thousand Continent to his battles in the celestial realm.
There was no reason to consider failure or mistakes.
Boom!
Eventually, the sphere that had reached its limit began to show violent tremors with a thunderous roar.
The condensed blood qi revealed the rough and ferocious nature of the Blood Demon who had ruled the Thousand Continent, swallowing up the flames in the area.
Thus, the fiercely burning flames began to die down, suppressed by the presence Lee Seong-jun was emitting.
Watching this scene unfold right before his eyes, Tae Sang-cheon couldn't hide his astonishment.
'H-How... How can such power exist?!'
Although he hadn't officially engaged in combat yet, he, Tae Sang-cheon, who had reached the Manifestation Realm, was capable of holding his own against most top-tier rankers.
Moreover, he was using Flame Soul Awakening, which could be called his trump card.
'And yet... I'm being pushed back.'
Even the top rankers, considered among the strongest on Earth, wouldn't be able to suppress flames in this manner.
It was unthinkable to be defeated in a contest of raw power.
But this wasn't just an ordinary defeat.
The flames that had been burning fiercely were now cowering and hiding their true form, thoroughly intimidated.
It was an overwhelming defeat.
This alone was an unbelievable, incomprehensible reality.
But what shocked Tae Sang-cheon most was something else.
'...There isn't a single visible change on the outside.'
The red sphere floating in the air wasn't emitting any thunderous sounds or shockwaves.
Despite containing overwhelming power, it maintained a completely calm state.
'He's controlling the explosion...?'
Having directly seen and experienced it earlier, he was well aware of Lee Seong-jun's exceptional qi manipulation skills.
But controlling an explosion was an entirely different matter.
'He's defying the natural order and laws of nature.'
It meant he was wielding an ability that broke existing rules, a power that defied heaven.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't believe it.
No, he couldn't accept it.
Originally, there might be at most three people in the world who could control qi in this way, defying natural phenomena.
Even they wouldn't be able to maintain such a stable appearance as Lee Seong-jun was now.
Tae Sang-cheon had no choice but to deny reality.
'Impossible... This can't be happening! Lee Seong-jun, what are you...? What on earth are you?!'
Shaking his head frantically, Tae Sang-cheon thrust out his forcibly clenched fist in an attempt to overcome his inner fear.
Tae Sang-cheon, the leader of the Returners' Union, who had always stood above others.
He had never been gripped by such fear before.
Boom!
'Flame Emperor Sky-Shattering Art, Killing Strike, Great Flame Tiger King Fist.'
His fist, wrapped in flames, erupted with a thunderous roar, taking the form of a massive tiger.
'I'll win, I can win. I am Tae Sang-cheon...!'
Just as the Flame Tiger, which had appeared in the world as if in desperation, bared its ferocious fangs to devour everything, Lee Seong-jun, with cold eyes, stretched out his hand.
'Ten Thousand Aspects Blood Demon Sea, Fifth Form: Asura Explosion.'
Roar!
The small red sphere, as if letting out a monstrous cry, devoured and sucked in the atmosphere, taking the form of an Asura (Fire Dragon) from legend.
Then, emitting a fierce aura like that of an Asura, it shot forward, instantly bursting through the mouth of the fearlessly charging Flame Tiger and passing through.
Boom!
With successive explosions, the form of the Flame Tiger vanished without a trace.
'This... This can't be...!'
Seeing his final secret technique, which he had been hiding, so easily and completely shattered, Tae Sang-cheon's face showed not anger or denial, but resignation and acceptance.
Now he understood.
'...A monster. I provoked a monster.'
It was an insurmountable wall from the start.
He had realized this fact far too late.
Everyone who had fought against Lee Seong-jun so far must have felt the same way.
And those who would fight Lee Seong-jun in the future would likely not be much different.
The arrogant Baek Mu-jin.
The haughty Guardians.
The greedy executives of the World Returners' Union who had driven him to grow this much.
As he watched the massive Asura's palm approach before his eyes, Tae Sang-cheon was certain.
It wasn't just him.
'Everyone will eventually kneel before Lee Seong-jun.'
Now that it had come to this, there was only one regret.
'I should have lived to see that sight...'
He deeply regretted his own arrogance and lack of foresight.
With that final thought.
Boom!
Tae Sang-cheon's body, engulfed by the massive Asura's energy, turned to black ash and was erased from the world.
It meant the victor of the battle had been decided.