Chapter 39: God of War

Park Jun-hyeok was in denial after his all-out attack was blocked so effortlessly.

"N-no way. This can't be. After all that practice..."

"No matter how much you practice, this world runs on bloodline and awakening buffs. Nothing you do means shit against me."

"Hmph! It means nothing if you can't hit me!"

Cheok Jun-gyeong's reincarnation darted around me leaving afterimages like he was Pikachu's reincarnation instead.

He should be grateful to even be considered Cheok Jun-gyeong's reincarnation when he's just riding on Constellation buffs.

What's he trying to do?

Is he planning to confuse me and then stab me with that Crescent Moon Blade?

He better not try that "this is just an afterimage" bullshit with me. He's not that kind of character, and if he really tries to pull that kind of development...

That pisses me the fuck off.

I clenched my right fist and channeled White Flame. Then I planted a Fire Punch right in Park Jun-hyeok's gut as he was running around.

WHAM!

After taking my gut punch, Park Jun-hyeok went flying and slammed right into the barrier of the testing grounds.

"Guhk!"

"I'm faster than you, dumbass."

Of course all that quick movement means jack shit in front of an evil dragon - I can see it all clear as day.

"Looks like you still don't want to accept it, but let me tell you something. No matter how strong you get, it's useless. Whatever tricks you try, you're still just B-tier trash. You fucking nobody."

"Keep acting so arrogant and you'll regret it!"

Look who's talking.

"I get to be arrogant. Because no matter what you try, trash like you can never beat me."

"Kuk... kuhahahahaha!"

After I mocked him, he suddenly clutched his stomach and laughed like a madman.

"Has this fucker finally lost it? Hm?"

An ominous killing intent flows from Park Jun-hyeok's body.

I burned his magic circuit with White Flame, so where is this magic power coming from?

No. This isn't... this isn't Park Jun-hyeok's original magic power.

Dark and murky magic power. This is too filthy to just be a Mutant's magic power.

Yeah. This is more like... Sin.

In the original work, the guy with Sin's power had this kind of reaction.

"Good. Let's see if you can handle this power too! Me, who received a fragment of Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins!"

"Fuck. Causality is totally screwed. Gluttony already?"

Even if he calls it Gluttony, like he said it's just a fragment piece he received. No matter how much causality was adjusted, the chances of Park Jun-hyeok becoming Sin are low.

In the original work, several villains who absorbed fragments appeared.

That became the catalyst for people learning about the existence of Sin.

"Eun-ha! Watch out!"

Si-woo, who was evacuating people with the heroines, shouted.

"It's fine."

Park Jun-hyeok's body started to bulk up.

I could take him out after he transforms, but it's better to extract the fragment before transformation.

Isn't it common courtesy to wait for transformations and evolutions?

Sorry, but I'm Yong-yong so I don't know human rules.

So I injected a Fire Punch into Park Jun-hyeok's solar plexus.

CRUNCH!

Unlike before, with a heavy impact Park Jun-hyeok floated up in the air before crashing back down.

"Guhk!"

"Real impressive, fuckface. Taking in that kind of power when you don't know your place."

He was a troll in the original work, but now he's straight up declaring himself a villain.

Is he brave because he's stupid? He's basically announcing that he's a Sin follower in front of everyone.

The moment you use a fragment, your heart gets replaced by the fragment, just like how a Mutant's heart becomes their Core.

And you can use the abilities of the Sin that the fragment's original owner possessed.

Reina or Han Soo-ji might be able to handle it... and Si-woo probably could too.

I grabbed the slightly bulked up Park Jun-hyeok by the collar and slapped his face.

SMACK!

"Did you think getting that power would make you hot shit? Fuckface?"

Yeah. Come to think of it, my existence really fucked up causality.

Suddenly I felt my anger rising.

Just letting it slide would be boring. With me being this strong, it would be weird if causality wasn't adjusted.

So it's even more boring.

CRACK!

I stomped on his knee and completely shattered it.

"You just had to pull this shit. This fucking shit. This is why weak trash like you stays weak."

CRUNCH!

This time back to the solar plexus

"Sin this, Sin that, fuck Sin. If this was a battlefield, you'd be a useless ally under Hanseong's banner, you fucking amateur. Oh? Getting cocky blocking with both arms? Hey. Put those arms down before I break them. Oh? Really not putting them down?"

CRACK

This time I bent his forearms backwards.

"ARGHHHH!"

"Hey, say it again. What was that about regret? The only one who's gonna regret is you after abandoning your humanity."

Fortunately the fragment hadn't eaten his heart yet.

Then I can pull it out. He won't die.

His life as a Hunter is over, but better than death. Though it's a shame to lose someone who fills out the numbers in the later parts, even if he was a troll.

I stomped the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust.

BOOM!

Then in that cover I formed dragon claws on my right hand and ripped out the black fragment glowing red from Park Jun-hyeok's chest.

RIIIIIP!

"ARGHHHH!"

"Be grateful I'm not killing you. Got it?"

But this bastard. He's got more than one fragment?

We really would've been fucked without me here.

Who the hell stuffed so many fragments into this guy?

"Hey, how many did they stuff in you? You crazy bastard."

I pulled out 4, but there are still more stuck all over his heart.

WHOOSH!

The fragments embedded in Park Jun-hyeok's body released demonic power as if trying to protect their host.

That demonic power can't do much damage to me as Azhi Dahaka, but I instinctively felt this was phase 2.

I stepped back a few paces.

"Did they recognize Park Jun-hyeok's talent?"

Park Jun-hyeok was already unconscious, but the fragments were transforming his body.

His muscles bulked up more and his whole body turned black.

The demonic power flowing from the fragments enveloped Park Jun-hyeok, and soon that demonic power took the form of armor covering his body.

He looked almost like a general on the battlefield.

Fuck. To deal with that I'll need to use enough power for Hunters to notice, which will make my inner circle suspicious.

"So the setting is that he's got the God of War Constellation attached?"

If there was a Constellation, they wouldn't have let him eat fragments. Does that mean he ignored his Constellation?

Or maybe he doesn't have one yet?

What does the Akashic Record think?

[Park Jun-hyeok's current Constellation is God of War(？？） Cheok Jun-gyeong. However, Park Jun-hyeok ignored the Constellation's words and gave in to the desires of the Gluttony fragment.]

"And the Constellation can't control their own damn kid?"

This form is probably similar to how Si-woo became a Constellation due to Divine Sword's influence. But Park Jun-hyeok seems to have forcibly drawn out the Constellation's power using the fragments.

And it had to be God of War of all things. What a pain.

To elaborate a bit more on why Park Jun-hyeok is called a troll - he charges in recklessly without thinking things through.

Among the male characters, thanks to his awakening title of God of War, he's probably second only to Si-woo in strength.

If not for that, he could have helped Si-woo.

"What a shame."

If China's Gluttony is King Xiang Yu as a Constellation, is Korea's Gluttony Park Jun-hyeok?

And he only has those half-assed fragment pieces as the God of War.

No. If Park Jun-hyeok gets relatively stronger now, the original Sin of Gluttony could descend into his body.

Should I kill him at this point?

Outside the barrier, Si-woo, Han Soo-ji, and Reina watch with worried expressions.

The spectators who were running away seem to have noticed something's wrong too.

If I don't end this quickly there will be casualties.

[White Flame Sword Dancer]

A deep male voice, different from the Akashic Record, reaches me.

This must be God of War.

Since Park Jun-hyeok can't hear it, God of War must have already left him and come to me.

[I bear responsibility for this too. Not knowing what was in that guy's heart, I only told him to endure. So let me end this.]

"Aren't you a Constellation? You must know who I am?"

Even Divine Sword recognized me, would God of War be any different?

[Who you are matters not to me as a Constellation. I just want to end this before that child strays further.]

"Not bad. But in exchange, pass on all your techniques to me."

I'm definitely strong in raw power. But when it comes to actual skills, I'm not much different from other students.

In terms of pure 'swordsmanship', I'd be nothing compared to Si-woo.

If I learn God of War's swordsmanship, I can better hide my Evil Dragon nature.

I've been showing too much of my strength anyway, so I need God of War's techniques to cover up suspicions of being a Mutant.

[Very well.]

FLASH!

The Constellation God of War settled into my body.

At that moment, fragments of God of War's memories unfolded before my eyes.

Receiving the Emperor's command to subjugate the barbarians, God of War rose when the army was in crisis.

In the middle of the battlefield at sunset, God of War stood atop countless barbarian corpses.

The blood never dried on his sword, and he beheaded countless enemy commanders.

God of War was truly worthy of being called the god of the battlefield.

The fragments ended there.

If I can learn God of War's techniques just by disposing of Park Jun-hyeok, I'd kill him a hundred times over.

After dealing with Park Jun-hyeok, I'll pass God of War to Han Soo-ji later.

"Oh, feels light."

My body feels unusually lighter.

All I'm holding is an unnamed magic-immune sword, but it feels like I'm wielding a legendary blade.

Is this God of War's power?

I habitually wrapped White Flame around the sword.

"Kik... kikikikik."

Park Jun-hyeok, transformed into a black general, started twisting his body and slammed the ground with his Crescent Moon Blade.

BOOM!

True to having Gluttony's fragment, his raw strength is monstrous. The testing grounds look like they'll be destroyed.

His red eyes gleaming from inside the helmet are seriously creepy.

He muttered something again, then gripped his Crescent Moon Blade roughly and charged at me.

"Have you forgotten how to speak like a person?"

As I let my body flow with God of War dwelling within me, I parried his Crescent Moon Blade with my sword - not with my usual swings, but dancing like flowing water.

CLANG!

[Experience firsthand the greatest sword in the Three Kingdoms through your body!]

I'm already feeling it plenty.

I fought the fragment using pure swordsmanship, without Evil Dragon power.

After exchanging a few blows, Park Jun-hyeok started showing signs of being pushed back. My short sword was evenly matching his Crescent Moon Blade.

CLANG!

"So that's the White Flame Sword Dancer."

"She's facing him with pure swordsmanship in that demonic power that even Hunters can't approach."

"She must be showing respect by matching God of War mode Park Jun-hyeok."

The bullshit from the fleeing humans irritated my ears.

God of War mode my ass! Can't they tell it's fragments from the demonic power?

I'm getting tired of humoring him.

The Crescent Moon Blade swung by the bulked up Park Jun-hyeok left almost no openings.

I can't drag this out too long. But I also can't show the power to instantly suppress Gluttony's fragment here.

Even if I tried to make it an endurance battle, Park Jun-hyeok with Gluttony's fragment would just keep spewing demonic power and causing problems for everyone around.

[Close your eyes.]

"Fight by feel with my eyes closed? I mean, it's not hard but why bother with the theatrics?"

[Don't you sense it?]

The Force? Like in Star Wars?

No, wait. I can sense something different from magic circuits.

I could feel a dark, heavy mass even with my eyes closed.

"Is this the fragment?"

[You have one chance. When the Crescent Moon Blade comes for your neck, that's when your sword must pierce Park Jun-hyeok's core.]

He won't die anyway, but under the pressure of the Korean Peninsula's strongest warrior radiating through his Constellation, I closed my eyes and waited for my chance.

"Kikikikikik!"

Park Jun-hyeok charges in noisily.

Swoosh

The Crescent Moon Blade aims for my neck.

SLASH!

The match ended in a single strike.

Park Jun-hyeok's chest was cut through fragment and all, and the armor made of demonic power covering his body shattered as the fragment's power faded.

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