Chapter 37
I watched the battle between the gay bastard and Im Hwa-yeon from a distance.
Although Im Hwa-yeon seemed to have the upper hand as she launched one-sided attacks, they did not appear to hurt the gay bastard at all.
Even while taking Im Hwa-yeon's attacks, he turned his gaze toward me.
"Slurp, wait for me, delicious BOY!"
At those words, his muscles swelled even further. He bent his knees and leaped toward me in an instant.
"Fuck!"
At the sight of him, I immediately drew up my internal energy and assumed a defensive stance.
-Thud!
His enormous body landed in front of me. Steel-like muscles, sparkling glitter, and a disgusting smile filled my vision.
-Whack!
When I saw his hand rise, I reacted immediately. I infused my fist with internal energy and struck him hard in the solar plexus.
'Why is he this tough?'
The hardness I felt through my fist was beyond anything I had imagined. It felt like striking steel.
The unexpected attack made him take a step backward.
"Oh my~ BOY's fist is fierce? But this much can't hurt me at all~"
His expression changed back into a sly smile.
Then I saw Im Hwa-yeon's flames flare up behind him again.
"Hey! Move!"
Im Hwa-yeon's urgent shout reached me. Even more intense flames erupted from her hands.
"Inferno Burst!"
Along with Im Hwa-yeon's cry, explosive flames burst forth. The temperature around us soared in an instant, and intense heat swept over us.
I quickly threw myself backward. The flames pouring toward him boiled like lava.
-Boom!
"Good grief~ Why is that pussy bitch getting in the way?"
He emerged from the flames, his entire body ablaze.
"Now it's my turn!"
With his shout, his muscles swelled even further.
His attack was aimed right at Im Hwa-yeon. Despite his enormous size, he was faster than expected.
The problem was that Im Hwa-yeon looked extremely exhausted from the attack she had just used.
"Sparkle Sparkle Twinkle Crush!!!!!!!"
His huge body charged toward Im Hwa-yeon at explosive speed. She barely managed to get back on her feet, but she seemed unable to respond properly after the previous attack.
Im Hwa-yeon was sent flying by the gay bastard's body slam. He did not stop and immediately followed up with another attack.
“Sparkle Sparkle Lunatic Larabelle!!!”
The attack was just about to reach Im Hwa-yeon.
I did not miss the opening. I aimed for his exposed flank and infused my fist with internal energy.
The Tongbaek Fist that the late Elder Gu had taught me. It was the only martial art I could use.
The essence of the Tongbaek Fist was simple: the power bursting forth from the back, and a single blow driving that power into the enemy's vital point.
The energy in my body flowed along my spine and through my entire body. Pressure gathered at my fist as if it were about to explode, completing my preparations to strike.
I thrust my fist without hesitation, determined to kill him with a single blow.
-Boom!
The air vibrated in that instant. My internal-energy-infused fist slammed into his flank.
"Kuooh!"
He let out a strange scream and crashed into the wall. The solid concrete cracked like a spiderweb.
'I felt it in my hand.'
The blow from the Tongbaek Fist seemed to have worked.
“Im Hwa-yeon! Are you all right!”
"Ugh… I'm fine…."
Blood flowed from the corner of Im Hwa-yeon's mouth, and her face was pale.
"Heh heh… That hurt…. BOY!"
He slowly stood up. There was a bruise on his flank, but it did not seem to have been a decisive blow.
"I'm seriously pissed! I'll show you my true form! Transform!"
His body began to glitter. It was like a magical-girl transformation scene from an anime. Pink glitter exploded around him and enveloped his body.
"Love's Guardian! Twinkle Super Diva has arrived!"
Along with a disgusting pose, the gay bastard's appearance changed completely. His steel briefs became a glittering dress, and his muscles grew even larger.
"Ew…."
"Urk…."
Im Hwa-yeon and I both gagged at the same time. It was not an act; we genuinely felt like we were about to throw up.
A huge man in a pink dress was posing like a magical girl. As if that were not enough, he sprinkled glitter around himself and even winked at us.
"Look at this~ Are you both overwhelmed by my charm?"
"I feel like I'm really going to throw up…."
Im Hwa-yeon spoke while genuinely struggling to hold back her nausea. Her face was filled with pure disgust.
I really did not want to fight that bastard. Fighting an A-rank criminal was bad enough, but having to keep looking at that disgusting sight was an even greater torment.
"Im Hwa-yeon, how many more attacks can you use?"
"…I can't."
"What? What do you mean?"
"...That was my last attack."
"Fuck, and you call yourself A-rank?"
"What? Fuck? Did you just call me 'fuck'?"
"Damn, you useless premature-ejaculation bitch."
"Hey, you pig bastard!"
While Im Hwa-yeon and I bickered, the gay bastard looked at us jealously.
"Aww~ You two look so close that I'm getting jealous. Can I join you~?"
He lifted one disgusting leg and spun like a ballerina.
"Urk…."
Nausea rose again. Im Hwa-yeon also bit her lip with a grimace.
'This really is the worst….''
With Im Hwa-yeon having used up all her abilities, I was now in a situation where I had to face a crazy perverted criminal. A gay pervert in magical-girl cosplay, at that.
"I'll show you a special attack just for you, BOY~ Take my heart!"
He formed a heart with both hands. His muscles swelled even further, and the hem of his dress fluttered in the wind.
"Twinkle Love Shower!"
Pink energy burst forth in the shape of a heart.
"Fuck…."
I instinctively grabbed Im Hwa-yeon's waist and threw myself to the side. The asphalt along the attack's path melted away.
"Ugh…."
"Hey, is there no way?"
"No. It turns out that gay bastard is a multiple-ability user too. So just run until support arrives."
"Aww~ You can't run away! Let's make eternal love together, BOY!"
Even as his disgusting voice drew closer, I thought of a way out.
'I can't fight him in my current state.'
I checked how much internal energy I had left. The recoil from using the Tongbaek Fist still lingered, but I could use it a few more times. Even so, I did not think I could win.
"Twinkle Love Chaser~!"
He took an attack stance once again. This time, all the glitter on his body gathered into a heart-shaped missile and flew toward us.
"Hey, Im Hwa-yeon."
"What…."
"Hold on tight."
"Huh?"
I grabbed Im Hwa-yeon's waist once again. I infused my legs with internal energy and prepared to leap.
"BOY! Accept my love~!"
As his attack approached, I embraced Im Hwa-yeon and kicked off the ground. My internal-energy-enhanced legs carried me up the wall.
-Boom!
His attack struck the spot where we had been moments earlier. The asphalt melted into a pink puddle.
"Aww~ You shouldn't run away!"
I heard his disgusting voice, but I kicked off the wall, leaped over him, and fled. Im Hwa-yeon clung tightly to my neck and followed without a word.
'First, let's get away from here.'
It seemed better to run away than to fight him right now.
"BOY! Don't run away~“
'First I need to get out of that madman's sight….''
His disgusting voice continued to ring out behind us. I was running faster than he could pursue us.
I ran all over the city, barely escaping the gay bastard.
I continued running through narrow alleys while carrying Im Hwa-yeon. Then-
-Boom!
"Ngh."
"Aaah!"
We were suddenly stopped by something like an invisible wall. It was as if an unseen barrier had blocked our path.
'What is this now?'
I punched the transparent wall, but it was solid. Even when I infused my fist with internal energy, it did not budge. A smooth, transparent wall stood in our way.
"This is…. Some kind of barrier, don't you think?“
Im Hwa-yeon said as she touched the transparent wall with her palm.
"Could that gay bastard have done this?"
"I don't think so. I think a criminal from the Twilight Fangs, the organization that bastard belongs to, did this."
Im Hwa-yeon looked serious as she spoke.
I infused my fist with internal energy and struck the wall again, but it still did not react.
"Haa… Let's rest here for a while."
I set Im Hwa-yeon down in the narrow alley. After getting out of my arms, she cautiously sat across from me and leaned against the wall.
I had also expended a great deal of internal energy, so I needed to catch my breath for a moment. I sat with my back against the wall.
The narrow alley was blocked by tall buildings on both sides, making me feel as if we were trapped in a trap. An invisible barrier blocked the way ahead, and there was no telling when the gay bastard might catch up from behind.
'Should I return to the Daoist Yin-Yang Manual (29)?‘
"Hey… thanks for helping me earlier…."
Im Hwa-yeon spoke in a small voice, blushing. Seeing her like this, I thought she looked cute again.
"What did you say? Your voice was so quiet that I couldn't hear you."
I deliberately pretended not to hear her and teased her.
"...Shut up! You pig bastard!"
Im Hwa-yeon shouted indignantly. However, the tips of her ears were still red.
"Keep your voice down. That gay bastard might hear us."
She closed her mouth at my words. Her face was still flushed, and she avoided my gaze.
"Im Hwa-yeon. You're an A-rank ability user. Why are you so weak?" "...Shut up."
Im Hwa-yeon turned her head away. Even the tips of her ears had turned red.
"It's just that I only became A-rank recently. And besides…. My ability has terrible efficiency…. I was born with too little ether to spend on my ability…."
Im Hwa-yeon avoided my gaze as if embarrassed. It was an unexpectedly honest confession from someone who had been so arrogant.
"So you just blow your load a few times and call it quits, huh?"
"Hey, do you want to get scorched again?"
Im Hwa-yeon flared up. A small flame appeared in her hand, but quickly died out. She had completely exhausted herself, so she seemed unable to launch a proper attack.
"So you really are a premature ejaculator."
"Hmph! I can at least… ugh."
Before she could finish speaking, she staggered. It seemed that trying to use her ability had only made her condition worse.
"Careful."
I grabbed her shoulder and supported her. Im Hwa-yeon's face turned even redder.
***Eye-Cleansing Image***
Sparkle Sparkle Twinkle Im Hwa-yeon!