733 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The Unrivaled Martial Artist's Childhood Friend Chapter 733: North Rabbit - Web Novel Repository The Huangaganglam unfolded once more. Encased in armor, Shinryong exhaled heavily, his breaths jagged and strained. "Ugh... huff, huff..." The once-glorious armor had long lost its form. Perhaps it was due to the aftermath of the explosion. Or the impact of the battle. It was only barely maintaining its shape. A form conjured solely to withstand the blast. "Ugh..." The sudden expenditure of a large amount of energy left Shinryong staggering. Yet, in such a state, he did not dispel the Huangaganglam. Not yet. The attack had not concluded. Fwoosh--!!! Flames poured down. Shinryong raised his arms to shield himself from the inferno. Rumble--!! "Arghhhh!!" The shock hit him directly. He could only fend off the heat. The blood flowing from his sword wounds soaked his martial attire completely. As expected, his right hand seemed broken. It hurt. Had he ever been so wounded before? Probably not. "Ahhhhh!!!" Unable to withstand the flames, he dropped to one knee. The relentless stream of fire showed no signs of ceasing. Though he had witnessed it spewing for several tens of seconds earlier. Where was all this energy coming from? '...Wasn't this supposed to be just half...?’ Realizing now, it was laughable. Even after utilizing half, the remaining half was still this potent. 'Who... who are you...?’ What was this identity? The image seen at the Yongbongji meeting in the past was vastly different. Time should pass equally for all, yet. 'Was my time different from yours?' Had he walked while the other ran? Or, perhaps, he had run while the other flew? He didn't know. Now, he knew nothing. "Uughhhh... Ahhhhh!!" He endured with a shout. That was all he could do. He couldn't win. He saw it at a glance. Thus, Shinryong pondered. 'So what?' Wasn't it a fact known before it all began? No, perhaps back then there was hope. Maybe he thought his efforts might allow him to reach the other. Might the once-distant goal now be within reach due to his admiration? Maybe he’d believed he could win if he fought. That's what he might have thought. But now, after fighting, he knew. The other wasn't in the same place as him. If he seemed ahead, it was only because he'd completed a whole circuit around, racing forward. He couldn't catch up, couldn't touch. If the other didn't see him, he couldn't see the other. That was their standing, the positions of Guyangcheon and Shinryong. Realizing this, Shinryong asked himself again. 'So what?' Does that give me a reason to give up? "Yaaaahhhhhh---!!!" No. 'Not at all.' Kaaaaa--!! The Huangaganglam radiated light. The firm conviction infused into the armor. Not only did it restore its form, but it also started becoming even sturdier and stronger. "What the hell?" Seeing this, Guyangcheon, who had been unleashing flames, let out an incredulous laugh. Huangaganglam began to shine. "Look at this crazy bastard." Shinryong's resolve stabilized. The incomplete martial arts transformed into a perfected form, and the reinforced armor not only withstood the onslaught but also began to repel it. 'Growing stronger during battle? How ridiculous.' Did being pounded like that grant insight? The amount of energy Shinryong possessed hadn't altered. If anything, it probably decreased. How could there be any left after such intense use? This was merely. 'He's begun using it efficiently.' Eliminating waste and converting it into strength. It was truly laughable. 'If only that brat Sungyul could see and learn from this.' A place where most would have already given up. Flailing in despair, Shinryong only grew more resolute in his momentum. He will overcome. That single-minded determination was evident in the air around him. 'These so-called geniuses...' They learn one technique and immediately find ten ways to use it. It's annoying. It's all I can do to use one after learning one. It's definitely annoying. Yet strangely enough, a smile formed. Pressing down with his foot. The flames didn't cease. He leaped, closing the distance in an instant. "...!" Shinryong flinched, raising both arms, but Guyangcheon was already within reach right in front of him. Woong! The flames subsided as heat gathered onto his foot. Guyeum Taeryeong Kick. The fierce flame kick struck directly at Shinryong's arm. Precisely, the right arm. Crack-! Thud-! The attack plowed through the armor of Huangaganglam. "...Guhhhh!" The arm used to block was unfortunately the broken one. Shinryong stifled a groan. Of course, it was a targeted attack. Then. Wham-! "Huh?" Unexpectedly, Shinryong seized Guyangcheon's ankle with his left hand. Ssssssssss--!! "Aargh!" The flames burned his hand. Despite the excruciating pain, Shinryong did not let go. Even while screaming, he clutched the ankle tightly. Whoooosh-!! "Wow, this guy... seriously." With his broken right arm, Shinryong executed Baekbo Shinkwon toward Guyangcheon. Seeing this, Guyangcheon laughed heartily. "I like it." Boom-!! Shinryong's desperation pummeled Guyangcheon's chest. Rumble-!!! Guyangcheon, struck directly, flew through the air. "Huff!" Even witnessing that, Shinryong did not halt. With all his might, he thrust his fists. Thud-! Thud, thud-! Rumble-!!! The series of Baekbo Shinkwon strikes pounded the martial stage from a distance. "Huff! Huff, huff!" Dripping sweat and blood, Shinryong did not stop. Bang-! Bang-! Bang, bang, bang, bang-!! With each strike, energy was rapidly depleted. His legs trembled. His energy center screamed of its limits, and his crushed bones warned that further movement could be catastrophic. It threatened death. It warned of no future. It didn't matter. 'It doesn't matter.' Even if he dies here. He will do what must be done. Thinking this, Shinryong did not stop, but. Slip-! "...!!" Fatigue accumulated, and eventually, his leg gave out, forcing him to halt the assault. "Gack..." He barely regained posture, only to sway with dizziness overtaking him. "Pant... pant..." Even breathing was painful. He felt the drool at the corner of his mouth. Knowing this, Shinryong did not bother to wipe it away. Focused only ahead. Beyond the swirling dust of debris. Shinryong stared solely at that spot. Surely, with this much pounding, it should be over? That was a trivial thought he refused to entertain. He hadn’t won yet. He already knew it. As if to prove this, "Spit." Guyangcheon's voice resonated from within the dust cloud. The dust cleared in a short time. "This really stings, damn it." Guyangcheon emerged, slightly weary in expression. Though blood was continuously trickling from his chest from the wound, Shinryong's face contorted at the sight. ‘…Nothing's changed?’ He clearly felt his attacks landing. He thought most of his Baekbo Shinkwon had hit, yet Guyangcheon seemed only a bit fatigued, with no significant damage evident. ‘Is he truly a monster…?’ Could he be more than human? What kind of body would allow such resilience? Doubts about his very existence began to arise. "Hey." “…!” Despite his perplexity, Guyangcheon called out to Shinryong. "As a heads-up." At the same time, his hand extended slightly downward. "Dodge this, okay?" There was no need to ask what he meant. “…Grit.” Slowly something began to coalesce in Guyangcheon's hand. He had to block it. Shinryong's instincts screamed this truth, yet he couldn't move. His legs refused to respond. Fwoosh… Fwoosh--!! The blue orb from before, was he intending to use that again? But as it morphed, Shinryong's heart pounded fiercely, a dire warning. Danger. Survival instincts hammered within Shinryong, yet. He still didn't move. Finally, the orb transformed, and Guyangcheon gripped flames shaped like a spear. "..." The spear exuded danger at a glance. The heat from it was palpable even at a distance, creating visible distortions around it. He needed to flee. That absolutely couldn’t happen. His last vestige of rationality screamed in his ears. Swish. Despite hearing this, Shinryong clenched his fists. Clang-! He encased himself again within the protective Huangaganglam. "..." "..." In silence, they simply exchanged glances. No more warnings were necessary. "Hup!" Guyangcheon exerted all his strength into thrusting the spear at Shinryong. Ssssssshhh--!!!! The spear, with its tearing sound, hurtled toward him. The spinning spearhead collided against the armor. Kaaaaaaa---!!!! A colossal roar spread outward. "Urrrrrgh---!!!" Creaaaak…! The pressure pushed his feet backwards despite their grip on the ground. "Huuuuu… Aarghhhh!!!" Crack. The armor slowly began to crumble. At this rate, he would be pierced through. This unnamed martial skill was beyond simply being a warning from Guyangcheon. What should he do then? ‘Deflect it.’ He needed to change the angle. It was already difficult enough to block it; he had to alter its path while maintaining such pressure. "Grrrr...!!" It wasn't a matter of whether he could or couldn't. He had to. Immediately, Shinryong focused his energy on his injured right arm. The armor's power concentrated at a single point, boosting its defensive capabilities. He created enough resilience to withstand the spear a bit longer. After that. "Inhale…" He slightly raised his right arm and prepared a move. Gathering the remaining energy in his left arm, he struck his own right arm. Wham-!! The impact twisted his arm's angle. Whizz-! Sssshhh---!!! With the angle thrown off, the spear veered upward into the sky. The spear surged quickly, and shortly after. Kaaaaa-boom---!!! It exploded in the air with a blast incomparably larger than before. "Huff… Huff…." Shinryong looked up, trembling at the spectacle. He had done it. "Did I block it...?" I... I…. "I blocked-!!" Whish. "What?" Something had just passed by his side-. Kaboom---!! Before he knew it, an explosion erupted behind him, sweeping Shinryong's body across the ground. Startled by the sudden shock, Shinryong turned to look back. “…What…." Yet he couldn't utter a single word at what he saw. The martial stage was in disarray from the previous explosion. What on earth had happened? Shinryong stood bewildered, his expression dazed, when. "Why do you assume things on your own?" Ahead, Guyangcheon's voice was heard. With that, Shinryong painstakingly turned his head. There he saw. "You think you've saved the world just because you blocked one?" Guyangcheon was standing over him, brandishing another spear identical to the previous one. "..." With vacant eyes, Shinryong stared at the spear. Seeing his state, Guyangcheon spoke. "There's still one left. Want to try again?" “…Heh….” Staring intently at the spear, Shinryong mumbled. "…For... fuck's sake." The first curse he'd uttered in his life. Do it again? That? "..." Contemplating it over a thousand times in mere seconds, Shinryong looked at Guyangcheon and spoke. "I... concede..." It's beyond me now. Shinryong let out a deep sigh and admitted his defeat. As if awaiting it, the referee shouted. "Sa, Sansuhogwa... Gu... Yangcheon is, the wi, winner…!" As Guyangcheon's victory was confirmed shortly thereafter. -Uuuuuwaaaaaaa---!!! A colossal cheer erupted across the entire region. Waaaaaaah---!!! -Soyumra! Soyumra! Soyumra! This was undoubtedly the loudest cheer since the martial arts tournament began.