Chapter 320

〈 Chapter 320 〉 Part 1, Chapter 14, Section 10

Bwaaaang!!

With only Hwakwon left, there was no hindrance in movement. Though I limited my speed somewhat out of consideration for the other A-Rank Special Ability users, now that it was just Hwakwon, there was nothing holding me back.

“Full throttle–!!”

“Kyaaaah!!”

I shoved my magic power into Garura’s core to the max. Even though the tank was already full and couldn’t take any more fuel, I kept forcing in the magic power, burning the engine to a crisp.

“F-1 lovers?!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“You’re about to become a fan!”

“Kyaaaah!!”

I changed the control stick to a steering wheel. As expected, turning the wheel directly while driving was faster and easier than moving the stick around.

That’s right. It was faster.

At speeds reaching 300 km/h, Karura sped through Taj Mahal Park while Hwakwon ran along the walls. I fired missiles at Hwakwon by breaking through the walls.

“Haaaaa!”

Hwakwon squeezed out the remaining magic power and swung a fist at the missile. Instead of intercepting it directly, he gathered a ball of fire in his fist and threw it, leaving me wide-eyed.

“That move… I haven’t even taught that yet.”

Kwa—ang!!

The sky-blue fireball Hwakwon launched from his fist collided with the red missile. The two bursts of magical flames exploded violently upon contact, and Hwakwon used the explosion as recoil to escape.

‘The close-range fighter has independently mastered long-range attacks.’

“Now you’re starting to look like an S-Rank.”

Whether he’d been secretly practicing using videos of Hwakwon’s original fights or had discovered this technique himself while battling against artillery tanks, I couldn’t tell right away.

I’ll ask later, but for now, it’s time to give praise.

“You’re putting up a good fight! But we still have three minutes left!”

“Please go a bit easier!”

Thanks to the external speakers, communication was possible. Deokbate looked back and forth between me and Hwakwon, eyes wide.

“Why is Master showing respect to a mere human?!”

“It’s part of the character!”

Indeed. Thanks to Deokbate, I gained one piece of information. So Chang-yeom’s use of honorifics was part of the concept. Though come to think of it, Chang-yeom doesn’t seem like someone who would show respect to those beneath her…

No, on second thought, she might be doing it deliberately to belittle them. Whether Deokbate was confused or not, I shouted again towards Hwakwon.

“Let’s do another full throttle!!”

“You’re driving too aggressively!!”

“This is fun and easy for you! How are you supposed to fall with this attitude?!”

The Executioner called out boldly, but if I could break Karura’s pattern on the first try, I’d be very sad. Since Karura is a pattern I created on the spot, being defeated would mean losing to Baek Hee-a and the heroes.

“To destroy this?! Please call Seolhwa-ryeong!!”

“There will be no reinforcements!!”

We had 2 minutes left. I pressed the accelerator as if aiming to crash into the barrier. Deokbate anticipated hitting the barrier, closed their eyes tightly, and gripped the seat firmly.

“Hiiiiiik!!”

Karura’s beak was just about to touch Hwakwon. If I could just grab Hwakwon, the battle would be over—

Clunk!

The main cannon descended. Hwakwon jumped and landed on the cannon, forcing me to turn the wheel.

“Tch!”

That guy really does have talent. Who would have guessed he’d notice Karura’s blind spot? With the wheel turned sharply, I pressed the accelerator to throw Hwakwon off while riding along the cannon.

“Bwah, spinning around…?!”

“Don’t you dare throw up in my car!”

“Here, inside my body, ugh!”

Deokbate started feeling seasick. Karura, both vehicle and flesh, spun around the center of the garden to throw Hwakwon off.

“Damn, it’s too narrow!”

It was too confined to zigzag and throw him off, and if I slowed down, Hwakwon would climb aboard the cannon.

“Guess the area inside the beak is a blind spot, huh?!”

Hwakwon was cheerfully clinging to the cannon. With arms and legs wrapped around it like a gecko, he was slowly inching inward.

“Indeed. That’s the only place projectiles can’t reach.”

The cannon is protected by the beak. Meaning, the inner part of the cannon hidden by the beak is the safest spot in this Taj Mahal battlefield. Who would have thought he’d actually notice and come in?

“Kyaah! It’s dirty! A human on my body?!”

Upon realizing Hwakwon was clinging to his modified body, Deokbate screamed in disgust. I could understand why; it must feel like having a snail crawling all over.

Now we had 1 minute and 30 seconds left. I first let go of the wheel and crashed hard into the wall.

“Kyaah?!”

“Guh!!”

When Karura collided with the barrier, its feathers shattered. In car terms, it was like the bumper got crushed, and Deokbate complained while tearing up.

“It hurts!”

“Stop whining!”

I raised my fist and smacked Deokbate on the head. Getting hit on the crown, Deokbate bowed their head deeply and fell silent.

” ”

Look. Now they can’t say anything because of the pain.

“Guh…”

But Hwakwon endured. Despite the massive shock that made our seated section sway violently, Hwakwon didn’t let go of the cannon.

70 seconds left. I recited the magic words to make Hwakwon release the cannon himself.

“Disciple, that’s Garura’s tongue.”

“Wha… What?!”

Startled, Hwakwon tried to let go. Realizing he was holding onto the monster’s tongue, I seized the opportunity to grab Deokbate’s shoulder.

“Fufu, you’re flustered!”

I grabbed Deokbate’s body and began immediate modifications with magic power. Lifting the beak, I disconnected the magic power connection to the cannon.

“What… What is this?!”

Hwakwon struggled with the dissipating magic power. I pulled on Deokbate’s arm and pressed then released the button on the stick they were holding.

“Breath preparation!”

Wheeeeng-

Magic power began gathering in Karura’s beak—

“Fire—”

Click!

Before my thumb could press the button, Deokbate’s thumb overlapped mine and pressed it again. And naturally—

BOOOOM!!

A thunderous sound erupted as Karura’s mouth spewed a literal breath of red flames. Hwakwon was thrown out of the beak and rolled across the ground after bouncing about 100 meters away.

“Haa, haa…”

Depleted of significant magic power, Deokbate tilted their head back and panted heavily. Having finally unleashed a large burst of stored internal magic power instead of annoyingly firing flares or beam cannons, they seemed quite satisfied.

“That was good…”

Deokbate’s face flushed red. Seeing them blush just like Chang-yeom made my heart flutter slightly, but I won’t be swayed by Deokbate, even if I may momentarily waver for a heroine.

Is there anyone in this world who falls in love with their pet when it acts cute?

“Anyway, we have 40 seconds left.”

Vroom.

The engine roared to life again. Just like Karura wasn’t completely broken, Hwakwon hadn’t fallen either.

[Haa, haa.]

Hwakwon stood firmly on two legs in the middle of the battlefield, which was Taj Mahal Park. Despite wobbling slightly, raising their fists made them look like they could keep fighting all day.

“…Hmph, for a human, you’ve got some guts.”

Deokbate praised Hwakwon for standing straight without dodging. This was sincere praise from an SS-Rank monster, so if Hwakwon heard it, they would likely consider it an honor.

“Still, you’re my master. Taking such a disciple, despite being human, bothers me.”

“Though I also find various things about you bothersome, your talent certainly exceeds expectations. Let’s wrap this up.”

We had 30 seconds left. Both Hwakwon and I were preparing for our final strike.

Hwack.

Deciding further evasion was impossible, Hwakwon raised their fists in front of their face and burned magic power brilliantly white. Their stance suggested they intended to clash with pure strength, causing Deokbate to spam the button in excitement.

“Magic cannon fire!”

But nothing happened. After repeatedly clicking the button, Deokbate turned to me with a puzzled expression.

“Master?!”

“Why?”

I was gathering magic power to rev the engine. The engine and Deokbate’s core began heating up gradually from the endless flow of my magic power, and I gently placed my foot on the pedal.

“Shouldn’t we focus fire here?!”

“In Tera, yes. There wasn’t time. But not now.”

To a martial artist engaging in fisticuffs, pierce their heart with a magic bullet. Chang-yeom would surely have said something like that, and Deokbate inherited her combat mindset.

But I don’t intend to do that now. Unless the opponent is someone I absolutely must defeat or kill, it feels disrespectful to do such a thing against someone burning with fighting spirit before my eyes.

“Since we have time now, let’s clash strength against strength.”

“…Master.”

Deokbate smiled bitterly.

“I’m sorry. If I had been just a little stronger back then…”

“No, you’re strong enough now, so don’t get so down.”

Seeing level 98 Fire Attribute monster, one of the three great ones, sobbing like this made my heart ache. The one who fought Penril one-on-one and gained the upper hand shouldn’t feel inadequate.

We had 20 seconds left. After patting Deokbate’s shoulder, I shouted at Hwakwon, who was gathering magic power.

“Are you ready?!”

“Yes! Come on!”

I deliberately responded to Hwakwon’s provocation. Isn’t the purpose of this fight to give the heroes diverse experiences to help them grow rather than simply defeating the opponent?

Even if they collide with Karura, they won’t die. They’ll just be swallowed and ejected like the others, and I’ll wait here until Karnā arrives—

Crackle.

The barrier tore apart. My foot froze mid-gear change and accelerator press.

Creak. Creak.

A dazzling golden light flashed at the entrance of the Taj Mahal. The golden-haired woman in shining armor entered, radiating fighting spirit and magic power.

“Ah, Gaechonkwang-sama!”

Seeing Karnā, Deokbate welled up with tears of joy. Even though they appeared in human form, Deokbate immediately recognized the essence of her flowing magic power.

We had 17 seconds left.

“What is it? You seem happier to see me than when you see me?”

“W, well, Gaechonkwang-sama is….”

“Ahh, yes. You’re the daughter and Gaechonkwang is the mother, right?”

“N, not exactly a mother-daughter relationship…”

Although Deokbate was confused, from both a human perspective and a spirit perspective, the mother-daughter relationship fit. During her spirit days, Karnā possessed a female personality, and Deokbate was originally a lower-level spirit born from Karnā.

“Nowadays, you’re my subordinate, aren’t you?”

“…Yes, Master. Sniff!”

After the creator was brainwashed, Chang-yeom bestowed her magic power on numerous subordinates, including Deokbate, transforming them into fire attributes. Thus, Deokbate possesses both fire and light attribute magic powers, but outwardly resembles me—Chang-yeom Phoenix.

We had 12 seconds left.

“Deokbate.”

I leaned back in the chair and crossed my hands horizontally. A pedal appeared in front of Deokbate’s seat, and I ordered her.

“Step on it.”

“B, but Master Gaechonkwang is right ahead…”

“The road is wide open. Step on it.”

“B, but my disciple…”

We had 9 seconds left. Seeing Karnā walking towards the gate, Hwakwon was mesmerized. Although this side shone brighter, they dared not look and were distracted by Karnā, committing a grave sin.

“It doesn’t matter. Step on it.”

We had 7 seconds left. Finally closing their eyes tightly, Deokbate stepped on the pedal.

Vrooooom!!!

The engine roared violently as Karura shot forward in a straight line. There was no acceleration phase, and thanks to my magic power, it surpassed its maximum speed.

We had 5 seconds left.

Hwakwon finally noticed Karura’s charge. Distracted by Karnā, they failed to respond properly and were caught at the tip of Karura’s beak, dragged inside.

I summoned magic power and pulled them into the cockpit while they were swimming inside Karura’s body.

“S, Master?!”

“Kyaaah!”

“Ah, no, same—”

Hwakwon’s face ended up buried in Deokbate’s chest, struggling frantically, but whatever.

We had 3 seconds left.

I created another pedal in front of me and pressed it hard.

“There can be no two suns under the heavens.”

One of us is going to explode today.

We had 2 seconds left.

Without brakes, I charged straight into Karnā.

Squeeeek.

Karura came to a stop in place.

Karnā stopped Karura’s beak with her bare hands.

Heehee.

Karnā, grinning with a twisted smile, didn’t budge even a millimeter as expected.

“It’s been a while since we last met, and your greeting is awfully aggressive, Phoenix.”

Heehee.

I grabbed the Deokbate bat and leapt out of Karura’s cockpit.