Shinnoda, who had been dodging the laser whip, extended his hand toward Zhang Yichen at the perfect moment.
“Overload.”
A glowing red sigil appeared on Shinnoda’s body. He applied telekinesis on Zhang Yichen, floating in the sky, pulling him towards himself.
《Oh! Athlete Zhang Yichen is being directly pulled by Shinnoda’s telekinesis!》
《The power of the telekinesis is considerable. Given his focus on strength and agility, his intelligence might be high as well since this skill wasn’t originally this powerful!》
Zhang Yichen’s self-assured expression faltered. He tried to resist using the force of his wings but was slowly being drawn in.
“Hmph.”
Shinnoda shouted as he twisted his waist and assumed a javelin throw stance.
‘At this rate, it’s impossible to dodge the throw!’
In a moment’s decision, Zhang Yichen resolved to change his tactics for defense.
The best defense is offense.
His wings had functions beyond infinite gliding—they could also deliver damage by crashing into a target.
He planned to charge first before Shinnoda could throw the spear.
This was Zhang Yichen’s scheme.
“Lanxiao ignition.”
Zhang Yichen instinctively announced the name of his skill and transformed the whip back into a sword. Crimson flames wrapped around his twin blades, appearing as though they were fiery swords forged of flame.
《Wow, athlete Zhang Yichen! Three skills? This is veteran hunter-level stuff!》
《Though we thought Shinnoda had secured the advantage, Zhang Yichen is reversing the game with a new skill!》
Diving from the air towards his prey on the ground, Zhang Yichen hurtled forward. Shinnoda smiled confidently.
This was exactly the situation Shinnoda had lured him into.
‘After swinging the laser whip in the air, in response to the incoming attack, he converts his weapon to flaming swords and descends. I know this pattern.’
This match was a mandatory point in any scenario of the tournament after winning the championship.
Shinnoda knew everything about Zhang Yichen.
‘Even “losing battles” are nothing but repetitions of the same pattern.’
In the game, Zhang Yichen’s HP wouldn’t deplete, and his damage was excessively strong, making it impossible for Shinnoda to win. But reality is different.
Shinnoda pretended to throw his spear, guiding Zhang Yichen into his predictable pattern.
‘Miss Laura, now’s the time. All you need to do is interfere the moment he commits fully to a clash.’
[Understood.]
Commentators marveled at Zhang Yichen charging with flaming swords towards the ground.
They privately concluded he had won this match.
《Unbelievable! Truly the strongest student from China! Even losing, his performance was extraordinary. This is a high-level match indeed!》
《Shinnoda is powerless in this fight. Who would’ve guessed a first-year could employ three skills!》
‘Hero Culture Research Club’ members, who came to watch Shinnoda advance to the semifinals, murmured anxiously.
“Noda, will he get hurt doing that?”
“To be fair, he isn’t even wearing combat gear.”
“That Chinese guy isn’t playing around.”
Lee Chan-hyek, who had briefly trained Shinnoda, regretfully shook his head in the audience.
‘Had I had more time, I could’ve also taught him how to deal with a dual-sword technique.’
Unfortunately, the current consensus was that Shinnoda’s victory was impossible.
Everyone had sensed Shinnoda’s impending defeat.
.
.
.
Then, at that moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
Shinnoda transitioned from a javelin throw stance into a lunge as if he had been waiting for this moment all along. Simultaneously, he applied telekinesis on Zhang Yichen to ensure his attack was thrust directly onto the spear.
Normally, the skilled attack would have priority due to Zhang Yichen’s advance. However, Laura intervened at the last moment, disrupting and dismantling the skill.
Being an awakened human of limited potential, Zhang Yichen’s skills were easier to counter.
“Gah!”
Shinnoda’s spear pierced through Zhang Yichen’s armor and the combat suit, with the blade protruding from his back.
Thanks to Laura’s interference, Zhang Yichen’s powerful kinetic energy merely propelled Shinnoda’s attack forward. With Shinnoda possessing S-rank strength, the synergy was extraordinary.
The audience erupted in chaos at the sudden accident.
《Uh…! Shinnoda’s sudden attack pierced Zhang Yichen…》
《The, the combat suit was pierced? This is unusual… strange.》
The commentators stumbled over their words, unable to continue.
Beeeeeep, beep.
The referee blew the whistle and rushed forward to prevent any additional attacks from Shinnoda. Seeing Zhang Yichen impaled on the spear and spitting blood, he declared the match over.
Medical staff immediately came forward, providing Zhang Yichen with a potion while attempting to keep his consciousness.
“You must stay awake!”
“What?! Shouldn’t we use Chinese?”
“This is getting out of hand.”
Shinnoda awkwardly looked around, pretending to worry about Zhang Yichen.
“Urrggh.”
Coughing up blood, Zhang Yichen regained consciousness and screamed while yanking the spear out from his abdomen, causing his intestines to tear and hang.
“Huh!”
“We’ll take care of you, just wait!”
The medical staff panicked, putting the intestines back inside and performing emergency first aid.
‘Indeed worthy of an A-rank.’
In spite of a gaping hole in his stomach, Zhang Yichen came back to his senses after consuming a single potion.
For a lower-class Awakened, this would’ve been impossible.
Zhang Yichen collapsed, bloodied, in the dueling arena, his eyes fixed on Shinnoda.
“What did you do to me? I clearly used my skill, but it disappeared!”
Zhang Yichen challenged bitterly.
“Oh, you mean that? Once you master spear techniques, things appear differently. It’s easy to disrupt weaker skills.”
Shinnoda smiled slightly, lying confidently.
“So, weak… I’m, weak…?”
Zhang Yichen, his voice trembling, continued to mutter, finding it hard to believe. Being from China, the origin of martial arts, he inwardly thought that reaching the peak of martial arts might allow for such abilities.
《Yes, the match became fierce, and an accident occurred, but athlete Zhang Yichen’s life is not in danger.》
《Phew~ Thank goodness. For a moment, I thought this would escalate into an international issue.》
《That’s true, but Shinnoda’s final thrust was brilliant. He seemed like he was going to throw the spear, but it was a decoy after all.》
《Yes. The psychological warfare was excellent too. I think Zhang Yichen charged in thinking Shinnoda would throw the spear, which ironically became his undoing!》
The commentators spoke animatedly. While what Shinnoda did wasn’t solely a feint, they had no way of knowing.
In any case, the match between China and Korea ended with Korea’s victory. In the VIP section where Chinese officials were seated, the atmosphere was that of a funeral.
“What was the opponent thinking with such a dangerous attack?! My son could have died!”
Zhang Haoran, face red with rage, needlessly confronted the Korean protocol officer.
‘Ugh—why are you asking me about this?’
The protocol officer, cursing silently in his head, maintained a smile on his face and bowed.
“Very regrettable. I will ensure this matter is properly addressed by the relevant departments.”
“Hmph! Typical barbaric Korans. I’m returning home today, but I won’t forget this incident, so remember that!”
Koreans who understood Chinese clenched their teeth in anger but, being mostly government employees, could do nothing but listen.
At that time, a young man exiting the audience section heard the insult and stepped out.
“What makes you call them Korans?! Take your son with a hole in his stomach and go back to China!”
“Huh!”
The raw, unfiltered vulgarity made the Korean protocol officers anxious.
The Chinese security personnel were equally troubled. If Zhang Haoran hears this, a major incident could occur.
“What? What did that guy say?”
Zhang Haoran noticed the unusual atmosphere and asked the interpreter out of curiosity.
“Ah, it was just a polite way to wish you a safe journey home.”
The interpreter translated the phrase in the most innocuous way to prevent any trouble.
“Hmph. Like I’ll have a safe journey with my son injured like that!”
With that, Zhang Haoran stomped out of the stadium, followed by his security detail.
*
The National Assembly Hall, in the conference room.
Masked strangers wearing the K Group mascot face—recently regarded as an anti-social symbol—had occupied the area, controlling access.
There were several legislators lying unconscious, bleeding all over the conference room.
“What are you doing?! This isn’t just villainy; it could qualify as treason!”
One legislator cried out angrily, prompting the intruders to rush over and brutally beat him.
These intruders were gang members led by Kang You-jin. Kang had gathered awakened necromancers in similar situations to himself.
All of them harbored significant dissatisfaction with society and agreed with Kang’s plan to live glamorously for one last hurrah.
Kang You-jin pulled out a sword and beheaded the legislator whose face was swollen from the beating. His head rolled across the room.
“Eeek!”
“Huhhhh.”
Some of the older legislators, terrified, wet their pants or fainted.
“Exactly, you should’ve made proper laws. All you do is feast and create useless bills, which is why people like us exist.”
Kang, now merged with “Shin Gak,” a ghost through his necromancy, could feel an overwhelming power surging through his body.
Though not an awakened one, the hero summoned through necromancy becomes stronger depending on the ‘karma’ they carried in life.
Shin Gak, who had brought his nation its first victory in a perilous crisis, possessed karma comparable to an S-rank awakened.
