[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 188: The Avenger (3)

It happened a year ago.

In the past, Kwon Hanul once caught the attention of Catalina Blaga, an elder of the Blaga family.

Catalina Blaga was a witch-like woman who manipulated human desire to enslave people. At the time, Ruyn Aspadam, one of her followers, grew jealous of Kwon Hanul—and eventually tried to kill him.

But Kwon Hanul triumphed.

Ruyn Aspadam ended up losing his life to Kwon Hanul.

The problem?

The man standing before him now—Kwon Biryuk—was Ruyn Aspadam’s master.

Whatever trick Catalina Blaga had used back then, she managed to seduce and steal away Ruyn Aspadam, who had once drawn all eyes as Kwon Biryuk’s star disciple.

“I trust you won’t consider this a rude question.”

Even while facing the man who had killed his disciple, Kwon Biryuk showed no particular emotion.

Was that his true feeling? Or was he hiding it? It was hard to tell.

“He was a fool who abandoned his master for a woman, but Ruyn was still once my student. I think I’m allowed to ask at least this much.”

Kwon Hanul hesitated.

What was Kwon Biryuk’s intent? And in what spirit was he asking this?

His thoughts soon turned to annoyance.

From his perspective, Ruyn Aspadam was not worthy of respect. His skill was impressive, yes—but he had a clear ceiling. The fact that he tried to kill Kwon Hanul just because he got blinded by a woman? That only made it worse.

“I don’t know,” Kwon Hanul answered honestly. “He wasn’t remarkable enough to leave an impression.”

Kwon Biryuk’s eyes widened. He froze, staring at Kwon Hanul.

Kwon Hanul tensed slightly—ready to react in case Kwon Biryuk lashed out.

“...Hah! Is that so?” But Kwon Biryuk didn’t get angry. Instead, he laughed with a sense of relief. “So that idiot of a disciple didn’t even leave an impression on his enemy.”

A bitter expression crossed his face.

“Let me apologize on my disciple’s behalf.”

Kwon Biryuk bowed. Kwon Hanul, startled, tried to stop him.

“Why would someone like you apologize, Elder?”

“He was my disciple. I’m responsible for what he did.”

“You’re making me uncomfortable, sir.”

Strictly speaking, Kwon Biryuk had no reason to take responsibility. Ruyn Aspadam had, for all intents and purposes, been expelled.

“Still, thank you for saying that.”

Kwon Biryuk straightened his back.

Suddenly, Kwon Hanul remembered something he’d stored away in his personal subspace.

He opened it and pulled out a neatly folded martial robe and a secret scroll.

“These were items from Ruyn Aspadam’s subspace. I’ve kept them until now because I didn’t dare dispose of them myself.”

Kwon Biryuk’s eyes trembled at the sight of the mementos.

Of course—they included the martial robe he had once gifted to Ruyn Aspadam.

“...Thank you.”

Kwon Biryuk stored them away in his own subspace. Then he looked toward Kwon Myung-woo.

“Your grandson is better than you. A dragon has emerged from the Hyukcheon lineage.”

“You damn old coot, you just never stop with the nonsense!” Kwon Myung-woo snapped. Kwon Biryuk let out a hearty laugh.

“I’ll take my leave now. Sorry for the intrusion.”

He turned to go—when a voice interrupted him.

“...Master. I can’t accept this.”

A woman who had remained silent spoke up.

“That man killed your disciple! Why aren’t you angry?”

“Raishin. Be quiet.”

“I’m sorry, Master, but I can’t just let this go!” She shouted, her voice rising with emotion. “Yes, Ruyn committed terrible wrongs against you and all of us. But he was still someone who would’ve eventually realized his mistakes and returned. You said so yourself!”

“Raishin!” Kwon Biryuk roared, and she finally fell silent.

“...Raishin?” Kwon Myung-woo murmured in surprise. “I had a hunch… but I can’t believe it. You really brought that Raishin of the Sacred Beast Bloodline.”

He looked her up and down with new eyes.

“I never recognized her before—always wearing a mask. So this is her real face.”

The fact that even Kwon Myung-woo reacted this way meant she was no ordinary opponent.

Kwon Hanul also grew interested.

“To think I’d meet the highly-anticipated rising star ranked within the global top ten by unanimous vote of the Committee.”

Top 10.

Far above Bobo, whom he had previously fought.

“But did she say she wouldn’t just stand by?”

Kwon Myung-woo’s aura flared. A massive wave of energy surged outwards.

“How arrogant. Who do you think you are to speak so high and mighty?”

Raishin broke out in a cold sweat as she faced Kwon Myung-woo.

Even for a top 10 warrior, she was far inferior to him. He was one of the rare few absolute beings in the world.

“Do I need to rip your tongue out to make you shut up?”

“I apologize for my disciple’s rudeness.”

Kwon Biryuk stepped forward, shielding Raishin.

“An apology? You think words are enough?”

“Calm yourself. It was just youthful recklessness.”

“And since when did age excuse responsibility?”

Kwon Myung-woo had no intention of letting this slide.

To someone proud of the Hyukcheon Clan, Raishin’s behavior had crossed a line.

But Kwon Biryuk also seemed unwilling to back down.

“Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist. Do we really need to settle this here and now?”

“I’m not opposed. Don’t tell me you’re scared?”

The two flared with power simultaneously. Enormous forces clashed mid-air.

“Didn’t think I’d be fighting you in a place like this.”

“Drop the act. We’re both just born fighters at heart.”

Kwon Biryuk smirked at Kwon Myung-woo’s jab.

“You sure talk big, you Hyukcheon fool.”

“Shut it and bring it on, you senile half-wit.”

Kwon Myung-woo clenched his fist. Kwon Biryuk bent his knees slightly.

The clash was imminent—when someone stepped between them.

“Excuse me.”

Kwon Hanul casually walked into the space between their colliding energies.

Both men were shocked. He had calmly stepped into the very heart of their confrontation.

“Before you fight, I’d appreciate it if you looked around.”

Only then did the two elders realize the damage they had already caused.

Windows of nearby buildings were shattered. Drivers were fleeing their abandoned vehicles.

And that was just from their aura. Had they fought for real, the damage would’ve been catastrophic.

“Ahem.”

“Hmm.”

The two cleared their throats awkwardly. Their excitement had nearly caused a disaster.

“Raishin.”

Kwon Hanul turned to the woman. She was still glaring at him.

“You said you wanted to avenge Ruyn Aspadam?”

“Yes!”

“That’s unjust from my perspective. He attacked and threatened me first.”

Raishin fell silent, having run out of arguments. But the hostility in her eyes remained.

Which was understandable.

Revenge doesn’t come from the mind—it comes from the heart.

Ruyn may have been in the wrong logically, but emotionally, it was a different story.

“Since we won’t resolve this with words… I’ll give you a chance.”

“A chance?”

“Let’s fight.”

Raishin stared at him, baffled.

She was a double-number top-10 ranked fighter. Kwon Hanul was just a rookie fresh off the Sky Arena.

Though some said he could already match double numbers, he still shouldn’t have stood a chance against a top-10 ranker.

“...Are you insane?”

“First, decide whether you're accepting or not.”

Raishin hesitated. She wanted to say yes, but clearly doubted Kwon Hanul’s motives.

“Hey, you brat. What the hell are you saying?”

Even Kwon Myung-woo was flustered. He whispered to Hanul, “I started this. I should finish it.”

“Are you serious?”

Kwon Myung-woo looked at him incredulously. Kwon Hanul simply smiled.

But his desire to fight Raishin wasn’t really about Ruyn Aspadam.

It was something else.

Raishin must have mastered the full Thunder Step.

Kwon Hanul possessed multiple bloodlines. The combination of their unique abilities allowed him to quickly analyze new skills and adapt them for his own use.

In the past, he had used this to re-interpret Ruyn Aspadam’s incomplete version of the art and create a teleportation technique.

But Ruyn’s version had only been half-complete.

‘If I fight Raishin, I might be able to evolve the Thunder Step even further.’

That was his first reason.

The second?

‘I’m curious.’

Raishin was a top-tier fighter. It was rare to find anyone that strong.

‘How far can I go with just my raw strength?’

He divided himself into two states:

One using only his Black Dragon bloodline.

And another where he used all of them together.

If he used all his powers, Raishin wouldn't be a match.

But he wanted to test his base strength.

“...Alright.”

While he was pondering, Raishin spoke up.

“Let’s do it.”

She looked to Kwon Biryuk, seeking approval. He sighed and nodded.

“Do as you please.”

Raishin signaled to Kwon Hanul with her chin.

“Follow me. We can’t fight here.”

* * *

“This place should do.”

Raishin had brought him to a peaceful field outside the city.

The others, including Kwon Biryuk, stood at a distance, watching.

“Didn’t expect you to offer me this opportunity.”

She stretched her limbs.

“I won’t thank you. But I won’t kill you either.”

“That’s so generous of you,” Kwon Hanul replied indifferently.

He knew she wouldn’t kill him anyway—doing so would make her an enemy of the entire Hyukcheon Clan.

Besides, she had no real justification for revenge.

“But I’ll crush you hard enough to make you beg on your knees.”

Lightning surged around her. A burst of white light engulfed the landscape.

“Raishin of the Sacred Beast Clan challenges Kwon Hanul of the Hyukcheon Clan to a duel.”

Kwon Hanul raised his stance. Dragon energy erupted.

A black aura spread like wildfire, engulfing the heavens and earth.

It looked as if a black wall had risen from the ground. Raishin’s eyes flickered in response.

“Kwon Hanul of the Hyukcheon Clan accepts your challenge.”

She bit her lip and launched herself forward.

Golden lightning split the field apart.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]