‘It worked...!!’
Kyle clenched his fists tightly.
After a long and painstaking wait, he had finally succeeded in his assassination attempt.
Though the first strike had essentially sealed the deal, Kyle made sure to follow up with additional attacks to confirm the kill.
When the smoke cleared, all that remained were the shattered remnants of the car and the charred, torn scraps of Kang Hyunsoo’s clothing.
At the moment Kyle believed he had finished the job, he sensed an unfamiliar presence from the side.
“...!!”
Kyle immediately pushed off the ground, retreating.
But—
Slice!
He didn’t escape unscathed.
A thin line of blood began trickling down his cheek.
Boom!
Kyle widened the distance between them and furrowed his brows as a figure emerged from behind the split van.
“I was certain I confirmed the kill... How the hell...? A decoy!?”
“You’re quick to catch on. No wonder they call you the representative Hunter of America,” Kang Hyunsoo said, lifting one corner of his mouth in a smirk.
The figure Kyle had attacked was a decoy created using Hyunsoo’s Beauty Skill.
Unlike ordinary illusions, Hyunsoo’s decoys could mimic actions, speak, and even carry out assigned tasks.
Before entering the parking garage, Hyunsoo had ordered the decoy to get in the car, and Kyle had taken the bait perfectly.
“You knew I was coming?”
“Let’s just say I had my suspicions. Even if it wasn’t you, I figured someone would eventually come for my power or my items.”
“...I fell for it completely,” Kyle muttered, grinding his teeth in frustration.
The disappointment hit hard, especially after his initial excitement.
Kyle glared at Hyunsoo with seething intensity, but Hyunsoo remained composed.
“Let’s end this here. If you surrender and stop now, I won’t hold your earlier attack against you.”
“Surrender and stop?”
“Yeah. You were here for the sword manual, weren’t you? It’s gone—I’ve already used it. You stand to lose far more than you could gain by continuing this.”
Hyunsoo’s words were logical.
As the representative Hunter of America, Kyle had little to gain and much to lose by pressing the issue.
But—
“Heh, trying to weasel your way out? It’s pointless!!”
Kyle didn’t even bother listening.
The moment Hyunsoo finished speaking, Kyle launched himself forward, brandishing his longsword with devastating force.
The asphalt cracked under his feet, and the sheer intensity of his attack caused a whirlwind to erupt in the parking garage.
“You idiot. Do you think the outcome will change just because it’s a real fight?”
Hyunsoo calmly raised his dual swords to block Kyle’s strike.
Though Kyle’s attacks had grown stronger and the absence of a shield added complexity, the overall flow of the fight remained unchanged.
Hyunsoo countered Kyle’s conventional swordsmanship by relying solely on his Beauty Skills.
Every time he used Charm, Kyle would momentarily falter, his actions stuttering for a brief second.
【Activation】
[Bloom (SS)]
[For 3 minutes, maximizes latent beauty to its peak.]
[Appearance Power: 999]
[Effect of Appearance Power: All stats +3,996.]
“I won’t hold back anymore,” Hyunsoo said, his tone sharp.
If someone wanted to kill him, they needed to be prepared to risk their own life.
With Bloom activated, Hyunsoo intended to end Kyle for good.
But just as his flaming sword closed in on Kyle’s neck, an unexpected twist occurred.
Boom!
Before the decisive blow could land, a massive fist came out ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) of nowhere, striking Hyunsoo and sending him flying backward.
Hyunsoo managed to mitigate the damage by activating Trust Armor, but the opportunity to finish Kyle was lost.
Hyunsoo steadied himself, turning his gaze toward the attacker.
The figure was—
“Kang Hyunsoo, huh? Up close, you’re even prettier. Heh...”
A bald, hulking man wearing knuckle dusters—Iron.
“So you had a backup plan all along,” Hyunsoo muttered, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Iron, who now stood beside Kyle.
Despite losing in the tournament, Iron had returned for a rematch, clearly with a plan in mind.
“Do you get it now? The initiative isn’t yours—it’s mine!” Kyle shouted triumphantly, emboldened by the arrival of his ally.
Hyunsoo wasted no time.
Without a word, he charged straight at the two of them.
There was no point in prolonging the fight. He had to end it before Bloom ran out.
But—
Boom! Crash! Clang!
Every attack he launched was thwarted.
Even with his overwhelming stats, Kyle and Iron’s coordinated defense nullified his efforts.
Whenever Kyle was on the verge of being overwhelmed, Iron would block for him.
If Iron became the target, Kyle would counterattack, forcing Hyunsoo to split his focus.
Even Swallow’s support proved ineffective.
“Master, I’ll assist you!”
“Ha! That pathetic summoned bird from the finals? Don’t make me laugh!” Kyle sneered.
Swallow tried using his feathers and protective barriers to aid Hyunsoo, but neither proved effective.
The feathers didn’t even scratch Iron, and Kyle’s sword easily shattered the barriers.
Hyunsoo’s only remaining advantage was the temporary stat boost from Bloom, but even that was waning.
Moreover, both Kyle and Iron had high levels themselves.
【Activation】
[The power of Wrath increases stats.]
[Stat boost: +10 for every 1% Wrath Charge.]
[Remaining Wrath Charge: 40%.]
[Stat increase: +400.]
With Wrath power evenly distributed between them, Kyle and Iron were strong enough to hold their ground.
They didn’t push their advantage but focused on maintaining the stalemate.
After their experience in the tournament finals, they knew that all they had to do was endure.
And their prediction was spot on.
[3 minutes elapsed]
[Bloom's effect has ended.]
[Appearance returns to normal.]
After a brief moment, the effects of Bloom faded, and Kang Hyunsoo’s appearance reverted to its usual state.
Hyunsoo stepped back, widening the distance between himself and his opponents, biting his lower lip as he glared at them.
“You prepared well,” he muttered.
“Of course. Rushing in recklessly would’ve gotten us killed,” Kyle replied with a smug grin.
“Did you think we wouldn’t figure it out? The Successor of Lust, Kang Hyunsoo.”
“How do you know that...?”
Hyunsoo’s eyes widened in shock.
The mention of him being the Successor of Lust coming from Kyle’s mouth was unexpected.
Iron, grinning as though he found the situation amusing, added, “Did you really think no one would notice while using that power so blatantly?”
“Whether you’re stupid or just naive, that power... it clearly found the wrong owner!”
Kyle and Iron, their faces lit with triumphant smiles, charged at Hyunsoo simultaneously.
Hyunsoo, with Swallow’s support, did his best to block their attacks using his dual swords.
But—
“Ugh...!”
“Master!!”
It wasn’t enough.
Small wounds began to accumulate all over his body.
The longer Kyle and Iron’s coordinated attacks continued, the more injuries Hyunsoo sustained.
He tried using Charm to create openings, but the strategy was no longer effective.
His Beauty Swordsmanship, which required avoiding 100 consecutive enemy attacks to activate, proved impossible under their relentless assault. Managing even ten uninterrupted evasions was a struggle.
Even the Trust Armor started to falter, showing cracks under the pressure.
Using Black Spot Explosion resulted in Kyle mimicking it, only for the attack to backfire.
The momentum had fully shifted in Kyle and Iron’s favor.
The battle was nearing its end.
“Now, Kyle!”
“Hahaha! Die, Kang Hyunsoo!!”
Iron grabbed Hyunsoo’s dual swords with his bare hands, pinning them in place, while Kyle swung his longsword from behind.
The Trust Armor shattered.
“Master!!”
Swallow’s protective barrier crumbled under the strike as well.
But just as Kyle’s sword was about to cleave Hyunsoo—
Clang!
A new barrier materialized, blocking the blade with ease.
This barrier was of a completely different caliber, far stronger than Swallow’s.
And that wasn’t all.
Woooong—!
“What? M-My body...?”
“What’s happening!?”
Suddenly, Kyle and Iron found themselves floating in midair, their bodies immobilized.
Boom!
A shockwave erupted, sending them both hurtling backward.
The source of the disturbance soon revealed itself.
Click, click.
From the far end of the underground parking lot, the sound of high heels echoed.
“Oh my, the party’s already started? Leaving me out is just too cruel.”
A woman clad in a tight leather dress that accentuated her curves approached, her lips curling into a sly smile as she hid them behind a folding fan.
Kyle and Iron scrambled to their feet, glaring at the unexpected intruder.
Her identity was unmistakable.
“Y-You...!”
“The Successor of Greed!!”
It was none other than Hayuri, the one who bore the Sin of Greed.
***
"—If you use the power of Beauty in the finals, Kyle won’t accept his defeat. He’ll figure out that you’re the Successor of Lust. That’ll prompt Iron to mobilize his Aggro Team to maximize the power of Wrath. Things will get much more complicated."
Before the finals of the Supreme Swordsmanship Tournament, Hayuri had warned him.
If Hyunsoo used his Beauty Talent in the finals, Kyle and Iron would realize he was the Successor of Lust and adjust their tactics accordingly.
So—
"—Then we’ll set a trap."
"A trap?"
"Since hiding your power isn’t an option, we’ll use it openly and lure them in."
Hyunsoo and Hayuri devised a plan.
Knowing he couldn’t win without using the Beauty Talent, Hyunsoo decided to openly display its power in the finals. The plan wasn’t just to win the match but to prepare for the inevitable retaliation.
Rather than avoiding the danger, they chose to exploit it.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was bold.
“You’re late. I expected you to come much sooner,” Hyunsoo said, brushing off the dust as he stood up and adjusted his disheveled clothes.
Hayuri, hiding a grin behind her fan, responded, “I couldn’t help it. I had a lot to prepare. But don’t worry—I’ll make sure the party is unforgettable. Let’s move somewhere more suitable first.”
If she had been just a moment later, Hyunsoo might have been split in half. Yet, Hayuri showed no signs of guilt, only confidence.
Instead, she made up for it with action.
“Hayuri... you’ve sided with the Successor of Lust, haven’t you?”
“Damn it! So, she ditched Ji Wonhoon for him. We should’ve realized it when she stayed quiet even after Babylon fell...!”
“What’s the difference? You two stick together like glue, too,” Hayuri shot back casually, waving off their accusations as though they were trivial.
Kyle and Iron gritted their teeth, glaring at her with frustration.
Hayuri simply laughed, snapping open her fan and flicking it dramatically.
In that instant—
Swish!
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
“What?”
“Wha—Kugh!!”
Behind Kyle and Iron, a violet portal shimmered into existence, sucking both of them in without resistance.
In the blink of an eye, their figures vanished from the underground parking lot.
Hayuri smirked faintly as she watched. “To think I’d get to use Ji Wonhoon’s research like this.”
"Then I’ll take care of Kyle," Hyunsoo declared, stepping forward as he and Hayuri entered the portal—one of Babylon’s exclusive creations.
The scenery changed in an instant, transforming from the dim underground parking lot to an expansive wasteland.
At the center of the wasteland stood Kyle and Iron, grinding their teeth in frustration.
Both had drawn their weapons, Kyle wielding his longsword and Iron raising his knuckles to chest level, ready for combat.
But something was different.
Hyunsoo’s gaze locked onto them, his eyes brimming with predatory intent.
“Now then,” Hyunsoo said, a cold smile forming on his lips. “Shall we settle this properly? Kyle, Successor of Envy. Iron, Successor of Wrath.”
“...!!”
To Hyunsoo, they were nothing more than prey.