[YOU INSOLENT BASTAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!!] Solar screamed with a fierce grimace.
Golden light shone blindingly from him as he twirled the halberd like a whirlwind.
Whoosh!!
The halberd, infused with an immense amount of energy, was swung at Oh Kang-Wooâs waist.
âWhoa.â Kang-Woo tumbled backward to dodge the swing and twirled 180 degrees as if mocking Solar. âYou two are the fucking insolent ones.â
He couldnât imagine the grief Akart would have felt if he had heard what Solar and Lunar said. Although Akart was Kang-Wooâs mortal enemy, Kang-Woo couldnât stand to watch Akart be disrespected so brutally.
âAhh, yes. This must beâŚâ
Kang-Woo understood even the feelings of his enemy whom he would have to kill. It was an emotion that only a warm-hearted human could possess; not something a mere demon could ever have.
âHuman emotions.â
Something hot surged from within and filled Kang-Wooâs heart. He trembled as human emotions, which he had thought atrophied after ten millennia, were reborn inside him.[NONSENSEâ!!!] Solar yelled as he stomped his foot.
Boom!
His halberdâs edge swung close to the ground as if grazing it and a golden wave spread out in a circle. It was not a sharp and linear wave like that of a sword but that of a towering cylindrical wave as massive as a tsunami.
âIâŚâKang-Woo narrowed his eyes.âCanât dodge that.â
It was far too big to evade by running and too fast to teleport away from. Kang-Woo reflexively gripped Midir and swung it upward.
BOOMâ!!!
Kang-Woo blocked the wave along with a booming echo of an explosion and was blown away helplessly. Intense pain coursed throughout his body.
âCough!â
Black blood poured out from his mouth. He had thankfully not broken any bones but fragments of golden light were embedded all over him as if a grenade hit him. Such a minor injury would have been healed in less than a second, but Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he frowned.
âMust be because heâs Akartâs retainer.â
The recovery of wounds all over him was dramatically slow. Sharp pain as if he were being stabbed with a knife occurred with every move.
âHaaa,â Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.
His wounds were not healing and he was covered in cold sweats from anxiety.
âYeah, this is it.â
Kang-Woo licked his lips. He could barely contain the sparks running throughout his body. For him, who could no longer feel any anxiety in battle, having an opponent with the power of Akart was special. ęŚđ
[HAAAAAAAHHH!!!] Solar shouted as he jumped.
His three-meter body made of golden light shone so brightly that one could barely lay eyes upon him.
Wham! Bam!! Rumble!!
The halberd, created with the light of the sun, clashed with the dark blue demonic sword, destroying the terrain with each clash.
Whoosh!
The halberd just barely grazed Kang-Wooâs hair as he bent down. He then let himself fall as if he were prostrating and stuck his left arm into the ground.
âDark Spears.â
Swish, swish, swish!!
Sharp black spikes sprouted from the ground.
[Itâs pointless!] Solar shouted and lightly swung his halberd, shattering the black spikes covering the ground.
Kang-Woo jumped from his prostrated position and turned his torso.
âMidir.â He pointed the dark blue sword at Solar as Midirâs crazed laughter filled his head. âFire.â
Zoomâ!!
A dark blue laser made with negative emotions shot in a straight line.
[You dare!]
Solar quickly raised the halberd after destroying the black spikes.
Shwoooo! Rumbleâ!
Solar rapidly twirled the halberd to deflect the laser. The laser was deflected into dozens of pieces and flew away randomly.
[Huuu.]
Solar calmed his labored breathing after blocking two powerful attacks and stepped backward.
Whoosh!
[What theâ?!]
Just then, Kang-Woo traveled to Solarâs shadow using the Authority of Shadows to suddenly appear behind him and stabbed him with Midir.
[Kurgh!]
Solar reflexively raised his arms.
âHm?â
Kang-Woo had not noticed it earlier because the Flames of Voracity had been in the way but a light green gem with geometrical patterns was embedded in Solarâs palm.
âWait, is thatâŚ?â
Kang-Wooâs eyes widened. He had seen that gem before.
âThe Eye of Nostrian!â
The necklace Kim Tae-Hyun found was embedded with the same gem.
âWhy do youâŚ?â
Kang-Woo looked up at Solar incomprehensibly. Translucent light shone from the light green gem embedded in Solarâs palm.
âKurgh!â
Kang-Woo felt like he was being turned inside out. His vision flickered and he was back to where he was before using the Authority of Shadows. No, he wasnât just moved.
âTime was⌠turned back.â
Not only that but only Kang-Wooâs time was turned back. He calculated how much time was turned back as he held in his desire to vomit.
âThree seconds? No, around five.â
Whoosh!
âShit!â
The spear end of the halberd was thrust at him, not giving him the chance to think. Kang-Woo quickly ducked and tumbled across the ground. The spear sliced his back to the point that his spine was visible.
âARGHHH!!! THAT HURT LIKE FUCKING HELL!!â Kang-Woo cursed as he touched his wound.
He cut open his palm and used the mucus flowing out to fill the gap in the wound. It was not regeneration but was good enough as first aid.
Riiing!
[Sir Guardian Deity!! That power wasnât Akartâs!! It was Nostrianâs!!]
âYeah, I can tell.â
Kang-Woo grimaced and got back into battle position.
[Huff, huff!] Solar panted heavily as the arm that the Eye of Nostrian was embedded in trembled.
Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and remarked, âYeah⌠I see how it is. I never understood why Akartâs followers could turn back time.â
Akartâs retainers were not turning back Earthâs time, albeit poorly, using Akartâs power.
âYou.â Kang-Woo glared at Solar. âHow did you get your hands on Nostrianâs power?â
He wondered if Nostrian had allied himself with Akart.
[I have no obligations to tell you.]
âYeah, I didnât think you would.â
Kang-Woo had simply asked because the situation was so incomprehensible.
âI need to neutralize him first.â
Akartâs retainers were weak to pain. No, they could handle pain very well like trained special agents but that was meaningless before Kang-Woo.
âA few molting sessions and theyâll tell me whatever I want.â
Kang-Woo could administer pain that even made the Constellation of Agony go insane.
âWhatever the case, those guys are using the powers of two Titans simultaneously.â
They would be difficult to deal with. HoweverâŚ
âNice.â
Kang-Woo smiled widely. His heart was beating even more compared to when he faced Midir. He let the heat spreading throughout his body take control and stomped his foot again.
[A pointless act!]
Solar pressed the halberd shaft against his body and lowered his stance with the halberdâs blazing spear edge pointed at Kang-Woo.
Dashâ!!!
Solar charged forward at incredible speed as immense power was infused into the spearâs edge.
âHaaa,â Kang-Woo exhaled as he stared at Solar charging like a bull.
He brought his left hand behind his back and folded his fingers one by oneâ thumb, index finger, middle finger. He ignited the Flames of Voracity on Midir at the same time.
Fwooshâ!!
Kang-Woo then activated the Usurpation of Flame Trait to condense the flames into Midirâs edge. He took the charge head-on instead of dodging it. The condensed Flames of Voracity burst forth.
[I told you it was pointlessâ!]
The charging Solar extended his arm toward Kang-Woo. The light green gem embedded in his palm shone translucently.
âKurgh!â
Kang-Woo swayed as he frowned, suddenly hit with gut-wrenching nausea.
[HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!]
Solar ferociously swung his halberd. As if he expected it, Kang-Woo jumped backward to the point that he was flopping on the ground.
âAuthority of Shadows.â
Kang-Woo fell into the shadows.
Whoosh!
The halberd containing immense power sliced only air.
[What a shrewd fellow you are!]
Solar quickly turned around. Kang-Woo came out of the shadow of a giant rock about fifty meters away. Kang-Woo looked down at his left hand the moment he came out of the shadow. Only his thumb was folded out of the five fingers he had folded before Solar used Nostrianâs power.
âFour seconds.â
Solar could only rewind time by four seconds by momentarily using Nostrianâs power.
Fwooshâ!!!
Kang-Woo condensed the Flames of Voracity into Midir again.
âDIE, MOTHERFUCKERâ!!!â he shouted as he set off the condensed Flames of Voracity before Solar could use Nostrianâs power again.
The range of the explosion was not large, likely because the flames had not been condensed for long enough. The Flames of Voracity were fired in a straight line like a laser at Solar.
[Too slow!!]
Solar easily moved to the right to dodge the attack because the attackâs range was too narrow.
âShit!!â
Kang-Woo frowned fiercely and charged toward Solarâs right side. He swung Midir covered in the Flames of Voracity.
Whoosh!
Solar swung his halberd to prevent Kang-Woo from getting close, butâŚ
Pierce!
âKurgh!! Gurghhh!â
Kang-Woo took the attack on purpose by jumping toward the halberd. Half of his waist was cut despite using the demonic energy of the Abyss to block the attack.
[What theâŚ!]
Solarâs eyes widened. He never expected someone to take the attack with their body.
âEven if I dieâŚâ Kang-Woo trembled as he grabbed the halberdâs shaft. He glared at Solar as he shouted, âIâM FUCKING TAKING YOU WITH ME!!!â
Kang-Woo leaned forward and swung Midir.
Whoosh!
The opponent was attempting a suicide attack.
[Such a lowly tactic wonât work on me!]
Solar snorted as he jumped to the left to widen the distance as much as possible and stretched his arm forward.
âThe wound I inflicted on him will also disappear if I use Nostrianâs power but itâs better than dying a dogâs death. Besides, time is on my side.â
The result of the battle was already decided; that was how fraudulent the power to control time was.
Whoooom!
The light green gem in his palm shone again. Kang-Woo, swinging his sword at Solarâs neck, turned faint.
[Hm?] However, Solar saw the demon smiling brightly before he disappeared. [Why�]
He couldnât understand why the demon was smiling despite missing the golden opportunity to kill him.
âI wonder? Why do you think?â
Kang-Woo returned to where he had been four seconds ago.
âIf you wanted to kill me, you shouldâve put your life on the line.â
Four seconds ago, Kang-Woo had fired a laser of condensed Flames of Voracity at Solar.
[Gasp!!!]
Solarâs eyes widened in shock.
FWOOSHâ!!
The laser made with condensed Flames of Voracity pierced Solarâs chest.