Chapter 391

The intensity of battle is like a drug, often becoming addictive to the point where one cannot escape it.

The peace that I had long desired now feels foreign, and the impulse to resolve everything through violence arises suddenly from within.

To put it figuratively, it feels like yellow cards have decreased while red cards have increased.

During the sensitive times of erosion, I would give a punch-sized hole to the bellies of drunken men who tried to molest and assault me, five times each.

Comparing the time when endorphins surged between life and death to now, I am left feeling shabby and powerless.

Perhaps because my brain was neatly reset thanks to my reincarnation benefit, the battle-crazed disposition has largely faded compared to before.

However, the only thing that has provided me with pleasure, rather than happiness, is fierce combat, and I have yet to find anything else.

“NaeMe? Somehow your eyes look really dangerous, but it must be my imagination, right?”

Saetbyeol, who was standing in the center of the training hall, shivered.

“Hmm? Yeah, it’s just your imagination. We just decided to have a light spar, to check your skills after a long time.”

“Don’t use magic!”

“I’ll only use Aura.”

“Don’t use Aura either!”

“…? Then how am I supposed to fight? If you’re not confident with bare hands, should I give you a weapon? The dagger you usually use.”

I squatted down and drew a small magic circle on the ground.

[Creation: Stainless Steel]

[Casting: Forging]

I pulled out two temporary daggers and tossed them to Saetbyeol.

The sharp blades spun and flew in a parabolic arc.

Slash—

Saetbyeol caught the two knives simultaneously with one hand.

She closed one eye and extended her arm to gauge the weight and material of the daggers.

It was a habitual motion.

“Not bad. Well, since it’s come to this, I’ll do my best to resist. But after the spar, you’re going to let go of all the feelings you had about me, okay?”

“When did I ever feel upset?”

“Hey, Saetbyeol. You know you’re quite unable to lie, right? Who acts like a kid and sulks like a 9-year-old, then tries to deny it now?”

“Hey, Saetbyeol.”

I warmed up my Aura Heart.

My vision expanded enough to read her movement, and I gained control over all the muscles and joints in my body.

The golden Aura generated as an external manifestation was all contained in my fist.

“Why?”

Saetbyeol spun her dagger and replied indifferently.

Since the lack of demonic horns would complicate calculations, I was planning to lead the fight into a brawl without any strategic calculations.

Saetbyeol would much prefer that too.

I flicked a coin high into the air to signal the start of the spar.

And I whispered a heartfelt confession that I hoped she would forget as soon as she heard it.

“Thank you for always being with me.”

“Huh?”

“So, I hope you won’t leave my side… because you’re really precious to me, okay?”

Ping—

As soon as the coin hit the ground, I maximized my Aura, wrapping it around my arm.

With hands as big as my body, I charged toward her without mercy.

For a moment, Saetbyeol, who had a dazed expression, snapped back to reality and frowned.

“What the hell is this crazy brat doing, making my heart race? What’s she going to say at the end?”

“Haah!”

“If this is part of a strategy, I’ll give you credit! Thanks to you, I completely forgot what I was supposed to do at the beginning!”

Crumble—

Aura and Aura, two different worlds collided.

Saetbyeol, in that brief moment, arrived before me with fluffed ears and a graceful tail.

A gigantic fist of Aura was halted by the crossed daggers.

During the fleeting struggle of strength, the Auras lost sight of their targets and dispersed in spark-like forms.

Saetbyeol took a step back.

She grabbed the two daggers in reverse grips.

In an instant, her swishing tail stiffened and she leaped at me with the speed of an animal.

Completely disregarding defense, she made a high leap.

Her eyes, transformed into those of a wild beast, burned fiercely.

The two daggers pierced the ground like the fangs of a snake, creating an explosion in the area.

Boom—

The attacks did not stop after that.

Reminding me that the best defense is offense, Adella charged at me without holding back.

If I dodged left, she followed left; if I spun around to dodge, a sharp blade would fly from her rear.

Whoosh—

The tip of her blade grazed right in front of my eyes.

My eyes widened.

It felt like time was flowing slower.

I could feel my expression gradually cooling into elation.

My facial muscles acted on their own, unable to hold back.

Thud—

I struck her wrist with the back of my hand, disrupting her grip.

Whoosh—

I lowered my head and successfully dodged the sword coming from the opposite side.

“No!”

At the moment a perfect gap was created, I thrust my fist into Saetbyeol’s solar plexus.

[Kaizen Imperial Palace Martial Arts: Assault Push]

Bang—

My arm tingled, and the small muscles beneath my skin trembled.

“Ugh!”

Saetbyeol’s body flew up.

With a groan, she rolled back and crashed into the opposite wall.

Her body became completely covered in dust.

The onslaught continued.

With each punch, numerous golden lines left trails of afterimages.

Saetbyeol’s daggers couldn’t sever the lines that slipped through the gaps.

Her blade path, while valid, was insufficient to fill the space.

“Ugh, seriously!”

Saetbyeol, who had taken a hit to her abdomen, began to unbutton her outer garment and looked down at her stomach.

Under the black tank top, a well-defined 11-pack glimmered.

She frowned as she caressed the red bruise that had formed around her navel with her palm.

“Yow… that hurts.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I can’t hit your pretty face. Besides, the more your stomach gets hit, the stronger it becomes.”

“Then you should take a hit once!”

“No, thanks.”

“Are you really trying to die?”

It seemed she was genuinely infuriated.

Adella’s hair defied gravity, swaying up and down.

Her previously translucent ears and tail now had color and shape that felt tangible.

Showing her sharp teeth with an open mouth, she charged straight at me.

“Haah!”

Contrary to what I thought would be her wild swings with daggers, Saetbyeol abruptly changed her course.

Swish—

One dagger barely missed my head.

Before I knew it, Saetbyeol had approached me in a low stance, throwing the remaining dagger as she dove horizontally towards the ground.

Whoosh—

She dived, scraping her face against the rough dirt to reach me.

Then, with a sudden move, she reached out with both hands and firmly grabbed my ankle.

“…!”

“Got you, you little rascal!”

“Gah!”

In an instant, she pulled my arms, causing me to lose my balance.

Boom—

I had no choice but to fall onto the ground, landing on my backside.

Seeing Saetbyeol unprotected above me, I immediately rose up.

I wrapped my legs around her neck and choked her.

“Haah… Haah…”

Saetbyeol couldn’t even open her eyes, spitting out sand-laden saliva as she tried to catch her breath.

Seeing her in such a pathetic state, I couldn’t apply any strength to my legs.

I loosened my grip on her neck and brushed off the dirt from her silvery hair.

“Saetbyeol, you still have a lot of training left. Normally, we should keep fighting.”

“Heh heh… cough cough! Huh! Really? I don’t have the strength to stand up anymore. How do athletes manage to fill 30 minutes of a match? I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion.”

“What was that absurd final attack all about? Like, did you want to commit suicide?”

“Even if I go down, it’s okay to land on my butt once! How did I surprise you? You didn’t see that coming, did you? Nyahaha!”

I couldn’t help but let out an incredulous laugh.

I brushed the ground with my hand and lay down next to her.

When I had just left home, the sunset was glowing, but now the sun was nowhere to be found.

Large LED lights in the training hall turned on one by one, and small bugs began to gather around us.

Saetbyeol rolled over and lay down beside me, gazing up at the sky.

I placed my hand on her stomach and asked.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

I pressed my hand down firmly and asked again.

“Does it hurt?”

“Ah! Ouch! Of course it hurts if you push like that!”

“Right? I’ll give you a cold compress.”

[Reverse Technique: Heat Transfer]

“Ugh, it’s cold!”

Her squirming due to the cold lasted only a moment.

“Can you cast Clean magic too?”

“Nope. I’m going to wash up at home later.”

“I need to have dinner.”

“Then let’s eat dinner and wash up.”

I picked up my phone that I had laid on the ground to check if I had received any messages.

“Hmm? Dad’s calling for dinner today. He wants to eat lamb skewers.”

“What? Then I really should hurry home and wash up.”

“There’s a reservation in an hour, so it sounds like we can take our time.”

“Oh really? Then let’s hang out a bit longer. I don’t have any strength in my legs. Can you see how far I can barely get? I’m going to feel some serious muscle pain tomorrow.”

Saetbyeol pointed to her trembling thighs.

“You really are overdramatic.”

“But sis, your hair… is it okay to touch now?”

“Right? You can touch it.”

“Oooh…!”

Saetbyeol’s eyes sparkled.

Then she gently stroked my hair.

“Hey, with those dirty hands!”

“What’s wrong with that? Hehe, it’s soft. I really wanted to try petting a little sibling if I ever had one.”

“A little sibling? I’m older than you, you know? Don’t keep crawling up. Until you beat me in the sparring, I’m the older sister.”

“Ah, go ahead and act like an older sister as much as you want! You’re so cute!”

Saetbyeol’s foolish smile annoyed me.

I moved the magic circle that was doing the cold compress and lay down on my bruised abdomen.

“Cough!”

“Alright, now you can pet me as much as you want, right?”

“Don’t move your head. It hurts! I’m going to completely mess up your hair!”

Her glossy hair became completely tangled by Saetbyeol’s hands.

The fight we had today, the jokes we are sharing now, had no purpose or meaning at all.

And I suddenly felt how blessed this was.

I really do like fighting.

I just didn’t want to fight to kill someone.

My disheveled hair had transformed into a Medusa-like state.

If Professor Cheon saw this, he would be horrified.

Just as I was about to try to rise, Saetbyeol grabbed my hair and placed my head back on her belly.

“Hmm?”

“Hold on a second, sis.”

“What?”

“Is it okay if I ask this…?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“I’m really curious as to why you dislike having your hair touched. Is it like a trauma? If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.”

Memories flashed by like a panorama.

Men roughly seizing my hair.

A huge, monstrous saw slicing off the horns.

I fainted and awoke repeatedly.

Eventually, the nerves in my horns died, and I felt nothing, but that terrifying memory continued to reside in my heart.

Holding my breath, I barely managed to part my lips.

At that moment, the phone rang.

Ding ding—

“Hello?”

“Dad is calling. I’ll let you know that later if the opportunity arises.”

“Oh, okay.”

I still lacked the courage. Just a little.