Chapter 103 : Saintess vs Saintess (2)
Saintess vs Saintess (2)
Was this some kind of suicide squad?
The Angel guild's tactic of recklessly crashing their aircraft into the opposing airship was excessively reckless.
Rather than a tactic, it was closer to just charging in thoughtlessly like a bull.
To begin with, what happens if you end up crashing while fighting on an airship?
Naturally, both they and the Sura guild would crash together in the end.
But that reckless, thug-like way of fighting did have a reason of its own.
"Don't hold back your strength! Keep attacking!"
"Bring down the airship!"
The Angel guild was pouring their strength into bringing down the very airship they were standing on, without hesitation.
Did they not know that if the airship crashed, not just the Sura guild, but they themselves would also die?
"Are you out of your minds?! Fighting here and crashing—what do you think will happen? Isn't it obvious?!"
Jin Rain, S-rank hunter of the Sura guild, shouted in his suit.
The masked hunter from the Angel guild, facing him, simply scoffed.
"Heh heh, obviously. Normally, if we crash like this, we'll all be wiped out together, right?"
"Then why... huh?"
Jin Rain was just about to argue, but was taken aback.
A brilliant something erupted from the back of the masked Angel guild hunter.
It was unmistakably wings, covered in pure white swan-like feathers.
"That's... could it be?!"
"Right, it's the 'Heaven Up' skill."
He floated freely in the sky, spreading angelic wings.
It was a unique skill that only hunters belonging to the Angel guild could learn.
Of course, some hunters in the Sura guild also had similar floating skills or abilities, but they were a minority.
"So, the only ones crashing with the airship will be you."
"Grrr!!"
That's why the Angel guild preferred this all-in, headlong assault strategy.
Especially when dealing with floating airships, there was no better method.
Since it was basically all about crashing the ship and fleeing, it was simple, too.
One could see why Hwasan guild insisted on seeking help from the Angel guild.
"Shoot them down!!"
"Let's finish this quick and head back!"
Hunters of the Angel guild kept pouring out from the crashed planes.
Despite the intense collision, neither the exteriors of the planes nor the people inside received even a scratch.
Just as every facility at Hand, the training institution for the Awakened, is built sturdier than normal, so too are the Angel guild's small aircrafts far tougher than average planes.
"Our whole team is out!"
"Then get to work."
"Yes!"
The last hunter to step off the plane addressed his officer.
He immediately checked headcount, but had forgotten one thing.
"Wait. Where's the young lady?"
"If you mean the lady, she disembarked long ago. She said she sensed a strange presence..."
"Is that so?"
It seemed like an important person was aboard, but he wasn't particularly worried.
"Oh well, it shouldn't matter."
The One, unlike them...
"She's someone with real wings."
.
.
KWAANG—!
A tremendous sonic boom and whirlwind swept across the top of the airship.
Through the obscuring clouds, sword and spear flashed in crisscrossing lines.
The instant the clouds were torn apart, the girls clutching deadly weapons and dancing viciously showed themselves.
"Grrr!!"
Ah-rin, with fox ears, gritted her teeth in tension at meeting an even match.
"..."
The masked girl said nothing, but Ah-rin didn't sense any pleasant intentions.
The other girl's arm was trembling as well.
Symbols, as if representing their guilds, clashed weapons and glared fiercely.
It seemed as though if one side fell, their entire guild would be doomed; a fierce hostility rose between them.
"I don't know who you are, but..."
"...?"
"I can't die here just yet."
Ah-rin suddenly spun the sword she'd been matching to the spear.
The sword rotated like clockwork, twisting the spear's tip and making the girl totter off center.
Since her weight was shifted that direction, an opening meant her balance would tip that way.
"...!"
"Sword Art Form 2nd Form – Spiral Wheel."
Spinning her sword once, Ah-rin used the centrifugal force to slam down the girl's spear.
At the same time, her opponent dropped the weapon and Ah-rin's rotating blade cut at her.
The chillingly sharp blade seemed to slice through the girl's chest.
But in that fleeting moment, she blocked the blow by wrapping herself in her wings.
"Tch."
Ah-rin clicked her tongue at the way her opponent used her wings as a shield.
Were those feathers made from titanium? They were surprisingly sturdy.
But from the prior exchange, Ah-rin realized she still had the upper hand in strength.
Shwaa—!
Perhaps realizing this as well, the girl conjured orbs of light in the air and unleashed them.
Ah-rin charged straight through, slicing every beam that came her way.
Seeing her ranged attack so easily nullified, the girl quickly wrapped herself in her wings again.
But—
"...!!"
Her winged guard suddenly collapsed.
Ah-rin's tail pushed aside the girl's wings from behind.
That force made the girl stagger. Ah-rin stepped boldly forward.
She planted her legs as if to break the ground, pulled back her shoulder and arm, extending her sword at her foe.
"Sword Art Form 6th Form – Cruel Star."
She thrust the blade, packed with extreme power, straight at her opponent.
The sword, infused with magic power, looked as if it stretched out, and struck directly, causing the girl to spit blood.
"Kugh!"
Her mouth opened for the first time, and a moan escaped.
From the sword's explosion of magic power, the girl was sent flying as if she'd been hit by a missile.
Swoooosh—!
The impact split all the clouds surrounding the airship.
Now outside the airship, the girl would likely have a hard time coming back.
Ah-rin thought it might be over now.
"Huh?"
She could still smell her. She was coming back.
As the scent grew stronger, the girl returned, flying toward her.
Just as Ah-rin had a tail, her opponent had wings.
There was no need to say how those wings could be useful in the sky.
"..."
Even after returning to the airship roof, the girl was not penetrated by the sword, thanks to the protective shield of magic power, but that didn't mean she was uninjured.
She was clutching the wounded spot in agony.
"Does it hurt?"
"..."
As Ah-rin asked, the space around the girl darkened. No, she herself was turning dark.
Was she furious over what just happened? The color of her body began to change.
Her white, golden hair turned black; her once white wings darkened, too.
And a red gleam flashed from behind her mask.
Unlike just before, when she was a pure-winged angel, she now looked like a fallen one.
"Lost your temper?"
"..."
Again, she said nothing.
But the ominous scent Ah-rin sensed from her new form made it clear she meant to hold nothing back any longer.
And then—
Swish—!
Before Ah-rin could even react, the girl was behind her in a blur.
Ah-rin barely tried to defend with her sword, but was struck by a kick before she could react.
"Keough!"
While Ah-rin flew away, the girl conjured another spear.
This time it was black, composed of even stronger magic power than before.
Ah-rin could sense the girl immediately through her scent, and lifted her guard.
She felt the girl approaching at tremendous speed.
"Ugh!"
But defense was meaningless; the girl was already slashing through Ah-rin as she dashed past.
Blood spurted from Ah-rin's chest. She had no time to shield herself with magic power.
'My bones are tough, that's what saved me.'
Even as a child, Ah-rin's bones were sturdy enough to survive impacts with playground equipment.
Her body had only become stronger through years of training.
It was a physical trait she'd come to understand thanks to that day's incident.
'But... she's way too fast.'
Even she, who once caught a sniper's bullet with her teeth, couldn't follow the girl's movements.
Ah-rin was forced to admit the boost in power since the girl had changed.
In the midst of that, the girl was already launching the next attack.
"Ugh...!"
Again, the girl zipped about at extreme speed.
But instead of approaching directly, she fired those orbs of light again.
Though it was easy to deflect the ones coming straight, the orbs which curved rapidly in all directions were much harder to guard against.
"Aaagh!"
Ah-rin managed to strike some aside, but the rest slammed into her body, making her cry out.
Even if her bones were intact, the pain of her flesh being shredded was beyond words.
Having finished her ranged barrage, the girl stood before Ah-rin and leveled her spear.
"I'll return it to you."
For the first time, the girl spoke clearly, infusing her spear with magic power.
〈Light Style – Annihilation Wave〉
A huge ray burst from the spear's tip, engulfing Ah-rin.
It looked similar to Ah-rin's earlier move, but unlike stabbing with a sword, this one blasted a ray from the spear.
Ah-rin, caught at close range, was blown out of the airship and began to fall.
That single blow left her mind in a haze.
Her entire side was as if charred black, smoke rising from her, her body and head wracked with pain so intense she could barely move.
Was this really the end, falling like this?
'No...'
She couldn't let it end now.
Remember.
Why had she lived as Sura all this time?
What had she felt after her grandparents ended up that way?
Who did she think of to endure that hellish life?
'────It's not over yet.'
In that instant, Ah-rin's fading eyes gleamed.
Red light burst from beneath her veil.
At the same time, her tail grew—nine tails now trailed her.
KWAANG—!
A tremendous shockwave exploded around Ah-rin in the sky.
Unlike her opponent, Ah-rin had no wings, and would normally fall—but by powerfully whipping her tails, she could stay aloft.
Those nine tails swirled like wings, lifting Ah-rin's body upward.
Riding that momentum, Ah-rin soared up and landed back on the roof where she'd started.
"..."
The girl quietly gazed at Ah-rin, who had returned.
Nine tails. Sensing Ah-rin's transformation, the girl realized—
Just like herself, Ah-rin had released her true power.
And...
"I can't... I can't end it here..."
"..."
"Not until I kill those bastards..."
With nine tails came greater strength, but also the risk of losing reason.
"I'll kill them... all those who help those bastards... everyone involved...! And..."
"..."
"Anyone who gets in Seongjin's way... I'll kill them all...!"
Muttering menacingly, Ah-rin radiated a fierce aura of magic power.
But the girl responded in kind.
"Me too..."
She spoke again, spreading her black wings wide.
Wrapping sunlight that broke through the clouds in her wings, she declared—
"─There's someone whose kindness I must repay. No matter what."
The two unleashed magic powers that clashed even before they met.
The sheer force made the skies rip apart.
As the clouds completely vanished, the sun shone down on the two girls.
And just as one was about to take a step—
"Wait!"
"Stop!"
Suddenly, bursting through the floor and onto the roof were two S-rank hunters from each guild.
They restrained their own girl as they spoke.
"The situation is over. We have to retreat now!"
"Guildmaster Baek Suhyuk's orders. Fighting any further is not in the contract, so we're pulling out."
The masked hunter and Jin Rain spoke at the same time.
The war between Hwasan guild and Sura guild was already over.
****
"Whoa... you really went wild."
I looked in awe at the ground, now a total mess.
The Sura guild's territory had been completely leveled; destruction on this scale hadn't happened since the day the Reveli empire was wiped out.
"Now I can finally get some rest!"
I watched the Sura guild retreat in panic as the tide turned.
Among the Sura guild's forces in this battle were a large number of what looked like officers.
Having killed all of them, their fighting strength must've plummeted.
'And whose doing was it?'
All thanks to me.
If Kwon Yongha heard, he'd be bowing his head while dancing with joy.
"But just now... what was that?"
I was a bit curious about the Angel guild plane that zipped past me earlier.
I was distracted at the time and hadn't paid much attention, but what on earth had happened over there?
'But I can't stay here for long.'
My stealth was about to wear off.
Not all the enemy had retreated yet; if I stuck around, someone might catch sight of me.
I'd better get away while I could.
The situation was already over anyway.
"Oh, right! Before I go..."
I should at least check what happened to that lady.
Since I'm leaving, I might as well manipulate the area around her, too.
'Should I take a selfie as a bonus?'
Maybe if I show it to her son someday, he'd get so happy he'd dance.