Possessing Nothing

TL: Yul, xLordFifth

PR: GortThe Spear King forced himself up from his crumpled position. His legs trembled as he felt an awful sensation churning in his stomach.No matter how much he swallowed, the blood surging up his throat seemed endless.With his ribs shattered, propping up his torso felt cumbersome.His left arm was nearly immobile. Most of his muscles had been torn to shreds.The real problem, however, wasn’t the wounds – it was the poison. The Spear King clicked his tongue as he glanced down at his left arm.The creeping black venom was writhing, making its way further up his arm. This venom could be purified with Teresa’s holy power.But now was not the time for that. Far away, Juwon was getting to his feet.That monstrous fiend.He had driven a spear into that body numerous times. He had smashed his heart and crushed his skull repeatedly.Yet, the creature stood up, unscathed.The Spear King couldn’t help but scoff as he glanced at his left arm. Continuing to wield a spear with it was out of the question.Leaving it be, however, meant the venom kept advancing. The toxin had made its way up to and over his upper arm, reaching his shoulder.The pain was excruciating. His experience with pain in the mountains of Mush made it tolerable, but if the venom spread from his shoulder into his body, it would complicate matters.Resolutely, the Spear King grabbed his left upper arm.With a crunching sound, he ripped out his arm right below the shoulder and immediately sealed the blood vessel to stop the bleeding.The dizzying pain made his head buzz, but he could endure it. He had no intention of fleeing to seek Teresa and treat the venom.The thought of fleeing this fight had never crossed his mind. The Spear King was committed to a relentless advance.To him, Juwon was the strongest adversary he had ever faced. Stronger than the Martial God from a decade ago. The Spear King bared his teeth in a gruesome smile.Juwon, facing the Spear King who had just amputated his own arm, smiled back.Since Howon’s death (TL: this was the previous head of the lycanthropes), he had lived steeped in ennui and monotony, but fighting with the Spear King made him forget all that. Just as the Spear King recognized Juwon, Juwon acknowledged the Spear King.“Too good a foe to kill, really,” Juwon chuckled under his breath.Crack… crackJuwon narrowed his eyes as he cracked his thick fingers.“Geniella told me to subdue you and bring you to her. She said it didn’t matter if you were barely alive.”“And you used poison against me?”“If your weapon is a spear, mine is poison. What’s wrong with making full use of one’s weapon?”To him, the concept of cowardice was non-existent. The Spear King had no intention of condemning Juwon for using poison.Use whatever you can. This was not some petty squabble between neighborhood kids nor was it a formal duel held before a judge.This was a duel to the death.“No, there’s no issue,” responded the Spear King with a sly grin. With his only remaining hand, he gripped his spear.Having become a one-armed fighter, his balance was off. He swung his spear a few times, testing it out.Juwon maintained his distance, not rushing in. Enough enjoyment had been derived from the battle.Juwon knew the end of this fight was nearing. The Spear King had been a formidable enemy.Even more than Howon, the former leader of the Lycanthropes, and even more than Howon’s loyal retainer, Brock.Juwon was the victor of the fight. It was obvious to any onlooker. The Spear King, having lost his left arm, was exhausted, while Juwon was not. Though he was a bit tired, he was otherwise unscathed.Juwon felt a pang of regret realizing the Spear King was but a frail human. Had he been a non-human entity, they could have fought longer and more enjoyably.The Spear King wasn’t considering defeat.No one knew better than the dire state of his body.Having cut off his poisoned arm, he could no longer wield his spear with two hands. The heavy blood loss made his head spin. Due to several broken bones, it was difficult to move my body.However, this did not lead to defeat. He could still fight more. Although the pain was intense, he felt no fear.He did not feel despair either. he only felt joy at the fact that he could still fight more. The Spear King lifted his foot and walked forward.He used all the skills he had.Based on the principle of One with the Spear, he used all the skills he had mastered throughout his life, which he could handle perfectly.Though the Spear King’s body was frailer than Juwon’s, the skills he had honed bridged the gap between their physical abilities and allowed him to fight on equal footing with Juwon.Had Juwon not possessed an immortal body, and had a human body like the Spear King, this fight would have already ended in the Spear King’s victory.“Insufficient.”The Spear King muttered, lips twitching. The skills he had perfected and mastered throughout his life were not enough.He gripped the spear in his right hand tightly.Toward a place further ahead.Toward a place farther beyond.A smile formed amidst the pallor of his face. He knew. He knew that it was still something he could not handle.He had been chasing after it.For 10 years straight.

The fight between the Martial God and the Lord of the Sama Order was of such a high level that the Spear King dared not intervene.The techniques used by the Lord of the Sama Order to overwhelm the mighty Martial God shattered the framework of martial arts the Spear King had studied all his life, showing him a far wider world.He wanted to reach it.After chasing for 10 years, he had barely managed to get a glimpse of its tail. That was all – a glimpse. He hadn’t reached an equal standing, nor had he surpassed it.It was the same now.“Trying to chase a crane as a sparrow will only tear one’s legs apart,” the Black Dragon mockingly told the Spear King, who had suffered a minor Qi deviation.It was true. Different legs meant one couldn’t catch up. Yet, he still had to pursue it.He became the sparrow trying to chase after the crane’s single step. To chase the crane, he continuously connected his short strides without rest.The spear he held felt heavy.It was time to end it.KWANG!! KWAAAANGGG!!!

A loud explosion sounded from not far away. It was the sound of Geniella fighting. Juwon should not interfere in that fight.But before the fight between Geniella and the Ghost Spear was completely over, he wanted to witness it.Juwon was approaching. His vision was blurry. The Spear King didn’t bother to wipe the blood-soaked corners of his eyes.Seeing meant nothing to him anymore. His senses were wide open. The cool breeze touched his skin.The smell of blood tingled his nose. From the spear, the scent of metal and oil arose. It was heavy.The familiar weight of the spear felt new to him.“Were you this heavy?”The Spear King was the spear. Reasons like why he first held the spear didn’t come to mind anymore.The reason wasn’t important. The Spear King continued his stride. The pace of the sparrow was slow, and its stride was short. By this time, the crane would have gone far ahead.One could not chase a crane with mere steps.‘He probably thinks he won.’The Spear King was accustomed to fighting. A human body was not as durable as a monster’s. There were no instances of regenerating after one’s head flies off or one’s heart bursts.Juwon fought making full use of the fact that he was a monster. That is something the Spear King, having fought Juwon and reached this state, knew well.He almost never defended.If there was no escape, he would brazenly take hits with his bare body. He was accustomed to hunting humans. For humans, it might be a method of mutual destruction, but for a monster that revives even after death, it was an efficient hunting method.Juwon knew that the Spear King’s spear couldn’t be fatal to him.No matter how strong or fast, a body that didn’t die simply regenerated. The Spear King’s spear couldn’t kill Juwon.He had given enough time. He pushed his body to the brink of death and even cut off his left arm.The enemy was certain of victory.That’s exactly what he needed. He had been fighting to instill that absolute confidence in him. Spear King desired two things.

Juwon had to be certain of victory, and Juwon had to recognize him as a worthy opponent.He came nearer. The Spear King continued to walk forward without stopping. He held up the spear he was clutching tightly.Certainty? No such thing. It would be nice if it worked out, but if not…‘I have no regrets. I did my best.’