Chapter 175: Nova Explosion
How much more time had passed since we began living inside the Fragment?
There were now so many swords embedded in the ground that it was difficult to estimate their number at a glance.
After deciding there was nothing more I could gain from the Fragment’s clone, I pushed Park Siwoo and the others even harder in their growth.
I turned my gaze toward the duel between Dan Chun-woo and the clone.
The afterimages of his swinging sword pressured the clone.
A storm created by the sword.
Each Sword Aura raged as though it were alive.
Against it, the clone’s sword emitted brilliant Radiance.
Origin (原).
The sword it swung became an enormous strike that cleaved through Dan Chun-woo’s storm of swords.
Before I knew it, we had spent more time inside the Fragment than we were supposed to spend at the Academy.
By now, Park Siwoo and the others had individually reached the level where they could duel a clone at full strength one-on-one.
Of course, they were only capable of dueling it.
None of them had actually defeated one yet.
Still, I didn’t think the day when they defeated a clone was far away.
Their achievements were extremely satisfying.
Although it had taken longer than expected, everyone had reached a level comparable to Chun Ga-eun and the other Top-ranking Heroes, so the time invested had been worthwhile.
Truthfully, I hadn’t originally intended to raise their strength this far.
I had thought it would be enough for them to reach a suitable level among the Top-ranking Heroes and become capable of defeating a clone by combining their strength.
I had no way of knowing what was happening outside, but it was obvious what would happen.
There was no way Pandemonium would sit quietly after learning that we were trying to approach the Gate.
The second Great War had probably already begun.
I had taken measures to prevent them from gathering recklessly, but those were ultimately only temporary measures.
Under no circumstances could Pandemonium be allowed to occupy the Academy.
That was why I had originally planned to clear the trial quickly once these guys became a sufficient fighting force, kill every High-ranking Executive, and end the war.
But after watching them train here and thinking about several things, I began to wonder whether that really was the right choice.
Killing Pandemonium’s executives increased the Corrosion Rate.
I didn’t know why.
What if I couldn’t get the answer from Baek Hyun-joong?
The End would arrive, and the Hell Gate would open.
If that happened, could Park Siwoo and the others defeat the End?
It wouldn’t necessarily be impossible with the Sword Emperor and the other Top-ranking Heroes there, but what losses would we suffer in the process?
It wouldn’t be strange if any one of them died.
Hadn’t I already lost the Heavenly Demon?
I never wanted something like that to happen again.
That was why I became a little greedy.
Even if it took longer, I decided to make each and every one of them more complete.
And this was the result.
Dan Chun-woo’s Aura abruptly changed.
The moment his foot touched the ground, time began to slow.
The time of powerhouses flowed at an infinitely slow pace.
And within that flow of time, time itself was divided once again as Dan Chun-woo’s body began moving slowly but surely.
A Secret Technique and Ultimate Technique among the Sword Emperor’s swordsmanship.
Mu-a (無我).
He had finally begun approaching even the Sword Emperor’s Domain.
Of course, his Endgame Item, Mu-a, had contributed tremendously to his ability to manifest that technique.
Mu-a’s purpose was to awaken Mu-a, the Ultimate Technique of the Sword Emperor-style swordsmanship.
Of course, that didn’t mean Dan Chun-woo had become as strong as the Sword Emperor.
Compared to the Sword Emperor, his proficiency was still woefully inadequate.
The density of time within the Sword Emperor’s Mu-a was on an entirely different level.
Sure enough.
The clone was also beginning to move its body little by little.
Park Siwoo, who was watching the clone’s movements beside me, muttered quietly.
“So that’s the form Thunderbolt Piercing Serpent takes when performed with a sword…….”
Then Dan Chun-woo swung his sword.
Clang!
Victory and defeat were decided within a fleeting instant.
A faint smile appeared on Dan Chun-woo’s lips.
“My sword strike…… was too shallow…….”
A deep wound appeared across the clone’s body.
At the same time, Dan Chun-woo’s body collapsed.
This duel, too, ended in the clone’s victory.
“Ah, that was close.”
“Mu-a really is powerful, but the risk is too high.”
Mu-a was undoubtedly a powerful technique.
After all, it was thanks to Mu-a that the Sword Emperor had been able to land a fatal strike on the End and weaken it in the game.
At that moment, even if only briefly, the Sword Emperor’s realm had undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of martial arts.
Even so, the reason he had died to the End was the backlash from Mu-a.
Mu-a was a technique that divided already divided time once more and allowed its user to move within it.
Naturally, every single step taken while in the Mu-a state consumed an enormous amount of stamina.
In other words, Dan Chun-woo hadn’t collapsed because of the clone’s attack.
He had simply exhausted himself and fallen on his own.
The clone approached the fallen Dan Chun-woo.
With difficulty, Dan Chun-woo turned his body and faced it head-on.
“A wound on the back…… is a swordsman’s shame…….”
“Bullshit.”
Spending so long inside the Fragment seemed to have driven him insane.
The clone’s sword pierced Dan Chun-woo’s heart.
I looked at Park Siwoo beside me.
“You’re next.”
“I’ll win this time. You haven’t forgotten the bet, right?”
“You know you’ve said that more than a hundred times by now, right?”
I had proposed a bet to motivate them.
Whoever killed a clone first and cleared the Fragment would be acknowledged as the strongest among us.
It wasn’t a particularly significant wager, but their eyes lit up with competitive fire, and they threw themselves into every battle because of it.
After dying and reviving once again, we gathered to watch Park Siwoo’s battle.
With a flash of light, the clone was summoned once more.
We focused on what style the clone would take this time.
Compatibility with one’s opponent was important in battle, after all.
Helena let out a small exclamation.
“Oh, it’s a spear.”
“Yeah. How many times has this one appeared now?”
“Probably quite a lot?”
Every time we died, the clone returned with a different style.
But its variations weren’t infinite.
We had fought thousands upon tens of thousands of duels, so naturally, styles we had encountered before began appearing again.
Still, lately, styles perfectly suited to each of them seemed to appear more frequently.
Almost as though the Trial Fragment itself was urging us to hurry up and clear it.
Every time Park Siwoo fought a spear-wielding clone, he became stronger.
His spear techniques were corrected, and on top of that, using the data he had accumulated from fighting countless different styles of clones, he added his own characteristics to the now-complete spear techniques.
In truth, the one who had grown most rapidly among all of them was none other than Park Siwoo.
The clones were fundamentally based on Park Siwoo in the first place.
The longer he fought and the more experience he accumulated, the more enlightenment he gained regarding how to use his own power.
I looked toward Dan Chun-woo.
He stood with his arms crossed, wearing an expressionless face and pretending to be completely calm, but his fingers wouldn’t stay still.
“Nervous?”
“……What reason would I have to be nervous?”
“Park Siwoo might really win this time.”
“You’ve said that more than a hundred times too.”
I snickered at the sight.
His pride really was something else.
Dan Chun-woo possessed an intense rivalry toward Park Siwoo.
Every time Park Siwoo gained enlightenment and grew stronger, Dan Chun-woo desperately chased after him.
Their relationship was mutually beneficial.
Before long, the battle between the clone and Park Siwoo began.
Spear collided with spear.
Their movements were so similar that they looked like mirror images.
No.
In truth, they were slightly different.
Park Siwoo used his spear in a more diverse manner.
His movements weren’t bound by any fixed framework.
He had watched his own martial arts performed through countless different weapons, then used their characteristics to reinforce his own spear techniques.
Park Siwoo raised his spear high and brought it crashing down toward the clone.
The spear, carrying immense weight, bore down upon it.
In response, the clone’s spear vanished.
Thunderbolt Piercing Serpent (霹靂透虵).
Each strike embodied its own principle—one of weight, the other of speed.
Boom!
The spear shaft and spear tip collided.
A contest of strength began, with neither side giving even an inch.
The clone was the first to withdraw its strength.
Retrieving its spear, the clone retreated.
But Park Siwoo persistently stuck to it as though refusing to let it escape.
Clusters of starlight began flowing from his body.
“That guy…….”
“Is he going to try that again?”
“Looks like it.”
The greatest difference between Park Siwoo and the clone was, as expected, whether they could use Origin (原).
While the clone could freely control Origin, Park Siwoo still hadn’t gotten the hang of it.
He had at least succeeded in reproducing imitations of it, but their power was naturally inferior compared to Origin.
Condensed lights revolved around him like planets.
As they did, his movements became faster.
The two spears intertwined once more.
Their splitting spear strikes swung with each wielder’s Mana imbued within them.
It was dizzying to watch.
Every collision between their spears caused a violent explosion of Mana.
At that moment, the scattered Mana of the Star began gathering in one place.
The one responsible was none other than Park Siwoo.
The small spheres revolving around him were controlling the surrounding space.
After gathering the scattered Mana together, Park Siwoo swung it forward as it was.
The energy produced by the previous explosions condensed into a crescent moon.
The clone was also caught within the enormous crescent’s radius.
In response, the clone drove its spear into the ground and leaped into the sky.
Its posture abruptly changed as it flew through the air.
The spear rose straight upward as though supporting the heavens, while a mist of Mana spreading around it danced.
Heavenly Descent of Dragon Aura (龍氣天降)
Then the mist of Mana transformed into Aura Force and poured downward.
Countless strikes rained down like a downpour.
That was dangerous.
Not only was every individual strike powerful, but there were far too many of them.
Even if Park Siwoo countered with a similar barrage, the difference in power would be enormous.
Then Park Siwoo’s spear began rotating.
The planet-like spheres revolving around him resonated with it and began rotating as well.
Park Siwoo’s Aura surged dramatically.
Helena, who had activated Dragon Eyes at some point, exclaimed in admiration.
“Even if it’s only an imitation, that’s…… incredible.”
“That might block the immediate attack, but dealing with the follow-up will be difficult.”
The clone wasn’t such an easy opponent.
Sure enough, brilliant Radiance erupted from its entire body.
Origin (原)
Was it going to fail again this time?
The others, myself included, seemed to be thinking the same thing.
At that moment, brilliant light erupted from Park Siwoo’s direction.
Unable to hide his surprise, Park Siwoo dropped his sword.
I, too, stared at the scene before me in astonishment.
“That crazy bastard.”
The method Park Siwoo had chosen was extremely unconventional.
The clusters of starlight rotating along the tip of his spear were absorbed into his body.
At the same time, a pained roar rang out.
As though this were his final opportunity, he detonated the spheres of Mana he had absorbed.
Enormous explosions erupted inside the vessel known as Park Siwoo.
Origin (原) was originally the union of oneself with Mana.
But what he had chosen instead was to make his own Mana endlessly collide and explode, then burn himself with the tremendous energy generated by those explosions.
“He’s copying me, isn’t he?”
“You certainly taught him something wonderful.”
“The method is crude, but it isn’t entirely wrong.”
Before long, Park Siwoo’s entire body was blazing with brilliant Radiance.
His face was clearly twisted in pain, yet his mouth was stretched into a radiant grin wide enough to show his teeth.
“It’s more stable than I expected.”
It resembled what I had done before, but Park Siwoo was clearly maintaining the boundary.
In other words, even while impulsively doing something insane, he had accurately identified the exact limit that would keep him from killing himself.
That must be what people called talent.
He truly lived up to his status as the true Protagonist of <Become a Hero>.
“He might actually win this.”
Park Siwoo changed his stance.
It was a stance I had never seen before.
Boom!
With an explosion, his body transformed into a single beam of light and shot toward the clone.
His Radiance intensified even further.
Nova Explosion (新星爆發).
Violent light exploded outward, creating a dense mist.