Global Awakening: Only I Can Respawn

Chapter 37: Duel (2)

"Fuck this shit!"

Hoon got up and tried running away. But before he could, YuWon grabbed him by the nape and yanked him back.

"I-It was my mistake!" Hoon yelled, trying to weasel his way out with words, as usual.

Even though he didn't expect YuWon would let him go, he had to try. But surprisingly, YuWon did. Hoon looked at YuWon, surprised. Unfortunately, it didn't last for long as he threw a punch right into Hoon's midsection.

The impact sent Hoon flying backward, crashing into the monarch's broken carriage. Yeji tried to move, but everyone apart from YuWon and Hoon couldn't lift a foot.

Frustrated, Yeji looked at the angel, who smiled and winked. To ensure a fair duel, the angel had restricted everyone's movement so they wouldn't interfere. It wasn't out of goodwill, but because the sponsors told her to.

Meanwhile, Hoon struggled to get back to his feet. The hit had knocked all the air from his lungs, and he gasped for breath. But YuWon was already on him.

He swung the monarch's blade, and the hilt hit Hoon's shoulder, popping it out of place. YuWon kept at it, breaking, or dislocating the bones in Hoon's right arm, the same arm he had used to hit him countless times.

Hoon's screams filled the air and Yeji couldn't take it anymore. Even though she couldn't move, she yelled for YuWon to stop. But he didn't react, just like she hadn't all the time when Hoon hit him.

"You should have escaped when you had the chance," YuWon growled, as he stabbed the blade into Hoon's thigh.

"Instead, you screwed me over again and stole the kill. Just looking at you makes me want to kill you, but not yet."

Despite the pain, Hoon glared at YuWon and spat on his face. At least he tried to, but even that couldn't land on him.

"I'm not done yet, and I'll ruin your life. You hear me! I'll ruin your life!"

"That's where you're wrong," YuWon replied. "You are done."

With that, he began hacking away, stabbing Hoon's leg over and over. Hoon yelled in pain, struggling to fight back. But no matter what he did, it wasn't enough.

With no way out, Hoon grabbed a fist full of dirt and threw it in YuWon's face. YuWon was so engrossed in stabbing him he didn't see Hoon's cheap attack.

"Bastard!"

As the dirt blinded him, YuWon had to drop the sword to clean his eyes. At that moment, Hoon grabbed the sword and on one leg rushed to hack YuWon.

However, YuWon's smile made him stop midway. The sand in his eyes meant nothing to him compared to his revenge. YuWon forced his bloodshot eyes open and delivered a roundhouse kick to Hoon's side.

The impact sent Hoon flying again, this time crashing into a nearby tree. Hoon groaned in pain and slumped next to the tree, barely conscious. YuWon wiped the dust from his eyes before turning towards the angel.

"Is it enough?"

"Yes," the angel nodded, glancing over at Hoon. "It is more than enough. You've won the duel. The mortal is yours to claim."

YuWon smiled. Finally... he could start taking his revenge. But something distracted him. While they were talking, a faint glow appeared around Hoon's head and it looked like a halo. The thing shined for a moment before disappearing completely.

Everyone was confused, but the angel looked pleased and looked at Hoon with disdain.

"It seems the mortal has lost the sponsor's aid," she said. "That makes my job easier."

She snapped her fingers, and a metal collar appeared around Hoon's neck. At the same time, all of his injuries got healed. As Hoon came to his senses, he weakly touched the collar, only to receive an electric shock.

Pleased with her work, the angel turned to YuWon.

"He is now your slave. The collar will ensure his loyalty. Should he disobey or refuse any command you give him, the consequences will be… well, let's just say, quite unpleasant."

YuWon stared at Hoon and nodded. They'll have a lot of fun with the collar, and not the kind that would let Hoon sleep peacefully.

Wait... I didn't mean it that way!

The angel then turned to Hoon and continued, "Be careful though, if the slave defies the master too many times, the collar will kill them and it won't be a peaceful death."

Just as YuWon was about to say something, Yeji rushed next to Hoon, holding him close.

"YuWon... You can't do this!" she exclaimed. "I admit Hoon tormented you and did horrible things, but he didn't do it for himself. He did it for me! If you want a slave, take me instead!"

Logically speaking, having Yeji as a slave was a better option. After all, she was quite an adept healer, and in an apocalypse, they were always in demand.

But YuWon's anger didn't see logic. He didn't even glance at her, nor did he care about her words. He had his eyes focused on Hoon, but since Yeji was so hellbent on protecting her beloved, he thought it was the right time to reveal the truth.

"Tell everyone the truth about what happened last year," YuWon instructed, looking at Hoon with disdain. "Tell them who took those photographs!"

Hoon shook his head, trying to resist. But when he did, the collar activated and shocked him. The pain was even worse than before, and his entire body convulsed while he screamed in pain. After what felt like an eternity, the pain subsided, and Hoon lay still, panting and shaking.

"I-I'll tell you…" he stammered, looking at Yeji. "I was the one who took your nude photos from YuWon's phone... and spread them."

Yeji's face went pale and her eyes widened with shock. She wasn't the only one who reacted like this. Everyone else who had mistreated YuWon had the same reaction.

Meanwhile, Hoon coughed and continued.

"I was jealous… of him. He was better than me at everything. Everyone liked him. I couldn't take it anymore and wanted to ruin his life."

"So, I took the photos, planted them on his phone, and made sure everyone found out about it."

Yeji covered her mouth, tears flowing down her face. From the moment Hoon told her about it, she had never questioned him. Even when YuWon groveled before her, she didn't believe him and now... it was all coming apart before their eyes.