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Chapter 223: S-Class Scanner (8)
Chapter 223: S-Class Scanner (8)
Chapter 223: S-Class Scanner (8)
Most of Armored Taejo’s attacks involved long-range bombardments.
He fired beams from his hands.
Or launched steel bullets.
He could also expand his armor and then hurl it with a clenched fist.
Though the public called him ‘Armored Taejo’, based on his special abilities, a more fitting name would be:
‘Steel Sorcerer’.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Steel bars shot up from the ground.
Turning the baseball stadium floor upside down, H-beams, commonly seen at construction sites, burst through the ground.
“Ugh!”
Yoon Iseon kicked off the ground and leaped over the emerging H-beam.
Beams were leaping towards Yoon Iseon, but the most threatening were those trapping her in place.
[Ah, there it is! Armored Taejo’s signature move! The Steel Cage!!]
Whether it’s steel bars or anything made of steel, he could freely manipulate them to create prisons.
The simpler the special ability, the stronger it tended to be.
“How long do you plan to just run away?!”
Taejo flew high into the sky, raising both hands above him.
Simultaneously, dozens of H-beams that had sprung from the ground began to whirl around Taejo as their center.
The mass and volume were distinctly different from the foxfire guarding Yoon Iseon’s side.
“You’re A-Class, so you won’t die! I won’t hold back!”
As Taejo extended his hand downwards, the H-beams pivoted towards Yoon Iseon.
Boom——!
The first H-beam charged towards Yoon Iseon.
Yoon Iseon leapt back, performing a somersault in mid-air, and the H-beam crashed into the ground where she was standing.
“Not yet!”
Boom and Bang!!
H-beams consecutively slammed into the baseball stadium’s ground.
Wherever Yoon Iseon dodged, H-beams followed, even predicting and targeting where she would move next.
“Argh…!”
Yoon Iseon exerted all her effort to evade the attacks.
She utilized all her magical power to dodge, but Taejo’s attacks were faster and stronger than those of Ray Huang.
“Thought it was over? With so many shells on the battlefield!”
With one hand, Taejo launched H-beams at Yoon Iseon, while with the other, he reached towards the H-beams he had previously fired.
Soon, the H-beams Yoon Iseon had dodged returned to swirl around Taejo, quickly becoming another round of bullets flying towards Yoon Iseon.
“Aah…!”
Just as Yoon Iseon was about to dodge, she was directly hit by an H-beam.
She barely avoided a direct hit by deploying a pink flame shield in front, but the impact made her roll backward.
Oh, oh, oh.
A worried murmur swept through the audience for a moment.
They were momentarily shocked, thinking she might die, as ordinary people like themselves would instantly perish if hit by such an attack.
“…Ugh.”
But Yoon Iseon rolled on the ground without breaking her legs or bleeding.
Wow!!
The audience then erupted into cheers.
For Yoon Iseon, fighting valiantly against an S-Class.
For Taejo, for demonstrating the overwhelming power of an S-Class.
[This is the power of the S-Class! Different from A-Class! Totally different!!]
The announcer’s voice echoed throughout the venue.
Both Yoon Iseon and Taejo in the stadium could hear these words, and the announcer’s commentary was surely an element affecting the match.
Primarily mentally.
[Now, Yoon Iseon! Will she collapse like this? Or is there a hidden counterattack up her sleeve!]
If she fell, that’s the end. If there’s going to be a counterattack, now was the time.
“Haap!”
Yoon Iseon gathered her three spread tails into one.
Soon, with both hands, she drew a circle around herself, gathering the scattered foxfires into one, which grew larger than a basketball.
Gooo.
Pink flames began to condense in Yoon Iseon’s hands.
The flames gathered more and more to form a large sphere, which Yoon Iseon then shot towards Taejo, hovering in the air.
“Too slow.”
She attempted to shoot.
“The Steel Cage does not discriminate.”
“This is…!”
“Gathering mana is fine for concentration, but unfortunately, against an S-Class opponent, that’s a losing move.”
Boom——!
If only the H-beam bombardment centered on herself hadn’t occurred.
“Don’t even think about escaping the Steel Cage!”
Crack!
The H-beams that had fallen around Yoon Iseon suddenly began collapsing to the side.
Like dominoes set in a circle falling simultaneously, the H-beams interlocked as they fell, creating a fence around Yoon Iseon.
“This is…!”
Yoon Iseon stopped gathering mana into the sphere, with no chance to escape.
The H-beams melted towards the remaining space below, soon creating a barbed wire that no one could pass through.
“There’s only one way to escape.”
Above, the iron fence spread out like a dome.
“If you’re trapped in a well, you have to climb up to the top.”
Instead of clouds that should be floating in the blue sky, Taejo was reaching his hand towards the hole.
“I’ll show you. That there’s a higher sky beyond what A-Classes can see.”
Towards the dome’s ceiling, the remaining H-beams combined and began to fall.
Their speed was like that of a giant iron meteor slowly descending, and screams echoed through the spectator stands.
Aaaaaaah——!!
The transparent ice wall protecting the spectator stands shook momentarily.
Everyone’s hearts sank, fearing Yoon Iseon might die, but Taejo’s attack didn’t cease.
“Could it be…!”
“He’s not just covering the ceiling, he’s trying to crush it!!”
“Mercy!”
Gugugugu.
Despite the spectators’ astonishment and fear.
Thud.
The mass of H-beams fell inside the dome.
A light cloud of dust rose from the ground, but there was no response from inside.
“Could it be…”
“Even so, to be dead…”
“…Even if she’s dead, it can’t be helped. It’s her fault for recklessly challenging an S-Class without knowing her place.”
Just when it seemed the outcome had been decided.
Boom——!!
Pink flames exploded between the H-beams.
The chunks of metal were torn apart by the explosion, scattering across the ground, while a column of pink flames shot up through the dome.
Flutter!
Yoon Iseon leaped high into the air.
Though faint, with her three tails fluttering, she stood on the end of an H-beam that had burst open from the explosion, catching her breath.
“Wow———!”
The challenger was not yet dead.
Not defeated, and not fallen.
Even on the verge of falling, Yoon Iseon clenched her fists and summoned the foxfire again.
“Give up. If you admit your weakness now, you won’t get hurt any further.”
Taejo, floating in the sky, looked down at Yoon Iseon and declared.
“You are A-Class. If you wish to breathe the same air as S-Class, you need to become much stronger.”
“Haap!”
With a yell, Yoon Iseon launched the foxfire.
The foxfire, sharper and more refined than before, rushed at Taejo like an arrow.
And then.
Bang——!
It hit Taejo, causing an explosion.
“Huh?!”
“Didn’t… dodge it?!”
Pink smoke engulfed Taejo.
The foxfire exploded upon reaching him, and Yoon Iseon, extending her hand forward, steadied her heavy breathing.
“Did I win…?”
The moment Yoon Iseon spoke in a puzzled voice.
“Weak.”
From within the smoke, Taejo appeared unharmed.
Not even a trace of soot from the explosion, and his suit protecting his body was as intact as before.
“Just this much can’t overcome an S-Class.”
“Ah…”
Frustration and despair slowly spread across Yoon Iseon’s face.
The audience, realizing her attacks no longer had any effect, sensed the outcome of the match.
This contest.
In the end, an A+ Class was merely an A+ Class.
“Maybe it’s time to give up?”
“Even if I fall, I will never give up.”
“Good. Then, I’ll knock you down with all my strength. Experience the power of an S-Class.”
Fzzzt.
As Taejo stretched his hand to the side, the H-beams, destroyed by the explosion, began to gather around him again.
“Iron Dragon takes flight.”
Gugugugu.
The H-beams instantly turned to dust.
This dust began to whirl around Taejo, starting to form a figure.
“Manifest.”
The metal dust consolidated into a massive figure centered around Taejo.
“Iron Blood King.”
Was there such a person?
Not in history.
But if there were, it would be the one standing before them now.
Thud!
Landing on the ground with boots resembling black socks, the giant, several meters tall, with a royal-style robe fluttering, had a traditional crown sparkling on its head.
Whirring.
As his angular eyes sparkled with gold, the outer surface turned red, beginning to emit a brilliant light.
“Wow———!”
Cheers erupted from the stands.
Both men and women shouted in support of the winner.
[I have arrived.]
Everyone swallowed their saliva at that deep voice spreading over the walls of the baseball stadium.
This was truly ‘Armored Taejo’.
The gold line on his chest shone brighter, gradually illuminating like a golden dragon pattern.
The condensation of mana.
Armored Taejo crossed his arms in an X shape in front of him, and soon a reddish-gold magical power began swirling around the ‘Steel Armor’.
Crackle!
The transparent ice wall protecting the stands thickened.
The audience sensed it.
Even Snow White, watching the match, strengthened the barrier, anticipating a ‘powerful strike’.
“Go———! Armored Taejo———!”
“Show the power of an S-Class!”
“Kyaaahh! Lord Taejo!”
At the peak of cheering for Taejo, Yoon Iseon’s face flashed on the scoreboard.
She was utterly perplexed.
Her expression, filled with frustration and despair just moments ago, was now bewildered by the sight of Armored Taejo, biting her lower lip.
[Behold. This is the dignity of an S-Class.]
Armored Taejo extended his hands in front of his chest.
Simultaneously, the ‘cannon gate’ on his chest opened.
[Heaven-Shaking Thunderstrike.]
Boom———!
A golden barrage charged towards Yoon Iseon.
The power of the barrage was overwhelming, enough to engulf not just the pitcher’s mound but the entire infield.
“Scream!”
Everyone was astonished by the tremendous display of light.
Even if it was to showcase the power of an S-Class, such overwhelming force—
Bam!
The Heaven-Shaking Thunderstrike launched by Armored Taejo split to the sides.
Yoon Iseon, who had climbed onto the mound, saw her pink flames rise in front, splitting the barrage into two streams.
[Oh! She’s holding on!! She’s resisting!!]
Even as she was pushed down from the mound, Yoon Iseon kept her hands forward, blocking the barrage.
The light of her tails gradually dimmed, and the protective barrier of flames in front weakened.
Yet, the light of Armored Taejo remained strong.
The overwhelming difference in magical power.
If she couldn’t bridge that gap, she couldn’t surpass an S-Class.
Fzzzt.
The barrage stopped.
Not because Taejo’s mana was exhausted, but because Taejo retracted his mana himself.
“…….”
Yoon Iseon was pushed back to the batter’s box.
Her foxtails disappeared, and she remained frozen, leaning forward with her hands outstretched.
[Strong.]
Burning herself white and fighting back until the last moment without retreating.
[But, you have not reached me.]
“Now, the end—”
Just when everyone thought it was over.
Whoosh.
A deeper shade of pink flames burst out from behind Yoon Iseon.
“…?”
[…Could it be.]
The stands were in turmoil.
“That, could she be trying to become a demon?!”
“Like Ray Huang?! Oh no! She can’t win, so she becomes a demon!”
Everyone was suddenly filled with shock and fear.
“Taejo! Quickly, that woman!”
[Do not act rashly———!]
At Taejo’s roar, the stands froze in place.
It was truly a command.
[…Heh, hehe.]
But soon, Taejo began to laugh like a child.
[Is it coming.]
Sensing something, Taejo clenched his fists again.
And then.
Bam———!
Nine deep pink tails shone brightly, wrapping around Yoon Iseon.
As the tails slowly unfolded like a lotus, Yoon Iseon emerged from within.
Dressed in a light pink robe, she appeared distinctly different, more mature than before.
“……I’ll show you.”
Lifting her bangs with her elongated hand, Yoon Iseon smiled slyly.
“The dignity of an S-Class.”