Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 61

The Warrior from the South

5. The Warrior from the South

1

Two months prior, the priest Luther arrived in Elbera to provide aid to the impoverished.

Despite warnings from other priests of the Holy Order about the dangers, he insisted that the more perilous a place, the greater the need for assistance.

As he anticipated, the slums of Elbera were in a deplorable state.

With the Conrad Kingdom declaring independence, the already scarce jobs and opportunities for begging had vanished, resulting in a massive surge of impoverished and starving people.

In response, Luther sought aid from the Perriad Ducal Family, requesting food supplies.

However, instead of assistance, he was met with suspicion.

“Why is a priest of the Holy Order in the heart of the Maron faction? Leave immediately!”

Though they did not arrest or harm him, the vassals of Duke Perriad, suspecting him to be a spy for Archbishop Constantine, expelled Luther from Elbera.

Eventually, forced out of the city, he had no choice but to travel the surrounding territories, caring for the people.

Then, one day.

While serving in the small barony of Pellier, he heard rumors from refugees and defeated soldiers that Elbera had been seized by the subjugation forces.

Baron Pellier and his family had fled during the night, and the following day, soldiers led by a Gigant [a large, powerful warrior] stormed into the territory.

As the residents of the territory trembled with anxiety, Luther stepped forward in front of the castle gate to block them.

“You cannot proceed any further.”

At Luther’s words, the soldiers at the front scowled.

If it had been just a soldier or knight, they would have pushed through with the Gigant, but their opponent was a priest.

“Hey, Priest. The higher-ups said that the lord here supported the traitor Perriad with military supplies, so we’re here to arrest him.”

“There’s also information that remnants of the rebel forces who escaped from Elbera have infiltrated this place.”

Upon hearing this, Luther realized they were subjugation forces from the Imperial City. However, judging by their mismatched attire and equipment, they appeared to be mercenaries rather than regular soldiers.

“There are no people you seek here. Please leave.”

“We can’t do that. The higher-ups ordered us to occupy this place no matter what. The subjugation won’t be over until the remnants are eliminated, right? So, Priest, don’t interfere and step aside.”

From atop the castle walls, several people nervously watched Luther and the mercenaries’ argument.

Unbeknownst to Luther, among the refugees in the territory were nobles who had sided with the rebel forces and their families. Unable to escape with Duke Perriad, they had disguised themselves as commoners and fled Elbera.

The people watching from the castle walls were the nobles’ servants or guards.

“Did you not hear me? The lord and his family all fled last night. Not to mention the vassals and soldiers. All that’s left here are pitiful commoners, so don’t cause trouble and leave!”

Luther stood his ground.

He was well aware of the atrocities that mercenaries committed on the battlefield.

They would surely use the excuse of searching for remnants to cause trouble in the territory.

Therefore, he could not allow innocent people to suffer from looting, arson, and rape.

“You’re quite stubborn. Hey, Marvin. Escort the priest to the side politely.”

At the command of a mercenary who seemed to be of considerable rank, a large mercenary came forward and grabbed, or rather, tried to grab, Priest Luther’s arm.

Suddenly, a pale shadow leaped out from inside the castle gate and grabbed the mercenary by the collar, throwing him far away.

Whoosh!

“Gack!”

The large mercenary flew through the air before crashing to the ground like a dropped stone.

Startled by the sight, the mercenaries hastily drew their weapons.

“Enemy!”

“It might be an Expert-level knight! Be careful!”

However, the one who stood in front of Priest Luther was neither a knight nor a mage.

It was a black-haired man with a sharp jaw and piercing eyes. His clothing was also unique, with a Y-shaped collar, a belt around his waist, and loose sleeves and pant legs.

“Huh? Isn’t that someone from the Southern Continent?”

The people of the Southern Continent were of a different race than those of the Lodesia Continent. Most of them had black hair and black eyes, and they had a light bronze skin tone.

Moreover, their attire and hairstyles were so unique that they could be recognized immediately.

With the opening of sea routes and the flourishing of southern trade, people from the Southern Continent were not uncommon in coastal trading cities.

However, the mercenaries had never expected to see one here in the inland.

“Brother Hwang Bo-sung, please step back.”

At Luther’s words, the man from the Southern Continent, called Hwang Bo-sung, shook his head and stammered.

“They… they try to harm benefactor. I will not let them.”

“Still, violence is not a good solution. The Lord always taught us to solve problems through dialogue first when there is conflict.”

“But they are dangerous. I protect benefactor.”

As Priest Luther sighed at Hwang Bo-sung’s firm expression, the mercenaries began their attack.

“Charge!”

“This is for Marvin!”

As the mercenaries rushed in, Hwang Bo-sung immediately took a defensive stance.

“Don’t kill them!”

At Luther’s cry, realizing that there was no other way, Hwang Bo-sung smiled and lightly dodged the incoming spear before striking it upwards with his palm.

Thwack!

The mercenary was hit in the jaw by his own spear shaft and fell backward. At that moment, Hwang Bo-sung snatched the spear, spun it once, and swung it low.

“Aaaagh!”

“Ack!”

“My leg… !”

The mercenaries who were hit by the spinning spear clutched their legs and tumbled to the ground.

The charging mercenaries were startled and hesitated for a moment. However, they were provoked by Hwang Bo-sung’s beckoning gesture, as if to say, ‘Come on.’

“You bastard! I’ll turn you into minced meat!”

Despite their threats, it was the mercenaries, not Hwang Bo-sung, who were being hit, smashed, and sent rolling on the ground.

Hwang Bo-sung easily neutralized the fully armed mercenaries simply by waving his hands or stomping his feet, without any special weapons.

“A warrior from the Southern Continent.”

“A warrior?”

As his subordinates tilted their heads, Luke briefly explained.

“They are similar to the knights of our continent. However, they are said to belong to factions, sects, or families, rather than royal or noble families. I’ve heard that they use various and bizarre swordsmanship and martial arts.”

Luke had only learned about the Southern Continent after his reincarnation. 500 years ago, it was only known to exist, with little to no interaction.

In any case, it was intriguing to witness firsthand the fighting style of a warrior from the Southern Continent, which he had only read about in books and heard in stories.

However, unlike Luke, the mercenaries were seething with anger as they watched their comrades and subordinates being crushed.

“Everyone, step back!”

“I’ll take you on!”

Unable to watch any longer, the remaining Expert-level mercenaries stepped forward.

They acknowledged their opponent’s strength and attacked with all their might from the start.

Whoooosh!

As expected of Expert-level mercenaries, their weapons were imbued with aura [a magical energy].

At this, Hwang Bo-sung showed a slightly tense expression, changed his stance, and clenched his fists tightly.

A faint light swirled around his fists.

“That’s… aura?”

“A Fist Aura user? And he has something quite interesting on his body.”

Luke, who had been carefully observing Hwang Bo-sung’s body, muttered with a glint in his eyes.

The Expert-level mercenaries attacked Hwang Bo-sung with considerable ferocity, but even three of them could not defeat him.

When three were not enough, five attacked, and when five were not enough, almost ten surrounded and attacked him. Among them were four members of the Lakan Knights.

“Captain, why aren’t we going into the castle and just standing here?”

While Luke was watching the fight between his subordinates and the Southern Continent warrior, Philip’s voice came from behind.

Philip was approaching with a group of mercenaries.

“Have you checked all the nearby villages?”

“Yes, but it seems the information was wrong. There were no remnants of the rebel forces there.”

He shrugged and pointed ahead, asking, “But who is that? Is he a mercenary from the South hired by the rebels?”

“Actually…”

Luke told Philip what had happened earlier.

After watching the fight between his subordinates and Hwang Bo-sung for a while, Philip’s eyes blazed with fire as he said,

“I think I should be the one to fight him.”

“Why? Do you think you can win?”

The skill of the Southern warrior that Luke had assessed was surprisingly at the level of a fully matured Master.

That meant he was stronger than Shirley, whom Philip had fought during the Gigantic Duel in Eisenberg.

As proof, the warrior was not even sweating while fighting the Expert-level mercenaries.

“I had a slight realization after the Gigantic Duel. Even if the opponent is a fully matured Master, I am confident that I will not lose easily.”

“Alright, then go ahead and fight. I’ll step in if it gets dangerous.”

After all, the reason for coming here was not only to take Reina but also to give his subordinates practical experience.

Therefore, he gave his subordinates as many opportunities to fight as possible whenever a strong enemy appeared.

Philip dismounted his horse, loosened his body, and stepped forward.

“Everyone, stop! I will fight him!”

At Philip’s cry, the ten mercenaries who had been fighting Hwang Bo-sung stepped back with exhausted faces.

One of the Lakan Knights approached him and warned him.

“Be careful. It seems like he’s hiding his true strength.”

“Hah, hearing that makes me even more eager to fight.”

Philip grinned and slowly drew his sword. Then, he approached Hwang Bo-sung, who was already watching him and taking a stance.

2

In the Southern Continent, especially in the Song Empire, there were famous martial arts sects and families.

Known as the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, Hwang Bo-sung was born as the third son of the head of the Hwangbo Family.

From a young age, he was praised as a genius of martial arts, said to appear only once in a hundred years. He quickly mastered the family’s secret martial arts and had already surpassed the wall of a supreme master in his twenties.

Despite this, Hwang Bo-sung remained mostly confined to his family, focusing solely on martial arts training.

Because of this, he was highly anticipated among the family elders. They said that a Fist King might be produced for the first time in 300 years.

300 years ago, the Hwangbo Family, which had produced the Fist King Hwang Bo-ung, had surpassed the Nine Great Sects and the other Five Great Families to become the leading martial arts family of the era.

The Hwangbo Family was not only a prestigious family in the martial arts world but also a family that valued commerce, leading the business world of the Song Empire for a long time.

They were also active in international trade, often sending their own merchant groups to the Lodesia Continent.

The person in charge of this merchant group in the family was Hwang Bo-gwang, the eldest son of the family head.

“The world is vast! If you are born as a man, shouldn’t you see with your own eyes how big the world is?”

Hwang Bo-sung readily accepted his eldest brother’s suggestion.

He had heard rumors that there were many masters in the Lodesia Continent with different styles than the martial artists of the Song Empire.

He crossed the sea, but he was ambushed. At a banquet held to celebrate their safe arrival at the trading port, he was poisoned with San Gong Poison [a poison that weakens internal energy] and Mabi Powder [a paralyzing agent].

Not only that.

His dantian [an energy center in the body] and the muscles in both of his legs were completely destroyed by a demonic weapon imbued with the evil sorcery of the Baegyo [a cult or organization].

“Kuh-euk! Why are you doing this to me… !”

Hwang Bo-sung glared at Hwang Bo-gwang, who was holding the demonic weapon, with a face full of resentment.

“Why did I ambush you? Hahaha, it’s because you, the son of a concubine, are too talented.”

Hwang Bo-gwang said with a smirk.

His talent was also not ordinary, but compared to Hwang Bo-sung’s genius, it was like a firefly in front of the sun.

Thinking that he might lose everything to a bastard son, he began to set a meticulous trap.

First, he filled all the members of the merchant group with his confidants, and he often visited Hwang Bo-sung and became close to him. And he set the day of their arrival in the Lodesia Continent as the day to eliminate him.

“Brother! I have never thought about succeeding the family. That’s why I have been focusing on training!”

“Hah, where did you learn such lies! Not only did you use sweet words to win over the elders, but you have also been meeting with Father recently!”

“That was only because Father came to encourage me…”

“Shut up! The Hwangbo Family is mine. I will never hand it over to you, a bastard.”

Seeing the madness gleaming in Hwang Bo-gwang’s eyes, Hwang Bo-sung clenched his mouth shut.

He realized that he could no longer persuade him.

Instead, he focused on gathering the internal energy that he had been accumulating since a while ago. Although the Qi Sea point in his dantian was destroyed, he had internal energy scattered throughout his body.

If he could gather just a pea-sized amount of this internal energy, he could expel the San Gong Poison and Mabi Powder and move to some extent.

‘Just a little more, just a little more…’

Just as he succeeded in pushing the Mabi Powder and San Gong Poison into his lower body, Hwang Bo-gwang ordered his confidants.

“Tear that lowly bastard to pieces and throw him to the fish!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

The merchant group’s guards drew their weapons and approached Hwang Bo-sung.

Just as they were about to strike, Hwang Bo-sung rolled his body to avoid the attack, then used his arms to lift himself up and threw himself overboard.

Splash!

“W-what! Catch him! Chase him to the ends of hell and make sure to kill him!”

If Hwang Bo-sung returned to the family alive, all that would be left for Hwang Bo-gwang was ruin.

Hwang Bo-sung, who was swimming towards the pier with his arms, gritted his teeth as he heard his half-brother’s voice screaming from the ship.

He wanted to kill Hwang Bo-gwang and his confidants, but the internal energy he had gathered would soon disappear.

‘I have to run as far as possible!’

Hwang Bo-gwang mobilized all the members of the merchant group and relentlessly pursued him, and Hwang Bo-sung desperately fled.

After wandering and hiding in unfamiliar lands for about a month,

He was finally able to shake off the pursuit when he reached the Kingdom of Castia.

However, after being chased for over a month without eating or sleeping properly, he had reached his limit, becoming a crippled beggar.

‘Is this the end…’

He was on the verge of starving to death in a remote alley of the port when he was saved.

The person who extended a helping hand to him was Priest Luther, the head of the Holy Order.

3

‘I must save Priest Luther at all costs!’

Over the past year, Hwang Bo-sung had managed to undo more than half of the Baegyo’s curse through Priest Luther’s divine power healing and his own relentless efforts. Furthermore, his dantian had also been largely restored.

In fact, Hwang Bo-sung could have defeated the ten Expert-level mercenaries at any time.

However, there was a strong person among the enemies whose strength he could not gauge.

If it was someone whose level he could not accurately determine even with his own eyes, which were considered to be at the level of a supreme master in the martial arts world, then he was definitely a considerable master.

Therefore, he did not rashly show off his martial arts techniques and just stalled for time.

He was thinking of picking up Priest Luther and running away if necessary.

But in the meantime, the situation had changed.

Among the mercenaries who had belatedly joined, a rather strong one stepped forward.

‘He hasn’t surpassed the peak realm yet, but he’s close.’

Even in the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans, where experts were said to be as numerous as clouds, there were few who had reached the peak. Even including those who had approached that level, there wouldn’t be more than 100.

Yet, such an expert was present in a mere mercenary group. What kind of organization was this mercenary group, anyway?

‘At this rate, escaping won’t be easy.’

Hwang Bo-sung, with a slight frown, pondered for a moment before pointing at Philip and speaking.

“Stop. I’m requesting a Gigantic Duel with you.”

“A Gigantic Duel?”

Philip’s eyes widened as he was about to draw his weapon. It was already surprising that this warrior from the south knew about Gigantic Duels, but he never imagined that he would actually request one against him.

“You strong. Know strong honor. Honorable fight, decide with Gigantic Duel.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but do you even have a Gigant?”

“Have similar. If I win, mercenaries go back, if you win, we step aside.”

Philip glanced at Luke, asking if he should accept this duel request.

Luke nodded in agreement.

Honestly, even if there were remnants of the rebel forces inside, there wouldn’t be many. Besides, he was more curious about the southern warrior’s skills.

With Luke’s permission, Philip immediately had his Gigant brought over.

As the trailer carrying Marina approached, he opened the chest armor and immediately boarded the cockpit.

Meanwhile, Hwang Bo-sung wasn’t idle either.

After planting a few small flags on the ground and writing characters, he knelt on one knee and chanted a spell. His hands were constantly moving, forming strange hand seals.

“…Lin, Pyo, To, Ja, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!”

“What is he doing?”

Luke, who had been closely observing Hwang Bo-sung’s actions, tilted his head. He sensed a peculiar energy flowing around his body.

‘What is that? It’s close to aether, but…’

Light and darkness, chaos and order, existence and absence.

Seemingly opposing energies were harmoniously swirling around.

The feeling it evoked was like a whirlwind or a vortex.

Realizing something, Luke slapped his knee and stood up abruptly.

“That’s it! That’s what it was!”

Thump!

Hwang Bo-sung, having completed the hand seals, slammed his fist into the ground.

The earth seemed to tremble slightly, and then a red line appeared as something large rose from the ground.

Hwang Bo-sung leaped and nestled his body into the head of the object.

“A, a Gigant?!”

The mercenaries exclaimed in surprise at the sudden appearance of the giant weapon.

However, Luke shook his head.

“No, it looks similar, but it’s something completely different.”

The object that had risen from the ground was a humanoid weapon about 7 meters tall.

Its head had two horns like a bull, its legs were thick, and its long arms ended in large fists.

The material making up its body was wood, not metal, but due to its dark color, it looked very sturdy.

“A wooden puppet.”

As Luke showed signs of recognition, the Rakan Knights around him turned their gazes to him.

“Do you know what it is?”

“I heard about it from Sir Mute. He only heard about it from a merchant from the southern continent, but he never saw it himself.”

Mute, who was currently the Meister of the Katarina Magic Tower, had wandered the continent before settling in the Rakan territory.

He had met a merchant from the southern continent who had come to trade, and according to him, there were weapons similar to Gigants in their land.

“The wooden puppets were first used by the Han Empire, which first conquered the southern continent 1000 years ago, in wars with neighboring countries.”

The developer was a sorcerer named Zhuge Ming, who was considered the greatest inventor and genius strategist in the history of the southern continent.

Originally, the wooden puppets were not developed for combat but for transporting military supplies and weapons in rough terrain.

After Zhuge Ming’s death, the manufacturing technology was cut off, and they did not appear in history for a while, until they reappeared 200 years ago when trade with the Rhodisia continent began in earnest.

“They say that when the emperor at the time saw the Gigant presented by Rhodisian merchants, he was shocked. And he worried about what would happen if such weapons were used to invade his country.”

In response, the emperor issued a proclamation promising a large reward to sorcerers who could create giant weapons like the Gigant.

As a result, the Zhuge family, descendants of Zhuge Ming, succeeded in restoring the wooden puppets based on the remaining records and artifacts.

“So, is that wooden puppet a weapon used like a Gigant in the southern continent?”

“No, it wasn’t quite like that.”

The wooden puppets did not attract as much attention and popularity as expected in the southern continent.

It took a long time and a lot of money to make one wooden puppet, so it could not be mass-produced like the Gigant.

“Moreover, most officials of the Song Empire had an ideology that rejected the supernatural… that is, things like sorcery or magic.”

In addition, the martial artists of the south emphasized physical training over the development of weapons, so they did not pay much attention to the wooden puppets.

However, not all martial artists ignored the wooden puppets.

Some martial artists recognized the value of the wooden puppets, which were large, strong, and resistant to evil forces, and used them as useful combat power.

So, wooden puppets were sometimes used in disputes between sects or to defeat masters of the Demonic Cult or the Baegyo.

In the case of the Hwangbo family, they purchased three wooden puppets at a huge cost.

The family head gave one of them to Hwang Bo-sung as a congratulatory gift for becoming a peak master.

The reason why Hwang Bo-sung did not use this wooden puppet when he was ambushed by Hwang Bo-gwang was that it took time to summon the wooden puppet and it consumed a considerable amount of internal energy to move it.

“You’ve pulled out something quite interesting. Are you ready to fight?”

Philip asked through the communication device.

Hwang Bo-sung nodded, banging the two large fists of the wooden puppet together.

And so, the first battle between a Gigant and a wooden puppet in the history of the intermediate realm began.

4

The battle between a Gigant and a wooden puppet.

Among some merchants who were well-versed in the affairs of both continents, there had been a debate about which of the two weapons would be stronger if they were to clash.

Naturally, the merchants of Rhodisia claimed that the Gigant was stronger, while the merchants from the southern continent were confident in the victory of the wooden puppet.

However, the Gigant and the wooden puppet had never actually fought.

200 years ago, the emperor who received the Gigant as a tribute had tried to test the combat power of the wooden puppet, but he died of an illness before the confrontation could take place, and it was all for naught.

The successor who followed him was a scholar who believed in the traditional ideology of the southern continent called Neo-Confucianism, and he despised martial arts and weapons and hated sorcerers.

The wooden puppet, a legacy of the previous emperor, was completely ignored, and the Gigant was melted down and made into farming tools to be distributed to the people.

This successor and the emperors who followed him ruled the empire well and maintained good relations with neighboring countries, so the southern continent continued its peaceful era without major wars.

Since there was no situation where the wooden puppet or the Gigant could be active, the confrontation between the two weapons did not take place.

Moreover, unlike the Gigant, the wooden puppet was not a common weapon, so the magicians of the Rhodisia continent did not obtain it for testing.

No, even if they had obtained it, they would not have been able to study it properly.

The wooden puppet was made with a system of knowledge that was difficult for magicians to understand.

“Perhaps we are now witnessing the first battle between a Gigant and a wooden puppet in history.”

At Luke’s words, the Rakan Knights looked ahead with serious expressions.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The two giant weapons charged, shaking the ground, and then swung their greatsword and fists.

Whoosh— Bang!

Crack!

The two behemoths, each with a skilled pilot, began to exchange fierce blows from the start.

However, unlike the mercenaries or the Rakan Knights, Luke’s interest was not in the outcome of the battle. His curiosity as a magician had been piqued after a long time, and he stared intently at the movements of the wooden puppet.

‘The functions themselves are the same as the Gigant. But the mechanical structure and power source are completely different.’

It was like not classifying a dragonfly and a bird as the same kind of animal, even though they could both fly.

Basically, the Gigant uses a core engine that amplifies the rider’s mana or aura to use as energy to move the Gigant.

However, the wooden puppet was different.

It was as if a hazy energy was flowing throughout its body, and that energy was neither mana nor aura. Nor could it be called divine power or the power of spirits.

“I felt it when he summoned it earlier, but ‘immortal arts’ are truly fascinating.”

Immortal arts.

It referred to the power used by the sorcerers of the southern continent, which was a development of the primitive shamanistic sorcery or magic used by ancient shamans.

The power of shamans, that is, shamanism, also existed in the Rhodisia continent.

However, it was classified as heresy along with black magic during the religious frenzy in the early days of divine power and was rejected and disappeared. This was because shamanism communicated with areas such as darkness, chaos, and nothingness, which were denied by religion.

Now, it remained only among some intelligent monsters such as orcs and goblins, not humans.

But the southern continent was different.

Unlike the ideology of the Rhodisia continent, which divided the world into good and evil, black and white, the southern continent viewed all things as yin and yang [the concept of dualism].

If there was light, there was a shadow, and if there was day, there was night. They neither denied nor affirmed everything.

Under such an ideological foundation, those called sorcerers or Taoists systematically refined and developed shamanism, creating a new system of power called immortal arts.

Of course, it did not flourish as much as magic due to the checks and balances of Neo-Confucian scholars who pursued ideal order and moral values.

However, there were still people in the southern continent who specialized in researching and handling immortal arts. Among them, the Zhuge family was said to be the most famous.

‘Is it because wood accepts the power of immortal arts better than metal that the wooden puppet is made of wood?’

However, not just any wood was used to make the wooden puppet.

The precious ironwood, which only grew in the highlands of the southern continent, was processed with immortal arts for a long time to make it strong. It was difficult to obtain the material and it took a lot of time, so mass production of wooden puppets was impossible.

‘But how do they control it? Sir Mute didn’t seem to have heard anything about that either…’

Just as Luke was looking at the wooden puppet with curious eyes,

Clang!

A loud sound of a gong being struck was heard, and Marina, which Philip was riding, was pushed back.

“Ugh! Damn it!”

Philip cursed, as if the impact was not small.

He had attacked and defended dozens of times, but none of them had worked against his opponent.

It was as if his opponent had seen through all his techniques, and after just watching, he had suddenly thrust out his fist, which Philip could not avoid.

‘Are all the warriors of the southern continent this strong?’

No, he must be especially strong.

Philip shook his head and gritted his teeth, drawing up a lot of mana.

‘It’s just a stiff wooden doll compared to the Gigant anyway. If I launch an offensive with more diverse movements…’

Judging so, Philip unleashed a series of unorthodox attacks based on his rich practical experience.

However, contrary to its appearance, the wooden puppet was not a stiff wooden doll. Despite not having the same precise joints as the Gigant, it evaded all the unorthodox attacks with smooth movements and then counterattacked.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Philip was disoriented as fists larger than the Gigant’s head struck Marina in various places.

The Gigant’s outer armor was intact.

However, the joints and internal parts were creaking as if they were about to break, and Philip himself felt his head ringing and his stomach churning as if he was about to vomit.

In the end, he couldn’t hold on and rolled on the ground in an unsightly manner.

Thump! Thump!-

‘Damn it, what the hell is going on…’

Philip got up and shuddered.

After fighting once, he realized that his opponent was a strongman two levels stronger than him. What he had thought was a simple counterattack had actually subtly disrupted the Gigant’s balance, causing even more severe internal damage.

‘This is definitely mid-level Fist Master! Damn it, he looks only a few years older than me, but he’s reached that level!’

The world was vast, and there seemed to be many geniuses.

But he couldn’t lose like this!

Philip, fueled by his stubbornness, squeezed out every last bit of strength and unfolded his Gold Sword.

Whoosh!

As golden aura surged from his greatsword, the Rakan Knights all looked surprised.

However, Luke, who should have been angry, surprisingly did not show any particular expression. In fact, there would be hardly anyone in this remote territory who would recognize the Gold Sword.

The golden aura did not stop there and grew even larger, fluctuating as if it was about to explode.

The Rakan Knights were once again surprised by its powerful appearance.

“I, Impact Aura!”

“The commander has been thinking hard about something lately, so he was making this?”

Philip looked inwardly smug as he saw his subordinates’ surprised expressions.

‘Heh heh heh, no matter how mid-level Fist Master he is, it will be difficult to block Impact Aura.’

After the last Gigantic Duel, Philip had found a clue to break through the wall of Sword Master.

Having found the clue, he pondered and pondered, and as a result, he succeeded in implementing Impact Aura.

Impact Aura, the symbol of a Sword Master.

The fact that he had created it was proof that Philip had also stepped into the realm of Sword Master.

“Perhaps Sir Philip is the one who has benefited the most from this expedition.”

Unlike Luke, who was proud of him, Hwang Bo-sung frowned.

‘He hasn’t reached the threshold of the peak, but has he stepped into the realm?’

He also had a move that was equivalent to Impact Aura, or even more powerful, but the problem was that he could not use it now.

Power Strike.

It was a concentration of powerful energy that could destroy everything in its path, but the problem was that he could not use it now.

‘If it weren’t for that damn curse of the demonic disease…!’

He had undone about half of the curse of the demonic disease, but the remaining half was still eating away at his martial power.

Just as Hwang Bo-sung was inwardly grinding his teeth, Philip’s attack began.

Hwang Bo-sung began to be pushed back for the first time by the fierce attack led by Impact Aura and the Gold Sword.

“Hahaha! That’s more like it!”

Philip, judging that the odds were in his favor, intensified his attack. He was planning to take advantage of this momentum and defeat his opponent.

However, his hasty conclusion backfired.

In the moment when the flow of mana was twisted while launching an offensive, he showed a gap.

‘Now!’

Hwang Bo-sung, with a glint in his eyes, did not miss that moment and charged in.

The wooden puppet, which had bent its waist like a tree swept by a strong wind, rushed into Marina’s embrace, which had raised its greatsword, and simultaneously extended both fists.

Kuaaang!

The moment a clear aura of light flashed from the wooden puppet’s two fists, Marina was lifted into the air with a roar. And then, it fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

“Damn it, I lost!”

As Marina, which he had forcibly raised, collapsed again, Philip slammed his fist into the cockpit in frustration.

The historic battle ended with the victory of Hwang Bo-sung and the wooden puppet he was riding.

Emperor of Steel [EN]

Emperor of Steel [EN]

강철대제
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] In the realm of dark magic, Shaymon stood unrivaled, mastering the deepest and most formidable arts. Yet, his unparalleled prowess became his undoing when he was wrongfully accused of being a Demon King and met a premature death. Defiant in his final moments, Shaymon's indomitable will propels him 500 years into the future, granting him a second chance at life. However, fate plays a cruel jest: he is reborn as the descendant of his former nemesis, the revered Sword Emperor. In this new era, where the legacies of magic and swordsmanship intertwine, Shaymon must navigate the intricate dynamics of his inherited lineage while confronting remnants of his past. Armed with ancient knowledge and a renewed purpose, he embarks on a journey to reclaim his destiny, challenging the very fabric of time and power. Dive into a tale of reincarnation, redemption, and the relentless pursuit of truth in "Emperor of Steel."

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