There was no room for conversation amidst the chaos of battle.
-Bang!
Fragments scattered from the cracked road, accompanied by a deafening crash as the ground sank beneath them.
Tube Rose, the manager of the livestock barn, was a figure of authority.
As a direct subordinate of Cistus, her skills surpassed those of most A-rank hunters.
No… in terms of speed alone, she was beyond A-rank.
There were plenty of subordinates who had reached S-rank.
The executives of Flower had achieved a high level but couldn’t fully utilize their power due to their division.
She was also a master hidden in the shadows.
-Bang!Yet, she found herself being pushed back.
Although she dodged a punch, the next one hit her squarely, sending her crashing into the building next door.
-Screeeech!
As the steel frame snapped, Tube Rose peered at her opponent through the hole in the building.
“Cough….”
Compared to other executives and subordinates, she was weaker.
However, she was still strong enough to challenge the Hunter Association.
And yet, Tube Rose was being overwhelmed by a single human.
Without him even having to unleash his full power.
Blood boiled and her eyes trembled as she infused her dagger with magic.
“…Damn it. Who are you?”
Both had long since lost their hoods.
Lee Shiheon and Tube Rose locked eyes.
The murderous intent in their gaze was on the verge of erupting.
“…….”
“Why, do you want me to explain first?”
Lee Shiheon’s thoughts of stalling were brief as he leaped into action.
Tube Rose split the flying concrete block in half.
The concrete split and flew past her.
Lee Shiheon’s eyes remained calm.
“You’re trying to save the city, you should at least tell me your name, right?”
“…….”
She instinctively realized the strength of her opponent.
And the unusually intense anger directed at her.
The blatant and vivid emotion sent a shiver down her spine. A bead of sweat rolled down her scapula.
…Perhaps.
If she couldn’t end it here, this person might become a lifelong enemy.
Countless skilled individuals opposed Flower.
Among them were notable figures like Baekdo, the Sage, and Mugung.
Each had attained a high level, on par with Flower’s executives.
They were all considered heroes of their era.
‘Not yet… he doesn’t seem to be at that level.’
Yet, she sensed a similar spirit in him.
His potential made him even more dangerous.
She needed to ascertain his skills, demeanor, attire, and at least his name.
“Tube Rose.”
“……?”
She introduced herself first.
“Under Cistus, manager of the livestock barn. A subordinate of Flower.”
“…….”
“You might as well learn my name since you’re about to die.”
It wasn’t that she had no chance of victory.
If she unleashed her full power, she could hold her ground for a while.
And… if she injected herself with a large dose of serum, he might die instantly.
Tube Rose discarded the bent syringe and picked up a new one.
Eventually, Lee Shiheon spoke.
“What are you talking about?”
Lee Shiheon’s voice carried a heavy resonance.
Tube Rose’s lips trembled and then stiffened.
“Subordinate?”
It almost sounded as if he were mocking her.
“Yes… a little investigation, and you’ll quickly find my name.”
Her status seemed irrelevant to him.
Black magic slithered up Lee Shiheon’s arms like a serpent.
“But I have no obligation to inform you.”
‘……!’
Black magic. A stance she recognized.
‘Is it just my imagination…?’
A sense of dissonance crept over her shoulders.
The heaviness of the air made her knees weaken.
Before Lee Shiheon made his move, he loosened his shoulders and cracked his neck.
-Crack.
The sound of bones dislocating and then snapping back into place was heard.
-Thud!
Her opponent made a move.
Tube Rose immediately narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in an X shape to survey her surroundings.
His form briefly vanished, then reappeared directly in front of Tube Rose.
The punch he swung struck Tube Rose’s face with precision.
-Hook!
She dodged it by twisting her head.
Tube Rose instantly thrust her dagger at his neck, but the man countered by striking the center of her wrist and simultaneously kicking, throwing Tube Rose off balance.
“…!”
She couldn’t even catch her breath.
-Tilt!
He pressed on quickly.
As Tube Rose’s body tilted, a knee approached her waist.
The flow of seamless strikes convinced her that a hit would render her incapable of fighting.
‘Waiting.’
Until victory was certain.
The opponent’s knee dug into Tube Rose’s waist, breaking her ribs.
It happened in such a short time, she couldn’t even register the pain.
-Crack! Crunch!
As the knee dug deeper, shattered bones pierced her lungs and organs.
With her eyes wide open, Tube Rose gritted her teeth and waited for the right moment.
Pride.
And tenacity.
Finally, when she noticed a hint of carelessness on her opponent’s face, she made her move.
The sharp needle targeted Lee Shiheon’s thigh.
Just a little. Even a single drop.
If so… they could both perish.
-Swoosh!
At that moment, Tube Rose’s body spun through the air.
She saw the sky before her eyes.
‘…He reacted to that?’
Blood spurted from her mouth. When she turned her head to look at the ground, it was the cement, not Lee Shiheon, that was right before her nose.
-Thud!
Collapsed on the road, Tube Rose groaned in pain.
When she propped herself up and looked up, Lee Shiheon’s face was right in front of her.
He didn’t say a word, just stared at her.
As if she were a mere weed.
Simply clearing the countless weeds along the roadside.
“Ugh…ugh, cough,”
Fast and strong.
No hesitation in his actions, never letting his guard down.
The broken syringe leaked its contents onto her bosom.
“…Ugh.”
The pungent smell of blood filled her mouth, making her grimace.
Right. A life-and-death struggle.
How long had it been since she last experienced this?
Drawing on white magic, Tube Rose gritted her teeth.
Lee Shiheon, sensing her shift, stepped back.
[Blooming]
A manifestation of her true power, entirely different from her wooden puppet form.
A Flower that had achieved blooming possessed powers akin to the World Tree.
Wrapped in white magic, Tube Rose quickly closed the distance to Lee Shiheon.
Her speed had significantly increased, making his eyes narrow.
-Bang!
One blow.
Watching Lee Shiheon’s silhouette being pushed back, Tube Rose relaxed her body.
-Crack, crunch.
The world was seen through her yellow-tinted pupils.
Moonflower bloomed beneath her feet, petals falling under Tube Rose’s legs.
Though it wasn’t under moonlight, its brilliance was enough to shine even in daylight.
A beautiful fragrance. Dangerous pleasure.
Her very name, Tube Rose.
Sensual magic flowed from her body like smoke.
‘A power utterly useless in battle.’
A body that emitted narcotics. The potency of the addictive substances doubled when she achieved blooming.
When intoxicated by the drug, her magic power rose… elevating her potential itself.
Tube Rose could easily control that degree.
Including for herself.
-Veined.
Veins stood out on her forehead and neck.
Feeling the drug her body produced without expelling it.
Her muscles gradually expanded. Dark energy enveloped the dagger she held.
This time, a fierce aura emanated from Tube Rose.
“My turn.”
In her agitated, rationally lost state, Tube Rose’s handsome face was heavily distorted.
The two clashed as she leaped off the ground.
Dagger and fist grazed each other.
-Crack!
Lee Shiheon’s shoulder was pierced through.
Tube Rose’s eyes gleamed with joy.
【‘World Tree of Purity’ urges you.】
Don’t rush.
He was in a hurry as it was.
While fighting, he sensed that his opponent had a hidden card.
‘Subordinate.’
At that level, she had this much power.
Using Black Path, winning wasn’t impossible, but the issue was that Black Path’s performance had excessively increased.
Cheonma’s Divine Art.
The eighth secret technique learned from the past.
Applying it to Black Path placed a significant strain on his body just by using it.
…Frequent use rapidly shortened his lifespan.
His body couldn’t withstand the overflowing magical power.
‘That old man said someday I would be able to use it without risk, but.’
Now wasn’t that time, and using it was difficult.
With many watching, identifying the user of the Cheonma Divine Art was easy.
The previous Black Path was just a minor enhancement, but the fully awakened potential of Black Path was a final, desperate card.
Yes… like that bastard over there.
-Crack.
Tube Rose, as if she fancied herself the moon, radiated light all over her body, dropping petals beneath her feet.
The air was filled with an unbearable, overwhelming smell.
Blooming.
The tree petrified, and the flower bloomed.
It’s ridiculous.
In contrast, humans had no such talent, which was also somewhat sad.
-Crunch.
As his pierced shoulder regenerated, he could finally move his arm.
His clothes were naturally restored by magic.
“……You.”
Tube Rose frowned at the sight of my healed shoulder.
Did she feel some sense of dissonance?
Before long, a smile appeared on her lips.
“Ah. I understand. I’ve heard of someone like you.”
“What are you talking about?”
She chuckled, her laughter mixed with pain.
Her body, seemingly drunk, expanded once more.
Tube Rose looked at me with a long, drawn-out smile.
“……Do I have the obligation to tell you?”
She clenched her fists and took a stance.
A massive wave of magic surged towards me.
“I don’t know how long you’ll be standing there-”
The massive figure approached.
“-but you better wash your neck and wait.”
Her enlarged fist came towards me.
It wasn’t the dagger this time.
Should I tilt my head to avoid it? It wasn’t fast enough for that.
I narrowed my eyes and gathered strength in one hand.
‘…If I make a mistake, I might miss.’
So, before that, a definite blow.
I compressed the magic I had created.
Checking the surroundings to ensure no one was around.
Even the CCTV and other machines had stopped.
“Five.”
I initiated the first technique.
Tube Rose’s fist was right in front of my nose.
The fifth.
The flattened form… Kangboksa.
A thinly sliced circular blade. A mass of magic, buzzing like a bee, was held in my palm, and I delivered a strike.
-Swish!
Blood splattered in a straight line along her fist.
Gradually moving forward.
It cut through her fist as if slicing through it, then vertically cleaved her arm in two.
“…!”
Tube Rose’s face showed bewilderment.
She was too late to pull back, making it easy.
Previously, her calmness had been something to guard against. But in this excited state, she was easier to deal with.
I immediately placed my palm on her heart.
“One.”
Baekdo.
It impacted with the massive body of Tube Rose. From her back, a white streak of magic shot out.
-Boom!
An attack distinctly different from before.
Not too wide, with minimal unnecessary radiating magic.
Magic concentrated solely on one point.
Tube Rose’s skin was cut like a sculpture, falling like petals.
“……Damn.”
Even in her dying moments, she looked at me without any regret.
Her mouth opened briefly, then formed a smile.
At this point, it was madness.
Kneeling, Tube Rose had become much smaller.
“Keh-heh.”
But she kept smiling.
“……I’m dying.”
It was more of a tone of being freed from a shackle than filled with regret.
“You will suffer forever.”
“…Do you know me?”
“I’ve heard a similar story… You and-”
Silence. Her words cut off.
Tube Rose vanished as if she never existed. Only a single flower remained on the blood puddle where she had been.
I picked it up and observed.
▶Tube Rose(?)
[Category: Consumable]
‘A short love of two years. Memories under the moonlight.’
As I focused my consciousness, a strange memory flowed into my mind.
A white-haired woman was being mercilessly killed right before my eyes.
It wasn’t mine.
Probably hers.
I stopped watching the memory and crushed the flower underfoot.
-Crunch!
The petals were ground into the asphalt of the road.
Justifying actions based on past experiences doesn’t hold.
She knew that too, which is why she didn’t beg for her life.
I had no intention of dwelling on painful memories.
The vanished petals.
Even so, my body seemed to have absorbed their essence.
【With the power of the petals, your postnatal stats increase by 0.4 each.】
It granted me exceptionally generous stats.
Rather than the power of the World Tree, it seemed to be the power of the Tree Spirit King’s vessel.
When I killed other Flowers, it wasn’t like this, but the executives seemed different.
“Phew.”
Having finished my work, I put my hood back on and looked up at the sky.
The unnecessarily bright sun shone brightly on the half-destroyed road.
For some reason, it seemed like I could see the moon from there.
A time when the sun and moon rose together. Sometimes it happened like this.
‘Ah, but…’
My daughter….
I couldn’t see her performance after all.
A bitter sigh escaped my lips.
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