Chapter 67: Suzerain (3)
Chapter 67: Suzerain (3)
TL/Editor: looloo
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The Suzerain is a unique existence, one who stands alone.
Thus, many believe he possesses no faction.
But that's merely a facade.
Even if he's a transcendental being, it's impossible to lack a faction entirely.
There are those who admire him, forming groups in his name even if he despises it.
And the Suzerain has acknowledged their usefulness.
Though he can crush anything on his own, he can't do everything.
That's why he has followers working behind the scenes.
'It's unlikely any of his followers would dare set foot here.'
Most of his followers stay on the fringes.
They are so devoted to the Suzerain's power that they believe they've grown stronger from the periphery.
'In that case...'
If these followers know something about the Suzerain, then the person who provided the information would be from a hidden power, one scarcely known in this world.
Allies.
Monsters that deemed they can 'deal' with the entity known as the Suzerain.
And the most influential among his allies is the Electronic Witch, known as the 'invisible eye'.
A witch who forsook her physical form in the real world to roam the seas of electronics.
'Did she send them, knowing the truth?'
Thinking about it, there was a sign that only the Electronic Witch would know. I never expected them to pull the Suzerain card so quickly.
"Did you seduce my daughter?"
"Are you dating Kim Ara?"
"No."
I shook my head in denial in response to The Sorcerer of Heavenly Vision's question.
"I see."
Eyes, the color of lightning-charged purple, stared at me. Eyes capable of distinguishing truth from lies.
The Suzerain probably realized that I wasn't dating Kim Ara.
"Hmm... Or is it the other way around? Kim Ara has taken a liking to Mr. Lee Seoha..."
The Sorcerer of Heavenly Vision teased with a playful smile.
Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming pressure. The Suzerain glared at me as if he was ready to kill.
"To me, Ara is..."
"Ara?"
The Suzerain squinted at me, slightly tilting his head.
"...Kim Ara is my comrade."
"You're saying my daughter lacks charm?"
"No, actually Ara fits quite well with my... taste."
"So, you've been trying to woo my daughter."
A murderous aura emanated from the Suzerain's eyes.
What exactly does he want me to say?
"Suzerain, have you forgotten your manners with our guest?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Lee Seoha is my student."
"Yes, I might have teased him, but don't intimidate him too much."
"..."
The Suzerain shifted his gaze between Seo Yebin and The Sorcerer of Heavenly Vision.
"Do both of you favor this young man?"
"He's quite an interesting student who's come after a long while."
"He possesses a rather unique power."
"So you two are interested in him?"
The Suzerain turned his attention back to me.
Those unique purple eyes, reminiscent of lightning, assessed me.
"..."
"How do you see him? Does your intuition tell you anything?"
"It's odd. There's something wrong. He's definitely here, but..."
Seo Yebin's eyebrows twitched.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to him so rudely."
"...?"
The Suzerain glanced at Seo Yebin, his eyes reflecting his confusion.
"So that's how it is... It's not my place to say, but consider your age. It's quite thoughtless."
"Really, it's not for you to say. You, who married a 15-year-old girl."
The Suzerain and Seo Yebin locked into a tense standoff.
"But the matter you mentioned earlier..."
"You seem more unflappable than I thought. Most tremble when those two engage in such a nerve-wracking confrontation."
The Sorcerer of Heavenly Vision chuckled lightly.
"Are you suggesting to take me as a disciple again?"
"So, would you accept?"
"I already have a master, so it would be difficult."
"Hmm, a master superior to me?"
The Sorcerer of Heavenly Vision made a subtle expression.
"I merely wanted to study your power. I'd offer a fair compensation. Besides, you two, how about ending your standoff? The students will arrive soon."
"...Right."
Seo Yebin sighed deeply.
The door behind them creaked open, revealing a group of students.
"...Papa?"
Kim Ara raised an eyebrow and questioned.
The Suzerain flinched.
"That man..."
"Wait a minute. Is that really Kim Ara's father?"
Everyone seemed to recognize the Suzerain, and their faces registered shock.
It's not surprising. The Suzerain's reputation is such that he could change the balance of power in the world. His formidable presence was something that those aspiring to be heroes could not ignore. He was among the top of the transcendent beings in the world.
"But Ara, you call your father 'Papa'?"
"...Because Papa told me to."
At Kim Seohyun's statement, Kim Ara blushed and responded.
"Are you the one?"
The Suzerain fixed his gaze on Kim Seohyun.
"Though you don't have the physique of that guy, you have an impressive build. You've fully inherited the Thousand-Year Martial Art, haven't you? And on top of that, you've acquired various magical abilities."
"Ah, are you referring to Seoha? Seoha does have an impeccably constructed body. He looks like a masterpiece crafted by a god, and his physique seems as though it's been tailored by a martial arts master."
Kim Seohyun replied with a grin.
It was a non-sequitur.
They were talking about different things.
Kim Seohyun probably didn't want to discuss the Thousand-Year Martial Art.
More precisely, he didn't want to mention a particular issue related to its origin here.
"Indeed, he's valuable. The Sorcerer of Heavenly Vision would treasure him. Even if he went against that guy in the heavens, he wouldn't lose."
"...Is that guy really that powerful?"
At Kim Seohyun's question, the Suzerain chuckled lightly.
Perhaps it was because the Suzerain didn't directly answer his question.
After gazing at him for a moment, the Suzerain's eyes shifted to Kim Ara.
"So you've awakened your bloodline too."
"Seoha helped me."
Crack.
The ground beneath the Suzerain's feet cracked open.
"Seoha. Is he that guy?"
"It's not 'that guy.' It's just Seoha."
Kim Ara responded calmly.
I signaled to Kim Ara with my eyes, hinting that it might be good if she toned it down.
"You two, don't make eye contact in front of me."
With eyes filled with murderous intent, the Suzerain glared at me.
It seemed I might have touched a nerve.
"Could they possibly be dating right now?"
As soon as the Suzerain finished speaking, all eyes turned our way.
"No, that's not the case."
"That's right."
Ersil quickly refuted, and Kim Seohyun chimed in right after.
"I see."
The Suzerain nodded, seemingly convinced by their responses.
Kim Ara shot a quiet glare at him.
---
Raei Translations
---
At dusk.
I sat in the training ground, lost in meditation.
It was for the refinement of the Black Divine Martial Art.
[When the sun sets, the moon rises, and when the moon sets, the sun rises. Everything flows according to natural order. But the Body Against Heaven defies all norms.]
Such is the essence of the Black Divine Martial Art.
Beside me, the Heavenly Demon murmured its tenets. I breathed in rhythm with its chant.
[Every being is born with a blessing. Yet under the heavens, only I was born cursed. If that's the will of the heavens, then I defy that providence, desiring to go against it. Hence, under these skies, only I will reign supreme.]
My body started to activate.
Every single muscle was tuned to its utmost, made more resilient.
I controlled the flow of blood, strengthening my organs.
'What is martial arts? In the end, it's a discipline to protect oneself by eliminating an opponent. If you can take an adversary's life, theres no need for pointless struggles. Therefore, I've intensely studied the body and the eyes.'
Every bone joint was threaded with the Body Against Heaven's strength, granting them elasticity. The Demonic Qi permeated throughout my body.
'Humans, due to their frail bodies, fall asleep. A moment of slumber halts progress. Hence, even in sleep, I designed my consciousness to mold the Black Essence to form my physique.'
Above all, it strengthens the formidable physique. That's the foundation of the Black Divine Martial Art.
The Black Essence absorbed the all-pervading energy of defiance from every part of my body. Then, it expelled it throughout.
With each cycle, my body grew a bit stronger.
'My fate cannot be decided by the heavens. I've determined it. Thus, I break all the chains that suppress me. That's why I call this the Black Divine Martial Art.'
Though it's termed as a martial art mantra, it's no different from a diary of one's resolve.
I pushed the Black Essence back inside the Body Against Heaven.
Body Against Heaven, like a machine, remembered the movements I made earlier and replicated them with the Black Essence.
Training like this, I realize.
The Tianma was indeed a monster. How did it even create such a thing?
[Did it work?]
Yeah, it was helpful.
I responded to the Heavenly Demon, stretching my body, which felt surprisingly lively.
'I guess I can lift about 500kg now.'
It's unbelievable.
Not long ago, I could already bench press 300kg, but I can feel my physique continuously strengthening.
"It's an absurd martial art. I've never heard of one that wraps the body in mana and self-regulates its energy."
A heavy voice spoke, as if tossing the words. The Suzerain had suddenly appeared before me.
...Were you watching?
"Even if I tried not to, I would've. Your mana seemed to consume everything around."
The Suzerain stared at me for a moment.
"Do you have any intention of becoming my disciple?"
It was quite a shocking proposal.
---
Raei Translations
---
Heaven.
A place once referred to as the Celestial Empire.
And when the boundaries of the world collapsed, merging dimensions, it benefited the most.
Because the Temple of the Hundred Gods descended there.
Entities of diverse powers, omnipotent within their own domains, manifested there.
A realm where a hundred gods reside.
Thus, it was aptly called Heaven.
Their powers varied, and each entity's principles were, in their specific realms, essentially omnipotent.
A hundred such beings existed.
It was fitting to call it Heaven.
"Hmm."
And in that place, there was an academy. An academy where divine teachings were imparted, where divinity was awakened.
It was the Divine Academy, symbolizing Heaven.
An entity looked over a document.
Lee Seoha
"Six stars."
He had an adversary, a boy known to have been taught magic by the Thousand Magicians, a boy who first absorbed the fallen Thousand-Year Martial Art of China.
The stars written on the document signified potential or danger.
And this entity, considering himself the boy's adversary, had been rated with five stars.
These were beings regarded as the most radiant.
'Has there ever been such a case?'
Emperor, the Sorcerer of Heavenly Vision, Suzerain, and the Thousand Magicians.
All of them, assessed by the Temple of the Hundred Gods, had five stars.
This meant they hadn't truly recognized the boy described in the document.
The entity continued to read.
With every line, his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
-A boy enrolled in Korea Hero Academy.
-His past is unknown. No means reveal his history. (Even future vision is ineffective.) As if he appeared out of thin air.
-He wields a dark power. It goes against the world's principles and order, yet it's not an extraterrestrial force.
-The Heavenly Demon stated it vehemently denies it being an alien force. If further elaborated, it can be called Demonic Qi, or mana of negation.
-His growth rate is incredibly steep. None in history, be it heroes or transcendents, can match his rate of growth. Hence, he has six stars.
-Potential: Immeasurable.
-If he doesn't die in some accident in the future, he's guaranteed to become a transcendent.
-The conclusion of the Temple of the Hundred Gods' meeting: He must be persuaded to join Heaven by any means necessary. Any form of hostility is forbidden.
-The verdict of the executive branch: Absolute persuasion. Any form of hostility is prohibited. If one becomes hostile towards Lee Seoha, they will be removed by any means necessary.
-There are rumors that he has a connection with the entity Veritas that marks a turning point in the study of alchemy.
"The exchange event is scheduled for the second semester, wasn't it?"
After reading the document, the entity rose from his seat. An existence surpassing even his rival. It piqued his interest.
It was a first.
"This upcoming exchange event might just break apart."
Such excitement.
The entity turned and exited the room.
enjoy! :)
no way seoha became a 6 star gacha character kind of sounds like the name of a light novel
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