Side Story 36
CRASH!
The thick wooden wall broke, and Asura was sent flying.
He staggered and got up, only to fall again.
Through the broken wall, YuWon stumbled out.
"You got me this time," YuWon said, wiping a drop of blood from his forehead and looking at Asura.
"You're persistently disgustingly persistent."
Was this the eleventh or twelfth time?
Asura was gradually adapting to fighting YuWon.
The time it took to subdue him lengthened each time, and this time, Asura had even managed to make a small cut.
The same had happened with Vishnu.
The hundredth time he fought against Vishnu was the toughest.
"What a mess," Lee Rangjin said as he approached YuWon.
"Why do you keep fighting?"
"That's what I'm wondering."
"It seems like Asura is the one who keeps attacking. Isn't this self-defense?"
"Why not kill him? Is that what you're asking?"
"Yes."
Asura doesn't have a Guild. In other words, there's no need to worry about retaliation if you kill him.
However, YuWon kept letting Asura live even though he constantly attacked him.
Even though, if things continued like this, he might end up getting hurt.
"If you keep it up, he might regain his sanity."
"It seems like he's hurt too."
"It seems like he's only using swords."
Asura had attacked YuWon with a variety of weapons.
First a sword, then a spear, then a vajra and a short spear, and even a bow.
YuWon responded to Asura, a Martial Arts Master, with the fencing he had taught him.
The difference was considerable.
In the future, YuWon had a higher rank than Asura, and now he was even stronger than back then.
"Still, don't fight so much here. Repairing the building is not an easy task."
"I was already thinking of leaving soon."
He couldn't stay here forever.
Pandora's wounds had already healed, and the Celestial Realm had finished cleaning up the mess.
His next destination was also decided.
Son OhGong had already grown bored and left the Celestial Realm.
Now it was YuWon's turn to start moving.
But before that...
"By the way."
"Yes?"
"Do you remember someone named Kim YuWon?"
"That's the fourth time you've asked that."
YuWon had asked this question right after finishing his battle with the Administrators.
As expected, Lee Rangjin's answer was that he didn't know.
But still, he had hope.
Maybe if he asked a few more times, if he thought about it carefully, he might remember.
But unfortunately...
"As much as I think about it, no one comes to mind. It's strange, but the name sounds familiar."
"...Really?"
The reason he had spent so much time here was to see this reaction.
To see if he really would remember.
'Like Son OhGong or Hercules, whom I've seen for a long time. Or like Varuna or Hastur, whom I've cornered to the point of death...'
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't remember him. The fact that he had confirmed it already made these last few days worthwhile.
'So, what should I do...'
YuWon's gaze turned to Asura, lying on the ground.
'I should... tell this guy too.'
------------------------
"We can't win like this."
The voice echoed in Asura's mind.
It was a voice like his own.
Alongside the owner of that voice, Asura reviewed the battle against YuWon in the depths of his consciousness.
"The opponent is too strong."
"We've already lost eleven times."
"No, twelve."
"Does that matter?"
"Since when have we gotten so used to defeat?"
The two fought within Asura's mind.
Then, gradually, Asura, regaining consciousness, interjected into the conversation.
"The important thing is not that."
"Then what?"
"That guy knows us."
Asura remembered the battle against YuWon.
At first, it ended so quickly that he didn't even remember what happened.
Asura, exhausted from the battle against Taishang Laojun, was defeated by YuWon in an instant.
The next times were similar.
YuWon seemed to know Asura's fighting style.
"Certainly, the sword that guy uses is similar to ours."
"No, it's on a higher level."
"It's more perfected than our sword techniques. We also need to change."
The three conversed like this every day.
How could they become stronger?
What were they lacking? What did they need to do to win?
Through that whole process, they became "The Asura."
"There's something more important."
And another thing...
There was something they had to address without fail.
"That guy hasn't shown everything he has yet."
"-True."
"We have to admit it."
Asura felt a wall in the battle against YuWon.
At first, he thought he could overcome it. He swore to himself that he would overcome it, no matter what. However, as he approached that wall, it became larger and thicker.
"So what? Are we going to give up?"
"No way."
"We also know 'ourselves.' It's a strange question."
As expected, Asura didn't give up. If he gave up so easily, he would have given up revenge from the beginning.
He felt the real wall at that moment.
"So what are we going to do?"
"It's an obvious question."
Asura's answer was evident.
"We have to make him give it his all next time."
------------------
Asura opened his eyes.
The clear sky and brisk wind brushed against his nose.
It wasn't the first time he woke up after fainting like this.
Asura got up and looked around.
This time, he wasn't in a Celestial Realm room.
"A carriage?"
The Sun Chariot.
It was a frequently used means of transportation to ascend and descend from the Tower.
The replica version of the Sun Chariot project was known to have significantly contributed to the expansion of Olympus ships.
"Did you wake up already?"
"Yes."
Asura turned his head at the voice coming from his side.
YuWon and Pandora.
The two looked down at him from the railing.
"Are you going to try again?"
Click.
YuWon asked while grabbing the sword handle beside him.
Asura hesitated for a moment and touched the sword at his waist.
Asura's eyes, shining with fierceness, moved quickly. Suppressing his killing aura and battle impulse, he replied:
"I have no intention of fighting on a chariot."
"You're right. Space is a bit limited."
"Seems like you have a lot of money."
"Why do you say that?"
"There's no one else here but you two. You must have rented the entire Sun Chariot."
He withdrew his hand from the sword and, for the first time, felt curious.
Who are you?
Who the hell is this guy?
He had the strength to effortlessly suppress him and the wealth to rent a whole Sun Chariot without a problem.
Why hadn't someone like this been known until now?
Even an ignorant Asura like him couldn't help but feel something was off.
"You're quick to ask that question."
"Is it too late?"
"Everyone has asked it at least once."
YuWon stared at him.
It was the first time Asura, waking up, remained so calm after seeing him.
Twelve times.
That was the number of times Asura had been defeated by YuWon.
"This is the twelfth time."
After Asura woke up, YuWon stood up and headed to the Sun Chariot's room.
"Do you know what will happen the hundredth time?"
"What will happen?"
"I'll tell you if you win at least once before that."
Paff-.
Veins on Asura's forehead swelled. His eyes lit up again with furious red at the provoking words.
"Do you really plan on doing it properly?"
"Who knows."
YuWon shrugged and turned inside the Sun Chariot.
He had been waiting in case Asura woke up and stirred up the Sun Chariot.
If he was going to rest, it was much better to do it in the inner room than on the windy railing.
And so, just after YuWon and Pandora left the place.
『It seems I've found a way.』
A voice echoed in Asura's head.
-------------------
'It's strange.'
In a small room inside the Sun Chariot.
YuWon, lying with his head on the floor, reflected on his conversation with Asura.
It had been a short conversation, but it had a strange feeling.
It was as if he had been talking to several people instead of one.
'There's only one Asura left. It should definitely be like that...'
Asura had lost a head in the battle against Indra.
And another in the battle against the Outers.
That way, only one of the three Asuras survived.
It should have been like that.
However...
'Is he missing a screw?'
Asura definitely acted like three people.
It made him uneasy.
Of course, Asura had always been far from normal.
After losing everyone he loved, even his family, at the hands of Indra, he became obsessed with fighting and blood.
But now, he had become even more unhinged.
Kunk-.
At that moment, the sound of the Sun Chariot touching ground was heard.
A two-day journey.
YuWon lifted the upper part of his body from where he lay.
'Looks like we've arrived.'
He sat without fully getting up and looked around.
Pandora had definitely gone out to get some fresh air on the railing.
Wondering why she hadn't returned after a while...
'Don't tell me.'
With an idea in mind, YuWon abruptly stood up from his seat.
--------------
Swoosh-!
The new form of Asura ran through the trees.
Right after the Sun Chariot landed.
Asura grabbed Pandora, who was standing on the railing taking in the air, and started running with all his might.
Pandora hung from one of Asura's arms, looking up at him as she asked:
"Where are we going?"
"Anywhere."
"Why?"
"To provoke the guy who was next to you."
Pandora blinked several times at Asura's answer and asked:
"With me?"
"Yes, with you."
"To kill me?"
"I don't kill anyone unless they fight me."
Asura was a fanatic for fighting, but that didn't mean he killed anyone. He often enjoyed fighting opponents who piqued his curiosity or were strong.
And right now...
All of Asura's attention was focused on YuWon.
"Of course, if you resist, I might kill you."
"Why me?"
"It seems like the only thing that guy cares about is you."
"The only thing he cares about..."
Pandora, hanging from Asura's hand, smiled weakly. She liked hearing that she was the only thing YuWon cared about.
"Alright, I'll do it."
"You will?"
"Yes, I will."
"Are you saying you'll pretend to be a hostage?"
Although it was strange, from Asura's perspective, it wasn't a bad attitude.
After all, even Asura had taken some time to subdue Pandora.
If she decided to resist, it would be easy for YuWon to catch up with them.
'Not bad to have a hostage. While his only weakness is here, this time he will get angry.'
Anger.
That was the perfect seasoning to bring out YuWon's true self.
This time, he could really see his true self.
And then, with his sword, he would cut YuWon's throat.
At the moment Asura decided.
"It will be fun..."
The "hostage" in question, Pandora, had a cheerful expression, as if she were about to play a game.
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Tags:
LWTG (Novel)