Free Web NovelChapter 353: The Masked Woman [1]
The situation was spiraling out of control.
Ryan and Leo were holding her back, but only barely.
No matter how talented they were, the gap was simply too large.
Every exchange made that painfully obvious.
Leo’s spear techniques, which could overwhelm most elite warriors, were being brushed aside with casual movements.
Ryan’s holy sword strikes, powerful enough to cleave through powerful monsters, couldn’t even force her to take a proper step back.
The masked woman wasn’t fighting seriously.
That was the frightening part.
She was merely dealing with them.
As if entertaining children. freёwebnovel.com
Another explosion erupted.
BOOOM!
Ryan skidded across the floor, his boots carving deep trenches into the stone.
At the same time, Leo was forced to retreat after his spear was nearly ripped from his hands.
The masked woman stood calmly between them.
Untouched.
Unmoved.
Uninterested.
The pressure she radiated felt less like a person and more like a natural disaster.
A mountain.
A storm.
Something that couldn’t be challenged through ordinary means.
I clicked my tongue.
I couldn’t attack her directly.
Not because I lacked the will.
Because I knew.
The moment I entered that fight, I’d only get in the way.
My body had become stronger.
My abilities had grown.
But compared to that monster...
I was still lacking.
However—
I knew someone who could do it.
My gaze shifted toward Ryan.
The protagonist.
The person who was always supposed to stand against impossible odds.
The one who turned miracles into reality.
Of course, right now...
Even he wasn’t her match.
Not yet.
But that didn’t matter.
Because I had something the original story never accounted for.
"Hey, Ryan."
"Huh...?"
Ryan turned his head while blocking another incoming strike.
His expression looked confused.
I smiled.
The moment our eyes met, I activated it.
Primal Qi surged through my body.
Unlike the first time I had used it on him, my vision didn’t darken.
My legs didn’t buckle.
I didn’t feel like I was about to collapse.
Instead—
The energy flowed smoothly.
Naturally.
As though my body had finally accepted it.
A brilliant light gathered in my hand.
Pure white.
Yet carrying traces of gold and silver within it.
The surrounding air distorted.
The floor beneath my feet cracked.
Life force.
An absurd amount of life force.
Enough to shorten a normal person’s lifespan significantly.
Enough to make anyone hesitate.
Yet I didn’t stop.
The light continued to grow brighter.
Ryan’s eyes widened.
"...What are you doing?"
I grinned.
"So, show us some cool moves once in a while."
The protagonist.
For a brief moment, the battlefield became silent.
Then—
I placed my hand on Ryan’s shoulder.
FLASH!
A pillar of light erupted toward the ceiling.
BOOOOOOM—!
The entire underground chamber shook violently.
Ryan’s body froze.
Holy power exploded from him uncontrollably.
Golden flames.
Silver lightning.
Divine energy.
Everything erupted simultaneously.
His sword began humming.
No—
Screaming.
As if it had finally found its rightful master.
The holy sword released a dazzling radiance that illuminated every corner of the chamber.
Even Leo instinctively stepped back.
The masked woman stopped moving.
For the first time.
She stopped.
The omnipotent enhancement flowed into Ryan completely.
A supernatural power beyond ordinary blessings.
Beyond ordinary miracles.
Something that temporarily ignored common sense itself.
Ryan slowly looked at his own hands.
His pupils trembled.
"...What the hell..."
Crack.
The floor beneath him shattered.
Without moving.
Without swinging.
Without doing anything.
Pure excess power leaked from his body.
The masked woman tilted her head.
For the first time, genuine curiosity appeared in her voice.
[...Interesting.]
Ryan raised his sword.
The weapon’s light became so intense that it hurt to look at.
The air around the blade distorted.
Space itself seemed to bend.
"Is this... your doing?" Ryan asked quietly.
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"I’ve got no clue either."
Ryan let out a short laugh.
Despite the absurd situation.
Despite facing an enemy who could kill everyone present.
He laughed.
Because for the first time since the battle started—
He felt like he could actually win.
The masked woman lowered the leader of the Twelve Signs onto the ground.
Then she took a proper stance.
Not a casual one.
Not a relaxed one.
A real combat stance.
The room immediately grew heavier.
Leo’s expression hardened.
Even I felt chills.
Because we all understood what that meant.
She finally acknowledged Ryan as a threat.
[Very well.]
The masked woman slowly raised her fist.
The pressure radiating from her body multiplied several times over.
Stone walls cracked.
The ceiling groaned.
The entire underground complex trembled.
[Show me.]
Ryan smiled.
A confident smile worthy of the protagonist.
Then he pointed the holy sword toward her.
"You asked for it."
The next instant—
Both figures vanished.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!
The collision that followed split the battlefield in half.
---
His body felt unbelievably light.
Every movement flowed naturally, without resistance.
The world around Ryan seemed sharper than before, as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes.
For the first time, he could clearly see it.
The path.
The optimal path.
The sword in his hand moved effortlessly, yet every swing contained a principle he had struggled his entire life to grasp. Holy power surged through the blade, amplifying the phenomenon even further. The sword light radiating from it no longer felt like an extension of his weapon—it felt like an extension of his will.
The battlefield unfolded before him with perfect clarity.
Distances.
Openings.
Weak points.
Everything connected together.
And instinctively, his body responded.
The masked woman watched him quietly.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, she smiled.
Not mockingly.
Not arrogantly.
Genuinely.
As if she were watching a child take his first successful steps.
[I knew you were talented.]
Her voice remained calm.
[But adapting to a state beyond the wall in a single moment...]
A faint note of admiration entered her tone.
[That is exceptional.]
Ryan narrowed his eyes.
The praise only made him more cautious. freewēbnoveℓ.com
The masked woman continued as if speaking to herself.
[Transcending the wall and mastering what lies beyond it are entirely different things.]
Her gaze lingered on him.
[Most spend decades struggling after reaching this point.]
Then she tilted her head slightly.
[Though perhaps touching that realm beforehand isn’t so bad. It is a place you’ll eventually reach regardless.]
The instant she finished speaking—
Ryan moved.
BOOM!
The floor beneath him shattered.
Every ounce of strength he could control gathered into a single strike.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
Everything condensed into one decisive slash.
The sword descended.
The air screamed.
Yet—
The masked woman moved calmly.
Ryan’s sword was direct.
Linear.
Absolute.
Her movement was the opposite.
Circular.
Gentle.
Almost graceful.
Her hand traced a small arc.
CLANG!
The overwhelming force behind Ryan’s attack vanished.
Not blocked.
Redirected.
The slash that could have split a building was guided harmlessly away from its target.
Ryan’s eyes widened.
For a brief moment, realization struck him.
The difference.
The enormous, undeniable difference.
Even now—
Even after breaking through the wall that separated ordinary fighters from true monsters—
He wasn’t close to her level.
Not even remotely.
One exchange was enough to understand that.
The talented boy who stood among the greatest prodigies of his generation had just been shown the gap between talent and experience.
Between reaching a realm...
And ruling it.
"Hmph...!"
Ryan gritted his teeth.
The realization stung.
But it didn’t shake his resolve.
If anything—
It ignited it.
The masked woman seemed pleased.
[Good.]
Another smile appeared beneath her mask.
[Yes. Very good.]
Her voice carried a strange warmth.
[A child who possesses such conviction is valuable in itself.]
Ryan immediately felt irritated.
"Stop talking like you’re some ancient grandmother."
The masked woman chuckled.
[I am considerably older than you.]
"That wasn’t a compliment."
Their exchange lasted only a second.
Then another voice interrupted.
"Are you sure you can afford to focus entirely on him?"
The masked woman paused.
For the first time during the battle—
She looked surprised.
She turned.
Leo stood several dozen meters away.
Golden lightning crackled violently around his body.
The spear in his hand had vanished.
No.
It had transformed.
Pure lightning condensed into the shape of a spear above his palm.
The surrounding air distorted from the overwhelming energy.
The masked woman observed the scene with interest.
[Oh?]
Leo lowered his stance.
The lightning gathered faster.
Brighter.
More concentrated.
His muscles tightened.
His breathing slowed.
Then—
He pulled his arm back.
Like a hunter preparing to throw a javelin.
Lightning Dragon Spear.
The ultimate technique of his current arsenal.
Even Ryan instinctively stepped aside.
He knew how dangerous that attack was.
The masked woman remained still.
Not because she couldn’t react.
Because she wasn’t worried.
The attack possessed terrifying power.
Its speed bordered on absurd.
Its accuracy was nearly flawless.
But for someone like her—
An attack only mattered if it landed.
And dodging lightning wasn’t particularly difficult.
At least not for her.
Still, genuine surprise flickered across her expression.
Not because of the technique itself.
But because of the one using it.
Her gaze shifted between Leo and Ryan.
The difference between the two boys now and the boys she had observed earlier was astonishing.
Before the revival, they had been talented.
Now—
They were evolving in real time.
Growing stronger with every second.
Faster.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
The masked woman’s eyes narrowed slightly behind the mask.
For the first time since arriving—
She looked intrigued.
[Interesting.]
The lightning around Leo exploded outward.
The chamber turned gold.
And then—
He threw.
