Chapter 219: Match (3)
Kwaaaa—!
A massive surge of water swept across the ground, carrying sand, soil, and even trees along with it.
Hearing Yerim’s declaration, the Amaterasu Guild Leader quickly issued an additional evacuation order. All houses along the coastline were cleared out, and the guild promised full compensation for any damages. That was surprisingly responsible of them. I had thought they might just call off the match at this point.
‘Then again, an S-Class combat Hunter wouldn’t want to miss a fight like this, even if it was their own ally.’
Unless Kakuto was someone he deeply cared about. But judging from how he was handling this—just issuing evacuations and letting things unfold—it seemed like Kakuto was just another guild member to him. Or maybe he simply believed Kakuto could hold out for an hour.
[Aah, another eruption! More water is shooting up! Hunter Iwahata Kakuto is swiftly evading. His speed is certainly impressive.]
The Japanese commentator was blatantly biased toward Kakuto, his voice filled with concern and regret. Meanwhile, the match was also being broadcast in Korea. I pulled up a live stream on my phone to check.
[A relentless downpour! Hunter Park Yerim continues summoning water pillars! One, two, three—like dragons! Water dragons!]
[Hunter Kakuto is barely visible anymore! This is nature versus humanity—a battle on an overwhelming scale! But no matter how close the ocean is, using this much water must be consuming a lot of mana. Chief Song Taewon, what do you think?]
…Huh? Chief Song Taewon?
The camera panned to reveal Song Taewon sitting there, calm and composed, in contrast to the two excited commentators beside him. Wait, how did he end up there…?
There had been murmurs about bringing him in for commentary during the A-Rank ranking match before, but he had turned it down, saying he needed to stay on standby in case of emergencies. This time, since it was an overseas event, they must have managed to rope him in.
It wasn’t like there were many other S-Class Hunters available for commentary in Korea. Liette and Evelyn were foreigners, Kim Seonghan wasn’t the type to leave his guild just for a broadcast, and Park Mingyu from Hanshin had probably declined.
Still, couldn’t they have just used an A-Class Hunter for this? Dragging out someone who was finally enjoying a peaceful moment felt excessive.
[Steam is rising from the water! Is it… a hot spring?]
[It is! A hot spring has erupted! Presenting—Hunter Park Yerim’s Hot Springs!]
At those words, I lifted my head to take a look, and sure enough, there were clouds of steam rising from the water. Japan was known for its hot springs, but to have one erupt in the middle of a fight… Was this about to become the Park Yerim Hot Springs?
The arena had turned into a massive water-filled crater, while Kakuto was fleeing along the shore. Yerim, in contrast, pursued him at a relaxed but utterly menacing pace.
Aside from Myungwoo and me, only Awakened individuals with A-Class stats or higher remained nearby. Even among them, some had been swept into the sea by the waves, only to struggle back to shore repeatedly.
Despite floating high in the air with the help of Yuhyun’s Blue Willow Leaves, I still got splashed and ended up drenched.
“Here comes another one! Get ready!”
With Yerim’s cheerful warning, another water column shot up. The sheer water pressure was already formidable, but when Kakuto swung his sword to cut through the barrier—
Boom!
The exploding water instantly froze into sharp ice shards.
Hundreds of ice arrows rained down—created by Kakuto’s own forceful attack.
Tssss—
As Kakuto activated Heat of the Volcano at full power, the ice arrows melted, releasing thick steam around him. But no matter how much heat he generated, it was impossible to evaporate the endless supply of water flooding in.
Eventually, as his heat weakened, the towering water wall solidified into ice.
Jagged, deadly spikes formed, then surged toward Kakuto.
“Damn it!”
That was definitely a Chikushou! just now.
Rumble—!
The massive ice barrier crashed forward.
With its sheer size making it impossible to dodge, Kakuto had no choice but to break through.
Focusing his heat, he melted the ice in his path and used his overwhelming S-Class Strength and sword techniques to slice through the thick barrier.
Even as the hunted, an S-Class was still an S-Class.
With a thunderous crash, the ice wall split in half, its shards scattering in dazzling flashes of light.
Just as Kakuto’s figure emerged from between the halves—
“Urgh!”
A towering wave surged in from the ocean.
Like a giant’s hand, it slapped Kakuto across the battlefield.
[An incredible tsunami—!]
Both the Japanese and Korean broadcasts were in an uproar.
[An enormous tidal wave! Look at that height!]
Kuuuuu—
The water surged across the land again, snapping trees and flipping an unfortunate car that had been parked nearby.
Though Kakuto managed to counteract some of the incoming water with a combination of his heat and another skill, it was all he could do to barely keep himself from being completely overwhelmed. He looked utterly pathetic—just barely keeping himself afloat.
“The difference is too vast.”
“Well, it is the ocean.”
Yuhyun responded matter-of-factly.
“If this fight was in the middle of a desert, it would be a different story.”
Right now, Yerim only had to summon water, but in a desert, she would have to create it. That would consume far more mana and provide her with far less water to use.
But here—this was practically an unlimited supply of ammunition.
All she had to do was fire at will.
“We should’ve done this in the middle of summer. What a shame, don’t you think?”
Yerim lifted her spear, grinning as if she was actually disappointed. The viewers would’ve loved a refreshing ice show, she seemed to be thinking.
Magos’s Shawl fluttered dramatically, and her earrings jingled. Around her, massive water currents surged up—about ten in total—writhing like the heads of a hydra as they coiled protectively around her.
[Yamata no Orochi! It looks just like Yamata no Orochi!]
…What now?
Enormous water streams, as thick as five utility poles bundled together, shot toward Kakuto like spears.
Then—
Crack!
They instantly froze into enormous ice lances and crashed down. Boom! Boom! Boom! Each strike shattered the ground, one after another.
Faced with the unrelenting barrage, Kakuto didn’t even attempt to block. He could only dodge desperately.
There was simply too much water to melt with heat alone. There were too many ice spears to destroy with a sword. Unless he had defenses strong enough to withstand them or a large-scale attack to clear them all at once, running was his only option.
The Japanese broadcasters sighed in frustration while the Korean commentators cheered excitedly.
[Park Yerim! Park Yerim! Paaaark Yeriiim!!]
Their voices were going hoarse. I should’ve brought a banner to wave too.
The general spectators, whenever they were shown on-screen, were already in full festival mode—beating drums, clashing cymbals, completely losing it.
“How much time has passed?”
Yerim had given a one-hour limit. Since I didn’t have a watch, I had to check my phone for the time.
Wait… it still hasn’t rung. Did they actually forget? I mean, people forget things sometimes, but—
“Why?”
“Nothing.”
Yuhyun looked at me curiously. Should I just ask outright?
Anyway, it looked like about thirty minutes had passed. The broadcast conveniently provided the exact time.
[It has been 34 minutes since Hunter Park Yerim’s one-hour declaration! 26, no, now 25 minutes remain! Shouldn’t she be wrapping it up soon?]
[It must be consuming a lot of mana. But if anyone says Kakuto wins just for lasting an hour—come on, that would be ridiculous!]
[Honestly, at this point, isn’t it already a victory for Park Yerim?]
Technically, Kakuto would’ve lost the moment he stepped out of the arena. But since Yerim had set her own conditions, she had to follow through.
She looked confident, but with his speed, catching him wouldn’t be easy. He could still keep a barrier of heat around himself, making it difficult to pin him down.
Maybe she was saving Shadowless Day for the end? If she added the elemental magic buff, even an S-Class with cold resistance would freeze.
“Huff—huff!”
Kakuto exhaled heavily, leaping over the broken ice pillars embedded in the ground. He was clearly exhausted from constantly dodging and blocking.
But his speed still hadn’t slowed.
Compared to Yerim, who was mostly just manipulating existing water and freezing it occasionally, Kakuto’s mana consumption should’ve been much higher. Yet, he was holding up better than expected.
Still, without potions, he wouldn’t last much longer.
And right then—
“How much time is left?”
Yerim glanced around and asked.
“19 minutes!”
I quickly shouted after checking the timer at the top of the Korean broadcast screen. Yerim made a heart with her fingers in response.
“You heard that? There’s still some time left, but we’ve had our fun, so let’s end this!”
“As if! Catch me if you can!”
Nineteen minutes was doable. Maybe that’s what Kakuto was thinking, because his movements suddenly sped up.
…So he had been holding back some energy, huh?
Tap-tap-tap!
Kakuto bolted away, putting as much distance as possible between them. His figure became a blur, vanishing into the distance.
Yerim, watching him, flicked her fingers slightly.
The ocean rippled in the direction he was headed.
Then—
Fwoosh!
Yerim disappeared.
She reappeared immediately—right above Kakuto.
As if expecting her move, Kakuto slashed upward.
Shaaak!
His blade met a wave of water, sending droplets flying.
Just as he tried to widen the gap again—
A massive body of water surged up from the sea.
It was as if a giant whale had leaped onto land.
A towering wall of water, as large as a small hill, blocked his path.
Even though Yerim had said he could leave the arena, it was limited to the shore. He couldn’t retreat any further.
Breaking through it or jumping over it would be like throwing himself straight into enemy territory.
He had no idea what kind of attack might come from that monstrous mass of water.
Then—
Boom!
A second enormous wall of water rose behind him.
Yerim, visibly straining slightly, let out a small breath.
The two colossal waves shimmered under the sunlight.
The sight was so surreal that even the commentators—both Japanese and Korean—fell silent for a moment.
“…Surrender?”
“I-It’s just a blockade!”
Kakuto shouted stubbornly, though his voice wavered slightly.
Honestly, it was over.
Even Yuhyun, who wielded far hotter flames than Kakuto’s, wouldn’t be able to do anything against that much water.
Sure, Yuhyun could just use Blue Willow Leaves to escape, but Kakuto had no such mobility skills.
He talked big, but now he was completely trapped.
Yerim smiled as she looked down at him.
“Alright then.”
A portion of the massive water mass began to move. It wasn’t particularly fast, but it steadily advanced toward Kakuto.
Heat flared up once more, and thick steam billowed into the air. He slashed wildly, trying to push back the water, but it was like trying to cut through mist—completely ineffective.
How could anyone possibly fight against water itself? No matter how strong he was, sheer physical force could only push back a small amount for a brief moment.
And this wasn’t a mere lake—there was an entire ocean right beside them. Even an SS-Class Hunter wouldn’t be able to dry up the sea.
“Urgh…!”
In the end, the massive water mass swallowed Kakuto.
The waves crashed together, forming an enormous sphere of water with Kakuto trapped at its center.
Technically, it was still just water—he could swim out.
But then—
Crack.
The inner layers of the water sphere started freezing.
The ice formed around Kakuto, creating a partial shell, while most of the outer surface remained liquid.
Thud.
A faint sound echoed as he struck the inner ice wall from inside the sphere.
But each time he broke a section of ice, water immediately filled the gap and froze over again. There was no opening to escape.
Melt, shatter, refreeze—again and again.
If it had been stone or metal, once broken, it would have been difficult to restore quickly.
But water and ice? They could cycle endlessly. Relentlessly.
Kakuto’s movements gradually slowed.
The water also blocked off air.
He must have assumed that, since the battlefield was limited to the arena, he could evaporate as much water as needed. He hadn’t prepared any underwater breathing equipment.
Even an S-Class Hunter, whose body transcended human limits, couldn’t survive long without oxygen.
Finally, Kakuto lost consciousness.
The broadcast hurriedly announced Park Yerim’s victory, and at that moment—
Splaash!
The water sphere burst apart.
As the water drained away, Kakuto collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently.
Yerim descended in front of him.
“Well fought. That was fun. I really got to let loose.”
She took out a potion and drank it, muttering that her head was starting to ache—probably a sign that she was running low on mana.
Kakuto’s expression twisted, but after a brief hesitation, he lowered his head in acknowledgment.
“I admit my defeat, Hunter Park Yerim. I take pride in having drawn out your full strength. I will refine my skills further for a proper rematch in the future.”
…Full strength? Not really.
She hadn’t even used Shadowless Day—an SS-Class skill that boosted attributes, stats, immobilized opponents, and added an extra buff.
If anything, she had only used about two-thirds of her actual abilities.
Honestly, I almost felt bad for the guy.
Kakuto slowly stood up, then bowed once more toward Yerim.
“You were powerful enough to be called the Goddess of Water.”
“What goddess?”
Yerim turned toward the camera that had approached closely.
“Ruler of Water! That’s the only title I’ll accept!”
She grinned brightly, raising her spear with the Ruler of Water skill gem embedded in it.
–TL Notes–
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