PART 2: THE POWER OF SPYRITE – A FIERCE BATTLE
A sudden, violent gust of wind swept through the forest, scattering dried leaves and blowing Kim Yu's pitch-black hair, which looked disheveled after his rapid movements. Beside him, a creature resembling a cat with faded green fur fell silent for a few seconds. Its gaze was fixed on its master, before it finally asked in an extremely soft tone.
"Master... why didn't you just slash him down?"
Kim Yu remained calm, his eyes never leaving the figure in front of him. "No. If I did that, it would severely injure him or cause a massive wound that could threaten his life," Kim Yu replied in a deeply friendly tone, without a single shred of killing intent.
On the other side of the battlefield, Kray was cornered. In his desperation, Kray's consciousness plunged into his own subconscious mind, intending to speak with his Spyrite. Instead of asking for help respectfully, Kray addressed the majestic creature with immense arrogance.
(Oi... you damn dragon, release your power!) Kray shouted inside his mind, torturing and suppressing the dragon's soul within his own body to squeeze out its strength.
Oppressed by his master's torture, the majestic dragon was forced to obey the command. A massive amount of magical energy surged outward, forcefully elevating Kray's power level toward the Thousand rank—the second tier that multiplied the user's combat capabilities into a far stronger and more destructive stage.
As Kim Yu paused for a split second to catch his breath, the surrounding atmosphere suddenly shifted drastically. Inexplicably to ordinary senses, Kray was suddenly right behind Kim Yu's back. His speed had surpassed normal limits.
"Acting so tough with just this much!" Kray sneered with a mocking smirk.
A punch that was completely invisible to the naked eye unleashed right in front of Kim Yu.
Wushhhh!
The impact of the attack was incredibly massive. The shockwave hurled Kim Yu's body at high speed, blasting him as far as 10 kilometers away from the starting point where they stood. Kim Yu landed heavily on the ground, fortunately managing to brace himself in a defensive stance just in time, though the impact still inflicted quite serious injuries upon him.
"Why... why did his attack suddenly become so much stronger?" Kim Yu groaned in pain, his brain thinking hard to find an answer amidst the dizziness that assailed him. A warm, thick red fluid began to flow out of his nose due to the shock effect of that super-fast attack.
"He has reached the Thousand rank, Master," said Dao, who was suddenly already beside him, still in his small green cat form.
"If that's the case... how do we defeat him?" Kim Yu replied while trying to stand up, supporting his trembling body.
Dao stared toward Kray, who was enveloped in a terrifying aura, then whispered sorrowfully, "It is clear that the dragon is being hurt by its master..."
"What? What do you mean, Dao?" Kim Yu turned his head, shocked to hear it.
"Because, I can feel that dragon's suffering. His name is Omen. He is just a dragon who actually needs a sincere master," Dao explained in a voice that was extremely soft yet fraught with sadness.
"But why would a dragon like Omen attach himself to someone as harsh as him?" Kim Yu asked again, his hand constantly moving to wipe the blood flowing from his nose.
"Because... once a contract between a Spyrite and a human is forged, the Spyrite must serve its master forever. There are no exceptions, unless the owner dies."
Hearing that, Kim Yu's eyes widened slightly. "So..."
"Correct. If Master wants to free that dragon, Master must kill his master, which is Kray," Dao explained with a heavy heart, providing the only absolute solution.
Kim Yu fell silent for a moment. He looked at the green cat beside him with a sorrowful yet warm gaze. "But... what about you? I mean, you didn't choose the wrong master, right, Dao?"
Hearing the innocent question from his master, Dao looked at Kim Yu with genuinely sparkling eyes. "I am already very happy to have obtained a master who is caring and kind like you. I also feel that I am the luckiest creature in the world to have a master like you," he said in an extremely polite, gentle, and devoted tone.
Hearing Dao's honest words, a small smile etched onto Kim Yu's wound-laden face. Somehow, a sense of warmth spread through his chest.
"For some reason... I want to save you and leave this place even more now," Kim Yu whispered softly.
"Do you not want to leave this place right now...?" Dao asked hesitantly. His eyes then turned to Kray in the distance, who was smiling insanely while adjusting the glasses on his face, as if victory was already in his grasp.
"No. I better teach him a little lesson..." Kim Yu answered firmly.
However, before Kim Yu could even take a step, a gigantic blaze of fire suddenly soared high into the sky.
Bwarrrrr!
Fierce explosions occurred in rapid succession, scorching the surrounding vegetation. Fortunately, with sharp reflexes, Kim Yu managed to leap backward and evade the main center of the explosion. But Kray gave no pause. From his hands, fireballs shot out in all directions like a meteor shower. Magical fire circles kept forming around Kim Yu, then exploded one by one with thundering sounds.
Kim Yu began to struggle. Every single one of his movements was forced into evading and defending. His energy was drained in a short amount of time just to escape the endless barrage of insane attacks.
"Um... Master, if this continues..." Dao spoke in a tone that expressed deep worry for his master's condition, as Kim Yu began to run out of breath amidst the blazing fire.
Kim Yu clenched his fists tightly. His resolve was set. "Dao... use the Thousand capability now."
Hearing that command, Dao's eyes widened in panic. "Do you mean, Master... using the fourth tier? But that could make the side effects much heavier and longer-lasting for your body, Master!" Dao shrieked anxiously.
"It's fine. Even though I am still a beginner, I have to try and survive so all of this can end quickly. Besides... even if I have to die, at least I can save you," Kim Yu said with a sincere smile that killed his own fear.
"No... I'm afraid something will happen to you..." Dao whimpered, his small body trembling.
"Just try... Trust me, Dao," Kim Yu whispered, giving full reassurance through his gaze.
With a heavy heart and tear-filled eyes, Dao finally obeyed the command. Instantly, a thick and cold aura of darkness exploded out of Kim Yu's body. The sword blade he held transformed, turning pitch-black—far deeper and darker than any shade of black before. Not only that, an extreme change occurred in his physique; Kim Yu's pitch-black hair gradually turned completely white, fluttering amidst the vortex of dark energy.
In mid-air, Kray, who was flying with his body surrounded by a burning green fire aura, looked at the transformation with a mocking laugh.
"Oh, turns out you're quite strong, huh? Especially since you've mastered the fourth tier which is insanely hard to achieve! Even I needed several months just to rise to this tier!" Kray said with overflowing arrogance.
Kim Yu did not reply with words. He only looked at Kray with an extremely cold gaze.
Kray, growing more insane, immediately plunged down like lightning striking a tree, unleashing a barrage of continuous attacks. His face hardened, revealing a disgusting, bloodthirsty expression.
Cingg! Cangg!
The sound of clashing weapons echoed deafeningly in the middle of the ruined forest. Even though Kray only used fire-coated gauntlets, his weapons were able to withstand the slashes of Kim Yu's black sword with great ferocity.
"Try and block this!" Kray shouted hysterically.
His flaming boxing gauntlets suddenly shifted shape, lengthening and solidifying into a massive greatsword coated in an incredibly hot, green-colored blaze. Kray swung it downward with all his might.
Jedarrrr!
The devastating attack struck squarely, creating a destructive shockwave that split the ground around them. Kim Yu exerted all of his strength to withstand the pressure of the flame sword until cold sweat poured heavily across his entire body.
Huekkkk!
The overwhelming pressure caused Kim Yu's internal organs to jolt, making a glob of fresh blood burst from his mouth.
"Hahaha! That's what you get for using a power that is impossible for you to reach so quickly!" Kray laughed triumphantly with his crazed smile, enjoying his opponent's suffering.
"Masterrrr!" Dao screamed, incredibly shocked and terrified seeing Kim Yu's condition.
"Calm down... I can do this," Kim Yu whispered between his ragged breaths.
Without further words, taking advantage of Kray's carelessness while he was laughing, Kim Yu spun his body as fast as lightning. A powerful slash charged with dark energy unleashed horizontally, hitting Kray's chest right on target.
Sret!
The surprise attack squarely sent Kray's body flying far backward, tumbling across the scorched earth. Excruciating pain pierced Kray's body, to the point that his mouth also vomited fresh blood before his vision finally went dark.
"I told you so..." Kim Yu murmured faintly.
"Even though Master didn't hit his vital parts, that surprise attack successfully knocked him unconscious due to the severe shock," said Dao, who was rather surprised yet relieved to see the final result.
"Huhh... hihhh... hahhh..."
Kim Yu's breath was ragged, feeling incredibly heavy and short. Instantly, the thick energy from the fourth tier vanished as if blown away by the wind, returning his hair to its original black color. With what little strength remained, Kim Yu fumbled through his clothes pocket, pulled out his phone, and immediately called an ambulance to request medical help because someone was severely injured inside the forest.
Seeing his master's action, Dao was stunned. "Why...?"
"Let it be... Can I change his nature?" Kim Yu asked suddenly while looking down at Kray's helpless body.
"It is possible... But it could bring bad consequences upon Master yourself," Dao answered hesitantly.
"I can change it using the power of imagination that I turn into reality," Kim Yu said with absolute certainty.
"Really? But the success rate of that method is only around 0.1% since I have never tried it before," Dao warned anxiously.
Without thinking twice, Kim Yu walked with faltering steps toward Kray. He knelt beside the prostrate body, then placed the tip of his finger on the unconscious Kray's forehead. Kim Yu closed his eyes, focusing all of his imagination energy and the sincerity of his heart.
A progressive miracle began to take place. A soft light started to glow from the point of contact, slowly flowing into Kray's head.
"Master... this is impossible...?" Dao was utterly shocked, rendered speechless seeing the small miracle unfolding before his eyes.
"I can feel the burden on his mind... Hopefully, he can change after this, and become a better person," Kim Yu muttered with a pale face.
"Master, you are truly very kind..." Dao smiled softly, looking at his master in his green cat form. However, his expression suddenly turned bittersweet. "But Master... there is another side effect. In all likelihood, you will also forget about this battle."
Kim Yu smiled faintly, his eyelids feeling heavy. "It's fine... It's better to forget this painful event."
"Thank you... for the compliment, Dao." Kim Yu wiped away the blood still lingering on his face, then remembered something. "But, Dao... why couldn't I see his Spyrite from earlier?"
"Because, when a Spyrite has obtained a master, it can enter inside the master and reside within their soul. In there, all Spyrites will take the form of humans or other creatures," Dao explained patiently.
"So... when a Spyrite has a master, it can directly enter the master's soul?" Kim Yu nodded, trying to process the information.
"Correct... Master," Dao replied politely.
"In that case, try entering into my soul."
"Understood..."
Instantly, the green cat form beside him began to glow brightly. Dao's body turned into a shimmering glow of wind, moving gently and entering right into Kim Yu's chest.
Wushh!
The light disappeared completely. Kim Yu touched his chest, which now felt completely normal, yet there was a strange warmth lingering there. He smiled slightly without realizing it.
"But Dao, why can you take the form of a human inside there, instead of the cat form from earlier?" Kim Yu asked within his mind.
Dao's voice echoed softly in Kim Yu's head. "Because... I see that Master's energy is very vast and I could easily enter Master's conscious realm, so I chose this human form... Do you dislike my human form, Master?" Dao asked in a slightly sad tone, though his expression could no longer be seen directly.
"Ah... no, no. Just follow your heart's desire, I won't forbid it," Kim Yu answered quickly so his Spyrite wouldn't feel discouraged.
"..." Dao fell silent, feeling deeply respected by his master.
With stumbling steps and a body as exhausted as if nothing had happened, Kim Yu carried and brought Kray's body out of the forest area. Not long after, the blare of ambulance sirens was heard, and several medical personnel quickly approached them. However, when about to be examined, Kim Yu politely refused to go to the hospital.
"Why are you refusing? You need to be treated too," a nurse asked with concern.
"No, I'm fine," Kim Yu replied with a small laugh and a warm smile, trying to reassure them.
"But your wounds look quite deep," the nurse pressed again, staring at Kim Yu's torn and blood-stained clothes.
"Then I'll just go home, besides it's already late at night," Kim Yu said, ending the conversation. He looked up, seeing the stars scattered across the night sky which looked incredibly beautiful and vast.
Kim Yu chose to leave alone, departing the location after giving a brief explanation to the personnel that Kray's injuries were caused by a wild animal attack inside the forest.
With his remaining strength almost entirely spent, Kim Yu walked back to his simple rented room. Upon arriving in his room, he immediately cleaned himself up with a quick shower, then prepared to sleep. His body was laid right down on the simple yet comfortable mattress bed.
"Master..." Dao called out from within his consciousness.
"Sorry, Dao... I'm truly quite exhausted for tonight," Kim Yu whispered in a raspy voice.
"....." Dao could not explain any further, choosing to let his master rest.
Kim Yu closed his eyes slowly. Instantly, he fell into a very deep sleep beneath his white blanket.
However, within his sleep, a strange sensation began to creep in. Kim Yu suddenly felt an incredibly extreme coldness, as if he were living in Antarctica without any warm gear or clothes at all. His eyes felt immensely heavy. In his blurry and distorted vision, he felt as though he were sinking into a very deep ocean. His body kept dropping, sliding down beneath the dense layers of water, deeper and deeper as time went by...
From far above, he could only see a tiny, bright beam of light trying to pierce through the pitch-black layer of the ocean. His heart was cold, his body frozen stiff. He was completely unable to move any of his limbs, only capable of releasing a few small breath bubbles from his nose that floated up to the surface.
"Heavy..." Kim Yu thought.
He kept sinking toward the bottom of the unfathomably deep ocean. His mind suddenly went blank, losing all orientation of who he was and where he was. All of this felt exactly like a foreign dream.
"Am I... dreaming?"
Slowly, within the darkness of that subconscious ocean, Kim Yu closed his eyes tightly... until suddenly, the sound of birds chirping on a beautiful morning greeted his auditory senses.
TO BE CONTINUED