Chapter 100: Spear of Judgment vs. Sun Spear
If I were to summarize what just unfolded before my eyes in one sentence, it would be: “A group of Chinese men picked a fight with me, and a Chinese person handled it on his own.” I just stood there and watched. They fought among themselves, taking care of everything. Naturally, I was pleased; it saved me the trouble.
However, one thing bothered me. That Spear of Judgment fellow probably gobbled up the trial points those Chinese men had, right? But oh well, that was fine. I was okay with him taking them since it probably wasn’t that much anyway. And it was a fair price for not dirtying my hands.
—Swoosh!
So I was about to leave immediately.
There were only two weeks left until the poison mist appeared, and I was still hungry for poison. To achieve the Thousand Poisons Immunity within the remaining time, I couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.
But then...
“Wait. Stop right there.”
The Spear of Judgment blocked my path with his weapon.
“...Why?”
“You must accompany me.”
Huh? So suddenly?
“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”
“You, too, have recently killed someone.”
“...” I frowned.
There was only one person I had killed recently: Shin Jongoh, the grandson of the chairman of the Ohsung Group. He kept attacking me with his privileged sense of superiority as a corporate heir and even hired a ranker to assassinate me. By my standards, he deserved to die.
“Of course, the reason you killed him was ‘self-defense’ and ‘revenge.’ You are not subject to my judgment. However, once someone has killed, it becomes easier to kill again. You are a person of interest.”
“...Haah,” I sighed and shook my head.
This guy. It was obvious he was the stubborn type. He had no empathy and moved solely according to his own rigid standards. Even his tone and manner of speech screamed obstinate.
This is exhausting.
It was already annoying dealing with those four weak Chinese guys. And now a somewhat skilled Chinese man had appeared to disrupt me.
“You seem to not understand, so I’ll be blunt.” The Spear of Judgment, who had been staring at me, opened his mouth. “Many people already know this, but my unique ability is ‘judgment.’ The more I judge evil beings, the more my stats and level increase. That’s why judgment is more important to me than this trial.”
“...I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“What if an evil person stronger than you appears? Will you judge them too?”
The question was simple. Are you perhaps just a bully who picks on the weak?
“...” Hearing my question, the Spear of Judgment’s eyes narrowed. “Are you implying that you are stronger than me?”
Huh? How did it turn into that? Well, I could answer if needed.
“...I don’t know, but in terms of spear technique, I have a subordinate who is quite skilled.” I gestured toward Sunny, who stood beside me.
—Thunk!
Sunny confidently slammed their spear into the ground and puffed out their chest. It was a clear expression of confidence.
“...Don’t make me laugh. I am a hunter who has inherited the spear techniques of the world’s greatest spearman, Chen Ziyi. Frankly, it’s laughable whenever I hear such claims. Do you know how many people have challenged me with trash they called spear techniques?”
“Oh?”
This man—he had unexpected pride. Just like his obsession with judging evil, he seemed to have sky-high pride in his “spear skills.” Well, as a disciple of the 10th-ranked Spear King, it was understandable.
But.
Our Sunny wasn’t just a ranker. They had once been the absolute ruler of a world—someone who could even match the Elder of All Techniques at his peak.
I’m curious, too.
The Sun Spear versus the Spear of Judgment. Who would win?
—Thump.
Hot excitement welled up in my chest. I was a man, after all. Feeling competitive about something like this was natural.
“Then how about we make a bet?”
“A bet?” The Spear of Judgment tilted his head.
“Yes, a bet. A duel with spear techniques alone. No energy, no skills, just pure technique to determine who is superior. What do you think?”
Second Form: Returning Horse Spear.
The Spear of Judgment swiftly twisted his torso. The Returning Horse Spear was a counterattack technique that used the opponent’s force against them. The stronger the opponent, the more lethal this form became.
However, as the spear approached, Sunny smirked as if they had anticipated it. Then they ducked their head and struck the Spear of Judgment’s planted foot with their fist.
“Wh-What?!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected use of hand-to-hand combat, the Spear of Judgment faltered.
“Why so surprised? Judging by how you fight, it seemed like you would appreciate these kinds of tactics.”
Sunny’s mocking tone made Zhang Wei scowl. “You think I was startled by that?”
“If the eyes my lord bestowed upon me aren’t mistaken, you certainly were.”
“Don’t speak too soon! The fight isn’t over yet!”
Ignoring the pain in his foot, the Spear of Judgment also used his legs. What followed was less a graceful duel and more an all-out brawl between the two.
“Haaargh!” The Spear of Judgment twirled his weapon with finesse.
“Because you focus so much on versatility, your spear’s path becomes obvious.” Sunny, who had fought without sight in the past, was not fooled by the elaborate tricks. “The true strength of your spear technique...”
—Slash!
The tip of Sunny’s spear sliced across Zhang Wei’s thigh. Bright red blood spurted out.
“...Lies in making every variation genuine.” Sunny’s gaze turned cold as they finished their sentence.
—Whoosh! Whoosh!
With a series of spear strikes, Sunny bypassed the Spear of Judgment’s position, ending up behind him in just a second.
“Your spear technique is nowhere near sufficient to face the Sun Spear. Amateur,” Sunny’s low voice echoed.
“...”
The Spear of Judgment clenched his jaw, his eyes widened to show his inability to process what had just happened.
Try to understand it, I silently cheered for Zhang Wei in my mind. Even if I fought them with my spear skills, I wouldn’t be able to win.
Sunny was once the absolute ruler of another world. Maybe only someone like the Spear King could match Sunny in a duel.
Of course...
If they were to fight now, Sunny would lose, but amazingly, Sunny hadn’t even regained 10% of his original power. To fully restore Sunny, I’d need to reach ranker status and continue training and honing my abilities for years to come.
“Incredible...”
—Splurt!
Soon, wounds began to erupt all over the Spear of Judgment’s body.
“I admit it. I still have many techniques left to show... But even without fighting further, the outcome is clear. Your skill is unbelievable.”
He seemed to realize that Sunny had gone easy on him. Had Sunny fought seriously, his techniques wouldn’t have even had a chance to be displayed—his throat would have been pierced and his joints severed.
That was insane.
To be honest, I hadn’t known this before they fought. I thought they were either evenly matched or that Sunny had a slight edge.
But Sunny outclassed him to this extent?
This guy, Sunny. Once again, I realized just how incredible they were.
“...So that’s it. The key is for all the versatile attacks to be completely real. Ah, so that was the issue... That’s what was holding me back...!”
—Thump!
It was then...
The Spear of Judgment sat down where he stood, focusing his energy. He left the bright red wounds all over his body unattended. Without even stopping the bleeding, he entered a state of deep concentration.
Look at this guy, huh?
I could tell what it was. When someone experiences a breakthrough, they enter a state of unity between mind and body. I’d experienced this myself occasionally while forging with Demir.
But he chose to do that in front of me? During such immersion, one became completely defenseless. In other words, if I decided to kill the Spear of Judgment right now, that would be the end of him.
“...”
Tch. But I wasn’t that kind of villain. Besides, if rumors spread that I’d killed him, I’d be hunted for the rest of my life by the Spear King, who was ranked 10th.
“You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Stubborn.”
I stared quietly at the Spear of Judgment before calmly summoning Boney 7.