Chapter 19: The great battle of illusion(9)
After an eventful day, Yoo Soha returned to her hotel room, buzzing with excitement, and immediately opened her smartphone.
She wasn’t usually one to browse communities or news articles, but today was different.
“Let’s check the articles first…”
As expected, articles about Eclipse’s spectacular debut were flooding in. Perhaps because she, typically curt with reporters, had graciously shared details about her Guardian Star, the articles were overwhelmingly positive.
[Yoo Soha’s Guardian Star is named Eclipse. What kind of world did he come from?]
[Eclipse, Yoo Soha’s Guardian Star, silenced an A-rank awakener and her Guardian Star with two punches. How far does his strength go?]
[Yoo Soha: “Eclipse won’t lose even against Shin Sungmin.” Why the final in three days is so anticipated.]
[“I never despaired over not having a Guardian Star.” Yoo Soha openly shares her thoughts on summoning Eclipse.]
[Shin Sungmin looks forward to a fierce battle with Eclipse… A thrilling showdown awaits.]
Scanning the articles, Yoo Soha grinned widely and checked the comments. Unlike the usual barrage of hate, the comments were surprisingly clean—no, they were filled with praise. For someone used to sharp criticism, the absence of vitriol felt almost dull.
Next, she ventured into the awakener community, Transcendence.
[What the hell was that? I’m freaking stunned lol]
How does someone knock out Yoo Danha and Hidelixus in one hit? How strong is he?
- No clue…
- Yoo Soha said he could take on Shin Sungmin lol
- Honestly, at that level, he’s got a real shot. Yoo Danha and Hidelixus are top-tier A-rank, and he obliterated them.
- Didn’t the impact when he clashed fists with Hidelixus through Yoo Danha’s barrage feel insane?
- Totally lol
- By the way, didn’t Shin Sungmin say he’d use Adein in the final? This is gonna be wild.
- No matter what, S-rank is on another level compared to A-rank. Shin Sungmin’s got this.
- Sure, S-rank outclasses A-rank, but no one’s ever crushed Yoo Danha and Hidelixus like that lol.
The community, usually critical of Yoo Soha, was brimming with positive sentiment. The tide was turning in her favor, and she couldn’t help but think so.
“The public’s reaction is good. That’s a relief,” Eclipse’s voice suddenly rang in her ears.
She turned to see him holding his smartphone, apparently having materialized without her noticing. While she was engrossed in the articles, he must have been browsing them and the community too.
Still smiling, she looked at him. “Of course. You put on quite a show.”
“Was it that impressive?”
“Absolutely. You know how strong my sister is.”
“I still don’t fully grasp this world’s standards of strength. I’ll need to face this Shin Sungmin to understand.”
Yoo Soha laughed at Eclipse’s borderline arrogant remark. “You told me to learn arrogance, but you already seem plenty arrogant yourself.”
“This isn’t arrogance. It’s just stating facts.”
“Then that’s a good sign. I contracted you to embody arrogance, didn’t I? So this is how it’s done?”
“You could say that.”
“Got it. By the way, the final is in three days, right? I don’t recall any plans until then.”
“Right. We should train in the meantime. Shin Sungmin is strong.”
“Are we heading to the hotel’s training room tomorrow?”
“Yeah. It’s set up for awakeners, so I should go too. Oh, but first… I need to visit my sister. She got hurt pretty badly. Couldn’t you have gone a bit easier on her?”
“That was going easy.”
“You sent a giant flying into the barrier with one punch.”
“If I’d gone all out, Hidelixus and Yoo Danha would be dead. I held back because I can’t kill anyone.”
“…That wasn’t your full strength?”
“No. Remember what I said about my greatsword? That using it would make controlling my power difficult.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“I don’t know what happened, but crossing worlds seems to have imbued my greatsword with a strange power. That’s why I can’t use it.”
“Oh, that. I can explain. I forgot to mention earlier because I was hung up on your worn-out armor, but… it’s a verified fact among many Guardian Stars, so it’s probably true.”
“You know the source of this strange power?”
“Yup.”
“Can you tell me?”
“Most likely, the power in your broken greatsword comes from the hardships you endured in your world. It’s the same for other Guardian Stars.”
“…The power of my hardships?”
“Yeah. That’s why your weapon has a power even you don’t fully understand.”
Eclipse nodded, understanding her clear explanation. If the battles against horrors in his world were converted into power, it made sense why he couldn’t wield his greatsword recklessly. Those horrors were trials most couldn’t endure. If that suffering had been transformed into power within his broken greatsword, it explained why he, weakened as a Guardian Star, couldn’t control it.
“I see. That’s how it works…”
He nodded in acceptance. Yoo Soha cautiously asked, “Can you tell me about the world you came from?”
“My world…?”
“Yeah. I want to know how you got so strong.”
“I can’t go into details, but broadly speaking, I was just a vagabond.”
“A vagabond?”
“Yes. A beggar in a rural village, stealing or scrounging. Then I met my master, became a knight, fought a powerful enemy, and was summoned by you just before I died. That’s the story.”
Eclipse deliberately kept it vague. Memories of his past world, especially those tied to the horrors, were too painful to recall.
“…I see.”
“I’m sorry, Soha, but I don’t want to talk about it in detail. I hope you understand. Those memories are… dreadful to even think about.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I get it.”
“Thank you.”
Still, Yoo Soha felt a twinge of disappointment. “Then I’ll head to my room. Rest well, and see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. And again, thank you. Really. I got stronger and beat my sister because of you.”
“Quite a change from when we first met.”
She laughed brightly at his words. “Back then, I didn’t know your worth. But I’m not ashamed of how I acted. I believed I was right.”
“That’s very you.”
As Eclipse turned to leave, Yoo Soha suddenly remembered something. “Oh, Eclipse.”
“Hm?”
“Can you show me your face? I just realized I’ve never seen it.”
“…Later.”
“Later?”
“Yes. Once I know you better, and you know me, I’ll show you then.”
“You’re saying you won’t until we’ve built more trust? What, is your face that bad?”
“Exactly… It’s covered in scars, an ugly sight. You might recoil the moment you see it.”
“I may prefer beautiful things, but I wouldn’t judge you by those standards…”
Yoo Soha swallowed her mild disappointment. Honestly, she just wanted to see her Guardian Star’s face, handsome or not.
“I know you don’t judge people solely by appearance. But… I’m hesitant because seeing me might change how you treat me.”
“Hmm… Alright.”
She nodded. Appearance-based expectations could lead to disappointment and affect how someone was treated. She was confident it wouldn’t apply to her, but if he was so reluctant, he must have endured hardships because of his looks. She had no reason not to respect that. She wanted to treat her capable Guardian Star with the utmost care.
“If you don’t want to, I won’t push. Later, when I’ve earned enough of your trust, consider it then.”
“Thanks for understanding, Soha. I’ll head to my room now.”
“Okay.”
Back in his room, Eclipse sank into thought.
The Hwanryeong Grand Tournament was nearing its end. What kind of life would he lead afterward?
‘Come to think of it, I don’t have a clear purpose.’
Learning arrogance, living arrogantly, helping Yoo Soha—that was his goal. But what would he do after mastering arrogance? There were no horrors to face here. His pursuit of arrogance stemmed from a desire to control those who fought horrors. Without that threat, did he need it?
Earth was far more peaceful than his old world, like it was before the horrors arrived. In such a peaceful world, shouldn’t he value his master’s ideal of nobility over arrogance?
The thought struck him.
‘No, now’s not the time to dwell on this. I’ve only been on Earth a month. Who knows what’ll happen? I should learn to dominate others when needed. And that mindset stems from believing I’m right.’
Earth might be peaceful now, but horrors could invade, as they did in his world. Mastering an arrogant mindset would surely prove useful later.
Having sorted his thoughts, Eclipse lay on the bed.