Return of the Back Alley Wizard Chapter 331

Episode 331. What is a Collection?

At this point, it was absurd.

'Fair and square… …fist?'

What on earth have I been doing these past two years?

How did you spend your time to be able to say such crazy things so casually?

“Are you not confident? There’s no answer.”

Aster looked at Hickster, who was throwing provocations with a blunt face, and then asked a question.

“I was wondering if I was crazy or if you were crazy.”

“Well, I don’t know why you’d be curious about that before a duel.”

“…….”

I realized it when I saw your eyes.

This was serious.

'I think it's worse than Shine?'

Shine also once told the principal to draw his sword, but it was more out of recklessness than madness.

But now, Hickster was definitely crazy.

“Let me ask you this. Is it fair to fight a wizard with your fists?”

“I think it’s the same conditions.”

“Is that the same?”

"What if they're not equal? Just because they're magicians doesn't mean they don't have hands. If we put aside ether and magic and fight purely with our bodies, it doesn't seem unfair."

"this……."

… … Did you see the thug?

Personally, I wanted to explore the human side of 'Hickster' more calmly, but Aster suppressed that desire.

Further conversation seemed pointless.

Because Hickster was not in a state to have a conversation right now.

If I do that, what should I do?

I have no choice but to do whatever you want.

“Okay, let’s do it with our fists, shall we?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Phew…….”

Aster steeled himself.

Meeting a rare madman momentarily distracted me, but what I had to do remained the same.

'First, let's go and meet the leader of the Gust Wings.'

In this simple process, Hickster's mental state was of no importance.

“You first? Me first?”

Hickster did not answer Aster's question.

Just close your eyes and breathe.

For a madman who wanted to fight a wizard fairly with his fists, he looked quite pious. Aster also put aside his distracting thoughts and took a deep breath at the sight.

So, this side also intends to take it seriously.

Like that, a cool breeze blew between the two of them.

Aster was lost in thought.

'usually…….'

The world is wide and there are many crazy people in it. And crazy people are usually crazy about something.

Usually, the reason why such people go crazy is because of something that made them crazy, but in this case, I guess it's me.

What does this mean?

It was a story about how he had influenced Hickster's madness.

Funnily enough, what Aster was feeling right now was a penny of responsibility.

“……It’s time for education.”

A mad dog's medicine is a club, and one's own fist is the most effective medicine.

When you've made up your mind to do so.

“Huh!”

Hickster jumped up from his seat.

What should I do… … .

Can you reform that poor muscle mass?

The continent's number one cultivator clenched his fists.

* * *

His thighs swelled. Blood flow surged, veins bulging. As his muscles, brimming with strength, contracted like a spring, Hickster leaped from the ground with explosive force.

Phew… … !

A landscape that is pushed back in an instant.

At this very moment, Hickster was a beast.

And what stands in front of that beast is… … .

“Aster—!”

bang!

Aster, struck directly by an iron fist, was thrown backwards. A shallow furrow was dug into the ground along the lines of his feet.

'crazy…….'

Is this the destructive power of pure physical strength?

I grimaced in pain as my bones ripped open, but Hickster's voice rang in my ears.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for the past two years.”

I thought about it hundreds, thousands of times.

If I could go back to that day, how would I fight?

Countless battles fought in the imagination.

But there was never a single victory.

The accumulated defeats soon became a huge wall, a psychological barrier that blocked Hickster's path.

so.

'more…….'

We must move forward.

Wow! Wow!

Hickster's fist struck Aster's crossed arms with a ferocious force. It was a blow that could have easily shattered bones, but neither Hickster nor Aster seemed to have any intention of backing down.

"star……."

It was then that Aster made his move.

Pfft!

“Ugh……!”

Hickster staggered, his jaw hit by a palm that struck the gap between the fists he was punching while holding his breath.

“Hey, be honest. I was wrong, and you were wrong too, right?”

It was a typical narrow-minded way of speaking.

It's my fault, but you're also at fault… … It's a petty tactic to bring up the two-faced theory because it's too hard to admit it to yourself.

Of course, these cases are often just a case of crying, but Aster was sincere. He truly believed that Hickster was also at fault.

“All of a sudden, you punched the kid in the face… Huh? Is that right?”

“You bastard…….”

"And I told you back then. It wasn't just you, it was two guys. Now it's just one guy."

Sarcastic chatter.

An enraged Hickster threw his fist.

Wow… … !

“Hmph!”

Whose moan is that?

It didn't matter.

Aster and Hickster's powers clashed in midair, and the two struck again without a fight.

again.

Wow… … !

A deafening cracking sound that was hard to believe was coming from bones.

Fists clashed, screams erupted, skin torn and blood spurted out. It was a painful, pointless battle of pride, but no one was willing to back down.

like that.

Wow… … !

Another fist bump in the air.

Aster said.

"Hey, and shouldn't you be thanking me? In a way, I'm the one who stopped the conflict between Dolanpega and Blando. Don't you think so?"

“Bullshit!”

"What the hell are you talking about? And think about it. That day, didn't Damian help you? Right? And I clearly told him not to, right?"

"this person……!"

The devil's three-inch tongue.

You must not enter.

Hickster made that promise, but Aster's mouth wouldn't stop.

"Hey, is this even fair? Then, you want to have a math competition with me? Purely brains versus brains. Okay? How about that? Fair?"

Body and brain. It's not a perfect fit, but just as the physical body is more advantageous to a knight, arithmetic is more advantageous to a wizard.

So, it wasn't fair.

“Shut up!”

Aster sighed as he withdrew his fist that was about to strike Hickster's fist, which had become even more fierce.

"her……."

This one must not be bumped into.

So, it was an inevitable choice to deflect Hickster's attack, and indeed, Hickster's movements were amazing.

How does he keep his center of gravity so well with that heavy body?

Wedge!

Crunch!

If I hadn't quickly lowered my head, the force would have torn my eye rather than my hair on my elbow.

Cases like Hickster's were not common.

In general, knights with large physiques prefer a powerful blow over speed to make use of their weight.

But Hickster wasn't like that. Each blow was powerful, yet his movements were incredibly swift.

What if ether is added to that…?

“Wow!”

Aster raised both arms to block the kick that struck his torso, and then focused on the fight again.

It's not that it isn't… … .

‘… …It’s getting faster and faster?’

Hickster's movements were gaining speed.

Wedge!

Each punch sliced through the air, a sharp, piercing sound echoing. The elbow, imbued with rotational force, tore through the air. The outstretched foot was itself a heavy, blunt weapon.

Are you going with the flow?

The hands, feet, and every joint in the body were connected smoothly like the flow of water, but it was by no means an ordinary flow.

therefore…….

‘… …Enlightenment?’

Is it because he's crazy that even his moment of enlightenment is different? It was a completely incomprehensible context.

For a moment, Aster was lost in thought.

'This… …what should I do?'

Should I give it a good squeeze?

Just one right now. Just one strong blow to the head would break the moll's state.

There may be no reason for someone who is already enlightened to do that, but if you look closely, this impulse was practically instigated by Hickster.

Human exploration.

I'm curious.

When you have come out of the horizon of enlightenment in vain, how far can an already madman go?

but.

“Sigh…….”

Aster blocked the incoming fist and counterattacked appropriately, then regained his composure.

'okay.'

In a situation where he is teaching even his enemy, Salieri, why would it be difficult to help Hickster, who is not even his enemy, to achieve enlightenment?

"This is what school ties are all about. You should know how lucky you are."

This would have been enough to arrange a meeting with the leader of the Gust Wings.

like that.

'Phew… … .'

It requires a high degree of concentration to guide others to their realm without breaking their enlightenment.

Aster's eyes sank.

* * *

In the horizon of no-self.

Hickster was under the illusion that he was dancing.

An outstretched fist, a shifting center of gravity. When the fist is fully extended, the weight concentrated on the foot immediately shifts forward, disrupting balance. But even that was a part of the flow.

Before my balance was upset, my shoulders moved, and with that movement, my waist twisted. The twisting of my waist meant that my feet would soon move.

He didn't withdraw the force of his fist, but instead used it as rotational force. His body spun backward, briefly turning his back on his opponent. Then, as he withdrew his fist, his elbow traced a trajectory, slicing through the air.

And when the elbow reached a certain point, the arm naturally straightened and struck the opponent.

Bang.

With a pleasant impact like hitting a drum, the center of gravity of the body shifted again.

Strong.

It's so tyrannical that it seems like it's going to break everything…

Flow.

As smooth as water.

Hickster's movements were a flow of rough, thick lines.

There is no blockage at the beginning or end of the movement, it is smooth, and at the same time, each movement is imbued with a fierce power.

The blows come together to create a small flow.

Small streams come together to form the flow of battle.

I forgot all the recipes that had become ingrained in my body.

No, actually I didn't forget.

I just got absorbed in the fight.

There are laws, but they are not bound by them; they are infinitely free, but even in their freedom, they do not escape the laws.

And embracing that freedom… … .

bang!

Hickster hit the wall that was blocking him with all his might.

bang!

Fists, backs of hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, shins, insteps, head… … every part of the body was a sword and a hammer.

like that…….

bang!

blow.

bang!

blow.

bang!

blow.

The wall was solid.

It didn't budge at all.

However, Hickster did not give up and continued to strike.

How long has it been like that?

Hickster had a question.

'I…….'

What are you hitting?

It's a wall.

But, this wall… … .

‘… …Does it exist?’

The moment you start to question.

Jeojeojeok―

A crack appeared in the once solid wall.

And then I finally realized.

– Hey, you're so different.

Memories that flash through my mind. Moments I've recalled and savored hundreds, thousands of times. It all comes down to…

‘… … It’s nothing.’

The only thing that was blocking me was myself.

like that.

bang!

When the regime hits the wall.

Plop!

Hickster realized.

The wall that had been blocking his path for the past two years had finally disappeared.

“…….”

In a freedom he'd never felt before, Hickster stood there, gasping for breath. His beast-like muscles twitched with his breath, his presence emanating from his body.

When his gaze went down and he looked at his hands.

“……It’s over.”

Hickster could tell that he had entered another horizon.

The sky has suddenly become dark.

In the pouring starlight, Hickster broke free from himself.

And looking at that Hickster, Aster thought.

‘… … I’m definitely adding you to my collection.’

What is this collection?

It was a gathering of those who made themselves into perpetrators.