The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 81: Shattered Awakening

Baek barely had time to take a step forward before a bolt of lightning ripped through the air—slamming directly into his torso.

CRACK!

The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the dirt. Electricity snapped and sparked around him, the built-in tasers covering his skin reacting wildly to the external charge.

"Tch—!"

Baek gritted his teeth, his body convulsing for a brief moment before he forced it still. Steam curled off his skin, a faint burnt smell in the air.

Joon stepped forward, his arm still crackling with residual lightning. His voice was steady, but edged with urgency.

"Areum, listen to me."

Areum flinched, eyes flicking between Baek and Joon.

"I know you don’t want to kill him. I get it. But you need to stop thinking like that. This guy isn’t fighting to beat us—he’s fighting to kill us."

He pushed his hand forward—another bolt arced toward Seok, forcing him back another few feet.

Baek’s snarl cut through the chaos.

"—Fucking—hell!"

The electricity ran through his body, his system glitching between shifting forms. For a second, his arm half-morphed—a spearhead flickering in and out of shape.

Joon kept talking.

"We all grew up thinking you can’t just kill someone. But here? That mindset is gonna get you killed. So drop it, now. Because I can hold him off, but I need you to actually fight."

Another bolt. Another hit.

Baek growled, his body jerking under the force.

"Oh, shut the hell up." His voice was strained, but still filled with bite. He spat onto the ground, lifting his head with a sharp, wild grin.

"You’re talking a lot while barely doing shit."

Then—he moved.

Joon barely saw it.

Baek burst forward like a bullet—his body snapping out of its glitching state, his arm fully reformed into a jagged spear.

"Hey—!" Joon tried to brace—

Too late.

Baek closed the distance in an instant, his spear slamming into Joon’s side.

Joon felt everything at once—the force, the impact, the electric backlash as Baek’s taser-coated arm discharged directly into him.

His body lifted off the ground.

Then—he crashed into the earthen wall.

A violent shockwave pulsed outward from the impact, cracks webbing through the terrain. Joon coughed sharply, his vision spinning as pain tore through his ribs.

Baek exhaled heavily, rolling his shoulders.

"Like I said. Annoying."

His attention shifted back to Areum.

His eyes gleamed.

"Now, where were we?"

Areum’s hands trembled.

Joon wasn’t getting up.

Baek was walking toward her.

Her chest felt too tight. Her limbs felt too heavy.

Too fast. Too strong. Too much.

"No, no, no—"

Her mind spiraled.

And then—

Her glass reacted.

A translucent sphere of glass surged outward, enveloping her in an instant.

Jagged spikes erupted along its surface, sharp and shifting, twisting in chaotic, defensive patterns.

Baek stopped mid-step.

His expression twitched—brows furrowing, lips pulling into a slight frown.

"...What the hell is this?"

The air shifted.

For the first time, Baek could feel something coming from her.

A presence.

A threat.

His frown curled into a grin.

"Alright. Let’s see how tough this thing really is."

He lifted his arm—morphing it into a massive war hammer.

With a sharp exhale, he swung.

BOOM!

The impact rippled outward, cracking the dirt beneath them.

But the glass barely dented.

It pulsed. Shifted. Healed instantly.

Baek’s grin twitched.

"Tch."

He lifted his other arm—this time, it shifted into a serrated blade.

He attacked from every angle.

Slashes. Stabs. Rapid strikes meant to find weaknesses.

Each time, the glass moved. Adjusting. Reacting. Protecting.

Inside, Areum’s breath was uneven—but her thoughts were clearing.

The fear was fading.

She wasn’t just reacting anymore.

She was controlling it.

Baek took a slow step back, rolling his shoulders.

"Oh? So you’re finally waking up?"

His arms shifted again—this time, into drills.

"Then let’s see what it takes to crack this thing."

Baek lunged forward, slamming both drills against the surface of the glass. The high-speed rotation created a violent screech, sparks flying.

The glass shuddered.

Areum’s fingers twitched.

The sphere pulsed.

Baek clicked his tongue.

"Tch... not bad."

His arms shifted again.

The drills folded inward—reforming into massive, metallic cannons.

He took a step back, leveling the barrels toward her.

The energy inside them began to build.

The air vibrated.

Baek’s grin widened.

"Let’s see how long you last."

He fired.

And in the split second before the blast landed—

A massive bolt of lightning SLAMMED into the glass sphere.

The explosion of electricity was instant.

Baek’s body convulsed violently, his arms locking up as the voltage surged through him.

Because one of the glass spikes was still embedded in his skin.

And while glass doesn’t conduct electricity—

His metal arms did.

Joon, standing on unsteady legs, exhaled sharply.

"Bad move."

Baek’s body twitched uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the sheer force of the electricity.

And then—

He collapsed.

Areum’s glass sphere began to dissolve.

She stepped forward, standing over him—silent.

And in a single, fluid motion—

She formed a glass dagger.

And drove it straight into his chest.

The glass dagger sank into flesh.

For a second, there was only silence.

Then—Baek exhaled sharply, his body twitching beneath her.

Areum’s hands trembled, her breath uneven as she stared down at him.

The dagger in her grip wasn’t clean.

Blood coated her fingers, warm and thick.

Her mind felt blank.

Her glass armor had already dissolved, but she still felt exposed—like something inside her had been ripped open.

Joon took a slow step forward, still catching his breath. His eyes flicked to Baek’s unmoving form.

"...Is he dead?"

Areum didn’t answer.

She didn’t know.

Baek coughed.

The sound was wet, gurgled—but he was still breathing.

He laughed weakly.

"Heh—" A ragged breath. "—not bad, kid."

Areum’s grip on the dagger tightened.

She could finish it.

One more push.

But—she hesitated.

Joon saw it.

He stepped closer, voice low.

"Areum."

She flinched slightly.

"Look at me."

Slowly, she lifted her gaze.

Joon’s expression wasn’t harsh.

It wasn’t angry.

Just understanding.

"You don’t have to force yourself. But you need to decide. Right now."

Areum swallowed.

Her heartbeat was too loud.

She looked back down at Baek.

His grin had faded. His breathing was shallow.

Even now, he was watching her.

Waiting.

Expecting.

Areum’s fingers twitched.

And then—

The ground trembled.

A deep, rumbling quake that shook the entire battlefield.

Both Joon and Areum staggered slightly, turning toward the source.

Beyond the crumbling walls of earth—something massive was happening.

Joon’s eyes narrowed.

"...What the hell is Echo doing?"

The vibrations intensified.

And then—

A massive explosion of dust and debris erupted in the distance.

The entire battlefield shook violently.

Joon’s stomach dropped.

Areum’s hands instinctively clenched into fists.

Baek, still lying on the ground, let out a hoarse chuckle.

"Hah—looks like your friends are having fun over there."

Joon and Areum didn’t move.

Their eyes stayed locked on the rising cloud of earth and stone.

The fight wasn’t over.

Not yet.