I’m Here to End This Fight – Chapter 268

Chapter 268: Pass the Bomb (3)

A sudden shout echoed within the building.

But the 48th class members who heard it were frozen, unable to act.

It wasn’t surprising. They couldn’t properly assess the situation.

The fact that a mere second-year junior had kicked open the dormitory door.

That the insane junior was none other than Yuri Holland.

And that Yuri Holland, out of nowhere, was looking for Gunther.

None of it made sense to them.

Meanwhile, Yuri was curiously looking around the dormitory.

“Wow, it’s like another world in here.”

It was his first time in the fourth-year living area, and it truly looked like a proper residential space.

Completely different from the wilderness-like areas of the first and second-year students, or the third-year area that was essentially no better than camping outdoors.

“Well, it’s still worse than my place.”

He muttered under his breath, while continuing to snoop around, and the Krabe siblings stared at him in disbelief.

“You… What are you doing here?”

“This area is restricted to fourth-years. You should leave immediately!”

Yuri, who had been glancing up at the second floor, finally turned his gaze toward them.

Then he responded in a flat tone.

“No one stopped me.”

“…….”

“And who says so?”

“…What?”

“Who said this area is only for fourth-years? Who made the rule that only certain year levels can enter each living area?”

“Well…”

Jeroen Krabe, who had been shouting for Yuri to leave, faltered and blinked in confusion.

The tradition that only specific year levels stayed in each of the four living areas—north, south, east, and west—wasn’t an official rule. It was just something that had always been done, a kind of unspoken tradition.

So when Yuri questioned it, Jeroen couldn’t come up with an answer.

Honestly, if any other junior besides Yuri had asked the same question, they would have been thrown out of the fourth-year dorm in no time.

But Yuri Holland had the audacity to stand his ground.

And the Krabe siblings, along with the rest of the 48th class, were fully aware of why.

The bigger problem was that Yuri himself knew this very well.

“If you don’t like me being here, try kicking me out. With force.”

…That’s why he was speaking so insolently.

As they watched Yuri smirk, the 48th clenched their fists tightly.

Yet, none of them dared to act.

The memory of Yuri defeating Gunther was still vivid in their minds.

Of course, the grim rumors about Yuri’s personality that circulated within the Cradle also played a part.

While the 48th class remained on edge, Yuri raised his voice once again.

“When is Gunther coming out? Let’s play!”

At his shout—calling out the name of none other than Gunther Ryder—the 48th class flinched.

“Gunnnntherrr!”

But despite Yuri’s loud ruckus, Gunther still did not appear.

Instead, someone else did.

“He’s not here, Owl-boy.”

The calm voice belonged to none other than Goetz, who had just arrived.

At his words, Yuri tilted his head in confusion.

“He’s not here? Why?”

“I don’t know why, but it’s been quite some time since he last showed up.”

“Where is he?”

“Well? Probably training somewhere else.”

“Training somewhere else when there’s such a good place right here?”

“Well, for us, there’s no better place than this, but it’s probably not enough for him. He has access to places far superior to this one.”

“Is that even allowed?”

“Is there any place in the Cradle where he can’t go? The whole Cradle is practically his home and front yard.”

“…I suddenly want to befriend Gunther.”

Yuri’s eyes sparkled.

Goetz shrugged upon seeing this.

“Are you done with your business now?”

“My business?”

“Weren’t you here to find Gunther?”

“Oh, that? Well, sort of. To be precise, my business isn’t just with Gunther; it’s with the entire 48th class.”

As Yuri scanned the 48th class members watching the scene, they shuddered under his gaze.

“Not just Gunther… you mean with us?”

Yuri, after glancing at the 48th class, turned his eyes back to Goetz with a smirk, as if something had just come to mind.

“Oh, right. We had a deal, didn’t we?”

“A deal?”

“You said you wanted to spar with me once a year, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yes, I did.”

In exchange for acting as a spy for the Original Council, Goetz had asked Yuri for a duel once a year.

As Goetz seemed to remember, Yuri waved his hand dismissively.

“Let’s settle that now.”

“Right now? So suddenly?”

“I told you, didn’t I? The time to settle this debt is up to me.”

“Well, yes, you did say that.”

“So, let’s do it. Now.”

Yuri began stretching, insisting that they do it immediately. Goetz sighed lightly in resignation.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With a slight shrug, Goetz took the first step, chuckling as though he had no other choice.

Seeing this, the rest of the 48th class thought the situation had finally come to a conclusion and began to scatter.

But…

That is, until Yuri spoke again.

“You know… I’ve always wanted to try this.”

Startled by his sudden statement, Goetz stopped in his tracks and blinked.

“Try what?”

“A real fight can break out anywhere, anytime, right?”

“…That’s true.”

“But in the Cradle, I’ve only ever fought in wide open spaces! Is that just me?”

“Hm, now that you mention it… that’s true for me as well.”

“Right?”

When Goetz agreed, Yuri’s eyes sparkled even more brightly.

“So, don’t you want to try something different?”

“What do you mean?”

“I believe this! There’s no way they built these buildings just for sleeping! They must be training facilities too!”

“Wait… don’t tell me…”

Goetz’s expression stiffened as Yuri’s overly detailed explanation made him uneasy.

*Shiiing*—

Meanwhile, Yuri drew his sword with a bright smile and declared.

“This is a real battle, simulating indoor combat.”

With that statement, Yuri’s figure vanished.

Sensing danger, Goetz immediately drew his sword.

He thought Yuri would charge straight at him.

But contrary to his expectations, Yuri appeared in a completely different place.

*Thud!*

The Krabe siblings were hit in the abdomen by the flat of Yuri’s sword and were flung into the wall like cannonballs.

“Urgh!”

“Kugh?!”

Writhing in pain from the unexpected impact, the siblings struggled to lift their heads.

They were wordlessly asking with their eyes why they had been attacked instead of Goetz.

Seeing their aggrieved expressions, Yuri casually rested his sword on his shoulder and responded.

“I told you, my business today isn’t just with Gunther, but with the entire ‘48th class,’ didn’t I?”

Then, Yuri pointed his sword at the 48th class members standing in the hallway.

“Yuri Holland of the 50th class, here on business with all my senior 48th classmates.”

*Crack!*

A blue lightning bolt struck inside the building.

* * *

*Boom! Boom!*

With each thunderous roar, the dormitory shook.

And with it came panicked shouts.

“W-wait!”

“Don’t come this way!”

Each time lightning flashed, people tumbled down the hallway.

 

The already narrow corridor was filled with people, and weapons were tangled in the mess, making the situation chaotic.

Though initially startled by Yuri’s sudden attack, the 48th class soon regained their composure.

“Damn it, don’t get in each other’s way!”

“Don’t just stand there! Clear some space!”

Those who quickly assessed the situation began to move in unison, using the terrain to their advantage.

“Drive him to the first floor!”

“Don’t let him break through that side!”

The dormitory had two floors, with a wide hall on the first floor.

Knowing they couldn’t leverage their numerical superiority in the narrow corridor, the 48th class tried to push Yuri into the hall.

As the 48th class swiftly organized and retaliated, Yuri’s eyes gleamed.

‘They’re different.’

Their situational awareness, crisis management, and individual skills.

Despite being caught off guard, the 48th class showed a completely different response from the 49th class.

‘They certainly deserve to be called the Golden Class.’

Before the 50th class had arrived, the 48th class was hailed as the Golden Class.

Even without Gunther as their anchor, they were far from weak.

They were proving that the title of the Golden Class wasn’t earned lightly.

And there was another reason they couldn’t be underestimated.

That was because, besides Gunther, there was another skilled individual among the 48th class.

A man known as the Eternal Second.

Now demoted to the Eternal Third.

But only because the first and second ranks were filled by extraordinary individuals. He, too, was a rare genius in the history of the Cradle.

*Swish*—

“It’s Goetz!”

“Clear the way for Goetz!”

With cheers from the 48th class, a red rose bloomed in the hallway.

It quickly swallowed the blue lightning.

‘Hmm…’

Caught within the maze of red sword light, Yuri swiftly swung his sword to deflect Goetz’s blade.

In each clash, Yuri’s eyes gleamed.

‘This confined space really restricts my movement

.’

As expected, experience was the best teacher.

Fighting in narrow, confined spaces was a completely different challenge compared to dodging traps or fighting in open areas.

‘The way you navigate the space changes completely.’

The movement paths.

The range and speed at which he swung his sword.

Everything was different from a typical fight, and it was an incredibly valuable experience for Yuri.

And Goetz, who was clashing swords with Yuri, felt the same.

‘It’s cramped.’

Fighting with a sword in such a small space was a first for him as well.

Goetz felt something refreshing about it.

‘I never imagined I’d swing a sword inside a dormitory…’

Far from training, he had always been cautious not to disturb his agitated classmates by practicing quietly.

But now, he was freely kicking off walls, floors, and ceilings, swinging his sword wherever he pleased, and the feeling was exhilarating.

*Clang!*

The blue lightning gracefully escaped from the red sword light.

With some distance between them, Yuri and Goetz looked at each other.

Then, Yuri smiled and spoke to Goetz.

“You look like you’re having fun.”

“Me?”

“You’re smiling.”

Surprised, Goetz touched his lips.

‘…It’s true.’

Just as Yuri said, he was indeed smiling.

At this point, Goetz had to admit it.

“Yes, I’m enjoying this.”

How long had it been since he had swung his sword without a care in the world?

Goetz’s expression grew even more excited.

Seeing this, Yuri smirked.

“Right? Want me to tell you something even more fun?”

“Something more fun?”

“You know what I love most about this Cradle?”

“No, what is it?”

In response to Goetz’s question, Yuri silently lowered his sword.

*Hummm*—

As a golden-colored magic sword resonated in the air, Yuri aimed it at Goetz with a wide grin.

“I don’t have to pay for the damages.”

Goetz’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected answer.

“Huh?”

But he quickly burst into laughter.

“Haha… Hahahaha! Puhahaha!”

Goetz laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes, then he summoned his rainbow-colored magic sword.

*Hummm*—

Pointing it at Yuri, his eyes lit up with excitement.

“That’s incredibly exciting news!”

“Right? You get it!”

At the moment their loud voices echoed through the hallway, the two charged at each other.

And the magic swords of the two men tore through the walls of the corridor.

*Crash!*

Seeing the corridor being torn apart in an instant, the 48th class members screamed in horror.

“Are these maniacs serious?!”

“S-stop!”

“Stop it! The building will collapse!”

But their desperate cries were drowned out by the roar created by the two magic swords.

*Boom!*

* * *

About an hour after Yuri had entered the dormitory.

“…Huh?”

A 48th class member, who had been out for a while, returned and froze in shock at the scene before him.

He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things.

But no matter how much he rubbed his eyes, the scene in front of him was real.

“What the hell is this?!”

The front entrance was destroyed.

The windows were completely shattered.

The walls were cracked, and the roof had collapsed.

How had the perfectly fine dormitory turned into a ruin in just an hour?

What in the world had happened here?

As he stood there, dumbfounded, a figure emerged from where the front entrance used to be.

*Step.*

Dusting off his clothes as he walked out was, of course, Yuri.

And the 48th class member who saw him froze in place.

His instincts told him that the destruction of the dormitory was all because of that man.

“Huh? One guy was missing?”

Noticing the frozen 48th class member, Yuri patted him on the shoulder as he passed by.

“Lucky you.”

With a sly grin, Yuri walked away.

All the 48th class member could do as Yuri walked off into the distance was break out in a cold sweat.