episode_0265

– Srrrrung…

The sharp sound of metal struck the joints. The blade, which was naturally drawn out, sparkled with light. Lee Ha-yool stretched the sword so that its tip did not touch the floor.

It’s a rather defenseless position. The head and upper body are completely empty. If you attack there, you’ll be able to get half a breath ahead of your opponent.

‘I don’t think so.’

He denies the simple thought. Yusei, standing opposite him, feels the weight of the sword in his hand and closes his eyes.

The appearance reflected in his eyes seemed to be full of weaknesses. However, the experience he had accumulated so far and the intuition that heated his head strongly denied it.

In fact, there is no need to rely on reasoning.

Even if you just feel the murderous aura that seems to be slicing through your entire body right now, those thoughts will be completely cut off.

‘It’s vicious.’

Around him, an invisible slaughter seems to be raging, as if it will cut through everything. The moment he steps into that place, his body tingles with a sense of crisis as if his entire body will be torn into dozens of pieces.

Lee Ha-yool, who was holding the sword, seemed like a completely different person than before.

The only thing that has changed is the atmosphere surrounding it, but it goes from looking harmless to feeling like a monster that has been roaming the battlefield for decades.

It was such a huge change. How could a person be perceived so differently just by their momentum? Yusei took a stance, inwardly impressed.

[2nd semester midterm evaluation, the first match of the combat major practical test will begin, countdown. 10…]

[9… 8… 7… ]

A voice echoes from the ceiling. I brace my sword as I recognize the numbers slowly decreasing.

‘Common sense would suggest that the momentum alone would not be so vicious.’

Since ancient times, momentum has been derived from the weight of one’s own body. This feeling cannot be felt from vanity that is only superficial.

The last time I saw Lee Ha-yul’s skills with my own eyes was during the first semester tournament.

Even at the time, I was astonished by the tremendous growth, but when I think about the unbelievable news I heard afterwards, it must have been an incredible growth.

‘Respond with full force.’

Judging by their momentum alone, they are not an opponent you can dare to touch. Rather, they are an opponent you have to confront with all your might to gain a small victory.

[3.. 2… 1…]

Yusei summoned a magical power that circulated throughout his entire body. He strengthened his body, which had been activated by the Rigid Body Technique. So that he could respond immediately to any attack that came flying at him.

and.

[Game starts]

I was suddenly confronted with a sword strike that was thrust right in front of my nose without any trace.

“… !”

A cool breeze struck his eyes. His breath escaped through the gaps in his teeth. Yusei intuitively raised his sword and struck.

– Bam!

A dull sound passed through his hand and rang in his head. His hand throbbed. His body, which had been blocking the attack, was pushed back significantly. Yusei gritted his teeth and planted both legs on the floor.

The distance was widened in one blow. There was no pursuit. Lee Ha-yul, who had appeared in front of Yusei like a ghost, lowered his sword with a calm expression.

“Hoo… !”

Only then did Yusei let out the breath that had been trapped in his mouth. His head was spinning from the nerves being pulled taut.

‘It almost ended in one blow.’

If the reaction had been even a little slower, the sword would have pierced the eyeball and torn apart the brain.

‘…Did I react?’

I wasn’t sure.

Yusei pushed his suspicions aside and became even more nervous. The magical power pouring out from his fingertips became strong energy and wrapped around the blade.

The silver energy wrapped around the blade like a calm water surface. Yusei, who had the energy wrapped around his body as well, stretched his feet forward.

The regular scenery stretched out for a long time. The distance narrowed in one step. Then he swung his sword. The moonlight flashed and a long slash was drawn.

– Enjoy!

An attack that is blocked as if it were a given.

Even the sword of Lee Ha-yool, which had cut off the slash in one stroke, was rippling with a strong energy. It was a pure white energy that was similar to Yusei’s, but with a clear difference in purity.

Of course I knew it would be blocked. So I drew my sword one after another without hesitation.

– Kkakakakak! Boom!

A noise erupted between the two. Their swords clashed in the middle of the areas they had occupied. They kicked away the invading sword and thrust their own sword into their opponent’s territory.

Yusei’s black connection was emphasized.

Rather than focusing on the power of a single blow or the speed of cutting off an opponent’s head in one breath, it is a swordsmanship that brings about flow by blocking the opponent’s attacks.

Receive strong power and mix in high-speed attacks with the flow and pass them by. In this way, bring the overall flow to wrap around the opponent, blocking their escape route and eventually cutting off their neck.

Magical power remains along the sword’s trajectory, creating a silvery flow.

– Bam!

There was a loud explosion. The flow was interrupted and the arm holding the sword shook.

Even a huge typhoon starts from a small gust of wind. However, the opponent did not show mercy to Yusei, allowing him to catch the small flow.

How on earth did he know, he instantly cut off the lead of the flow that was just about to start.

‘how?’

Both eyes are closed. It is said that they sometimes open and walk around, but they are closed now. Because of this, it is difficult to determine the other person’s intentions by the position of the pupils.

They say that they usually live with their sensing abilities. Is it possible to sense accurately in a battle that is so swiftly fought with their sensing abilities?

Questions rose drop by drop into the chaotic flow.

I felt even more deeply why the cadets who once got involved with Lee Ha-yool couldn’t hide their doubts.

With his eyes closed, he perceives much more than those with their eyes open.

And then, a sword slashed through the chaotic flow.

It was Lee Ha-yul’s sword. The sword that decisively cut off the flow came in through a gap and continued to cut through the flow.

– Kkakakakak!

The space I was occupying was taken away. Lee Ha-yool’s sword, which had eaten up that space, suddenly stabs me.

It was difficult to straighten up the messy flow on the spot. Yusei took a step back.

‘This time, you’re not letting me go.’

He had intended to step back and gain control of the flow, but unlike before, Lee Ha-yul was chasing him closely.

Should I try wielding the sword again? I thought about it for a moment, but quickly decided against it.

I just mixed my sword once and was convinced. Yusei’s skill is slightly inferior to that of a swordsman. It would not be wise to continue to attack with swordsmanship.

‘What about the Gangi fight?’

Kick! The blades met.

Yusei planted both legs on the ground and pushed away, putting his weight on the sword.

A bloody metallic sound erupted, and sparks and smoke scattered.

However, the opponent shows no sign of being pushed back. He still closes his eyes and holds his position without wavering an inch, as if he were a giant tree.

In the process, the energy was disrupted. Fragments of the broken energy flew into the air.

What was fluttering outside of sight was Yusei’s strong energy, which contained relatively turbid energy.

‘This doesn’t even work.’

It is already a well-known fact that Lee Ha-yul’s magical power is extraordinary. The power created through him is also far beyond the normal power.

Even for Yusei, who was born with special magical powers since childhood, being pushed back so overwhelmingly is an unusual experience.

Bang! He threw his arms back and opened up some distance. Lee Ha-yool, who swung his sword, quickly closed the distance.

Before that, I held the handle tightly with both hands and poured out my magical power.

The energy surrounding the blade swelled greatly, and dozens of long, tree-like energy branches sprouted out from its surface.

“Sigh!”

As Yusei, who had his feet firmly planted on the ground, swung his arms widely, dozens of energies attached to the blade poured out.

A technique that falls into the category of small expansion abilities. The strong energy that flies through the air is sharply sharpened and feels like a crescent moon.

‘No, if I think about it, it would be a crescent moon.’

Considering that Katsuki Yusei’s unique abilities and techniques are related to the moon, it would be correct to imagine and implement a crescent moon rather than a mistake.

Lee Ha-yool, who was faced with dozens of crescent moons pouring down across the floor and ceiling, stretched out his right arm without the slightest fear.

A hand holding a sword. But instead of swinging the sword, the hand twisted violently.

Not so fast. The crescent moon’s speed, cutting through the wind, is approaching.

– Ki-ki-ki-ki…!

Instead, the circuits were twisted. The sharp pain was sharply scratching at my nerves. It was the pain of twisting too many circuits at once.

I ignored it. If I’m not careful, my hand might burst or the circuit might backflow and I might become disabled, but I’ve practiced a lot so far.

Moreover, this is a training ground set up in the basement of the fighting hall.

This facility, which combines the best of modern technology and magic, is capable of withstanding a fight between high-level superhumans.

Moreover, since it is judged to be a tower of growth to some extent, even a fatal wound can be blown away as fiction.

Where else can I practice if not here?

… Ariel’s warning flashed through Lee Ha-yool’s mind for a moment, but it would be okay since it would be played back here without any aftereffects.

Lee Ha-yool, who was making excuses to himself, suddenly twisted the circuit.

– Kik!

The circuitry inside the arm was artificially transformed, and magical power flowed into it without stopping.

Originally, it would just be a flowing magic force…

‘Magic Strike.’

The altered circuit had a simplified form of a spell, and so magic was manifested whenever magical power flowed.

– Clang!

Slashes rained down from his twisted arms.

The overwhelming speed and quantity of manifestation are so great that it is difficult to keep up even with the tip of one’s toes through the window.

Tune him in somehow.

Change the location of the magic that will be manifested from inside the arm to outside, and twist the direction of the slash that will pour down without regard to direction to the front.

The catastrophic force that poured down like rain literally swallowed dozens of crescent moons.

The crescent moons that seemed to resist for a moment were soon buried under an overwhelming amount of damage.

But the calamity did not advance any further, but rather dispersed into the air.

– Sreung…

“Uhh… ”

Yusei shrugged his shoulders as he saw the sight right in front of him.

A prickling sensation in his neck. He glanced down and saw Lee Ha-yool standing right next to him, thrusting a sword into his neck.

“What was that just now? Was it magic?”

Yusei asked, looking at the ceiling and floor that had been turned upside down by the tragedy.

[yes]

[I used a bit of a trick, but it’s magic.]

“Magic Strike… I know it’s definitely the lowest level, but it’s disheartening that the expansion ability is blocked by the lowest level magic.”

[Hmm… isn’t this something weird on my part?]

“Is that so.”

Yusei let out a sly laugh, put down his sword, and raised both arms above his head.

“Lost.”

[Game End]

[Winner, Ipchunban Lee Ha-yul]

The signal for the end of the game rang out from the ceiling. Only then did Lee Ha-yool nod and step back.

At the same time, the ominous aura was instantly dispelled, and the previously harmless impression reappeared.

It was difficult to see that harmless impression as the same person who had just mercilessly cut through his flow.

Yusei shook his head at the change in perception that he couldn’t believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.

[Thank you for your effort]

“Thank you. If it weren’t for Son Dae-jung, it would have ended in the first attack without even showing a scene to evaluate. ”

[Hmm… You noticed?]

“At first I wasn’t sure, but after we split the swords, I became sure. There was no way I could dodge an attack that was too late when my skills were already so lacking.”

Yusei shook his head and held out his hand.

“I’ve always wanted to be friends with you, but I haven’t had many opportunities, so I’d like to get some advice on martial arts through this opportunity. In particular, your swordsmanship… seems to have a lot in common with our swordsmanship.”

[I am grateful]

Lee Ha-yul smiled brightly and extended his hand in return for the unanswerable request for friendship. At the same time, he thought about Yusei’s words.

‘There are a lot of similarities in swordsmanship… Ah, I guess that’s because I copied the second one a lot?’

I tilted my head for a moment, but the answer came quickly.

The second time, he visited a sect located in Japan and trained his unique abilities by breaking dojos.

If the second time I faced the Tower of Growth had followed the same path, it would be understandable that I would have followed a similar pattern by copying the techniques of the second time.

‘Should I go to Japan and do some stamp collecting?’

The second one was heavily copied, but it still fell short of the original.

There weren’t many plausible effective hits until the end when the second round and the final fight were fought over.

Of course, if we fight now, the result would be quite different…

Anyway, later when I have time, I’d like to visit Japan under a different identity and do some stamp collecting.

“Why are there wounds on your hands?”

[Oh, my magic control just went a little off.]

“Hmm… ? It’s not like it’s a backflow of magic, but is there a wound big enough to leave a scar? ”

[… This is also something unique on my part.]

“It’s a dangerous technique that could easily blow your hand away.”

[If you use it well, it won’t fly away]

Lee Ha-yul avoided eye contact and wiped the blood off his hands.

* * *

“No, me again?”

The second opponent was Aiden. He came in from the opposite door and drew his sword with a look of resentment on his face.

[3… 2… 1… ]

[Game starts]

“What the fuck… Did someone manipulate the bracket?”

[Don’t swear]

– Bang!

“Guest!”

The spearhead slammed into Aiden’s solid skull.