Crimson 4

“Did you know that I’m a Regression Turner too?”

[…What are you talking about.]

It questioned in obvious bewilderment.

Doyun silently nodded. It was information he had revealed to Satan during their previous war, but it seemed Crimson’s data did not encompass that detail.

“Never mind if you don’t know.”

As he spoke, Doyun brushed his chest. The necklace catching on his palm softly vibrated, as if responding to his faith – his small, constant companion through the long journey.

“Let me ask you something.”

Wooong—

[What?]

The necklace reacted to his utterance. Crimson, mistaking it as him addressing it directly, questioned the sudden remark.

But without explanation, Doyun tightened his grip on his sword and lowered his stance.

‘Let’s take a look…’

His feet unleashed the Conquering Leg Aura.

Boom—!

The distance between them closed in an instant. Crimson calmly assumed its stance.

Crossing two spears in an X to guard its body while extending the other two outwards – the Crossed-Spears Four-Armed Style stance.

Doyun drew forth his full output without holding back. If he intended to turn back time regardless, he might as well expend every last ounce of strength and life force for his ‘objective’.

Doyun charged straight at Crimson’s left flank, imbuing his sword with forward momentum. His golden eyes then observed Crimson’s reaction and spear movements intently.

One of Crimson’s right-hand spears met Doyun’s blade.

‘Deflect with the right spear, then use the other right spear to parry.’

Twooong—

Doyun’s left arm flung wide open, fully exposing his left torso as his sword was batted aside.

Efficiently deflecting the attack by linking the two right spears’ movements while simultaneously disrupting his defenses to counter with the remaining left spears – superb spear techniques.

Doyun committed that sequence to memory.

Splutch!

A spear pierced his exposed left torso, skewering his lung.

‘Again.’

Seeing the converging three spearheads, he closed his eyes.

Woooong—

His necklace shone.

+++

[…What are you talking about.]

It questioned in obvious bewilderment.

This was around 5 seconds before Doyun had closed his eyes – a repeated timeline.

Without hesitation, Doyun kicked off the ground.

Boom—!

Crimson reassumed its stance, crossing two spears forward while extending the other two outward.

This time, Doyun swung his sword downward. In response, Crimson raised the two forward-crossed spears upward.

Clang!

His sword was blocked at the crossed spearheads. The X-shape formed by overlapping the two heavy longspears was extremely sturdy and stable.

Before Doyun could recover his blade, Crimson flung the crossed spears wide open, forcefully disarming him.

The sword, caught at the crossing point, flew wide, flinging Doyun’s arm upward and fully exposing his front.

The remaining two idle spears thrust towards his unguarded torso.

‘Two for defense, two for offense.’

A flawless spear technique utilizing both defense and offence simultaneously.

Committing this exchange to memory, Doyun closed his eyes once more.

+++

Shhhrrrip!

‘The four arms’ positions are not bound to offense or defense.’

Feeling the spearhead piercing his chest, he closed his eyes.

+++

Creak—

‘Slashing is merely supplementary defense. The true form lies in thrusting.’

He closed his eyes again.

+++

Clang!

‘The movements of each arm never overlap.’

Eyes closed.

+++

Doyun repeated the cycles countless times, splitting offense and defense in various ways as he continued observing Crimson’s responses.

He absorbed Crimson’s spear techniques like a sponge soaking up water.

Disregarding death itself, he fought on, dying repeatedly.

But he did not give up, gradually accumulating information about his opponent.

This was how a Regression Turner battled.

+++

“Did you know that I’m a Regression Turner too?”

[…What are you talking about.]

It questioned in obvious bewilderment.

Doyun silently nodded. This was enough.

“You’ll see.”

Saying so, Doyun loosened his sword grip.

Thud.

Letting his sword drop, he drew two longspears from the dimensional rift before assuming a stance.

‘So this is how it felt.’

He adjusted his footwork.

[What have you been doing this whole time?]

Crimson spoke in an irritated tone. Doyun’s recent actions deviating from its data predictions had greatly unsettled it.

“Just watch.”

But Doyun paid it no heed, carefully moving his body.

He crossed two spears in an X in front, extending the other two outward.

With only two arms, Doyun held one spear diagonally forward, the other outward.

Crimson’s Crossed-Spears Four-Armed Style stance.

Ding!

[Acquired Savant]

(You were born unremarkable, but through repeated deaths and centuries of effort, you have reforged even your innate qualities. You face no difficulties in learning new things and can rapidly refine existing skills. This is not an inborn talent, but hard-earned expertise from a vast wealth of experience. Thus, your growth is based on what you have witnessed and learned.

Your growth rate receives modifiers based on your lived years.

Your growth form receives modifiers based on your experiences.)

[Skill ‘Crossed-Spears Four-Armed Style’ has been created.]

[…!]

Crimson’s emerald eyes flickered rapidly, shaking with apparent disarray as if encountering a critical error.

This was no mere mimicry. Though somewhat crude, Doyun had manifested Crimson’s spear techniques. An impossibility.

A situation its database could not comprehend.

‘For the missing arms…’

Doyun channeled his mana. Two spectral spears emerged from the dimensional rift, hovering to complete the stance’s vacant positions.

The aura-grasped spears utilized in his Thrown Spear skill, enhanced by his newfound [Crossed-Spears Four-Armed Style] skill.

‘So this is it.’

Nodding as he felt the stance’s sturdiness, Doyun received no response – Crimson froze, seemingly short-circuiting from the abrupt circumstances.

But Doyun did not wait. Instantly unleashing his Conquering Leg Aura, he charged.

Boom—!

As Doyun rapidly closed the distance, Crimson belatedly responded, thrusting its spears towards him in a fluster.

Within the time-dilated perception of his focused state, Doyun’s eyes tracked the spearheads accurately.

A spear thrust from the right. Doyun’s left hand and the hovering left spear moved in response.

‘Deflect with the left, then…’

The other spear seamlessly followed through, parrying the deflected strike.

Twooong—

[…!]

Crimson’s right arm flung wide, fully exposing its right side – the same deflection it had used against Doyun in their first clash.

Crimson’s data was tailored to the 18th Iteration Enoch, not the 19th Iteration Doyun. Back then, Enoch had been unremarkable.

But the current Doyun was an [Acquired Savant]. Acting solely based on its inputted data, Crimson could neither comprehend nor keep pace with Doyun’s rapid growth.

Ding!

[Skill ‘Crossed-Spears Four-Armed Style’ has leveled up. Current Level: 2]

Doyun deftly wielded the four-spear techniques.

As he thrust into Crimson’s open defenses, Doyun muttered:

“Your spear skills were impressive.”

[What is this…?]

“Let me borrow them for a bit.”

[…!]

Doyun’s spear stabbed towards Crimson’s exposed left side.

Splutch!

Crimson’s body jolted, unable to react to the unforeseen situation.

In his fight against the Saint, Enoch had held the matchup advantage. She had used a short dagger, its shorter reach negating any ambush potential against Enoch’s [Seventh Sense]. Dagger-wielding assassins were inherently disadvantaged against proper swordsmen in direct combat.

In contrast, the Crossed-Spears Four-Armed Style had been designed as the dedicated counter to the Războlnic Style – to all of Enoch’s martial arts. The overt intention of using spears, weapons with an edge against swords, was evident. Hence, Doyun had been at a disadvantage in this matchup.

But what if he did not utilize his previous martial arts? The Crossed-Spears Style would lose its intended advantage.

Moreover:

‘This one is vulnerable to variables.’

Whenever Doyun and Vyuskr had reacted unexpectedly with unruffled composure, the previously machine-like Crimson had faltered.

Composure was a vital warrior trait. Yet Crimson had been excessively unsettled by their unpredictable variables.

Doyun realized then – its weakness lay in deviations beyond its data and analysis predictions, ‘variables’ outside its expectations.

Crimson possessed no data on countering its own Crossed-Spears Four-Armed Style. As Doyun had anticipated, it was greatly flustered.

Of course, that alone was insufficient to defeat it.

[This bastard…!]

Clang!

Clang, clang—!

The thoroughly provoked Crimson wildly swung its four heavy longspears. Though Doyun had scored a hit in their first clash, he was forced on the defensive, overwhelmed by its might as he desperately parried its attacks.

Under equal conditions of martial arts, combat senses and physical output determined victory.

His opponent was a Vanguard Commander – a monster on par with the Saint herself. In terms of physical output, the depleted Doyun was vastly outmatched.

But he was Enoch Războlnic, the pinnacle of martial arts.

‘At least in combat senses.’

He was second to none in that regard.

Doyun released his grip on the spears. As Crimson’s spearheads thrust towards him, he caught the shaft instead.

[…!]

“This one looks decent too.”

Below Crimson’s spear-gripping hand, a black void opened. Another aura-grasped spear emerged, stabbing towards its wrist.

Splutch!

Crimson’s grip slackened, allowing Doyun to wrench the spear free.

[This insane…!]

Such fluid combat adaptability far exceeded the programmed data limitations of an artificial construct like Crimson.