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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 195: The Eccentric Brothers
"Stop right there, you bastard! Unless you want to die!"
The crazed assassin from Svaltalfar was chasing after me.
'Wow, impressively fast.'
To what extent? Well, he's not falling behind the great Karzan's lightness technique at all.
"If I stop, will you spare me?"
I asked, just in case.
"I'll kill you!"
"That's absurd. Then I have no reason to stop, do I?"
"Shut up!"
Something felt familiar, and thinking about it, I recalled having a similarly idiotic conversation when Ivan was chasing me in my previous life.
'Humans really do repeat their foolish mistakes...'
I briefly sank into melancholy.
But this time is different. No matter how strong this mad young master from the assassination clan might be, he can't possibly do anything to the great Allenvert.
'But I must admit, this guy is quite formidable.'
I carefully steadied my slightly laboring breath while pretending to be unaffected, then asked:
"Let's introduce ourselves before I die. What's your name?"
"Hehe, you keep acting cheeky."
He grinned and answered.
"Ghir. Ghir Svaltalfar. That's the name of the last man you'll meet before you die."
"I plan to live a comfortable life and peacefully close my eyes surrounded by my grandchildren, so please don't say such terrible things."
Of course, I'm on borrowed time right now, but still.
"And what's your name?"
"Ask that before you kill me. If you can, that is."
"Damn it. I'll grant your wish and kill you, so stop already."
Ghir seemed frustrated that he couldn't catch me with his own feet.
"Who in the world wants to die?"
As I kept twisting his words, he irritably shouted.
"How long are you planning to run, damn it!"
"We've arrived."
We reached an empty space with no people around.
"Shall we begin now?"
I turned to face him with my hands behind my back, striking a cool pose.
"Huh! You crazy bastard."
Ghir snorted contemptuously.
"A mouse luring a lion, how ridiculous."
"Squeak, squeak."
When I responded by making mouse noises, Ghir smiled fiercely as if he didn't want to waste any more words.
"Get ready. Here I come."
"What kind of assassin announces their attack?"
"Of course I do."
Ghir's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
"This isn't work—it's entertainment."
"My, what an impressive murderer we have here."
I watched as Ghir gripped daggers in both hands while channeling mana into my bracelet sword.
Of course, I couldn't reveal the blue aura of the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique, so I created an invisible formless sword energy using the Dark Star's power.
"Huh?"
Seeing the sword energy melting into the darkness of night, Ghir laughed.
"You're indeed interesting. Are you perhaps also 'one of us'?"
"Think whatever you want."
Though invisible to the eye, he seemed to have easily detected the sword energy with his sharp intuition and energy sense.
'But can he accurately perceive the extending and contracting length of the sword energy at every moment?'
That's impossible.
Still, I plan to save my trump card for now.
Swooosh!
Ghir lunged like a wolf, swinging his dagger.
'Fast and intricate.'
Look at that overflowing bestial nature. How could this possibly be an assassin's technique?
Claaang!
I met the strangely shaped incoming blade strike head-on. It was fast and heavy, and the blade was so sharp that if my energy had been even slightly insufficient, I would have been cut in half instantly.
Just as a good dish reveals its quality with a single bite, this one attack was enough for me to recognize that his assassination technique had reached a truly supreme level.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As I parried his successive attacks, sparks flew in the darkness. It looked almost like fireworks exploding.
"Hahaha! Not bad!"
He laughed heartily while launching fierce attacks from left and right.
This feeling was exactly like when a cat plays with a mouse. He clearly intended to play with me for a while instead of killing me at once.
'Well, lions are cats too, I suppose.'
"You have a lion's soul in an assassin's body."
"What nonsense are you talking about now?"
I didn't respond and instead carefully observed Ghir's attacks.
'He handles those daggers as skillfully as if they were parts of his body.'
One peculiar feature was the hole in the hilt large enough to fit a thumb.
What could be the purpose of that?
'For instance, if he puts his thumb in there and rotates it halfway.'
The blade would point toward himself, with the blade edge hidden forward along his wrist.
'Then he could use his freed hand to grab my collar or clothes in some unexpected technique.'
I quickly figured out how he might utilize the knife based solely on its shape.
'Clever design.'
Sure enough.
'Now!'
With the blade hidden, Ghir closed the distance and tried to grab my collar.
Not a chance. As if I'd been waiting for this moment, I countered his hand using the Flowing Cloud Thunder Fist technique.
Boom!
"Oh! You anticipated this?"
Ghir raised his eyebrows with interest.
"It's obvious just by looking, man."
Ghir then rotated the blade forward again and unleashed an even more intricate and powerful assassination blade technique.
'Wow, he might break those blades at this rate.'
The recoil was no joke. My wrist was ringing and my bones ached. It was almost impossible to use Karzan's method of slightly redirecting the blade's direction to lightly parry attacks.
'This guy has a natural talent for handling daggers.'
In terms of dagger mastery alone, he would undoubtedly be among the best opponents I've ever faced.
'But still.'
When it comes to sword techniques, I've never met anyone more talented than myself. I was already understanding and interpreting Ghir's complex, mysterious, and powerful attacks.
'I can see it.'
Different sword techniques poured out with each change in his gaze, shoulders, footwork, and the way he gripped his daggers.
'And if I can see it, I can certainly respond to it.'
That's who I am.
I referred to the defensive forms of the Azure Sea Moon Shadow Swordsmanship while mixing in Karzan's methods to deliver sharp counterattacks in between.
Just like now.
Boom!
My sword stopped right in front of Ghir's eyes, breaking the flow of his attack.
"Huh!"
Ghir crossed his two daggers to block it right in front of his face.
'His reactions are nimble.'
His response, instantly switching from offense to defense, was commendable.
"This bastard, it's like you're reading my attacks in advance."
Ghir muttered while staring at the tip of my blade.
"Is there a problem with that?"
"You get more interesting by the minute. What exactly are you?"
"That I cannot tell you."
Then Ghir asked something strange.
"This sword—if I break it, will it repair itself?"
"What?"
He grabbed the thin blade of my bracelet sword and tried to snap it with force.
"You crazy bastard!"
I panicked and reverted the sword back to its bracelet form.
"Hey, do you have any idea how much this cost?"
"Hehe."
As if he'd been waiting for this reaction, Ghir exploited the gap where the sword had disappeared and thrust his fist forward.
'This guy.'
Was he actually wanting to engage in hand-to-hand combat with me all along?
Ghir answered my silent question.
"Actually, I don't really like blades that much. Nothing beats the satisfaction of beating someone to death with my bare hands."
"You're insane."
It struck me anew that this man truly possessed the nature of a terrible killer.
"Is your deranged temperament a side effect of demonic cultivation? Or did your clan raise you to be this? Or were you born this way? Your brother doesn't seem like this."
"When breeding for bloodlines, specimens like me sometimes emerge."
"Ah, I see."
But he was mistaken. Having learned the Flowing Cloud Thunder Fist from Ulbhild, I am practically a first rate martial artist.
Swoosh!
I dodged his successive punches with exquisite footwork.
"Swish, swish-swish-swish, swish-swish."
After evading an attack, exploiting openings for counterattacks is the basic principle of combat. I cut through the air with my fists, deflected with my arms, and employed various fist, palm, and kicking techniques as I exchanged offensive and defensive moves with Ghir.
"So you're pretty good with your fists too."
However, Ghir's techniques were certainly not inferior to Grunewald's.
Above all—
'His brute strength is insane.'
With similar mana quantities, naturally the one with more muscle and greater base strength produces more power.
And I was the one being pushed back.
'In that case.'
I attempted to trip Ghir's leg using the principle of flow, pushing his chest to knock him down, but—
Thud!
"?!"
I was shocked. This madman managed to withstand my technique using his core strength, even as his posture was crumbling.
'What a monster.'
"Hehe, that won't work."
Ghir laughed triumphantly and returned my palm force.
Boom!
My body, having blocked the palm force with both arms, flew backward like an arrow leaving a bowstring.
'Look at this guy!'
Like a lone arrow cutting through the wind, I thought:
'He's stronger than I expected.'
Of course, hand-to-hand combat isn't my specialty.
On the other hand, these guys clearly have deep expertise in assassination unarmed combat techniques for situations where weapons cannot be brought in.
'Then I've been using a hammer in front of a blacksmith.'
I quickly revised my strategy, flipped my body, and kicked off the ground to leap upward.
Tap-tap!
At the cost of a strong rebound that made my knees creak, I changed direction to soar into the sky and drew my bracelet sword again.
"Die!"
Swoosh!
As my slash flew, Ghir dodged it with ghost-like footwork.
"Slower than a fly."
Ghir mocked, but I ignored him and unleashed a barrage of attacks. He playfully dodged here and there like a cat, toying with me, but...
'Dark Star.'
He apparently didn't know that I could apply the invisible property to my slashes as well.
"?!"
Only noticing the slash when it reached his face, Ghir hurriedly twisted his head.
"Wow, you crazy bastard. You dodged that?"
I stuck out my tongue. What kind of beast was he?
"You use some interesting little tricks."
Blood flowed from Ghir's cheek. He hadn't dodged completely.
"Sorry, that might sting a bit."
Landing back in the open space, I apologized.
"This much is just a scratch."
"Your bravado is excessive; it's actually quite deep—"
I was saying that when I witnessed an unbelievable scene.
"Huh?"
His cheek began healing on its own.
"This is crazy."
That was truly a recovery ability beyond human capability.
"What are you, some kind of troll?"
After saying it, I realized.
"Do you perhaps have troll ancestors?"
"...What did you say?"
"Well, I heard that the Svaltalfar don't hesitate to interbreed with different species."
Ghir made an unpleasant face.
"This crazy bastard is insulting my ancestors."
"It's not an insult, I'm genuinely curious."
I asked again.
"Then are you part vampire?"
"...Just die already."
Black aura rippled, and a slash like a demon's claw flew at me.
"Whoa!"
Was he quite irritated about his cheek being cut? This time the slash was considerably heavier, forcing me to take a step back.
"First, I'll tear your cheek the same way."
"You want an equal exchange? That won't work."
Do you know how much my mask costs?
I don't know either. But it must be expensive.
"Now just die!"
I looked straight at Ghir's attack.
'Foolish man.'
I've long since understood your techniques.
'The first hand's attack is just setting up for the decisive blow from the second hand.'
Therefore, I dodged the first dagger by a hair's breadth, dove in, and preemptively grabbed his wrist to block the following attack.
"?!"
Then I used the Golden Serpent technique to twist and lock his wrist, immediately following with an elbow strike to his jaw.
Smack!
Ghir staggered as if momentarily losing consciousness, and I moved to point my sword at his brow.
"Swoosh!"
But even in that state, Ghir managed to knock it away with pure instinct.
"Impressive. You reacted to that?"
'That's a shame.'
I had planned to stop the blade in front of his brow and declare the match over with some cool line, but his reaction was slightly too fast.
'Then again.'
Just as I was about to launch a follow-up attack—
"Brother, haven't you satisfied your urge by now?"
The younger brother had joined us at some point and interjected in a casual voice.
"Calm down already."
"Shut up."
I looked at the younger brother and asked.
"Aren't you going to intervene?"
"That person would just go crazy on me next, wouldn't he?"
"Ah."
I nodded in understanding.
"By the way, this gets more absurd the more I look at you. Are you guys really assassins?"
"For now, yes."
'These guys aren't normal either.'
Though I'm hardly one to talk.
"Anyway, shall we have a proper conversation now?"
"I agree."
I promptly replied while looking at Ghir.
"Fine."
Surprisingly, Ghir smiled and lowered his hands.
"That last hit was quite interesting. It would be a waste to kill you."
"Phew."
Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
"It's really difficult to have a conversation around here."
"I don't communicate well with my brother either."
The younger brother said something oddly disconnected.
"So? I assume you've brought a worthwhile proposal?"
I sensed his implied threat that if it wasn't satisfactory, he'd join in to kill me.
'This one isn't ordinary either.'
What an eccentric clan.
"Alright then, let's begin our discussion."
In any case, I needed the help of these eccentric brothers.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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