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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 210: I Am Your Senior
I followed Skella's guidance as we pursued the bat.
'Come to think of it, I've really come a long way.'
I wondered where this snowball began rolling and how it ended up here.
Somerset, Karl, Zizek, Nagan, Damien, Evan...
All sorts of faces passed through my mind.
'Even Ghir, Drak, Venion, and Skella.'
It felt as if countless causes and effects had intertwined like chains, finally leading to the inevitable confrontation between Huten and me.
'And now it's time to see the end.'
Huten is an extremely powerful enemy. His martial arts, having surpassed the sixth tier, are clearly superior to mine.
Moreover, his ability to freely manipulate mana and the level of illusion techniques he showed at the end were extraordinary.
'In short, he possesses unfathomable demonic arts.'
I'd be in trouble if I weren't cautious, but being overly cautious wouldn't be good either.
'I've gained Karzan's sword and experience, Grunewald's martial arts, and Allenvert's superior physique.'
Not to mention various spirit medicines, even Nepherus's breath, and the poison Huten scattered—I consumed them all properly. How could I fear demonic arts?
'After this night passes, I'll gain much and grow stronger.'
Since nothing can be obtained without hardship—
I was willing to climb yet another high hill that appears countless times on the path of life.
[He's over there, young master.]
Far away, I could see Huten. Strangely, he stood at a small dock with the moonlit sea behind him.
"Thank you, Skella."
[I wish you good fortune in battle.]
I wondered how many people had wished me luck in battle. It didn't feel so bad.
"Huten! You bastard! Stop right there!"
Hearing my shout, Huten raised his head.
"...So you chased me all the way here."
Huten wiggled his finger at me.
"Come down. Since it's come to this, I'll take your head to hell."
"Who are you to command me, you pathetic fool."
I snorted and landed on the dock where just the two of us stood.
"Did you come alone?"
"I see you're alone too."
"No need to bring many people to catch one rabbit, is there?"
"That's true."
I nodded, pointing at Huten.
"You're hideously ugly for a rabbit, but I suppose drinking piss and eating shit could result in such an appearance."
Huten chuckled.
"You have some nerve saying that with that face of yours."
Well, hmm.
'A sharp observation.'
But I wasn't affected at all.
'I am Allenvert, the peerless handsome young master who even mocks the gods.'
Anyway, I needed to answer as Karzan now.
"Huten, you're truly a despicable man. Even bitches in heat aren't as persistent as you."
"That's exactly what I want to say to you."
Huten said with disgust.
"If it weren't for you, I would have taken control of the Bisakino Brotherhood by now and become the new godfather."
"Perhaps."
I snorted.
"But your greed was excessive, you pathetic fool. If you try to devour too much at once, you'll choke."
"Excessive greed?"
Huten shrugged.
"The only miscalculation I made was your interference. There was nothing wrong with my plan."
"I didn't know you valued process over results."
Huten wrinkled his brow at my sarcasm.
"Karzan. What makes you so confident that you'd dare chase me alone?"
"I have as many friends as you do."
I said.
"By the way, Nagan isn't dead. Even Zizek isn't dead."
"!"
"Your finishing touches were sloppy, Huten. That's why you die today."
Huten was about to say something but stopped and drew his sword from his waist.
Sreung-
It was cold as if forged in the netherworld. Death's sword was sharp, straight, and seemed capable of cutting anything.
'With a sword like that, I'll need to be wary of thrusting attacks first.'
Woowoowoong!
I injected mana into my bracelet to summon my sword.
"Aren't you going to draw that sword?"
Huten pointed at Voyager of the Night.
"We'll see."
First, I intended to confront him with the sword that symbolized Karzan.
"Let me ask you one thing."
I spoke while slowly gathering the power of the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique from the bottom up.
"Who was the one who attacked Ghir?"
"Ah, him."
Huten chuckled.
"Why would someone about to die want to know such things?"
"Are you trying to hide everything? What a detestable man."
The conversation was over. We walked toward each other as if by agreement, and—
Kwaaaang!
When our slashes collided in mid-air, Huten had already rushed forward and was thrusting his sword at me.
'Wow, he's incredibly fast.'
But don't be deceived by speed, Karzan.
I used my mana sense like a third eye to prepare for 'two attacks.'
Kagagak!
Huten's sword, sacrificing power for speed, was a feint.
'And the real attack is the spike rising from the black aura.'
I parried it with my left hand wrapped in reinforced aura.
Kwaaaang!
The spike shattered upon meeting my hammer-like fist.
"You have good instincts."
Huten attacked me with various techniques, as if checking my reactions. It was a fierce offensive that made my eyes dizzy and bones cold.
'But I can withstand it.'
Chaeng! Kagagak!
Each time our swords clashed, the air tore and the earth rumbled.
But no attack broke through my defense.
'The foundation is the solid and stable power of the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique.'
The sea's power wrapped around my body, feeling so stable it seemed to absorb recoil.
'The Azure Sea Moon Shadow Swordsmanship is unrivaled in defense.'
And the Scarlet Cloud Ghost Path was a versatile footwork and body technique.
I lightened my body, used footwork to carefully adjust the distance, and twisted my body with movement techniques to avoid attacks or receive sword strikes in the most powerful stance.
With techniques absorbed from sparring with members of the Royal Guard, Special Operation Division, and Knights—I was now virtually an iron wall.
"You're defending quite well."
While Huten kept taunting me without rest, I could only remain silent with clenched teeth. I was under so much pressure that even a small mistake would twist my mana flow and cause internal injuries.
'His offensive power is truly first-class.'
Huten was a man who wielded a powerful sword with practical and overwhelming style.
'But the real problem is...'
It was Huten's sinister habit of mixing in extremely subtle assassination techniques to catch me off guard during our exchanges.
'He's quite skilled. He changes tactics just when I start to get used to them.'
However, analyzing and copying an enemy's martial arts was Karzan's most innate talent.
"Huh? Not bad!"
While defending against Huten's attacks, I occasionally counterattacked or even took the initiative, pushing Huten into a defensive position.
'You're not the only one who's mastered various martial arts.'
This was possible thanks to Karzan's sharp, keen, and unpredictable sword techniques.
"Karzan, your martial arts are truly strange. Did Georg take in a lone wolf and teach him Grunewald's martial arts?"
Even during this intense battle, Huten seemed intent on extracting information from me.
"I won't tell you, you bastard."
I briefly retorted, suppressing the nausea rising inside me.
'It would have been better to fight using only Grunewald's martial arts.'
No matter how much of a sword genius I am, I couldn't fight an opponent one level above me while hiding half of my weapons.
'I'm putting on as much of a bluff as possible, but it's precarious.'
Right now, I'm in quite a difficult situation.
The trickle of mana being absorbed by the Mask of Aminicrus was bothering me like clothes soaked in drizzle.
"You seem to be reaching your limit."
But Huten wasn't one to be easily fooled by bluffs.
"Your breathing is getting rougher, Karzan."
The iron wall slowly began to collapse under the enemy's fierce attacks.
The longer the battle went on, the more my breathing became insufficient, my stamina depleted, and my reactions gradually slowed as my posture became unstable.
'He's trying to slowly wear me down to death.'
In chess terms, this was similar to gradually eroding the opponent before delivering a decisive strike.
'Cautious to the point of cunning.'
...Slowly but surely facing defeat, I gritted my teeth.
"Let's end this!"
Finally, just as the decisive strike flew toward my heart—
'Now!'
I combined the explosiveness of a Light Star with the stealth of Dark Star, and added the Whispering Snow in the Night to create 'stealthy and swift acceleration,' momentarily exceeding Huten's expectations.
"!"
I used the high-level footwork of the Scarlet Cloud Ghost Path to get behind Huten, but—
"Is this the best move you've prepared?"
Huten protected his back with a black curtain, definitely blocking my attack, and then...
"Haaaaap!"
Stepping firmly and shouting a battle cry, he accelerated his gathered power through rotation and swung his heavy sword.
'Damn it.'
I had to counter with the best attack power I could muster at the moment.
'Lonely Wave Yearning Moon.'
Jeeeeeong!
Though it was just swords colliding, an ominous shockwave flipped the dock planks and shook the moored fishing boats. The flags on each mast fluttered as if about to tear.
'Shit, my wrist.'
My right wrist creaked as I failed to properly divert the force. I almost broke my wrist at that moment.
'This won't work.'
I returned the sword to my bracelet and wrapped defensive energy around my left hand.
Bbeoeeong!
I shattered the arrow-like black spike with the energy of the Flowing Cloud Thunder Fist.
'He fights like a bastard.'
But it's fine. In the meantime, I rotated my stiff right hand a couple of times and infused it with the power of the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique.
'Thanks to that, I could catch a breath.'
I drew Voyager of the Night from my waist.
"Are you done with your little games?"
"Perhaps."
I spat out blood pooling in the corner of my mouth. Something felt caught in my teeth. It might be a piece of internal organ.
'It feels like fighting a monster with eight arms.'
What exactly is Huten's martial art?
He used the black curtain made of his mana like a living thing, like a barrier, like spears and swords, utilizing it freely.
'Is that all?'
He was clearly a master who had reached the sixth tier. Such a person using even minor tricks made the fight incredibly difficult. He hadn't even brought out his illusion techniques yet.
But what truly bothered me was his dark art itself. How could someone who wasn't even a magical swordsman freely manipulate that black mana?
'It's extremely difficult for a pure martial artist to utilize mana in such diverse ways.'
On the other hand, giving form to mana and transforming it is much simpler for a mage.
"Are you some kind of magical swordsman?"
Huten burst into laughter.
"Of course not! I never learned magic."
That makes it even stranger.
Was there such a martial art in the entire continent?
'...There is.'
And I know that martial art well.
"How can such a martial art exist?"
But I slumped my shoulders as if discouraged and despairing.
"Haha, have you finally despaired?"
Huten's eyes changed.
'The eyes of a beast toying with its prey before killing it.'
He must be convinced that he has completely gained the upper hand.
'Then I'll use that misconception.'
To add certainty to my suspicion.
"You wouldn't know this, but in the ancient past, martial arts and magic were one."
"That's the first I've heard of it."
I deliberately objected.
"So you're saying you've learned that mysterious ancient martial art? How impressive."
"Haha, not only ignorant but narrow-minded too, Karzan."
Huten's sharp sword pointed at me.
"I won't give you a clean death. The price for interfering with someone else's business must be paid in pain."
"..."
I found it difficult to suppress my inner smile.
'All the puzzle pieces fit together.'
That stance, the posture of slightly bending the wrist to maintain semi-elasticity.
The explanation about ancient demonic arts, even the methods of freely using mana—
'Ivan.'
It had many similarities to that bastard's martial art.
'It's inferior to that guy's martial art in many ways, but...'
After understanding the principles of Huten's sword technique, I was convinced they had the same roots.
'This is probably an intermediate level martial art. Meanwhile, Ivan must have learned an advanced level.'
Just as Grunewald's martial arts have levels.
'Why do Ivan and this man use demonic arts from the same root?'
I'm not stupid enough to dismiss this as a curious coincidence.
'You are one who receives orders from the Dark King, Huten.'
The Dark King.
The one who rules the underworld of Flanders and controls the royal family as puppets.
The mastermind behind the shadows who drove Karzan to his death.
'What a pleasant surprise.'
My blood boiled with seething hatred and exhilaration.
Across 17 years of time...
The enemy of my past life has appeared as the great adversary of my current life.
'So then, Huten, are you another Karzan?'
No, that's not it.
'Karzan never sold his pride for demonic arts.'
Then this is the image of Karzan who sold his soul to demonic arts and became the Dark King's slave—'the path I didn't choose.'
"Huten, Huten."
I laughed, feeling that terrible irony of fate.
"You are Huten, and I am Karzan."
"Have you lost your mind? Introducing ourselves at this point?"
"No, listen carefully."
I revealed my identity once more.
"My name is Karzan. I was your senior."
"...Madman. You must have gone insane."
Huten would never understand my words.
Not until the moment of his death.
"Let's end this, junior."
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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