I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 208: Finals (3)

“Mine.”

Strictly speaking, it belonged to his family.

But now, someone completely unrelated was using it.

‘Did I… see it wrong?’

No, that was impossible.

It was something he had used for over ten years.

It would be strange not to recognize it just because the shape had changed a little.

‘No… It’s definitely right, isn’t it?’

Although it wasn’t anything extraordinary, the way the sword vibrated like waves and then vanished was a characteristic unique to his family’s martial arts technique.

Of course, the way Yuri used it looked slightly different from his own, but it was undeniably similar.

‘But how does that guy know how to use it?!’

His mind was in chaos with those thoughts when—

“Huh? That looks… like mine, doesn’t it?”

Another from the 50th class shouted in surprise, seeing Yuri’s sword technique that coiled around Gunther’s sword like a snake.

And that was just the beginning.

“Huh?”

“What the—?!”

Most of the 50th class members who recognized Yuri’s swordsmanship felt a sense of dissonance and let out exclamations of shock from all over.

Among them, Gunther was the most affected.

“What the—?!”

Three streaks of sword energy, shaped like claws, slashed rapidly through the air.

The sight of Yuri using that technique made even Gunther, who wasn’t in his right mind, jump in shock.

“What the heck?!”

Seeing Gunther mumbling something incomprehensible, Theresia turned to Arin.

She seemed to be asking for some interpretation.

Arin took a bite from Poppy’s food ration and responded.

“He’s saying, ‘That thief!’… or something.”

Watching Arin munch on the ration, Theresia gave a wry smile.

“A thief, huh…”

Honestly, it wasn’t wrong.

Seeing Yuri use a family technique, one that Gunther had painstakingly honed for years, even if it wasn’t exactly the same, gave the impression of being robbed.

And Theresia, who had her own technique, “Chwisung,” stolen first, understood that feeling all too well.

But the problem was that Yuri hadn’t just stolen one or two things.

“What?”

“Him, him?!”

The voices of bewilderment from the 50th class spectators echoed throughout, and Theresia’s bitter smile vanished without a trace.

She looked at Yuri, who was fiercely battling Gunther, with a mix of disbelief.

‘Yuri, just how many have you stolen?’

When Gunther had seen the sacred sword in use, Yuri had been surprised.

It was astonishing enough that Gunther had broken through barriers and reached new heights in just over four months.

However, despite facing such an opponent, Yuri felt no discouragement.

The reason was simple.

‘In those four months, I’ve changed just as much. I’ve worked harder than anyone.’

It was during his first encounter with Gunther Ryder in the Union Quest.

Yuri had realized that his basic skills were sorely lacking.

Aside from the scarcity of mana, there were gaps in swordsmanship proficiency, the application of techniques, and even how to utilize his own body.

Gunther had made Yuri aware that his foundation was so haphazardly built that even a light push could cause it all to collapse.

The issue was that such basic skills required prolonged effort to solidify.

So, Yuri decided to steal them.

And luckily, Yuri’s surroundings were filled with materials ripe for the taking.

‘From the beginning, I joined the ranking battles with the intent to steal various techniques.’

In April, the 50th class’s ranking battles began.

With the goal of stealing his peers’ skills, Yuri’s sparring made him the de facto power gauge for the 50th class.

Consequently, the ranking within the 50th class became solidified through duels with Yuri.

Initially aimed at stealing techniques, Yuri added the objective of solidifying his foundational skills during those ranking battles.

Yuri meticulously analyzed how his opponents wielded their techniques and even their battle habits.

Afterward, he continued to spar with all 50 members, absorbing everything useful and making it his own.

The first person to notice the results of this process was Gunther, who crossed swords with Yuri.

Clang—

‘…This is different from before.’

Four months ago, Yuri’s sword had been swift and threatening but light and simplistic.

Moreover, his responses to Gunther’s attacks, though efficient, were straightforward and easily readable.

But now, Yuri’s sword, when faced directly, felt so different that Gunther questioned if this was the same person from four months ago.

‘The sword… has become solid.’

The once light and simple strikes were now still fast and threatening but had transformed into firm and weighty blows.

Yuri’s movements still sought efficient paths, but with a mix of techniques, they became unreadable.

Also, the continuous barrage of varied techniques gave the impression of facing multiple opponents rather than just one.

Gunther felt a chill run down his spine at Yuri’s incredible transformation.

‘Yuri Holland, you…’

For months, Gunther had trained tirelessly with the sole purpose of crushing Yuri.

With his father, the Sword Master’s insights added to his training, he had broken through a significant barrier.

Gunther had been confident that this time, in the Wu-Long Tournament, he could utterly crush Yuri.

But that confidence was… gone.

Just as Gunther had grown stronger through his father’s teachings, Yuri Holland had also become stronger.

Without anyone’s help, by himself.

In other words, the talent of Yuri Holland, who had grown stronger alone, might surpass the insights of the Sword Master that Gunther had received.

Faced with this conclusion, Gunther, for the first time in his life, felt fear towards someone else’s talent.

‘You…!’

Gunther gritted his teeth.

‘What… are you?!’

A cry of desperation echoed in his mind.

Following it, energy erupted explosively from Gunther’s body.

Simultaneously, the black aura thickened and solidified, and the jet-black sacred sword was completed.

Crack— Crack—

With a bizarre sound, Gunther’s body swelled, and his speed increased exponentially.

Yuri’s eyes flickered at this sight.

‘So now you’re getting serious, huh?’

Crackle—!

‘Fine, let’s see whose sword is faster—the Sword Master’s sword, or…’

Our old man’s sword.

Crack!

As Yuri grinned, blue Thunder Wing spread across his entire body.

Flash—

A golden sacred sword was completed.

A year ago… or even just a few months ago, Gunther Ryder had grown significantly stronger.

And now, facing him was Yuri Holland.

Having reached the finals without a single match, Yuri had faced doubts about his skills, but with this one match, he was able to clear all suspicions.

In fact, the response was even greater than that.

“He’s… only in his first year?”

“So, it wasn’t a lie that he beat Gunther in the last quest?”

“But still… there should be some limits… That’s just… that’s just too much…”

Gunther’s skill level had already far surpassed that of most graduates.

Yuri’s skill, in turn, was no less impressive.

The battle unfolding in the arena was on a level beyond imagination.

But that was as far as the spectators could see.

Boom— Boom!

Inside the arena, black haze shot up vertically.

In response, blue thunder burst out in all directions.

And with that, Yuri and Gunther’s figures disappeared completely from the arena.

The audience’s eyes widened at the realization.

‘Oh my… they’re moving so fast we can’t even see them?!’

‘Just how fast are they moving…?!’

Yuri and Gunther had vanished.

In their place, the audience could only see—

Crackle—

Whirr—

Black and golden trails.

The black and golden trails clashed and separated repeatedly.

Clang— Boom!

The constantly maintained jet-black sacred sword spread a wide, dark trail like the night sky.

Meanwhile, the golden sacred sword, appearing only when needed, flickered like a star against the jet-black sky.

Due to the difference in their mana reserves, the two operated their sacred swords in contrasting ways.

Logically, the constantly active jet-black sacred sword should have had the upper hand.

But strangely, the battle between the two remained evenly matched.

Boom—

Once more, the black and golden trails clashed and separated.

Swish—

Suddenly, a crescent moon shot out from the golden trail, slicing through the black trail.

“……?!”

Taken aback by the unexpected flying sword, Gunther’s evasion was slightly delayed, and the golden crescent moon lightly grazed his shoulder.

Slice—

A wound, just a slight cut, appeared through the torn fabric, showing blood trickling out.

Though the wound was small, it was the first injury sustained since the fight began, causing both Yuri and Gunther to pause.

“…….”

Gunther glanced at his bleeding shoulder.

Seeing this, Yuri smirked.

“Flying swords… They’re not as hard as you’d think.”

For Yuri, the past four months had not only been a time to solidify his basic skills but also an opportunity to learn new things.

“How’s that? Surprised?”

As Yuri boasted, Gunther looked up and locked eyes with him.

Reading the confusion and frustration in Gunther’s gaze, Yuri flashed a bright smile.

“What’s wrong? Does it annoy you that I’m reading all your moves? Aren’t you curious how I’m reacting so effortlessly and moving so easily?”

“…….”

Gunther didn’t reply, but Yuri could tell from his silence that the answer was yes.

Yuri’s smile shifted from bright to mocking.

“To traverse the fleeting world, didn’t you learn what’s most important…?”

At the moment Yuri’s body crackled with lightning.

As mana surged along the mana road of the Redner family, the gathering thunder surged into Yuri’s head.

And with that, Yuri felt the world become clearer and slower.

‘So, it’s called the Vision Technique…’

Johan had said that after consuming the Harmony Fruit, Yuri would acquire a movement technique that would align with the Redner family’s martial body technique.

But Yuri realized that was only half true.

‘This isn’t… just a vision technique.’

While it allowed for clearer sight and incredible dynamic vision, calling it a simple vision technique was inaccurate.

The Harmony Fruit’s effect wasn’t limited to just the eyes.

Its influence extended to the brain and nervous system.

‘My optic nerves have been enhanced, and my perception and processing of visual information have greatly improved.’

As a result, even processing vast amounts of visual information in less than a second no longer caused overload in his brain or nerves.

Thanks to this, Yuri could see things he hadn’t before or had overlooked.

For instance—

‘Like the changes happening in his body.’

Watching the swirling black aura around Gunther’s entire body, Yuri smacked his lips.

Feeling Yuri’s intense gaze, Gunther, uncomfortable, stomped his foot firmly.

Boom—

The Ryder family’s secret martial body technique.

Dominance.

With a heavy ground shake, intense pressure weighed down from all directions.

Even in this stifling situation, Yuri smiled contently.

“Good, good! Show me more! Even more!”

The things he couldn’t see before were now becoming visible, making the fight all the more enjoyable.

As Yuri’s face filled with excitement—

Boom—!

The battle between them resumed.

The black and golden trails clashed again.

Boom—

As the trails collided and separated, powerful shockwaves surged into the audience, slapping their faces.

Yet, the crowd didn’t blink an eye, fixated solely on the fight unfolding in the arena.

At that moment, everyone had the same thought.

‘Who will…’

‘Claim victory…’

‘…in this fight?’

Holding their breaths, the spectators were engrossed in a match that would go down in the history of the Cradle.

Boom—

Letting the black sacred sword slide off, Yuri clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Just how big is this guy’s mana reservoir?’

And just how much mana does he have stored that he can keep using the sacred sword like that and still have so much energy left?

At this point, did he drink elixirs or potions instead of milk as a child?

‘…I’m already in danger here.’

Over the past four months, Yuri had diligently consumed all the potions the Cradle provided, allowing him to maintain the sacred sword for up to ten minutes now.

From three seconds to ten seconds, and then to ten minutes—it was a remarkable improvement.

However, that was only when the sacred sword was maintained without doing anything else.

In combat situations like now, with mana being used for various other needs, ten minutes seemed optimistic; even five minutes felt risky.

While Yuri managed to sustain himself by turning the sacred sword on and off intermittently, his remaining mana had dropped to about a third, nearing dangerous levels.

‘I’ve got to end this soon.’

Though he wished to observe a bit more, it was getting too risky.

Still, he had seen enough of what he needed and understood Gunther’s level clearly.

‘I had the advantage in speed, but it wasn’t overwhelming.’

In terms of destructive power, Gunther’s side was overwhelmingly superior—enough to make direct confrontation frightening.

‘So, this is what they mean by the Sword Master’s martial body technique mastering both extreme strength and speed.’

Handling one is hard enough for most, but Gunther managed to wield both effortlessly.

If anyone other than a certified sixth-dan master like Yuri faced Gunther, they wouldn’t have lasted long.

‘Well, that’s that… but now, let’s really end this.’

Perhaps in sync with Yuri’s intentions—

Whirr—

Gunther, too, ramped up his energy, intending to finish the fight.

As if what he’d shown so far wasn’t his limit, Gunther’s energy surged rapidly.

Simultaneously, his sclera turned black with dark blood.

Seeing this, Yuri whistled inwardly.

‘So you kept your trump card until the end?’

The darkness that even distorted space itself would undoubtedly exhibit a level of destruction on an entirely different scale from before.

Despite knowing this, Yuri smiled.

As if he had been waiting for this very moment.

‘You’re not the only one who saved a trump card.’