NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52: Convinced him?
"Hoh… now you get it..."
Gareth's deep voice rumbled across the training ground. His smile widened, sharp and terrifying. "Good. Good. You're finally realizing — without aiming to kill, you can't defeat me."
Ethan's heart pounded painfully against his ribs, but his eyes stayed firm.
'Is he serious…!?'
Even as his chest ached, his body moved. He leapt up from the cracked earth, landing light on his feet. His silver sword raised high, trembling only slightly as mana surged through it. This time, there would be no mercy.
He swallowed hard, burying the thought that this was his father. No — to win, to survive, he had to see Gareth as an enemy. A monster that would kill him if he faltered for even a second.
His killing intent flared, thick and suffocating.
Gareth's grin only deepened. "Yes… that's it."
Ethan moved first, charging with a burst of mana. His blade glowed faintly blue.
'First Form: Ember Slice!'
His sword cut through the air in a smooth arc, mana trailing behind like a crescent flame.
Gareth's eyes narrowed.
'Crimson Edge Technique… hmm...'
But as he watched more, seeing Ethan's profound moves, his pupils shrunk slightly.
'This mastery… it's already reached this level?!'
But still…
'There's room for improvement.'
Ethan's sword left a blue trail as it split the air with a sharp crackle and an extreme force.
But Gareth's massive greatsword was already there, intercepting.
Clang-!!
The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, dust kicking up from the ground. Gareth stood firm, barely shifting under the force.
Ethan gritted his teeth and spun.
'Second Form: Burning Spiral!'
His wrists twisted, the blade spinning in a tight spiral as he closed the distance again. Mana flared brighter with every rotation.
Gareth's eyes narrowed — and with a heavy swing, he batted the spiraling attack aside.
Boom!
The air trembled. Ethan was forced back two steps, but he recovered fast, killing intent growing hotter.
He lunged again.
Third Form: Inferno Sweep!
Dropping low, he swept the blade in a wide, sweeping arc, mana-infused force bursting outward.
The ground cracked as the pressure of the swing ripped through the air, sending dust and small stones flying.
But Gareth didn't even flinch.
He stomped down — boom! — grounding himself, and swung his greatsword down to meet the sweeping arc.
Crash
Another shockwave. The ground beneath Gareth's feet cracked, but he remained unmoved, his blade deflecting the force effortlessly.
Ethan roared and surged forward, refusing to slow down.
Fourth Form: Crimson Lunge!
Mana condensed at the tip of his blade, sharpening into a dangerous point.
With explosive speed, he thrust forward — a killing blow aimed directly at Gareth's chest.
But once again, Gareth's greatsword was there.
Bang!
The thrust was parried to the side with terrifying ease. Sparks flew.
Yet Ethan didn't falter — he pivoted, his body moving on instinct now.
He launched back into Ember Slice, then into Burning Spiral, chaining the forms together, attacking from unpredictable angles.
High. Low. Left. Right.
Sweeping arcs and tight spins, each swing faster and heavier than the last, his silver blade glowing brighter as the mana within surged with his desperation.
Gareth's experience showed with every move.
His greatsword, despite its size, moved with brutal efficiency — blocking, parrying, redirecting. His steps were small but perfect, never wasting motion.
Each time Ethan's sword clashed against Gareth's, sparks exploded.
Each time, the air shook.
But Ethan refused to back down. His killing intent grew sharper, his strikes fiercer.
Again and again he attacked — chaining his forms fluidly now:
Slice. Spiral. Sweep. Lunge.
Over and over, his muscles screaming, his lungs burning, but his eyes never leaving Gareth.
And then—
He saw it.
Cracks.
Small at first, but real — forming on Gareth's greatsword where his attacks had landed repeatedly.
Ethan's heart pounded harder.
'That's it… That's the way to break through…!'
Hope ignited inside him, stronger than before. It fueled his body, banished his fatigue. His killing intent soared, so heavy it made the air feel suffocating.
He roared and attacked again — more ferocious, more relentless.
His strikes became savage, yet still precise.
His blade danced wildly but purposefully — trying everything, every trick, every angle.
High slashes, low sweeps, twisting thrusts.
He even feinted, baiting Gareth to open his guard.
But Gareth parried everything.
His greatsword, though cracked, was still a wall.
Each block shook the ground.
Each counter threatened to crush Ethan if he made a single mistake.
Still— Ethan pressed on, driven by the sight of those growing cracks.
His arms burned. His legs trembled. But his will blazed hotter.
And then—
At the peak of his desperation, inspiration struck.
He felt the mana inside him boil, as if screaming to be released.
Without hesitation, he poured everything into his sword — all his mana, pushing it past the limit.
His silver blade trembled violently…
Then glowed — bright blue, radiant, blazing like a second sun.
His instincts screamed — Now!
"Aaaaah!"
With a primal roar, he slashed down.
First Form: Ember Slice!
But this time… something else happened.
Mana gathered, condensed at the blade's edge — and then exploded outward.
A shining arc of blue energy — sharp, fast, deadly — ripped through the air towards Gareth.
MANA SLASH!
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•──────────────────•
[Mana Slash Achieved — Level 1]
You can now send an extremely sharp blade of energy (mana) from your sword by condensing and converging mana, then releasing it with a slash.
•──────────────────•
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
The arc flew like a lightning bolt — deadly fast.
Gareth's eyes flashed — but he didn't dodge.
He raised his cracked greatsword.
SHATTER-!!
The greatsword exploded like glass, shards flying everywhere.
Part of the mana arc dimmed, but it was still large, sharp, and deadly.
It struck Gareth square in the chest—
And then… dissipated.
Like mist against stone.
No wound.
Not even a scratch.
Clearly, Gareth stood on a level where this technique — deadly as it was — meant little.
But then—
Gareth smiled.
"You've passed," he rumbled, voice deep and calm.
"You've managed to convince me, Ethan."
Ethan stood frozen, his chest heaving. His arms felt like lead, his sword's glow fading as the mana drained from his body.
His eyes stayed locked on Gareth...