692 – 8. Will (66)
After passing through the backyard, you will find a quiet vacant lot.
When I came back with the sword, the passenger was already there. I noticed a shadow holding a sword with its back to me.
Huh.
When I saw this, a sound that I couldn’t tell whether it was laughter or a sigh came out of my mouth. It was truly a complicated feeling.
I have become stronger than before.
I wouldn’t know it from the outside, but here I was not terminally ill. This meant that imagery could be used without restrictions and the body would not collapse.
In other words, I am now one of the most skilled knights on the continent.
It was not a level that a retired mercenary who had once made a name for himself could deal with. No matter what I did, my victory was certain.
Still, why did you bother to walk all the way here?
It was an action that even I couldn’t understand. Was the conversation we had over dinner today so upsetting?
“It’s been a long time.”
But the shadow still stood motionless. When I heard Gilford’s voice coming from somewhere, I scratched his head and showed my disapproval.
“Do you remember what I taught you?”
“Diffraction? “He saved my life several times.”
Gilford let out a low laugh at my joke.
“So, what I’m saying is… “Why not quit now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I am not the person I used to be.”
I meant what I said. Just by looking at my calm tone, you can tell my true feelings.
“It’s a meaningless battle. “You don’t stand a chance against me.”
“Of course, I admit that I am not the same master I used to be… ….”
The shadow slowly turns around.
It was pitch black, not even reflecting a shadow. In fact, the shadow itself was like that.
A feeling of something unclear, like fog.
Unclear boundaries trigger unpleasant feelings. Is this perhaps part of an attempt to smooth out differences in skill?
It was an interesting idea, but it was meaningless.
“Won’t you know what’s long and short by just giving it a try?”
I laughed and shook my head.
It means nonsense.
But I had no time left. Before I could continue persuading him, I felt a presence kicking the ground.
Running.
The compressed body runs, tearing through space. A sturdy body with a sufficient amount of mass could easily be treated as a weapon just by jumping.
As expected, it is fast.
It meant that the basics were in place. I especially liked the fact that he rushed in without hesitation.
Because it was a way to outwit the odds.
If the difference in level with me wasn’t so drastic.
Shut up.
The kick hits the shadow’s solar plexus. The sword wielded by the shadow is already sliding on my blade.
Unity.
A suppressed groan like a reverberation. It resonates. What follows is the sound of a crunching sound, the sound of a body rolling on the ground with elasticity.
In the end, I had no choice but to sigh.
“I told you. I can’t win…….”
“It’s different than before.”
But, blocking my lament, the shadow stands up shakily.
“I’m not sure if I’m stronger than before.”
I was about to burst into laughter at Gilford’s calm voice.
I just lost my expression.
“…… “What nonsense is that?”
“It’s literally true.”
And then the shadow’s swordplay is directed at me again.
“You look like me.”
“And again, again…” “That bullsh*t.”
Now I was getting a headache from an unexpected sound. What do you mean, I haven’t become stronger?
Isn’t it proven just now?
Just a few months ago, he was an opponent that he barely defeated after struggling repeatedly. But now, he can never be my opponent.
I don’t like the fact that they are trying to force such a clear evidence.
“If you really doubt it, come… “I will tell you again and again.”
From Noble mtl dot com
I said that with a wild smile.
And Lee Hap.
The body of the shadow was shot again, its posture a little lower than before. Judging by the sword play that goes down to the bottom left, is he planning to dig into his arms?
The intention is very easy to read. It shouldn’t have been like this.
Originally, it would have been correct to retreat and respond, but the gap in skill between me and my opponent was wide and deep.
Ilseom (一閃).
Fireworks fly with the sound of “Kang.” As soon as the opponent stepped into my area, a silver flash formed an artificial boundary in the scenery.
A clean horizontal cut, the sword of shadow, unable to overcome its power, soars into the air.
However, what was unexpected was this time.
Paak, and do it.
I feel the sensation of something barely grazing the side of my cheek. It was hard to see clearly due to the blurry boundary like fog, but it looked as if a short blade had been pulled out of his belt.
It was a variation worth evaluating. However, it is only a blow that can be avoided with just a slight tilt of the head.
The ending was the same as before.
Quick!
A kick that hits directly at the solar plexus with a bit more emotion.
I let go of the sword and was unable to block my angle with my half-open shoulder. Letting out a suppressed moan again, the shadow’s body slides, bouncing and rolling on the ground several times, leaving a shallow mark.
It was a true hit. Now that he has more strength than before, he won’t be able to get up for a while.
A dejected voice came out of my mouth, which was not even out of breath.
“Okay, that’s enough now. There’s not even the slightest chance of them winning…….”
I stumbled.
A body precariously stands on the earth again. My brows furrowed once again.
Is there no damage?
It wasn’t like that. Isn’t the fact that I can’t balance properly proof that I made a valid hit? Still, it happened so quickly.
I didn’t understand. So, I stutter a word.
“Not one bit…… “
Soon, the triad.
Steel collides with steel. In the face of a simple, ignorant blow from above, overwhelming physical strength and magical power, the shadow trembled its arms and legs and vomited black blood.
And then kick again.
The shadow rolls mercilessly on the ground.
“Not one bit… ….”
Sahab.
The secondary weapon thrown by the shadow digs in, drawing a strange trajectory. It didn’t matter. Because while he swung his sword once, I had the confidence to fire more than four sword strikes.
Boom!
A pommel containing emotions strikes the body of the shadow. The blow was powerful enough to send a faint shock wave behind the back, and the body couldn’t fly, but instead took a helpless step backwards before collapsing.
“Nothing.”
Nevertheless, Ohap.
The sword repels the shadow’s hatchet. However, the hatchet was pointed downward again, and I had to twist my body and perform a kick to shake off the joint attack between the sword and the hatchet.
“Obviously!”
Yukhap.
I swung the sword, but the space was distorted. For the first time, the shadow penetrated my arms properly.
Useless.
If I had made up my mind, I could have not given up my arms at all.
For some reason, I was sweating coldly and hitting the man’s temple with the blade of my sword.
“I should have told you!”
Chilhap.
The shadow’s sword fell to the bottom left, but it did not materialize into the lion’s claws.
For the first time, the sword leaves a deep cut. The trail of silver light that cut through the shadow’s chest was soon stained with black blood.
The shadow falls again. I caught my breath, which had become dizzy before I knew it, and brushed off the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead with my sleeve.
“…… Stop.”
I said that with an expression that I couldn’t tell if it was a smile or a distortion.
“Stop, stop…” This is the end. End! “What more do you want to do?”
Shouting into the empty air without knowing where she is, she takes a step back.
The corners of my mouth that were forcibly dry are trembling.
“There is no such thing as winning! The difference in skill is obvious! “Have you seen enough already?”
Before I knew it, I was looking back and complaining. In a strangely anxious and urgent tone.
As if pleading.
“There’s no need to do it like this!”
The shadow still stands up unsteadily. The presence was very clear.
“It means nothing! “It’s impossible!”
For a long time, no voice answered my appeal. Then, after some time.
Suddenly, a familiar tone reached my ears from a distance.
“That’s not a question I can answer.”
I turned my head towards the epicenter. There was a person sitting on a rock some distance away from the clearing.
The liquor bottle in my hand tips. An old man fills his glass alone with a grunt.
Then the moonlight clears the boundary of the blurry shadow. Thump, thud. Like clay falling away.
Golden eyes.
As soon as I saw the wounded man panting and trying to catch his breath, I couldn’t stop laughing.
And then, suddenly, I started talking to myself while gritting my teeth.
“A very, very sh*tty prank…” ….”
“Because I didn’t get an answer either.”
After Gilford’s confession, the man finally stands upright under the moonlight.
Black hair, golden eyes. It had already been a long time since I lost focus, but I could not loosen my grip on the sword.
He was ‘me’.
That was also ‘me’ when I was fighting against Gilford at the orphanage.
It was the day when I, who had always been the ‘past’, stood up as the ‘future’ for the first time.