Chapter 115

Chapter 115The three swords floating above Leonard’s head moved first, finding their proper position and intensifying their power, while two remained in his hands.

The sword in his right hand represented the sky.

And the sword in his left hand represented the earth.

Cloud Dragon Momentum Shift, as its name implied, caused a transformation that resembled the way water condensed into clouds and how a snake ascended into the sky to become a dragon. His swords dyed green, blue, red, black, and white with augmented sword energies and unleashed an incredible power, their energies combining into one to create something several times stronger than they would be separate.

But even though Leonard could control more mana than most Transcendence Tier martial artists, he pushed himself to the limit in just one moment and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Guh. As I thought, I can’t use this technique properly because I haven’t reached the Transcendence Tier yet.

His understanding was deep, so if he had reached the Transcendence Tier and had perfect control of his power, it would have been possible to freely use Five Elements Augmented Qi. But because he hadn’t sorted out and gained complete control of his power, he only gained a minor power buff and experienced a rebound.

But even in its incomplete state, his technique was incredible.

Standing across from him, Herman instinctively paled.

“...Ha. Haha, hahahaha! I love it! If that’s what kills me, I won’t have any complaints!”

However, his determination and fighting spirit overpowered his fear, and he readied all four swords. The Aura burning on the blades intensified. Maybe he’d tapped into his life force.

It was do or die.

In this clash of power, it didn’t matter who died. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if both of them did.

Herman charged first with a deadly will.

Blade Dancing

Quartet

Though attacking was always slightly less advantageous than defending in martial arts, this wasn’t the case when two opponents tried to attack at the same time. Trying to revert to a defensive stance after first assuming an offensive one was worse than attacking late. Herman’s decades of experience allowed him to move just a moment earlier with a sharp killing intent.

Book of Ruin

If he had the advantage when he was fighting two swords with three, it was only natural that he would be in the opposite position when he was fighting five with four.

So, he needed a way to make up for his disadvantage.

In murim, there was something they referred to as Innate True Qi, which was the fundamental force of life. Book of Ruin, which was part of Herman’s Blade Dancing, used this power.

Leonard immediately recognized this, but he had no intention of stopping Herman. It would be nice if Herman didn’t die, but if he did, it couldn’t be helped.

Rrrrr...!!

The aftershocks caused by the two swordsmen’s fight alone shook the whole area. It wasn’t simply making the ground vibrate.

Space itself was distorting.

Herman and Leonard accelerated to even faster speeds than they normally would, and time seemed to be moving a thousand times slower when they locked eyes.

At this level, not even masters in the Transcendence Tier could stop themselves from slipping up occasionally, and since there was no time to think, they could only rely on their senses and their willpower.

Leonard sensed that two cutlasses were aiming at his forehead like lightning bolts while the other two were flying toward his neck and heart. Herman had switched to an attack that left him completely open, determined to take Leonard down with him.

He was driven by the instinct of a Sword Demon, vying for victory at any cost, even if it came after his death.

Five Elements Style, Three Swords Style

Yellow Dragon Fourth Form: Cliff-Cutting Claw

Three blades twisted violently as they transformed into three streams of gold augmented sword energy resembling a dragon’s claws.

They were ready to block the two bright white lightning bolts, but the cutlasses were imbued with Innate True Qi, and not even the Yellow Dragon Form could disregard their power.

And so, two swordsmen clashed with their five blades.

And around them, four blades crashed.

Nine whole swords infused with the peak of Transcendence Tier power. As they collided explosively, sound was suspended.

Herman and Leonard had long since created a vacuum around them.

Their world had sped up by thousands of times, and they weaponized their martial arts knowledge to make the most optimal moves. At that pace, it wasn’t possible to play psychological games or use small tricks. The experience carved into their bodies and souls made their talent and potential explode.

?!

!?

They were shocked when they felt the waves of power from across each others’ blades and realized what they were.

In some ways, it should have been obvious that this would happen. Leonard and Herman were too similar.

So, it wasn’t unlikely that their most powerful techniques used the same strategy.

Blade Dancing

Book of Tidal Waves

Overwash

Five Elements Style, Two Swords Style

White Tiger Fifth Form: Heavenly Steel Wave

Both of them were heavy attacks that used internal energy to send a shockwave when one’s blade met with their target’s. They exploded almost simultaneously.

This was a technique that was typically used with fists or palms, not swords, but the two of them were already at a level where they were more familiar with their blades than with their bodies.

When Heavenly Steel Wave and Overwash met, they created an incredible explosion.

“...!”

All four swords shattered, their shards shredding Leonard’s and Herman’s flesh and leaving substantial injuries. Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The biggest injuries they sustained were to their hands.

Oh no...

Leonard’s processing speed quickly reverted to its normal rate, and he looked down at his hands and wrinkled his eyebrows.

All ten fingers were twisted and broken, and he couldn’t even make a fist. Even his forearm muscles had ruptured. Since both of them had charged at each other with that much power without trying to mediate any of the force, naturally, the consequences were severe.

But that was not what frustrated Leonard.

“...Looks like today’s my lucky day,” Herman remarked.

Unlike Leonard, only a few of Herman’s fingers were broken, and it appeared that he could still fight with his fists even though he couldn’t hold a sword.

This wasn’t a fight that would end just because they lost their weapon of choice, nor were they the type of people to call it off for that reason.

It was also not the result of a difference in skill. It was only out of simple luck.

Leonard clicked his tongue, and Herman charged right in, with the intention of decisively putting an end to it before Leonard could use anything to heal himself.

I suppose I won’t be able to use a Form Intention Fist Art.

He could feel himself healing exceptionally fast, but the damage caused by a Transcendence Tier attack wasn’t light. He needed at least a few minutes to heal before he could use his fists or anything below his elbow.

But Herman would never let him do that.

He had somehow already arrived right before Leonard’s eyes, his left fist flying toward Leonard’s face.

Bam!

Leonard’s legs were still intact, so he kicked as hard as he could.

Herman and Leonard were almost out of internal energy. In that case, whoever had stronger physical capabilities and was better trained in physical martial arts was now at an advantage.

The Central Plains had palm and fist arts, but they went beyond just knowing how to fight with one’s hands. The words of the Fist King Hwango Joong-Hyuk echoed in his head.

“There is a body part that is stronger and sturdier than the fist.”

Human hands were too delicate to be used as weapons by themselves. It didn’t matter how much a person trained or if they made their fists as strong as steel. Training in a stronger weapon from the outset was several times more efficient. Even the Fist King, who had reached the pinnacle of this “inefficient” path, had something he preferred over the fist: the elbow.

Skull-Crushing Elbow Strike

There was a chilling crack the moment Leonard’s right elbow rammed into Herman’s left fist.

Indeed, it was the sound of Herman’s finger bones breaking.

“Guh?!”

In fact, Leonard’s elbow had pierced right through the back of his hand, coming out the other side. Herman froze in shock from the unexpected counterattack.

If he was in good condition, he would never create such an opening.

Leonard took a giant leap forward, aiming for his torso.

Breakout Elbow Chain Strike

Just like how he had two fists, he had two elbows.

This chain attack turned the recoil of the first attack into momentum for the second. It was like the way prisoners trying to escape their confines became empowered and started focusing all their efforts onto one spot if they found a weak point.

Herman desperately tried to counter with his one remaining fist, but he didn’t get far before it was shattered just like the other one.

Bam!

Leonard dug his elbow into Herman’s stomach, making him cough up blood, stumble, and then fall.

Even still, Herman tried to spit blood into his opponent’s eyes. He was truly vicious. However, Leonard saw it coming—then again, Leonard was just as fierce.

As Herman struggled to get up again, the boy brought his heel down toward the back of his head.

Slam!

Leonard’s foot hit the ground instead when he saw Herman had stopped struggling. But even though Leonard didn’t use a single drop of internal energy, his stomp was powerful.

Even as a Transcendence Tier martial artist, a strike like that would have broken Herman’s neck or skull since he didn’t have any mana to reinforce his body. He’d sensed this and stopped trying to fight back, quietly accepting his defeat.

“Ugh, dammit. I’m so embarrassed I lost to a little kid. One in a Tier below me, no less,” he said, snickering as he remained lying down. Despite what he said, he seemed cheerful.

Leonard stared at him for a moment before flopping down next to him to catch his breath. “And our bet?”

“Yes, yes, I lost. I’ll cut off Pablo starting today.”

“I see.” Leonard didn’t even doubt it. He closed his eyes and focused on helping his body recover.

There were some things that true martial artists understood without needing to say them out loud. Both of them knew that neither of them would try to dispute the outcome of the battle or attack the other while they were defenseless.

“...You’ve got guts. All I did when I was your age was try to run away from home, and got beaten like shit.”

Herman admired Leonard’s courage, but he was also happy because it had been a long time since he’d had a battle that reduced him to bloodied rags. He soon closed his eyes just as Leonard did, but unlike the boy, he was reflecting on their fight instead of focusing on healing his body.

The seemingly endless battle had finally come to an end, and Moby Dick had lost its second strongest member.

The waves that had quieted gently started lapping again, and the sound of the ocean returned.

* * *

Three whole hours passed after Leonard and Herman left the site of their battle. Since they’d used their most deadly attacks, they’d also sustained significant side effects. It wouldn’t be surprising if their sword arms—both arms, in fact—were severely injured.

“Moby Dick will have a hard time tracking you from now on,” Herman said as the two of them quietly walked along the quayside.

Leonard tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“They’ve only been able to track you so closely because of an artifact Pablo obtained a while ago. Yes, this one.” He pulled out a rather large crystal shaped like an eye. “I deactivated it when I came here, though.”

It was obviously imbued with Class 5 or Class 6 spells. Indeed, it looked suspicious.

Hm. I think he’s telling the truth.

Leonard immediately realized that the constant feeling of being watched had been coming from this crystal. Since it was a spell that wasn’t cast directly on him, not even the Five Elements True Dragon Ring’s magic resistance could do much against it.

Herman saw the way the boy was looking at the crystal.

Crack! Herman readily broke the Class 6 artifact, the crystal shattering in his healed fist.

“It’s not watching me anymore,” Leonard muttered to himself before he could stop himself.

“Huh? You felt it? Even I could barely sense it. But then again, you’re a pretty weird kid. I could have just given it to you, but if it was just left as is, it could have been used to track you too. You see, there are some Class 6 mages in Moby Dick whom I have a bad feeling about. Apparently, not even the Magic Tower knows much about their schemes.”

“You’re telling me there are Class 6 mages who can intimidate you?”

“I haven’t fought them myself, so I can’t say... but well, my gut has never been wrong. Though, Pablo is most definitely more dangerous. He treats them like lapdogs.”

So there was not just one, but multiple mages who could put even a Swordmaster on edge.

“Leonard, you’re strong. But if you ask me if you’re stronger than Pablo, the answer will be no. I’m not confident that you can win even if the two of us team up against him.” Even though Herman had realized the extent of the boy’s power when he lost, his voice was still full of clear certainty.

Leonard was shocked.