I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 172. Coexistence (2)

When Segyung performed a dance of wind towards the furnace.

Whoosh—.

A strong wind whipped inside the furnace.

Yuri felt as if his very soul was being sucked into the furnace.

Fwoosh—.

Blue flames wrapped around the gray metal ingot as if they were about to devour it.

Moments later, the metal ingot, now filled with fire, emerged from the furnace.

The iron, now a mass of red heat, gently laid itself on the anvil.

Immediately, a solid hammer struck the red-hot lump.

Bang—.

Tiny sparks scattered in all directions.

Along with them, a strange wave spread out, causing Yuri’s mana core to quiver.

Thump—.

‘…What is this?’

Was it the resonance of his mana core?

Or the throbbing of his heart?

Bang—!

Thump—!

A peculiar sense of exhilaration spread throughout his body in sync with Segyung’s hammering.

Yuri felt, in that moment, as if the world had slowed down.

His mind cleared, and a state of mental euphoria set in.

It was then that he realized he had entered a state of enlightenment.

‘Enlightenment…?’

What exactly had led him into this awakened state?

While he was pondering this, Segyung’s hammer slowly came into view, aimed at the red-hot iron.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

As the hammer sliced through the air and made contact with the red iron.

Taang———!

Both the iron and the hammer visibly rippled.

And at their point of impact, a faint light burst forth.

—-Aaaaaa—!

The intangible wave that followed the light swept over Yuri.

It was then that Yuri realized.

‘This is it!’

This wave had led him into enlightenment.

Realizing this, Yuri, without anyone telling him, instinctively began to wield Magic Flow.

Taaang—.

He instinctively started analyzing the wave rushing towards him with Magic Flow.

And Yuri’s instincts were spot on.

‘Ahhh…….’

He saw it.

And he felt it.

Bang—.

Each time Segyung’s hammer struck, the inherent wavelength of the iron shifted.

Yuri sensed a discord there.

‘A change? Is this… a change?’

Yuri soon shook his head.

This wasn’t so much a change as it was a refinement.

Bang—.

With every strike of Segyung’s hammer, the inherent wavelength of the iron was refined little by little.

Distorted waves were straightened.

Irregular frequencies were aligned into a pattern.

Even the slight variations in the wavelength of the iron were gradually tuned to the most stable and optimal inherent wavelength with each strike of Segyung’s hammer.

A process of optimizing the inherent wavelength of the metal to its finest state.

That was the essence of Metal’s Potential Extraction Technique.

Yuri was deeply shocked by this.

‘How is that… even possible?’

He, having mastered Magic Flow, could feel the inherent wavelengths, but Segyung hadn’t learned Magic Flow.

So how… could he refine the wavelength of the iron with just hammering?

‘It’s impossible to refine wavelengths without Magic Flow… No, even with Magic Flow, that’s impossible.’

To artificially stretch and straighten the inherent wavelength of an object?

Even for Yuri, who handled Magic Flow, that was beyond reach.

Currently, all he could do was suggest a new direction within the original flow.

Guiding the flow to divert ever so slightly from its original path.

Like carving a small channel from a mighty river.

Changing the course of a massive river was beyond Yuri’s ability.

But this…

‘How on earth does one refine the inherent wavelength of an object?’

Segyung’s hammering was akin to twisting the course of a massive river.

If it were easy, many would not have failed to reach the realm of the Sacred Sword.

A realm that could only be realized by perfectly aligning the wavelength of one’s weapon with their mana core.

However, since it was impossible to artificially alter the wavelength of an object, they had to instead adjust the wavelength of the mana core to achieve 100% alignment.

Thus, it took a long time to reach the realm of the Sacred Sword.

‘But if it were possible to refine the wavelength of an object…’

If that could be achieved, the synchronization time between the weapon’s wavelength and the mana core would be dramatically reduced.

‘If that’s even possible, that is.’

And now, before Yuri’s eyes, he saw that possibility.

If he could uncover the secret behind Segyung’s hammering.

If he could internalize that into his own technique, then the realm of the Sacred Sword wouldn’t be far off.

‘Watch, and feel. More closely… deeper!’

In the mental euphoria brought on by his enlightenment, Yuri sharpened his focus as if honing a blade on a whetstone.

His mind meticulously analyzed each of Segyung’s hammer strikes.

Simultaneously, Yuri hoped.

‘Continue… don’t stop. Please!’

He wished that Segyung’s hammering would continue until he found the answer.

In the slowed perception, Yuri carried on with his superhuman analysis.

He finally grasped a clue.

‘That light…….’

The fleeting flash that appeared when Segyung’s hammer struck the red iron.

He had figured out what it was.

‘That light… that’s created by the collision of two wavelengths.’

Two wavelengths?

As that question arose, Yuri’s consciousness moved.

Bang—!

Again, as the hammer struck the iron and light flashed.

‘Ah… Ahhh… Ahhhhh!’

Yuri finally understood the secret and was ecstatic.

If he weren’t in a state of enlightenment, he might have burst into laughter.

‘So that’s how it is… That’s what it was! Hahaha!’

What Segyung was doing was simple.

His hammering contained its own inherent wavelength.

The optimal inherent wavelength of the best iron, refined through countless experiences with various metals over decades.

Each time Segyung hammered, he replicated that optimal wavelength, infusing it into the iron.

Almost as if coaxing the iron.

‘Come on, this is the best form you can achieve! Don’t you want to look beautiful? Handsome? Huh?’

Bang—!

‘You can transform like this too!’

Bang—!

‘Do you want to change? Hurry up!’

Bang—!

Imagining Segyung’s intent embedded in his hammering, Yuri laughed.

‘It wasn’t about artificially altering the wavelength. It was about guiding it.’

He wasn’t forcibly changing the iron’s inherent wavelength.

It was about inducing the mana within all things to transform by itself.

That was the hidden essence of Metal’s Potential Extraction Technique.

‘Amazing…….’

To instinctively replicate the best inherent wavelength learned through sense alone.

The technique of ceaselessly stimulating the iron so that it transformed itself.

If all of that was achieved purely through experience, then how many years would one have to handle and work with metal to reach such a level?

The dedication and tenacity were truly awe-inspiring.

That’s why Magic Flow was all the more remarkable.

Even the Bone Clan’s blacksmiths, who achieved their level over decades, could be matched by Magic Flow in an instant.

Sssing—.

Still unable to break free from the state of enlightenment, Yuri, as if bewitched, drew his sword.

The food ration slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

This scene was reminiscent of when Yuri had entered enlightenment before.

The only difference was that the fallen rations last time were three, but now there were four.

Thud— thud— thud— thud—.

Number 1 to 4, who dropped the rations, looked at Yuri with vacant expressions.

The reactions that followed were split into two.

“Again? Why?”

“T-this time… I didn’t lick anything, though?”

“I’m hungry?!”

Among those who had already seen Yuri enter enlightenment once.

“Suddenly… enlightenment?”

And Gunther, who looked utterly perplexed, unable to understand Yuri’s abrupt state of enlightenment while watching the hammering of the metal.

Although their reactions were split into two, their gazes were uniformly fixed on Yuri.

Yuri drew his sword in an instant.

Then.

Ssshhh—.

The white sword began to change, imbued with light and lightning.

From the Steel Sword, to the Flexible Sword, to the Flame Sword, and finally… to the Demonic Sword.

Gunther’s eyes widened to the point of tearing with each sequential transformation.

“D-demonic sword?!”

Given Yuri’s skills, the Steel Sword up to the Flexible Sword was understandable.

Even the Flame Sword could be accepted and comprehended.

But the Demonic Sword was a different matter.

‘An official 4th level?!’

Not just filling it with mana, but actually forming a Demonic Sword at the official 4th level.

Was it conceivable for someone of his age to reach that level?

‘An official 4th level at sixteen… Have the renowned geniuses who reached the level of a Master worldwide done that at his age?’

The level Yuri exhibited was not something easily attainable at sixteen.

Meanwhile, if Gunther was shocked at seeing Yuri’s level for the first time, those who already knew were surprised by another fact.

Namely…

“…Over 3 seconds, right?”

“Yuri, did you overcome premature exhaustion?”

“I’m hungry!”

Yuri had sustained the Demonic Sword for well over 3 seconds.

Especially Poppy, who exclaimed in disbelief as if it made no sense.

Thus, once again, Number 1 to 4 showed different reactions.

But soon, an event unfolded that made them all react the same way.

Uuuum—.

A low resonance echoed from somewhere.

At first, the onlookers doubted their ears.

But they soon realized they hadn’t misheard.

Ziiiing—.

A low, steady hum emanated from Yuri.

From Yuri’s body and from his sword.

They both emitted the same hum.

Realizing this, Theresia’s eyes shook.

“No way…”

What she thought of was an impossibility.

Theresia’s lips parted slightly in denial.

‘It can’t be… it can’t be?!’

But the sight before her eyes resembled ‘that phenomenon’ too closely to dismiss it as impossible.

Ziiiing—.

The wavelength of the mana core and the weapon.

The occurrence when the 1% iron wall between the two completely crumbled.

That which so many longed for.

A small voice escaped Theresia.

“…Resonance phenomenon?”

And perhaps having heard Theresia’s muttering.

Flash!

Yuri’s sword emitted a deep golden light.

A brightness that illuminated the darkened surroundings as if it were daylight.

However, it lasted only a moment.

The clear light quickly shrank, converging into Yuri’s sword.

The light that wrapped the white sword faded.

From within, a beautiful golden sword emerged.

Shiiing—.

It looked as if it had been meticulously carved from a clear, golden jewel.

The translucent sword, radiating sacred light, held a blue lightning within.

The onlookers were overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the sword’s stunning beauty and were left speechless.

No, in fact, part of it was that they didn’t fully grasp what this beautiful golden sword Yuri had created was.

Because the situation was so absurd, their minds refused to acknowledge it.

Who could have imagined such an utterly unreasonable occurrence?

In such a scenario, Theresia’s murmur brought clarity to the group’s confusion.

“…Holy Sword.”

The realm of Holiness.

A threshold so high that many mediocre talents falter and kneel.

And even those with true talent struggle and strive relentlessly to surpass.

A mere sixteen-year-old boy had effortlessly crossed it.

Moreover, he had leaped from the official 4th level to the 6th level in one bound.

Those who had witnessed that unbelievable moment by chance.

They were filled with awe at the brilliance of a talent that could not even inspire envy.

As the onlookers stared blankly at Yuri.

Whoosh—.

A powerful gust of wind kicked up dust, swirling around Yuri.

And the sudden turn of events didn’t stop there.

The gust of wind spun wildly around Yuri, drawing in the surrounding air rapidly.

Those awakened from their awe by the unfolding scenario.

They soon widened their eyes at the changes occurring around them.

‘M-mana…?!’

‘Is it being sucked in?’

The mana in the surrounding atmosphere was raging wildly.

It was swirling rapidly towards Yuri, concentrating on him.

And Yuri was voraciously absorbing this mana.

The suction was so strong that the mana concentration in the surrounding atmosphere was swiftly depleting.

Whiiish—.

Feeling the strong swirling convection, the onlookers’ gazes stiffened.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Does reaching the realm of Holiness… always cause this?’

None among them had reached the realm of Holiness.

So they couldn’t determine whether what was happening was normal, a good omen, or a bad one.

But soon, the situation provided them an answer.

Crack—!

A crack appeared on Yuri’s majestic golden Holy Sword.

-Clang!

It soon shattered into pieces.

Simultaneously, Yuri’s entire body turned red, and his veins bulged prominently.

Pop— pop— pop—.

His arms, neck, face, forehead.

Veins bulged from every exposed area, wriggling like worms.

“Ugh—.”

A painful groan seeped out from Yuri’s lips.

It was clear to anyone that this was not a normal situation.

Alarmed, Theresia quickly took a step towards Yuri.

Zzap!

A streak of lightning struck down in front of Yuri, revealing a person.

Gray hair and beard.

A shabby outfit.

And a worn wooden prosthetic leg on his right.

The one who reached Yuri before Theresia was an old man who looked like a vagrant.

His sudden appearance from who knows where baffled the onlookers.

But the most bewildered of all was Johan, the old man who had burst into the scene.

Furrowing his brow, he spoke in a tense, rigid voice.

“…This crazy monster bastard.”