I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 18: Third Attempt, Second Selection (3)

Johan remembered clearly.

No, how could he not?

That day, the day he lost everything he considered his entire world!

Also, the words the monster that took his leg said!

“If you think you can run faster even after losing a leg… I’ll accept your third challenge then.”

Though Johan’s voice was calm, Ralph, who knew Johan of the past, felt a pang in his heart.

Johan Redner.

Though he was now called the Indomitable Sword, in the past, he was known as the “Cloud Dragon.”

A being like a dragon wandering within the clouds.

Johan’s movements, having refined the Redner family’s secret Magic Body Technique to the extreme, were fitting of such a title.

Even the Sword Master was amazed at Johan’s speed.

For someone like that, losing a leg would mean losing his entire life.

Seeing Ralph’s face harden, Johan lightly waved his hand.

“I’m the one who lost a leg, so why do you look so serious?”

“…Senior.”

“Don’t look at it too deeply. I traded my life for new enlightenment… losing one leg was a cheap price to pay.”

“……”

“Haha, it was only after I reached this state that I realized. I could never defeat that monster with what I had before. To catch a monster, you need a weapon suitable for the task.”

A heavy conversation after fifteen years.

The gloomy atmosphere and his junior’s pitying gaze made Johan’s expression twist.

“Hey, you pig! I’m still very much alive! Why are you looking at me like I’m some washed-up relic?!”

Hearing Johan’s familiar bluntness for the first time in a while, Ralph’s stiff face relaxed.

He watched Johan drink repeatedly with a face full of annoyance and smiled softly.

‘I guess I’ve gotten old too… To think I was worrying about him because I had no one else to worry about.’

When he was a rookie who had just entered the Cradle, Johan was in his fifth year.

Back then, Ralph was literally shocked by Johan’s talent.

‘Even though he lost a leg, this man… is still Johan Redner.’

The one hailed as the strongest among countless geniuses produced by the Cradle.

The only one who earned the Sword Master’s recognition, the usurper.

And also, the back he had chased his entire life.

Thinking about this, Ralph erased the heaviness and responded playfully.

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me a pig? This is not fat, it’s muscle!”

“Ah, that’s right. Muscle pig. But, despite your age, you still continue that reckless training? It looks like your muscles have gotten even bigger.”

“As you get older, you need more muscle on your body.”

“Even so, your body is over the top.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. This is perfect!”

“Oh? Are you trying to teach me now?”

“With only a five-year difference. We’re all getting older together, do we really need to argue about that?”

“Oh, a whole five years younger! And you’ve never won against me, yet you’re trying to teach me? Ridiculous!”

As Johan boasted, a vein popped on Ralph’s forehead.

His lifelong goal was to stand shoulder to shoulder with Johan, and he had faced him countless times.

Of course, the record was total defeat.

Even though he lost to someone like his idol, who would feel good about such a result?

However, just as Ralph was about to flare up, he flinched and then shook his head.

“Let’s stop talking.”

“…What? Usually, you’d challenge me like an angry wild boar by now.”

“What’s the point in beating you now?”

Johan’s face hardened at Ralph’s words.

He glared at Ralph with a fierce expression.

“What do you mean by that? Are you saying that a crippled leg makes me unworthy to be your opponent?”

“Don’t get angry. That’s not what I meant.”

“That’s what it sounded like.”

“No. If it’s the Johan Redner I know, he’d still be fast and strong even with one leg. The skill you used to toy with me wouldn’t have gone anywhere.”

“……”

“But the one I genuinely want to defeat is not the Indomitable Sword Johan Redner, but the Cloud Dragon Johan Redner. The great usurper who challenged the Sword Master! Let me ask you. Can the current you… defeat the you who challenged the Sword Master fifteen years ago? Can you confidently say you’re the same as you were in your prime?”

Johan didn’t respond to Ralph’s words.

A heavy silence lingered for a while before Johan finally opened his mouth.

“So you’re saying you don’t want to fight me because I’m not as good as I used to be?”

“…If you put it like that, I have no comeback.”

“You damn bastard.”

Johan looked at Ralph with an annoyed gaze but then smirked and shrugged.

“Well, you’re not wrong. I’m not as good as I used to be. But I promise.”

Suddenly, Johan’s eyes shone fiercely.

“If I ever get the chance to challenge the Sword Master again… I’ll add a loss to your record and then go challenge him.”

“Haha, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Ralph smiled joyfully at Johan’s declaration.

As the tense atmosphere lifted, Johan began to grumble.

“So, is there or isn’t there any Shari?”

The conversation finally returned to the main topic.

Ralph glanced around nervously before replying.

“There isn’t any.”

“Your voice is shaking.”

“Who, me? My voice?”

“Geez, you cowardly bastard. If you don’t want to give it, just say so instead of lying.”

“If I say I have it, you’ll just take it even if I don’t want to give it!”

“Haha, our years together haven’t been in vain. You know me well. So, hand it over, while I’m asking nicely.”

“That thing! It’s something hard to get even with money!”

“I know that. That’s why I came to you. You have it, and I can get it for free.”

Ralph’s shoulders trembled at Johan’s shamelessness.

Still, he couldn’t outright refuse him.

‘Sigh… He’s still a sly old snake.’

He had spent his life chasing Johan’s back, to the point where he called it a debt.

Johan knew this well, which is why he was brazenly demanding it.

“Ha, Ralph has grown so much. Making this senior wait. Should I call together all the sixth-generation Cradle kids?”

At Johan’s renewed threat, Ralph gave up.

And he made a decision.

If he was going to lose it anyway, he might as well get something from Johan in return.

He decided to take advantage of the situation as much as possible.

As he pondered what would be a good demand, a thought quickly crossed his mind.

At the same time, Ralph’s eyes glinted.

“Alright, I’ll give it to you. But!”

“But?”

“I have a condition.”

“A condition? A coooondition? Haha, no way. Should I really call them all together?”

“Do whatever you want. If you don’t accept my condition, you’ll never get it!”

“You bastard….”

Seeing Ralph come out strong, Johan took a step back.

“…What’s the condition?”

Shari, which was hard to come by and could be essential for the upcoming plans.

Ralph’s gaze turned to Yuri, who was sleeping soundly a few meters away.

“That is…”

After beginning his sentence, Ralph started listing his conditions.

A moment later.

Ralph, having finished stating all his conditions, smirked.

“How about it? Do you accept?”

It was a quite provocative smile and tone.

Facing this, Johan’s lips twisted in response.

“Ho? That’s quite a cheeky condition.”

“Will you do it or not?”

Johan’s sly smile grew twice as wide at the repeated provocation.

As if to say, “You dare to provoke me?”

So, the answer from his mouth was obvious.

“Alright, let’s do it!”

As soon as Johan agreed, they began planning out the details of the conditions right then and there.

Meanwhile, Yuri, who was a few meters away from them.

“Ugh…”

Even in his deep sleep, he shivered as if sensing his unfortunate future.

* * *

Yuri fainted upon reaching the destination.

He then slept like the dead for over twenty hours, only waking up the next morning.

After a brief introduction with Ralph, Johan continued his explanation while the house owner was temporarily away.

After hearing everything, Yuri blinked and tilted his head.

“What am I supposed to do?”

At that question, Johan replied as if he had been waiting for it.

“Sparring!”

“…Why me?”

“What did you hear? Should I explain it again?”

“No, I roughly understood. So, you want me to spar as a condition to get that Shari or whatever? With Ralph’s grandson?”

“You got it right.”

“Then why?”

“…This little brat, are you playing word games with me again?”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down and listen. So, that Shari thing can temporarily block my damaged spiritual hole, right? With that, I can circulate mana without needing you to assist me all the time.”

“That’s it!”

“Then it’s not necessary.”

“Huh?”

“If you assist me all the time, I won’t need Shari, will I?”

“This brat… Do you know how hard that is? After just one session, my bones feel like they’re cracking!”

Johan, who had shouted in frustration at the thought of doing that hard labor again, flinched at Yuri’s sly grin.

“What’s with that face?”

“Hm,

so in the end, you’re saying it’s necessary because it’s hard work for you? That you need Shari?”

“That’s… not exactly wrong. Once you enter the Cradle, I can’t always be by your side, right? You’ll have to follow the Cradle’s schedule, so how can I be with you all the time? This is all for your sake.”

At Johan’s kind explanation, Yuri’s eyes turned half-lidded.

Seeing Yuri’s blatant expression, Johan averted his gaze and spoke.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s strange. With your temper, you would’ve just yelled at me to prepare for a fight… Why are you being so kind and thorough? Like someone who must have me participate in the sparring?”

“……”

“Be honest, old man. There’s more to this sparring than just getting Shari, isn’t there?”

Johan broke out in a cold sweat under Yuri’s grilling.

‘Damn, this kid is too perceptive.’

Yuri, now certain, glared at him with a piercing gaze.

With a face full of prickles, Johan sighed and raised the white flag.

“Sigh… Fine, you’re right. We agreed to transfer the Shari in exchange for the sparring.”

“And you made a bet, didn’t you? On whether I’d win or Ralph’s grandson would win?”

“I hate perceptive kids…”

“What?”

“Ahem. Anyway, that’s correct. Ralph and I bet on the outcome of this sparring. I bet on you winning, Ralph bet on his grandson winning.”

“Ho? What’s the bet?”

“If Ralph’s grandson wins…”

Johan paused for a moment.

His face showed anger.

“If he wins…”

“If he wins?”

“That bastard… That bastard… said he’d call me ‘brother’!”

“……”

“He said he’d call me ‘brother’!”

“…That’s it?”

“That’s not it! He even said he’d start speaking informally to me! So arrogant!”

“That’s all?”

“Oh no! You have no idea! The hierarchy of the Cradle follows us even into society! How dare a junior from a lower year call me ‘brother’ and speak informally?!”

“…Boomer.”

“What did you say?!”

Johan’s eyes flared with anger.

Seeing this, Yuri shook his head.

‘It doesn’t seem like he’s joking.’

Look at that.

His cheeks are trembling because he’s so angry.

Seeing this, Yuri shook his head in pity and asked casually.

“Then what do I get if I win?”

“Huh?”

“If I win, what’s my reward?”

“Oh, that? Nothing special. Just a sword.”

“A sword?”

“Ralph is also quite renowned as a swordsmith. Since I needed a sword anyway, I asked him to make one.”

“You’re so greedy. Your sword looks fine to me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

“It’s not my sword. It’s obviously yours. Were you planning to enter the Cradle without a sword? Fight with a stick?”

At Johan’s blunt reply, Yuri’s eyes sparkled.

“My sword? My own sword?”

“Yes.”

“And the opponent is a thirteen-year-old?”

“Huh?”

“Best of three matches, right?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry, old man. I’ll make sure that bear never calls you ‘brother’ again!”

“…No using the Avatar.”

“Hey, do I need the Avatar to fight a thirteen-year-old? Bring that bear’s grandson… no, that bear cub here! I’ll crush him completely!”

Yuri clenched his fist tightly.