I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 210. Black Dragon Hall (1)

A suffocating silence lingered for quite some time.

During that interval, Yuri slowly walked forward until he finally stood in front of the fallen Gunther.

Step by step.

Although he had poured all his strength into the fight and defeated him, Yuri didn’t seem particularly pleased.

‘Gunther Ryder….’

Suddenly, he had overcome a wall, completed his holy sword, and appeared strong enough.

Physical prowess, mana, technical mastery.

Even though Yuri had caught up significantly in a short period of time, it still wasn’t enough to bridge the gap of Gunther’s years.

Although Gunther had only recently been recognized as a 6th Dan, later than Yuri, his level of mastery was superior.

However, that didn’t mean Gunther was overwhelmingly stronger than Yuri.

They were nearly equal, with Gunther having a slight edge.

This was why Yuri couldn’t wholeheartedly celebrate his victory.

‘If I get excited about defeating someone just barely on my level… what’s the point of perfecting the Magic Flow?’

His target was a monster with immense strength.

Moreover, those who were advancing ahead of him to challenge that monster also possessed overwhelming power.

To compete with such beings, it wasn’t enough to be satisfied with this level of achievement.

‘Still, it’s encouraging to confirm that the “Enclosure” technique works properly.’

The first time using the Enclosure, a technique within the Magic Flow, in a real battle.

Given that it showed this level of effectiveness, it was proof that all the stress and hair-pulling he went through hadn’t been in vain.

Also, today’s success would serve as a good foundation for further progress.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to allow himself a little joy in that regard.

Yuri allowed a faint smile for the first time.

He glanced at the unconscious Gunther once more and wiped the smile off his face.

‘But… what do I do now?’

Looking at the fallen Gunther, Yuri was conflicted.

Should he kill Gunther or let him live?

‘Considering how he flew into a rage today, killing him might be the better option….’

There was no guarantee that Gunther wouldn’t lose control again in the future.

On the contrary, this incident might only deepen their future entanglements.

The best way to preemptively prevent future troubles would be to eliminate Gunther right here and now.

It would be effortless to finish off someone who was already on the brink of death.

But Yuri couldn’t help but hesitate.

If he chose to kill Gunther, how the Dragon’s Cradle and the Sword Master would respond was uncertain.

‘Could Gunther’s death really be treated the same as anyone else’s?’

Would the Sword Master dismiss the death of his own child so casually?

Everything felt uncomfortably ambiguous.

Thus, Yuri reached a conclusion.

‘If killing him isn’t an option, maybe I’ll just leave a light wound?’

Of course, there was a chance that while inflicting the wound, he might suddenly feel dizzy.

After all, he was already in poor condition from ingesting poison during the previous match, and he had exerted himself intensely.

Due to that dizziness, the sword could accidentally slip—“Oops!”—and dig in a bit deeper than intended, causing an incident.

Even if it didn’t kill Gunther, it might leave him with severe injuries that would require a few years of recovery.

‘Yes… that would be an accident. An unavoidable, unforeseen accident! And if anyone were to be blamed for the accident, wouldn’t it be Susan, who poisoned me? Absolutely!’

If it wasn’t fatal, a wound like that should be something the Dragon’s Cradle could tolerate, right?

With such thoughts, Yuri convinced himself as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

-Stop.

A foreign voice pierced through his ears.

A chill ran down Yuri’s spine, and he reacted immediately.

Crack—

Within just 0.1 seconds of hearing the voice, Yuri transformed into lightning and retreated backward, feeling a cold sweat trickle down his back as he stared straight ahead.

At Gunther’s side.

Standing there, as if he had appeared from nowhere, was an old man with white hair and blue eyes, his hands clasped behind his back.

He glanced at Yuri and gave a slight smile.

“Choices must always be made with caution.”

His deep eyes seemed to suggest that he knew exactly what Yuri had intended to do.

Thump—

As soon as Yuri met those blue eyes, he felt as if he were staring up at an enormous ancient tree.

‘Massive.’

But not just large—immense to the point where it hurt his neck to look up.

‘That’s… a sacred tree reaching the sky.’

A sacred tree so resilient that even if a human chopped at it with an axe for hundreds of years, it wouldn’t suffer a single scratch.

The vision seared into his mind so vividly that it made Yuri’s head throb.

Eventually, blood started dripping from his nose.

Drip—

Yuri didn’t even think to wipe the blood and continued glaring at the old man before him.

‘Who is this old man?’

Yuri had encountered many powerful figures, including the 9th Dan Deputy Commander Duran.

But this old man was on an entirely different level.

He felt something emanating from the old man.

‘Something’s been gnawing at my mind since earlier.’

And that sensation felt strangely familiar to Yuri.

It was…

‘…Avatar?’

No, it wasn’t an Avatar.

More precisely, it was a remnant of the completed Avatar that the old man had once perfected.

Not the true form, but just a mere shadow of the Avatar.

This could only mean one thing: the old man was a Master.

And there was only one Master who would wander around this openly in the Dragon’s Cradle.

“Black Sword Corps Commander, Gordon Crowden.”

Gordon gave Yuri, who was mumbling with blood dripping from his nose, an intrigued look.

‘Oh?’

According to the reports, Yuri Holland had used an Avatar.

Yet, based on his actions since then, Yuri had never once used an Avatar.

In fact, he hadn’t even reached such a level.

‘Furthermore, it seems like his soul veins are closed.’

It was enough to make Gordon suspect that the reports were incorrect, given Yuri’s meager abilities.

So, to verify the truth, Gordon projected the shadow of his Avatar.

If Yuri had indeed once wielded an Avatar—

If Yuri’s soul veins had ever been opened, he would undoubtedly recognize the Avatar’s shadow.

And as a result…

‘So his soul veins were opened at some point.’

Yuri had indeed seen the shadow of the Avatar that Gordon projected.

While everyone else in the audience was perfectly fine, Yuri alone was gushing nosebleeds, confirming it.

‘Hmm, it seems his soul veins are closed for some reason now.’

Gordon had a rough idea of why that might be.

‘What an amusing kid I’ve found.’

Gordon glanced briefly at the clouds floating high and clear in the sky.

Then, he retracted the Avatar’s shadow that he had displayed.

Almost immediately, Yuri’s face relaxed a little as he blew his nose with a honking sound and gave Gordon a crooked look.

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Too much?”

“What’s the big idea, barging in like that all of a sudden?”

“I happened to see a certain someone’s eyes gleaming with murderous intent.”

Yuri’s brows furrowed slightly.

“…You’ve certainly got good backing. The Black Sword Corps Commander himself steps in just to save a mere cadet.”

“If that bothers you, then use your own backing. One that can beat the backing this kid has.”

“…Where on earth would I find such backing?”

Yuri’s expression was one of sheer disbelief.

Gunther’s backing was the Sword Master.

How could anyone possibly have backing that could surpass the Sword Master’s?

Even with Yuri’s gaze full of discontent, Gordon’s expression remained unchanged.

“If you don’t have such backing, then don’t complain and just accept the situation. That’s all you can do.”

“…Isn’t the Dragon’s Cradle supposed to judge solely by merit, regardless of status?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then what’s with all this blatant favoritism?”

“I’ve never shown favoritism.”

“……?”

“It’s just as it should be.”

“What?”

“Rules created by the person cannot regulate that person.”

With his brows slightly knitted, Yuri pondered over Gordon’s words and asked,

“…So basically, the Sword Master doesn’t want Gunther dead?”

“If that’s what he wants, then it must be done.”

Yuri glared at Gordon, who stated this matter-of-factly.

Soon, he relaxed his eyes and chuckled.

“You seem to have misunderstood something; I didn’t plan on killing him.”

Although he did intend to let Gunther suffer from an unfortunate accident, forcing him into recovery for several years.

For as long as possible, in fact.

As Gordon watched Yuri banter and conceal his true intentions, he gave a brief assessment of Yuri.

‘A sly one.’

He was cunning, ruthless, and decisive.

‘It might’ve been inevitable that the youngest lost to him twice.’

And perhaps Gunther would spend his life chasing Yuri Holland’s back.

‘The one who always led from the front now finds himself staring at someone else’s back out of the blue….’

Could Gunther endure that long, hellish period?

Gordon dismissed the thought as he lifted Gunther in his arms.

Simultaneously, he announced,

“The winner of the Martial Dragon Tournament is… Yuri Holland.”

Even without raising his voice, his words echoed throughout the arena.

And then—

“I will summon you when preparations to open the Black Dragon Hall are complete.”

Leaving those words behind, Gordon vanished with Gunther.

Yuri stood alone in the arena afterward.

“……”

There were no cheers or congratulations for the victor.

Instead, countless eyes full of shock and disbelief were cast upon him.

Yuri accepted them in silence, recalling Gordon’s words.

[If you don’t have such backing, then don’t complain and just accept the situation. That’s all you can do.]

Mulling over those words, Yuri muttered softly,

“…I’ve never had any real backing, to begin with.”

And yet, he had always survived, and he would continue to do so.

‘Even if the opponent is the Sword Master.’

Yuri’s grip tightened around his sword, strengthened by his firm resolve.

Crack—

Thus, with Yuri’s resolve, the week-long Martial Dragon Tournament came to an end.

* * *

Though the Martial Dragon Tournament had concluded, its impact was significant.

Gunther, who had reached 6th Dan.

No one had expected him to lose, and yet he was defeated by a mere first-year.

And Yuri’s skills were overwhelmingly dominant enough to justify that defeat.

Even if one were to set aside that final black tidal wave that engulfed Gunther.

There was that astonishing speed that no cadet’s eyes could keep up with.

And the radiant holy sword that shimmered with golden light.

He had accomplished feats that made one question if he was truly a first-year, winning the Martial Dragon Tournament.

And not just Yuri; even those around him gained attention.

There was Theresia Winchester, who had boldly defeated a 4th-year.

Gunther Irons, who had impressively reached the round of 12 despite losing miserably to Susan.

Arin Helga, who demonstrated extraordinary archery skills, and Bobikrutankapurtabi, who crushed his opponent with the sheer might of the Yoom clan.

Theresia was a 2nd-year, so she was a separate case.

But aside from Yuri, three first-years had made it to the round of 12.

And coincidentally, the three had all defeated 48th-year cadets.

Yuri Holland, who defeated Gunther.

And the close associates of Yuri Holland, who defeated Gunther’s close associates.

The public began to say that the golden generation had shifted from the 48th class to the 50th.

They were also convinced that the power struggle, which had centered around the 48th class, would now revolve around Yuri and his group.

So, there were those who moved swiftly.

“Hmm……”

The day after the Martial Dragon Tournament ended.

Seeing someone blocking the entrance to his residence in the castle, Yuri’s face turned sour.

So, it was only natural that his words were equally unpleasant.

“Who the hell are you, standing in front of my house like that? A suicide enthusiast?”

Yuri then jerked his chin towards a sign displayed at the entrance.

[Anyone whose hobby is suicide is fiercely welcomed.]

[However, be sure to bring plenty of fare for the afterlife in your pocket.]

[The fare will be used for corpse disposal expenses.]

Apparently having already seen the sign, the visitor responded with an indifferent expression.

“So, this is the so-called Demon King’s Castle of the North.”

“Demon King’s Castle, my ass! How does this even look like one?”

It wasn’t Yuri’s voice that snapped at the visitor for calling it the Demon King’s Castle.

All eyes turned to behind Yuri.

Everyone’s gaze fell on Gunther, who was huffing and puffing furiously.

“How dare you belittle the fruit of our blood and sweat…! How dare you demean the symbol of our overcoming trials and tribulations by calling it a Demon King’s Castle! This is intolerable!”

Hearing Gunther’s heartfelt outcry, the visitor tilted his head.

“Is that so? I only called it that because that’s what everyone else has been saying.”

“Who on earth has been spreading such ridiculous nonsense?!”

Almost immediately after those words, Arin subtly tried to hide behind Poppy.

However, her movements were so blatant that all eyes naturally turned towards her.

Realizing this, Arin poked her head out from behind Poppy and gave a sheepish smile.

A smile that clearly indicated she had something to hide.

Gunther’s loud voice boomed out.

“So it was you!”

As Gunther rushed at her to grab her by the collar, Arin backed away and shouted.

“I-I only said it once! Just once, but then everyone started calling it the Demon King’s Castle all of a sudden!”

“How could… How could you call the symbolic structure that we built through our blood and sweat by that name? This is betrayal!”

“Well… I do acknowledge your point to some extent, but honestly, doesn’t it look like a Demon King’s Castle? Right?”

“You!”

“By the way, why has this guy suddenly turned so hot-headed? Still feeling the effects of the poison?! Pull yourself together, Model Cadet!”

Arin and Gunther circled around Poppy, like a game of tag.

Ignoring the commotion, Yuri redirected his attention to the person blocking the entrance of his house.

“So, what brings you here? Andr…?”

As if struggling to recall, Yuri furrowed his brow, prompting the visitor to introduce himself.

“Andres Chayce.”

And with that, he gave a slight nod to Theresia, who was standing behind Yuri.

Andres had faced Theresia in the round of 12 during the Martial Dragon Tournament.

Theresia looked puzzled by his sudden visit.

Noticing this, Andres smiled and turned back to Yuri.

“You asked why I’m here?”

“Man, getting a straight answer from you is like pulling teeth. I’ve already asked twice. There won’t be a third time.”

Despite Yuri’s surly grumbling, Andres remained composed and calmly replied with a smile that never left his face.

“The reason I’m here is… to invite you, Yuri Holland, to the Original Circle.”