I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 22: Three Techniques(1)

Mucci was at a loss, not knowing how to respond to the bold declaration aimed at him.

“Ah… that…”

Seeing Mucci’s flustered reaction, Yuri’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

Without warning, his body shot forward swiftly.

Tap-.

In just a few steps, the distance of 6 meters was compressed.

Swish-.

A silver arc of energy flew towards Mucci’s neck.

“…?!”

The ambush happened in the blink of an eye.

Ralph was beside Mucci, but even at the sight of his grandson in danger, he showed no reaction.

He merely watched Yuri with a slightly intrigued look.

This was possible because he had faith in the grandson he had taught.

Mucci responded to Yuri’s attack as if it was the most natural thing to do, repaying that faith.

“Wait a second!”

Despite his panicked shout, Mucci reflexively swung the wooden spear he was holding.

Of course, Yuri snorted.

“Talking about ‘wait’?”

The blade heading for Mucci’s neck changed direction mid-flight.

A swift directional shift.

Slash-.

The wooden spear was easily cut, and Yuri quickly retreated, sheathing his sword.

It was as if his initial target had always been the wooden spear.

Yuri then looked at Mucci with a gaze that seemed to ask what he was going to do next.

Watching this, Ralph smirked and extended his hand.

With a crash, something flew into Ralph’s hand, breaking through the smithy door.

Crunch-.

What landed in Ralph’s hand was a massive halberd with a faint red glow.

The weapon, easily 4 meters long, was a bizarre spear that looked like it could be a guillotine if not for the pointed blade.

It was Halcyon, Ralph’s cherished weapon that had accompanied him through countless battlefields.

Ralph threw it in front of his grandson.

Wham!

Halcyon embedded itself in front of Mucci.

“Grandfather?”

Despite his grandson’s call, Ralph moved slowly to stand beside Johan without a word.

Yuri tilted his sword as he faced Mucci, now standing alone in the wide clearing.

“What are you doing? Not going to pick it up? Want to fight empty-handed?”

“Why…”

Mucci couldn’t understand why Yuri was acting like this.

That confusion reached Yuri as well.

Yuri’s lips twisted.

“Curious? Why I’m doing this?”

Nod-.

“Want me to tell you?”

Nod, nod-.

As Mucci continued to nod, Yuri smiled mischievously and shouted.

“Nope, not going to tell you!”

While Mucci was dumbfounded by such childish teasing, Yuri lunged forward again.

The rush began anew.

This time, Yuri’s movements were much faster than before.

Seeing Yuri approach in an instant, Mucci hesitated.

Should he grab Halcyon or not?

But such hesitation was a luxury.

“Are you not coming to your senses?”

Noticing Mucci’s hesitation, Yuri swung his sword without any reservation.

The blade, filled with overwhelming killing intent, flew towards him.

In that brief moment, Mucci’s pupils shook violently.

‘This person… is serious!’

Yuri’s killing intent towards him was genuine.

Realizing he might die, Mucci’s survival instinct kicked in.

Finally.

Thunk-.

Mucci grabbed Halcyon.

Clang-.

The halberd’s shaft, leaving an afterimage like a whip, deflected Yuri’s sword.

Then it immediately flew towards Yuri’s upper body.

In response, Yuri’s sword, using the deflection’s force, drew a circle and came back.

Clang-.

This time, Yuri’s sword deflected Mucci’s spear.

Whoosh-.

The halberd’s shaft grazed Yuri’s head, creating a gust of wind, making Yuri shout with excitement.

“What? You can do it if you try!”

Gritting his teeth, Mucci tried to widen the distance between them.

But Yuri didn’t allow it.

“Hey, where are you going?”

A 4-meter halberd.

A 1.2-meter sword.

This close range was the most advantageous for Yuri.

He had no intention of giving up this advantage.

Yuri smiled brightly and swung his sword.

Clang!- Tang-.

Sharp metallic sounds rang out continuously.

Sparks flew as the two weapons clashed repeatedly.

Clang- Tang!

Yuri and Mucci continuously fell back and closed in at an astonishing speed.

It was a completely different scenario from six months ago when Yuri was easily defeated.

This was the result of Yuri’s growth, honed through rigorous training.

Of course, it had only been six months.

Even with the physical abilities inherited from Ralph, Mucci, who had been laying the foundation for nearly ten years, couldn’t be compared.

What bridged that gap in training time was…

“…an extraordinary combat sense.”

Yuri’s innate combat sense.

Minimized evasive movements to an almost dangerous degree.

Maintaining distance as if measured with a ruler.

Reading the opponent’s next move and acting a step ahead.

These were not things of someone who had only held a sword for six months.

Ralph watched Yuri with astonished eyes.

‘He’s a completely different person.’

During their first spar, Yuri had foolishly charged in, misjudging that Mucci wouldn’t attack, and was knocked out.

Was that really the same person?

‘He didn’t know how to properly use his given talent back then.’

That meant Yuri had raised his sense to this level in just six months.

‘Better than Mucci… No, there’s no comparison. He’s overwhelmingly superior.’

Even though he adored and doted on his grandson, Ralph had to acknowledge the reality.

Yuri’s combat sense and learning ability far surpassed Mucci’s.

However, that admiration didn’t last long.

“Hey, is this all you’ve got? Didn’t eat breakfast? Why are you so weak? Put in more effort!”

Yuri continued to taunt while attacking relentlessly.

Ralph sighed and asked the person next to him.

“…Did you teach him that too?”

“Teach what?”

“Provoking with his mouth while fighting. It’s exactly like you, senior.”

“You brat… That’s just his nature! Teach what, my ass!”

Johan glared angrily.

Ralph, ignoring Johan, looked at Yuri with a peculiar gaze.

‘Not bad.’

Although it was an unexpected real sword spar, Ralph didn’t feel particularly bad.

No, he was rather grateful to Yuri.

‘This is Mucci’s first real sword spar too.’

Although Mucci had trained with real swords, there was no one suitable for a real sword duel.

In such a situation, a real sword duel with someone of his age like Yuri would be a valuable experience.

But Ralph was worried about his grandson’s temperament.

‘A kid who even avoids sparring, how will he respond to Yuri’s relentless real sword attacks?’

Moreover, Yuri, who had grown significantly over the past six months, was no longer someone who could be ‘subdued’ as he was in the past.

If it wasn’t a controllable situation, how would Mucci respond?

Curious, Ralph had pulled out Halcyon and matched Yuri’s rhythm.

‘It seems Yuri has something in mind too.’

Wanting to know what Yuri was thinking, Ralph watched their real sword duel with a somewhat serious expression.

Clang- Sslash-.

Sparks continued to fly between Yuri and Mucci’s clashing weapons.

Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes.

Their intense battle showed no signs of tiring.

Drip- Drop, drop-.

Meanwhile, small raindrops began to fall from the darkening sky.

Clang- Tang-!

Drip- Drop, drop, drop-.

The sharp metallic sounds.

The sound of raindrops hitting the roof.

The sharp killing intent flying swiftly.

Yuri, sticking like a leech.

The urgency to escape somehow.

All these elements started to weigh on Mucci’s psyche.

‘Why… why…’

I just wanted to get along well.

I don’t want to fight anyone.

If I hurt someone… they’ll call me a monster again, right?

I really hate that.

Why… why is Yuri hyung doing this?

Can’t we just get along?

All sorts of thoughts pushed Mucci further into a corner.

His heart, filling with something, eventually couldn’t bear it anymore and he let out a desperate cry.

“Argh, stop it!”

With a great shout, red mana light burst from Mucci’s entire body.

‘……?!’

Sensing the immediate danger, Yuri quickly retreated.

It was the first time since the duel began that he had distanced himself from Mucci.

In the meantime, the surging red light flowed along Mucci’s forearms, and the long halberd flexed and swayed.

Left, right.

Surge.

Up, down.

Sway.

The massive halberd whipped around like a lash, drawing red lines each time it moved.

Schnell Axe Spear Technique.

Frenzy.

One of the absolute techniques that had given Ralph Schnell the nickname “Butcher” revealed itself.

Shiver-.

Feeling the eerie red light, Yuri felt a chill run down his spine.

One, two, three, four.

The exponentially increasing red streaks gradually took over the surroundings, each one containing incredible destructive power.

Realizing this, Johan’s words flashed through Yuri’s mind.

[People often mistake Ralph for using a brute force spear technique because of his appearance. While it’s true he’s incredibly strong, his actual spear technique is centered on dazzling finesse.]

At the time, Yuri had only understood Johan’s advice in theory.

But seeing the spectacle of red lines created by Mucci’s mana and spear, the phrase “spear technique centered on dazzling finesse” became all too real.

Swoosh-.

The trails made by Mucci’s mana and spear were not only powerful but also perfectly calculated.

‘Even the seemingly random swipes of the spear are actually deliberate traps, huh?’

A dazzling finesse atop a foundation of strength.

It was the driving force behind Ralph’s rise to prominence as a master of the axe spear.

And that driving force was undoubtedly passed down to Mucci.

Yuri smirked at the web-like layers of red lines.

‘Is he telling me not to approach?’

Mucci’s mana, dominating a certain area.

It felt like a warning to him.

Don’t come any closer.

Stop bothering me!

Sensing this clearly, Yuri scoffed.

‘Already? We’re just getting started.’

The problem now was how to break through that.

“Hmm…”

The tangled red trails were not easily touched, and even if he did, he didn’t know how they would react.

Overpowered in strength, difficult to predict and counter.

There was only one solution.

‘Dodge everything and break through.’

Yuri’s eyes glinted.

He believed in Johan’s words.

[Ralph’s axe spear technique is indeed an outstanding magic body technique. Strength, skill, it’s a top-tier magic body technique lacking in nothing. But there’s one person he’s never been able to beat. Who, you ask? Who else but me!]

And in the effort he had put in!

[Ah, of course, the main reason is that I’m an unmatched genius compared to that muscle pig… But the reason I’ve never lost to him is because of compatibility.]

For the past six months.

Every day, he ran up the mountain until his legs were about to give out.

Whether the weather was clear or cloudy.

Rain or wind.

Even when he fell, rolled, got cut, and bled, he ran every day.

[Consider yourself honored. You’ve been taught the world’s fastest and most liberating magic body technique.]

Because only then…

“Someday, I’ll be able to step on the clouds.”

Thud-.

As Yuri’s foot firmly planted on the ground.

Redner family’s secret magic body technique.

Cloud Step.

Buzz-.

His mana core pulsed vigorously, pouring mana into the mana rods etched into his body.