Chapter 22: The Third Section (1)

Muchi was at a loss as to how to respond to the bold declaration directed at him.

“A… th-that….”

Seeing this, Yuri’s lips curled up in a wicked smile.

Before Muchi could react, Yuri’s figure darted forward swiftly.

Thud.

In just a few steps, the 6-meter distance was closed.

Swoosh.

A silver blade flew toward Muchi’s neck.

“…?!”

The ambush happened in the blink of an eye.

Ralph, who was standing beside Muchi, showed no particular reaction to his grandson’s crisis.

Instead, he looked at Yuri with a slightly interested gaze.

This was possible because he trusted the grandson he had taught.

In response to this trust, Muchi reacted to Yuri’s attack as if it were the most natural thing.

“Hey, hold on!”

Despite his flustered cry, Muchi instinctively swung the wooden spear he was holding.

Of course, Yuri snorted.

“Still saying ‘hold on’?”

The blade that was advancing toward Muchi’s neck changed direction mid-way.

In an instant, the direction was altered.

Squeak.

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

It was as if he had aimed for the wooden spear from the beginning.

He looked at Muchi with a gaze that seemed to say, "What are you going to do now?"

Ralph, who had been watching, chuckled and extended his hand.

The door of the forge burst open, and something flew into Ralph’s hand.

Crack.

Held in Ralph’s hand was a massive, barbed spear that emitted a faint red glow.

It was at least 4 meters long.

It was so bizarre that it looked like a scythe had been attached to it.

This was Halsion, the beloved weapon that Ralph had used in countless battles.

Ralph tossed it to his grandson.

Whoosh!

Halsion was embedded in front of Muchi.

“Grandpa?”

Even as his grandson called out, Ralph moved to stand beside Johan without giving any particular response.

In the open space, Yuri, now facing Muchi alone, flicked his sword.

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

“Why….”

Muchi couldn’t understand why Yuri was doing this.

This confusion was conveyed to Yuri.

In response, Yuri’s lips twisted.

“Curious? Why I’m doing this?”

Nod.

“Want to know?”

Nod, nod.

As Muchi nodded repeatedly, Yuri grinned mischievously and shouted.

“No, I won’t tell you!”

While Muchi was flustered by this childish taunt, Yuri quickly launched himself forward.

Another charge.

This time, his movements were much faster than before.

Seeing Yuri rush in, Muchi was conflicted.

Should he grab Halsion in front of him or not?

But such hesitation was a luxury.

“Not going to focus?”

Seemingly sensing Muchi’s conflict, Yuri swung his sword without a moment’s hesitation.

The blade, filled with killing intent, flew at Muchi.

In an instant, Muchi’s eyes widened in shock.

‘This guy… he’s serious!’

Yuri’s killing intent was genuine.

The realization that he might die triggered Muchi’s survival instinct.

And finally.

Click.

Muchi grabbed Halsion.

Clang.

Halsion’s spear shaft, like a whip, left a trail as it deflected Yuri’s sword.

It then immediately aimed for Yuri’s upper body.

Yuri’s sword, which had been deflected, used the momentum to return in a circular motion.

Clang.

This time, Yuri’s sword grazed Muchi’s spear.

Whoosh.

The spear shaft, creating a strong wind as it swept overhead, made Yuri exclaim excitedly.

“What? You’re pretty good when you try, huh?”

In response to Yuri’s taunt, Muchi gritted his teeth and tried to create some distance.

But Yuri wouldn’t allow it.

“Hey, where are you going?”

The 4-meter barbed spear.

The 1.2-meter sword.

Now that he was close to Muchi, this was the most advantageous distance for Yuri.

He had no intention of giving up this advantage.

Yuri smiled brightly and swung his sword.

Clang! Clank!

Sharp metallic sounds rang out in quick succession.

Sparks flew between the two weapons as they clashed.

Clang! Clank!

Yuri and Muchi, moving at an incredible speed, repeatedly clashed and separated.

This was a stark contrast to the situation six months ago when Yuri had been easily defeated.

The result of Yuri’s rigorous training and growth.

Of course, it had only been six months.

Compared to Muchi, who had been building his foundation for nearly ten years, inheriting Ralph’s physical abilities, it was nothing.

What had bridged this gap in training time was…

“…An incredible combat sense.”

Yuri’s innate combat sense.

His evasive movements, minimizing his movements to the barest minimum.

The precise maintenance of distance.

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

This was not the work of someone who had only been wielding a sword for six months.

Ralph looked at Yuri in surprise.

‘This is like a completely different person.’

During their first sparring session, Yuri had recklessly charged in, thinking Muchi wouldn’t attack, and ended up being defeated.

Is this really the same person?

‘Back then, he just didn’t know how to properly use his given talents.’

In other words, he had improved his senses to this level in just six months.

‘Better than Muchi… No, this is incomparable. It’s overwhelming.’

No matter how much he doted on his grandson, he had to admit it.

Yuri’s combat sense and combat learning ability were overwhelmingly superior to Muchi’s.

However, this admiration didn’t last long.

“Hey! Is that all you’ve got? Did you skip breakfast? Why are you so weak? Use more strength!”

While continuing his attacks, Yuri’s mouth didn’t stop moving.

Ralph sighed and asked the person beside him.

“…Did you teach him that?”

“What?”

“Provoking the opponent with words while fighting. It’s exactly like a senior. Just like that.”

“This brat… That’s just his nature! What did I teach him?”

Johan glared angrily.

Ralph, easily ignoring this, looked at Yuri with a peculiar expression.

‘Not bad.’

Although the sudden real sword sparring had started, Ralph wasn’t particularly annoyed.

In fact, he was grateful to Yuri.

‘This is Muchi’s first real sword sparring.’

While they had practiced with real swords, there was no one suitable for real sword sparring.

In this situation, sparring with Yuri, who was his peer, would be a good experience.

However, Ralph was worried about his grandson’s temperament.

‘How will this kid, who even avoids sparring, react to Yuri, who charges in recklessly with a real sword?’

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

If the situation was out of his control, how would Muchi react?

This curiosity led Ralph to even bring out Halsion and play along with Yuri’s tune.

‘It seems Yuri also has something on his mind.’

Curious about what Yuri was thinking, Ralph watched the real sword sparring with a slightly serious expression.

Clang! Clank!

The weapons continued to clash, and sparks flew between Yuri and Muchi.

5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes.

Their intense battle continued without end.

Drip, drip.

During this time, small raindrops began to fall from the darkening sky.

Clang! Clank!

Sharp metallic sounds.

The sound of drizzle on the roof.

The sharp killing intent flying at high speed.

Yuri, who clung like a leech.

The urgency of wanting to escape.

All of this began to pressure Muchi’s mind.

‘Why… Why…?’

I just wanted to live a normal life.

I don’t want to fight with anyone.

If I hurt someone… they’ll call me a monster again, won’t they?

I really don’t want that.

Why… Why is Yuri doing this?

Can’t we just get along?

These thoughts pushed Muchi into a corner.

His chest began to fill with something.

Finally, unable to hold it in, Muchi let out a stifled cry.

“Aaaah, stop it!”

With a loud cry, a red mana light burst from Muchi’s entire body.

‘…?!’

Sensing the sudden danger, Yuri quickly retreated.

For the first time since the sparring began, he created distance from Muchi.

During this time, the surging red light flowed down Muchi’s arms, and the long spear shaft swung wildly.

Left, right.

Swish.

Up, down.

Swish.

The massive barbed spear, defying the laws of physics, swung like a whip, and each time, a red line was drawn.

The Schnell Axe Spear Technique.

Rage (狂亂).

One of the techniques that had earned Ralph Schnell the nickname ‘The Butcher’ was revealed.

Shiver.

The eerie red light made Yuri’s spine tingle.

One, two, three, four.

The red aura, increasing exponentially, began to dominate the surroundings, each containing astonishing destructive power.

At this realization, Johan’s words echoed in Yuri’s mind.

[People see Ralph and think he uses a simple, brute-force spear technique. Of course, he is strong, but… the direction he pursues is a spear technique centered on flashy techniques.]

At the time, he had only understood Johan’s advice