Chapter 128
“Who are you?”
“Not different at all.”
“What are you talking about?”
I scrutinized the man who answered my question with a cryptic remark.
The first thing that stood out was his black hair, just like mine.
Other than that, his appearance could be described as ordinary.
The look of a moderately handsome human male.
“Obsessed with meaningless things, that’s what I mean.”
The man with black hair smirked as he said that.
Then, he turned his gaze away from me and stared at the dead wolf pup.
“A shame. It was just barely unable to accept my power.”
“…!”
Vrrmmm-
As I listened to his words, I instinctively summoned the Black Shadow Blade from my subspace storage.
I had suspected the identity of this man for a while now.
“You stand out the most.”
Whoosh-
As soon as the man finished speaking, I aimed the Black Shadow Blade at him.
Even as I pointed my blade at him, the man showed no signs of being perturbed.
“You resemble him, too.”
“Him…?”
Whoomph-
The man with black hair, like me, also gripped a sword.
Though he hadn’t been wearing one on his waist, a blade appeared as if from nowhere.
“Let’s see if your skills match his.”
Clang!
The attack came suddenly.
The man who had drawn his sword swung it toward me in one smooth motion.
Though the swing seemed light, the weight of the sword was anything but.
With its heavy momentum, the blade resonated as the man began to press the attack.
Clang—Clang—Clang!
The crisp sound of blades clashing echoed relentlessly.
The man’s sword was both dense and precise, leaving no openings.
It was a style I felt I had encountered somewhere before.
Clang—Clang!
“You can move, at least.”
“Hah, really? Starting with no warning, huh?”
Clang!
I swung my blade hard on purpose to create some distance from him.
Elaine had already moved to a safer spot nearby as the battle between me and the man intensified.
Having her here made me uneasy, but this guy didn’t seem interested in targeting Elaine.
That meant I could focus entirely on the fight.
Vrrmmm—
The probing phase ended after a few exchanges.
It was time to go all out.
Since the man wouldn’t reveal his identity, I unleashed a spatial sword strike.
It was an attack that should have been impossible to dodge.
A strike that transcended distance, the blade heading straight for his body.
Clang—Clang!
‘What?’
Despite being a technique that usually caught anyone off guard, the man with black hair didn’t falter at all.
It was as if he had anticipated this exact attack, skillfully deflecting it.
Clang!
‘Does he have exceptional reflexes?’
That seemed too simplistic. He defended against my strike as if he had been waiting for it.
Vrrrmm—Whoosh—
Time for the next move.
Adjusting distance was merely a preliminary tactic.
Even if it connected, it would only leave a superficial wound.
But this technique was different.
I shifted to his blind spot and precisely exploited the opening.
My swift thrust cut through the air, aimed directly at his chest.
Fwoosh!
“Huh?”
“Predictable.”
Vrrmmm—
Instead of the sharp feedback I expected from piercing flesh, my hand felt as if it had struck smoke.
The man’s body dispersed like mist the moment my blade touched it, vanishing as if he had never been there.
‘What is this?’
It wasn’t an illusion spell.
My mind was perfectly clear, and there were no traces of mana manipulation before or during the fight.
Moreover, I was practically immune to illusions.
Even in short-range battles, a single spatial movement could nullify any magical effects on me.
That meant this ability was his own power.
Whoomph—Clang!
This time, the man launched an attack first.
Caught off guard, I didn’t have the presence of mind to use spatial movement.
Instead, I reflexively blocked his strike with my blade.
The weight of his sword had increased since before.
“I must have been mistaken.”
“What?”
“I thought you stood out the most, but I guess not.”
It was an oddly irritating comment.
Normally, I wouldn’t care about how someone like him evaluated me, but this time it struck a nerve.
After a few more exchanges, the fight entered a brief stalemate.
“Perhaps you’re not worth being wary of.”
The man’s taunting words made me unconsciously bristle.
Whoooosh—
I took a deep breath, steadying my emotions.
I would have to go all out.
Vrrrmmm—
With the sound of spatial vibrations, mana surged from the Black Shadow Blade.
Simultaneously, the surrounding space trembled, forming a kind of barrier.
I hadn’t intended to use this much power since I only came here to probe the area.
“So, who are you?”
“I see no reason to share my name with someone like you.”
Clang!
I couldn’t bear to keep listening to the man’s irritating words, so I charged at him immediately.
As if expecting this, the man cut his words short and parried my blade.
However, it was different this time.
Vrrmmm-
The space where my gaze landed vibrated violently.
And just as I was about to sever the space itself—
Fwoosh-
The man quickly stepped back, distancing himself from me.
At this point, I had to wonder if he had some kind of ability to read my thoughts.
To think he could anticipate and evade even this attack.
It would require immense focus, but it was undoubtedly an ultimate technique.
My ability could sever the “space itself” where my gaze landed and send it elsewhere,
regardless of what existed within that space.
“You’re annoyingly perceptive.”
Fwoosh-
Though my decisive strike failed, the attack wasn’t a complete miss.
The man had scrambled to retreat in a hurry, leaving his stance disheveled.
Without giving him a chance to recover, I pressed the assault.
Vrrmmm-
I teleported behind the man and thrust my blade.
Fwoosh-
Again, his body scattered like smoke, just as before, but my attack wasn’t over.
Vrrmmm-
I concentrated on the man’s dispersed body as it floated before me.
The space it occupied began to vibrate violently.
With him trapped within it.
Whooomph-
‘Oh, he dodges that too.’
I learned something crucial.
Though his body scattered like smoke, his real self was still there.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to roll on the ground so desperately to evade my attack.
Thud-
“Too bad.”
I thrust my blade swiftly at the man as he rolled on the ground to avoid my spatial slash,
but narrowly missed.
Instead of piercing his body, my Black Shadow Blade struck the ground with a powerful vibration.
I charged at the man again, who had yet to rise from the ground.
My instincts told me I mustn’t give him even a moment to think.
Clang-
Even as he rolled on the ground, the man managed to block my blade somehow.
Fwoosh-
‘He must be scared.’
Using consecutive spatial slashes had been worth the effort.
The man immediately retreated as soon as our blades clashed, as if wary of where my gaze might land.
“Hahhh.”
Letting out a short, determined breath, I lunged at him again.
I had to keep pushing while I had the momentum.
The man seemed to realize the situation had shifted, his expression now heavy with a furrowed brow.
“Let’s see how long you can keep running.”
“It seems you aren’t entirely without merit.”
Vrrmmm-
The man muttered to himself as he planted a knee on the ground and stood.
His once-spotless attire was now caked with dirt, an utterly satisfying sight.
“Shall we keep going?”
Vrrmmm-
I glared at him intently as I shouted.
***
“Hahh, hahh.”
“Hooohh.”
‘I can’t follow this.’
Elaine hid behind a tree, holding her breath as she watched the intense duel unfold.
At first, it seemed like Ryu Yeong was being overwhelmed, but the situation quickly reversed.
Once Ryu Yeong started pressing the attack with full intent, the black-haired man was left floundering.
From then on, it was nothing short of chaos.
Ryu Yeong unleashed relentless attacks, more aggressive than usual, while the man barely managed to dodge.
He mixed in sharp counters when he could.
Though Ryu Yeong seemed to have the upper hand, even the slightest lapse in focus could turn the tide.
Gulp-
Elaine swallowed dryly, her gaze fixed on the two combatants.
“You…”
The man muttered in a voice filled with both anger and disbelief as he looked at Ryu Yeong.
“Hoooh. So, are you still not going to tell me your name?”
The man didn’t answer.
After the prolonged battle, the forest around them had turned into a complete mess.
The trunks of trees were gone, the ground and rocks gouged and scattered everywhere.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
The black-haired man sighed deeply as he spoke.
Just as Ryu Yeong moved to charge him again—
Fwoooosh-
“Let’s end this for now.”
This time, the man’s entire form dissolved into smoke.
Unlike before, when only the area struck by Ryu Yeong’s blade scattered, his entire body vanished.
“See you next time—or rather, very soon.”
“Hey! Wait—!”
Boom-
With the sound of something exploding, the man who had dissolved into smoke disappeared completely.
By then, the darkened surroundings had begun to brighten gradually.
—
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