I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 207. Finals (2)

Yuri stood still for a moment, observing the atmosphere around him.

From behind, he could hear jeering voices calling him cowardly, sneaky, and underhanded.

Of course, Yuri casually ignored them, picking his ear.

‘So what?’

After all, the only rule of the Dragonless Tournament was to win.

There was no such thing as cowardice or sneakiness.

‘The one who lets his guard down and gets hit is the fool.’

However, even Yuri, who thought this way, couldn’t ignore one thing.

Yuri, who had been standing there for about 20 seconds without doing anything and assessing the atmosphere, grinned.

“So… I can take this as permission?”

No matter how much Gunther boasted that he could handle a certain amount, that was just his opinion.

It might differ from the Dragon’s Cradle’s view.

‘It’s better to be sure than to have the match nullified later for not following the rules.’

With that thought, he paused and waited briefly.

But there was no sign of the Black Sword Corps, who would have appeared immediately if there was a problem.

What did that mean?

It meant the Dragon’s Cradle also recognized this situation as the finals.

Now, there was truly no hesitation left.

Step, step—

Yuri walked in the direction Gunther had flown.

As he passed by Goetz, who was sprawled on the ground, he halted briefly.

“Ugh.”

Yuri clicked his tongue slightly, glancing at Goetz, who was covered in blood and dirt, and crouched down.

“Tsk, you still helped drain that bastard’s strength, at least…”

Muttering, he grabbed the back of Goetz’s neck and tossed him aside.

Whoosh—

Goetz flew like a pebble, rolling across the dirt floor for a dozen meters.

He hit the arena wall and coughed up blood again.

The impact must have deepened his internal injuries.

Naturally, Yuri didn’t care at all.

‘Better that he’s dealing with internal injuries than getting caught up in the fight and dying.’

Yuri, who saw it as a kind act, continued walking toward Gunther.

Step, step—

Up until then, Gunther remained hidden in the rising dust cloud, not showing himself.

* * *

The second semifinal had finally begun.

Goetz fought hard but crumbled disappointingly quickly.

Then came Yuri’s provocation and ambush.

Many were still dumbfounded by the series of events unfolding before their eyes.

Soon after, various voices arose, criticizing Yuri’s ambush from all around.

“Even in a rule-less Dragonless Tournament, there are still procedures!”

“That shameless act, as expected of someone with no class!”

Of course, most of these were voices condemning Yuri.

However, some were reconsidering the situation where Yuri had sent Gunther flying.

“Did anyone see Yuri Holland’s movements?”

“What happened?”

Most people were focused on Yuri’s ambush and were excited, but if they reflected, they realized none of them truly understood what had occurred.

All they saw was Yuri stepping into the arena, disappearing in an instant.

Then, a loud bang followed by Gunther crashing into the arena wall.

Lastly, the sight of a pale dust cloud rising.

The more they replayed the event in their minds, the more they reached one conclusion.

“Did Gunther… also miss Yuri Holland’s movements?”

Why else would Gunther Ryder be hit and sent flying?

It was because he couldn’t react.

Even Gunther Ryder.

‘The Holy Sword… It was definitely the Holy Sword. Gunther tore apart Goetz’s illusion sword with it!’

‘Gunther’s skill has advanced far beyond what we knew before. And yet, even Gunther couldn’t respond to Yuri Holland’s attack….’

Those who realized the strangeness while analyzing the situation were beginning to view Yuri differently.

And at that moment—

“Where in the world do they start the finals so suddenly?!”

Someone burst in, shouting angrily.

It was none other than the betting hall manager who had grabbed Yuri by the collar on the day the Dragonless Tournament began.

He ran in, panting and shouting.

“It’s finally here! The final match that will cap off this Dragonless Tournament! The time for predicting the finals’ winner!”

At his exclamation, someone asked in a puzzled voice.

“Is this… really the finals? Are they starting it just like this?”

“Can’t you see? The Black Sword Corps hasn’t appeared, has it? That means even the Dragon’s Cradle acknowledges this as the finals.”

“Oh…!”

“Alright, there’s no time! Who will be the winner to enter the Black Dragon Pavilion…? Hurry and place your points! The match might end while you’re hesitating!”

Clang, clang! The manager’s urgent voice caused the faces of other cadets to show signs of haste.

Indeed, if this was really the finals, then the match had effectively already begun.

“Bets will only be accepted for the next 2 minutes!”

As the closing notice followed, people quickly rose and ran toward the betting hall manager.

To place points on the one they believed would win.

Among them was Jerry Bee.

“Alright, please line up calmly, and we’ll process you quickly! Hey, you third-year! No cutting in line!”

The betting hall manager processed things at an incredible speed, and the line in front of him quickly shrank.

Meanwhile, Yulia was still hesitating to stand up.

‘Who should I bet on?’

Originally, she would have confidently placed everything on Yuri winning without hesitation.

But seeing Gunther use the Holy Sword earlier shook that confidence.

‘Yuri did beat Gunther Ryder once, but… that was just luck.’

She hadn’t realized it at the time, but after analyzing that fight over the past few months, she knew for sure now.

Despite losing, Gunther’s strength had been stable.

And it was Yuri Holland, the winner, who had been unstable.

If Gunther Ryder had known a little more about Yuri, or if the fight had gone on just a bit longer, the outcome could have been different.

So when Gunther Ryder appeared with even greater strength, Yulia couldn’t confidently say Yuri would win.

“Hmm…”

Yulia agonized over the decision for a long time.

Yuri Holland or Gunther Ryder.

Weighing their names against each other, she finally stood up just before the betting hall’s closing.

“…Alright!”

Yulia pulled out all the points she had accumulated from predicting outcomes since this Dragonless Tournament began.

Of course, it wasn’t a large amount.

Given that she was from the House of Silver Rings, who would take bets from her?

So she had promised to start with just 1,000 points and only increase from there, just managing to join the betting game.

And as the betting hall manager feared, her predictions had been 100% accurate so far.

Not once had she been wrong.

With that, Yulia half-playfully, half-seriously placed the points she had carefully accumulated…

“On this one, all of it!”

…on the one she believed would continue her 100% prediction streak.

The betting hall manager looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Are you sure about this?”

As if asking if her choice was correct, Yulia silently nodded.

* * *

While the betting hall buzzed in the audience, Yuri stopped at a certain distance from the dust cloud and shouted loudly.

“What are you doing? Not coming out?”

Although he had struck with the Holy Sword, Yuri didn’t think Gunther would fall just from that.

Last time, even when the attack had hit properly, Gunther had gotten back up.

‘Well, it’s not like he wouldn’t be affected….’

He had already expended some energy fighting Goetz.

And Yuri’s attack should have done significant damage.

That was exactly what Yuri wanted.

A Gunther who was somewhat drained and wounded.

Only then…

‘This time, I’ll really be able to see it.’

Yuri’s eyes sparkled brightly.

‘It’d be more of a problem if he went down from just one hit.’

As Yuri casually rolled his shoulders with a smile—

Whoosh—

Reacting to Yuri’s expectation, a dark mirage rose sharply from the dust cloud, swirling violently.

Flash—

A pair of bright blue eyes gleamed from within the pale dust.

Shortly after, black shoes protruded through the settling dust.

Step, step—

When Gunther finally revealed himself, the usual ease on Yuri’s face stiffened slightly.

‘Why… does that guy look fine?’

He knew that one strike, even from the Holy Sword, wouldn’t take Gunther down, but there should have been some visible damage.

However, when Gunther stepped out from the dust, there wasn’t a single visible trace of harm.

His clothes, though dust-covered, weren’t severely damaged.

His presence still exuded overwhelming pressure.

Gunther, who had seemingly taken a direct hit from the Holy Sword, looked perfectly fine.

Step—

Gunther halted a certain distance from Yuri and lowered his sword, speaking.

“Thank you.”

Yuri blinked at Gunther’s sudden expression of gratitude.

“Huh?”

“Thanks to you slamming me the same way as last time, I was able to cool my heated head.”

“……”

“I’ve been waiting for months, and I can’t afford to ruin it by failing to control my emotions. So…”

Screech—

Gunther’s sword pointed at Yuri.

“I will calmly… and thoroughly enjoy this moment until you’re utterly destroyed.”

At his chilling warning, Yuri made a troubled expression.

‘Hmm… I didn’t expect this.’

He had thought Gunther would go berserk, furious after taking a hit, but instead, it seemed getting slammed into the wall helped Gunther calm down.

This was entirely the opposite of Yuri’s intention.

He let out a

wry smile.

‘Looks like… it won’t be easy?’

Having had an easy time reaching the finals, maybe the gods were balancing things out.

He could already see his future self struggling in the last match.

As Yuri sensed his grim future—

Whoosh—

Gunther’s figure, with black veins reaching up to his jaw, vanished.

Boom!

Gunther appeared before Yuri, his black demon sword slashing down vertically.

Yuri dodged it lightly with Cloud Step.

But Gunther’s attack was relentless.

Swoosh—

The sword, which had been descending vertically, suddenly shifted diagonally, chasing Yuri.

Although it veered off in a way far beyond physical limits, Yuri effortlessly dodged it as if he had anticipated it.

Refusing to remain passive, Yuri aimed for an opening and thrust his sword.

Conversely, Gunther swung his sword to parry Yuri’s.

Swish—

Gunther’s sword, infused with demonic energy, clashed with Yuri’s ordinary sword.

It was clear that if they collided like this, Yuri’s sword would shatter.

However—

Boom!

Right before impact, Yuri’s demon sword, now glowing gold, deflected Gunther’s sword.

When the two swords parted, the demonic energy that had enveloped Yuri’s sword had already dissipated.

Gunther’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘That’s an unbelievable activation speed.’

If one could deploy the demon sword appropriately, they could certainly save mana.

Most knew this, but the reason many kept their demon sword constantly activated during combat was simple.

It was nearly impossible to time the activation perfectly in life-or-death moments.

Yet, Yuri Holland before him was doing just that, casually.

Though all of this was a desperate measure to overcome his ‘mana deficiency,’ Gunther, unaware of this, could only be amazed.

And that amazement filled Gunther with immense satisfaction.

‘Yes, this is it! It’s because you’re like this…!’

A cruel smile appeared on Gunther’s lips.

‘…that I want to utterly destroy you!’

Swish—

Gunther’s sword sped up again, aiming for Yuri.

Boom!

Yuri also increased his speed to match.

The high-level skirmish between Yuri and Gunther in the arena silenced the audience.

Sharp, piercing attacks met perfectly timed defenses.

Crisp, driving counters followed by smooth continuations.

The match between Yuri and Gunther felt less like a fight for survival and more like a grand, choreographed sword dance.

Everyone, from Yuri’s acquaintances to those who had been cursing him for being cowardly, and even those waiting in line to place their bets, were mesmerized by the duel.

How much time had passed?

Bang! Bang!

With successive explosions and red sparks flying, someone among the 50th batch blinked as they watched Yuri counter Gunther’s attack.

“Wait… is that?”

They thought back to the technique Yuri used for the counter and muttered in a dazed voice.

“…Isn’t that mine?”