I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 64. The Hundred-Step Ceremony (6)

The Sword Master’s aura filled the space within a hundred steps.

It was an unyieldingly solid wave.

The waves stirred by the Sword Master surged layer upon layer.

In front, behind, on the sides.

From the ground and from the sky.

The waves crashed down relentlessly, leaving no gaps.

Naturally, as one drew closer to the Sword Master, the waves became faster and fiercer.

And then, the power of the Magic Flow that Yuri summoned…

Vrrrrr—.

It began to carve a path through the solid waves.

Along with that, Yuri’s upper body began to tremble again.

Crack, crack—.

Each time his body, which had already reached its limit, screamed in pain, his body, his head, slowly… very slowly, began to rise.

“What?!”

“Again?!”

“…Is he standing up again?”

Would he really get up again?

He had already done enough, hadn’t he?

Thousands of spectators, who had thought it was truly over this time, were now shocked.

While everyone was watching…

Grrk—!

Veins bulged on Yuri’s temples.

Roar—!

With a roar, Yuri stood up.

The booming roar echoed in their ears, causing the crowd to clench their fists involuntarily.

And Yuri, who had finally managed to straighten his back…

“Hoo…”

As he let out a long breath, the color began to return to his pale face.

‘It’s… bearable now.’

His body had long since surpassed its physical limits.

There wasn’t a single part that didn’t hurt, and nothing was moving properly, but compared to just a moment ago, he felt much better.

Above all, the pressure that had been weighing down on his entire body had significantly lessened.

Huff— huff, huff—.

As he exhaled in short and long breaths, his mind gradually became clearer.

Moreover, he could sense everything around him with an unusual vividness.

The intense gaze of tens of thousands of spectators watching him.

Their rough breathing.

And most of all…

Even the slight change in the Sword Master’s gaze toward him.

He could perceive all of this in an instant with startling clarity.

‘Finally…’

A very small change in the Sword Master.

It was a change so subtle it was difficult to notice, but even so, Yuri was delighted.

‘…Finally, he’s really looking at me.’

Until now, to the Sword Master, Yuri must have been just another insignificant insect among many.

Like a tiny bug struggling in a bucket of water, desperate to survive.

It was a sight the Sword Master had likely seen countless times before.

The Sword Master probably expected Yuri to quickly drown in the water.

To sink to the bottom of the bucket, atop the countless corpses of other insects.

But when Yuri, who had been floundering, managed to crawl out of the water alive, the Sword Master’s interest was piqued.

Seeing the flicker of curiosity in the previously indifferent eyes of the Sword Master, Yuri smiled.

‘I may be a bug, but I’ve got a little bit of venom.’

So, if he got stung, it might hurt quite a bit.

Then, Yuri’s smile disappeared.

‘Let’s go.’

What he had left was a mere handful of mana.

It was far too weak to navigate through this storm.

But when that handful of mana transformed into the Magic Flow, the situation changed.

Step—.

Yuri took his eleventh step.

It seemed even lighter than the tenth step.

Thanks to that, he was able to immediately take the next step.

Step—.

“…Twelve.”

Someone in the audience counted as they watched Yuri walk.

Swish—.

The Sword Master’s chin lifted from his fist.

He straightened his head and focused on Yuri, who was walking toward him.

Step—.

And when Yuri took his thirteenth step perfectly…

“Grrk!”

The pressure that pounded against his entire body caused Yuri’s face to flush bright red.

‘Is this guy… really human?!’

The Magic Flow was a technique that interfered with and controlled a flow.

Yuri had thought that he had been managing that flow well so far.

But now that he was being pushed to his limit, he realized it with certainty.

‘Up until now… I’ve only dealt with flows that were within my control!’

Using every last bit of his mana, he barely managed to summon the Magic Flow.

His power was already insufficient, and the raging storm struggled to break free from the Magic Flow’s control.

The resistance was so strong that just maintaining control over a single strand of the Magic Flow was enough to make him feel faint.

‘If I had known this, I would have saved a little more mana!’

He had believed that even with just a handful of mana, he could summon the Magic Flow, and that it would be enough to navigate through this storm.

But such naive thoughts were shattered after just three more steps.

Yuri gritted his teeth.

Gnash—.

The waves of the storm became finer, denser, and more solid as they neared the Sword Master.

‘What’s even more astonishing is that the Sword Master is adjusting this level of power with precision, step by step.’

The Sword Master’s power was truly astonishing.

Thus, Yuri quickly acknowledged it.

That with just a handful of mana, he wouldn’t be able to navigate through this storm to the end.

‘Still… I’ll go as far as I can!’

Just as he had done so far, he endured and persisted, taking yet another step.

Thus…

Step—.

“…Fourteen.”

A voice from the audience informed him of the number of steps he had taken.

And then…

Step— thud!

“Four… teen.”

Yuri took his fifteenth step.

In response, voices of disbelief poured out from the audience.

“Fifteen… steps?”

They could hardly believe he had taken ten steps, let alone fifteen—a record they had never even imagined.

Now that this unprecedented feat was unfolding before their eyes, the spectators were in a daze.

And that was as far as it went.

Plop—.

Once again, Yuri’s knee buckled.

“Ugh—!”

He tried to stand up by any means necessary, but his upper body only leaned further forward.

Those watching Yuri now clearly realized it.

Though he had miraculously continued to rise, this time, he had truly reached his limit.

The march of record-breaking steps he had shown ended at fifteen.

No one understood this better than Yuri himself.

‘Is this the end…?’

He had summoned the Magic Flow with a handful of mana, and now, what remained was a mere speck.

If even that was exhausted, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stand up again.

And that moment came sooner than he expected.

Sss—.

The last of his mana dried up, and the Magic Flow that had barely kept him standing dissipated.

‘It’s over…’

Just as he thought it was really the end…

Whhoosh—.

A fierce wind swept past Yuri.

With it, the raging storm that had been battering him from all sides vanished as if washed away.

The arena, now so peaceful that it was hard to believe it was the same place from moments ago.

In the suddenly quiet surroundings, Yuri barely managed to hold onto his consciousness and lift his upper body.

Grk—.

He thought it was all over.

It wouldn’t matter if he stayed down now.

But Yuri got up.

For some reason, it felt like he had to.

Thus, Yuri finally succeeded in kneeling down in the arena.

Wobble, wobble—.

His body swayed as if it would topple over with a mere touch, but Yuri raised his head.

Through his blurred vision, he saw him.

The absolute being of this era, clad in white.

The Sword Master, who had appeared so suddenly.

Luke Ryder, who had been far away beyond the eighty-five steps, was now right in front of him.

At the sight of him, a surge of emotion welled up within Yuri.

‘I did it…’

That Sword Master.

‘I made him rise from his seat.’

That Sword Master!

‘I brought him to stand before me, who is nothing but a mere bug!’

This undeniable fact brought Yuri a sense of accomplishment that was incomparable to anything else.

As Yuri’s faint smile appeared…

Wobble, wobble—.

The Sword Master, seeing Yuri who looked ready to collapse at any moment, asked.

“What is your name?”

A low, resonant voice.

At the question that reverberated softly around him, Yuri’s trembling upper body suddenly froze.

And then…

Grrk, grrk—.

He mustered all his strength to raise his body.

His stamina had long since been depleted, and his body was slow to respond.

Yet Yuri once again pushed himself to surpass his limits.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes…

As the agonizing time dragged on, the Sword Master patiently waited for Yuri.

After a grueling five minutes.

Surpassing his limits once more.

Yuri finally stood up.

Sweat trickled down his face as he looked directly at the Sword Master and answered in a clear voice.

“Yuri Holland.”

His golden eyes, revealed as his sweat-soaked hair fell back, shone brightly, as if asking to be remembered.

The Sword Master, seeing those clear eyes, spoke his second words.

“Speak your wish. I will grant you a reward befitting the fifteen steps you have taken.”

At the Sword Master’s words, a murmur arose among the tens of thousands of spectators.

It was extremely rare for the Sword Master to have a private audience with a cadet.

No, this was a situation that hadn’t occurred even once in the past few decades.

Moreover, he was personally offering a reward.

This was an opportunity to obtain a reward greater than any other.

In this cradle, there was nothing that the Sword Master could not grant.

And so, all eyes were on Yuri.

What reward would the rising star, who had set a record in the cradle’s history, wish for?

Curious and envious gazes were fixed on Yuri.

And in the midst of all this attention, Yuri’s lips parted.

As if nothing else mattered, as if this was the only reward he desired for today’s efforts.

He answered without hesitation.

“Let’s do a few more rounds of this.”

Yuri’s eyes, unlike before, were not clear.

They burned with a fiery intensity deep within his golden gaze.

“Allow me to participate in the Hundred Steps Ceremony every year until I leave this cradle. That’s… what I want.”

It was as if he was saying that this year had ended with just this much, but next year… the year after would be different.

It was a look the Sword Master had not seen in a long time.

And it resembled someone.

‘It’s that guy.’

Johan Redner.

His gaze had been just like this.

The unwavering flame of a challenger.

That same flame could be seen in Yuri Holland.

‘Johan Redner, you really picked someone just like yourself.’

And this realization brought amusement to the Sword Master.

The corners of his lips curled slightly.

“I will grant your wish.”

And that was the end of it.

As if he had received the answer he wanted, Yuri gave a slight smile.

Thud—.

His body fell backward.

Thud—.

Yuri, who had said everything he wanted to the Sword Master, had passed out just like that.

The sound of his fall echoed through the arena.

Though it was a place packed with tens of thousands of people, it was so silent that even the sound of Yuri collapsing was unusually loud.

In such a situation, Duran inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘Today has been full of surprises.’

The Hundred Steps Ceremony had been held every year, but the Sword Master had always sat there, bored and indifferent.

As far as Duran could remember, even when May Winchester set the record of nine steps thirty-five years ago, the Sword Master hadn’t shown any reaction.

But this time, for the first time since the ceremony began, the Sword Master had descended into the arena.

Just to have a private audience with a mere cadet.

Furthermore, he had personally asked for the cadet’s wish and granted it.

Amusement gleamed in Duran’s eyes.

His gaze followed Yuri, who lay at the Sword Master’s feet.

‘I knew he would cause a commotion sooner or later, but I didn’t expect such a grand incident so soon after entering.’

In truth, it wasn’t so much an incident as it was a monumental achievement.

An achievement that would be remembered in the cradle’s history.

Except for the cadets of the 50th batch who had collapsed before Yuri.

As of now, there wouldn’t be a single person in this cradle who didn’t know the name Yuri Holland.

Moreover, his name would become a hot topic.

‘Those kids will be quite troubled.’

The cradle was already quite entrenched with the factions established by the previous cadets.

But now, out of nowhere, a monstrous fish named Yuri Holland had leapt into this once calm lake.

Because of him, this once dull and boring lake had been stirred into a turbulent frenzy.

‘Many things will happen around that kid.’

Some will try to bring Yuri to their side.

Some will try to keep him in check.

And some may even try to remove him.

Whether they swallow that hot potato or spit it out, they’re likely to rack their brains over it.

And just as Duran had predicted, the eyes of a few cadets seated in the stands grew heavy.

Especially the blonde-haired man who had made a bet with Theresia.

“…Yuri Holland.”

He quietly repeated Yuri’s name, and as he looked at the Sword Master, his gaze grew more complicated.