I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 74. Clue (3)

Swish!

A spearhead flew towards his face.

Despite the menacing nature of the attack, Yuri didn’t blink an eye.

He watched the attack until the very end and then lightly tilted his head.

But the attack didn’t end there.

Whoosh.

The sound of the spear cutting through the air echoed near his ears.

The spear shaft changed direction, aiming towards Yuri’s head.

Sensing this, Yuri calmly lowered his head to avoid the shaft.

He evaded the threatening attack aimed at his head with such ease that if anyone had witnessed it, they might have thought Yuri and Theresia were coordinating their moves.

If not that, they might have believed Yuri’s skill was overwhelmingly superior to Theresia’s.

But that wasn’t true.

The difference in skill between Yuri and Theresia hadn’t widened significantly yet.

Of course, Yuri’s abilities had improved.

However, the fundamental reason why situations like this occurred was because Yuri could thoroughly read Theresia’s moves.

‘I’ve roughly figured it out.’

How Theresia would respond in various situations.

The pattern of her combinations and her psychological state.

He had gradually grasped this through the sparring sessions over the past few days.

On the other hand, Theresia was still slow in reading and responding to Yuri’s attacks.

It couldn’t be helped, as this too was a matter of talent.

In Magic Body Technique, it was not uncommon for one to experience rapid growth in a short period.

However, reading moves was a different story.

The ability to read moves.

It could either develop from a vast accumulation of experiences that allowed one to predict the next move, or it could be a high-level instinct and combat intelligence that one was born with.

Only those two scenarios were possible.

In that regard, Yuri’s talent for reading moves surpassed Theresia’s.

If he wanted, Yuri could avoid falling victim to Theresia’s attacks altogether.

But Yuri deliberately prolonged the sparring.

‘If she realizes the gap has widened too much, she might not want to spar anymore.’

So far, Yuri had experienced Theresia’s Chwisung four times.

He was just beginning to get the hang of it, so it wouldn’t do if she lost her will to spar.

Therefore, Yuri adjusted the pace of the sparring to continue it.

And finally, the moment Yuri had been waiting for arrived.

‘Now!’

As the sparring reached its climax, Yuri pretended to retreat half a step and baited her.

To provoke a situation where Theresia would use Chwisung.

And she took the bait.

The Winchester family’s secret Magic Body Technique.

Chwisung.

Shriek-.

Theresia’s spear drew a brilliant white arc as it rushed towards Yuri.

‘This is the fifth time.’

Yuri’s gaze grew focused as Chwisung unfolded before his eyes once again.

Having encountered Chwisung four times already, Yuri had started to get a feel for it, and now he intended to confirm his observations.

‘Strike it swiftly!’

Until now, Yuri had only used Magic Flow to counter Chwisung.

But today was different.

Bang- Clang- Bang-!

Yuri unleashed a rapid series of strikes against Chwisung instead of using Magic Flow.

With that, the trajectory of Chwisung began to waver.

It was an astonishing and bizarre sight.

Even though he had deflected it, the spearhead swiftly closed in, forcing Yuri to use Thunder Wing to escape.

Sizzle-.

In an instant, Yuri widened the gap.

He observed the spear vibrating subtly in Theresia’s hand, his eyes gleaming.

‘As expected!’

It was just as he thought.

Moreover, Yuri finally understood Johan’s words.

[The Winchester family’s Chwisung is quite a unique Flow.]

[To give you a hint… it bounces back, you could say?]

A very unique Flow.

And the feeling of bouncing back.

Every word was correct.

‘Chwisung definitely falls under the category of a typical Flow technique.’

But the way it was used was unique.

‘They’re using the Flow not for defense, but for offense.’

Typically, Flow was used to deflect an opponent’s attack.

It could be used for defense or to create an opening for a counterattack.

Of course, Chwisung’s Flow was also being used to deflect something…

‘But it’s being used to deflect in order to attack, not defend.’

What does that mean?

Chwisung was an offensive technique, not a defensive one.

And the Flow applied within it was used to deflect the opponent’s defense.

Deflecting the sword path meant to block Chwisung.

And brushing aside anything that obstructed Chwisung’s attack path.

‘Chwisung is a technique that ignores the opponent’s defense.’

It was the result of the Winchester family’s determination to pierce their opponent no matter what.

‘That’s why it could resist Magic Flow and push forward.’

Chwisung brushed aside the reverse current of Magic Flow that Yuri created.

Just like a salmon swimming upstream, it surged forward.

‘That’s why it feels like it bounces back.’

Even if one swung their sword to block Chwisung, it would probably feel as if their sword had been bounced back.

‘It’s amazing.’

Chwisung was indeed a high-level technique.

Maintaining a Flow that most people would find challenging to use even once throughout the entire attack.

Utilizing the Flow accordingly based on the angles of incoming attacks.

And on top of that, even adjusting the trajectory of the attack.

It was truly a culmination of advanced spear techniques.

It was hard to imagine how much effort the Winchester family must have put into developing such a technique.

However, there was one thing Yuri could guess about Chwisung’s secret.

‘Chwisung can only be used because of that spear.’

The metal spear in Theresia’s hand, vibrating subtly.

Being a metal material with tremendous elasticity allowed the Flow to be manipulated freely.

“Hoo…”

Yuri exhaled deeply.

‘There’s still a long way to go.’

Although he had partially uncovered the secret of Chwisung, the primary goal of perfecting Magic Flow-Grab was still far off.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Yuri had quickly mastered Magic Flow and Magic Flow-Release.

However, that was because Johan had spent years perfecting them.

But Magic Flow-Grab was barely in its skeletal stage, and adding flesh to it was now Yuri’s task.

It was a challenge that couldn’t be completed in a short time.

‘The old man gave me such a difficult task and then just disappeared?’

Yuri pouted his lips.

Despite his frustration, he couldn’t bring himself to harshly criticize Johan, because the clue Johan had given him was accurate.

Johan had certainly told him to practice “Catching the Magic Flow” through Chwisung.

‘First, I need to be able to catch that bouncing spear. Then, I might start to grasp the concept of catching the magic flow. To do that, first…’

Just now, a plan to catch Chwisung had firmly taken root in Yuri’s mind.

‘I’ll replicate Chwisung.’

To catch prey, one must first thoroughly understand its habits.

So, Yuri planned to completely dissect Chwisung.

Even if he couldn’t replicate it perfectly, he wanted to be able to perform Chwisung with his own hands.

Yuri looked at Theresia’s spear and smiled strangely.

Seeing this, Theresia tilted her head in confusion.

“Yuri, is it over? We still have a few rounds left, don’t we?”

“Of course not.”

Yuri gripped his sword and charged forward.

“Bring it on!”

“Yay, yay, here I come!”

Bang-!

Completely unaware that she was welcoming a thief trying to steal her family’s secret technique, Theresia greeted him enthusiastically.

After a fierce sparring session.

Theresia and Yuri stood far apart, catching their breaths.

At the same time, the exchanges of the 100 rounds they had just gone through flashed through their minds.

How the other had moved.

And how they could have responded better in certain situations.

As they caught their breath, both of them reviewed the day’s sparring session.

Yuri was the first to finish this process.

Soon, he was lost in other thoughts.

‘The Magic Sword…’

Johan had told Yuri to complete the Magic Sword.

But he hadn’t explained exactly what the Magic Sword was before leaving.

Johan had always been like that.

While teaching something, he never made it easy for Yuri to fully understand.

He would either offer guidance in a cryptic manner, like a Zen riddle.

Or he would show it through actions rather than words.

Instead of kindly explaining everything, he would lead Yuri to think and find the answers on his own.

Of course, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Just one thing.

It was only frustrating that Johan’s methods were eerily similar to those of Dragon’s Cradle.

‘Who would say he isn’t from the Cradle? He acts just the same.’

Johan, who left Yuri to figure out the answer on his own without giving him any information.

And the Cradle, which threw inadequate information at you and left you to fend for yourself.

To Yuri, they were two sides of the same coin.

‘So what exactly is the Magic Sword?’

How do you do it?

If there was a library, he could at least look it up, but how could he find a library in his current situation?

He didn’t even know if this Cradle had a library in the first place.

So Yuri found another way.

‘If you don’t know, just ask.’

And the person who could answer Yuri’s question was standing right in front of him.

Just as that person finished their review and opened their eyes.

“Hoo…”

Yuri glanced at Theresia, who exhaled deeply, and carefully broached the subject.

“Senior Tetsha.”

“…?”

“Do you know what the Magic Sword is?”

At Yuri’s question, Theresia slightly tilted her head in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?”

“What do I mean? I’m just curious, so I’m asking.”

“Curious? About the Magic Sword?”

“Yeah.”

“…What do you think the Magic Sword is?”

“I just know that you can wield the Magic Sword when you reach the fourth stage of certification.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

Theresia looked more confused than ever at Yuri’s confident answer.

“Isn’t that something you usually learn when you’re young?”

“Why would you learn that when you’re young?”

“Well… it’s basic knowledge you acquire when learning the Magic Body Technique.”

“I’ve only been learning the Magic Body Technique for a short time.”

“Even so… didn’t the person who taught you the Magic Body Technique explain it to you?”

“Nope. He didn’t tell me.”

That damned old man.

See! He should’ve explained this when he taught me the Magic Body Technique!

‘If he was going to teach me, he should have done it properly!’

While Yuri was inwardly cursing Johan, Theresia recalled something and cautiously proposed a deal.

“I’ll tell you what I know about the Magic Sword, but you’ll have to cover the cost of the next sparring session.”

At her proposal, Yuri pretended to hesitate for a moment.

Why?

‘If I agree too quickly, I’ll look desperate, right?’

Though he was already shouting ‘Great!’ on the inside, Yuri put on a slightly reluctant expression.

He responded with a tone suggesting he was reluctantly accepting.

“Fine, but you have to explain everything, starting from the Strong Sword to the Magic Sword.”

“Deal.”

For Theresia, who only knew the basics, this was an advantageous deal since it would allow her to cover 10,000 points.

Of course, for Yuri, who didn’t even know the basics, it was essential information.

“First, let me explain the concept of ‘Strong.’”

Nod, nod.

Yuri sat down in front of her, his eyes shining with interest.

“People say you can wield ‘Strong’ when you reach the first stage of certification, but technically, that’s not correct.”

“What do you mean?”

“The idea that you can use the Strong Sword once you reach the first stage of certification comes from the fact that most people succeed in the Strong Sword after consistently trying before reaching that stage.”

“Oh?”

“Not every first-stage certified individual can use the Strong Sword. And even if their mana surpasses the first-stage standard, they are often considered incomplete if they can’t wield Strong.”

Nod, nod.

With her attentive listener, Theresia’s explanation gained confidence.

“The level of Strong begins with matching the resonance of your mana core and your weapon.”

“Resonance?”

“Both the mana core and the weapon have unique resonances. If you can feel and gradually align these resonances… you’ll eventually reach a threshold where ‘Strong’ manifests.”

“When does that threshold occur?”

“On average, when the resonance alignment reaches 80%, the Strong Sword manifests.”

“Hmm… so what’s the benefit of creating a Strong Sword?”

That question made Theresia realize that Yuri truly knew nothing.

So, she picked up her spear.

“A weapon can only contain mana if its resonance closely matches that of the mana core. The more similar the resonance, the more, and the purer, mana it can hold.”

Mana was the source of miracles.

A weapon imbued with mana could perform various miracles.

“A weapon at the level of Strong, infused with mana…”

Wooong-.

“…can draw out the inherent potential of the materials used in its creation.”

Various materials went into the making of a weapon.

Common iron, steel, meteorite iron, or white steel, and so on.

The level of Strong enhances the unique properties of these materials.

As a result, a weapon infused with mana becomes harder, more resilient.

Or it may exhibit other characteristics.

Yuri looked at Theresia’s spear.

The spear she had used to create that faint hum earlier now gleamed as if oiled.

“That’s the Strong Sword?”

“Yes, though it’s a Strong Spear in my case.”

“Is that shiny appearance a characteristic of the Strong Sword?”

“Usually, it does have this luster, but it can manifest differently depending on the uniqueness of the Magic Body Technique you’ve mastered.”

Listening to her, Yuri took out his beloved sword, White.

“Hmm, resonance between the mana core and the weapon.”

He muttered quietly and gently closed his eyes.

It was clear to anyone that he was about to attempt creating a Strong Sword.