I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 83. Hell (3)

Hooo-

A long breath exhaled, turning into white mist in the darkness before dispersing.

Yuri gazed through the hazy mist at the wolf who was warily eyeing him.

The wolf stood at a distance, hesitant to approach after seeing its fallen comrades.

Thanks to that, Yuri had a brief moment to catch his breath.

‘As expected… I can handle up to two wolves somehow.’

If it were just one wolf, it would be easy.

Even with two, he could deal with them without much trouble.

And if he went all out…

‘Three is possible.’

Of course, there were a few conditions attached.

First, the wolves must not be on Theresia’s level.

Second, he must use Cloud Step, Thunder Wing, and Magic Flow at full strength.

Lastly, he must not drag the fight out for too long.

‘Damn, the mana’s always the problem. I need to earn points quickly and buy an elixir or something.’

Anyway, if the opponents were at the current level of skill, he felt confident he could take on three if he ended it quickly.

‘And if I had the same support as now…’

Maybe, just maybe, he could handle more than four.

With that assessment in mind, Yuri glanced behind him.

There stood Arin, still tense, with her bowstring drawn.

‘…She’s better than I thought.’

This was the first time in Yuri’s life that he fought alongside someone.

And through this experience, he had come to a clear realization.

‘Ah, this is why people team up to fight.’

Teaming up with someone to corner and finish off an opponent was more satisfying than he had imagined.

Moreover, coordinating an attack together was relatively easy.

Even though it was his first time, there had been no major mishaps in their movements.

Yuri clenched and unclenched his fist lightly, glancing once more at Arin.

‘Hmm, is she doing a good job?’

Arrows that perfectly timed and complemented his attacks.

Not to mention the pressure they applied on the enemy.

Arin’s archery was indeed a remarkable example of what you’d call ‘support fire.’

‘Not bad.’

Giving his own form of praise, Yuri turned his gaze back to the wolf in front of him.

The wolf, seemingly cautious after being burned before, hesitated to attack.

Sensing an opportunity, Yuri rifled through the bodies of the two wolves he had already taken down.

Swoosh- Swoosh-

With hands quicker than most pickpockets, Yuri gathered the pelts of the unconscious wolves.

Backing away, he shouted towards Arin.

“What are you doing? Run!”

“Huh?”

Arin stood dumbfounded, her eyes wide with surprise.

Yuri frowned and grabbed her wrist.

“I said run!”

“W-Wha-what?!”

Dragging the startled and flustered Arin, Yuri swiftly moved away from the scene.

The surviving wolf could only stare blankly at their retreating figures.

“…What the heck? Why are they running?”

They were the ones who had gained the upper hand, right?

So why were they fleeing?

The wolf puzzled over this as it continued to watch the direction in which the two had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Arin, being pulled along by Yuri, was just as curious.

“What’s going on?! Why are we running? We were winning!”

Yuri answered with a stern face.

“Are you stupid? You think those were the last of the wolves?”

The fire had initially attracted the beasts.

But after that, the noise from their fight with the wolves would have spread, drawing more beasts toward them.

If they had stayed there any longer, they would have been surrounded by the beasts gathering to hunt them.

That was why Yuri decided to leave the area before it was too late.

Or perhaps…

‘…It might already be too late.’

And that unease quickly became a reality.

In the direction where Yuri and Arin were running,

Rustle-

Pointed wolf ears suddenly appeared.

And then came a sound.

“Woof.”

Yuri’s expression hardened.

‘They’re already this close?’

But that wasn’t all.

‘Three o’clock.’

Though there was still some distance, a powerful presence was approaching without any intention of hiding it.

At this rate, they would be surrounded with no way out.

Feeling the imminent danger, Yuri decided to break through the front.

And instinctively, he swung what he held in his right hand.

‘…Huh? …What was I holding?’

The moment Yuri recognized his unconscious action, his thoughts stuttered.

‘…Wait, what was I holding in my hand?’

He wriggled his right hand.

There, he felt the soft wrist of someone.

‘What?’

By the time Yuri realized this, a strand of blue hair was already whipping past his side.

‘……?!’

A face, beautiful but now twisted in shock, filled Yuri’s view.

‘Huh?’

To Yuri, that moment felt incredibly slow.

Thanks to that, he could clearly read Arin’s lips.

“Youuuuu craaaaaazy baaaaaaastard……!”

Arin’s scream echoed in the air.

But her curse was cut short.

“……?!”

Startled by his instinctive action, Yuri released Arin’s wrist.

Because of that, Arin was sent flying like a cannonball.

Whoosh-

“W-W-Wha-what……!”

A female wolf, who had followed the sounds of the fight nearby, was flustered when a person suddenly flew towards her, leaving her no time to react.

In the meantime, Arin’s head collided sharply with the wolf woman’s face.

BANG!

A crisp sound echoed through the forest, between the trees.

The sharp crack, like a pumpkin being split, made Yuri wince.

“Oh, oh my…”

And then, the sound of two bodies collapsing followed in the quiet woods.

Thud- Thump-

“Um…”

Yuri scratched his cheek as he watched Arin’s trembling shoulders.

“Well… I didn’t mean to do that. It was just a habit…”

If it was a habit to throw people like this, it was a very strange one.

However, there was no one left to question that now, as the person involved was sprawled on the ground, writhing in pain.

And then, it happened.

Rustle—

Yuri’s ears perked up.

His gaze immediately hardened.

“Ha, it’s too late.”

They should have left much earlier.

But due to the unexpected situation, they hadn’t been able to escape in time. Now, the intense presence was right upon them.

Yuri, his expression stiff, turned toward the direction from which the presence was approaching.

Three o’clock.

The moment he caught a vague glimpse of the approaching figure, sweat began to bead on Yuri’s hands.

Step, step—

The figure that appeared this time was a tall woman, about 180 cm in height.

Unlike the other animals, she wasn’t wearing a headband.

She was simply wearing a thick, tiger-striped leather vest over her black clothes.

But that alone was enough for Yuri to figure out her identity.

‘No wonder she came boldly without hiding her presence—she’s a tiger.’

The sudden appearance of a tiger.

But what surprised Yuri even more was—

Drag, drag—

The person being dragged along by one of the tiger woman’s hands.

The person, who seemed to have already fainted, was someone Yuri knew well.

“Poppy?”

Indeed, Poppy, who had suddenly disappeared and whom Arin had been searching for, was now being dragged by the tiger woman.

‘He must have been caught long ago when he suddenly vanished.’

Yuri muttered to himself, causing the tiger woman to tilt her head.

“Seems like you know this guy?”

With that, she tossed Poppy aside.

Poppy rolled and ended up near where Arin had fainted.

The tiger woman then leisurely took a step forward.

“Roar.”

The woman emphasized her identity as a tiger, causing Yuri’s eyes to deepen.

‘As expected, she’s a member of the Black Sword Corps.’

Theresia’s hint had led Yuri to suspect that, starting with the bear, the other animals were members of the Black Sword Corps, and his guess was correct—the tiger was indeed one of them.

This meant that this woman was at least a certified Level 3 warrior.

But as the top predator in the Forest of Beasts and the owner of 5 million points, she was certainly more than just a Level 3.

‘She might even be at the squad leader level.’

A squad leader in the Black Sword Corps would be at least Level 5.

Dealing with a regular member of the Black Sword Corps was already challenging, but a squad leader?

There was no way he could face her alone.

Yuri quickly scanned the surroundings.

‘Can I escape?’

A head-on fight was out of the question, but he thought he might have a chance at fleeing.

‘If I use all the Thunder Wing I have to escape?’

Once he had a rough estimate of his chances, his body moved into action.

He subtly shifted his weight backward.

Swoosh—

Just as he was about to dash away,

Suddenly… a thought crossed his mind.

‘Why should I run?’

It was a strange thought.

Yuri knew better than anyone that he couldn’t match the tiger woman’s strength with his current abilities.

There was an obvious difference in power that he couldn’t bridge at the moment.

But…

‘Will I run away every time I face a stronger opponent?’

Run away just because I’m afraid of losing?

Yuri’s face hardened.

‘I hate losing.’

That’s why, when he lost to Mucci, he vowed never to lose again.

But if he only chose battles he could win…

‘What’s the point of that vow?’

Would victories gained that way hold any real meaning?

This seemingly trivial realization left Yuri feeling mentally clear and refreshed.

‘Ah, what I should fear and guard against… isn’t losing.’

Losing?

That’s something he could do as much as needed.

What he needed to guard against and keep in mind wasn’t that.

It was…

‘Not letting defeat break my spirit.’

Even if he was crushed thousands, tens of thousands of times, he needed to get back up.

‘From the beginning, Magic Flow was a technique designed to face stronger opponents.’

Magic Flow was born from Johan’s experience of defeat.

It was a technique that embodied Johan’s unyielding will.

Moreover, if Magic Flow was a technique created to face stronger foes, what growth could there be if he only used it against weaker opponents?

As these thoughts flashed through Yuri’s mind, a spark ignited in his eyes.

‘I can lose. No, I will lose thousands and thousands of times in the future. But I will grow from those defeats. I will become stronger.’

The unyielding spirit Yuri had unconsciously shown was an inherent trait.

But the moment he became aware of this trait,

A solid foundation was established in Yuri’s mind.

Unyielding.

Even if he was pained and tormented by defeat, he would never break and would always challenge himself again.

Though the method of realization was different, Yuri had chosen the same path Johan had walked decades ago.

“Hoo—.”

Yuri let his sword hang loosely and took a stance.

Only after abandoning the thought of fleeing did his opponent come into clear view.

Bronze skin, thick blonde hair, brown eyes.

A sharp gaze that slanted upward and prominent fangs that stood out when she smiled.

Her tiger-patterned vest seemed tailor-made for her; the woman in front of him perfectly embodied the role of a tiger.

And from her, there emanated the wild, fierce energy that only a tiger could have.

Facing this head-on, Yuri didn’t back down and unleashed his own powerful aura.

“Oh?”

Seeing the person who had been on the verge of fleeing suddenly exude such fighting spirit, the tiger woman showed interest.

“You’re not going to run?”

“I was thinking about it…”

Yuri said with a slight smile.

“But I figured it might not be so bad to have a go at it.”