I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 93: The Tiger that Repaid the Favor (2)

When he first heard of the realm of “Saint,” he wondered why it was given such a sacred name.

But now, he thought he understood.

It was like a clear and transparent light was encased in a gem, masterfully crafted.

A subtle yet intense contradiction in its essence.

If this was not sacred, then what could be considered sacred?

Yuri let out a small laugh as he confirmed with his own eyes the realm of “Saint” he had aimed for.

“Ha, so this is what it means to go all out, huh?”

Thanks to this, he realized one thing for certain.

If he got hit even once from now on, he would truly die.

But the problem was…

“It’s not just one hit; there are still two left.”

A deep tension filled Yuri’s eyes.

Step– step–

The woman with the leopard print was slowly walking toward him.

It looked like the steps of a tiger that had just succeeded in a hunt.

A predator’s gait, ready to finish off its prey by tearing into its neck.

Yuri’s gaze was filled with every subtle movement of the woman in the leopard print.

‘Strong.’

It was Johan who had made Yuri open his eyes to what strength truly was.

The strongest person Yuri had ever met was the Sword Master.

And among those he had fought, the strongest was the woman standing before him now.

“A certified 6th dan…”

He had expected her to be stronger than what he had encountered before, but to use “Saint’s Fist” to such an extent…

At this level, she must be among the veterans even within the Black Sword Corps’ captains.

With his current skills, it would be reckless to charge in.

But Yuri let out a long breath and smiled.

“Hoo… Let’s go.”

He then began to walk slowly.

Step– step–

One, two, three.

His light steps gradually quickened, and soon, Yuri was running.

Towards the woman in the leopard print who was walking toward him.

‘If I get hit, I die.’

Then…

‘I just won’t get hit!’

Swoosh–

A web of “Magic Flow” threads shot out from Yuri’s body.

At the same time, he calmly thought.

“Thunder Wing has already been used four times.”

He could use “Thunder Wing” only once more at most.

And the tiger had two attacks left.

That meant, of those two attacks, he had to endure one without using “Thunder Wing.”

It would be an attack so fast it seemed like teleportation.

If he used “Thunder Wing” on the ninth strike, he would self-destruct before he even faced the tenth.

So, Yuri drew out “Magic Flow.”

‘I had intended to use it as a trump card at the last moment.’

To do so, he hadn’t used “Magic Flow” during his first fight with the tiger, enduring to the end.

But as the situation got tangled, he had no choice but to bring out “Magic Flow.”

He could not stop the tiger without using it now.

‘Predict more precisely and more quickly.’

Charging toward the tiger, Yuri focused on the threads of “Magic Flow.”

Delicate streams of information flowed through the intricately woven threads.

The flow of the wind.

The tremors in the ground.

The vibrations of sound.

Even the smallest fluctuations of mana.

Every single one of these pieces of information was transmitted to Yuri, who absorbed and analyzed them all.

‘If I follow the tiger’s movements with my eyes, it will be too late.’

Until now, he had countered with “Thunder Wing” by predicting her moves.

This usually put him about one move ahead of the woman in the leopard print.

But now, he couldn’t use “Thunder Wing.”

Being just one move ahead would not be enough to counter the woman’s movements.

In this situation, all Yuri could do was to calculate all the information and predict two moves, or even more.

‘The distance is 10 meters.’

If he reduced the predictive range below that, even if he read her moves, he couldn’t keep up with the speed of the woman in the leopard print.

He needed to read her moves from at least 10 meters away.

The moment he thought this, the web of “Magic Flow” stretched around Yuri shrank.

Instead, the net grew denser.

And in that very moment.

Tap!

The woman in the leopard print disappeared from sight.

Yuri’s brain, which was analyzing dozens of pieces of information per second, sensed a signal from the flow caught in the “Magic Flow” web.

‘Where… where is she coming from?’

The figure of the woman in the leopard print, invisible to his eyes, vividly emerged in his mind.

At the same time, several afterimages of the woman appeared in his mental image.

These were the predicted paths of the woman in the leopard print, derived from the information Yuri had obtained.

As these afterimages began to dwindle one by one.

When only one afterimage remained.

A flash crossed Yuri’s eyes.

‘This is it!’

The “Magic Flow” web, which had been spreading in all directions, suddenly compressed and gathered around him.

Like water, like wind, the “Magic Flow” circulated around Yuri.

At the center of it, a light appeared.

Bang!

It was the “Saint’s Fist” of the woman in the leopard print.

At some point, her fist had closed in right next to Yuri.

Yuri raised his sword and controlled the surrounding “Magic Flow.”

The flow he manipulated intervened in the “Saint’s Fist” of the woman in the leopard print.

Crunch–

It wasn’t enough to deflect the enormous physical power of the shield that came flying, and it even knocked away the Poppy that was 5 meters away.

As he forcefully twisted and tried to divert the flow, the surrounding flow screamed.

But Yuri did his best to divert the power of the “Saint’s Fist.”

Though it only lasted 1 or 2 seconds, Yuri felt as if several minutes had passed.

And finally.

Creak– scratch–

Sparks flew between Yuri and the woman in the leopard print, and she leaped into the air.

The woman in the leopard print, who spun through the air, landed lightly on the ground.

Meanwhile, Yuri, who had been charging forward, turned 180 degrees and slid backward.

Scrape–

Yuri, kicking up dust, finally came to a stop.

Bent slightly forward, blood suddenly spurted from his mouth.

Cough–

“Damn… she’s tough.”

When he faced the Sword Master’s force during the “Hundred Steps Ceremony,” he realized that the stronger the flow he had to control, the harder it was to maintain.

And the “Saint’s Fist” of the woman in the leopard print was showing a far stronger flow than the force Yuri had endured while taking those fifteen steps against the Sword Master.

It was no surprise, after all.

The woman in the leopard print was walking far beyond the fifteen steps Yuri had taken.

Yuri wiped his bloodstained lips roughly, keeping his eyes fixed on the woman in the leopard print. A satisfied smile curved on his lips.

The woman in the leopard print saw the boy smiling at her with bloodied lips from a distance, and her heart pounded.

Of course, it wasn’t a fluttering of the heart for a romantic reason.

It was the kind of pounding that came from a deep excitement, the kind only felt in life-and-death battles, a pleasant thrill born from facing a worthy adversary.

But the one making her feel this way was that young cadet over there.

A boy eleven years her junior, far beneath her level.

And yet, facing him, she felt the exhilaration of meeting a worthy opponent.

‘How did it come to this?’

When the fight first started, she hadn’t expected things to turn out like this, not even the slightest bit.

She’d only thought that a small thrill had entered her otherwise dull routine.

But suddenly, strange arrows that changed direction midair came flying at her.

Then, out of nowhere, a giant appeared and threw a shield.

That small thrill had turned into a more amusing entertainment.

And now, it had transformed into the most intriguing incident she had experienced in recent times.

Drip– drip–

The woman in the leopard print turned her head to look at the blood dripping down her hand.

A slash ran from her forearm to her shoulder.

It was a rather deep wound.

Feeling a sharp pain, she gazed at Yuri, who was wiping away the blood trickling from his lips.

‘That guy….’

Using the “Saint’s Fist” against a mere first-dan cadet had been a bit overzealous, a little too much in the heat of the moment, she had to admit.

But that guy had blocked the “Saint’s Fist.”

A question lingered in the woman’s eyes as she looked at Yuri.

‘What was that just now?’

When she had thrust her fist at him, an unknown force had interfered, twisting her “Saint’s Fist.”

From deep within her chest, she felt an indescribable tickle.

She wanted to know.

What was the force that twisted her “Saint’s Fist”?

And what exactly was the source of this tickling sensation inside her chest?

Finding out would be simple.

All she needed to do was experience what had happened just moments ago once more!

She asked Yuri, “What’s your name again?”

“Yuri Holland.”

“Yes… that was it. Yuri Holland… Yuri Holland.”

As if to make sure she wouldn’t forget, she softly repeated his name and then removed her cuirass.

Clang–

The moment the cuirass, reinforced with steel plates over leather, rolled onto the ground, the woman in the leopard print stepped forward with her right leg.

Simultaneously, she lowered her stance, extended her right fist forward, and placed her left hand over her heart.

It was the stance she was most comfortable with, most accustomed to.

Also, it was the stance from which every technique of her family began.

With a serious expression, she spoke.

“I am Greta Wigan, Captain of the 17th Company of the Black Sword Corps.”

It was the first time she had revealed both her family and her full name.

It was a gesture of respect from the woman in the leopard print — no, from Greta — toward Yuri.

Meanwhile, noticing the change in her demeanor, Yuri let out a soft sigh.

‘Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say.’

He had scraped the very bottom of his abilities to barely survive one bout, but things were only getting worse.

The next attack wouldn’t be easy.

No, it would probably be the hardest of all the attacks he had faced so far.

But what could he do?

He had to overcome this to win.

Swish–

Yuri flicked the blood off his sword and spoke.

“Yuri Holland, the fresh new recruit who hasn’t even been in the Cradle for a month. Please go easy on me!”

His words were playful, asking to be treated gently, but his eyes were more serious and focused than ever before.

Hummmm–

Their ages and ranks differed, but still, a quiet tension began to fill the air between the two who had acknowledged each other.

Breaking through the trees, Poppy, who had returned to his original form, emerged.

A faint steam rose from his body.

Hiss–

Limping out of the forest, Poppy’s eyes caught the sight of Yuri and Greta facing each other.

Poppy didn’t know how the battle had unfolded so far, but from the atmosphere between the two, he could tell that the fight was reaching its climax.

So, Poppy struck his heart twice with his fist.

It was a gesture of the Yuum Tribe, like a prayer wishing victory for the warriors heading into battle.

Meanwhile, up in the tree.

Gulp–

Arin swallowed nervously.

‘That guy’s already at his limit.’

Even at a glance, it was clear that Yuri had reached his limit.

On the other hand, the woman in the leopard print seemed not only still full of energy but her momentum was getting even stronger.

Anyone could see that this was more than just a disadvantageous fight for Yuri; it was almost impossible for him to win.

Yet for some reason, Arin did not think Yuri would lose.

Neither during the Hundred Steps Ceremony, nor now.

There was an inexplicable sense of anticipation that he would pull off something interesting.

That’s why she sincerely cheered for him.

‘Just one more time.’

That Yuri would endure just one more time.

As Arin wished for this.

Swoosh–!

Yuri and Greta moved.