Isn't This Wrong?
Leon, Carotin, Celia, Esabel.
Four warriors streaked across the earth like lightning.
Ahead of them, two-meter-tall reptilian humanoids marched with spears in hand. Their numbers easily reached two hundred — force enough to wipe out several villages without breaking a sweat.
Yet the four charging straight into the heart of the colony showed not a trace of fear.
The fastest among them was Leon.
BANG—!
A sonic boom erupted in his wake. Crimson eyes left long afterimages hanging in the air.
"Hahaha!"
Leon burst into laughter at the sudden surge of exhilaration.
The lizards at the front heard it and turned their heads. Across the open plain, a handful of tiny figures were barreling toward them at terrifying speed.
"...Kiiik?"
Dumbfounded croaks spilled from the lizardmen's mouths. Given the size of the colony they belonged to, the very idea of something charging at them was hard to grasp. It was like a mouse charging an elephant.
Leon delivered the death that had been waiting for those momentarily frozen creatures.
Jecheon Sword Style, First Form — Yeomyeong.
Slash—!
A dazzling streak of light swept through the area. Dozens of crocodile heads soared into the sky in unison. Blood fountains erupted from the severed necks like fireworks.
By then, Leon was already far beyond them. From the others' perspective, something flashed — and every lizardman that had been standing perfectly fine was suddenly headless.
"Hoo!"
Leon felt pleasure surge through his entire body. His brain seemed to boil with pure thrill. The first form of the Jecheon Sword Style, Yeomyeong, was a sword form that embodied the principle of Speed. As his mastery of the swift sword rose, Yeomyeong's power had naturally become worlds apart from before.
"Kiririk!"
"Kiik, kiik!"
The lizardmen shrieked. Those who grasped the anomaly gripped their spears and assumed defensive stances. It did nothing to impress Leon.
Lighten the sword and the body.
Tap, tap—!
Leon moved as if wings had sprouted from his back. His form, tilted as if about to graze the ground, crossed space as though folding it.
Focus.
Thump—!
His heart pounded. Leon's time slowed to its absolute limit. The world fractured into individual frames, like a film reel advancing in slow motion.
Open Instant.
Leon could now open and close the state of Extreme Instant at will. In that hyper-focused state, everything around him poured in — green silhouettes spread like a swarm of ants, long wooden spears held in their hands; breathing, gazes, the shift of muscle; mild air, solid earth, blazing sun. Information flooded his brain like a deluge, heat rising in his head.
Thump—!
Leon saw the points — countless vital spots that would kill an enemy in a single stroke. Leon felt the path — the optimal route to cut freely through the enemy ranks without obstruction. Leon saw the movements — the perfect motions to claim their lives.
Thump—!
Leon took control of his body. It was like firmly tightening the reins of a horse running wild. From the tips of his toes to the crown of his head, he governed every single muscle fiber of his flesh, one by one. He distributed the mana drawn from his dantian through the circuits spread across his body. He suppressed and controlled unconscious movements. He matched the speed of his body to the speed of time.
Crackling—
Blue sword aura settled on the Heaven-Shattering Sword. This, too, was different from usual — not a grandly roaring flame, but a thin, razor-sharp flow like smooth glass. The nature of the sword aura had changed to match the swordsmanship he was using.
In that state, Leon moved his sword.
Thump—
His heart began to contract. The enemies' eyes only tracked the places Leon had already passed. Their dynamic vision couldn't keep up with his speed. In a world frozen still, only Leon moved against the flow.
Pshhhhhh—!
The Heaven-Shattering Sword swept in every direction without restraint. The blade sliced exposed throats, pierced hearts, and cut through the gaps under armpits. One strike was enough. No enemy received a second cut. Even as vital points burst open in real time, the lizardmen failed to register it.
Leon cut down ten. Only then did blood begin to seep from the neck of the first lizardman struck.
Twenty fell. That one felt the pain and groped at his own throat.
The number cut surpassed thirty. That one gaped his mouth wide and dropped his spear.
—Thump!
The contracted heart relaxed then. From the moment Leon began moving his sword, only a single heartbeat had passed.
Leon came to a hard stop where he stood. Along with the rush of exhilaration and pleasure, his entire body throbbed with pain — the backlash from playing at the limits of speed. Push any further and he'd have to head straight back to the Academy.
Thud-thud-thud—
Behind Leon, lizardmen collapsed like puppets with cut strings. The thick scent of blood rose into the clear sky.
"Hmm."
Leon let his sword hang and exhaled through his nose. He pulled a cigarette from his coat, stuck it between his lips, and lit it.
"Hoo...."
The lizardmen who met Leon's murderous gaze reeled in shock. From their perspective, he was a transcendent being who had appeared and slaughtered thirty of their kin in an instant. Terrified lizardmen all retreated at once — not a cautious shuffle backward, but turning their backs and fleeing outright. As a result, a vast empty circle opened up around Leon.
Left in the emptied open plain were the Lizard King and his royal guard. They were indeed the elite core of the colony. Even at a glance, the presence they radiated was vastly different from ordinary lizardmen.
The Lizard King's snout twitched.
"Hu... man...."
A sound dredged up from deep in his throat. But the words were clear.
"Oh, you can speak?"
Leon raised his eyes slightly and brought the cigarette back to his lips, continuously circulating mana to recover his body.
The Lizard King's eyes rolled far too wildly.
"Sword, flower, hide, tail, darkness...."
"...?"
"What's he saying?"
Celia, who had caught up behind Leon, tossed out the question. The rest of the party also stopped and tilted their heads.
The Lizard King continued stringing together incomprehensible words.
"Chain, flame, child, iron bars, moonlight...!"
"Hey, cut it out. Just die."
Leon spat out the cigarette and raised his sword. Sword aura bloomed along the blade. There was no way of knowing what that crazy lizard bastard was babbling about. It wasn't content that appeared in the original either.
Did something change again?
That was the only guess he could make.
Then—
"——!"
The Lizard King abandoned human speech and roared in their own tongue. At once, his royal guard pulled something from near their waists and shoved it straight into their mouths. It happened in an instant.
"What. What did they just eat."
Esabel answered Leon's mutter.
"A black bead? Looked like some kind of elixir pill."
Crunch—!
The change in the lizardmen began immediately after.
"Kiiiiik!"
"Keeeeeek!"
Muscles swelled and skeletons grew. Green scales fell away, replaced by new black scales covering them. Teeth and claws grew longer and sharper still. It was nothing short of a complete physical transformation, yet the entire process happened with remarkable speed. Had it been any slower, Leon's party would already have charged in and taken their heads.
Goooooh!
A grand wildness and fighting spirit erupted from the transformed creatures — completely different from moments before. Nearly the difference between a puppy and a wolf.
"Hmm...."
Leon scratched his cheek. This content really hadn't existed. It wasn't a problem with his memory — he clearly recalled the scene where Billy cut down the Lizard King in the original.
"Everyone should be careful. They seem completely different from ordinary lizardmen now."
Carotin murmured. As he said, the party was raising their guard.
"Kiiiiiiik!"
The Lizard King raised a thick spear shaft, his eyes and gestures brimming with confidence. The drug's effects seemed to have him thoroughly elated.
"Kiii!"
"Kerrrrr!"
The lizardman royal guard roared along with him. It was a presence that could overturn a nation. The lizardmen who had fled earlier began to sneak back, drawn by the atmosphere.
"——! ——!"
The Lizard King bellowed, seeming about to convert the surging morale straight into an advance order.
Then—
"Kerrrk...?!"
The Lizard King saw something and his eyes went wide. His dilated pupils flooded with red.
"Kiririri?!?!"
"Kyaaaak!!!"
The lizardmen's war cries turned into screams. They hurled themselves in every direction like madmen.
Right after, a crimson trajectory dropped from above to below.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
It was a fireball that had erupted from midair. The massive ball of flame scored a direct hit on the lizardmen. Flames soared and sparks flew. Lizardmen shrieked as they were blasted every which way.
Kuuuuuu....
Shockwaves, residual noise, and the groans of lizardmen whose bodies were on fire settled over the area.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Leon's party blinked. Speechless, they blankly turned their heads back.
"Uh... th-this isn't right, is it?"
Liana asked, arms awkwardly outstretched.