Oblivion Whale (4)

THUD!

"Guh!"

"You've gotten sluggish. Think you can keep up?"

Katra grinned viciously as he asked. Gritting my teeth, I deflected his fist and countered the follow-up strike with my rapier.

I forced myself to ignore the throbbing pain radiating through my arm and pressed forward.

CLANG—!

Sparks scattered as fist met rapier. It was absurd how much force he could generate with nothing but bare knuckles.

If that were all, I might have stood a chance. The real problem was how he regenerated every wound almost instantly using his aura.

And beyond that, his sudden kicks and punches were just as threatening.

[Left!]

WHOOSH!

"Hhk—!"

I barely dodged the strike that came with a sharp crack of splitting air. Katra laughed, amused, and continued his assault.

"Your reflexes are quick."

Quick? My reflexes couldn't match his speed. The only reason I was avoiding his blows was Silpi's reflexive warnings. Without them, I'd have been finished long ago.

Even now, my physical abilities were amplified to their peak by the power of the wind—yet this was the best I could manage. A desperate stalemate.

How much time do I have left?

[Three minutes. Damn it, he's too strong!]

Only three minutes remained. Once that time passed, I wouldn't even be able to maintain this enhanced state.

Of course, stalling wasn't an option either. I was the one in a hurry, not him. The fact that he was taking his time toying with me only proved how much leisure he had.

If this dragged on, Yurph's memories would vanish completely.

Not just the memories of our conversation and the realization she had reached—everything. Every single memory she possessed.

"Thank you for your advice, Id unnie."

That smile I saw then—I'd never see it again.

Grit.

The thought sent a cold wave through my mind. My heartbeat quickened.

A burning sensation flared in my chest as I exhaled sharply.

I won't let that happen.

I wouldn't stand by and watch everything she had struggled to understand, every memory she had built, disappear into nothing.

CRACK!

Every nerve in my body sharpened.

The blue wind whirled violently between Katra and me. At the same time, an incomprehensible sensation surged over me.

I could feel the wind.

The breaths Katra and I exhaled, the gusts carved by his fists tearing through the air, the chaotic currents whipped up by my slashing rapier—

It was as if the wind itself had become my sixth sense, enveloping my entire body.

The overwhelming influx of information made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a trickle of blood run from my nose.

Katra's brow twitched slightly, as if taken aback.

"Hoh?"

BOOM!

The wind moved like an extension of my limbs. I effortlessly deflected his fist and stepped back.

While Katra stared at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his own fist, now embedded in the ground, I swung my rapier toward him.

I could feel every fiber of my muscles moving—and at the same time, I realized just how inefficient my movements had been.

I had barely kept up using the sword path Arin taught me, but everything else was a mess.

Now I understood why Silpi had sighed so much during my early training.

Had I really been swinging my rapier this clumsily all along?

[...No way. Contractor, did you just awaken that?]

So this is the world as you see it.

Assimilation with Spirit Sense.

An ability awakened only when one's wavelength aligns perfectly with their spirit's. Did that mean the fury I felt now resonated with Silpi's own emotions?

Arin had said this ability rarely manifested unless one faced death.

And right now—I was staring death in the face.

"You've changed."

Katra's face split into a grin as the wound from my rapier regenerated.

That eerie smile. The movement of his arm muscles became clear to me.

I could see how his fist would reach me, how his other fist would follow if I deflected the first.

CRUNCH!

His punch slammed into my ribs—but at the same time, my rapier sliced through his body.

Blood gushed from his wounds, yet his smile never faltered.

That strike—flawlessly efficient, a seamless combination. Katra tilted his head, impressed.

"You've grown in such a short time. You're an interesting one."

A crimson aura flared around him like flames. Something in my mind clicked.

Guided by that sensation, I raised my rapier.

"Then I'll show you something proper too."

The red aura coiled around Katra's arms, morphing into gauntlets.

I could feel an immense amount of aura condensing within the crimson-glowing gauntlet.

Gritting my teeth, I wrapped the power of wind around my rapier.

"Try and block this strike."

Bang!

With a sound like the air itself being torn apart, the red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gauntlet closed in right before my eyes.

I raised my rapier to deflect the impact, but unable to withstand the force, the blade shattered instantly.

Before I could even process the shock, a flurry of fists came flying toward me.

'Ah, I'm going to die.'

In that single instant, my vision was flooded with red aura, and the sensation of death washed over me.

With the thought that there was absolutely no way to block this, my consciousness faded away.

§

Kwaang!

A deafening roar echoed through the chamber. The fist I had swung with all my strength was suddenly blocked by something.

Katra frowned, glaring at Adel.

The attack he had unleashed with full intent had been effortlessly stopped by the palm of her hand.

Just moments ago, she had struggled to even keep up with him.

"What the hell...?"

Even the spirit fluttering beside her like a fly froze in place, seemingly stunned by the sight.

"Annoying."

A voice that sent chills down his spine rang in his ears.

"Kkh!"

Boom!

Crossing his arms, Katra barely managed to block the attack. Not a rapier—but a fist. The shockwave from that small fist sent him flying back effortlessly.

When he lifted his head again, he was met with the glare of eerie, glowing crimson eyes.

The aura radiating from them was on a completely different level from the blue eyes he had seen earlier. Unconsciously, Katra flinched.

What the hell is that?

He was baffled by the sheer force behind that strike—something impossible for such a small frame to produce.

Even the fact that she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had blocked his full-powered attack with her bare body was beyond comprehension.

"Don't get in my way."

Whoosh.

A crimson wind began coiling around her. Unlike his own aura, this wind carried a sticky, murderous intent.

The crimson pupils narrowed vertically, like a reptile's, and the sound of tearing air reverberated through the void.

Kwaang!

Fist met fist. Having discarded the broken rapier, she pressed on with her assault.

Katra was stunned by her physical prowess—now on a completely different level from before.

'Is this really the same person from earlier?'

Her strikes were incomparably heavier. Each blow matched his own aura-clad fists in raw power.

Rather than being shocked, Katra found himself exhilarated.

"Keh, kehahaha!"

Even as he was gradually pushed back, he burst into laughter. No—he couldn't stop laughing.

Because what he had yearned for all his life was the thrill of a battle fought to the death.

"Come at me! Let's see how long that body of yours can hold out!"

"Shut up."

With that eerie voice, the crimson wind began swirling violently around them.

Unlike before, this force carried something else—something beyond just the spirit's power.

Kwaang!

A kick came flying. Katra bent forward to dodge, then immediately retaliated with a punch aimed at her abdomen.

She grabbed his arm and leaped into the air, evading the strike.

'Her combat instincts are sharp.'

This wasn't just mindless rage.

Whether it was instinct or some lingering rationality, her judgment was frighteningly precise.

Thud!

Katra crossed his arms to block the incoming fist, but she didn't stop—instead, she unleashed a relentless barrage of rapid strikes.

Fast. Powerful.

A fighting style completely different from his own.

Yet, precisely because of that, he could see the sheer effort behind it. The obsessive dedication to strength was unmistakable.

"Kehaha!"

How long had he waited for this feeling since his battle with Abel?

Even if a rematch with Abel was now out of reach, this fight alone was more than satisfying.

"Let's take this to the end!"

"No time for that."

Whooosh...

The crimson wind grazed his entire body. The moment he sensed something massive coming, Katra's lips twisted into a savage grin.

The sensation of death—something he had only ever felt on the battlefield—engulfed him.

And so, he laughed.

A single fist strike hurtled toward him. He could have dodged. But he didn't. Instead, he met it head-on with everything he had.

Because that was his pride. His honor.

Kwaang!

A deafening roar erupted.

The shockwave beyond his fist began tearing his body apart.

Even his red aura's regeneration couldn't keep up with the speed of destruction.

Then, abruptly, her body froze.

Katra, still watching, slowly retracted his fist. Given enough time, his broken body would recover.

But what about hers? Could she really walk away unscathed after that?

"It's over."

Crack.

A sensation like the Brand on the back of his neck was breaking apart. Had she interfered with it in that brief moment? His body refused to obey him now.

Had she planned this from the start—using that strike to neutralize him through the Brand? That would mean she knew its structure and weaknesses.

Just what was she to be capable of something like this?

With that final question lingering, Katra collapsed.