Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Growth Verification (4)
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As time passed, the Demon King's sword gradually picked up speed.
It accelerated further upon further acceleration, to the point where the blade's form was invisible, leaving only red afterimages in the air.
A perilous situation where even the slightest lapse in attention would mean his head flying off.
Yet, for some reason, Yuri found this utterly dangerous predicament enjoyable.
Whoosh!
The red trajectory flying straight for his life.
Whoosh!
This very moment of dodging the murderous assault.
It felt just like a validation of all the efforts from the past few months.
*Pshh!*
Yuri's body became enveloped in lightning, shaking off the red trajectory.
'How many times has it been with this... Thunder Wing?'
By his rough estimate, he'd used it at least seven times already.
'And yet, I still have some leeway.'
Compared to when he first mastered Thunder Wing and could only manage 2 or 3 uses before collapsing in exhaustion.
Or even compared to facing Greta in the leather-gathering quest, where he'd maxed out at five.
The fact that he'd used it seven times now and his body still felt light was almost unbelievable.
In his current state, he figured he could pull off another 7 or 8.
'I wasn't wrong.'
The repetitive training to toughen his body.
The elixirs bought with painstakingly saved points.
The resulting growth in his physique and mana had exponentially increased his Thunder Wing usage.
This proved that everything Yuri had done so far was on the right track.
And it wasn't just that.
*Shrrrp—*
The massive sword slithered through the air like a snake, closing in.
Just as it swung down to cleave Yuri.
His body shimmered like a heat haze, slipping free from the massive sword's attack.
The faster the red trajectory became.
Yuri's movements in response sped up accordingly.
The massive sword's acceleration.
Cloud Step, honed to perfection while practically living in the organ breakthrough quest chamber.
The two ultimate techniques tested each other's limits with dizzying maneuvers.
*Swoosh..*
Having shaken off the red trajectory, a thick smile played on Yuri's lips.
'My way works.'
Honestly, he'd had his doubts.
Whether the training methods he'd pursued had truly advanced him that much.
He hadn't known exactly what level he'd reached.
But facing the Demon King today, he felt like he had a sense now.
'It wasn't that long ago I was nearly dying blocking just about ten attacks from that tiger lady.'
And yet here he was.
Though weaker than Greta, he was holding his own against a certified Rank 5.
Strong enough to fight like this.
And that fact...
'Feels great!'
It thrilled Yuri.
*Clang!*
Yuri's spirited sword dance, intertwined with the red trajectory, continued.
* * *
Teresa's pupils trembled as she watched Yuri, who had blurred into afterimages.
'He's... even faster now.'
At the start of the fight, it had been a speed she could somewhat keep up with.
But gradually, Yuri's pace had accelerated to the point where it was hard to follow.
As a result, what began as a 2-on-1 battle had shifted into a duel between Yuri and the Demon King.
She could only occasionally exploit the Demon King's openings and poke in attacks.
The problem was that even that consumed an enormous amount of stamina and mental energy.
*Clench!*
Teresa gritted her teeth.
'Yuri...'
When they first met in the Forest of Beginnings, Yuri had been strong back then too, but not much different from her.
They'd been evenly matched.
Then, as their spars intensified, Yuri's skills grew day by day.
Over time, the gap between them widened.
And now, it had become an insurmountable chasm.
*Huff... Huff...*
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
But Teresa couldn't rest.
No, she didn't want to.
If she slacked off now, she'd lose Yuri forever—he was already far ahead.
Clenching her teeth, she thrust her spear forward.
Winchester family secret martial art.
Star Alignment.
Teresa's spear raked against the Demon King's sword, exploiting the gap.
His expression, focused solely on Yuri, visibly hardened.
But the surprises didn't end there.
No, what followed astonished not just the Demon King, but Teresa as well.
*Slip—*
Yuri's sword slipped into the Demon King's opening.
The motion looked similar to Teresa's spear technique.
'...Star Alignment?'
It was only natural for Teresa's face to stiffen at Yuri's attack, mimicking her own Star Alignment.
That shock froze her movements for a split second.
The Demon King seized the opening to escape her attack.
But because he'd been wary of Teresa's Star Alignment, he was late in evading Yuri's 'fake' version.
*Pshh!*
The sound of flesh tearing, followed by splattering blood droplets.
At the same time, the Demon King successfully pulled away from both Yuri and Teresa.
Blood from the long gash on his shoulder trickled down to his hand.
*Thump-thump...*
The Demon King lowered his head slightly, staring fixedly at the red blood beading on his fingertips.
Soon, various emotions flickered in his eyes.
First, surprise.
Then, intrigue.
And finally, excitement.
“......”
The Demon King swept back his bangs with his bloodied left hand and lifted his head.
The corners of his mouth, until now expressionless, twitched.
“Kh... heh heh heh.”
Soon, he burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Shoulders shaking with mirth, as if something immensely pleased him.
But only for a moment.
As if it had never happened, the laughter vanished from his face, twisting into a hideous snarl.
“...You little milk-scented brat!”
*Click!*
His gaze, laced with chilling killing intent, locked onto Yuri.
*Thrill...*
It was as if all the previous killing intent had been mere child's play—this dense, suffocating aura made Yuri break into cold sweat.
'Is that... the same guy?'
It seemed he'd touched something he shouldn't have.
This man, so composed just moments ago, now unleashing uncontainable rage and bloodlust.
Yuri let out an awkward laugh.
“Looks like... this is the real him, huh?”
Perhaps the Demon King until now had some safety lock engaged.
Of course, that safeguard wasn't for himself, but for the 49th Cohort participating in this quest.
And Yuri's successful strike had just disengaged it.
*Wooooosh—.*
His long red hair surged into the air, writhing like a living thing.
A red aura rippled menacingly behind him.
And the face of a devil.
The scene instantly explained why this man had been cast as the Demon King for the quest.
No one could suit the fairy-tale villain better.
Yuri tensed.
'This is the real fight!'
Gulping dryly, he shouted.
“Tessa! Focus!”
At his cry, Teresa snapped out of her shock from the fake Star Alignment and assumed her stance.
And right then.
*KABOOM!*
With a massive explosion, the Demon King charged.
'Finally coming at us first!'
Even taunts hadn't provoked him before, but now he was lunging in on his own.
Eyes rolled back in frenzy, no less.
*Hmph!*
Ignoring Teresa entirely, the massive sword targeted only Yuri.
*SLAM!*
Sweat beaded on Yuri's forehead as he dodged the air-rending blade.
'T-This... misjudged it?'
Yuri had thought that if the Demon King lost his reason and charged first, it'd create openings.
But no.
His previously methodical, calm combos had turned savage in an instant.
And with the savagery came irregularity, making predictions even harder.
In short, the Demon King's attacks were the reckless slashes of a madman.
The problem was they were speeding up and growing more erratic by the second.
To the extent that even Teresa, who'd been stabbing into his openings with her spear, couldn't find any and stood dumbfounded.
So what about Yuri, directly exposed to it?
'Can't... hold out long!'
Given the Demon King's accelerating attacks, dragging this out would eventually lead to a moment he couldn't dodge.
And taking even one hit wouldn't end with broken bones.
So...
'End it... before it accelerates more.'
Yuri's eyes gleamed as he unleashed Cloud Step.
His clear golden eyes read the flow of the Demon King's chaotic barrage.
The mad slashes created a flow that mirrored its master—utterly insane.
Mana waves undulating wildly.
Phases shifting dozens of times per second.
It was an irregular motion even Yuri, experienced in reading flows, had never seen.
'Can I... redirect this?'
But Yuri quickly shook his head inwardly.
'Redirecting won't cut it!'
Simply deflecting would just repeat the current stalemate.
To end this and win, mere deflection wasn't enough.
He needed to land a solid counter on this mad Demon King.
'Can I?'
The Demon King, thought to be certified Rank 5.
But in his frenzied state, he surpassed Yuri's expectations—maybe even Rank 6.
Normally, surviving this long would deserve praise.
Yet Yuri wasn't satisfied.
'...I can do it.'
With the growth from the past few months.
He could pull off a counter he hadn't even attempted against Greta before.
'I've grown, and he's weaker than Greta. That's enough!'
Anyone hearing Yuri's thoughts would call him insane.
Yuri was freshly certified Rank 2, just mastering Linked Sword.
Against a possible Rank 6 powerhouse.
The skill gap was vast from the start.
But Yuri had a way to bridge it.
Redner family secret martial art.
Demon Flow.
The ultimate technique, born to face overwhelming foes, resonated through the air.
*Hmm...*
At the same time, Yuri's sword advanced.
Soon, its pure white blade wedged into the Demon King's barrage, twisting the flow.
Each time, it rang out like a conductor's baton, drawing resonant hums.
*Mm-hm...*
Thus, Yuri gathered the chaotic flow to its peak.
“Hah!”
With a short kiai, his sword arced diagonally, parrying the Demon King's blade upward.
A clash between a 190cm two-handed greatsword and a mere 110cm single-edged sword.
Anyone would think the single-edge would snap instantly, but the outcome defied imagination.
*KABOOOOM!*
*VMMMMMMM!*
*Pwah!*
A colossal explosion birthed a shockwave, whipping up a gale that battered the onlookers.
Despite the immense wind pressure, they could only gape.
“......?!”
The slender single-edged sword not only withstood the greatsword but was slowly pushing it back.
And finally.
“Haaah!”
*Ugh...*
Yuri successfully redirected the gathered force back to its owner.
*KABOOM!*
A secondary blast echoed as the Demon King was hurled backward.
*Twist...*
Like a cannonball, he rocketed away at tremendous speed, splintering several trees before vanishing into the forest.
* * *
The onlookers watching the scene were horrified.
'My God...'
'What... what was that?!'
Yuri sending the Demon King flying was beyond their common sense—impossible.
Their shock bordered on mental paralysis.
Julia felt the same.
'...What just happened?!'
Like Yuri, Julia broke into cold sweat at the Demon King's true power, far exceeding her predictions.
At the same time, she was certain.
'They can't beat him. No way.'
Her calculated win rate for Yuri and Teresa: 0%.
Just surviving this long was a miracle defying the skill gap.
That was how strong the Demon King was in his true form.
Yet the unbeatable Demon King had been blasted away by Yuri in one strike.
And that strike had carried extraordinary power, plain to see.
'What... was that?'
Julia's eyes glittered excessively toward Yuri.
* * *
Yuri clutched his sword arm.
“Kh!”
Throbbing pain.
He instantly knew the cause.
'Cracked bone.'
He'd reversed the Demon King's attack flow.
Dispersed the impact on his body.
Like redirecting Moochi's Ice Wall Split before, he'd gathered the scattered barrage power and flung it back at the Demon King.
But unlike Moochi's technique, which was dozens of times weaker, Yuri's muscles hadn't grown enough to handle it.
'Not enough strength.'
Forcing the counter had strained him, damaging bone and muscle.
*Throb... Throb...*
Wincing at the surging agony.
Teresa approached.
“You okay?”
“So-so?”
“Let me see.”
Teresa reached for his arm to check.
But Yuri dodged her hand.
Then gripped his sword again.
Startled, Teresa looked up to see Yuri's face hardened, staring one way.
Following his gaze, her expression darkened too.
Where Yuri and Teresa looked.
Beside shattered tree stumps stood the Demon King, disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes.
*Grrrrrr...*
Growling like a beast stripped of reason.
But what truly captured the crowd's attention was the greatsword gleaming like a ruby gem.
Seeing it, Teresa murmured softly, like a groan.
“...Divine Sword.”
Less refined than Greta's, but undeniably at the divine realm.
Yuri forced an awkward smile.
“Tessa, think he'd accept surrender?”
“You see those eyes and still say that?”
“...Kinda lost it, right?”
“Not kinda—completely.”
Teresa's cool assessment chilled Yuri's spine.
'Next attack... can I block it?'
No mercy from that berserk Demon King.
Worse, his arm was half-broken.
Even if it were fine, could he counter a divine sword barrage?
The answer: impossible.
He'd cracked his arm precisely because he lacked power for the last one.
Even intact, he had no strength for the next...
'...Wait? Lacking power?'
Lightning struck Yuri's mind.
Enlightened, he whispered to Teresa.
“Tessa, hold for 30 seconds... no, 10.”
“...What?”
Before her question finished, Yuri's form vanished in lightning.
*Pshh!*
The instant he moved with Thunder Wing.
*ROOOOAR!*
The Demon King roared and charged.
“......?!”
Teresa paled, realizing what Yuri meant by holding 10 seconds.
“Y-Yuri!”
Screaming despite herself, she didn't retreat but stood to block the Demon King.
Meanwhile, Yuri.
*Whoosh!*
Reappeared at the fight's starting point.
He immediately kicked up the item he'd left there.
It floated into the air.
The bundled top unraveled, revealing a lamp containing a red crystal.
One of the 49th Cohort shouted.
“See! Told you it was a Power Crystal!”
With the vindicated tone of someone proven right, the massive Power Crystal emerged, drawing all eyes.
At that moment.
*Whoosh—*
*Clang-clang!*
Yuri's slash flashed white, shattering the lamp.
Amid the scattering shards, the Power Crystal spun in place, hovering.
And then.
*Plink..*
Yuri lightly leaped into the air and...
“Nom!”
Caught the Power Crystal in his mouth.