Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Three Absolutes (2)
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The heart of mana body arts, the mana core, and the framework, the mana rods.
The characteristics of mana body arts are determined by how these two are designed.
And the new mana body art that Johan had created was based on the Redner family's mana body arts.
To be precise, it was more accurate to say that Johan had improved upon the existing one.
Therefore, it was only natural that the mana body arts Yuri had learned carried the traits of the Redner family's mana body arts.
One of those traits manifested through Yuri's body.
Tap-.
The moment he stepped on the ground, Yuri's body shot forward.
No expression fit that sight as perfectly as "light as a drifting cloud."
It was as if he were stepping on clouds, or completely unaffected by gravity—a bizarre spectacle.
Cloud Step, nicknamed Cloud Treading, the Redner family's first ultimate technique.
Regarding this mana body art said to originate from an ancient Eastern sage, Johan had once said:
[If the day comes when you can properly use Cloud Step... then you will truly be able to tread on clouds.]
Yuri clearly remembered "that day."
The day Johan had obliterated a cliff.
The way he had descended from the sky while carrying Yuri, walking on air.
'That was Cloud Step.'
Johan’s words that he could really tread on clouds were no empty promise.
'Though right now, it's just at the level of running while stepping on the ground......'
Someday, the day would come when he could run while treading on clouds.
Yuri believed that.
'Well, for now, this is more than enough.'
Swish-.
Yuri, ghost-like, closed in on the destructive red energy that Mu Chi had unleashed.
Without hesitation, he plunged right into it.
It looked just like a moth flying into flames.
Anyone unaware of the situation would have predicted Yuri would be torn to shreds in an instant.
But what happened next overturned those expectations.
Sss-.
Amid the onslaught of red blades whirling from all directions, Yuri was moving.
Swish swish-.
Yuri's movements weren't particularly fast.
But they were light, flexible, and uncanny.
He slithered through the dense barrage that seemed to leave no gaps, like a soft-bodied creature.
Swish-.
The instant he dodged a red blade approaching right before his eyes by a mere 5mm.
Johan’s past words echoed in Yuri's ear.
[Cloud Step isn't something you can use just by strengthening your legs! It's your whole body, your entire body! Only when you can fully utilize every part of it will Cloud Step's true nature reveal itself!]
Yuri hadn't forgotten Johan's advice.
He had repeated it thousands, tens of thousands of times, even recalling it in his dreams.
'The lower body is the link connecting the earth and the upper body.'
Humm-.
His soles pressed against the ground, and the power gained from it spread through both legs to his entire body.
The moment his mana core supplied mana along a set path, Yuri's movements transcended their limits.
Swoosh-.
Dozens, hundreds of attacks couldn't even graze the hem of his clothes.
* * *
Seeing Yuri move freely within the frenzied red flashes, Ralph let out a faint sigh.
"...Cloud Step, huh."
And it was a fairly well-mastered Cloud Step at that.
Ralph, who knew better than anyone how tricky Cloud Step was, recognized it at a glance.
As bitter memories of being struck by Cloud Step resurfaced, drawing a wry smile from Ralph, he suddenly realized something and jolted in surprise.
'Wait, does that mean that guy... mastered Cloud Step in just half a year?!'
There were countless families and secret mana body arts in the world.
If ranked comprehensively, the Redner family's mana body arts would be in the top five.
In other words, the Redner family's mana body arts were extremely difficult.
To the point where most people couldn't master them in a lifetime.
'And he wields it at that level in just half a year? Incredible.'
Of course, he knew to some extent how much effort Yuri had put in over the past half year.
But no matter how many times more you exert yourself, some people just can't do it.
'In that sense, that guy's got what it takes.'
And he was the type with "extremely promising" talent.
Ralph couldn't help but acknowledge Yuri's talent.
If the time given to Yuri hadn't been just half a year.
If he had a bit more time, this spar would have ended in Yuri's victory.
But.
"Not yet."
Ralph said this while watching Yuri move within Mu Chi's attacks.
"He can't break through any further."
Just as he said, while Yuri was smoothly evading Mu Chi's attacks, he couldn't advance anymore.
It looked as if he were trapped within Mu Chi's onslaught.
If time dragged on like this, Yuri, with his inferior total mana capacity, would clearly collapse first.
Predicting Mu Chi's victory, Ralph grinned at Johan.
"Too bad. If his Cloud Step proficiency had been just a bit higher, it might've been a good match."
A subtle sense of triumph laced his words.
Ralph wanted to see Johan get frustrated, but all he met was Johan's sly smile.
"You're right, at this rate, he can't break through."
"......?"
"Of course, if that's all there is to it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Fufu."
At Johan's low chuckle, something flashed in Ralph's mind.
"...No way?!"
His gaze urgently shifted to Yuri.
* * *
Red energy binding Yuri from all sides.
Dodging one only brought another flying in, stubbornly blocking his path forward.
As the same situation repeated, Yuri realized it too.
Continuing like this would change nothing.
Therefore, he needed to change something.
'Faster... even faster!'
To pierce through these red blades, he had to move faster than now.
'Fast enough that this nagging red energy can't keep up!'
Yuri's mana core pulsed again, supplying mana to new mana rods.
Mana extending along a path completely different from Cloud Step's.
Crackle-.
At the same time, Yuri heard a spark ignite within him.
[Remember what I said? That you'd master the world's fastest and freest mana body arts. If Cloud Step handles the freedom, then what you're about to learn from now on is...]
The small spark blooming inside him instantly sprouted tendrils.
[The ultimate speed.]
Tzzzz-.
Soon, Yuri's entire body was enveloped in lightning.
The Redner family's secret mana body art.
Thunder Wings.
Crackle- zzzt!
The moment the white lightning writhed, Yuri moved.
Flash-.
A white flash gleamed once, and two Yuris appeared.
The real Yuri and the afterimage left in his previous spot.
The prison of red blades could no longer contain Yuri, who had spread his Thunder Wings.
Crack-.
The area of red blades Mu Chi had created spanned about 3 meters in radius.
Yuri pierced through it in a single step.
And where he reappeared was right behind Mu Chi's back.
Clink-.
The sword blade resting on Mu Chi's shoulder.
As the sharp edge pressed close to his neck, a trickle of blood flowed.
Mu Chi froze in shock, and Yuri, gripping the hilt, grinned.
"Now it's 1-1, you bastard."
* * *
Seeing Yuri holding his sword to Mu Chi's neck, Ralph let out an incredulous chuckle.
"Ha!"
If Cloud Step originated from an ancient Eastern sage, then Thunder Wings was the Redner family's essence, with a thousand years of history.
Cloud Step and Thunder Wings.
The two ultimate techniques of the Redner family, called Thunder Cloud.
With just those two ultimate techniques alone, the Redner family had earned its lofty fame across the continent.
Furthermore, hadn't Johan himself earned the right to challenge the Sword Lord through Thunder Cloud?
However, they were equally esoteric techniques, said to take years just to master the basics.
'And he finished them in half a year? Both of them?'
Cloud Step aside, Thunder Wings too.
Yuri's level wasn't mere imitation.
He fully understood both ultimate techniques and wielded them beyond the basics.
Dumbfounded, Ralph asked Johan.
"...How on earth did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"That kid. How did you teach him in just half a year to reach that level?"
At Ralph's question, Johan puffed out his chest arrogantly.
"Ahem, so you've finally realized it? That this body is also a genius as an educator!"
"......"
"Want to know my secret? Then go ahead and ask politely. Ehehem!"
Ralph's face soured instantly at Johan's smugness.
He wrestled with intense inner conflict.
Was it worth enduring this insufferable guy just to hear it?
Or swallow his pride and learn the secret?
After much deliberation, he chose the latter.
For the sake of educating his beloved grandson, he cast aside his pride.
"Ahem, well... if Senior could grace this junior with some long-overdue guidance, it would be... truly appreciated... ngh!"
"That's it?"
"P-Please."
"Hoho, it's been ages since you've shown the proper attitude of a junior."
"Cough!"
"Very well, since you've asked so nicely, how could I ignore a junior's plea?"
"...So, what is it?"
"My secret? It's simpler than you think. Just..."
"Just?"
"Grab a smart kid and teach him. They grow on their own just fine."
"...That's it?"
"That's it."
"......"
The moment he saw Johan's smug face, Ralph's fists clenched with a crunch-.
His knuckles trembled so hard veins bulged.
Senior or not, he felt like he could punch him right now.
But the last thread of rationality held him back.
Meanwhile, watching Ralph fume and shake with anger, Johan chuckled inwardly.
'A secret? As if there's such a thing.'
He had no secret to share even if he wanted to.
What he told Ralph was the truth.
'I just gave him the general direction, and the kid grew on his own?'
Truth be told, Johan hadn't expected Yuri to reach this level.
He had thought mastering just Cloud Step in half a year would be a resounding success.
And Thunder Wings on top of that?
'I figured it was impossible.'
Even for himself, it had taken a year to solidify Cloud Step's basics and begin Thunder Wings, and three years total to reach Yuri's current level.
He, who had been hailed as the greatest genius in Redner family history since the fifth family head who created Thunder Wings...
'I had a hunch his talent was exceptional. But this...'
When he peeled back the layers, the kid turned out to be a monster beyond his estimates.
[What the hell are you suddenly babbling about? You tell the old man how, and when I ask how you did it, what am I supposed to say?]
Cloud Step could be explained away.
He himself had been able to imitate it the very day he learned it.
But when he was shocked seeing Yuri replicate even Thunder Wings right after learning it, the kid had replied just like that.
Seeing that nonchalant face, as if he had no idea what he'd done, left him deflated all over again.
'Insufferable brat.'
It was the second time in his life.
Feeling envy and jealousy toward someone else's talent.
The first was the Sword Lord, and the second was Yuri.
And the attitude that fanned Johan's smoldering jealousy was Yuri's demeanor.
[Old man, get up! Time to train!]
Being able to learn anything easily meant losing interest just as quickly.
Not everyone was like that, of course, but many geniuses wandered after their overflowing talent dulled their passion for learning.
Especially in the early stages when they first start.
That's when a master steps in to keep them in line.
But Yuri was different.
[What's this? I'm the one training, so why's the old man got that exhausted look?]
Even without scolding from him.
Even without someone pushing from the side.
Yuri pressed on without wandering, forging his own path.
[Done? I refuse! I decide when my training ends!]
[W-Wait... ju-just... fi-finish this one... then... re-rest... urgh! Bleeegh!]
[Old man, one more bowl! Eating is part of training too! This one bowl becomes tomorrow's muscles and bones!]
[Wait... I... can do it... not tired... ri-rising... now...]
Despite his monstrous talent, Yuri gave his all every single day.
He showed no compromise toward the promise with himself.
In contrast, what had he been like at Yuri's age?
'I couldn't do that.'
Surrounded by praise and admiration, he had compromised: "I'm at this level... I've done this much, so a little rest is fine, right?"
During the very period that most influences growth.
That's why watching Yuri stirred regret.
'If I had been like Yuri back then... would the outcome against the Sword Lord have been different?'
Perhaps that's why.
Because Yuri was achieving what he couldn't.
Or because he had been inspired by the kid's talent and effort.
'I only meant to give him a taste for motivation, teach him up to Thunder Wings......'
He might have ended up teaching Yuri more than planned.
"Anyway, what an annoying guy."
Despite his grumbling words, Johan's lips curved into a pleased smile.