Chapter 199
Translator: uly
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Starting Line
Eve.
There was a time when I felt utterly lost, no matter how hard I tried, because the gap in skill just kept widening.
I wondered if there was anything I could do to catch up.
She seemed so lofty, like someone I shouldn't even approach.
'I thought I wouldn't have to feel that way anymore.'
I believed we were finally on the same level.
Sure, there was still a huge distance between us, but at least I could look her in the eye.
But no.
The difference she was showing now wasn't something you could bridge just by standing on the same line.
What Roze was demonstrating was the pinnacle of martial arts, forged by humanity's once-in-a-lifetime genius after twenty years of single-minded pursuit.
'Dazzlingly beautiful.'
The moment I realized that, something welled up inside me.
How much hardship must she have endured to teach an ignorant fool like me?
My martial arts were entirely shaped by her.
She had seen my potential and poured everything into sculpting me over the past four years.
If I'd tried to reach this point alone, it might have taken ten years? Twenty? Maybe even longer.
When I should be overflowing with gratitude, how dare I get arrogant just because I thought we were on the same level.
I realized now that where I stood was barely the starting line.
Not completion, but the beginning.
My path as a martial artist truly started now.
'Which means I can't afford to lose.'
Roze had told me to clash with full power.
And what was my full power?
It shone brightest when I harnessed the various traits I'd gained through my abilities, built on a foundation of martial arts.
Crack!
The seal on my left arm released, restoring its original form.
Blades protruded from my fingers, gleaming with infused penetrating energy.
But that wasn't all.
The Blessing of the Infection Lord descended upon my entire body.
The alien factors, dormant and adapting quietly to my human form, awakened, further strengthening my already powerful physique.
My crimson left arm, the blue demon horns, the grotesque tattoos covering my right arm up to the shoulder, and the core embedded in my solar plexus.
Right now, I probably looked like a true demon king.
Yet Roze, watching me, had a smile playing on her lips.
"Now you're starting to look worth watching."
"You've got peculiar tastes."
With my words as the cue, our exchange of blows resumed.
'Below!'
Roze, now a step faster, vanished from sight like she'd teleported.
If not for my senses sharpened to the point of piercing my skull, I would have missed it entirely.
Without hesitation, I slammed my left arm down with full force.
'Missed.'
Amid the exploding earth, Roze was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the innocent mountain triggered a landslide, screaming for us to stop.
"Over here."
"How...?!!"
By the time I whipped around, it was already too late.
I skipped across the ground like a stone on water, snapping dozens of trees before finally coming to a halt.
But it wasn't time to relax yet.
Through my dizzying vision, Roze—who had arrived at my landing spot first—loomed above, bringing down her extended leg.
'If that hits, I'm dead.'
I sprang up like a coiled spring, clasping my hands together to block.
But the ground was too soft.
I blocked it, but sank up to my thighs, pinned into the earth.
"Senses aren't absolute. There are plenty of ways to fool them."
"And you never taught me until now?"
"It wasn't time yet."
As she finished speaking, I spotted her mischievous grin.
"Hey, that's a bit unfair...!"
"There's no unfair in a fight!"
As I hurriedly extracted myself, an attack targeted my groin.
I blocked it desperately.
Sure, in this era, even crushed balls could be healed easily, but a man's instincts kicked in.
Unable to fully deflect the impact, my numb body struggled as I pulled free.
Beyond the hundred-meter furrow I'd carved in my retreat stood Roze, gathering light orbs in both hands.
"...For real?"
I hurriedly interlaced my fingers, drawing in all my power.
With the horns and core outputting stronger, the thickened barrier deployed concentrated forward.
At this density, it could probably shrug off a cruiser-class battleship's main gun.
But against Roze, it was just for buying time.
'I'll finish preparing first.'
The Blessing of the Infection Lord's effect wasn't mere physical enhancement.
It amplified the other traits latent in my body.
Like loading a makeshift crimson cannon as swiftly as a standard one.
The moment charging completed, I fired without waiting.
A crimson ray sliced through the ground.
What blocked it was the light orb gathered in Roze's left hand.
"You deflected it?!"
An unimaginable sight.
By my knowledge, crimson cannon energy was too unstable for that.
Yet she did it so effortlessly.
But there was no time to gape.
Roze, unharmed, altered its trajectory and closed the distance in a flash.
A triumphant smile lit her face.
But I had my own hidden card.
As she reached point-blank, I thrust out my right hand.
Using absorption, I unleashed a pre-loaded second crimson cannon at zero range.
"Th...!"
Boom!!!
A barrier layer vanished to block the point-blank blast.
Intense shockwave and light blinded me for a while.
When I gathered myself and looked up, the ridgeline that had been our battlefield was gone without a trace.
Yet amid it all, Roze hadn't been pushed back.
"...Got you."
A chill raced up my spine.
Roze had a bit of soot from the explosion, but looked fine.
If anything, her murderous glare made her far more dangerous now.
I swallowed hard.
"Go easy on me..."
No words.
The clash resumed.
Taking hits amid the frenzy, I started doubting if I was truly going all out with the Infection Lord's Blessing.
Roze's power remained overwhelming, her speed still superior.
My only edges were toughness and stamina.
From my view, I could seize momentum by trading flesh for bone—or vice versa—but her defense was even tighter than her sharp attacks.
'I can't break free.'
Even surprise makeshift crimson cannons in the melee did nothing.
She anticipated like a ghost, blocking or dodging preemptively.
Absorption was the same.
I tried maximizing energy drain to neutralize her, but she minimized contact with my right arm, sealing it off.
Penetrating energy was routinely shredded by her dense aura before infiltrating.
I felt like sticky goo she couldn't shake.
'Even pouring everything out, this gap persists.'
At least it was consolation that, unlike before, it wasn't one-sided beatings.
That meant progress, right?
"Urk...!!"
Hit, slammed, slammed again.
But I didn't give up.
Each time, I rose like a weed and charged.
How long had we fought?
Blood from my mouth had long stained my jaw and neck.
Limbs slowed with time; crimson cannon use and the blessing's backlash set my body ablaze.
My left eye had gone blurry, blind; burst wounds no longer healed.
'A bit more...'
Only my will moved my body now.
If it crumbled, I'd have collapsed ages ago.
It was miraculous I withstood Roze in this state.
'...No, if only I were tired, that wouldn't be possible?'
My still-functioning right eye finally registered Roze.
Dried sweat, disheveled hair.
I'd been too exhausted to notice, but she was worn out too.
Yet unlike me, her eyes burned fiercely.
They locked on me, as if asking: Is that all?
'Why?'
I looked inward.
My state was near death.
Yet could I show more?
Nothing left inside.
Or was there really nothing?
If so, I'd have stopped long ago.
'Why?'
The answer was simple.
I'd forgotten what I'd gained reaching this realm.
Aura.
The primal force that moves people.
Unlike depleted aura and power, exhausted flesh, my aura remained abundant.
It sustained me, accelerating recovery to keep me upright.
'Idiot. This is no different from before.'
Aura moved by strong will and life's tenacity.
I'd used it unconsciously until now.
Helpful, yes, but inefficient without true awareness.
'Help me.'
I infused my will.
Into every punch, every kick.
No more instinctive reactions; every action carried intent and will as I clashed.
But was it too late?
My utterly spent body felt like a sluggish caterpillar, even with will.
'If only a bit faster, the fight might've turned.'
Regret came.
Disappointment flooded.
Yet at some point, I realized my fist had squarely struck Roze's face.
"Hah... Hah... Huh?"
Our fight had stopped.
"It landed."
"Yeah. First clean hit from Lemon."
I let out a hollow laugh, and Roze smiled back.
Four years for one hit.
Considering how many I'd taken, tears of injustice wouldn't be odd.
But strangely, only relief washed over me.
"So I win today... Ow!"
"Nope. You're still a century away."
Cheap shot while talking.
"...Ngh! You didn't go easy?"
"Nope."
"You let it hit?"
"That too."
I straightened up.
Muscles and bones screamed.
But pain was familiar.
What mattered was landing one on Roze.
"Next time, I might win."
"One hit and you're cocky. Still a century off."
"A century's too much, right?"
"Pfft, you believe that? I softened 'lifelong' so Lemon wouldn't despair."
Roze, chin high in smugness, flashed a cheeky grin.
Why did she look so pretty all grimy?
Without thinking, I approached and pressed my lips to hers.
Her startled eyes widened briefly, then softly closed.
And so, we entwined for a while atop the ruined battlefield.
*
The missile left its launcher, slicing through space before detonating.
Vulcan cannons firing a thousand rounds per second wove an inescapable net of fire, punctuated by mass drivers and energy weapons that sealed the aliens' doom.
"Looks like a solid success, Boss."
Today marked the first real combat op for Space Fortress No. 1.
Seven hours into the airstrike.
By the progress, the hive nest should emerge soon.
"With the cash poured in, it'd be ridiculous if it couldn't handle this."
"You worried a ton though. I know all about it."
"You're sharper than you look."
"Misunderstanding. People call me slow."
No use protesting with that dopey face—not after all I've seen.
I snorted, prepping to return to base.
I'd brought Giz just in case, but no chance to shine.
Even when flights diverted to swarm us.
At this point, stability's proven.
'Sure, it's a testbed loaded with prototypes, but even accounting for that, it's within expectations. Unless something wildly unexpected hits, no major risks.'
Space Fortress No. 1 delivered fleet-level firepower in substitute.
I'd worried its shrunken size might fall short, but ample weapon storage—unlike ships—meant sustained output.
'Six around Acheron planet should do.'
Test success would accelerate the project.
Tech gaps would fill with time and effort.
"Boss, if this works out, does our workload drop?"
"Not yet."
"Seems solid. Union could use 'em too..."
"Block production costs too high. Cores for engines ain't cheap. Fine for a few spots, but not mass deployment."
Unspoken: limited uses, sky-high maintenance versus ground bases. Plenty of hurdles for adoption.