Ulysian Sword Dance Semi-Finals: Geum Taeyang's Gambit That Defies Geomhu's Expectations
‘Wow!’ Geum Taeyang exclaimed in admiration. Flash—!!!
‘Can an axe really shine that beautifully?’ The axe Samuel swung toward him was simply magnificent. The spirit axe in Samuel’s hands was a spirit treasure. ‘The Tarantinos family’s ancestor was connected to dwarves in ancient times. The ancient continent was home to both elves and dwarves.’
There are two types of spirit treasures: bows and axes. Bows belong to the elves, while axes belong to the dwarves. Despite the scarcity of axe-class infrastructure, the Tarantinos family had long maintained its competitive edge precisely because it possessed this dwarven axe as a family heirloom.
‘Its overall stats sit between high-grade and heroic-grade. However, thanks to the unique magic immunity of spirit treasures, it’s nearly on equal footing against magic-type heroic treasures.’
Heroic treasures reside in dimensional subspaces and reveal themselves only when someone forms a connection with them. Spirit treasures, by contrast, are forged through transcendent power. The elves’ World Tree Bow is crafted from the World Tree’s branches, while dwarven axes are born from dwarven craftsmanship.
—Kwaaaaaang!!!
Geum Taeyang remained still until Samuel’s dwarven axe blade nearly reached the crown of his head. Then a thunderous roar shook the colosseum. ‘Incredible distance perception!’ Samuel’s axe struck the ground, yet Geum Taeyang had watched the attack until the final instant and evaded it by a hair’s breadth. Even Samuel, an S-class Ex-Master, could not hide his astonishment at Geum Taeyang’s extraordinary dynamic vision and spatial awareness.
—Fuaaah!!!
Seizing the opening, Geum Taeyang immediately launched a counterattack, thrusting forward without hesitation.
—Kaang!!!
Even though the axe was embedded in the ground, the sound that followed was Luciena’s blade clashing against something solid. ‘Dwarven gauntlets. Damn, they’re ridiculously tough.’ Samuel had blocked the strike not with his embedded axe but with his dwarven gauntlets. Axes are typically wielded with both hands in wide arcs, so opponents naturally target the forearms. To compensate, dwarven axes come paired with gauntlets that function as shields, boasting exceptional durability.
—Kaang! Kwaang! Kaang! Kwaaaang!
After the first exchange, Luciena and the dwarven axe collided in a brutal, relentless flurry.
“This is quite different from Antoinette’s expectations.” Emperor Antoinette’s eyes narrowed with interest as she spoke to Geomhu, a faint smile playing on her lips. “I assumed he would use his superior speed and reach to fight at mid-range, employing True Mana Step like he did against O’Connell’s long spear. Yet here he is, engaging in a close-quarters brawl.”
Before the match, the Emperor and Geomhu had predicted how the fight would unfold. Antoinette had foreseen Geum Taeyang’s victory through hit-and-run tactics leveraging his speed and sword reach, placing great faith in his mastery of True Mana Step. Instead, Geum Taeyang fought as though he too wielded an axe, forcing an ultra-close engagement.
“I shared a similar view with Your Majesty and believed Samuel would emerge victorious,” Geomhu replied calmly. “However, after witnessing the Dark Knight’s swift and precise close-combat techniques, I can understand why he chose this approach.”
Having first seen the Dark Knight’s style during his match against O’Connell, Geomhu had predicted Samuel’s win based on that observation.
“He is sealing off Samuel’s signature Rush Ex Murder.”
“Oh… now that you mention it…”
The weakness of axe users and greatsword wielders lies in mobility. They prefer to keep both feet planted while swinging, creating exploitable gaps when moving. Samuel, however, is different. He can swing his axe freely while advancing and even accelerate to deliver far more powerful strikes through his Rush Ex Murder skill. Geum Taeyang’s aggressive closing of distance preserved the strengths of a typical axe fighter while neutralizing Samuel’s unique advantage.
“The Dark Knight wields his sword with both hands without restriction, striking not only from proper stances but also from reverse angles—like an assassin. That freedom allows him to execute this seemingly reckless strategy.”
Yet a one-on-one duel with a massive axe is a double-edged sword. At close range, it can unleash incredibly varied attacks. Most swordsmen cannot keep up with that versatility and thus maintain distance. Geum Taeyang, however, handles his longsword with the fluidity of an assassin’s short blade, matching every variation.
“An assassin! Hearing you say it, I see the resemblance. Forgive my boldness, but to my eyes, there is also something reminiscent of your Snow Flower Flying Sword.”
The Emperor found Geomhu’s analysis fascinating and watched the duel with genuine focus. To her, who deeply admired Geomhu’s swordsmanship, Geum Taeyang’s Luciena—dancing freely as it toyed with the massive bull-like opponent—overlapped with the image of Geomhu’s Snow Flower Flying Sword.
‘Ah…!’
Geomhu, who had assumed Geum Taeyang merely referenced assassin techniques through various drills, widened her eyes slightly at the Emperor’s words and could not deny it.
‘I wonder what Geomhu is thinking right now. She must have expected me to fight at range.’
Geum Taeyang was a truly devious man. While his body engaged Samuel in a blistering close-quarters duel, his mind lingered in the VIP seats of the colosseum. ‘She’s probably analyzing that I’m doing this to seal Rush Ex Murder. Well, that’s not entirely wrong.’
Geum Taeyang was confident he could defeat Samuel even in a direct clash. Originally, he had planned to dismantle Rush Ex Murder through ranged combat. Yet he changed that plan. Why?
‘Dark Knight, why are you fighting in such a dangerous manner?! I know your abilities are sufficient, but please fight more safely!’
The reason could be inferred from Evelyn’s restless anxiety.
‘Watch closely, Evelyn. This is the nature of our relationship right now—reckless and burning hot. Kkukuk…!’
Before the quarterfinals, Geum Taeyang had spoken to Evelyn. It was a message of sorts. He told her she would feel their love through his battle with Samuel, and that she would deeply experience the culmination of what he would achieve in the finishing scene.
‘It’s intense! Passionate! Like a moth flying into flames without fear!’
Despite her worry for Geum Taeyang, Evelyn recalled his earlier words and eagerly absorbed the Dark Knight-style performance art.
‘Right now, the Dark Knight feels like a beast that has finally revealed its true nature after hiding its claws. Exactly like when he’s having his cock sucked by me!’
Evelyn Nefertari was a woman utterly obsessed with Geum Taeyang. Through her eyes, what did he appear as? A lust-crazed beast in heat. They had met three times. Normally he was courteous and dashing, yet the moment he took her away and began that vulgar act of sucking, he lost all control. The image of those two mad beasts resembled a savage dogfight—and that was precisely the duel unfolding between Geum Taeyang and Samuel on stage.
‘Then how will it end? What message is the Dark Knight trying to convey? Surely not defeat? Does he want to express through defeat that we can never be together?’
Geum Taeyang had clearly stated that the finishing scene of his match against Samuel would symbolize the outcome of his relationship with Evelyn. Evelyn’s imagination ran wild. If Geum Taeyang lost, it would feel like a tragedy.
‘The young man possesses remarkable resolve and skill. I was clearly caught off guard.’
Meanwhile, Samuel felt a sense of awe toward his opponent. If one could suppress fear and pressure, such close-quarters combat would actually be more disadvantageous for Samuel himself. There were too many variables. Yet most warriors could not overcome that fear and never even attempted it—Geum Taeyang was doing exactly that.
‘But young man, this middle-aged warrior still has another trump card.’
Samuel, who took his martial path seriously, had always prepared for such situations and created a technique to turn the tables.
‘I wonder if the swordsman Dark Knight can anticipate Samuel’s other trump card.’
And the first person to witness that trump card was none other than Geomhu Marianne. In the past, at Samuel’s earnest request, the two had sparred. During that match, Marianne had closed the distance exactly as Geum Taeyang was doing now. It was then that Samuel first used his new technique against her.
‘Good. I’ve gathered enough energy.’
—Thud!
In an instant, Samuel reversed his grip on the dwarven axe. His new technique required time to charge. Throughout their exchange, he had been continuously accumulating mana within his body.
—Flash!!!
When Samuel switched his grip, leaving his guard open, Geum Taeyang pressed forward for the attack.
‘Now!’
Flash—!!!
This too was part of Samuel’s setup. His eyes gleamed as he prepared to unleash the technique.
—Kwaaaaaang!!!!!
Samuel slammed the head of his dwarven axe powerfully into the ground.
‘There it is—Thunderquake!’
Geomhu’s eyes also flashed sharply. Samuel’s new technique was called Thunderquake.
“Ooooooh!!!”
“What is that???”
The crowd erupted in astonishment. —Pssssssst!!! Zzzzzzt!!! Pssssssst!!! —Booooooom!!!
A massive electrical shockwave blasted everything within roughly three meters of Samuel. Thunderquake was a close-range area-of-effect finisher. Caught in the blast, Geum Taeyang had no time to dodge.
‘No!! Dark Knight!!’
Geomhu had sensed the energy building during her own match against Samuel and had created distance at the last moment, avoiding the technique entirely.
“The swordsman Dark Knight must have turned into a roasted pig!!!”
“As expected, Samuel wins!”
The impact on Geum Taeyang after taking Thunderquake head-on was spectacular. His cloak stood on end and his body twitched violently. Yet internally, Geum Taeyang thought, ‘Ooh! That’s electrifying! Thunderquake really packs a punch!’ He savored the electric shock and explosive vibration in a thoroughly perverted manner.
Indeed, Geum Taeyang had known about Thunderquake from the start and had deliberately taken the hit. After all, he possessed the legendary armor Celendis, so the damage was negligible. He was merely pretending to be affected. And why?
‘Nooo!!! Nooo, Dark Knight!!!’
To evoke dramatic emotion in Evelyn, Geum Taeyang endured Thunderquake with a desperate appearance. Evelyn’s face turned deathly pale.
Yet—‘Impossible!!’
Samuel, who had successfully landed the attack, stared in shock at Geum Taeyang’s face.
“Overcoming a trial akin to divine judgment,”
—Whoosh!!!
Geum Taeyang’s eyes were not clouded by damage. They were the eyes of someone preparing to strike. He immediately swung Luciena toward Samuel.
“Achieving his purpose!!”
—Thud!!!
The blade stopped precisely against Samuel’s neck, still frozen in the Thunderquake stance.