Chapter 276: Moving Forward
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: Moving Forward
The night was deep, and the rain fell in torrents.
Amidst the curtain of downpour, Muen moved like a shadow, weaving rapidly through the complex and dim streets of the Lower District. The cold wind swept across his eyes, making his profile appear sharp and frigid.
The streets were silent and deserted, save for... a lethal intent that slithered like a venomous snake.
A flash of cold light suddenly severed the threads of the falling rain. With the precision of a move practiced ten thousand times, it lunged toward Muen’s vital heart.
Muen shifted his body slightly. As if he too had rehearsed this ten thousand times, he stepped aside to dodge the long-awaited strike, allowing the sharp dagger to do no more than graze his clothes. He turned his head, glancing at the figure in the shadows.
It was a woman.
She wore a maid’s uniform.
Her expression was as cold as if she were wearing a steel mask.
In her eyes, which reflected no light, there was not a trace of emotion.
The failed ambush didn't cause her gaze to flicker, nor did it disrupt the rhythm of her breathing.
—Just as it had been when she was still alive as an assassin.
The woman did not retreat; instead, she pressed forward.
The small dagger flipped nimbly in her hand like a fluttering butterfly, transitioning into an even more ferocious strike aimed at Muen’s throat.
Clang.
Blades collided.
The sparks flying from the collision between Elizabeth and the dagger illuminated the faint smile at the corner of Muen’s mouth.
"It seems..."
Muen parried the dagger away.
He stepped forward.
He pressed the attack.
The woman turned into an afterimage, instantly retreating several meters.
But when she looked up, Muen was still right in front of her.
The pure white short blade traced a brilliant arc of light, blooming suddenly in the pitch-black night.
"My skills have already far surpassed yours."
Muen lowered his eyes, letting the rain wash the blood from his cheek. He watched silently as the headless maid assassin collapsed before him, then dissolved into black particles and vanished.
"Farewell," Muen whispered softly.
Countless swings of the blade, countless brushes with life and death.
From being instantly killed at the very beginning to now defeating her using the very techniques he had learned from her—unbeknownst to him, more than half a year had passed.
And this period was enough for a man to undergo a complete transformation.
"But this isn't enough..."
Muen took a deep breath, letting Elizabeth dissipate from his hand.
Then.
He clenched his fist.
And swung!
BOOM—
It was as if thunder had erupted amidst the heavy rain. Under the colossal roar, the raindrops were pulverized into a fine mist, exploding outward from the point where the two fists collided.
For a brief moment, a "vacuum" was formed within a few meters of Muen, where the rain could not penetrate.
Feeling the painful numbness in his fist, Muen looked at the naked man before him, who radiated a ferocious, beast-like aura. Muen grinned, a savage smile spreading across his face.
"Come!" he roared.
He took the initiative and swung his fist again!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
One punch.
Then another.
There were no flashy tricks, only the simple, raw collision of fists between men!
But this wasn't how the fight had looked at the start.
When Muen first faced this naked man, he couldn't even force him to use his full strength. The man had tortured him to the point of agony using only minor techniques.
The sensation of every bone and muscle in his body being dismantled by hand was something Muen still remembered vividly.
But as long as it was a technique, it could be learned.
And the weakness of one's strength only made one focus more on using technique to compensate.
In those countless life-and-death duels, Muen had learned far more than just Thunder Roar.
Now, everything the naked man performed had become Muen's nourishment!
However.
The records in the Black Book were not mere mindless puppets.
Aside from lacking emotion and the ability to think, they were almost no different from when they were alive.
Thus, when this experienced adventurer realized that techniques were no longer effective against Muen, he instinctively chose another combat style specifically designed to counter him.
Breaking skill with raw power!
When techniques were nearly identical, realm and strength became the true keys to victory.
With the man’s realm and strength still far exceeding Muen’s, crushing him should have been an easy task.
Yes, it should have been.
"As expected of you, Teacher Mela!"
Muen laughed loudly.
An ear-splitting roar erupted from his fist.
The roar was sharp and brief, like thunder piercing through mountain stone.
But if one were to stretch out that single instant, they would realize it wasn't just one roar.
It was several roars stacked together in a single moment, causing Muen’s strength to explode several times beyond its original limit!
The instantaneous stacking of several times his power naturally placed a terrifying burden on Muen’s physical body.
As he traded blows with the man, every one of Muen’s bones wailed, and every muscle trembled.
His skin cracked like porcelain, and scorching blood sprayed continuously from his flesh, dyeing him into a man of blood.
But even covered in blood, Muen showed no sign of retreating.
On the contrary, his eyes grew brighter, his blood boiled, his adrenaline surged, and the savage expression on his face became increasingly fanatical!
Come!
Keep coming!
It’s not enough!
Give me more pleasure!
After exchanging an unknown number of blows, he saw the naked man suddenly pull back, his fingers curving slightly like the claws of a wild beast.
"Haha, I can do that too!"
Muen mirrored the naked man’s movements exactly.
Thunder Roar.
The clash.
Thunder Roar.
And... Five Stacks!
Five distinct vibrations condensed within Muen’s palm, then erupted instantly!
Like the heavenly thunder of creation, it forcibly tore through the silent, dark night!
...
As the aftershocks dissipated.
Muen glanced at his arm, which was twisted almost into a deformity, and sighed softly.
"I looked into your identity..."
"Your name was Rhode, Rhode Kazir, right?"
"Today is the first time I’ve called you by your name."
Pausing for a moment, Muen placed a hand over his chest and said softly with respect:
"Then, Mr. Rhode, please allow me to say... goodbye, with my sincerest gratitude."
Amidst the dust and debris being washed away by the heavy rain, the naked man remained standing.
However, in the silhouette of the night, his entire left hand, including half of his chest, had completely vanished.
The victor had been decided.
Muen looked up.
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but the man who should have only existed in memory seemed to give him a slight nod.
Then, he turned into a glimmer of light and vanished.
"It was both short and long."
Muen exhaled slowly, a complex mix of emotions brewing in his chest.
An opponent he couldn't even hope to look up to in the past had now been defeated by his own hands.
At a time like this, what should he do?
Cry?
Laugh?
Celebrate wildly?
No.
None of those were right.
This small bit of progress wasn't worth being proud of.
The enemies he would face in the future wouldn't give him the chance to restart with infinite lives, nor would they wait for him to stand still.
Therefore.
He had to.
Keep moving forward.
His thoughts returned to reality, and the death warning in his mind rang out at the same time.
Muen instinctively dodged to the side, but the blade light that flared from the darkness still landed accurately on him, leaving a massive wound across his abdomen.
He had only managed to avoid his vitals.
"Fuck."
Muen cursed under his breath, looking at the seductive snake person swaying out of the darkness.
"You're all dead, yet you get more and more underhanded every time."
"But whatever, it's not like I haven't been ambushed by you once or twice. I'm used to it."
Muen sighed, stuffed the intestines leaking from his wound back inside, and drew Elizabeth. The blades crossed, shimmering with a cold light.
"Come, let's continue."
Muen laughed loudly.
"I haven't even died ten times tonight. I'm far from... satisfied!"