Victory Through Enlightenment
Once again, I faced Vile.
We stared at each other in silence.
As My Original Self
Objective: Defeat Vile Argentfang.
Reward: 100000 SP, 3 Noble-grade Items
Failure: Forced TS into male, paraplegic, testicles and eyeballs swapped
Screams and roars echoed from every direction, yet we stood frozen, glaring at one another. Then Vile let out a bitter laugh.
“So you survived after all. As expected… you’re no ordinary person.”
“Satisfied?”
“Hm?”
“You turned this peaceful place into a slaughterhouse. Are you satisfied now?”
At my question, Vile’s face hardened as he activated the power of Succession.
[Succession: Vista Galamein!]
“Succession? My section! O protagonist of light and darkness!”
“Of course I didn’t do this to feel satisfied. I…”
“No, you can be satisfied. Stop dressing it up as some noble revenge.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Killing people isn’t something I consider particularly evil. Not in this era.”
A commoner could be legally cut down by a noble for acting out of line. A second-class citizen could have their eyes gouged out for daring to glare at a first-class citizen. If anything, the true madness lies in the very nature of this world.
People killing people.
It happens far too easily here.
“Hahaha, are you really allowed to say that? You’re shattering common sense!”
“Why?”
“You’re supposed to be the hero who stops a villain like me. That kind of talk doesn’t suit you.”
“What nonsense. I’m just a crazy bitch who lives however she wants. I have no interest in carrying some grand heroic duty like those washed-up heroes who care about their image, or the nobles.”
I stepped closer to Vile, mocking his surprised expression as I continued.
“Leave that kind of thing to them. I’m just going to beat you down. Revenge… I suppose I have to, don’t I?”
The humiliation of my past defeat would be repaid. Thoroughly.
I took a fighting stance.
Vile’s expression turned solemn once more.
“You already knew back then, didn’t you? How powerless you truly were.”
“You know I’m not at full strength either.”
“Oh? Then you also know I’m not at full strength?”
“I’ll beat you the moment I realize it. Don’t worry.”
Whoosh, tap-tap-tap-tap!
I charged straight at him.
Music swelled around us—grand organ mixed with melancholic piano.
Vile still looked like an immovable mountain. A rotten smile crept across his face.
“The result will be the same anyway…”
Vile extended his hand. The moment his attack ended, blades materialized in the air like lines drawn across space.
I had no intention of being hit again.
Whoosh—crack!
I circled behind Vile with Flash Step, instantly summoning my sword and swinging it.
Boom! Bang!
Vile tried to block with a hand blade but looked startled.
“What…? Where did that sword come from…?!”
“That’s not what you should be worrying about.”
I poured energy into the blade and thrust it forward—the fifth form of Origin Divine Art, Comet Sword.
Vile’s eyes widened. He clasped his hands together and unleashed a barrage.
Blades erupted from his palms at insane speed.
Crackle, sizzle-sizzle, BOOM!
Vile barely managed to cancel it out. But it wasn’t over.
“What? Even after canceling it… my hands…?”
“Hurts, doesn’t it? I’m about to make it even spicier from here on.”
I swung my sword and launched a relentless assault.
Whoosh, boom! Crack!
I struck with ever-changing swordplay, drawing on every bit of swordsmanship knowledge Queen originally possessed. Only then could I stand a chance against him.
For a moment, Vile was pushed back. But soon he began parrying or deflecting everything with Steel Pierce.
So this is the price of power, huh.
Despite my constant offense, I wasn’t landing as many clean hits as expected.
He’s incredible. Even in this situation, he’s matching my specs and deflecting every attack. Does he know these are non-lethal strikes?
Vile knocked my sword aside and immediately counterattacked. As my blade swung wide, he activated Steel Pierce straight at my chest.
I dodged with Flash Step and circled behind him. As if he had predicted it, Vile spun around and unleashed Double Steel Pierce.
Double Steel Pierce could even cancel out my Comet Sword. But what if there weren’t just one sword, but two?
Clang!
I lightly tapped the blade of the Imperial Guard’s sword. It glowed mint-green and split into two slender blades.
“The strength of Origin Divine Art is that it can borrow techniques from other schools.”
I switched to dual-wielding. And launched an attack with zero wind-up.
Shhhrrraaak!
The Cross Slash canceled Double Steel Pierce and sent Vile flying backward. He tried desperately to block the aftershock, but kept getting pushed until he crashed into a nearby statue.
“Hah… Impressive! Such fierce yet refreshing strikes! It’s been a long time!”
“Don’t laugh so much. I might start liking you.”
I closed the distance again. Vile smiled contentedly.
“But even you cannot stop my mission!”
We clashed in earnest now, both going all out.
As I zigzagged and swung my twin blades, Vile deflected or parried everything with Formless Chain Fist, trying to steal my timing. When I got too close, he would kick at my feet to break my stance.
Knowing his counterattack pattern, I instead thrust both blades forward while delivering a palm strike.
CLANG!
Vile’s posture crumbled.
“What…!”
“You already lost once, didn’t you?”
Whoosh—CRACK!
I landed a flying knee kick square on Vile’s face. Finally, a satisfying clean hit.
I followed up with both blades.
Whoosh, papapapapak! Clang-clang-clang!
The Raging Torrent Palm executed with dual blades. On top of that, I was swinging both sword and feet, making it even more chaotic.
The impact doubled, and I could finally express exactly how I wanted to fight.
Bloodied and staggering, Vile lowered his stance.
“I will never stop. Never!”
As he spoke, Vile assumed a stance like iaijutsu—despite having no sword. His hands and feet moved like blades, and the atmosphere around him shifted completely.
I had never felt such killing intent from him before. Now it pierced through my entire body.
Here it comes—the ultimate technique of Formless Chain Fist.
Trusting my instincts, I returned to wielding a single sword.
Rumble-rumble-rumble! Vwoooom!
With the iaijutsu stance held, the ground trembled violently around Vile and the entire area, as if an earthquake had struck.
In an instant, a chilling slicing sound rang out repeatedly. He had already drawn his hand-blade and returned it to its sheath.
Shing! Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh! Crack!
He drew his hand like a sword, moving at superhuman speed and unleashing every possible slash in all directions within seconds.
Each slash carved through the air before vanishing. Like marking territory, they scattered across the wounds Vile already carried.
His actions were driven more by hatred than fighting spirit, more by regret than pride.
“Too slow. Even falling…”
Vile turned his back to me.
But I couldn’t help but laugh. So this is what it feels like when the cheetah laughs?
“Where are you looking? That was just my clone.”
“What? How…?”
Vile’s expression collapsed as he frantically searched before finally spotting me.
I casually scratched my head.
“My Flash Step originally leaves behind a clone when moving. Thanks to your advice, I’ve learned to control it precisely without wasting power. My body feels much lighter now!”
I even laughed on purpose to annoy him. But Vile remained calm.
“Thanks to me? No. You simply remembered what you once knew and had forgotten. I can tell just by watching your movements!”
“Well then, have you placed all your bets?”
“Whoever dies… there will be no regrets, will there?”
He prepared All Creation once more.
I sheathed my sword and assumed the same stance.
Vile looked surprised, then smiled.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this. This exhilaration! The thrill of pressing blades to each other’s throats, like sharing a drink beneath the new moon!”
“Bullshit.”
“Yes, come at me with everything you’ve got!”
“The motto of Origin Divine Art is… to borrow powerful techniques from other schools. Even if it’s dismissed as a mishmash… Hah!”
Both Vile and I drew our blades at the same time.
Blades erupted chaotically from All Creation in every direction before tearing through space and vanishing.
I felt awe at Vile’s even faster movements. But that awe was crushed by the simple, absolute need to win.
Each of those blades flashed menacingly, yet golden blades overlaid them one by one, canceling them out.
I kept activating Flash Step, slashing everything in my sight—statues, wrecked carriages, fallen fruit trees, already-dead monster corpses.
And finally, I appeared behind Vile and delivered the last strike.
“Puh…! Kugh! Urgh!”
Vile collapsed, coughing up blood.
I walked past him. Vile, collapsed on the ground, let out a dying breath.
“Magnificent, truly… Such a beautiful sword strike. I’d want to… preserve it in a painting.”
“Any last words?”
“Take me over there.”
Vile pointed toward a collapsed bakery. I looked down at him and raised my foot.
Crushing his head should be easy enough.