Flash (3)

The minotaurs turned from the barrier and fixed their gaze upon Aster.

Their interest in the barrier vanished entirely. It was only natural; if left unchecked, it was unclear who would be split in half next.

Boom! Crash!

The beasts' weapons swung down from above, their hooves kicking out. They moved relentlessly to eliminate the sudden threat that was Aster.

Despite their massive bodies, their movements were agile. Each stomp shook the ground, and cracks spiderwebbed across the earth under the force of their blows.

Whoosh!

Aster dodged between their legs, slashing with his sword.

The blade dealt more significant damage than in the game, but it couldn't sever the minotaurs' legs like his previous technique.

They realized something.

He can't unleash that kind of power without the proper stance!

Stop him from taking his stance!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The minotaurs' attacks surged relentlessly.

"Ugh!"

Aster's balance faltered as he evaded the barrage, but he somehow managed to move his body and swing his blade. Instead of creating distance between himself and the beasts, he danced within their reach.

Swish! Slice!

Even without a proper technique, every time Aster's aura cut them, massive gashes appeared.

These were not light wounds, and the pain must have been excruciating. Yet, the minotaurs' eyes burned brighter as they moved to capture Aster.

The minotaurs, too, were desperate to kill a single human.

"Ha, ha, ha!"

His breath grew ragged, murderous intent radiated from all sides, and dust rose into the air.

The world spun, the ground trembled, and within the lost balance, he found a more delicate equilibrium and pressed forward.

ROOOOAR!!

Suddenly, one of the minotaurs roared.

It was the first bellow the beasts had uttered since being witnessed by humans.

In an instant, the creature's leg rose high, and

KRAAAASH!!

The powerful kick slammed into the ground, its aura spreading outwards like a wave, pushing away everything it touched.

“……!”

If he were hit by that, he'd be immobilized. Knowing this, Aster leaped into the air.

The minotaurs' eyes gleamed. It was difficult to chase him on the ground, but with him in the air, it would be much easier to catch him.

Aster had thrown himself into greater danger to avoid a momentary risk.

Foolish human, we'll smash you to the ground like a fly,

Slash.

Before the minotaurs could finish their thought, their bodies moved faster than their minds, each raising their weapons towards the sky.

Aster, in mid-air, once again took the 'middle stance'.

One Flash.

Slice-

Aster passed through their ranks once more, and

Thud!

Another one of them planted itself firmly into the ground.

“?!”

The minotaurs were startled, looking at the corpse that had just been standing beside them.

Aster landed gently on the ground and looked back at them.

"I learned this technique from the continent's greatest swordsmanship genius."

Aster's One Flash technique was his own adaptation of Ellen's 'One Strike'.

This technique, which could be extended in a straight line from anywhere, could naturally also be used in the air.

"Do you think such a clumsy trick will work?"

While the minotaurs' movements were momentarily halted, Aster took the middle stance again.

This time, understanding his intention, the minotaurs raised their weapons above their heads. They instinctively prepared their aura to block the sword strike coming from above.

"Naive."

Slice-

Once again, Aster passed through them, and this time, one of them was split in two, upper and lower body separated.

"If there's a vertical slash, there's obviously a horizontal one too."

The starting point of One Flash was Aster's basic middle stance. From there, countless movements could theoretically be applied to One Flash.

...Of course, this was just theoretical.

For now, Aster could only use two variations of One Flash: the vertical slash and the horizontal slash.

Of course, even those two were threatening enough, and the fear that the minotaurs might have more moves was sufficiently effective.

I've never used bluffing before, so I don't know if it's working.

Aster briefly thought as he watched the minotaurs rush to block his next attack.

One Flash was not a simple technique. Ellen, the originator of the technique, only used 'One Strike' once or twice in a battle.

This was partly due to Ellen's lack of total aura, but even for others, the amount of aura consumed was burdensome.

Aster put strength into his sword. He felt like his hand would tremble if he didn't.

When he had seen his black-haired colleague bluffing, he had merely found it amusing.

But doing it himself was absolute torture.

* * *

While Aster was locked in a bloody battle with the minotaurs.

Notker, who had hidden back in the forest, observed the situation at the barrier.

“…….”

Notker was completely absorbed in Aster's fight. Forgetting that he was the enemy, he watched Aster's movements as if entranced.

Aster's techniques were so fast that even from this distance, they were difficult to follow with the naked eye.

When he had first witnessed them, he had wondered: Could I block that? Could I even react?

If he had known in advance, perhaps he could have interfered and prevented the technique from being used. If he had been too late and the technique had been activated, with luck, his weapon and aura might have blocked it.

As he thought about it, Notker realized.

I can't win.

Techniques were inherently inseparable from the strength of their user.

The power was what allowed the technique to manifest.

In his fight with Aster, he had felt unbearable humiliation. The feeling that Aster was matching his level, going easy on him, had never left him throughout the battle.

Aster had said it was because he was wary of Notker's full potential, but

No. His intuition was right.

Regardless of Aster's beliefs, there was an insurmountable gap between Notker and Aster.

"Lord Notker."

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

It was Berengar, his deputy commander.

"It's an opportunity."

"Opportunity?"

"Look at the ones on the barrier."

Notker raised his head.

Just as he had been, the soldiers on the barrier were captivated by Aster's fierce battle.

They stared at him blankly, as if witnessing a hero, forgetting the current situation.

"We can breach the barrier now."

“…….”

Notker hesitated for a moment at Berengar's words.

Berengar's judgment was excellent. The monsters outside had only retreated momentarily to avoid being caught in the minotaurs' movements.

If Aster's fight with the minotaurs dragged on, they would attack the barrier again. Moreover, the barrier had been damaged by the minotaur corpses thrown earlier, and casualties and confusion had ensued.

If Manggot joined the monsters' attack and breached the barrier, there would be some losses, but it was certainly possible.

More importantly, if they missed this opportunity, it would become even more difficult if, by some chance, Aster managed to defeat the minotaurs.

‘...Ugh’

But Notker hesitated.

His pride as a warrior held him back. If they carried out the operation now, regardless of the outcome, he would probably never be able to fight Aster again. He would carry this humiliation on his back until the moment he died.

But he was neither a mercenary nor a warrior.

"...Alright, let's go!"

He was a shepherd.

A shepherd who would lead his sheep into the flames.