“Eeeeek!? Save me!”

In a situation where I didn’t know which side to block, there was only one conclusion I came to.

I vomited.

This technique of rolling on the ground and exquisitely dodging the enemy’s fierce attacks is known as Diving and Riding Waves, which, if simplified appropriately, is just…

Rolling on the ground ヽ(:3ﾉヽ)ﾉ.

Why. What. Gotta live first!

Madman: 「To soil your back with dirt. What an eyesore.」

The warrior raised one eyebrow.

In short, the facial expression was, um, maybe it’s time to stop this already?

There’s always an old-timer in every field. Compared to other fields, the proportion of old-timers in martial arts was exceptionally high. According to the old-timer studies, Diving and Riding Waves is a disgrace to a warrior, something worth being ridiculed for about 12 years with comments like ‘That guy, despite being an expert, used Diving and Riding Waves!’. Typical of warriors who live by the motto of form over substance.

“Anyway, there’s no one watching, so what does it matter! Besides, I’m a member of the Demonic Cult!”

Madman: 「I don’t know what the Demonic Cult is, but my interest has cooled. No, on the contrary, it might be said that my interest has piqued. After seeing your evasion technique just now, the last bit of obsession in my heart has cooled off. Like a fisherman trying to catch fish with a harpoon, I will simply cut you down with the single-minded intention of slaughter.」

“This fight is unfair!”

Whoosh! Whoooosh!

Every time the warrior swung his sword, effect sounds were drawn in an agile font. Left? Right? It’s impossible to tell where the blade is aiming.

Let’s say I can distinguish between left and right to some extent. But even if it’s [left], when you combine up and down, it’s a whopping 180 degrees! Is the sword coming down from 11 o’clock direction, or is it slicing from the 11:30 direction? It was almost impossible to discern such minute differences!

“Damn it! It’s do or die now!”

I prefer using delicate and sophisticated swordsmanship. However, right now, I can’t finely discern the enemy’s attack path, nor can I strike precisely. What to do! I have no choice but to push through with power!

+

Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.

Eighth Form.

Sword of Incineration.

+

I sprang up from the ground and immediately unleashed the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art. Sword of Incineration. As the technique name suggests, it’s a martial art that swings the sword in succession. And I smashed aura into the sword path instead of a sword.

Brutally!

Madman: 「……!」

The warrior hurriedly maneuvered his sword to block my attack.

Clang! Claaaang!

The sword paths simultaneously rushed in and constricted the warrior. It was a quantity attack! Since I couldn’t hit precisely anyway, I might as well bombard him brutally!

Out of the seven-pronged attack that rushed in, four completely missed their mark, two were perfectly blocked by the warrior’s sword, but the last one pressed down right in the center of the warrior’s sword. Just as I aimed.

Chaaaaang!

The sword the warrior was holding shattered into pieces. No matter how amazing the sword he was wielding, once it was overwhelmed by the pressure of the aura, the sword was no more than a piece of scrap metal.

The warrior raised both eyebrows, yes, with a surprisingly hard-to-recognize and frankly, an expression I didn’t particularly want to recognize, in astonishment.

Madman: 「……To have a connection with the Sword Emperor. It seems it’s not just a vague connection. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a violent sword qi. No, it’s the first time since the Sword Emperor. 」

The warrior seemed to reevaluate me in his mind.

Madman: 「At least, I can’t treat you as a mere foot soldier who uses Diving and Riding Waves anymore.」

“I, if you recognize me now, that’s enough….”

Of course, I was thrilled.

The entire exchange was purely a violence of aura. To put it in analogy, it was like flailing both arms blindly, not knowing where the opponent, whose eyes are covered, would strike. Truly reckless.

Of course, I’d win if we fight. But fighting in such a way itself is stressful, stress! The act of exchanging swords on a two-dimensional plane is just too unfamiliar!

“Well, hope you saw that. I am the one who is expected to dominate the tower after the Sword Emperor. The very Death King. In other words, an opponent you wouldn’t be ashamed to surrender to. Now, just quietly raise the white flag…”

Madman: 「However, I still have 712 swords left.」

“What?”

As I’ve mentioned before, the horizon of this world was marked with a single line. But in this place, known as the base of the ‘mad warrior’ as the villagers spoke of in fear, this area alone had lines sprouting up like sharp bristles on top of the line.

In other words.

ㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗㅗ

Those densely packed like a reed field were all swords stuck in the ground.

Madman: 「Since the day I was defeated by the Sword Emperor, I’ve realized that no matter how hard I try, I could never surpass him with my sword qi. In other words. No matter how legendary the sword I acquire, it’s evident that it would crumble before the Sword Emperor’s mighty qi.」

The warrior stretched out his right hand.

Madman: 「No matter how much sword qi I infuse, my sword cannot withstand the Sword Emperor. No, then, what about a reversal of thinking? Using up one sword per attack, one sword per defense, consuming one at a time wouldn’t be a problem, right? Even if my sword qi is weak, if it’s a sword used only for a single purpose, I can certainly handle it.」

Swoosh.

A sword, waiting only to fulfill its role, was drawn from the ground.

The sheath was still half-buried in the earth, but the blade was now freed in the warrior’s hand.

Madman: 「There are 712 bouts ahead.」

“…….”

Madman: 「You have to defeat me within 712 bouts, Hunter.」

Before the word “Hunter” was fully out, I had already begun my move.

Dash!

I kicked off the ground. The warrior’s eyes widened again. Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to counterattack without warning. Maybe he had been somewhat reassured by my frivolous actions and manner of speaking.

But both Diving and Riding Waves and a surprise attack are ultimately driven by the determination to win. Frivolousness and pettiness, there is no difference between them to me. Since I’ve confirmed that the opponent has no intention of surrendering, the only thing left is the battle.

+

Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.

First Form.

Sword of Starvation.

+

Ryugeom (流劍) is the flowing sword. (ED: 流劍 is the part of 韻死流劍 which is Sword of Starvation and individually Ryugeom (流劍) mean Flowing sword. )

The attacks flow like water, hence Ryugeom, and from the tip of the blade to the end of the hilt, it’s completely controlled, making it Ryugeom. I concentrate all senses of the sword body in my palm. I control the flow. In common terms, it’s about skillfully handling the sword without any slip-ups.

I swung the flow gathered in my palm horizontally, slicing through expansively.

Madman: 「Hmm!」

My sword strike, imbued with aura and stretching horizontally across the land to the right, kept flying to the right, cutting down all the interfering swords in its path.

Like an invisible hand swiftly reaping the rice, all at once.

Thududududuk-

Just like rice heads falling, the swords cut by my aura soared into the air.

Madman: 「Indeed,」

The warrior too threw his sword. Chaaaang! A sharp metallic sound rang through the air. My sword path and the warrior’s blade collided midway, neutralizing each other.

It seemed like an even match at a glance. A draw. But already, out of the 711 swords stuck in the ground, 11 swords had been cut.

It must be a painful loss for the warrior.

Madman: 「So you’re playing it like that!」

“Yes. Well, that’s how I’m playing.”

I can always back off, recharge my aura, and come back again.

But what about the warrior? In this land, where east-west trade has been cut off and all the villagers fear to approach, who would come with a sword in hand?

The 11 swords that the warrior just lost cannot be replenished in a short amount of time.

Madman: 「Despicable! Petty!」

“In essence, you’re saying that the way I play the game is crappy, which I’ll take as a compliment. Anyway, now there are 700 swords left. Assuming 10 swords are used up per bout, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a long fight.”

Madman: 「As you wish!」

The warrior drew another sword.

Madman: 「I’ll finish this in a short battle!」

And he charged at me. Whoosh! Wind effect sounds were etched into the white world. The pressure was immense. Is this what full speed feels like?

“No.”

Towards the opponent charging at me as if igniting his entire body, I neither showed respect nor joined in with a cheer. I just quickly moved my feet and leaped backward.

Madman: 「What!」

“I won’t fall for such shallow tricks.”

The warrior pursued me. While chasing, he launched his sword. Chiang! When I swung the holy sword to block, the warrior pulled out swords from the ground in succession and threw them at me. Chang! Kaang! Chaaang, the metallic sounds clashed six times in a moment.

There was no seventh sword thrown.

Madman: 「……!」

The warrior hesitated, stopped in his tracks, and ceased his pursuit.

“The reason you settled here and defeated everyone who passed by wasn’t just out of consideration in case the Sword Emperor lost his way, was it?”

Where the warrior stopped.

That place was a no-sword zone, where no more swords were buried. It was a safe zone where the sword graveyard ended, and the flat horizon continued.

“You take every passerby’s sword and lay it on the ground, turning this area into your territory. In other words, it’s a trap. To lure the Sword Emperor, who might revisit this place someday, and trap him in a sword hell.”

I spoke leisurely.

“But, conversely, it means you can’t escape from the sword graveyard. The moment you do, you lose your card against my aura. Hmm. The phrase self-entrapment applies here.”

Madman: 「You bastard.」

“You deliberately provoked me with harsh words, didn’t you? Like saying [I’ll finish this in a short battle as you wish]. You schemed to evoke my competitive spirit. Sorry, but although I often hear that I’m a fool, I’m also known for annoyingly distinguishing between competitiveness and foolishness.”

I imbued my holy sword with aura.

“And now, I’m going to do something even more regrettable to you.”

Madman: 「What……」

“Like this.”

Unsheathing the sword.

Madman: 「……! Kuh!」

Again, the Sword of Starvation.

The warrior blocked the aura I fired with the sword he was holding.

It can’t be helped. If left alone, dozens of swords would fly. If I shoot my aura horizontally, the warrior has no choice but to consume one sword to defend.

“Are there 693 swords left now?”

As mentioned, he can’t charge at me with a sword drawn. This place is a safe zone. It’s safe for me but deadly for the warrior.

“Let’s end this quickly.”

Ultimately, at the starting point of the sword graveyard, the warrior must continue to block my attacks.

If he retreats? My aura reaps the swords like rice in harvest season.

If he charges forward? After one exchange, the sword breaks, and he loses. In the safe zone, there are no swords for the warrior to replenish.

A dilemma.

Sorry to say it again, but the warrior has no sharp strategy other than dying of dehydration from blocking my continuous aura attacks.

Literally dying of thirst. Slowly. From 600 swords to 300, from 300 to 100, and finally, from 100 to zero.

Madman: 「Aren’t you ashamed! With your level, your swordsmanship must be excellent. No, your true skill must be in swordsmanship. Then, shouldn’t we be crossing swords here to determine the superior?」

“Ah, yes. But if we cross swords, I feel like I’d die by a blind stroke…”

I showed an expression of difficulty.

In essence, I made a (⌓⌓ω⌓⌓) face.

Non-standing characters.

I simply expressed my feelings not through characters but as they truly are.

“Competing might be fine, but it’s only truly good when I win, right? Or when there’s a 90% chance I’ll win. I’m already not used to this world, finding it rather cumbersome, and losing not due to lack of skill but because of stage gimmicks is a bit… well, not right… Ah, now 690 swords left.”

Madman: 「Ugh!」

“689 swords.”

I continued to launch the Sword of Starvation. Maybe I’ll run out of aura along the way. So what? If it runs out, I’ll go back to the village, take a good rest, and then come back to decimate the warrior’s swords with a fresh start and renewed determination.

A perfect plan.

“685 swords.”

Madman: 「Damn it…!」

“680 swords.”

Madman: 「This is absurd…!」

With every sword that broke, the warrior took a step back.

ㅗㅗㅗ turned into —ㅗㅗ, and then it changed to ——ㅗ.

Someday, the entire sword graveyard will likely become flat, forming a ——.

It’s only a matter of time.

Madman: 「This can’t be happening. My efforts, my blood and sweat, can’t end in such a petty manner!」

“Setting up a fortress here and taking down anyone who passes by is petty, isn’t it?”

Madman: 「That was legitimate preparation!」

“Then this is a legitimate response!”

The sword graveyard rapidly narrowed. The original count of 700 swords decreased to 500, and the warrior glared at me, panting heavily.

Madman: 「Huff… Hoo, hoo huff…」

It wasn’t physical exhaustion that wearied him.

There’s no way out. No brilliant strategy. He is inevitably being pushed towards his end, according to the scenario I created. Such a resignation-like mentality is what caused the warrior to feel fatigue.

And then, an explosion occurred.

Madman: 「Woahhh!!」

The madman stamped his foot. That kick was preceded by swords embedded around him flying towards me, like arrows slicing through the air alone.

No, they were actually countless arrows flying horizontally towards me.

“Haah!”

I swung my sword vertically up, then down again, repeating the action and layering aura over aura to create a massive wall.

■

■

■

The stick figure, that is, the warrior charged at the wall I created.

Barrages created by the thrown swords, followed by the warrior’s sword, exploded.

Bang…!

A flurry of hits ensued.

Bang…! Bang, kabang…!

The warrior didn’t just use his sword. He unleashed every form of violence a stick figure could show against the wall I created, from punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, headbutts, to palm strikes. He vomited them out.

He poured it all out.

And then, he was depleted.

Madman: 「Ugh…」

Finally, the madman knelt down.

The wall I created remained unbroken.

■

■

■ OTL

“The match, is decided.”

I said. My speech bubble probably appeared noticeably slower than before, as if the message speed was set to the lowest setting.

Maintaining the wall had also cost me a considerable amount of energy. But anyway, I was standing, and the warrior was kneeling. It was clear who had won and who had lost.

Madman: 「Damn it! Damn…」

The warrior didn’t object. He just spat out curses.

So, what remained was the victor’s rights.

I said.

“Now, you’ll have to answer my questions.”

*****