SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 353: The White End (4)

“Aaaaaaaaah! Someone save me!”

Unsure how to block, I reached the conclusion of throwing myself down on the ground. This move, called the Lazy Donkey Roll, dodged the enemy’s attacks. The name was poetic, but I was just rolling on the ground. Survival was my top priority!

ヽ(:3ﾉ ヽ)ﾉ

Madman: You got dirt on your back. How pathetic.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow. His face looked like... Maybe I should stop talking about emoticons. Anyhow, every field had its boomers. Martial arts, however, had an unusually high number of them. According to the martial arts boomerology, using the Lazy Donkey Roll was shameful. Anyone who used it would be laughed at for years for it. It was typical of martial artists who lived or died on flair.

“No one’s watching, so what? Besides, I’m from a demonic cult!”

Madman: I don’t know what a demonic cult is, but I’m no longer interested. Perhaps it’s more apt to say that my blood is boiling even more. After seeing the move you just pulled, the last bit of my lingering desire to end this duel honorably has disappeared. I’ll just attack you so I can slaughter you.

“This fight is unfair!”

[Woosh!]

[Swish!]

A sharp sound effect appeared every time the swordsman swung his sword. Left? Right? I had no idea where he was pointing his sword. Even if I could tell left from right, I still had 180 degrees left to distinguish! Was the sword coming down from the 11 o’clock position or the 11:30 position? It was almost impossible to tell the difference!

“Shit! I don’t know anymore!”

My usual preference in a fight was making fine and precise sword moves. However, I couldn’t predict my enemy’s attack routes, nor could I aim with precision right now. What else could I do? I had to push forward with brute force.

Demonic Heaven Arts.

Eighth Form:

Fire Death.

I leapt in the air and immediately used Fire Death. This form was all about swinging a sword consecutively. As I launched my strikes and carved an attack route for myself, I infused an insane amount of aura into my sword so I could bulldoze right through!

Madman: !

The warrior swung his sword quickly to block my strike.

Claaaang! Clang!

My sword strikes rushed in and surrounded the swordsman! Since I couldn’t land precise strikes, I chose to hit him with blunt force and sheer number of strikes. Of my seven blades, four missed, two were blocked, and the last struck the center of his sword. All according to plan!

Claaaaaang!

The swordsman’s sword shattered. No matter how strong a weapon was, it was as fragile as glass under the pressure of aura. Although his expression was hard to read, the swordsman raised both his eyebrows, looking surprised.

Madman: You did say you’re the Sword Emperor’s student. It seems that you weren’t lying. It’s been quite a while—no, this is the first time I’ve faced such a violent aura after the Sword Emperor.

It seemed I had redeemed myself in the eyes of the swordsman.

Madman: At least I can’t treat you like an amateur who uses the Lazy Donkey Roll.

“N-now, that’s enough...”

In all honesty, I was terrified. The exchange of attacks just now was a violence of aura. It was like fighting a bull head-on, or trying to block an opponent charging at me by swinging my arms wildly while blindfolded. Yeah, I could still win, but fighting like this alone was so stressful! Very, very stressful! Exchanging sword strikes in a two-dimensional space felt too strange and foreign!

“Y-yes, you have good eyes. I’m the Death King, the Hunter expected to reach the highest floor of the Tower after the Sword Emperor. That means you shouldn’t be ashamed to surrender to me, so why don’t you—”

Madman: But I still have 712 swords left.

“What?”

Like I said, the ground of this world was usually marked by ━. However, this area, the fort of the Mad Swordsman that the residents spoke of in fear, was an exception. Around here, straight lines sprouted from the ground like bristled animals.

┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻

As mentioned earlier, those lines resembling thick reeds were all swords embedded in the ground.

Madman: After the Sword Emperor defeated me, I realized that no amount of effort would make me better than him when it comes to aura mastery. Even if I got the best sword, it would break under the Sword Emperor’s reinforced aura.

The swordsman extended his right hand.

Madman: No matter how much aura I poured into my sword, it can’t withstand the Sword Emperor’s, but what if I think of it the other way around? Even if my aura is weak, I can treat my swords as disposable and use one sword for each strike and another for each guard, throwing them away one after one. Then there would be no issue.

Swoosh.

A sword that had been stuck in the ground, waiting to be used, was pulled out. The scabbard was still half buried in the ground, but the sword was now free in the warrior’s hand.

Madman: There are 712 swords left. You’ll have to defeat me in less than 712 strikes, Hunter.

Before he could even finish his sentence, I charged.

[Tap!]

The swordsman’s eyes widened again. Perhaps he was somewhat reassured by my light behavior and tone and didn't expect me to counter so fast.

After all, the Lazy Donkey Roll and all kinds of ambush techniques were a result of one’s determination to win. Whether it be light or crafty, there was no difference. Now that I had confirmation that the swordsman was not going to surrender at all, the only thing left was to settle the duel.

Demonic Heaven Arts.

First Form:

Starvation Death.

The attacks of Starvation Death flowed and connected to one another like water droplets. During this form, I had perfect control of the sword, from the tip all the way to the hilt. I focused all my senses on the hilt in my palm, controlling the flow. In simple terms, it meant controlling the flow of my sword strikes. I spread the flow from my palm and slashed sideways.

Madman: Hmm!

My sword slash, infused with my aura, flew straight to the right, cutting through all the swords in its path. It was as if an invisible hand had swiftly reaped the rice. The swords, cut by my aura like rice heads, flew into the air.

Madman: I see.

The swordsman also threw down his sword.

Claaang!

A sharp metallic sound rang out. My sword and the madman’s met in the air, stopping each other. It looked like a draw, but among the 711 swords stuck in the ground, 11 had been destroyed. It would be a hard loss for the warrior.

Madman: Is that how you’re going to play?

“Yes, that’s right.”

I could always step back, recharge my aura, and return, but the swordsman couldn’t do the same. In this world, where trade between the east and west had been cut off and where all the residents feared to approach his fortress, who would dare come here with a sword? The eleven swords the warrior just lost couldn’t be replaced quickly.

Madman: That’s unfair! How cowardly!

“You’re basically saying that a gamer is playing in a fucked up way, but do you know that’s a praise for the gamers? You have about seven hundred swords left. Assuming ten are used per attack, I don’t think this fight will last long.”

Madman: As you wish! I’ll end this quickly!

The man drew his sword again, charging at me and engraving the sound effect of the wind throughout the White Realm.

[Whoosh!]

He gave off tremendous pressure. This was what it felt like to charge at full speed.

“No.”

Facing my opponent, who was rushing toward me as if his whole body were on fire, I didn’t show any respect, nor did I let out a yelp of surprise. I just leaped back quickly. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Madman: What?!

“I won’t fall for such a shallow trick."

The swordsman chased after me, continuing to swing his sword. I blocked all of his attacks.

[Clang!]

He then pulled more swords out of the ground and threw them at me.

[Clang! Screech! Clang!]

Six metallic sounds rang out at once. The seventh sword did not come.

Madman: !

Finally, the swordsman halted and put an end to the chase.

“The reason you settled down here and forbade people from passing wasn’t out of consideration for the Sword Emperor getting lost, is it?” I asked.

The place where the swordsman stopped just so happened to be out of reach of his hundreds of swords. With the graveyard of swords reaching its end, the flat ground stretched out in the other direction.

“You take all the swords from those who pass through here and bury them in the ground, making this area your domain and turning it into a trap. One day, you’ll lure the Sword Emperor back here and trap him in a field of swords. But that also means you can’t escape this graveyard of swords. The moment you try to escape, you’ll lose your only chance to counter my aura. Hmm. Your noose is really tight around your neck, isn’t it?”

Madman: You bastard...

“You intentionally used harsh words to provoke me, didn’t you? ‘As you wish! I’ll end this quickly!’ You wanted me to get hotheaded. I’ve been called a fool many times, but I’m also known for walking the tight rope between idiocy and level-headedness annoyingly well.” I infused my aura into the holy sword. “Now, I will do something that will make me feel more sorry for you.”

Madman: What?

“This.”

I drew my sword and used Starvation Death again.

Madman: Urgh!

The swordsman blocked the aura I fired. There was nothing else he could do. If he hadn’t blocked, many of his swords would have gone flying in pieces, but the swordsman still needed at least one sword to guard himself from the aura strike I had fired horizontally.

“693 swords are left now, right?”

He couldn’t draw his sword and charge at me either. Like I said, I was in a safe zone. What was safe for me was a death trap for the swordsman.

“Let’s end this quickly.”

In the end, the swordsman should keep blocking my blows at the starting edge of the sword graveyard. If he retreated, my aura strikes would destroy the swords like grain at harvest. Even if he chose to charge, one clash would obliterate his sword, and that would be his loss. There were no swords he could gain from the safe zone.

As such, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately for him, he had no choice but to tire himself out to death while blocking my endless attacks. Slowly the number of swords would drop from six hundred to three hundred, then to one hundred, and finally to zero.

Madman: Are you not ashamed? With your skill, your swordsmanship should be outstanding. No, scratch that. Your swordsmanship has to be your main strength. Should we not settle this by clashing blades?

“Ah, yes. But if we duel, I’m afraid I’ll die by a blind sword...” I said with a pout.

( •̀ ω •́ )

“Competing to see who is stronger is fine, but it’s good only when I win, right? Or when there’s a ninety percent chance I’ll win. Fighting is already a burden because I’m not familiar with how this world works, so losing because of the world’s mechanics instead of my skill is simply unfair. Ah, now there are 690 swords left,” I added on a sincere note.

Madman: Ugh!

“689 swords.”

I kept using Starvation Death. Maybe my aura would run out along the way, but who cared about that? If it did, I was going to return to town and rest. Then, with a clear mind, I would return and begin destroying the swordsman’s swords again. What a solid plan.

“685 swords.”

Madman: Damn it!

“680.”

Madman: Impossible!

Each time a sword broke, the swordsman took a step back. ┻┻┻ became ━┻┻, then ━━┻. Someday this entire grave of swords would become flat and form ━━━. Well, it was just a matter of time until that happened.

Madman: This cannot be possible! My effort, the blood and sweat I shed, can’t end in such a dishonorable way!

“So it’s not cowardly to barricade yourself here and build a fortress?”

Madman: It’s legitimate preparation!

“Then this is also a fair counter!”

The sword graveyard became smaller in no time. The seven hundred swords that had once stood there were now reduced to five hundred. The swordsman glared at me, breathing heavily, not just because his stamina was depleted. In reality, there was no way out. He could only be pushed toward the final destination according to the plan I had laid out for him. He was on the verge of giving up, causing his fatigue. Eventually, an explosion occurred.

Madman: Aaaaaaaah!

The madman leaped high. The impact of the leap sent the surrounding swords flying through the air. They cut through the sky like arrows... Well, they did look just like arrows flying sideways. I raised my sword straight up and struck down. I repeated this over and over again, layering my aura to form a large wall.

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The Mad Swordsman charged toward the wall I had made, his sword striking the aura barriers I had made.

Thud!

Thud, thud! Thud!

An incessant battering began. The swordsman didn’t just use his sword. He also used his fists, feet, elbows, knees, and head, as well as knifehand strikes—every form of violence known to man. He poured everything into the wall I had made until he exhausted himself.

Madman: Ugh...

Finally, the swordsman went down to his knees. The wall I had made didn’t break.

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“I believe our duel is over,” I said.

The text in my speech balloon appeared much slower than before, as if I had set the text speed to its lowest setting. Maintaining the wall had used up a lot of my strength. In any case, I was standing up, and the swordsman was on his knees. It was clear who had won and who had lost.

The swordsman didn’t object, only cursed.

Madman: Damn it! Shit...

“You’ll have to answer my questions from now on,” I said, using my right as the victor.