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Admiration for the opponent’s martial prowess involuntarily arose in him.

“… At this point, it’s hard to blame the viscount’s guards.”

The sight of scattered chain arrows and torn metal nets made the situation clear. The Tenes Knights had surely arranged their formation properly and exerted their full strength against the intruders. Yet, they were overwhelmed. Naturally, the viscount’s soldiers, who were ordinary men on any other day, stood no chance.

“Who exactly is it?”

Amidst his suspicion, Eusus looked straight ahead. A man in black robes and a black mask silently glared at him.

The man had a robust build. Although Eusus was not one to be outdone in stature anywhere he went, compared to this man, he seemed a couple of fists smaller. Moreover, it wasn’t just about the size. The man’s body seemed remarkably well-trained, evident even through his clothes.

Such skill indicated that the man could not be nameless. Either he himself held considerable fame, or he was definitely the descendant of someone significantly renowned.

Pointing his sword, Eusus spoke, “Your skills are too excessive for just hopping over someone’s wall in the middle of the night.”

Repenhardt replied with a bitter voice, “Ah, there’s a bit of a situation.”

Eusus’s expression hardened even more. The voice was quite young. At most, not older than himself. Could someone of such a young age possess this level of skill?

His wariness towards the identity of his opponent only intensified. Clutching his sword Eldran more firmly, Eusus muttered coldly.

“That situation, I’ll have to hear it out later.”

Yes, later. After binding him tightly with thick chains and locking him up in a strict prison.

An invisible fighting spirit slowly rose behind Repenhardt as well.

“Sorry, but let’s postpone our chat a bit longer.”

The gazes of the two intersected in the air, intertwining their fighting spirits and emitting a powerful aura. In the silent tension, as if a violent explosion was imminent, a sinister heat rose like a mirage. Everyone held their breath and watched this moment.

“Clash!”

“Ha!”

Without a clear initiator, both men simultaneously kicked off the ground and collided in midair.

Gym Unbreakable’s teachings were all about taking the initiative to win; if something seemed even remotely uncertain, his master’s advice was to charge in first. In Repenhardt’s view, Eusus von Tenes’s abilities were ambiguous enough to warrant such an approach, so naturally, he lunged forward first.

However, the issue was that the von Tenes family also deeply believed in the principle of seizing the initiative.

Just as he launched his attack, the opponent rushed in too, leaving both Eusus and Repenhardt momentarily taken aback. A slash and a straight punch flew towards each other’s vital spots in what was a blatantly reckless attack, essentially a ‘kill or be killed’ situation.

“Eugh!”

“Damn it!”

Repenhardt hastily twisted his body in midair, pulling back his punch while dodging the slash. Eusus, equally surprised, withdrew his sword and moved out of the punch’s trajectory. It was as if they had synchronized their actions.

From a spectator’s perspective, the scene turned somewhat comedic. They had charged at each other as if to kill, only to suddenly dodge and retreat at the last moment—both of them, simultaneously!

“…What is Eusus doing?”

“…And why is that thief acting like that?”

With his sword withdrawn, Eusus created some distance between them. The murmuring of his subordinates from behind made his face burn with embarrassment. The opponent seemed to feel the same way; the eyes visible through the mask showed evident embarrassment.

Both let out a snicker towards each other.

“It’s gotten complicated.”

“It has indeed.”

This was certainly not the time for a friendly sparring session, exchanging warm gazes. Eusus hardened his expression again and focused, shouting out.

“I become the shadow of the abyss and roar!”

From beneath Eusus’s feet, a black shadow rose, turning into three blade-like projections that lunged at Repenhardt.

‘Howling Shadow, huh.’

Repenhardt, recognizing the magic instantly, took a step back to create distance, then spun around. Ignoring the shadow blades, he attempted a surface kick, which instead swept the ground in front of him, stirring up a mound of dirt and deeply gouging the earth. The soldiers of the Viscount’s family were momentarily puzzled.

‘What is he doing, digging the ground all of a sudden?’

Just then, the flying black shadow got caught in the disturbed ground and flew off in an unexpected direction. Eusus frowned.

‘How did he know the weakness of Howling Shadow?’

The magical shadow blades had merged with the new darkness created by Repenhardt, deviating from their intended target. Executing that in the blink of an eye? Apart from martial skills, this would be impossible without substantial knowledge of magic.

Eusus exclaimed in admiration as he swung his sword down.

“You’re quite adept at dealing with magic!”

Dodging the strike with steps to the left and right, Repenhardt replied nonchalantly.

“Well, it’s pretty much common knowledge.”

Continuously evading, he immediately counterattacked with a kick. The counterattack came at such a perfect moment that there was no way to avoid it. In desperation, Eusus crouched to take the kick, trusting in the defensive power of his armor, Eldrad. The opponent’s middle kick struck hard on the torso armor of Eusus.

Boom!

“Argh!”

A groan escaped. It felt as though the shock was piercing through his entire body. His insides churned, feeling as though something was about to burst out from his stomach. Despite bracing himself for the impact, the shock was no joke.

‘To think it would have such destructive power even though I took it on the armor!’

Still, thanks to that, he didn’t lose his balance. Swinging his sword horizontally, Eusus slashed at Repenhardt’s waist and shouted in succession.

“Wind, become an arrow! Heatwave, coalesce and strike the enemy!”

Aero Blast and Fire Ball materialized and flew towards Repenhardt from both sides. Repenhardt deflected the Aero Blast with his arm and struck down the Fire Ball with his sword, blocking all incoming magic. Seizing the moment, Eusus lunged forward.

“Awaken, Eldran!”

Utilizing the momentum of his leap, Eusus charged his sword and struck down directly on Repenhardt’s crown. The moment Repenhardt sensed the oscillating magical patterns on the surging golden blade, he was horrified.

‘Material Destroy? Such high-level magic can be activated?’

Eldrad being one of the strongest relics from the Silver Age wasn’t an exaggeration after all! He turned pale and leaped backward. No matter how much his body was tempered like steel, this worst destructive spell that disperses material bonds could turn even steel into sand. Defending against it would mean a direct journey to the afterlife!

Swoosh!

The blade narrowly missed Repenhardt’s chest and sliced through the air. The magic imbued in the sword struck the ground, causing an explosive sound to resonate.

“Ugh…”

Through the swirling sands, the figure of his opponent was blurred and barely visible. Eusus von Tenes clicked his tongue as he readjusted his stance. The evasion he had just witnessed was so fast that it was almost invisible to the naked eye. For Eusus, who had enhanced his dynamic vision to superhuman levels through magic, to miss such speed, there could only be one explanation.

‘… An Aura wielder?’

Repenhardt, having retreated, burst forward again with a speed reminiscent of a shot arrow, closing the distance in an instant. Eusus, recognizing the urgency, quickly cast a spell.

“Breath of Corrosion, flow through the void!”

A mist rose up like that of a rugged landscape, enveloping Repenhardt. The spell was a setup for a strike with a reinforced blade, aiming for a weak point, but Repenhardt suddenly leapt, spinning and kicking through the air repeatedly with such ferocity that the sheer wind pressure dispersed the mist in all directions.

“Taah!”

Breaking through the ‘Mist of Acid,’ Repenhardt reached right in front of Eusus. Stepping forward, he drove his fist deep. Eusus, caught off-guard while preparing for a follow-up attack, had no chance to dodge. A direct hit to the solar plexus sent him flying back more than five meters.

“Ugh!”

Despite being reinforced above Eldrad’s standards, the impact was enough to damage his internals. Swallowing blood forcibly, Eusus barely managed to regain his balance. Seizing the moment, Repenhardt launched a relentless assault, spinning and delivering a barrage of kicks, driving Eusus back.

“Taaah!”

Eusus tried to retaliate with his sword, but it was no easy feat. His opponent was expertly targeting his blind spots, continuously jabbing with punches and kicks. Expletives flew from his mouth involuntarily.

‘Damn! How can he be so fast!’

Moving side to side, trying to evade, it seemed as if he was facing clones of his opponent, such was the speed. Even after pushing his body to the limits with Eldrad enhancement, he couldn’t keep up.

It was clear! This man was an Aura wielder!

‘No! What would an Aura wielder want, skulking around in the dead of night!’

Grinding his teeth, Eusus fortified his defensive stance. Swinging his sword widely would only allow his opponent to get closer, so his only option was to position the blade to block the attacks.

Eusus, who had been steadily pushed back, finally allowed his opponent’s fist to strike his abdomen.

“Argh!”

It was a punch so powerful that the defensive magic cast by Eldrad shattered momentarily. Eusus’s body was lifted into the air. The pain made him widen his eyes, and he was momentarily deluded into thinking a hole had been punched through his stomach.

‘It hit!’

Repenhardt, wearing a triumphant expression, launched his body forward. Although he struck over the armor, Gym Unbreakable had techniques to deliver impact through armor. He was certain he had properly transmitted the shock through the feel in his hand.

At that moment, Eusus mustered his remaining strength and recited the promised spell.

“The King of Winter, cover the world!”

A blizzard arose, beginning to freeze Repenhardt’s limbs. Of course, his well-trained body would not easily succumb to frostbite, but the instant freezing slowed his movements unavoidably. While Repenhardt was breaking the ice clinging to him with brute strength, Eusus recited another prepared spell.

“Unyielding strength, rise anew!”

Magical runes on the surface of Eldrad glowed. Healing magic activated, starting to heal his internal injuries. In a moment, Eusus’s complexion returned to its original color. Watching Eusus regain his stance, Repenhardt clenched his teeth. To have seized the momentum only to lose it!

“Tch…”

Catching his breath, Eusus pointed his sword and calmly spoke.

“I do not understand why someone as capable as an Aura User would resort to such actions.”

Despite being pushed back repeatedly, there was no sign of defeat in Eusus’s eyes.

Until now, he hadn’t properly gauged his opponent’s strength, contributing to his setbacks. No matter how much power he possessed to rival that of an Aura User, he ultimately wasn’t one. He lacked the ability to instantly assess an opponent’s skill and respond appropriately with just his senses.

But now, it was different. Assuming his opponent was an Aura User, he would adapt a suitable countermeasure!

Eusus declared with a murderous intent.

“The sword of Tenes is second to none, even without Aura!”