Chapter 29 - Getting Serious

"Creating them? I just tweaked my swordsmanship a little." Limon answered calmly, as though wondering what all the fuss was about. But Lee Cheon-gi couldn't accept that.

"How can you call this a little tweaking?"

"What's the problem? If you stole my swordsmanship, you should be able to do this much yourself."

That was absurd. Having acquired the Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword through 『Technique Acquisition』, Lee knew better than anyone. Limon's revisions weren't improvised changes to a few sword forms. They were vicious counters, built on a reinterpretation of the Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword from its very foundations, calculated to take an opponent's head the instant they charged in certain of victory. They were so polished that even Lee would have died several times without 『Future Foresight』.

That was why he could say with certainty that it was utterly beyond him. Even if he devoted the rest of his life to refining swordsmanship, he would never create so much as one counter form. That was how perfect the Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword was.

"If you've got time to talk, swing your sword properly. Don't give me some bullshit later about letting your guard down."

Yet the man who had revised that supposedly perfect swordsmanship dozens of times in the blink of an eye didn't so much as raise an eyebrow. As if daring Lee to steal another look, Limon simply kept attacking.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

"Ghk...!"

In the end, Lee had no choice but to meet Limon's sword and use 『Technique Acquisition』. The swordsmanship he stole would soon be countered, but without stealing even that much, he had no way to withstand the terrifying pace at which Limon created new styles.

[Acquiring 『Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword Version 4.3』...]

[Acquiring 『Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword Version 7.1... 11.5... 19.8』...]

[System error, error code xi111a0o44...]

CLANG, CLANG! CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

It was a strange fight indeed. Both used the same swordsmanship, yet its very essence changed without cease: clean precision broke through insight, dazzling complexity overwhelmed simplicity, brute force cut through intricacy, and blistering speed outstripped slowness. Neither could afford to stop for even a moment. They used the same swordsmanship... no, precisely because they did, whoever fell behind would be crushed.

This was no mere sword duel, but a struggle. One created swordsmanship. The other stole it. Again and again, from opposite directions, they tried to leave each other behind or catch up—a terrifyingly pure contest of skill.

SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!

Ordinarily, such a contest would be impossible. Creating new techniques and stealing them to learn for oneself were both tasks that would normally take an immense amount of time—years might not be enough. The fact that this fight was possible at all showed just how absurdly powerful Limon's skill and Lee's 『Technique Acquisition』 were.

And it was obvious who had the advantage. Stealing was far easier and more efficient than creating, just as using skills was easier than going without them. Yet as the fight went on, it was Lee who found himself increasingly cornered.

CLANG!

'I'm at my limit.' Lee swung his sword with a sweat-soaked hand and knocked Limon's blade away. He couldn't keep up any longer.

At first, he too had been sure of his advantage. All he had to do was use a skill, while Limon had to invent new swordsmanship at every turn—swordsmanship capable of overwhelming every style Lee had stolen before it. Limon was only human; he had to have a limit. Lee had believed that if he could just hold out, Limon would eventually destroy himself. But the system messages appearing before his eyes again and again showed him how hollow that hope had been.

[『Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword Version 93.7... 102.3... 142.1]

[System error, error code xi111a0o44...]

[System error, system error...]

The version numbers soared like a game churning out pointless patches just to fleece its users. Error messages filled most of his vision, and the pressure mounted rapidly. It all meant just one thing. 'He's getting faster!' Far from burning himself out, Limon was picking up speed with every exchange.

He had grown so fast that using 『Technique Acquisition』 was becoming pointless. To activate it, Lee had to accumulate a minimum amount of experience through fighting, but Limon was creating new swordsmanship before Lee could meet that requirement. His opponent was racing ahead like a runaway train while he himself was stagnating. He couldn't hold out much longer.

"... I have no choice."

That was why Lee abandoned the contest. It did not, however, mean he was admitting defeat.

"From now on, I'll fight you in earnest."

"What's with that 'I've been hiding my true power' bullshit? Don't tell me you've been going easy on me."

"No. I mean I'm willing to set aside my pride to beat you."

Limon sneered, as if to ask what kind of nonsense Lee was spouting after falling so hopelessly behind in their contest. Lee didn't waver. His face as cold as it had been at the start, he spoke quietly.

"『Emergency Evasion』."

Limon's brow twitched. Just as he was about to cut Lee down, Lee's body vanished for an instant and reappeared. But that was only the beginning.

"『Enhanced Technique』, 『Instant Acceleration』, 『Weapon Enhancement』, 『Giant's Strength』."

His swordsmanship grew sharper. His blade moved faster. A bright glow suffused his treasured sword. Muscles swelled beneath his armor as if they might burst. Having strengthened himself with skill after skill, he brought his sword down like a thunderbolt.

"『Supreme Power Strike』."

BOOOOM!!!

The blow carried force on an entirely different scale from anything before, enough to crush a mountain. Limon deftly angled his blade, guiding the strike away and driving it into the ground, then asked quietly:

"What kind of game are you playing?"

"I told you I'd give this my all."

"So you can't beat me with swordsmanship alone, and now you're throwing every skill you've got at me?"

"You've earned that much."

To Lee, it was the highest praise: an acknowledgment that Limon was a fighter on his level. In this Iron Age, when Monarchs reigned supreme, it was an honor worth boasting of for generations.

"... I've told you more than once."

But Limon wasn't pleased in the slightest. His voice strangely languid and subdued, he snapped back.

"Save that bullshit until after you've beaten me, you presumptuous little shit."

"If that's what you want, I will."

Lee didn't hold back. As promised, he used his skills freely.

With 『Half-Baked Clone』, he summoned a double that couldn't use skills but had eighty percent of his stats. 『Stamina Recovery』 restored vigor to his exhausted body. 『Reflective Armor』 wrapped him in a barrier that reflected damage, while 『Shadow Blade』 gave his sword an additional strike. Then came 『Future Foresight』, 『Berserk』, 『Cool Head』, 『Iron Man』, 『Third Hand』, and more. Strengthened by layer upon layer of skills, he swung his sword in a relentless assault.

CLANG, CLANG-CLANG, CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

Two bodies now instead of one. Vastly enhanced stats. An array of special abilities and added effects. Wreathed in countless skills, Lee attacked like a calamity in human form. His momentum was overwhelming, as though he would mercilessly lay waste to anything in his path. It was hard to imagine he had been on the defensive moments ago.

That was only natural. He was the Infinite Monarch, ruler of infinite skills. Until now, pride and the desire to acquire as many techniques as possible had kept him fighting with swordsmanship alone. Combining a multitude of skills like this was his true fighting style—the way he brought his real power as a Monarch to bear.

'This time, it's over.' Perhaps it was thanks to his extraordinary swordsmanship that Limon held firm against the tremendous onslaught with only a single sword. It was a sight to marvel at. But Lee was certain it was only a matter of time.

'Limon Aspelder, you made a mistake.' An ant couldn't bring down an elephant, no matter how sharp its teeth. However brilliant Limon's swordsmanship, it could not stand against Lee fighting in earnest. The gap between their stats had been overwhelming from the beginning—especially now.

'You should never have given me the chance to acquire your swordsmanship in the first place.' Before Lee acquired the Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword, Limon might have had a chance. But not anymore. Even though Lee had eventually been unable to keep pace, repeatedly acquiring the swordsmanship until then had made him frighteningly stronger. The boost to his stats alone was severalfold. Add the improvement in his skill, and it was no exaggeration to say he was more than twice as strong as when the fight began. And Limon, who had fought him on such even terms from before Lee acquired the Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword until now, couldn't possibly beat him...

'...Even terms?' A chill ran down Lee's spine. 'From the beginning until now, the whole time?' Something felt wrong.

When he had fought using only skills, before he'd acquired the Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword, and throughout their contest of creating and stealing swordsmanship, his fights with Limon had remained on a knife-edge. Until now, Lee hadn't found that strange. He hadn't been fighting at full strength to begin with, and he'd deliberately kept the fight close to acquire the Demon-Cleaving Dragon-Slaying Sword. But after acquiring it? When he had been frantic just trying to keep up with Limon's swordsmanship, had he still been holding back? Impossible. His stats had surged as he stole more swordsmanship, but against Limon, who was creating new styles at a furious pace, he had no room to moderate his strength. And yet the balance between them had never broken.

'How is that possible?' A fight balanced so precariously that a single misstep meant instant death should have been almost impossible to sustain. There were only two ways it could happen: their abilities were miraculously equal, or one of them was deliberately matching the other's level. That was why Lee had thought he could shatter the balance the moment he got serious. He had believed he was the one maintaining it. But... what if he was wrong? What if he had never been the one controlling the fight?

"What's wrong?"

At the sound of that even voice, Lee looked at Limon and realized something for the first time.

"You said you were going to give it your all."

Throughout the fight, Limon had ranted, cursed, and sneered with apparent excitement. But for all that passion, his golden eyes had never wavered. They had remained cold and calm the entire time.

"Then show me what you can really do. How long are you planning to keep feeling me out?"

And there was one more thing. Lee had long since been drenched in sweat, yet not a single drop ran down the face of the man who had been fighting him so closely.

"Or..."

Lee's face went rigid. Watching him, Limon smiled coldly.

"Shall I show you first?"