WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 353: The White Terminus (4)
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“Eeek!? Save Gong-Ja!”
In a situation where I didn't know which side to defend, the conclusion I reached was just a single one.
I bolted.
This technique of rolling on the ground to exquisitely dodge the enemy's fierce attacks is known as the Lazy Donkey Roll, but in more simple terms...
It was just rolling on the ground ヽ(:3ﾉヽ)ﾉ.
Why? What? I have to survive first!
Lunatic「To soil your back with dirt. How unsightly.」
The warrior raised one eyebrow.
In other words, their facial expression was, um, should we stop this now?
There are always old-timers in every field. Compared to other fields, martial arts had a particularly high proportion of such old-timers. According to old-timer studies, the Lazy Donkey Roll was considered a disgrace for a martial artist. They would say something like "that guy is a master yet he used the Lazy Donkey Roll!" and would ridicule the person for 12 years straight. It was typical of martial artists who uphold form over substance.
"Anyway, there's no one looking, so what does it matter! Plus, I'm from the Demonic Cult!"
Lunatic「I don't know what the Demonic Cult is, but my excitement has cooled down. No, on the contrary, it might be more accurate to say that my excitement has risen. After seeing your evasion just now, the last bit of obsession in my heart has cooled down. Like a fisherman trying to catch a fish with a harpoon, I'll just cut you down with the sole intention of slaughtering you.」
"This fight is unfair!"
Whooosh! Swaaash!
Every time the warrior swung their sword, sound effects were drawn in sleek fonts. Left? Right? I couldn't tell where the blade was aiming.
Let's say I can distinguish between left and right to some extent. But even if it's [left], including up and down, it's a whopping 180 degrees! Whether the sword was coming down from the 11 o'clock direction or slicing from the 11:30 direction, it was almost impossible to detect such a minute difference!
"Damn it! It's do or die!"
I prefer using delicate and precise swordsmanship. But now, I couldn't precisely identify the enemy's attack path, nor could I strike accurately myself. What to do?! I had no choice but to push through with force!
+
Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven.
The Eighth Form.
Sword of Burning Death.
+
I sprang up from the ground and immediately unleashed the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven. Sword of Burning Death. As the name yeongeom, or “continuous sword,” suggests, it is a martial art in which the sword is swung repeatedly. And instead of a blade, I recklessly hammered Aura into each sword path.
Brutally!
Lunatic「……!」
The warrior hurriedly wielded their sword to block my attack.
Clang! Claaang!
The sword paths rushed in simultaneously, closing around the warrior. It was an attack by sheer volume! If I could not strike precisely anyway, I might as well bombard them indiscriminately!
Out of the seven attacks that plunged in, four completely missed, 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.
Chaeeeeng!
The sword in the warrior's hand shattered into pieces. No matter how extraordinary a blade they carried, once it yielded to the pressure of Aura, it was no more than a pane of glass.
The warrior raised both their eyebrows, showing a surprised expression, albeit it was hard to recognize and wasn’t particularly desirable to recognize.
Lunatic「……To have a connection with the Sword Emperor. It seems it wasn't just a vague connection. Such a ferocious sword energy is truly something I haven't seen in a long time. No, it would be correct to say it's the first since the Sword Emperor.」
The warrior seemed to have reevaluated me internally.
Lunatic「At least, you can't be treated as a mere rabble who resorts to the Lazy Donkey Roll.」
"Well, now that you acknowledge me, that's enough...."
From my perspective, it was nerve-wracking.
The recent exchange was purely violence of Aura. It's like swinging your arms wildly, blinded, trying to block an attack whose path you don't know. It was truly reckless.
Sure, if we fight, I will win. But the very act of fighting like this is stressful! The act of exchanging swords on a 2D plane is too unfamiliar!
"Well, you've seen it. I am the one who is expected to conquer the top after the Sword Emperor. In other words, I'm the King of Death. It's not at all shameful for you to surrender. Now, just raise the white flag quietly...."
Lunatic「However, I still have 712 swords left.」
"What?"
As I mentioned before, the horizon of this world was represented by ━. But here, at the base of the “mad warrior” the terrified villagers had spoken of, straight lines rose from the horizon like bristling hairs throughout the surrounding area.
In other words.
┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻┻
All those densely packed things were swords stuck in the ground.
Lunatic「After the day I lost to the Sword Emperor, I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I could never surpass his sword aura with my own. In other words, even if I obtained the greatest blade under heaven, it would plainly crumble before the Sword Emperor's reinforced aura.」
The warrior extended their right hand.
Lunatic「No matter how much sword energy I infuse, my sword cannot withstand the Sword Emperor. But then, what about the opposite idea? If I use one sword per attack and another per defense, using one sword at a time, there's no problem, right? No matter how weak my sword energy is, if it's just a disposable sword for a single use, I can handle it.」
Ssshhhing.
One of the swords that had stood planted in the earth, waiting only to be called upon, was drawn.
The scabbard was still half-buried in the ground, but the blade was now freed in the warrior's hand.
Lunatic「We have 712 exchanges ahead of us.」
"......."
Lunatic「You must defeat me within 712 exchanges, Hunter.」
Before the word 'Hunter' even finished, I had already sprung into action.
Taat!
I kicked off the ground. The warrior's eyes widened again. Had they not expected me to launch a surprise counterattack without a word? Perhaps my frivolous behavior and manner of speech had put them somewhat at ease.
But whether it was the Lazy Donkey Roll or a surprise attack, in the end, it's all about the determination to win. Frivolity and pettiness, there's no difference to me. Now that I've confirmed the opponent has no intention of surrendering, all that's left is to fight.
+
Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven.
The First Form.
Sword of Starving Death.
+
Sword of Starving Death is a flowing sword.
It is called a flowing sword because one attack follows another like running water, and because the entire weapon, from the tip of the blade to the end of the hilt, is under complete control. I concentrate every sensation from the blade in my palm. I control the flow. In plain terms, I keep a tight rein on the sword so it never slips off course.
I swung the aura-charged blade broadly from side to side.
Lunatic「Hmm!」
My sword strike, filled with aura, flew horizontally to the right, continuously to the right, and in the process, it cut through any obstructing swords.
Like an invisible hand, swiftly cutting through rice stalks during harvest.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-
Like rice heads falling, the swords cut by my aura soared into the air.
Lunatic「Indeed,」
The warrior too, threw their sword. Chaang! A sharp metallic sound echoed in the air. My sword aura and the warrior's blade collided in mid-air, nullifying each other.
It seemed like an equal match. A draw. But out of the 711 swords planted in the ground, 11 had been cut already.
It was a painful loss for the warrior.
Lunatic「So you're coming at me like that!」
"Yes. Well, I'm coming at you like this."
I can always back off, recharge my aura, and come back.
But what about the warrior? In this land, where east-west trade has been cut off and all residents are afraid to approach, who would come with swords?
The 11 swords the warrior just lost cannot be replenished anytime soon.
Lunatic「Despicable! Petty!」
“In other words, you're telling a gamer that he plays like shit, which is actually a compliment. Anyway, you have 700 swords left now. If you lose ten swords per exchange, this does not look likely to become a long battle.”
Lunatic「As you wish!」
The warrior drew another sword.
Lunatic「I'll end it quickly!」
And they charged at me. Whoosh! Wind sound effects were inscribed in the white world. The pressure was tremendous. Is this what it feels like to be rushed at full speed?
"No."
Towards the opponent charging at me as if they were burning their entire body, I neither showed respect nor screamed in harmony. I just swiftly leaped back.
Lunatic「What!」
"I won't fall for such shallow tricks."
The warrior pursued me. During the chase, they hurled a sword at me. Chaang! I swung the Holy Sword to block it, and the warrior pulled more swords from the ground one after another and flung them at me. Chang! Kaang! Chaaang! Six metallic clashes erupted in a single instant.
There was no seventh sword flying towards me.
Lunatic「……!」
The warrior hesitated and stopped their pursuit.
"You didn't just set up shop here and defeat everyone passing by merely because you were considerate of the Sword Emperor possibly getting lost."
The place where the warrior stopped.
It was a swordless zone, where the swords' graveyard ended, and the flat horizon continued; it was a safe area.
"By taking away the swords of everyone passing through here and laying them in the ground, you turned this area into your territory. In other words, a trap. To lure the Sword Emperor, who might revisit this place someday, into the sword hell."
I spoke leisurely.
"But conversely, it also means you can't leave the sword graveyard. The moment you step out, you lose the card to counter my aura. Hmm. The term 'self-inflicted trap' is used here."
Lunatic「You...」
"You deliberately used harsh words to provoke me, right? Like saying, [I'll end it quickly as you wish]. You schemed to stir up my fighting spirit. Sorry, but although I'm often called a fool, I'm also known for annoyingly distinguishing between fighting spirit and foolishness."
I infused my sword with aura.
"And now, I'm going to do something even more regrettable to you."
Lunatic「What...」
"Like this."
Unsheathing the sword…
Lunatic「……! Kuh!」
I used the Sword of Starving Death again.
The warrior blocked the aura I fired with the sword they were holding.
It couldn't be helped. If left alone, dozens of swords would fly away. If I shoot aura horizontally, the warrior has no choice but to use one sword to defend each time.
"Are there 693 swords left now?"
Nor could they draw a sword and charge at me. As I said, this was the safe zone. A place safe for me was deadly ground for the warrior.
"Let's end this quickly."
In the end, the warrior had to keep blocking my aura attacks at the edge of the sword graveyard.
Retreat? My aura would harvest the swords like autumn rice.
Charge forward? After one exchange, the sword would break, and they would lose. There are no swords in the safe area for the warrior to replenish.
They were caught between a rock and a hard place.
I'm sorry to repeat, but the warrior has no other option but to wither away while blocking my aura's continuous attacks.
Literally, a slow death. Slowly. From 600 swords to 300, from 300 to 100, and finally, from 100 to 0.
Lunatic「Are you not ashamed? At your level, your swordsmanship must surely be exceptional. No, swordsmanship itself must be your true strength. Then should we not cross blades and settle which of us is superior?」
“Ah, yes. But if we did that, I think I might die to a blind stroke...”
I gave them a troubled look. In other words, I made a (・ิω・ิ) face.
No reliance on written words, indeed. I had revealed my heart exactly as it appeared, without using words.
"Ah, yes. But that's only good when I win, right? Or when there's a 90% chance I'll win. I'm already uncomfortable in this world, so losing not because of skill but because of stage gimmicks is... How should I put it? Not really... Oh, now there are 690 swords."
Lunatic「Kuh!」
"689 swords."
I continued to unleash the Sword of Starving Death. Maybe my aura will run out halfway. So what? If it runs out, I'll go back to the village, rest well, and then come back with a new mindset to crush the warrior's swords.
A perfect plan.
"685 swords."
Lunatic「Damn...!」
"680 swords."
Lunatic「This is absurd...!」
With each sword that broke, the warrior took a step back.
┻┻┻ became ━┻┻, and then ━━┻.
Someday, the entire sword graveyard would probably be flattened into ━━━.
It's just a matter of time.
Lunatic「This cannot be. My efforts, my sweat and blood, they cannot end in such a petty manner!」
"Isn't setting up camp here and making a fortress a petty act?"
Lunatic「That was a legitimate preparation!」
"Then this is a legitimate response!"
The sword graveyard quickly shrank. The original 700 swords were reduced to 500, and the warrior, breathing heavily, glared at me.
Lunatic「Huff... Huff, huff...」
It wasn't because they were physically exhausted.
There's no way out. No clever strategy. Being pushed towards the end according to my scheme brings a sense of resignation, causing the warrior to feel fatigued.
And eventually, an explosion occurred.
Lunatic「Uoooooh!!」
The Lunatic kicked off from their position. Even before their charge, the swords planted around them flew toward me like arrows tearing horizontally through the empty air.
No, they were actually countless arrows flying horizontally.
"Haah!"
I raised my sword vertically and then brought it down again. Repeating this, I layered aura over aura to create a massive wall.
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Towards the wall I created, the stick figure, that is, the warrior, charged in.
The barrage created by throwing swords, followed by the warrior's sword, exploded.
Boom...!
A flurry of attacks ensued.
Boom...! Boom, booom...!
The warrior didn't just use their sword. They used punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, headbutts, and hand-chops, literally every type of violence a stick figure could demonstrate, they threw everything at the wall that I created. They spewed it out.
They poured it all out.
And then, they were depleted.
Lunatic「Kuh...」
Finally, the Lunatic knelt down.
The wall I created did not break.
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■ OTL
"The match is over."
I said. Probably the speed at which my speech bubble appeared was significantly slower compared to before. As if the message speed was set to the lowest.
Maintaining the wall had also taken a toll on my stamina. But anyway, I was standing, and the warrior was kneeling. The winner and loser were clear.
Lunatic「Damn it! Damn...」
The warrior did not object. They just cursed.
Then, it was time for the victor's rights.
I said,
"From now on, you'll have to answer my questions."
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