Chapter 36: A Duel? [2]
’In my past life as Irakiel, I have fought a lot of duels.’
’And I loved every single time I crushed those arrogant so-called geniuses.’
’Especially the ones who were geniuses with swords.’
’Before fighting them, they belittle the spear, saying how a sword is superior to a spear in combat.’
’They would mock the spear, calling it a "peasant’s weapon" or "a tool for soldiers, not true warriors." They belittled its reach and its lack of flashy techniques compared to the elegant sword arts.’
’In this life, people see me as talented. But back then... my talent was considered trash. I started with nothing.’
’And nothing felt better than watching their arrogance crumble when my spear pierced through their perfect sword forms.’
’Like that... I developed my own spear techniques from my experience while standing at the pinnacle of martial arts.’
*swoosh* Dashing forward, Evelyne’s gaze narrowed ’Langford Sword Technique Second Step: Flowing Scales.’
Her blade moved in a smooth, wave-like unpredictable pattern, like water flowing over scales.
The strikes came from multiple angles at once, creating a beautiful yet deadly illusion of overlapping slashes that aimed to overwhelm Klein’s defense.
Seeing this, Klein’s grin widened, and a spark of genuine excitement flashed in his dark eyes.
’Good. Show me what you can really do.’
He stepped forward to meet her, spinning his wooden spear once in his hand before he thrust it forward.
The clash produced a sharp *clack* as he deflected the first wave of her flowing strikes.
He moved with effortless grace, parrying each subsequent slash while slowly advancing.
Evelyne’s eyes widened slightly as she felt the pressure.
Even though she was restricting her mana, Klein’s technique was forcing her to commit more seriously than she had expected.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
Klein squinted his eyes. ’I can’t use my main technique...my weak body can’t handle it. So...’
’Calamity Serpent Style: First Coil.’
Klein’s movements suddenly changed and his spear work became more sinuous, almost like a snake.
He twisted his body and thrust forward in a coiling motion, the wooden spear seeming to slither past her guard.
Evelyne barely managed to parry it, but the force made her take another step back.
Klein didn’t stop. He flowed into the next movement with a rising spiral thrust that forced her sword upward, followed by a sweeping horizontal strike that targeted her midsection.
Clack-!
Evelyne blocked the sweep, but the impact jarred her arms.
She quickly countered with a sharp thrust of her own, aiming for his shoulder.
Klein leaned sideways at the last moment, letting the blade pass by a hair’s breadth, then countered with a quick snap of his spear shaft against her wrist.
Thud!
Evelyne winced slightly but didn’t drop her sword and spun away, creating distance.
’What technique was that just now?’
Klein didn’t give her much time to recover.
Calamity Serpent Style – Second Coil: Entwining Fang
The wooden spear twisted in a double helix motion, creating the illusion of two striking heads.
One thrust came high toward her neck, while the other swept low toward her legs.
Evelyne reacted instantly, ’Langford Sword Third Step: Rising Tide!’
Her sword moved in a rising, wave-like arc, deflecting the high thrust while simultaneously cutting downward to intercept the low sweep.
She followed up with a powerful overhead chop, trying to break his rhythm.
Klein’s eyes gleamed.
He stepped inside her range, using the shaft of his spear to hook her descending blade and redirect it to the side.
Then he delivered a quick, coiling thrust into her exposed side.
Thud!
"Ugh-" Evelyne grunted and retreated again, her left side stinging from the blunt impact.
She switched her stance, ’Langford Sword Fourth Step: Crashing Waves!’
*sleesh* *sleesh*
Her blade blurred with a relentless storm like a continuous series of heavy, flowing strikes that crashed down like ocean waves, each one building on the previous.
The attacks came from high, low, and side angles in an unpredictable pattern, aiming to overwhelm Klein’s defense through sheer momentum.
Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!
Klein met the onslaught head-on as he twisted his spear to deflect each crashing wave.
He moved like a snake navigating turbulent waters, never staying in one place long enough for her strikes to land cleanly.
At one point, he even used the momentum of her own attack to spin around her and deliver a sharp strike to her back with the blunt end of his spear.
Thud!
Evelyne stumbled forward a step, her ponytail swinging wildly, but she spun around quickly and raised her sword in a defensive guard.
Klein rested his wooden spear on his shoulder for a moment ’I guess, it’s time to finish it.’
He lowered the spear slightly and looked at her "Senior Evelyne, do you know there is a huge difference between someone who has stepped into the ’Boundary’ and someone who hasn’t?"
Hearing his words, Evelyne’s gaze shrank in visible shock "How do you know that-"
Before she could finish, Klein lowered his body into a low stance.
His entire presence changed in an instant.
His eyes became sharp and unfocused at the same time, entering a deep trance-like state.
Boundary Technique: Verdant Serpent
In that moment, Klein’s mind and body synchronized perfectly as his every muscle, nerve and instinct aligned in a state of absolute clarity.
This is the "Boundary" a martial realm where time seemed to slow down, senses sharpened to an unnatural degree, and movements became instinctive.
It was a wall that many martial artists spent their entire lives trying to overcome.
Some call it "the Zone," others "Enlightened State," but to Klein, it was simply the result of countless life-and-death battles in his past life.
Evelyne blinked once.
Swoosh-!
The wooden spear became a blur of green-tinted afterimages and Evelyne instinctively raised her training sword to block, but it was already too late.
CRACK-!
The wooden sword shattered into countless pieces right in front of her eyes.
The force of the strike traveled through her arms, making her stagger back two steps.
Her hands trembled from the impact as the broken hilt fell from her grasp.
Evelyne stared at her empty hands in stunned silence ’He has already mastered... the ’Boundary’?’
The Boundary.
A trance-like state where the mind and body became perfectly synchronized.
Time seem to slow down, senses expand to an almost supernatural level, and every movement became pure instinct.
Very few people could enter this state consistently, and even fewer could maintain it during actual combat.
And yet, this first-year student had just done it effortlessly.
Klein slowly straightened up, lowering his wooden spear.
The trance-like focus in his eyes faded, returning to their usual calm sharpness.
He looked at Evelyne with a small smile "You’re very skilled, Senior Evelyne. If you hadn’t been restricting your mana, that exchange would have been much more difficult."
Evelyne remained silent for a long moment, staring at the broken pieces of her training sword scattered on the floor.
"How did you master the boundary..."
"I have heard from a Sword Saint that even mastering Sword Intent is easier than mastering the ’Boundary.’ "
He shrugged "It just came naturally. Have you ever experienced this Boundary?"
With a nod, she replied "Twice. I instinctively did it while fighting in a dangerous dungeon. The pressure of the moment forced me into that state for a few seconds."
"But to be able to control it manually..."
Meanwhile, Liora, who was standing on the side, looked at Klein in absolute shock.
’That move just now... what the hell even happened?’
She watched the entire fight and she was awestruck by his spear skills.
As a spear user, she felt ashamed to see the man who is the same age as her excel with such skills.
’Fuck... he doesn’t even have a warrior class.’
A thrill ran down her spine with a burning excitement ’I want to do it too.’
Without thinking, Liora rushed forward.
She grabbed Klein by the collar of his uniform and pulled him toward her with surprising strength.
With a wild grin on her face, she uttered "Klein... teach me."
