Chapter 35: Iron Fortress

A figure dashed through the rain, the sword by his side tightly gripped with both hands.

Using military-style swordsmanship, he initiated a powerful sprint and executed a slashing strike. His swift movement closed the distance between the two men in an instant, quickly putting him within striking range.

His right foot slammed into the ground with a thud, sending mud splattering. Force surged up from his leg and was channeled into his grip as he swung his sword upward at an angle.

The blade cleaved through the air, slicing raindrops in its path as a silver arc flashed through the darkness, quick as lightning.

A faint glimmer of light appeared as sparks flew from the clash of swords. A heavier blade than Wang Yu's had appeared in its path, blocking the strike with solid resistance.

The collision sent vibrations through the blade. Wang Yu's wrist shook and turned numb—but his opponent, Oka, had a body as solid as an iron fortress. His armor-clad figure didn't budge a single inch.

His strike thwarted, Wang Yu quickly retreated. He withdrew his sword and stepped away.

However, Oka had no intention of allowing him to retreat. With his sword already having risen up into the air, it was easier and quicker for Oka to unleash his strength.

He channeled his fighting spirit and struck at Wang Yu with both hands.

Wang Yu defended with his own sword. The two blades clashed with a metallic clang. From this exchange alone, Wang Yu knew that he was no match for Oka in terms of raw strength.

His arms strained and his muscles bulged as he used all his strength to resist the unyielding force of Oka's blade.

The sheer physical power of a full-fledged knight, even one weakened by age, was overwhelming.

His feet sank into the muddy, rain-soaked ground as his arms trembled from the strain. This wouldn't do—continued resistance would only risk injuring his arms and make it even harder to continue the fight.

He took advantage of the slick mud to lean down and to the right, using the force of Oka's attack to slide sideways.

It looked as if he had stumbled, but just as he was about to hit the ground, he rolled aside and dodged the follow-up slash from Oka's blade, gaining some distance from him.

Wang Yu rolled across the muddy ground, then pushed himself up swiftly. He raised his sword toward Oka.

A long wound stretched from his shoulder down to his waist. His armor had been sliced open to reveal a shallow wound, though one that wouldn't stop bleeding. Blood stained the puddle beneath his feet a dark red.

This was the power of a true knight. It was a far cry from his previous skirmishes with Beran and the like. This time, even his fighting spirit began to waver.

Oka had been a full-fledged knight for many years. He would hardly have achieved that status without the resolve to face death in battle.

Even so, Wang Yu didn't falter. He wouldn't waver just because he was facing a stronger opponent—and besides, he was more than a mere knight-in-training.

Gripping his sword tightly in hand, Wang Yu watched Oka's ironclad form slowly retreat into the darkness of the rainy night.

Oka's eyes narrowed beneath his helmet. Darkness remained his greatest obstacle here.

The enemy before him didn't possess the advantage in strength, speed, or combat technique. Even so, if the battle were to continue in this dark, rainy night...

Ripple after ripple radiated from Wang Yu, spreading around him and mapping out his surrounding darkness with perfect clarity. With a 360-degree perspective, he could follow Oka's movements without any blind spots whatsoever, negating any chance of a surprise attack. He knew he couldn't match Oka in pure power alone, so he would have to exploit his unique abilities.

He glanced at Oka's heavy armor with a smile. Oka was a traitor; he'd never lose to a man like that.

He appeared from the darkness, this time behind Oka's back. The moment Wang Yu appeared, Oka reacted, whirled around, and struck. This time, however, he was hardly as precise as before.

Wang Yu knew that he couldn't go toe-to-toe with Oka, and adjusted his approach accordingly. His next swing was weaker, a feint rather than a full strike.

The two swords clashed for an instant, though Oka still had the advantage.

He stepped forward and closed in on Wang Yu, thrusting his blade at him.

Wang Yu retreated, dodging and countering while keeping just within Oka's attack range.

Their swords clashed like dinosaurs fighting against each other, though Wang Yu was forced back with each strike. Oka pushed on, wielding his sword with relentless force.

As Wang Yu sidestepped and defended, he remained completely focused, compensating for his inferior swordsmanship with every ounce of his concentration—and unique abilities.

Oka's relentless attacks were fast and powerful, and his iron armor gave him incredible stability. As he dealt Wang Yu blow after blow, he advanced with brutal efficiency.

Each impact shook Wang Yu, forcing him to readjust from the recoil.

Despite the constant pressure, Wang Yu's defenses held firm. His void vision kept him supernaturally aware of all of Oka's attacks, even if Oka held a decisive advantage in terms of strength and speed.

In the darkness, Oka's blade cut through the rain straight at Wang Yu. Though the latter blocked the blow, it caused his sword to shake.

Unfazed, Oka pushed forward, only for Wang Yu to retreat and narrowly avoid the blow.

Oka frowned. The fight was frustrating for him. Wang Yu managed to remain just at the edge of Oka's attack range, forcing him to extend himself with every attack.

Darkness hindered Oka's vision to an annoying extent. Though his knight's senses helped him sense his opponent via sound and wind, the darkness clearly did slow him down.

Meanwhile, Wang Yu had perfect vision of the area, without a single blind spot. Though it seemed as though he were continuously being pushed back, in reality, Wang Yu was in control and was drawing out the battle.

A dangerous glint appeared in Oka's eyes, beneath his helmet.

If he were younger, with his strength and senses at their peak, the darkness wouldn't have been an issue for him at all.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

However, time spared no one. His body had started to decline, and he had chosen to betray his master.

Oka tightened his grip on his sword. Despite his growing weakness, he would hardly allow a knight-in-training to toy with him.

He began to channel his fighting spirit, which was far larger in quantity and far more concentrated than Wang Yu's own. It flowed through his body before coiling up in the form of a vortex in preparation for unleashing explosive force.

In the darkness, the two blades met once more. Again, just as he'd anticipated, Oka easily forced Wang Yu back.

Oka leaned forward and channeled all his energy into his right leg.

With a dull stomp, Oka's foot struck the muddy ground in a splash of water and mud.

His armored form suddenly accelerated as he thrust toward Wang Yu with deadly accuracy.

His eyes glinted with murderous intent. This time, he would land the decisive blow.

Wang Yu, already at a disadvantage in terms of strength and speed, was hard-pressed to deal with the sudden attack.

He could see the blade's trajectory with his inner eye, but its speed left him no time to dodge.

Though he was already trying to shift backward, he wouldn't be able to avoid the blade in time. Oka's physique was simply far too superior to his own.

The rain pelted Wang Yu's face. A few drops fell into his unblinking eyes, which remained focused and calm.

Without any hesitation, his ripples instantly sent his fighting spirit down to his feet. He retreated as quickly as he could while he unleashed a burst of void energy.

This time, he chose not to cast Barrier. Wang Yu's limited reserves hardly had enough energy to block a full-force thrust from a knight of Oka's caliber.

Rather, he used the void energy to push himself backwards forcefully and suddenly.

The blade bit into flesh. Despite all his efforts, Wang Yu couldn't overcome the nearly insurmountable gap in physique between him and Oka, but he had succeeded in surviving the otherwise lethal blow.

The blade sliced into Wang Yu's shoulder, cutting deeply into it. Blood poured out from the gash and rained down onto the ground.

Oka narrowed his eyes—Wang Yu had somehow managed to pull himself backwards at the last second.

How had he done it? Regardless, this ability he had demonstrated wouldn't be in Oka's favor.

His training as a knight didn't allow him to hesitate in battle. He pressed forward, his sword relentlessly attempting to cut Wang Yu down. He wouldn't give his opponent any chance to catch his breath.

They clashed once and again in the rain, their movements a dance of water and mud. Oka continued to force Wang Yu back, but was unable to overwhelm him fully.

Wang Yu fought fiercely, retreating, defending, and striking whenever he could. He exploited his unique ability to see clearly in the dark. It was like dancing on the edge of a blade. Danger was ever-present, but he hadn't let his guard slip enough to be struck down just yet.

This was the essence of fighting. Disadvantaged though he might be, as long as he could still fight, he hadn't lost.

Oka, on the other hand, felt as though he was sinking into a quagmire. He was immensely strong and agile, and clearly more powerful than his opponent. Even so, in this muddy battlefield, he found himself restrained time and time again, while Wang Yu seemed completely unaffected.

Both men moved swiftly through the rain, water splashing and mud flying as their feet cut through the soaked ground.

Their swords clashed repeatedly in a chaotic whirlwind of strikes, silver blades occasionally flashing faintly in the darkness.

Once again, Oka thrust forward forcefully. This time, however, Wang Yu had learned from their earlier exchanges. He had fallen into a rhythm earlier, which had cost him. This time, he would make no such mistake.

The instant Oka adjusted his footing, Wang Yu's unique vision picked up on it.

He immediately unleashed his void energy and fighting spirit, anticipating Oka's strike and summoning an invisible force that allowed him to narrowly avoid Oka's attack.

The next moment, the clash resumed relentlessly. The two men were locked in a deadly dance in the rain.

As Oka eyed the young knight-in-training before him, his black hair soaked, blood streaming from a deep cut in his shoulder, he realized that he was facing a formidable opponent.

Wang Yu's determination ensured that he would stand out no matter what. Oka knew what Wang Yu's objectives were; in fact, he had already partially succeeded.

Oka was beginning to feel the toll of combat—not just from the physical strain of intense pursuit and close combat, which his aging body could barely endure, but also the armor that protected him so well, which had given him the nickname of the Iron Fortress. Though it offered incredible defense, its weight was sapping his stamina faster than Wang Yu's lighter armor did.

If this were to continue, Oka knew that he would gradually grow weaker and weaker until he was completely worn out. Meanwhile, Wang Yu's strange ability made it difficult for Oka to strike his opponent.

There was no way Wang Yu would allow Oka to remove his armor mid-fight, so Oka had no choice but to use an ability that his body could barely sustain.

He began to channel his fighting spirit in a specific pattern, circulating it along a path through his body that demanded intense control and exertion. His aging body ached, nearly overwhelmed by the strain, but he pushed forward regardless.

As his fighting spirit circulated more and more quickly, forming a special matrix, his latent potential activated.

An electrifying sensation filled his limbs, accompanied by a surge of strength.

From the beginning, Oka had been observing Wang Yu's habits in search of patterns that he could exploit. This was something he had done near-instinctively ever since mastering his potential.

Though the deterioration of his body made it particularly difficult for him to wield this power, his old habits and skill remained perfectly intact.

A special field of energy spread out around him, enveloping Wang Yu without his knowledge. "There it is—the rhythm of his heartbeat. Potential: Lethal Tempo!"

Wang Yu felt his movements slow in an instant, his limbs weighed down by some subtle, pervasive force.

Even his fighting spirit was no longer circulating as quickly. It had been providing him with strength and stamina as it flowed through his body, but now it seemed to falter, to be suppressed. The only aspects of his body that were unaffected were his ripple ability and his thoughts.

On the other hand, Oka moved effortlessly. He raised his sword and swung it down without any hesitation whatsoever.

The blade whistled toward Wang Yu, who had detected it in advance with his ripple ability. He planted his foot on the muddy ground as he prepared to dodge, but the effect of Lethal Tempo meant that his body failed to respond to his thoughts quickly enough. His body was a split second behind—a fatal delay.

Though he activated his ripple ability in the nick of time, his body simply didn't respond.

The sword plunged into Wang Yu's leg, slicing deep into his calf.

Ignoring the pain, Wang Yu pulled back, tearing flesh from blade. The wound bled profusely.

Unfazed, Oka smirked. As time passed, the effects of his Lethal Tempo would only grow stronger. Even Wang Yu's strange ability wouldn't be able to save him.

Oka pressed forward without a moment's pause, his sword forcing Wang Yu back again and again. Wang Yu could feel the deadly effect of Oka's potential surging throughout his body. He frowned, realizing just how terrifying this ability was.

At this rate, his strength and speed would be suppressed to less than half their usual value, or perhaps even lower—but Oka would surely have decapitated him by then.

He had only one option left: to end the fight quickly.

He had prepared for Oka's potential thanks to what he had learned from Avia, and he knew that he would have to break his rhythm, but this was far easier said than done. Everyone had habits of their own, and forcibly changing them on the spur of a moment would surely weaken their combat ability.

Wang Yu's initial strategy against Oka was a drawn-out battle of attrition. For Oka, a man who had studied his potential for a lifetime, spotting patterns in his opponent's behavior had become second nature. It would be all but impossible for him to modify his own rhythms in such a way that Oka couldn't take advantage—so his only choice was to turn everything into complete chaos via an external force.

He poured his void energy into his fist, focusing on its chaotic and turbulent properties, then struck the left side of his chest and channeled all that energy into his heart.

Instantly, Wang Yu's body went into overdrive. Blood rushed through his veins, adrenaline flooded his system, his breathing quickened, and his heart pounded twice as fast.

Blood poured out of his wounds. Countless blood vessels burst in his eyes, painting his vision a lurid red.

Wang Yu's entire body was in turmoil; it had become a boiling cauldron of raw energy. His organs worked furiously as the void energy took hold, throwing his body into disarray.

The overwhelming strain of the chaos would undoubtedly wreak massive damage on his body, but it also unleashed an incredible surge of power.

In an instant, Wang Yu's chaotic state disrupted Oka's Lethal Tempo. Wang Yu's heightened speed allowed him to easily dodge Oka's sword.

With blood-filled eyes and a body drenched in blood, Wang Yu looked like nothing less than a vengeful demon.

He called this technique of his, which Avia herself had modified and which was inspired by a spell from one of his favorite novels from his past life, Bloodsurge.

Rough, heavy breathing escaped from Wang Yu's mouth. He drew his last remaining axe and gripped it in his left hand, while continuing to wield his sword in his right.

As he faced Oka, Wang Yu spoke for the first time during the battle. "You know, I've always thought of myself more as... a berserker."

As he spoke, he threw the axe from his hand. It hurtled toward Oka with frenzied intensity.