Chapter 106
Chapter 106
There was still much to learn in this world
***
In an instant, a flash burst forth and the east wing collapsed. Leaving even the sound behind, debris poured down like a waterfall amid the chaotic rain of sword strikes clashing in all directions.
There was no such thing as distance between Ga-on and Kenji. The moment they recognized each other, they collided and cleaved through everything.
Walls, corridors, ceilings—every spatial element was repurposed as a means for the next offensive.
Transcending horizontal and vertical axes, even height was utilized in a three-dimensional chain of continuous movement.
At that moment, a transparent blade gleamed as it pierced through the cloud of dust. As the clash continued, Kenji—who had leapt using the scattered fragments as footholds—crossed both arms in an X almost simultaneously.
The instant threads blanketed all directions and blocked the sword strike, a pale haze settled over the blade, which was as clear as ice.
Just before the steel threads emitted from the nine rings could bind the monomolecular blade, the ground beneath Ga-on’s feet twisted and warped like a vortex.
[Arhat First Form False Rotation Axis]
The air tore apart, drawing concentric circles.
The forcibly unraveled steel threads fluttered in the sudden gale like kites with cut strings. Even as he marveled at that overwhelming power, Kenji once again adjusted the threads.
He had been active as a Sword Master even before coming of age.
Having wandered through gloomy back alleys, he knew well that being strong did not guarantee victory, nor did a moment of carelessness always mean defeat.
Victory could only be seized by the one who endured until the very end of the very last moment.
Whoosh—
The steel threads surged forward, following his constantly writhing fingers without pause.
A covert and explosive acceleration that the naked eye could not even begin to perceive. Yet the reason Ga-on could deflect it was not due to extraordinary senses. It was because he possessed experience that could even disregard such senses.
The martial arts of the present era had become infinitely fragmented.
Swift and concise.
It was a mechanism devised to survive in an age of firearm supremacy. One drew out objectively proven physical capabilities to their limit, moving within the bounds permitted by the laws of physics.
Without grueling training, anyone could become a master simply by having a few Slots implanted.
A world where even human movements were interpreted through formulas and statistics.
Within that world—Ga-on and Kenji were unmistakable heretics. In a world where the essence of humanity was undervalued, they were seekers wandering in pursuit of the ultimate truth.
Both were constructed with combat circuits that even artificial intelligence could not decipher.
To use even the slimmest probability as part of a strategic exchange meant, conversely, that they would not move unless such efficiency was visible.
That was why Ga-on could counterattack without even looking.
The very probability of defending or the possibility of evading instead proved Kenji’s strength.
“The free use of both hands must be due to the Niten Ichi-ryu. And next would be binding techniques, jujutsu, and iaijutsu. You’ve mixed quite a lot.”
Among them, the foundation was Hokushin Ittō-ryū, the prototype of modern kendo. The absence of the concept of ‘swinging’ likely came from Kashima Shinden-ryū, incorporated and fused into it.
Contained within it were his own anguish, a desperate resolve, and fragments of madness to hone his skill and reach the pinnacle no matter what. He must have endured an arduous passage of time.
Even so, there was a part that I could not understand.
That was the steel threads that could not be cut even when struck.
No matter how great Kenji’s achievement was, it was not enough to influence the strength of a material itself.
It wasn’t that the monomolecular blade had lost its effectiveness. The battery pack was fully charged, and there was no defect in the blade.
I wondered if it might be composed of a monomolecular structure like the Dive I had fought before, but it wasn’t even worth considering. According to Noah’s explanation, it should normally lose elasticity and harden.
“Do you really have the leisure to be lost in thought with me right in front of you?”
While brushing aside the sudden onslaught, I tackled the riddle. It was something faintly etched in the depths of my memory. Just where had I seen it?
The recollection came faster than any rebuttal. Right, that was—
“Hexagondice.”
A carbon allotrope with a lattice pattern of hexadecagonal molecular structure. If properly processed, it was a miraculous material capable of blocking even the main cannon of a space battleship equivalent to MUG—7.
Originally, it had been manufactured as a cable to support an orbital elevator, but there was no record of it ever being used. Just before humanity could build the Tower of Babel with its own hands, Mars had been colonized.
“So after all that, it ended up in the hands of the yakuza.”
Kenji hesitated at my answer, as if I had spoken the truth.
In that fleeting opening, I dug in without fail and swung my blade. In that instant, it scraped against the layered steel threads, letting out a sharp burst. But the result did not match the sound.
Hexagondice had three defining traits.
Indestructibility, non-deformation. And invariability.
The abnormally strong molecular bonds could not be easily severed even by a monomolecular blade. This was a problem caused by insufficient output of the electromagnetic field that induced cutting.
It was only natural.
Anything beyond that would enter the realm of matter decomposition.
“What will you do now that your cherished trump card has lost its power?”
“Since it’s already useless, I think it’d look perfect hanging around your neck.”
There was no need to cling to destroying the Hexagondice. After all, Kenji himself—far more fragile and soft—stood right there.
Having decided to ignore the steel threads altogether, I dashed—no, I glided. As if there was no need to even cross my legs, I extended forward with a single initial leap.
Boom—!
The pursuing steel threads occupied my path and tried to bind me, but I paid them no mind. The only thing in my sight was that head the size of a watermelon. If the blade merely touched, the aftermath would follow.
“Are you coming?”
The distance between us was about 15 meters.
However, it was not a meaningful gap. My figure, no different from a bullet, had already reached right before him. The transparent blade flashed as if it would sever his neck at any moment, yet Kenji remained calm.
This distance was both the interval I desired and the one he desired as well.
Many people misunderstood upon hearing the title Sword Master. They assumed he must be deeply versed in swordsmanship, that he had spent his entire life with the blade.
But that was merely a preconception.
What Kenji had first come closest to upon realizing his talent was ninjutsu—Yukgap Bichuk. Yes, the miscellaneous techniques used by spies or thieves.
But it was not something to be underestimated.
Their concealment techniques were unparalleled. For example, what if one moved only at the exact moment the opponent blinked? It would likely appear as though the distance had been closed in an instant.
This was the ultimate illusion, exploiting the blind spots of perception.
But time spared nothing.
What had once been a magical ability had become a trivial trick in a modern era of advanced technology. Humans no longer relied solely on the five senses. With a wide variety of Slots and Units, and even genetic manipulation that transcended one’s origins—
There were more than enough ways to see through such shallow tricks.
Then what should one do, inheriting that legacy in a later age? The answer was clear.
Martial arts had to advance a step further in accordance with the changing era.
Click—
The embedded Slots awakened one by one, operating to the point of overload. At this moment, Kenji became a being who perceived the world not through the five senses, but through a sixth sense. That piercingly clear awareness, as if it would break through the crown of his head, expanded endlessly—then halted upon finding Ga-on.
One ten-thousandth of a second.
New elements and characters:
He precisely aimed for the moment his opponent’s thinking shifted. This was the ultimate art of reading moves by exploiting the unconscious.
[Waoto-ryu Secret Technique Blink]
He fired the steel threads, twisting the trajectory of the monomolecular blade. There was no need for greed—even a few millimeters were enough. That deviation might seem insignificant at the starting point, but by the time it reached its destination, it would become an irreparable misstep.
As expected, the blade grazed past by a margin as thin as a sheet of paper, and Kenji raised his arm, aiming at Ga-on’s glabella.
No matter how strong one was, the moment their thoughts changed, they became defenseless. It was not a matter of reason, but a manifestation of physiology. As long as one was a human with free will, it was an inevitable problem.
“What a shame.”
Whoosh—nine strands of steel threads pierced straight through Ga-on’s glabella.
***
My upper body staggered as if I were about to fall backward. Straightening my waist immediately, I widened the distance. For a moment, my consciousness cut out. It felt as if someone had switched off a light. It was closer to the sensation of briefly dozing off. But the blood flowing from my glabella told me it was no illusion.
A kind of death I had never experienced before.
Yeah—
“There’s still so much to learn in this world.”
With a faint smirk, I readjusted my grip on the monomolecular blade. To remain blindly cautious just because I couldn’t grasp the method would be foolish. Nothing could be gained without pain.
The moment I rushed in, the world switched off and on once again. The closer I tried to get, the farther my mind seemed to drift. Even within those flickering instants, it sank and resurfaced repeatedly.
In just a few seconds, my consciousness had been reduced to tatters.
Even so, I did not stop moving.
“It seems your durability is high thanks to some bizarre procedure, but no matter how many times you try, the result will be the same.”
“Still, I’ve got the gist of it.”
Just before collapsing, I caught a glimpse of Kenji’s movements. What he demonstrated was an extraordinary technique that could not be replicated even with Slots and Units. Truly, it was skill and capacity worthy of the title Sword Master.
As if it were only natural, I accelerated the speed of my thought transitions and swung the monomolecular blade.
The turbulent airflow sweeping through the area was unusually sharp, yet Kenji moved his nine fingers just as he always had. Delicate and bold, like playing piano keys.
The steel threads fired from his fingertips deflected the wind, producing different sounds. For a moment, it seemed like a symphony was being played, but suddenly, a discordant note slipped in.
At first, it was a single tone. Then two. Then four.
The gradual misalignment, deviating from intention, resembled an omen of destruction. Realizing that it occurred whenever he gained the upper hand through Blink, Kenji swallowed a groan.
Under identical conditions, a precise rhythm should have been inevitable.
But if that wasn’t the case?
The moment a chilling premonition ran down his spine, I leapt beyond the framework of thought. Though he had clearly aimed at my glabella, I stepped back as if I had been waiting for it.
It meant I had escaped the trap of the unconscious. And by my own will at that.
Kenji, who rarely showed emotion, had no choice but to be astonished this time. Even he, who had been praised since childhood as a heaven-sent genius, had never imagined such a situation.
“You…!”
“Ah, so that’s how it works.”
An observation method that used even the signs of vital activity as a foundation. It shared a thread with the basics of ninjutsu.
Imitating it wasn’t difficult. It was one of the martial arts I had learned to complete the Arhat. Since I already had the components, I just had to mix them. Having been subjected to it countless times, I didn’t even need a detailed explanation.
“So…”
Let me offer praise to the genius who continued forward silently even in a world where martial arts had been neglected.
[Waoto-ryu Secret Technique Blink]
“This is how you do it, right?”
By perfectly reproducing the technique he took pride in.