The bck bde whistled through the air.

  My thoughts seemed cloudy.

  I couldn't put all the ideas in pce.

  Was it the effect of that thing?

  Shit.

  I threw myself backward at the st instant.

  The cold edge passed close enough for me to feel the hairs on my neck stand on end.

  One millimeter closer, and I would've lost my head.

  [Attribute "Luck" increased by 3%.]

  — Is this really the fucking time for that, Luxxion?! —

  I growled, stepping back a few more paces.

  [The user should consider themselves grateful for a statistical improvement at such a critical moment.]

  — I'd rather not die, if that's not too much to ask!

  Gongja, beside me, looked as pale as I did.

  His eyes were locked on the Masked-man's sword.

  — Don't let that shit touch you! —

  I shouted.

  — You think I didn't notice?! —

  Gongja shot back, his dagger firm in his grip.

  Maybe the Sword Emperor had told him something.

  Maybe he just knew instinctively.

  The Masked-man smiled behind his mask.

  — Admirable. — His voice was smooth. — The struggle of the weak has always been a fascinating spectacle.

  Who did this guy think he was… Pto?

  He was strong. That was a fact.

  His bde cut through the air with precision—clean, refined strikes.

  But that putrid energy?

  It was a burden.

  Before, he was as fast as lightning. Now, he moved like some kind of a distant thunder.

  The strength was still there, but the timing... was no longer so perfect.

  That was our only advantage.

  And then, he advanced.

  The fight allowed no breathing room.

  The sword came in a clean, cruel arc, targeting Gongja first.

  Gongja leapt back, the red aura shining around his dagger as he almost spun mid-air, nding with an agile slide.

  Was he always this skilled…?

  I didn't have time to admire it.

  The Masked-man was already after me.

  The bde descended in a vertical strike, aimed to split my body in two.

  My only response was to trust my luck and try using the Fourth Movement of Ascending Dragon's Fury.

  "Fang of the Soaring Serpent."

  [Attribute "Luck" increased by 2%.]

  My spear spun at a sideways angle, diverting the trajectory of the bde at the st second.

  Sparks danced at the csh of weapons.

  But my spear… it was starting to melt just from the touch.

  I used the momentum to counterattack, spinning my body and bringing the spear back in a thrust aimed at the masked man's neck.

  Fast. Direct. Lethal.

  I had improved. I was fighting better than before.

  But he wasn't just anyone.

  The Masked-man merely tilted his head slightly, dodging with ease—his sword already coming back in a furious counter.

  My heart sank.

  Even slowed down, his speed was still absurd.

  At the st instant, my legs buckled, and I threw myself to the side, rolling over the stone ground as the bck bde sliced through the air where my head had been.

  I barely had time to stand up.

  He spun on his heels.

  Then, shifting his weight smoothly, he brought the bde in a direct horizontal ssh toward my torso.

  I raised my spear sideways to block, but—

  The wood began to corrode instantly.

  I grimaced.

  My skin burned just from being near that thing.

  The only thing that saved my life was Gongja.

  He lunged from behind the Masked-man. His dagger fshed like a crimson lightning bolt as he aimed for the enemy's ribs.

  The bde sank in.

  For a second, I thought we had actually done something.

  But then…

  The Masked-man didn't hesitate.

  He simply stepped aside, breaking the attack before it could go too deep, and kicked Gongja in the chest.

  The impact lifted Gongja off the ground, hurling him back with brutal force.

  — Pathetic. — The man turned his eyes to me. — But you… you disappoint me even more, boy.

  My spear came again, this time aiming for his legs.

  A precise sweep, meant to cripple his movement—

  He blocked it with the ft of his bde, and my spear trembled from the impact.

  My guard opened.

  He attacked.

  This time, I couldn't dodge completely.

  The tip of the bck bde grazed my arm, and the pain burned like acid.

  The fabric of my clothes disintegrated where the sword touched.

  The skin beneath darkened, corroding.

  Fuck.

  If this thing actually hits me, I'm dead.

  [Strength increased by 2%.]

  [Agility increased by 4%.]

  [Endurance increased by 5.5%.]

  The notifications meant nothing if I ended up dead.

  Gongja was already back on his feet, panting.

  He and I moved together. His fingers signaled forward.

  He went left, I went right.

  Two simultaneous attacks.

  Gongja leapt, spinning in the air, his dagger sshing down.

  Was the Sword Emperor telling him to do these moves?

  My spear arced downward, aiming for the ankles.

  If he dodged one, the other would hit.

  But the Masked-man didn't dodge.

  He pivoted his right foot, bent his body backward at an impossible angle, and both attacks missed—hitting only air.

  That should be impossible.

  Before I could react, he straightened and shot toward Gongja.

  Gongja tried to retreat.

  But the masked man gave him no room.

  A quick ssh.

  The bde barely grazed Gongja's chest, but he grunted in pain, jumping back.

  The Masked-man sighed.

  — You should be on my side. — He roared at me. — And yet, you choose to betray the only path that can set you free.

  I swallowed hard.

  That look wasn't anger.

  It was disappointment.

  And before I could react, he came again.

  My spear spun, trying to execute the Third Movement of Ascending Dragon's Fury.

  "Crimson Fang Thrust."

  A double thrust, targeting the stomach and then the neck.

  But—

  My posture faltered.

  The spin was slow.

  The first thrust was misaligned.

  I felt the weight of my mistake.

  My legs locked mid-turn.

  My body lurched forward—right as he sshed.

  — Damn it!

  Before I stumbled into my own death like an idiot, Gongja grabbed my shirt and yanked me back.

  [Attribute "Luck" increased by 6%.]

  I was gd that this attribute had 3 stars.

  — I'll kill you before this guy does if you keep this up! — Gongja roared.

  — Not like I have many options here!

  Luxxion, of course, had to chime in.

  [The user should not attempt techniques they have yet to master.]

  — And you should know I shouldn't be fighting this freak in the first pce!

  The Masked-man ughed, twirling his bde as if it were nothing more than a dry twig.

  — You are nothing but echoes of a lie.

  Gongja lunged again.

  A feint. Sneaky bastard.

  He faked a direct strike, only to twist at the st moment and nd a deep cut on the Masked-man's shoulder.

  — I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but you sure talk too damn much! — Gongja growled.

  Blood dripped.

  The Masked-man didn't move immediately.

  He just looked at the wound.

  Then, he ughed.

  A low, almost condescending chuckle.

  — Empty words. Failed attempts. You are nothing but flickering shadows before the dawn.

  This half-assed poet…

  He slid across the floor in a clean motion.

  The sword fshed in a horizontal ssh.

  My spear moved again.

  But not to kill.

  To strike something more important.

  The wounded rib.

  The Masked-man dodged at the st instant.

  The spear passed close.

  I felt the skin tear. But not enough.

  He was still standing.

  And worse… he was smiling.

  But I didn't care.

  His bde gleamed.

  My body reacted before my mind did.

  I tried to dodge—but too te.

  Pain exploded in my shoulder as the sword pierced my flesh.

  Like something alive slithering inside, burning, corroding from within.

  My legs wobbled.

  The Masked-man seemed slower than he had been at the beginning. The aura was a double-edged sword.

  That was what had allowed us to fight him on equal terms

  But we weren't going to win.

  And from Gongja's look, he knew it too.

  Nonetheless… so what?

  The answer was always there.

  I lunged forward.

  The spear sshed through the air—but not at our enemy.

  The blow struck Gongja in the chest.

  Blood sprayed towards my face.

  His eyes widened.

  — See you on the other side.

  The impact made him stagger.

  I slit his throat next.

  There was no time for reaction.

  Hurried footsteps behind me.

  And then, the sword pierced my chest.

  Pain tore through—beyond flesh, like worms crawling beneath my skin, devouring everything.

  My body started to rot. Fell apart quickly.

  For a second, I thought I had failed.

  But then—

  The world froze.

  The air stopped. Sound vanished.

  Reality shattered.

  And the notification shone:

  [The world will return 24 hours.]

  A weak ugh escaped me.

  My eyes met his.

  Expressionless. Impassive. Indifferent.

  — Go... fuck... yourself.

  And the darkness swallowed us whole.