Damn Reincarnation

es widened.

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His attack was blocked.
Before he knew it, Eugene was also holding a sword in his left hand.

This had turned into a match of the two-sword style versus the two-sword style.

“How interesting,” Hector muttered as he raised his arms.

As Hector’s swords frantically attacked in wave after wave, Eugene refused to back down.
His eyes were peeled wide open as he read the paths of Hector’s swords.
A lot of fake moves were mixed into his attacks, but it was useless.
It was far too easy for Eugene to tell which of them were fake and which were real.

‘…This is unbelievable,’ Hector couldn’t help thinking.

Hector’s swords kept getting blocked.
No matter where they flew, Eugene’s swords were already there, waiting for them, so each of his attacks was cut off mid-swing.
If he tried to change their trajectory, he would just be met with a counterattack.
So he was forced to alternate between attack and counterattack.
The fight was out of Hector’s control.
Though he had only been forced to divert his swords a few times, this meant that Eugene was completely leading Hector’s swords by the nose.

‘There’s this much of a gap between us?’ Hector thought with surprise.

He had expected Eugene to be a tough opponent, but he hadn’t really thought that Eugene would be this strong.
He had thought that, as long as Eugene had his guard down, it would be possible to subdue him and that it would be even easier to just kill him, but….

‘My preparations weren’t thorough enough,’ Hector admitted.
‘Even killing him would be difficult.’

The moment that he realized this, Hector switched his attacks.
Since he now knew that it would be difficult to kill Eugene even if he wanted to and was determined to do so, there was no longer any need to swing his swords with the intent of subduing Eugene.

His swords grew even faster, sharper, and more lethal.
This was a feat well worth admiring.
Even in Eugene’s previous life, he had never seen another swordsman able to demonstrate the two-sword style so skillfully.

But to a certain extent, this was just because the two-sword style wasn’t a mainstream fighting style.
What if Hector’s specialty wasn’t the two-sword style?

‘He is pretty strong,’ Eugene admitted.

He might have struggled with Hector if it had been just a few months ago.
However, now, there was no reason for him to struggle.
In terms of technical proficiency? Comparing them would just be an insult to Eugene.
Even three hundred years ago, Eugene — no, Hamel’s skills could only be compared to Vermouth’s.
As for experience and cunning? The same went for those as well.

As of now, Eugene still couldn’t use all of Hamel’s abilities.
The White Flame Formula was certainly an excellent mana training scripture, but if he was asked to reproduce the strength of his previous life with just the Fifth Star of the White Flame Formula… in all honesty, that would just hurt his pride.

However, now that his White Flame Formula had reached the Fifth Star, his strength had at least increased significantly compared to when he had only reached the Fourth Star.
For an opponent of Hector’s strength, he didn’t even need to use Ignition.

There was a whole class of difference between them.
Hector quickly recognized this.
He wasn’t able to get an edge in terms of skills.
Nor was he able to get ahead by using force.

‘…It can’t be helped,’ Hector resigned himself.

Though Hector hadn’t wanted to get any help, since he had realized that he wouldn’t be able to subdue Eugene by himself, Hector resigned himself to doing so.
He took a deep breath as he let go of the sword in his left hand.

Kiiiing!

Having left Hector’s hand, the sword was engulfed in a bright red flame.
Then, as if it had been enchanted with a spell, the sword moved on its own and shot at Eugene.

Through precise manipulation of his mana, Hector was able to move the sword without touching it.
From Eugene’s point of view, this was just a petty technique that wasn’t particularly useful for anything except stabbing a target.
Instead of doing that hit, it would be much faster and stronger to just personally wield the sword with your own hands.

Like this….

Claaang!

Wynnyd shattered the short sword, and the mana contained within it erupted in a dazzling burst of light.
Hoping that Eugene’s eyes would be blinded for a few moments, Hector quickly ran back.

Fwooosh!

With a gust of wind, Eugene’s body rose into the sky.
Sensing this happening behind him, Hector clicked his tongue and lowered his body further.

Eugene glared at Hector, who was running away, leaving a trail of bright red sparks behind him.

Crackle!

Lighting-flames spread out from Eugene as he pulled Akasha out of his cloak.
At the same time, he went through the countless spells that filled his head and picked one.

[Aeroblast.]

From inside the cloak, Mer mouthed the name of the spell.
At the same time, Eugene’s hand stretched forward, completing the spell ’s casting.
The spell then combined with the winds raised by the Wind Spirit King, Tempest.

Aeroblast was a Sixth Circle offensive spell.
However, its current power far exceeded the bounds of the Sixth Circle.

Kwaaaang!

Compressed air and wind burst forth in a single direction.
Hector swung a blade or, more precisely, bright red sword-force to try and shatter the spell, but the power of the spell far exceeded his imagination.

Rooooar!

The darkness shook.
Hector was thrown a long way backward, where he struggled to focus his dizzy head.

‘…No way… even an offensive spell of this level, he can cast it without any incantation…?’

Hector had put up a defense.
However, his whole body still felt numb, as if he had been electrocuted.
Was it because that was a wind-type attack spell?

…No way.
Hector let out a snort as he reached for his neck.

“So you have an artifact.” His cloak billowing in the wind, Eugene looked down on Hector from on high as he held Akasha forward and said, “There are two dispel-type spells, three counter spells, five buffing spells, and… is that seven defensive spells? Quite excessive.”

To think that Hector’s artifact had been enchanted with seventeen different spells.
That made it a treasure that couldn’t be bought even with billions of sals.

“You didn’t have it with you when I saw you last time… it looks like that was your trump card?” Eugene speculated.

“It’s a lifeline that has saved me time and time again,” Hector admitted.

“I’m afraid that this is the last time it will save you,” Eugene muttered as he concentrated his mana on Akasha.

Crackle… Craaaackle…!

Lightning-flames also gathered around it.

…Hector realized that it hadn’t just been an illusion.
Eugene Lionheart’s mana was indeed infused with lightning.
But how could that possibly be? Hector wondered as he struggled to raise his sluggish body.

“…I shouldn’t have come here,” Hector sighed.

Releasing a deep sigh, Hector glanced down at the sword in his right hand.
In the aftermath of the collision with that spell just now, the sword was in complete ruins.

At that moment, Eugene’s spell came flying at him.
Dozens of beams of light pierced through the air.
The name of this spell was the Space-Piercing Ray-Beams.
By piercing a hole through space, this spell could hide the trajectory of its beams.

Bam bam bam bam!

Hector’s feet slid backward as he swung his shattered sword.
Any beams that couldn’t be blocked were left up to his necklace’s defenses.
He just needed to avoid any direct hits for now.
As he focussed on his defense, Hector continued to draw backward.

It was difficult to deal with the beams of light tearing through space, but it wasn’t unmanageable.

However, once Eugene also intervened, the situation became terrifying.
While weaving through the light beams, Eugene thrust his sword at Hector.
All Hector could do was desperately avoid any fatal wounds, even as he became covered in blood.

[How is it?]

Hector heard this voice inside of his head.
Without revealing any emotions through his facial expressions, Hector focused on the bracelet he wore on his left wrist.

‘I’m about to die,’ Hector reported.
‘I didn’t know that he’d be this strong.
Instead of a twenty-year-old, it’s like I’m fighting with a master who’s been training for two hundred years.’

[I told you so.
When he sparred with Genos Lionheart, he had the upper hand in terms of technique.]

‘Who the hell would actually believe that? It was only reasonable to think that Lord Genos had taken it easy on his junior…,’ Hector protested.

[Hm, you’re lying, aren’t you? There’s no way that you would have such a misunderstanding, right? You probably just became interested in his strength and wanted to try fighting him once.]

‘Yes, you’re right.
I made a mistake,’ Hector readily conceded.
‘So, would you mind helping me out a bit? If things go on like this, I will die here.’

[Take six steps to your left.
Then take nine steps back.]

‘…And after that?’ Hector prompted.

[Just wait there.
Not a step backward or to either side.
Make sure to stay on that spot.]

Hector quickly followed the instructions.
Since he kept getting pushed back anyway, there wasn’t any problem in moving a bit to the left.
Soon he was at the designated spot, but Hector still didn’t know what purpose this served.

[Now then… hmmm… count to ten inside your head and jump.]

It wasn’t easy for Hector to follow such instructions.
In the face of all the attacks that Eugene was launching at him from the front, he needed to stand his ground without taking a step back.

Hector despaired.
‘I’m going to die….’

1, 2….

‘How exquisite.’ Hector still had time to admire Eugene’s skills. ‘Even in the White Fangs, it’s rare to find someone who can use a sword as well as he can….’

5, 6….

‘No, it’s not just rare.
There isn’t anyone like him.
There are a few whose swords are as fast and as heavy, but none are as exquisite.
It’s like he’s reading what I’m thinking… or maybe even further ahead.
Just how is he doing this?’ Hector thought plaintively.

8, 9….

Hector immediately jumped backward.
Eugene raised his head to follow Hector’s movements.

Below him, the ground was stained black.

[Sir Eugene?] Mer called out, her voice sounding terrified.

Eugene’s hair stood on end.

“You son of a bitch,” Eugene spat out a curse as he almost went berserk with rage and killing intent.

Black spikes sprouted up from below.

1.
In the original Korean idiom, this was someone with a ‘swollen liver.’ In Korean culture, the liver is seen as the source of courage rather than the heart or the balls.
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