NOVEL NEXT Chapter 166
Chapter 166: The Unbelievable Clash
“Uh?”
Arthur momentarily doubted his own eyes.
Once again, he had missed the opponent’s movements.
The foe was already battered and bruised, a wreck of a body. There was no way he could move that fast in such a state.
Yet, he had missed it.
It was impossible not to think this was the special skill of Po-ahim.
‘What in the world is that skill?’
As those thoughts swirled, a shout from Max rang out from behind him.
“Welcome, Po-ahim you bastard!”
Arthur turned his gaze.
In front of Max stood the Sword Master.
With the tip of his sword pointed to the ground, he seemed to be deep in thought.
“Don’t interfere this time!”
Max declared to Arthur.
The guy had walked in on his own, so there was no reason to show mercy.
Arthur crossed his arms, as if daring him to try.
Watching someone else get beaten up didn’t seem unpleasant to him.
Max raised the Iron Club high. Without delay, he swung it down toward the Sword Master’s head, packed with force.
The urge to smash that guy’s head like a ripe watermelon before Arthur could intervene surged within him.
Despite Max’s brutal attack, the Sword Master remained still, wearing an expression of contemplation.
‘What is he doing?’
Si-hyun, unable to hold back, shouted out in urgency.
-How can I kill you in the most painful way possible?
‘W-what?’
Ignoring Si-hyun’s flustered reaction, the Sword Master finally moved his sword.
As if to meet the falling Iron Club like thunder, his blade shot straight up.
That motion was—
Slow, yet fast.
That was the only way to express it.
At first glance, it seemed slow. So much so that Max’s Iron Club, falling at a much faster speed, would surely smash into his head.
But—
That blade, which appeared slow, had now reached the Iron Club and was blocking the attack.
It was the rare phenomenon of a late strike arriving faster than an initial assault.
It was, without a doubt, a demonstration of the pinnacle of rising swordsmanship.
However, to anyone watching, the stronger force belonged to the Iron Club.
On one side, a clearly blazing aura-covered Iron Club.
On the other, just a normal slash.
It was evident what the outcome would be.
The aura that only a master could wield could rip apart any substance like paper.
Thus, it was common knowledge that only an aura could block another aura.
So, it seemed natural that the longsword would break, and the Sword Master’s head would be smashed.
Even Si-hyun, who understood that the one acting was the Sword Master, was tensed in nervousness as he watched.
Finally, the Iron Club and longsword collided in the air.
The result was—
Clang!
Something had split in half and soared through the air.
At the same time, Max involuntarily took a few steps back.
“Wh-what the hell…!”
Max shouted, his face frozen in shock.
What had split and flown was none other than Max’s Iron Club, filled with aura.
In his hand was a neatly severed Iron Club, half of it missing.
“What the hell…!”
Arthur, watching their fight, opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
It was clearly a clash of aura and a simple slash.
Yet, a simple slash had shattered the aura and cut the weapon in half.
It was beyond common sense.
Even Arthur, who had witnessed numerous battles on many battlefields, had never seen such a sight.
“Guh!”
Having only just regained his senses, Max felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
In front of his most hated enemy, he involuntarily stepped back.
He shouldn’t have acted like this, even if it cost him his life.
“Get a grip!”
Max yelled, rallying his spirits.
He had seen it clearly.
That guy getting battered by Arthur.
After taking so many hits, his condition was undoubtedly dire.
Even now, clear red blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
His body was torn and swollen, red all over.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no way he would lose to someone in such a miserable state.
That strike against his weapon must have been a final desperate act of resistance.
Max convinced himself of that.
Otherwise, he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
Still holding his broken weapon, he stared at his opponent, remaining as cautious as possible.
Last time, he’d fallen victim while trying to take the initiative.
So this time, he decided to adopt a solid defensive stance and wait for the other guy to make a move first.
Max braced himself like a steel wall, gathering his strength as he waited for the Sword Master to act.
“Right arm.”
The Sword Master glanced at Max’s right arm and muttered.
It took a moment for Max to understand what that meant.
“W-what?! This crazy bastard!”
Anger surged in Max’s face as he shouted.
He was declaring he would attack Max’s right arm in advance.
That was something only a vastly superior opponent would do to toy with a weaker foe.
‘No, no way.’
Max bit his lip, barely calming himself.
There was no way this was a taunt; he was clearly trying to unnerve Max because he had no chance of winning.
Suppressing the urge to charge in first, Max glared at the Sword Master.
‘Come on, you bastard!’
As if hearing Max’s curse, the Sword Master finally moved.
His sword cut through the air, aiming for Max’s right arm.
It was a precise motion, but it was painfully obvious.
Moreover, it wasn’t fast.
He was definitely out of energy. That attack was no threat at all.
‘Attacking my real right arm?! You son of a…!’
Cursing inwardly, Max stepped back, pulling his right arm away.
Something felt off about the earlier attack, so this time he would refuse to clash with the weapon.
This alone would allow him to avoid the attack’s range.
And after the attack missed, he’d have the perfect opening to strike back.
‘Good.’
Confirming that the sword had moved away, Max couldn’t help but smile.
However, at that moment—
A thin line of red blood appeared across Max’s right arm.
Almost simultaneously, blood gushed out like a fountain.
“Ahhhhh!”
Max screamed, a mix of horror and pain.
His severed arm fell limply to the ground. The broken Iron Club rolled down as well.
What the hell is happening?
What the hell is going on?!
Max couldn’t understand the situation, nor could he gather his thoughts.
“Left arm.”
Once again, the Sword Master muttered.
“W-what, you bastard?!”
Like someone who had lost their mind, Max lunged at the Sword Master.
Forgetting all defense, he channeled his mana into a kick aimed at the Sword Master’s heart.
It felt almost like a desperate gambit, as if he planned to blow up the Sword Master’s heart even if it cost him his own life.
Without blinking, the Sword Master moved his sword.
This time, it aimed for Max’s left arm.
The same slow motion appeared but with perfect precision, slicing through to Max’s left arm.
Moments later, blood erupted from Max’s left arm as it started to separate.
But Max didn’t scream in pain; instead, his eyes sparkled with determination.
His all-out strike was almost upon the Sword Master’s heart.
It was unavoidably going to hit.
“Die!”
Max shouted with blood-red eyes.
In that instant, a silver aura rapidly enveloped the Sword Master’s body.
The sword barrier.
Yet, it was so thin that it appeared it could break at any moment.
Max firmly believed he would tear through it like paper.
It was the climactic all-out attack, after all.
There was no way something of such low caliber could block him.
Soon, Max’s foot made contact with the barrier.
And then—
“Ugh?!”
Max let out a scream that mixed shock and pain.
His foot was sharply severed and flew up with a fountain of blood. The moment it touched the barrier, it was cut off like it was chopped on a cutting board.
In this absurd turn of events, a defensive technique akin to a shield had instead cut through his opponent.
Max slumped to the ground, his face a mask of shock.
His body was drenched in blood from the wounds gushing forth.
“Left foot.”
The Sword Master murmured, glancing at Max’s unharmed left foot with indifferent eyes.
To Max, those words sounded like the creed of death.
His body trembled with goosebumps.
“Don’t… don’t come near me!”
Max scrambled backward, using his only unscathed left foot to drag himself away.
With a face pale with fear, he murmured.
“T-this… monster…”
The word “monster” slipped from the lips of the S-Class, the worst kind of criminal.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Yet Si-hyun understood it.
‘…It’s truly terrifying.’
-What’s that?
‘Uh-oh… can you hear me?’
-I’m merely doing as you wished.
The Sword Master slowly advanced toward Max.
Max struggled to escape, but it was nothing short of pathetic.
The Sword Master’s blade fell once more.
Again it appeared slow, yet it was an honest motion.
But now, everyone watching the fight recognized that this attack was more terrifying than anything else.
“Ahhhhh!”
As Max’s left foot was severed, blood gushed out.
“…Kill me! Please, just end this quickly!”
Perhaps realizing instinctively that he couldn’t survive, Max begged for death.
He just wanted to escape this agonizing pain.
“Neck.”
Upon hearing those words, a flicker of relief crossed Max’s face amidst the agony.
The Sword Master’s blade moved again.
But this time, it was fast.
Extremely fast.
Even Arthur, a strong S-Class, couldn’t properly see the movement.
With a sickening crunch!
The Sword Master brutally severed Max’s neck, sending blood spraying across the ground.
The Sword Master’s gaze shifted toward Arthur, who had been watching the fight blankly.
The moment their eyes met, Arthur flinched.
‘Is this me…? The true king, am I really being pressured like this?!’
Arthur wanted to deny reality.
But his body was indeed trembling from tension.
“Next…”
The Sword Master spoke as he looked at Arthur.
“You’re up, Little King.”
There was no killing intent.
He merely stared with indifference.
Yet, the pressure felt worse than any hostility.
Arthur’s face twisted into an uneasy smile.
But that smile felt forced.
“…Haha, Po-ahim. You’ve done well to kill Max. Truthfully, I should commend you. However, this Little King—”
“Has quite a few weapons.”
Thud.
Ignoring the Little King’s remark, the Sword Master began tossing weapons from his inventory onto the ground.
These were the weapons Si-hyun carried, fearing another tragedy like the Ganghwa Island Disaster.
Swords, daggers, spears…
A myriad of weapons fell to the ground.
Arthur frowned, perplexed by his actions.
Was there a reason to casually pull out so many weapons?
He couldn’t comprehend this absurd behavior.
It was downright ridiculous.
And this place was supposed to be a tense battlefield.
Yet, he was leisurely doing something like this. It felt almost mocking.
Displeasure deepened within Arthur’s smile.
Yet he didn’t act hastily.
He had just witnessed Max in pain, after all.
“This much should do.”
After laying down dozens of weapons, the Sword Master ceased his actions.
Then he raised his left hand, opened it, and lightly gripped it.
At that moment—
The weapons laid on the ground suddenly began to rise into the air simultaneously.
The sight of countless weapons floating in the air was truly breathtaking.
“Gasp… W-what is that?!”
For the first time, the smile disappeared completely from Arthur’s face.
What Po-ahim was demonstrating was the Manipulation of Weapons Technique.
Arthur could execute that skill as well.
But this was… a whole different dimension.
Ordinary Manipulation of Weapons only managed to move a few weapons.
Yet now, dozens of weapons were moving simultaneously.
It was an unprecedented spectacle; he had never imagined such a person could exist.
But now, that wasn’t the important point.
“…Leave the Death Bow and come here now!”
Arthur shouted urgently, his face pale.