The Grand Duelist

Formless energy gathered around the body of the old man. They convened around him so thick that the originally formless and invisible energy now had a transparent body visible against the backdrop of the darkness that surrounded them.

Joseph gulped a mouthful of saliva and sweat dripping down his cheeks. His back, already drenched with cold sweat complimented his trembling knees. The old man's aura was so intimidating that Joseph felt fear against him.

Thankfully, the effects of his title, Mythical Authority somewhat subsided the pressure coming off from the old man, else he would be on the ground right now, shivering in fear.

"Come... Face me!"

The old man rushed, carrying with him an unbridled murderous intent that thickened the surrounding air. Joseph sucked a mouthful of cold air, his instincts locked on the old man's knees and when he saw a movement. He hurriedly bent his knees and leaned backward.

Whistle!

A sharp whistling sound rang out and Joseph was astonished to see a line of a black gash in the air when the sword on the old man's hand traveled through it. However, before he could comprehend what was happening, the old man's sword suddenly bent in an angle and it attacked Joseph from behind.

"AAAHHH!!!"

Excruciating pain came from his left chest and the old man's sword stuck out from his chest.

However, his pain didn't end there...

The old man harshly drew his sword from Joseph's back, scattering blood everywhere on the ground.

"Someone as weak as you even dare to impersonate the Grand Duelist? How droll." The old man mocked and he kicked the bloodied and kneeling Joseph, sending him flying towards a nearby wall and burying him in debris.

[ You were attacked at a Major Vital and suffered tremendous damage in an instant! ]

[ You are unconditionally Stiffened for a few seconds. This is a natural phenomenon and cannot be resisted! ]

[ Your heart has burst, and you are in a state of Hemorrhage. ]

[ You are continuously bleeding and losing Health by 1% per second. This status effect will continue until you are sufficiently healed or the state of Hemorrhage has stopped. ]

"Mo... Monster..." Joseph whispered under his breath, he struggled on removing the debris that covered his body and he also struggled on standing up.

"You're still standing up? You're really tenacious, I give you that. However, you are weak, extremely weak. You are pretty good at imitating the Grand Duelist, but you are not on her level. Give up, just give up. I will not ask you to exchange your Sword Art for something else, but do not use such art ever again in front of me."

The old man stared at Joseph in amusement.

Joseph raised his head and glared at the old man. Blood continuously dripped from his seven orifices and the wound on his chest. His eyes also reddened from the damage that his body suffered from the attack so he looked quite menacing and terrifying in his current state.

However, the old man remained unfazed.

"Can you not look at me with those eyes? I hate that look." The old man said, his grip around his slender sword tightened.

Joseph did not respond. He took another deep breath and calmed his nerves down. He closed his eyes, but as soon as they snapped open once again. A single tear dropped from his eye as a greenish light and a gentle warmth covered his body.

"That... so, he left you insurance?" The old man said in a shocked tone, evidently. He didn't know that Ezreal had a trick under his sleeves that could help Joseph even though he physically couldn't do it.

[ The effects of [ Insurance of Nature ] has been activated. Damages that you recently suffered from are now irrevocably reversed. ]

[ You regained 1875 Health! ]

[ You are now in Full Health! All status effects have disappeared, but [ Insurance of Nature] has been permanently consumed! ]

Joseph wore a complicated smile on his lips. He promised Ezreal earlier that he would handle everything from now on, but it turned out that he still couldn't fight properly without Ezreal's help.

Furthermore, judging from the series of system notifications that appeared right in front of him. It looked like Ezreal sacrificed something consumable and incredibly just so he could help him survive.

That was why...

"Enough..."

Joseph suddenly uttered.

The old man looked visibly confused.

"Enough of this..." Joseph continued and the old man finally replied.

"So, you're giving up now? Good, then hurry up and scram. Remember that I am not willing to cooperate with you bastards until you have met my demands." The old man chuckled in a sarcastic manner, but his expression turned serious when he saw Joseph's visage.

"I am tired of this... constantly being the underdog even though I am supposed to be the sun that overlooks everything, and even now! My friend is injured because of my hesitation. I always hesitate, I know I am determined enough to do something but my hesitation is the bane of me..." Joseph ranted.

"What the hell are you saying? Have you lost your mind?" The old man knitted his eyebrows.

"Have I lost my mind? Maybe, maybe I have lost my mind... I just can't handle it anymore, you know? I am just a completely average person that wants to live a life of security and peacefulness but I am suddenly given such a monumental responsibility in this world just because I inherited the legacy of the Grand Duelist!"

Joseph's voice turned harsh and the old man's frown deepened.

"Inherited the legacy of the Grand Duelist? What a joke! You can't fool me with such words. Someone like you has inherited the legacy of the Grand Duelist? Have you ever taken a look at yourself in the mirror?"

"Yeah, that's right... I am tired of that... People underestimating me like they know shit about me... I'm tired of that."

Joseph continued on his rant, but the old man suddenly gave off a small smile.

"If you're tired of that, then what are you gonna do?"

Joseph's figure visibly trembled when he heard these words. But he didn't have any other violent reactions. He merely lifted his head and stared at the old man.

"Then, I will just prove my strength to everyone so that they wouldn't doubt me anymore."

The old man looked in amusement at Joseph: "Oh? How can you prove your strength to anyone when you don't even have it in the first place?"

"Heh. Shut up, old man."

The old man's eyes widened in shock. He clearly didn't expect such a response but then anger surged in his heart.

"What did... you say?"

Joseph sneered.

"I said shut up, you are nothing but a mere foothold for me from now on. Heh, you're a legend? Can a legend even hold a candle against a myth?"

The old man hung his sword on his waist and crossed his arms before his chest.

"Oh? How did you suddenly become that arrogant? Just where is your confidence coming from?"

"My confidence? Well, it's coming from the art of not giving a fuck. The Grand Duelist's Dash!" Joseph suddenly exclaimed at the end of his sentence and his body disappeared from the old man's sight.

"Hmmph, that trick again?!" The old man screamed and he abruptly drew his sword, sending a sweeping attack directly behind him. But contrary to his expectations, Joseph didn't appear behind him. But instead...

"So, you're above, huh?"

The old man retracted his sword and sent a thrust above him.

Joseph who was in mid-air clearly didn't have any trick that he could use so that he could move in mid-air. However, he wasn't afraid. He greeted the sword coming towards him and mumbled.

"Composure."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, formless energy gathered around him and his eyes suddenly shone in azure light. The world in front of Joseph didn't change, but when he stared at the sword coming towards him. He could see a circle on the side of the sword with another circle rapidly closing towards it.

Joseph attacked the side of the old man's sword and his attack landed at the exact moment that the circle closed in on the other circle...

Ding!

A loud ringing sound of metals clashing against each other rang out and the eyes of the old man widened in shock. But everything didn't stop here. Joseph soon landed on the ground and sent a horizontal [Slash] towards the old man.

Ding!

Another loud ringing sound rang out, this time. It was the old man that deflected Joseph's sword. After deflecting the attack, he hurriedly widened his distance from Joseph. But Joseph didn't let him do that.

"Reveal Vitals, Overwhelming Presence."

Joseph uttered these words, and he didn't move from where he was standing. He merely brandished his sword and to the old man's astonishment, an attack landed on his chest scattering blood in the air along with the sound of glass loudly shattering.

[ You dealt 168,220 damage! ]

"You..." The old man staggered and struggled on balancing himself due to the unexpected attack. But Joseph didn't give him any time to breathe for he repeatedly brandished his sword towards the old man, continuously sending streams of formless energy flying towards the latter of which the latter, also continuously deflected with his sword.

"I..." The old man raised his sword and blocked an incoming ranged attack.

Ding!

"Admit that you are indeed..."

Ding!

"Quite capable..."

Ding!

"But..."

Ding!

"Do you really think that this is enough to defeat me?!" The old man roared and he suddenly disappeared from Joseph's sight.

"Huh?! Where did he go!?" Astonished from the old man's sudden disappearance, Joseph moved with his instincts and when he turned around. There, he found the old man already sending an attack flying towards him. But...

Ding!

Joseph remained steadfast. He attacked the sword of the old man as soon as the rapidly closing circle mark on the old man's sword fully closed.

Ding!

Such exquisite timing meant a successful deflection under the effects of Calm and Composed. But this wasn't the end of the old man's attack. In fact, that attack was merely the start of his onslaught.

"Endless Barrage!" The old man cried out and the formless energy surrounding the old man suddenly materialized into countless sword beams that shot towards Joseph.

"Shit!" Joseph inwardly cursed, he didn't have any time to shout such profanity for the sword beams along with the old man perfectly trapped him. Logically, Joseph should've forcefully retreated away from his enemy right now, but Joseph was unwilling to do that anymore.

He didn't want to hesitate anymore...

Even Ezreal who knew that he only had a single life, protected him who could revive upon death.

That kind of resolve was something that Joseph admired and he thought that he could never acquire something like that. But right now, after Ezreal gave him the confidence and saved him again. Joseph now planned on changing his ways.

Life was indeed valuable, but hesitation in battle meant defeat...

And so...

Joseph roared...

"AAAAHHH!!!"

His body went into overdrive, he deflected every sword beam and even the old man's attack in such impeccable timing and speed.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Faster..." But this wasn't enough... The old man's attacks were getting faster along with Joseph, and if this pace continued. Once the effects of Composure ran out and he didn't have the help of Calm and Composed anymore...

He would lose his deflecting capabilities and would certainly die.

"Faster..."

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Grace!" Joseph squeezed this word out of his mouth and he activated, [Grace]. Increasing his movement speed by 20% but it still wasn't enough. The old man could still keep up with his pace and the number of sword beams continued on increasing.

"FASTEEEER!" Joseph inwardly cried and veins bulged on his body as his entire body reddened from the burden of continuously deflecting heavy and swift strikes from the enemy. But the old man still kept up with Joseph's pace. In fact, he looked like he wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"Precision and Grace..." Joseph grunted and he barely squeezed these words out. Activating [Precision and Grace], he entered the state of [Hypersensitivity] increasing his movement speed. Right now, he was fast enough to the extent that his movements left confusing afterimages. But they weren't particularly effective against the old man.

"FAAASSSTEEERRR!!!" Joseph let out a maniacal scream, activating [Sharpened Eyes]. Marks of weaknesses and advantages surfaced on the old man's body and Joseph didn't care about anything anymore. He abandoned defense and went all-out on attacking those weaknesses for the sake of percentage-based Damage.

[ You dealt 250,231 damage! ]

"You brat... Are you insane?!" The old man noticed the changes, and he couldn't help but exclaim in shock. But nevertheless, he didn't stop his attacks in an effort to kill Joseph as fast as possible.

"Yeah... I am insane... So what?" Joseph continued on his attacks, sending waves after waves of attack against the old man's weaknesses causing the old man to cough a mouthful of blood. But the latter was also stubborn, instead of retreating. He also continued his attacks.

[ You suffered 231 damage! ]

[ You suffered 145 damage! ]

[ You dealt 272,231 damage! ]

t! Stop this now! If you continue doing this, you'll die!" The old man cried out. His calm facade now broken due to the heavy damages that he suffered from Joseph's relentless attacks. Although he could easily deflect or block Joseph's attacks, due to the latter's speed. It was inevitable that some attack slipped past his defenses and whenever that happened...

He always suffered tremendous damage...

"You want me to stop? Hahaha, why will I stop? Is there even a reason for me to stop when I have nothing to lose? Not like you. I am a cursed being so I have nothing to lose, old maaan!" Joseph roared, his movement speed increased to inhumane levels and even temporarily surpassed the limits imposed by the laws of causality to everyone in Victory.

[ Your suffered 523 damage! ]

[ Your Health is lower than a certain percentage... ]

[ The Grand Duelist's Tenacity has been activated. ]

[ Your Attack Speed and Movement Speed is increased by 80%, but Defenses from all sources are now ineffective. ]

"This madman..." The old man continued on deflecting but it was evident that he couldn't keep up his defenses anymore, his movement became sluggish and his continuously trembling arm made him feel like he didn't even have enough strength to lift his sword anymore.

[ You dealt 172,231 damage! ]

[ You dealt 166,740 damage! ]

[ You dealt 432,702 damage! ]

[ Imminent Counter-attack is now available. ]

Joseph revealed a small smile when he saw a particular system notification

"Farewell, old man..." Joseph leaped towards the skies and mumbled, "Imminent Counter-attack, Discharge."

An incomparably dense formless energy surrounded the Rusty Beginner Sword that Joseph held...

When it descended, it left an incredibly long gash in the air for it ripped even space itself due to the strength that it carried.

But in the face of such an overwhelming attack. The old man remained calm and faced the devastating attack with a smile on his face.

"Unfortunately for you, I cannot die yet..." He uttered and when Joseph's attack ruthlessly struck the sword that the old man held in front of him in defense, the unthinkable happened...

"Parry..."

The old man mumbled and the force of Joseph's attack sunk like a stone thrown into a vast ocean. It didn't even make any ripple. In fact, it just disappeared…

As if it never existed in the first place.