NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70
Chapter 70. Dance of Destruction
“Tch!”
I can’t help but click my tongue as my attack falls short.
By lifting his feet off the ground the moment my fist connects, he redirects the force backward.
Even so, with [Star Piercer], I should be able to easily punch a hole through his body, but the sensation feels off. It seems I should act under the assumption that he has a fourth ability.
“Annoying.”
Leon-san charges forward, smashing through the castle walls he destroyed as he passes.
Facing Leon-san, whose power grows with each passing moment, there’s no room for complacency.
I need to finish this quickly!
“Found you!”
A figure emerges from the swirling dust.
I gather fighting spirit in my legs, stomp the ground, and leap toward the figure’s head like a bullet.
“[Meteor Shower].”
Fists rain down at a speed impossible to follow with the naked eye.
(Fall, fall, fall!)
Amid the raging storm of destruction that only grows faster, his voice somehow cuts through clearly.
――You’re still the best, man.
Dodging through the flurry of fists, a jet-black gauntlet pierces my abdomen.
“Guh!”
I’m sent flying backward, but I twist my body mid-air to regain my posture.
As I land on the ground, I fix my gaze on the enemy before me.
The dust clears, revealing his figure.
A battle maniac wielding a jet-black gauntlet, wearing a fierce grin.
Blood seeps from the corner of his mouth, and his clothes are in tatters.
I’ve wounded the invincible.
This could be called a historic achievement.
However, I can’t help but let out a bitter smile at the fact that the monster before me has only sustained such minor injuries.
“You’re too tough…!”
This was a full-powered attack while my rank was elevated.
To think that an attack delivered with the intent to kill only left a scratch… It’s a joke I can’t laugh at.
“Here I come…?”
Leon-san closes the distance between us and throws a straight right at my face.
A simple strike, but the hidden power behind it is immense, making the air groan.
I take the hit head-on, with·out·any·de·fense.
(So it’s come to this…)
But I flow with the force, pivoting on my left foot and delivering a backfist with my left hand to Leon-san.
“Tch?!”
Leon-san’s eyes widen at the unexpected attack, but he quickly raises his left arm to block. However, this attack combines my power with his own. Naturally, a single arm isn’t enough to defend against it.
The bones in his left arm creak, and his body is sent flying sideways, parallel to the ground. He manages to land after spinning several times to dissipate the impact, but the look in his eyes as he stares at me is clearly one of caution.
“As expected… that level of attack isn’t enough to defeat you.”
Then…
It’s been a while since I’ve used martial arts.
I haven’t used martial arts much in my battles so far.
Because to fully unleash the power of the War God, martial arts only serve as shackles.
However, since I still can’t fully control my power, I can’t think of any other method. Even if I win, this might lead to a hellish training regimen…
(That person is probably furious, telling me to overpower him with strength instead of relying on martial arts, but just this once, please forgive me.)
“Huu~”
I relax the strength in my left knee, which is positioned forward. Naturally, my body begins to sink forward as it loses support, but before it falls, I use the momentum to slide my foot across the ground, pulling my right foot in.
This isn’t the same footwork I’ve used before.
The ground doesn’t explode, and no thunderous sound echoes.
Just silence.
Yet, my figure has already entered the range where I can attack Leon-san.
Leon-san furrows his brows in confusion for a moment.
The strength of this footwork lies in the fact that “the start of the movement is unpredictable, and even if seen, it’s hard to notice” and “it allows you to close long distances in an instant.”
With normal movement, you kick off the ground to move, but this footwork uses your center of gravity to generate forward thrust. Since there’s no wobble in the body, it’s hard for the opponent to notice.
It’s similar to what’s commonly called [Ground Shrink].
“Shh!”
One second.
I tilt my left foot, the pivot foot, at a 45-degree angle and swing my right foot up.
“Too naive!”
Two seconds.
Leon-san dodges by shifting his body to the left. A narrow escape, less than an inch. It’s clear he used [Foresight]. The battle is unfolding as planned.
And three seconds.
I abruptly stop the swinging foot and bring my heel down where Leon-san dodged. [Foresight] can see three seconds into the future. Assuming it can’t be used consecutively, an attack three seconds later should work.
“Hah, as expected!”
But, as expected of the invincible one.
With inhuman reflexes, he transitions to his next move.
He backflips, dodging the heel drop, and as his body flips, he opens up mid-air to reduce the rotational force, then tucks his body and rotates forward.
(What kind of insane moves are these?!)
I block the heel drop coming from above with both arms.
It’s a heavy hit, but I can still endure it.
It’s been less than a minute since the match started. For now, it seems I still have the upper hand.
I grab Leon-san’s right foot as he floats in the air and hurl him into the castle.
A confined space is easier to fight in.
I follow Leon-san and enter the castle as well.
Is this the throne room? A magnificently designed chair, fit for a king, is placed at the highest point in the room. Below it lies a red carpet, and through the glass windows, a fantastical world unfolds. If it weren’t for the current situation, I might have been captivated by the sight.
In the center of the room, facing each other, are the King of Destruction and the Supernova.
“Not bad, huh? A king’s spectacle, is it? Well, I’m a king too.”
I’m a god, though.
“It’s a bit too extravagant for a spectacle.”
I gather fighting spirit in my body and steady my breathing.
From here on out, it’s a clash of techniques. I can’t afford even a moment of carelessness. The martial arts I’ve shown so far are just footwork—there are still a thousand variations of unpredictable techniques.
And if Leon-san continues to grow stronger, it’s better to assume that if this goes beyond five minutes, I’ll lose.
The difficulty level is beyond Extra, reaching Calamity level, but it’s not impossible. After all, Leon-san is only seventh rank—there are six more above him.
“Shall we begin?”
“Anytime.”
With those words, we close the distance.
The floor cracks where Leon-san stood, while I silently close the gap using [Ground Shrink]. “shrinking the earth.”
The dance of destruction, power, and overwhelming absurdity has begun.