NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72
Chapter 72. Lion’s Fury
Three minutes have already passed since the battle began.
At this point, Leon’s strength is equal to or greater than mine.
By deflecting and utilizing his punches, I’ve managed to maintain a balance, but I lack a decisive move.
I try to create an opening to unleash my [Absolute Fist], but his relentless assault makes it impossible to find any gap.
“Raaah!”
I match his breathing.
The moment Leon closes in at high speed, I stomp the ground, using the shock to halt his movement.
“Tch!”
I grab his raised right arm, twist it, and pull him toward me. As a result, Leon is forced to face the ground with his back turned to me. This is a technique from Aikido called the “Front Strike First Teaching.” It should completely immobilize the opponent, but…
As I twist and pull Leon’s arm, he doesn’t resist the flow. Instead, he rotates his entire body forward, his feet lifting off the ground, and launches a kick straight at my face.
I release his arm and defend.
(He’s too skilled!)
This is it—his superhuman reflexes and overwhelming combat skills neutralize my techniques.
Karate, Judo, Muay Thai, Tai Chi, and Aikido—I’ve already used over a hundred techniques in this battle, but all of them have been effortlessly countered. Instead, I’m bombarded with bizarre attacks.
“Maybe it’s better not to use techniques…”
This is the first time I’ve fought someone like this.
And he’s evolving as time passes? Seriously, this is ridiculous.
I bend my right leg and assume a crane-like stance.
“Oh? What are you going to show me next?”
I’ll stop using martial arts for offense and focus solely on defense.
“Rank Ascension—Awaken.”
I raise my rank to its absolute limit.
Then, I launch a single kick. Even though Leon is five meters away, it doesn’t matter.
Bang!
The sound of air rupturing echoes as a hole is blown through the wall behind Leon.
“A little off. I need to adjust.”
Leon’s eyes widen slightly before he touches his left cheek.
A warm liquid—he checks his hand and realizes it’s blood.
“Heh, this might still be fun.”
“Of course.”
Leon shifts into a half-body stance.
I can’t just defend. I need to attack if I want to take him down.
I close the distance in one breath and prepare my right leg.
“Hah!”
My leg clashes with Leon’s fist.
I immediately pull back and follow up with a barrage of attacks. Like a cannon, the air trembles heavily as we collide.
By the tenth exchange, blood spurts from Leon’s arms as he continues to strike.
It’s said that leg strength is three times that of arm strength.
No matter how monstrous his durability is, he can’t withstand this level of power.
“Not bad!”
Laughing, Leon tries to create distance with a backstep.
I anticipated this move and close the gap further.
“I see you.”
Leon’s fist, guided by [Foresight], comes down on me.
But this is a bluff. Without attacking, I circle behind Leon and aim a sweeping kick at the right side of his head.
“That too.”
He avoids it by lowering his upper body without even looking back.
(Well, that was a bluff too.)
All of this happens in three seconds.
From the position of my raised right leg, I forcibly twist my body diagonally to the left, lifting my left leg into a heel-drop stance mid-air.
“Huh?!”
Leon tries to dodge by leaning to the left, but I’m a step faster. My heel slams into his right shoulder, and I feel the sensation of bones breaking.
(Yes! I’ve crippled his right side.)
“That hurt!”
His pained expression lasts only a moment. As he turns, he unleashes a left-handed strike, which I deflect with a karate sweep, followed by a spinning kick. Leon, hit squarely, tumbles across the ground, crashes into the wall, and struggles to stand, clearly still injured.
“I’ll keep pressing!”
I sprint to close the distance, but just as I’m about to enter striking range, I leap backward.
(What’s this chilling feeling?)
If I had stepped in any further, I would’ve been done for.
There’s no evidence, but every cell in my body is screaming.
The foreboding of ‘death’ emanating from the man before me.
Leon slowly rises from where he had fallen.
“That was fun, Hayato. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a flashy fight. But, well, unfortunately, five minutes have passed.”
Immediately, Leon’s body begins to change.
Golden fur sprouts from his entire body, his teeth grow sharper, his eyes turn gold and glare at me. Even his skeletal structure seems to shift—his height, originally around 180 cm, surpasses two meters, towering over me.
His golden fur flows as he stands fiercely, a true…
“…Lion.”
I recall the information I’d seen in the database.
[Lion’s Fury], an ability Leon has used only once. Those who witnessed it unanimously called him the Lion King.
“Here I come.”
The lion lowers his upper body, preparing to charge.
(First, I need to assess his ability, then—)
…
“Huh?”
Before I knew it, I was staring at the sky.
I feel the wind. Was I thrown outside?
A few seconds later, my body hits the ground, and the impact courses through me.
It seems I was suspended in mid-air.
“Agh, gah… cough, cough!”
Blood clots spill from my mouth.
My internal organs seem injured. Several bones are broken, and my left arm is bent in the wrong direction.
(I didn’t see it at all… When did he attack me?)
“Da…mn… I can’t… breathe…”
My vision blurs.
I manage to stand, but Leon is nowhere in sight.
“Behind you.”
“Huh?! [Star Fall]!”
I release a shockwave to blow away everything around me.
I’ve located him. Now, I can regroup and…
“[Twin Fangs].”
Two jet-black gauntlets glow as their claws swing from both sides.
A crimson-black aura trails behind, shredding through my energy and nullifying my technique. The absurdity that could obliterate even an S-rank monster is swallowed by an even greater absurdity.
(Is this… an Absolute One…?)
His right arm seems fully healed, making me want to complain about all the effort I just wasted.
In the midst of my thoughts, his right foot slams into my stomach.
“Gah!”
I take the full blow, unable to break my fall as I’m sent flying, crashing through trees.
“Haah… haah…”
I’m battered and bruised.
At this point, I’m not even sure if I can fight properly.
If I muster the last of my strength, I might be able to land one more hit.
In my fading vision, I see the lion walking calmly toward me.
He stands before me and raises his right arm.
I force my trembling legs to stand, facing him, but honestly, I’m not confident I can withstand his next attack.
“It was fun, Hayato.”
And then, the final strike.
Twisting through space, his aura condenses to the point of visibility. My instincts tell me defending against this is impossible.
(This is bad, I’m going to die…)
It must be what’s called the survival instinct.
My body is in tatters. On the brink of death, I unconsciously activate my final trump card to survive. Hayato uses his ability, surpassing his limits and ascending his existence.
Leon’s strike hits Hayato directly.
The shockwave kicks up a dust cloud, and trees are mowed down.
While everyone believes it’s over, only Leon’s eyes widen, his body stiffening.
In a voice tinged with confusion, he asks:
“Who are you?”
A silhouette emerges from the dust.
The figure of a boy, still standing on two feet.
As the dust clears, the screen shows Hayato, stopping Leon’s full-powered strike with a single right hand.
Hayato slowly opens his eyes.
For some reason, his right eye has turned gold.
He smirks and says:
“I see, this is why Hayato struggled… huh, human?”