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nChapter 77 To know the enemy and the self (3)

n‘What the hell is this…?’

nYoon-seok felt it was incredulous. Was that the application of b Azure Dragon Energy}? He was using the skill that Chul Namgoong had only shown once as if it was no big deal. It wasn’t even just an imitation.

nIn the roaring movement of the dragon, a clean yet fierce presence could be felt.

n‘What is the standard of the clone?’

nMaking this move and even using graft…he couldn’t do any better than what he was capable of. His opponent did things that he couldn’t possibly do. To be frank, Yoon-seok felt that this trial wasn’t made to be winnable.

n‘Well, I don’t intend to give up…’

nA flying blue dragon with flamboyant movements. Yoon-seok first lifted his Force Shield. It was questionable whether his shield could prevent it, and even if it did, it would be of no use if his energy reserves were emptied.

n‘In the end, I have no choice but to use it…’

nA secret weapon he’d wanted to save for last, but he had no other way to overcome this situation.

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n“Vajra Step.”

nThe moment Yoon-seok chanted the command, he stomped his feet.

nThud!

nHe leaped backward where the ranging distance was maximum. However, Yoon-seok used the skill while looking back, so he used it as a method of approach like he used the Back Step in the past. He was invincible during the leap anyway, so there was no need for hesitation.

n「Disregard all damage temporarily.」

nThe moment he left the ground, his invincibility began. Thus, the b Azure Dragon Energy} which fell fiercely onto Yoon-seok’s head, disappeared without any reaction as if it had shifted beyond an invisible door.

nAnd, the moment his feet touched the ground near his opponent…

n「All accumulated damage is reflected.」

nVajra Mirror’s trait was activated.

n‘This is how it goes.’

nThe b Azure Dragon Energy} sprung from Yoon-seok’s back in the original form of a dragon. Did his opponent also decide that he couldn’t avoid or block it at that distance?

n“Vajra Step.”

nSoon the opponent stomped his foot on the ground; simultaneously, the dragon’s figure, which seemed ready to swallow up the opponent at any moment, disappeared again.

nYoon-seok bitterly smacked his lips.

n‘This is why I didn’t want to use it first…’

nThey had the same skills. Therefore, skills such as the Vajra Step were much more disadvantageous to use first. But regretting it wouldn’t change anything. He needed to face now.

nYoon-seok immediately stepped down and widened his distance from his opponent.

nThud.

nBoth the clone’s feet touched the ground simultaneously, and the b Azure Dragon Energy} that was absorbed by Vajra Step appeared again. It was just a temporary escape before he was driven into the same situation.

nBut it was better than before. At least he had some time to prepare since the distance widened.

n“…”

nYoon-seok calmly took a deep breath. It was a critical moment where a small mistake could determine the outcome of the duel.

nThat was why he had to empty his mind. Otherwise, what he was trying now would never succeed.

n‘Stick.’

nThe sword that Yoon-seok pushed forward touched the {Azure Dragon’s Energy}. No bumping; it just gently touched the sword.

nHe had no choice. As soon they touched, Yoon-seok pulled the sword towards him at the speed of the b Azure Dragon’s Energy}.

n“…”

nA basic trick of flowing using the principles he learned. After learning this trick from the Heavenly Devil, he did make good use of it, but after obtaining b Bloodseeker’s Ultimatum}, he naturally stopped using it. No need for flashy techniques; he just had to press it down.

nHowever, he couldn’t use that to win against his opponent. So he had to make use of everything accordingly.

n‘Slowly…don’t be impatient.’

nHe’d never tried it against such strong energy, so he wasn’t sure if it would work. However, Yoon-seok reiterated that the more anxious he was, the calmer he would become.

nSlowly. Yoon-seok’s sword, which clung to the dragon’s head, slowly moved and turned it around himself. There was no need to twist too much. Just enough to go past himself…

n‘…That’s enough.’

nThe moment he decided that this was enough, Yoon-seok immediately retrieved his sword and twisted his body. Then, the dragon’s head, which was moving along the tip of the sword, grazed over his shoulder as if two magnets were sticking together.

nBut he couldn’t let his guard down here. His opponent had been preparing for the second attack.

nBoom!

nThe b Azure Dragon Energy} went off to the side, hitting the outer wall of the arena with a loud bang. Yoon-seok didn’t even turn his head to the sound direction, only focusing on moving his sword while maintaining his concentration.

n‘Heavenly Devil’s Sword.’

nOnce again, red tidal waves gushed from his foe’s blade. It wasn’t hard to predict that there was a blue dragon hidden beyond it like before. Was this the time to use the phrase one thing after another? When he overcame one obstacle, new ones continued to appear and block his way.

n‘After all, there’s only one answer.’

nAs he admitted earlier, his opponent was far better at everything. There was only one way to win. For the dominant opponent to not feel superior anymore…

nHe had to reach the same level.

n‘I can do it.’

nTheir conditions were the same. Yoon-seok also had b Azure Dragon’s Energy}.

nSwaaaaaaaaaaa-!

nYoon-seok first used his sword to raise a tsunami; then, he used an opening tactic he’d never tried before. It was the position that Chul Namgoong showed before.

n‘How did he do it last time?’

nYoon-seok recalled his duel with Chul Namgoong. No, to be exact, he replayed it hundreds of times in his head when he created the blue dragon out of his sword.

n‘Lower your back. Hold the sword backward a little over the shoulder….’

nAfter a short attempt, his posture was perfectly corrected, but that wasn’t enough. He felt like something was missing. Yoon-seok found the answer in the essence of the b Azure Dragon Energy}.

nIf Bloodseeker Energy walks on the path of dominance, then b Azure Dragon’s Energy} walked on the right path. It was usually serene, but if it had a goal it wanted to achieve, it would become fiercer than anything else…

nIn other words, it mixed the properties of soft and hard. Now he could see what kind of principle the Mounting Azure Dragon was made with.

n‘…I think it’s a bit similar with the principle of the Heavenly Devil Sword?’

nOf course, there was some difference. If that sword sought perfect harmony between strongness and fluidity, {Azure Dragon’s Energy} pursued strength when it needed to be strong, then became softer than anything else when needed to be soft. Of course, it was just a hypothesis. But, if it fits…

nMounting Azure Dragon must have been a strategy that pursued becoming extremely firm.

n“So is there an opposite strategy?’

nChul Namgoong didn’t show such skills, but maybe it existed. No, even if there were no such thing, it would be possible to make a new strategy that contained the principle of extreme softness for b Azure Dragon’s Energy}.

n“…”

nYoon-seok transferred Bloodseeker Energy to his swords, then slathered them with b Azure Dragon’s Energy}. Blue energy gently wavered in a solid shape.

n‘Does it need a shape?’

nHe only transferred the energy onto the sword. Nevertheless, it had been firmly shaped. Perhaps Yoon-seok’s preconception that the sword should be like this was subconsciously reflected.

nYoon-seok broke that preconception, then the blue energy on the sword began to radiate like cigarette smoke. He continued to raise the energy. However, he didn’t control it and let it flow freely.

nSmirk.

nSuddenly, he burst into laughter. Now he’d abandoned the known path and stepped into unknown territory; he could feel just how crazy it was.

nSwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!

nThe sword was infused with {Azure Dragon’s Energy} which then spread throughout the air.

nBang!

nAt the halfway point, the tsunamis crashed and subsided. Then, as if he had been waiting for this moment, the hiding dragon appeared and flew toward Yoon-seok. But it wasn’t as fierce as before. The dragon was slowed down by the blue energy that spread over the arena, then soon stopped completely. The dragon wriggled, but it was useless to struggle.

nIt was then something really surprising happened.

n“…?”

nThe enemy’s attack must have been offset. Yoon-seok stopped infusing {Azure Dragon’s Energy} into the sword. However, the blue energy spread through the air expanded further, forming a clear net rather than decreasing power. The cause of the phenomenon was like {Azure Dragon’s Energy}.

nAs water droplets naturally combined, the blue energy was absorbed when the dragon was caught in the net without differentiating between enemies.

nWhoooosh! Whik! Swoosh!

nA blue net slowly approached his foe. To prevent this, the cloned Yoon-seok continuously fired off Bloodseeker’s Energy with b Trajectory Enhancement}. However, the attacks fired into the net didn’t result in the usual explosive sound.

nThey, too, were slowed down and soon assimilated into part of the net.

n“…”

nIt was unstoppable. When he tried to cut it down, it was like trying to cut water with a knife. Did he think he had no choice but to endure it?

nSoon after, his foe lifted the Lady’s Commandment. As a result, the lost healing effect of Bloodseeker Energy returned normally. But…

n「 To Lady’s Commandment, all beings within the realm lose healing effects.」

nYoon-seok couldn’t leave it alone now; he reverted the whole territory that disappeared. Yoon-seok looked at the other person’s eyes and saw a flustered gaze. Then, he was convinced.

n‘I guess you can’t do this even if you use graft.’

nThe opponent was no longer superior to him. It might still have been the case a few minutes ago, but now the tables have turned.

n「By Lady’s Commandment, no healing effects will be lost within the realm.」

nYoon-seok smiled at the phrase before him. The reversed situation was as clear as day. The effect of the law was lost due to the newly created premise of his opponent, but it didn’t matter.

nThe outcome was decided anyway.

n“…”

nThe net that filled the sky hit his opponent. The opponent somehow struggled to escape, but the situation only grew worse. As time went by, the b Azure Dragon’s Energy}, which was in the form of a net, disappeared with the wind.

nYet, as if he’d only endured through consuming most of his Bloodseeker’s Energy, his opponent looked exhausted. It was time to wrap up.

nBoom!

nYoon-seok cornered his opponent without giving him time to recover. One, two, three…Yoon-seok poured his heart out in each blow. Therefore, his clone had to use a generous amount of Bloodseeker’s Energy to stop him.

nThe Bloodseeker’s Energy on his opponent’s sword gradually lost its spirit, floated unstably, and then disappeared entirely.

nIt was the moment when the long duel came to a close.

nSlash!

nYoon-seok didn’t hesitate to slash his opponent’s throat. If there was energy left, he wouldn’t die but would soon recover…

n「Victory.」

n「940,000AP will be paid as a reward.」

n「Unique Skill {Predation} has been activated.」

n「Acquire one of your opponent’s skills at random.」

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n「Acquired Unique Skill b Avatar}.」

n「The chosen skill is already acquired. The rank of b Avatar} has increased.」

n「Loot one of your opponent’s equipment at random.」

n「Looted Sun Monarch’s Judgement Sword.」

n「Absorb some of your opponent’s highest abilities.」

n「Absorbed magic stat.」

n「1 coin will be paid as a reward for promotion.」

n「Go to the Manager’s section on the 10th floor.」

nFinally, he arrived.

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