"I‘m getting used to it now."
[Used to what, Knight?]
"The cheers. At first, they hurt my ears. But now? It‘s familiar."
Speaking indifferently, Yujin tapped the vibrating wall and looked toward the exit tunnel. He had reached the Quarterfinals—his fourth match.
The atmosphere at the mansion was tense, but the tournament had to go on. Yujin was now determined to win this thing, if only to shove it in the faces of the Merchant Association and the Armorless Union.
There were odds and probabilities, but he had to win to survive.
He could no longer approach this with a light heart or a desire for fun.
Calming his mind, Yujin assumed a meditative stance. Outside was chaos, but he didn't want to lose control of his emotions again.
As for PRTS... he had decided to remain silent instead of interrogating the AI. Whatever its origins, it had helped him. Without it, someone at the mansion might have died during the attack.
Daniel had asked where he got such a high-level AI, but since Yujin didn't know either, he had just glossed over it.
[Your next opponent is a swordsman, just like you. Are you ready?]
"I'm always ready. But duels are unpredictable. You never know how things will change once the fighting starts."
Growth during battle was rare, but it happened. And a duel to the death always bred variables.
— ROAAAAAAAAR!!!
Leaving the now-familiar roar of the crowd behind, Yujin pulled on his helmet. PRTS lit up his vision, revealing the path ahead.
"Let's go."
[Affirmative.]
To seize an overwhelming victory. To show Kazimierz that despite everything, Yujin was still standing strong.
"I‘m not watching the match of a jerk who won't even send a letter."
"…Why are you so obsessed with that letter?"
Buldrokk sat on the sofa with a tired expression at Kalaisha‘s complaint. With both Buldrokk and Theresis sitting, the sofa was completely full due to their large builds.
Kalaisha sat in a rocking chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Theresa watched the screen with eyes even more anxious than before.
"Theresis, why is she like that again?"
"Instinct. Theresa has an uncanny knack for guessing things about Yujin correctly."
Hearing that a woman might be sticking close to Yujin, even Theresis couldn't hide his concern. Knowing it through instinct? Was she a seer?
"Hmm, don't worry. Yujin doesn't open up to outsiders easily."
Theresa looked at Buldrokk with a complicated expression.
"Yujin has a weak guard against kind people."
"…Right."
Realizing comfort wouldn't work, Buldrokk gave up quickly. On the screen, Yujin was waving to the crowd, and the crowd cheered in response.
"Amazing. When did he get so popular? Maybe he'll just decide to live in Kazimierz forever."
Kalaisha grumbled with dissatisfaction. Honestly, compared to the undeveloped backwater of Kazdel, the advanced culture and facilities of Kazimierz were superior. She worried Yujin might think the same and never return.
Waiting for a letter stemmed from the fear that he might leave for good.
"That's not in Yujin's nature. You know that, Kalaisha."
"I know. Just saying."
Yujin valued promises. He wouldn't abandon the people he had spent so much time with. Kalaisha was just venting.
On the screen, the two knights faced each other and bowed. Then, Yujin gripped his sword and assumed the exact same stance as his opponent.
"…Ah."
Like a mirror, he aimed his sword at his opponent with identical posture. Though it wasn't obvious in his movements, the opposing knight seemed flustered by the mimicry.
"What is that..."
Theresis let out a rough breath as he watched. That was something Yujin had never shown before.
Buldrokk knew Yujin's talent well. In the backalleys, it hadn't been obvious, but under Netsalem's tutelage, they had realized just how absurd his talent was.
But while they had seen his precognitive-like reflexes, this ability was news to them.
Wondering if he was mocking his opponent, the commentator shouted Yujin's name. The bell rang, and the opponent charged.
Naturally, Yujin, in the exact same stance, lunged forward with the exact same thrust. It was like looking in a mirror; even the spectators were dumbfounded.
If the opponent swung, Yujin swung in the exact opposite direction, mimicking the posture perfectly. If the opponent kicked, Yujin kicked. The knight must have felt like he was fighting himself.
"Yujin..."
Theresa clasped her hands, watching him. The opponent was clearly weaker than the Iron Arm Knight. Knowing this, Yujin was simply copying his movements.
"He's a monster. Truly absurd."
Kalaisha clicked her tongue. Does that make sense? In the heat of battle, in a split second, to mimic the movements of the person right in front of you without error?
Cognition leading directly to action. Realistically, it shouldn't be possible. Yet Yujin was doing it.
The cheers died down. It was like watching two identical people. In that overwhelming scene, the crowd couldn't even cheer.
Watching him mimic the opponent without a 0.1-second delay...
"Impossible. Seeing a sword style for the first time, in actual combat, and copying it perfectly? Even the movements and techniques? Just by looking?"
Buldrokk‘s question hung in the air, unanswered. The precognitive eyes were ridiculous enough, but this?
He isn't human. He isn't like us. The thought crossed their minds.
It was becoming even more precise. As if he were about to surpass the original.
"…Something is wrong."
However, watching Yujin's movements, only Theresa felt the unnaturalness.
Short of breath. Chest pain. A stabbing pain rose in his chest, and Yujin gritted his teeth.
He had put in bone-carving, blood-spitting effort. Crawling on the floor, trying to climb up, hoping to become strong enough to protect that girl.
Yujin was a hard worker. He didn't rely on talent; he sharpened the weapons he had.
But his weak body couldn't keep up with his mind's eye. His strangely frail body refused to follow his will.
[■ake ■p!]
Tinnitus rang in his ears. His eyes felt like they were burning. Why did he make this choice? Why this reckless challenge?
If he had just mimicked the Nearl style as usual, he would have won easily. Why choose the hard path against a mediocre opponent?
[Kn... ig■t!]
His limbs, reaching their limit, creaked and shook. They seemed to ask why he was going this far for such a trivial opponent.
It was stubbornness.
How long would he stand still, blaming his body?
[Wake up! Knight!]
A voice reached him. A voice familiar from long ago, one he couldn't forget.
Ignoring the voice, Yujin kicked off the ground. His legs swelled with pain, but he didn't care.
His vision turned monochrome.
He saw his opponent standing on the rushing ground. In the black-and-white world, he began to see how the opponent would move.
Mimic, and predict.
When the opponent moved, he moved the same way, looking one step ahead. Within that impossible miracle, Yujin felt his body sinking into a deep lake.
'No.'
He couldn't do this. His body would collapse. What would happen to the people who believed in 'him'?
If 'he' lost here?
He couldn't rely on emotions. He shouldn't be swayed by feelings that could evaporate like mist.
It was an impulsive decision, a choice he hadn't told anyone.
He couldn't hide behind the fact that his body was weak forever. He couldn't regret it only after losing something precious.
Are you going to wait until you lose something again before you move?
So, Yujin decided to evolve his weapon further.
Cognition to action. Action to movement. The foresight predicting the future.
If his body couldn't handle it...
He would bridge the gap with superior technique.
Mimicked swordsmanship has errors. A style copied by watching an opponent has minute differences. In that short time, Yujin corrected the errors and bridged the gap.
Bridging the gap, mimicking perfectly without error or difference, making the opponent's technique entirely his own.
Not stopping there, but advancing further.
A sword that surpasses the original at the end of tedious imitation.
If he could take just one step forward.
In a short time, Yujin, who had perfectly copied the opponent's technique, made a different move for the first time.
'Ah...'
Done.
A slow-moving blade shattered the opponent's sword and touched his chest. Predicting the move the opponent would take, he stole it and struck first with the same attack.
Mimicry surpassing the original.
With strength squeezed out to the limit.
"…I'm dying of exhaustion here."
Yujin had jumped over another wall.
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