This kind of monster was usually a reinforced variant—one that had devoured the magic stones of its own kind. Qianshuo had read about them in the books Hedin gave him.
He just hadn't expected to actually run into one.
"Leave it to me, Miss Alicia. Go wait over there in a safe spot."
Qianshuo drew his katana. His voice was calmer than even he expected.
After saying that, he didn't look at Ais again—he simply charged straight at the mutated boar-man.
Because if Ais stepped in, this thing would probably turn to dust in an instant.
And that would be a waste.
The half-beast's yellow-glinting eyes locked onto Qianshuo—then the moment it "fixed" on him, the ground thundered.
It barreled through the deadwood and ripped an entire tree from the earth—a piece of the Dungeon's natural "withered timber"—and in a heartbeat the trunk became a gigantic club in its hands.
This was the Dungeon's weapon stockpile—one of its most troublesome traits.
This living labyrinth provided monsters with natural weapons. Starting from the 10th floor, this kind of thing could happen… and it only became more common deeper down.
Ais pouted, visibly unhappy as she watched Qianshuo's back—but remembering the rule that you can't steal another adventurer's prey, she had no choice but to give up.
Still… this was perfect.
She could watch his swordsmanship up close.
She wanted to see more deeply into that "clean, decisive" quality in his blade.
Qianshuo didn't feel pressured or tense at all. Mind and body were as light as ever, his eyes burning with focus as he stared down the abnormal half-beast.
Maybe because he'd survived real death matches before—facing a monster with higher stats didn't produce fear in him anymore.
The half-beast roared and exploded forward.
Qianshuo stayed composed.
He was waiting for it to show an opening.
He already understood the monster's weak points, so there was no need to rush. He only needed the right timing to produce a one-hit kill.
Attack the lower body.
Big-bodied monsters were sluggish; their heavy mass made them prone to losing balance.
Meaning: if he dodged the first strike, he could seize the opening, counter, and take control of the entire rhythm of the fight.
BOOM!
The club slammed down like a shadow.
Qianshuo slipped it—cleanly.
And then the pressure of his blade surged upward in an instant.
This wasn't Ittō Shura.
This was his full power outside of that state—the kind he only showed when training with Hedin.
"Imitation Sword Technique — Elf Swordsmanship."
His figure became a streak of afterimage.
First cut—a horizontal slash across the half-beast's abdomen. Pale green blood sprayed.
The half-beast roared and swung again.
Qianshuo twisted aside, sliding so low his body nearly skimmed the ground.
Second cut—a thrust. The katana's tip stabbed into the monster's thigh and snapped back out.
The wound wasn't deep.
But that wasn't the point.
In Qianshuo's eyes there was no impatience—only cold calculation.
Third. Fourth. Fifth.
Every cut landed in a different place. Every force and angle was measured perfectly—not for a single killing blow, but to accumulate.
Ais frowned.
"…Strange."
His speed was fast. His sword was beautiful.
But the damage felt… wrong.
With the speed he was showing, he could be hitting much harder.
Yet he deliberately chose light, fast strikes.
Like he was depositing something inside.
And with his current strength, he shouldn't be able to cleave through bone on a boar-man this big—especially not as a speed-type swordsman.
Hedin's style emphasized multi-hit chains—high frequency attacks that overwhelmed an opponent's ability to respond.
And it was working: once Qianshuo took a single opening, within seconds the half-beast was covered in wounds, green blood spilling onto the grassland.
Qianshuo's blade drew streaks of light with every swing—yet Ais could tell that pure attrition still wasn't enough to collapse something like this.
And then—watching his cuts—Ais went still.
There was a kind of "severing" effect happening, grinding down the monster's defensive state bit by bit.
But the raw damage… still didn't look high.
She stared harder, trying to find the "tell."
She couldn't see it—yet she was certain every strike carried something hidden inside.
There was also a clear pattern: every cut's angle and strength were set with deliberate precision. Efficient for combos.
But the output, on the surface, looked underwhelming.
The half-beast still struggled.
It swung and spun, forcing attacks toward Qianshuo.
"What is he trying to do…?"
Ais could sense Qianshuo had a plan—but she couldn't see the real purpose behind his blade.
At the same time, Qianshuo was counting in his head.
"Seventy-ninth cut."
He slipped past a screaming club strike, reversed his grip—
He wasn't going to use the First or Second Secret Sword.
This was something newly born: a technique blending Hedin's wind-like elven swordplay with Qianshuo's own understanding of the sword.
Eightieth cut!
His katana fell again, carving another deep slash into the half-beast's body.
The monster still didn't fall.
Qianshuo, right hand on the hilt, slowly sheathed the blade.
The half-beast finally realized what was happening.
It raised the club high over its head, preparing to smash him into the ground.
Ais reflexively trembled—ready to intervene—
And at that exact moment, she finally saw what had been "off" all along.
…Sword energy?
The monster's massive body was laced with countless cut marks.
And inside those wounds, an overwhelming pressure—packed sword energy—had accumulated.
Click.
His movements were slow—so slow Ais could see every motion of his fingers.
The half-beast roared, arms lifted, killing blow descending.
Clack.
The sound of the katana locking fully into its sheath was crisp and quiet.
But to Ais, it sounded like the end of a countdown.
"Secret Sword Ultimate Technique…"
Qianshuo's voice was soft.
"Amatsu Raikō."
The next second, the entire world went silent.
And then Ais saw a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life.
The half-beast's body exploded.
Not cut in two.
Not sliced apart.
It was ripped open from the inside.
Countless blades of sword energy burst outward like beasts freed after being caged too long.
Each one carried a razor-bright gleam, carving visible tracks through the air.
Blood erupted skyward like a grotesque fountain.
The club was still held high—except the arm holding it was no longer there.
The roar was still stuck in its throat—except the head producing it rolled onto the ground.
The three-meter body collapsed like a tower being demolished.
"…So beautiful… that sword."
Ais whispered.
This was Qianshuo's greatest result from recent training:
Secret Sword Ultimate Technique — Amatsu Raikō.
A secret sword that didn't require Ittō Shura to use.
Unlike Shinra Jindan's brutal "crush-and-break" style, this technique was built on setup.
Between the 60th and 80th cut, he could drive almost every strike as sword energy into the enemy's body—
Then release it all at once in a final detonation.
If Qianshuo ever reached the level of a first-tier adventurer…
That "storage" window would expand to 90 to 180 cuts.
That was what a Secret Sword Ultimate Technique truly was.
....
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