“…Alright! I’ll find the hidden one somehow, so hurry up!”
At the word to go ahead, the Girl with Red Hair nodded as if she understood and immediately turned around to dash forward.
Even though it was a situation that could easily make one worried or anxious, she didn’t hesitate at all.
Scarlet’s unwavering action was almost like a testament to her strong trust in herself, and Yoon Si-woo felt a warm sensation in his chest.
However, as Yoon Si-woo quietly watched the girl’s back running away, something loomed ahead of him with a thud that shook the ground.
It was the leg of a Giant Demonic Beast, marked with the large Scar Mark he had previously etched into it.
Yoon Si-woo stiffened his expression and looked up, meeting the eyes of the Monster glaring down at him from above.
The injured monster, filled with rage, radiated a red light as if ready to stomp him to death at any moment.
The sheer power of that being, which an ordinary human could not even dare approach, created an oppressive atmosphere that made the air feel heavy.
Yet, Yoon Si-woo, accepting all of that pressure, raised his sword toward the demonic beast without any sign of fear.
With Scarlet potentially in danger, how could he tremble in front of an entity that stood in the way of going to her side?
Rather than fear, he felt nothing but irritation.
Thus, as he unleashed Lucy’s strength while raising his sword, he muttered towards the beast before him.
“Bring it on.”
-■■■■■■■■■■■!!!
As if it understood his words, the Giant Demonic Beast let out a roar and lifted its leg high.
A massive shadow quickly draped over him.
“Ugh…!”
Yoon Si-woo exhaled, hurriedly leaping away to avoid the vast shadow encompassing the area.
A moment later, the beast’s leg crashed down exactly where he had been standing just before.
The leg obliterated everything within that range, slamming down with a tremendous sound.
It created a huge crater as if a meteor had collided.
Yoon Si-woo swallowed dryly as he witnessed the scene caused by that overwhelming destructive attack.
He realized that directly taking on such an assault would truly be reckless.
Even if it was just a mere stomp, done by something of that size, it would be calamity in itself.
Moreover, that monster possessed a terrifying ability to annihilate anything that touched its body.
Experiencing either of those would be more than enough, but facing an attack that combined the two was downright foolish.
Thus, for now, he decided to prioritize evasion as his strategy for combat.
He would dodge the series of incoming attacks from the beast, waiting for the right moment.
“Now…!”
-■■■■■■─!!
When a gap appeared, he would deliver a blow.
Just like when he had dealt with the Gluttonous Beast that had appeared in the city, his strategy was to avoid the enemy’s attacks while overwhelming it until he could deliver a killing blow.
However, as he carved a long wound into one of the beast’s legs, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but click his tongue.
“…Tch.”
[Si-woo, as you’ve realized.]
“…Yeah, I get it. This won’t work.”
He recognized that this way of fighting was ineffective.
[Right, if you keep slashing like this, you’ll have to cut it down dozens, if not hundreds of times.]
Lucy pointed it out.
The enemy was just too huge.
Even if he could dodge its attacks and minimize the damage, he couldn’t guarantee how many blows would be needed to take it down.
Of course, in the past, such a fighting style wouldn’t have been a problem.
That would have been the most reliable and safest way to win.
However,
[But you can’t do that. If you fight like that, you’ll have to use my power for too long. Si-woo, remember that using my power for too long will kill you.]
In his current state, Yoon Si-woo could not afford to extend the battle, as he would perish if Lucy’s power was used for an extended period.
He was struck by the reality of his changed circumstances and hardened his expression.
But what was he supposed to do?
The enemy was one he couldn’t harm without tapping into Lucy’s strength.
“…Lucy, for now, release the reversal for a bit.”
[Hmm? Well, I can do that, but what do you plan on doing? Without my ability, you can’t… Ah, I see. That’s not a bad idea at all.]
While pondering, Yoon Si-woo requested Lucy to temporarily unseal the witch’s power that had been gnawing away at him.
Upon hearing this, Lucy appeared puzzled for a moment but soon read his thoughts and obediently sealed the miasma.
And even while the two were having that conversation, the beast’s relentless assault continued.
Yoon Si-woo, now with the witch’s powers sealed, dodged the beast’s attack falling toward him, and—
“Holy Sword, Unleash.”
In the moment he seized the opportunity to swing his sword, he muttered again.
The beast howled.
At the moment of his strike, he reactivated the witch’s power for a hit to inflict damage on the beast.
And as soon as he ended that attack, he sealed the power again, hearing Lucy mumble.
[To think you’d only think of releasing my power at the moment of attack. This certainly minimizes waste, even if it is a hassle.]
“…But it still doesn’t fundamentally resolve the issue. Doing this won’t increase the damage we do to it.”
Even though he had devised a good method to minimize the use of the witch’s powers, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t ease the tension on his face.
The beast was still standing strong to the point where he couldn’t even gauge how many strikes it would take to bring it down, and beyond that, he had other worries in his mind.
Not only did he have to deal with this Demonic Beast, but he also had to face the Witch of Sloth afterward, and he feared if he could endure until then.
He worried about whether Scarlet would be alright while he bought time against the foe right in front of him.
As he was engulfed in anxiety, Lucy, who had been quietly observing him, spoke up.
[Si-woo, the issue you’re worrying about boils down to defeating this giant as quickly as we can, doesn’t it?]
“That’s it, Ugh… but that’s not easy, which is why I’m in this predicament.”
[I have an idea. For now, just try to stall its movements, even if just for a moment.]
Yoon Si-woo, puzzled about how to quickly defeat such a massive beast, decided to follow Lucy’s advice and aimed to halt the beast’s movement.
Regardless of its size, the beast resembled a four-legged creature.
Thinking that if he could impair at least one of its supporting legs, its mobility would significantly decrease, Yoon Si-woo gritted his teeth and focused on that one leg of the beast while evading its attacks.
How many times had he slashed at it now?
By the time the beast’s one leg was almost drenched in blood, the enormous monster that had been rampaging without pause finally began to falter and limp.
Having slowed the beast’s steps, Yoon Si-woo clambered onto Ari to maintain distance from it and asked Lucy.
“Hah, hah… So, Lucy, what’s the plan to take it down? You’re not suggesting I ride it to strike at its head, right? That would be ridiculous.”
Even just its head alone was larger than a small mountain.
It would be difficult to actually reach its brain, and getting close would risk being knocked away by its long snout.
Thus, he thought she wouldn’t propose such an absurd plan.
[Hmm, of course not. From now on, what you need to do isn’t aiming at its head—]
[Just slice it in one strike, that’s it!]
What Lucy was demanding was far more absurd than he had imagined.
“…You want me to slice it in one strike? Me? That thing?”
Yoon Si-woo asked, flabbergasted.
Lucy retorted as if questioning his surprise.
[Right, you can at least unleash a sword aura, right?]
“…I can, but still, that’s unreasonable.”
If a swordsman achieved mastery, they could amplify their attack range by several times or even dozens of times.
What Lucy was asking, however, was on a whole different level.
To slice something of that immense size in one fell swoop, how much power would be needed?
Thousands of times? Tens of thousands of times?
It was outrageous.
One sword alone could not sever a mountain.
Thus, Yoon Si-woo responded to Lucy, saying it was impossible.
However, Lucy then asked him.
[Why do you think so?]
“…Huh?”
[Why do you consider it impossible?]
Why did he make such a determination?
Lucy, who inquired with that attitude, addressed Yoon Si-woo.
[Si-woo, get off that thing and hold your sword.]
Under her firm tone, Yoon Si-woo unconsciously dismounted from Ari and took up his sword.
He spotted the Giant Demonic Beast limping toward him from a distance.
Though it was still a bit far off, it seemed ready to charge at any moment.
But Lucy told him it didn’t matter about the beast right now.
[Forget about it. I already told you I need time. I asked you to temporarily stop its movement so we could buy some time, so close your eyes for now.]
At Lucy’s words, Yoon Si-woo hesitated but eventually complied and closed his eyes.
“…I’ve done it.”
[Now, imagine a rock right in front of you in your mind.]
Yoon Si-woo envisioned a rock in his mind.
[If you did that, swing your sword to slice that rock in half.]
Yoon Si-woo swung his sword.
The blade cut through the imagined rock in his mind effortlessly.
[Were you able to slice it?]
“I did.”
[Good, then this time, imagine that gigantic monster the size of a mountain in your mind.]
Yoon Si-woo pictured the Giant Demonic Beast.
[Slice it!]
At that command, Yoon Si-woo flinched for a moment and then swung his sword a beat late.
Lucy didn’t ask whether he succeeded or not.
Instead, she merely posed another question.
[Si-woo, do you know what is most important for a swordsman?]
Yoon Si-woo couldn’t come up with an answer.
[Technique? Of course, that’s important, but that’s not it. It’s not even the body.]
As Yoon Si-woo stood silently, Lucy revealed the truth.
What is known to be essential for a swordsman is heart, skill, and body.
Among those three, the most crucial element is—
[Belief. The belief that you can cut!]
Heart, or faith.
[Your weapon had conviction when you sliced that rock. You knew you could slice it.]
[But when aiming to cut the beast, that conviction wasn’t there.]
[It’s because you thought you couldn’t cut it that you ended up not being able to.]
Yoon Si-woo questioned after hearing that.
“…If I believe I can cut it, does that mean I can slice anything?”
Lucy chuckled and replied to that.
[Hehe, of course not. A newborn can’t slice a rock just by believing it.]
[But no matter how skilled one becomes, if they believe they can’t cut a rock, they won’t be able to do so even if they live their entire life.]
[However, Si-woo, you have enough skill and strength, so you should give yourself a chance to believe.]
After hearing those words, Yoon Si-woo momentarily fell silent and then quietly asked.
“…Can I really cut it?”
Lucy did not respond to that question.
Because she understood that it was a question Yoon Si-woo was directing at himself, not her.
Yoon Si-woo swung his sword.
As if urging himself to believe, he swung his sword with conviction.
However, even swinging it like that, the sword did not easily change.
No matter how hard he tried alone, he couldn’t truly believe in himself.
So Yoon Si-woo decided—
-If you can’t believe in yourself, then…
-Then, believe in me, who believes in you.
He borrowed a bit of someone else’s faith instead of his own.
Because the “you” that believes in him must surely be capable of slicing through such a monster in one strike.
With that thought in mind, Yoon Si-woo opened his eyes and slowly lifted his sword toward the approaching Giant Demonic Beast.
And Lucy, looking at him, smiled.
The sight of him holding his sword against a mountain was not arrogant in the slightest.
Lucy had often thought about this.
She believed that swordsmen must be the most arrogant people in the world.
Only a swordsman who believes they can slice a rock can actually slice it.
And only a swordsman who thinks they can sever steel can accomplish that.
Thus, it was only natural that the most arrogant swordsman should be one capable of slicing what even others couldn’t.
And the sword of that arrogant swordsman, which had once taught him, was being unleashed right there.
From above to below, without a hint of wavering, the sword cut cleanly in a straight line.
Watching it unfold, the swordsman recalled the question his disciple had thrown earlier and couldn’t help but smile.
Can I cut it? What a foolish question.
[With a sword that can slice the sky, how could one not slice a mountain?]
The swordsman murmured with a smile while gazing at the sky.
He looked at the clouds that were being split in half across the vast expanse.
And the two split mountains below them.
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