CRACK!
The lightning that burst from Mujin's sword sliced through the air toward Minwoo. It wasn't just sword qi. It was real lightning taking the form of a sword flying toward him.
Minwoo reflexively rolled his body sideways to dodge. The lightning grazed past where he had been, leaving a black mark on the floor.
Zzzip!
Smoke rose from the mark on the floor. A single attack had carved a finger-thick groove in the arena floor.
'This is... if I take a direct hit, it's over!'
[Opponent Analysis Update]Lee Mujin's Thunder Sword First FormPower: Supreme level (instant death possible)Speed: 70% of sound speedEvasion difficulty: Supreme levelConsecutive use count: 12-15 times
Seeing the system analysis, Minwoo felt despair. Mujin hadn't even shown his real skill yet, and it was already this much.
"Good reaction speed," Mujin said leisurely. "But you can't keep just dodging."
Mujin raised his sword again. This time, even more powerful electricity gathered around the sword.
"Thunder Sword Technique Second Form - Lightning Chaos Dance!"
Zzzip! Zzzip! Zzzip!
This time it wasn't just one. Five lightning bolts simultaneously flew from Mujin's sword at different angles. Lightning coming from above, below, left, right, and straight ahead, surrounding and attacking Minwoo.
'I can't dodge this!'
Minwoo hurriedly activated his martial art.
"Phantom Step!"
Minwoo's body instantly split into three. Three afterimages moved in different directions trying to dodge the lightning.
But—
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Mujin's lightning wasn't fooled by the afterimages. As if knowing exactly where the real Minwoo was, three of the five lightning bolts flew precisely toward Minwoo's actual body.
'How does he know my real location?!'
[Analysis Result: Electrical Detection]Lee Mujin can detect bioelectricityPhantom Step afterimages don't generate electricity, so can be seen throughRecommended response: Electricity-blocking martial art or bioelectricity concealment needed
'I don't have such martial arts!'
Minwoo hurriedly crouched and took a defensive stance.
"Iron Wall Inner Power!"
A silver aura formed around Minwoo's body, creating a defensive barrier. The moment lightning hit the barrier—
BOOM!
With a tremendous explosion, Minwoo's body was pushed back 10 meters. The Iron Wall Inner Power's barrier barely blocked the direct hit, but he still took serious damage from just the electrical shockwave.
"Puha!" Minwoo coughed up blood. Even though he thought he had blocked it perfectly, the internal shock had still been transmitted.
[Status Abnormality Occurred]Minwoo HP: 100% → 73%Electrical paralysis: Temporary paralysis in wrists and shouldersDuration: About 30 secondsWarning: 2-3 more direct hits expected to cause combat inability
'30 seconds of wrist paralysis? In this situation?'
As Minwoo tried to get up, Mujin was already charging forward. His speed was lightning-fast.
"Thunder Sword Technique Third Form - Thunder God Swift Step!"
Zziririing!
Mujin's entire body was wrapped in lightning as he appeared before Minwoo like teleportation. Then he delivered a powerful strike from top to bottom.
Minwoo barely blocked with his sword while still not fully recovered from paralysis.
CLANG!
The moment sword met sword, powerful electricity flowed through Minwoo.
"Aaah!" Minwoo screamed. Electricity flowed through his entire body, causing muscle spasms.
Mujin consecutively delivered second and third attacks. Minwoo desperately blocked them, but each time he received electrical shocks, his condition worsened.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"Come on and attack!" Mujin said. "If you keep only defending, you'll collapse soon!"
Minwoo knew it too. But there was no opportunity to attack. Mujin's attack speed was so fast that defending was already difficult.
15 minutes later
Minwoo was already in terrible condition. His whole body was covered with electrical burns, and the hand holding his sword was trembling.
[Minwoo Current Status]HP: 100% → 34%Mental Power: 78%Electrical paralysis: Minor paralysis throughout bodyEstimated combat time remaining: Within 5 minutes
Meanwhile, Mujin stood leisurely. Without even being out of breath or shedding a drop of sweat, he looked at Minwoo.
"You really held out well," Mujin said with genuine sincerity. "But I need to end this now. If we continue any longer, you might get hurt."
Mujin raised his sword high. This time, electricity of a completely different dimension from before began gathering.
Zziizziizziizziick!
Thick lightning swirled and clustered around his sword. A lightning mass like a small typhoon formed at the sword tip.
"Thunder Sword Technique Ultimate - Thunder Dragon Descent!"
Gasps erupted from the stands.
"That's the ultimate technique!"
"It really looks like a dragon!"
A massive lightning dragon revealed itself from Mujin's sword. The dragon made of electricity roared and began flying toward Minwoo.
Minwoo had to accept the desperate reality. There was no way to block that attack. He couldn't block it with Iron Wall Inner Power, and couldn't dodge it with Phantom Step.
'Is this... the end?'
At that moment, a familiar voice sounded in Minwoo's head.
『What are you doing, boy?』
'Wuji?'
『Are you giving up just by looking at the opponent's martial art? Don't you have such power?』
'Power? What power?'
『Have you forgotten the Split Sword Technique? If the opponent makes one powerful attack, you respond with multiple attacks.』
Minwoo realized. Until now, he had only been focused on defense and hadn't used his true martial art.
'But Split Sword Technique is dangerous. My personality might change...'
『That was because you depended on me. This time, try it with your own power alone. I will not interfere.』
Wuji's voice was filled with confidence.
『You are the true inheritor of Split Sword Technique. Don't be afraid, try using it your own way.』
Minwoo made his decision. If he was going to lose anyway by just taking it, he wanted to show everything he had at the end.
"Senior Lee Mujin!" Minwoo shouted loudly. "I'll also... show you my real martial art!"
Mujin's eyes sparkled. "Oh, you still had something saved up!"
Minwoo took a deep breath and held his sword horizontally. Then he began drawing up completely different energy than before.
[Split Sword Technique Awakening Mode Activated]Wuji consciousness intervention: 0%Minwoo solo control: 100%Attempting new method...
"Split Sword Technique..." Minwoo muttered quietly. "But this time... my way."
Silver aura began rising from Minwoo's sword. But it wasn't violent or cold energy like before. It was warm and stable energy resembling Minwoo's own personality.
"Split Sword Technique - Silver Light Dispersion!"
Minwoo's sword instantly split into seven. But this time, each sword carried the characteristics of different martial arts.
1st sword: Agility of Phantom Step 2nd sword: Solidity of Iron Wall Inner Power 3rd sword: Sharpness of existing sword techniques 4th-7th swords: Combinations of defective martial arts collected so far
"This is..." Mujin showed a surprised expression. "Completely new Split Sword Technique!"
"Thunder Dragon Descent!"
"Silver Light Dispersion!"
The massive lightning dragon and seven silver swords collided in mid-air.
BOOM!
With a tremendous explosion, the entire arena was covered in intense light. Spectators covered their eyes trying to see what was happening.
When the smoke cleared, an amazing sight unfolded.
The lightning dragon was broken into seven parts. Each of Minwoo's swords was handling different parts of the dragon, perfectly blocking it.
"Unbelievable..." someone in the stands muttered.
"A freshman blocked a third-year top student's ultimate technique?"
But Minwoo had also reached his limit. Controlling seven swords simultaneously required enormous mental power.
[Warning: Mental power limit reached]Current mental power: 23%Split Sword Technique maintenance time: 30 seconds
'30 seconds... I need to finish within this!'
Minwoo squeezed out his last strength and combined the seven swords into one. Then he concentrated all energy into one attack.
"Split Sword Technique Final Form - Ten Thousand Swords Return to One!"
The seven swords combined into one, creating sword qi more powerful than ever before. It was faster than lightning and stronger than a typhoon.
Mujin was also surprised. Minwoo's final attack exceeded his expectations.
"Good! This is my real finale too!"
"Thunder Sword Technique True Ultimate - Thunder God Descent!"
Mujin used the real ultimate technique he hadn't employed until now. His entire body became lightning, uniting with his sword.
The moment the two attacks collided head-on—
CRASH!
The entire arena shook. Windows shattered, and people in the stands covered their ears. With a massive explosion, both contestants were pushed back and fell to the ground.
A moment of silence flowed.
And the first to rise was... Lee Mujin.
"Haa... haa..." Mujin got up breathing heavily. He had also taken considerable damage but could still stand.
Minwoo lay on the ground unable to get up. Having poured everything into his final attack, he had no strength left to move.
"Winner... Lee Mujin!"
With the referee's declaration, applause erupted from the stands. But it wasn't just applause for the winner. Equal applause poured out for Minwoo, the defeated.
"Minwoo! You did great!"
"It was a freshman miracle!"
"You fought evenly with Mujin!"
Mujin approached Minwoo and extended his hand.
"Really... it was an amazing match. Thank you."
Minwoo grasped Mujin's hand, stood up, and smiled.
"I'm the one who... really learned a lot."
Seeing the two bow politely to each other, the spectators sent even more enthusiastic applause.
Though he had lost, Minwoo felt he had gained something greater. And Wuji's voice was heard again.
『Well done, boy. Now the real beginning starts.』