I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 251: Yuri vs. Black Sword Corps (2)

The golden light emanating from Yuri’s blade intersected with the three-colored net like a tangled mesh.

*Kwa-ga-gang-!*

A heavy resonance reverberated in succession.

The three-colored net momentarily hesitated but soon resumed its relentless assault, tightening even more around Yuri.

‘It’s sturdy.’

Realizing that his current strength wasn’t enough to break their formation, Yuri decided to change his approach.

‘If I can’t break it from the outside… I’ll turn it into a mess from within.’

Swinging horizontally without pause, Yuri, who had been focused on slicing through the three-colored net, shifted his blade’s tip upright.

The golden light, now shaped like a drill, attempted to pierce through the intertwined three-colored trajectories.

However, despite such aggressive maneuvers, the Black Sword Corps remained unperturbed.

Ever since they had mastered this formation, they had endured countless drills and obstacles.

Their experience and expertise were not so shallow that they would be flustered by such a sudden turn of events.

*Jjeuk-.*

Matching Yuri’s drill-like thrust that bored through the net, the movements of the Black Sword Corps shifted.

Simultaneously, the three-colored trajectories began to ripple.

The trajectories writhed like the tentacles of an octopus, whipping around like lashes.

Dozens of shifting sword paths.

The attack, whose movements were difficult to follow, was so powerful that it was hard to believe it was a combined effort of only three individuals.

‘So this is their formation!’

A magical formula that made 1+1+1 not just equal to 3, but more than 4.

Experiencing this firsthand, Yuri wielded his sword with renewed enthusiasm.

The golden trajectory attempting to pierce through clashed persistently with the three-colored lashes.

The four swords carved out paths, fiercely battling to claim space from each other.

At first, Yuri’s side was at a disadvantage in this fight.

But that was only because Yuri was observing and analyzing the formation rather than exerting his full power.

As time passed and his understanding of the formation deepened, the tide gradually shifted to a more balanced state.

And this, even though he still wasn’t giving it his all.

‘The fourth dan is the core of the formation, with the others driving its variations.’

The red, blue, and white colors indicated the different martial techniques they had mastered.

Through the formation, the energies of these different martial techniques were fused together.

And when Yuri began to grasp the principles behind it, he tilted his head in puzzlement.

‘What the… Something feels off here.’

Though he couldn’t pinpoint what was off just yet, he distinctly sensed something was amiss.

Furrowing his brows slightly, Yuri continued to scrutinize the formation.

Soon, he realized the nature of the unease he felt.

‘Are they really exposing such a blatant opening?’

As his understanding of the formation increased, he began to spot its weaknesses.

There was a glaring hole, as if screaming, ‘Stab here!’

‘Is it a trap?’

It was natural to think so.

It could be a ploy to lure the enemy by feigning weakness.

The exposed gap in the formation was so blatant that it seemed almost deliberate.

‘Hmm…’

Pondering, Yuri shook off his hesitation and chuckled.

‘Oh, screw it. Let’s just go for it!’

Even if it were a trap, he didn’t feel any particular danger.

Even if he fell into a trap and faced a crisis, he was confident he could overcome it.

So, Yuri boldly thrust his sword into the opening he had identified.

“…?!”

The intense clash that had been raging moments ago was easily subdued as the golden trajectory slipped between the three colors.

Surprise flickered in the eyes of the Black Sword Corps members.

At the same time, the once tightly interlocked three-colored light began to unravel in disarray.

Yuri was equally stunned by the unfolding change, despite having initiated it.

“Huh… It was really an opening?”

It seemed it wasn’t a baited trap but a genuine weak point.

The disordered movements of the formation were proof enough.

Though unsure of how it had happened, Yuri was not foolish enough to let the opportunity before him slip away.

*Swish-.*

“Ugh!”

Yuri’s sword sliced through the trailing blue trajectory.

The sword of the Black Sword Corps member of the third dan was cut into pieces.

Not only that, but he was sent flying, spitting blood from the impact.

With a critical element of the formation compromised, the balance that had been maintained crumbled as one supporting axis was removed.

Yuri seized the moment and charged like lightning.

*Kwa-rang-!*

With a thunderous sound, the remaining two Black Sword Corps members were also struck hard and sent flying backward.

One of the third dan members had his arm broken in the process.

The only one who managed to remain upright was the fourth dan member who had been the core of the formation.

“Ugh!”

A sharp pain shot up his ankle, which had a hairline fracture, but the Black Sword Corps member steadied himself and rushed toward Yuri once more.

Though the battle’s outcome was already decided, the Black Sword Corps member’s relentless pursuit was typical of one obsessed with combat.

However, Yuri was just as tenacious as the Black Sword Corps member.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

*Bang!*

The senior Black Sword Corps member, who had charged at Yuri, was struck on the back of the head and collapsed, his legs twitching.

But only for a moment.

He soon went limp, completely silent.

“Hmm…”

Yuri surveyed his surroundings.

The Black Sword Corps member with the broken arm was already unconscious, and only the one whose sword had been shattered and thrown was still gasping for breath.

Yuri walked over to him.

*Huff huff.*

Yuri looked down at him, blood trickling from his lips.

Yuri swung his sword, shaking off the blood, and asked, “Seems like we’ve settled the match… Before I go to the next floor, let me ask you something. What’s the name of that formation?”

The Black Sword Corps member, who struggled to open his eyes, barely conscious, answered in a faint voice.

“Black… Chain Formation.”

“Black Chain Formation, huh…”

“Let me… ask you something, too. That gap… how did you find it? Have you… faced formations like this before?”

“What are you talking about? This is my first time today. And how did I find it? It was right there in the open, how could I not see it?”

Hearing Yuri’s reply, the Black Sword Corps member muttered in disbelief.

“You… saw that?”

To the Black Sword Corps member, it was absurd.

A guy who was facing this formation for the first time today.

How did he manage to find the gap in the formation and strike it precisely within such a short time?

Had it been anyone else, even if they had been taught the principles of the Black Chain Formation all day, they wouldn’t have achieved what Yuri did.

In other words, Yuri discovering the formation’s weakness during the fight was abnormal.

“Crazy… bastard. Heh.”

A low curse.

This was the Black Sword Corps member’s compliment to Yuri.

Knowing this, Yuri wasn’t offended; he merely shrugged his shoulders and asked another question.

“So, what’s the deal with that gap? Is there some flaw in this Black Chain Formation?”

“Hehehe…”

The Black Sword Corps member responded with a creepy laugh instead of answering.

“Hehehe…”

He kept laughing until he eventually passed out.

Watching this, Yuri squinted.

“What the hell is this guy laughing about?”

Feeling annoyed, Yuri pouted and turned toward the entrance to the fifth floor.

Or at least, he tried to.

*Thud-.*

Before leaving, Yuri gave the unconscious Black Sword Corps member a light kick.

After a quick bit of payback, he casually put his hands in his pockets as if nothing had happened and turned to walk again.

It didn’t take long for Yuri to figure out the reason behind the Black Sword Corps member’s eerie laugh.

* * *

Hell Difficulty, Fifth Floor.

Yuri squinted as he watched the black trajectories silently approaching.

‘So that’s why that guy was laughing!’

There was a reason for the Black Sword Corps member’s final laugh.

Yuri, who had reached the fifth floor, was greeted by four Black Sword Corps members, one more than on the fourth floor.

One fourth dan member and three third dan members.

Even though he now faced an extra member compared to the fourth floor, Yuri wasn’t too worried.

The four Black Sword Corps members charged, each drawing a different trajectory.

When they deployed the Black Chain Formation, just as on the fourth floor.

Yuri initially thought that an additional third dan member wouldn’t make much of a difference.

However, as the trajectories formed by their different martial techniques fused perfectly through the formation.

When they all turned uniformly black, Yuri quickly realized his initial thoughts were wrong.

‘Ah, so that’s why it’s called the Black Chain Formation!’

The movements of the Black Sword Corps members interlocked tightly, lunging at Yuri like a black chain.

*Bang-!*

Yuri was startled by the power contained within the black chain.

Only one additional third dan member had joined, yet the power of the Black Chain Formation was on a completely different level compared to the fourth floor.

‘Where’s the weakness… the gap?!’

Shocked, Yuri desperately tried to target the gap he found on the fourth floor, but it was completely gone.

Facing a flawless Black Chain Formation, Yuri came to a clear realization.

‘The Black Chain Formation itself wasn’t flawed.’

The issue lay with the members forming it.

‘The Black Chain Formation… requires at least four members to be executed properly!

’

The Black Chain Formation he faced on the fourth floor was missing a cog, so the gaps had been blatantly exposed.

And the reason behind the creepy grin of the Black Sword Corps member on the fourth floor.

It was a silent message that said, ‘You’ll find the answer on the next floor.’

Now facing the complete Black Chain Formation, Yuri’s face hardened as he cautiously parried the incoming black trajectories.

*Kwang-.*

The impact stung his palms.

Reflexively preparing to use his Sacred Sword, Yuri instead relaxed his expression.

He wore an oddly satisfied look.

‘Yeah… This is how the Black Sword Corps should be!’

Indeed, this is the level of strength they should possess.

Otherwise, how could they be called the world’s strongest martial group?

With that in mind, Yuri suppressed the urge to use his Sacred Sword.

‘If I use the Sacred Sword and Magic Flow… I could probably break this formation with sheer force.’

But Yuri didn’t want to do that.

He wanted to wield his sword within the Black Chain Formation a little longer.

‘It’d be foolish to waste such a valuable opportunity!’

Having issued a challenge to the Sword Master, Yuri knew there would be a time when he would cross swords with the Black Sword Corps again.

While he could leisurely face the third and fourth dan Black Chain Formation now, it wouldn’t always be so easy.

Even now, if the fourth and fifth dan Black Chain Formation were deployed, it would be a difficult battle, and the future battles would be even fiercer.

So, Yuri wanted to absorb as much knowledge about the Black Chain Formation as he could right now.

For as long as possible.

To savor every bit of it.

“Haha!”

Yuri laughed heartily and brightly.

Golden light condensed on his sword, forming a magic sword.

In the next instant, amid the flurry of black trajectories, the golden blade began to rampage as if it had sprouted wings.

*Bang-! Boom!*

Thus, on the fifth floor of hell.

For a considerable amount of time, the sound of explosions echoed continuously.

* * *

A few hours later.

Somewhere within the White Tower.

*Hoo-wook-.*

Coco exhaled a puff of smoke, her brows furrowing slightly.

“…He’s already on the sixth floor?”

Despite the ambitious difficulty of the White Tower’s hell mode, it had only taken a few hours for Yuri to clear the fifth floor, not even holding him for a single day.

Biting down on her cigarette, Coco turned to the Black Sword Corps member standing behind her and asked.

“What’s the status?”

“They’re all unconscious and have sustained serious injuries, so it seems they won’t be able to return to their missions anytime soon.”

Coco’s brow furrowed slightly at the Black Sword Corps member’s report.

“Who asked about those idiots who got thrashed by a mere cadet? I meant Yuri Holland.”

“Huh?”

“Yuri Holland. Is he injured or hurt anywhere?”

“Well… He seems a bit drained, but he’s not injured.”

“Ugh…”

Coco sighed, her breath tinged with disbelief.

‘Not even scratched by the explosion, and even after facing a proper Black Chain Formation, no injuries at all…’

It was utterly ridiculous.

Coco’s gaze turned cold.

‘Look at this guy.’

The Black Sword Corps members on the fifth floor, even using the Black Chain Formation, had the strength to tie down a certified sixth dan.

With some luck, they could even defeat a sixth dan expert.

However, these people not only failed to stop Yuri Holland but couldn’t even wound him.

The implication was simple.

‘That guy… He’s no ordinary certified sixth dan.’

Yuri Holland had more hidden strength than what he had shown at the Dragon Tournament and the Hundred Steps Ceremony.

Coco posed another question to the Black Sword Corps member.

“A squad leader joins on the next floor, right? One of them?”

“Yes, that’s correct. One certified sixth dan squad leader.”

“Add two more regular members to the team.”

“What?!”

The Black Sword Corps subordinate’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s not acceptable! It goes against the established rules!”

“What rules? This is a new quest, isn’t it? Since there were no pre-established rules, this will set the benchmark, no?”

“That’s precisely why we can’t! We’ve already increased the difficulty considering Yuri Holland! If we raise the difficulty further, who else will clear this hell mode in the future?”

“Are you an idiot?”

“What?”

“Are you stupid?”

As the Black Sword Corps member blinked in response to the insult, Coco clicked her tongue.

“Sending out three to four regular Black Sword Corps members wasn’t enough, and even using the Black Chain Formation… Do you think any cadet other than Yuri Holland could clear this?”

“…”

“You don’t even know if a Black Sword Corps squad leader could get through this alive, let alone the cadets of the Dragon’s Cradle. Right?”

As Coco’s logic was irrefutable… In fact, it was entirely correct, the subordinate had no retort.

Seeing his response, Coco took a deep drag on her cigarette and exhaled.

*Hoo-wook-.*

“The moment we adjusted the difficulty for Yuri, this quest became one that only he could clear. So, what’s the problem if we raise the difficulty now?”

Coco’s point was that the quest was already beyond saving, so increasing the difficulty wouldn’t make much difference, and since it was already ruined, she might as well make it harder for at least one person.

And there was no need to specify who that one person was.

“So, go and add two more members to the squad. While I’m still asking nicely.”

Despite the sweet tone, Coco’s eyes looked as if she might devour the Black Sword Corps member whole.

Faced with her intense gaze, the Black Sword Corps member had no choice but to nod furiously.

“Understood!”

Thus, the already difficult hell mode, which was now more than just hard, had evolved into ‘Inferno Mode.’

This mode would later be referred to as the tier above hell: the ‘Yuri Holland Tier.’