<Aaron Side Story Episode 8>
2. Swords waiting to be drawn (2)
Lars’ eyes widened.
I didn’t see it wrong.
His battered blade was blocking the well-forged steel axe.
‘What!’
There was definitely a feeling.
An intense vibration that spreads when force and power collide head-on.
If so, it is normal for the weak side to break.
But the guy didn’t even move with his sword raised at an angle.
‘It must be a coincidence!’
Thinking deeply during an intense workshop is a luxury.
If the 17th consecutive attack was supposed to end once it was blocked, I wouldn’t even call it a special move.
“Uraa!”
An oblique cut with proper strength and weight hit the man’s body.
“four!”
Cagan!
Blue sparks flew.
It bounced off this time too.
‘How stupid!’
Let’s say we got lucky once.
But how long can you be lucky?
The difference in strength is clear.
The quality of weapons is also incomparable.
Then, there was only one ending left.
Being completely crushed together with an old iron sword.
“five!”
Kaga River!
Sparks flew with a refreshing sound.
The cheers of the audience began to grow.
A head-on clash between weapons was one of the scenes they most wanted.
The next thing I wanted was, of course, defeat and death on one side.
“Eulachacha!”
“six!”
Kang!
Huge muscles twitch whenever Lars swings his axe.
Sweat mixed with sand splattered vigorously.
Whoo!
The sound of swinging is brutal.
Such a sense of intimidation even gave rise to the illusion that the air in front of the man was being torn apart.
“seven!”
Kang!
A man blocks such a fatal blow.
Ralls swung his ax as if he had sworn several times, saying that this was the last time, but nothing had changed.
“eight!”
“Whoa!”
Whoa!
Eighth attack.
It was a whirlwind slash that was quite powerful among the blows that a man could deliver.
Even that… … .
Kang!
The guy blocks.
with a casual expression.
Only then did Lars notice the strange change.
‘What the fuck! what!’
At this point, it should be normal.
But the guy is fine.
Rather, compared to Lars, who was sweating profusely, he seemed calm.
“You bastard!”
Are you kidding me!
Lars’ face turned red.
‘OK! It wasn’t a coincidence!’
The gnome uses a special technique.
Even Lars had experienced a few opponents using such a technique.
‘That’s why I was able to use the shedding!’
It is a method of dispersing the impact by sliding the blade at an angle at the moment the weapon collides.
A skill that is difficult to imitate without much training and innate sense.
Even though he was rotten, he was an advanced gladiator.
It seems that there is a secret trick.
“Let’s see!”
“nine!”
bang!
Lars struck the ax with all his might.
When the impact of the clashing weapon exceeds a certain level, there is no refreshing sound.
Now there was the sound of something exploding.
“Remnant skills do not work in front of force!”
“heat!”
bang!
knocked down once again
“Get lost!”
“eleven!”
bang!
yet again.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
“twelve!”
bang!
Advanced Gladiator Lars’ special move, 17 Consecutive Strikes, gradually increases in power as the attack continues.
By the 10th attack, the simple strike continued.
Its strike has the same monstrous power as a mountain.
“You hold up quite a bit!”
“Hahaha! Cut it up! Kill them!”
“Rals! I believe!”
The audience cheered.
The man’s bold strike and the man’s match against him were enough entertainment to enjoy and pay a lot of money.
However, the ending was fixed in their heads.
Sooner or later, that ax would break the man’s head.
bang!
“thirteen!”
“Isn’t that the limit now!”
Lars grinned, dripping with sweat.
Shedding is not invincible.
If you continue to give it more shock than that, it will break.
“fourteen!”
“You must not have the strength to speak!”
bang!
Muscles scream.
The body sent pain through Lars’ neural circuits, telling him to stop.
But it doesn’t stop.
“Uhhhh!”
“I opened it!”
this is the last
It’s 17 consecutive hits, but I’ve never gone all the way to the 17th.
There was no opponent who could withstand this technique for 15 consecutive hits.
In the meantime, there were times when I avoided or ran away, but in the end, I was caught within 15 times and my head was split.
bang!
a sharp axe.
Sand mixed with blood and sweat splattered in all directions.
In it, Rals had a premonition.
The body of a dead man cut in half.
“Huh… … Heo-eok… … I commend you for holding out this far. still… … huh?”
Lars rubbed his eyes.
It’s not fantasy.
The man who should have died stood there.
“Aren’t there two more left?”
The man said in a low voice.
“I will accept it.”
Lars’ mouth fell open.
Facing a reality outside of common sense, the brain began to malfunction.
‘Am I looking at something?’
no.
The giant shook his head.
The guy stood firm.
with blood all over the body.
“uh… … How?”
One by one, the facts that I had forgotten because I was so absorbed in the attack came to mind.
‘Why is the weapon intact?’
Let’s say that for once.
Two or three times can be considered lucky.
But when coincidences repeat themselves, they are no longer coincidences.
‘shedding! Yes, he uses shedding… … !’
Was it really shedding?
The cold reason pushed the reality.
Shedding is a technique that slides the blade the moment the weapons collide.
But he wasn’t like that at all.
Instead, he pushed out his sword blade and collided head-on with the axe.
‘It’s not spilling.’
different from the sound.
If it spills, it doesn’t make that kind of sound.
So what?
How did you absorb the impact force the ax blade had?
Did you bump into it?
impossible.
Then neither he nor his weapon could be unharmed.
‘… … .’
can not understand.
It defies common sense.
In his world, the law of action and reaction was unknown, but as a result of long training, the man instinctively realized the principle of such power.
Transmission of power and action on it.
When weapons collide, there will inevitably be consequences.
Then, where did the power the man released from the ax disappear to?
Lars looked under the man’s feet.
“Nonsense… … .”
The sand the man was standing on was not disturbed in the slightest.
The man did not move at all from his seat after the series of blows began.
The law of power has been violated.
not shedding
What the man used was probably something that shedding could not be tolerated.
The man received Ralls’ double attack from the front, and somehow the shock transmitted to his body was mitigated.
Without breaking the toothless iron sword.
‘how… … Did you?’
I do not know.
whether it is technology.
Or is it the ability of the body.
If not that, what kind of magic is it?
One thing is clear,
The fact that victory and defeat have been decided for a very long time.
Realizing this, Lars’ complexion turned blue.
“What are you doing! Baby! Everyone is dying!”
“Kill! Kill me!”
The audience roared and shouted.
It was because the situation in the arena was a landslide victory for Lars.
While Lars was unharmed except for sweating, his opponent was completely covered in blood.
Anyone can see that the direction of the match has been decided.
“this… … criminal… … .”
But Lars knew.
How meaningless those wounds that seemed dangerous at first glance were.
Among the minor traumas on his whole body, there is not a single one that can be considered fatal.
Blood flows.
That’s all.
No tendons were broken, no bones were broken.
Of all the cuts, none of the arteries were damaged.
The only places where blood flows are veins. It was a minor injury that could be recovered with a little treatment and recuperation.
That unnaturalness meant one thing.
Because Lars had done something similar.
If the other person is too insignificant, if you end it right away, the audience will be bored.
That’s why he intentionally gets hurt and directs the minimum game.
However, the fact that such a joke is possible… …
This means that the difference in skills between the two sides is enormous.
More than an adult can play with a child.
“Keuk!”
Lars stumbled.
this i… … Was it just a toy to him?
“this guy! You bastard!”
Lars glared at him.
There was no emotion visible in his eyes.
“Kill! You can kill me!”
“Are you crazy!”
“Finish it!”
The audience roared and cursed.
Lars clearly ignored the cry.
Perhaps, this is the end of his life.
I don’t care what those trash talk about.
“Right.”
chin.
Lars put down his axe.
Fighting spirit had long since disappeared.
As long as all the facts were revealed, it was rather relieved.
“If you’ve worked so hard, if that’s why you’re stronger than me, then it’s inevitable.”
Lars laughed bitterly.
“Before you go, tell me one thing.”
“what.”
“What is the name of that skill?”
One day, I will die by someone stronger than me.
It is the destiny of gladiators.
Lars was prepared.
That time came earlier than expected.
“It was a great technique. How long have you been training? How long did you vomit blood while training? Great.”
Lars smiled.
They belonged to the same arena.
I knew roughly what kind of life that man lived.
When he was a boy, he was sold as a slave to the arena, doing chores and training at the same time, and when he grew up, he became a gladiator and was pushed into the arena.
A life that is not common.
Same with Lars.
Although they had little contact with each other, the two had shared similar childhoods.
“Heh. Did you practice secretly at night? That must have been part of the strategy.”
Once again, the child felt great.
It looked like he wasn’t training at all.
But you’d be hiding that skill.
‘I’ve been victimized.’
Directed all the matches that were thought to have been won by luck.
It must have been intentional.
‘I couldn’t even sleep.’
I must have trained and trained all night while watching the morning stars, in a place no one knew.
His hands would be covered in blood, and the scabs on his palms would never have dried.
Because that’s what effort is.
Efforts do not betray
This was the credo of Lars’ life.
If he dies in defeat, he dies to those who put more effort into it.
I can’t be ashamed of it.
It’s just that Lars’ efforts weren’t enough.
‘It’s not an easy skill to shed.’
Lars knows enough.
Gladiators who aren’t born with such strength, instead hone their skills to the limit.
These are the types commonly referred to as technical groups.
Among those skilled artisans, there are very few people who can handle spilling freely.
But to handle a high-level skill that is far superior to spilling like that.
I couldn’t even guess what kind of bloody training he had been through.
“It’s technology.”
muttered the man.
“This is not technology.”
“what?”
“Isn’t technology something you learn and master?”
“What are you talking about? That skill… … it was great! It’s not something you can learn lightly! Hard to get even after years of hard work… … !”
“I didn’t make any effort.”
The man said calmly.
“It was my first time doing it, and it wasn’t bad at all. Did you mean spilling? Correct one though. this is not a skill Because I haven’t learned or learned.”
“… … .”
“I just did it because I could.”
Lars stood still.
The words he had uttered were echoing.
