Chapter 121: Formless Sword Master Versus The Original Copycat (2)

Words : 1059 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 121: Formless Sword Master Versus The Original Copycat (2) Clang! Clang! Steel clashed against steel, heavy parries striking sparks like match heads. It was truly a sight to behold as Arthur clashed blades with Bruce. The two’s swords met once more, dominant shoulders driving against each other for leverage, their faces taut with both fatigue and exhilaration. It hadn’t even been a minute, yet they had already exchanged over a hundred blows. The sounds of the duel carried so far that even Rachel, who was on the lower floor, paused what she was doing to listen, and the townsfolk turned their heads. Bruce, now facing the entrance to the rooftop, shoved Arthur back from their deadlock, then used his leg to hurl him through the wall. Arthur twisted mid-fall as he plummeted toward the cold, hard ground below. Rachel, sensing this, dashed out of the VIP room where Ellie and Cassie were and bolted to the ground floor. Not just her, but Amelia, Isabella, Ellie, Cassie, and even Elizabeth and Eira, who had finished their tasks, also moved in that direction. Arthur, on the other hand, activated his space affinity without casting any spells, blinking to the floor just as he reached the second level. Bruce, who had also leapt down, landed with a thunderous boom with no extra enchantment, his bones and flesh knitting back together as he lunged forward, tearing through the air. ???? Warning! 『 A strange mechanism is hindering the use of stored energy 』『 Please either leave the area of impact or absorb new energy 』 ’I know already,’ he thought, deflecting another heavy strike to the side. Stepping back, he sent mana through the blade’s outer layer and force through the inner layer, channeling ice into the force enchantment and lightning into the mana enchantment. A blue aura wrapped around him like a second skin as his eyes glowed bright azure, faint arcs of lightning crackling along his frame. This time, he lunged first, slipping past Bruce’s sweeping strike aimed at his neck and raising his blade for a killing blow. But just as he was about to land the hit and Bruce was ready to counter, he blinked behind him and kicked him square in the back. Bruce staggered, rolled along the ground, but stopped his momentum just before colliding with the building’s wall. "That was a nice attack." However, Arthur wasn’t finished. Charging lightning mana into the edge of his sword, Arthur’s already glowing eyes burned even brighter. 『 Bruce Sword Art Basic Form: Invisible Hand 』 An unseen force hurtled toward Bruce, now sheathed in lightning so faint that only a soft crackling betrayed its presence. Bruce’s eyes widened briefly, the red glow from his force dimming. "My sword art." He grinned, charging headfirst into the attack as if he could see it, then, through gritted teeth, deflected it aside with his katana. The resulting impact was deafening, the attacks tearing through the wall and shaking the building’s foundation. Bruce smiled. "Good, that was good!" His eyes gleamed with interest. "You really are a masterpiece." Arthur didn’t respond immediately. Then, in an icy tone, he said: "Shut up, old man." Bruce’s grin only widened. "Since that’s what you want." Like a flare of wildfire, his force surged to new heights, wind spiraling around them as if a tornado were forming. Arthur shielded his eyes from the gale as the man’s dense crimson force radiated from his skin. "This is the power of the highest level of Master," Bruce muttered, stepping forward deliberately. Arthur swallowed hard. ’Damn.’ If he had more mana or force, he could easily enter the highest useable form of his immortal bloodline. But since it consumed enormous energy and left him weakened, he couldn’t risk it in actual combat. ’So much for having the strength of an Elite.’ He lowered his stance. ’Attack first.’ He sheathed his blade, ready to draw and strike in the same instant, the same technique he had used against Ha-joon before the reset, but Bruce was one... no, ten steps ahead. Arthur didn’t even register what happened, only that a hand had driven into his stomach with such force it felt like his insides were tearing apart. Bruce, still several meters away, had punched him in the gut. Arthur almost doubled over as Bruce struck again. And again. And again. Arthur’s gaze hardened, and with a sudden twist, he raised one leg high from behind and brought it down toward Bruce’s neck. Bruce reacted just as fast, catching his leg, but Arthur had anticipated that. With Bruce’s arm still embedded in his stomach and one of his legs in his grip, Arthur contorted his body unnaturally, as though his bones didn’t exist, and kicked with his free leg, the blow connecting solidly. Bruce was sent flying a few meters but halted himself mid-slide, just like before. "Are you even real?" he asked as Arthur rolled his shoulders to the side. "How can you even move like that?" Arthur grinned, his eyes shifting to moonlight grey laced with pale blue. 『 You have activated your Trait: Completed Ultra Instinct 』 "Take a guess." Bruce dropped his stance and vanished, reappearing in front of Arthur ready to strike, but the young man’s arm coiled like a serpent, seizing his opponent’s arm before sweeping his leg from behind and sending Bruce flying again. This time, he didn’t let him recover. Lightning flared around him, the scattered debris disintegrating into dust. He moved with measured precision, conjuring a water spell’s magic circle in one hand while gripping his katana in the other. Bruce sidestepped slightly so the spell wouldn’t touch him, raising his blade to bisect Arthur. Arthur instantly reconfigured the magic circle into one for light magic. Of all his affinities, light was his weakest, he couldn’t even conjure large-scale spells with it. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t use a simple Tier 8 spell. Arthur raised his arm to unleash the flash spell. Then— BOOM! Bruce’s eyes widened at the bright explosion before him. It wasn’t aimed at him. No. It was aimed at— Arthur...? Bruce turned his head slowly to the entrance of the building as Arthur flew past him. "Why?" he asked hoarsely. "Why the hell did you do that?!" ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───

Chapter 121: Formless Sword Master Versus The Original Copycat (2)

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