—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The form of the virtual mana furnace varied from person to person.
As it was a virtual organ with no physical form, its final shape was determined by the user’s mind.
Unlike Kaldrash’s cube-shaped furnace, Ozma’s was an orb.
With each correct breath, the wind mana within the furnace swirled like a whirlwind, circulating throughout her limbs.
As a former Sword Expert, she was accustomed to handling refined mana.
Unlike mages, who formed spells through prescribed formulas and procedures, those who wielded aura, like her, manipulated mana through instinct rather than reason.
Perhaps Ozma’s rapid and remarkable progress in magic was due to her experience with mana manipulation as an aura user.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The lightning-wreathed blade darted towards Gav’s throat.
But Gav, raising his thick forearm, easily blocked the attack.
Despite the sharp blade striking his flesh, he was unharmed. He then kneed Ozma in the stomach.
“Ugh!”
She reflexively blocked the blow, but a sharp, bone-chilling pain shot through her arm.
Kaldrash would have identified it as a penetrating technique (침투경), but Ozma, unfamiliar with Eastern martial arts, couldn’t comprehend the principle behind it.
Despite having exchanged blows, she was the only one who had been injured.
“Block this, too!”
A relentless barrage of punches rained down on Ozma, who was relatively small.
She focused, trying to block every attack, but Gav’s speed increased.
Realizing she was losing the initiative, Ozma bit her lip and reversed her grip on the sword in her left hand.
An unorthodox movement.
Her left and right hands moved in a different rhythm, and a sharp, fang-like strike grazed Gav’s cheek.
A drop of blood flew through the air.
It was the first time he had bled in the entire tournament. He pushed Ozma back with a surprise spinning kick.
‘Alright.’
Ozma, leaping back, watched Gav wipe the blood from his cheek and clenched her fists.
She had landed a clean hit much earlier than before.
The results of her harsh training were finally beginning to show.
She caught her breath and pointed her twin swords at Gav.
Gav, standing on the other side of the stage, spoke for the first time during the fight.
“You’ve gotten stronger, Ozma.”
“That’s what this past year has been for.”
She had always been the challenger, struggling to defeat Gav, who was far superior to her.
Her efforts were now bearing fruit.
Gav, hearing her determined response, laughed.
“Then, though it may be a bit early,”
His aura shifted.
“I’ll get serious.”
A tangible blue energy enveloped Gav’s fists.
In the West, this condensed form of mana was called aura.
In the East, it was called ki (氣).
Ki Arts (기공술) was the general term for martial arts that utilized this ki.
Gav, who had been fighting in a relaxed, natural stance until now, finally assumed a proper fighting stance.
This time, he attacked first.
BAM!
The stage buckled as he took a single step.
His movements were completely different from before.
In the blink of an eye, Gav was in front of Ozma, his fist flying towards her, creating a sonic boom.
Ozma quickly raised her swords to block.
Despite both their weapons being imbued with aura, Ozma’s swords shrieked in protest.
Screeeech!
With a discordant clash of metal, their weapons repelled each other.
But they didn’t stop.
As if to prove their earlier exchange had been a mere warm-up, they exchanged blows at a much faster pace.
They used not only their arms, but also their knees, elbows, and legs, engaging in a brutal, close-quarters brawl.
“Hahaha! You’ve really gotten stronger, Ozma!”
“Shut up!”
Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises.
Ozma, having discarded her broken swords and drawn new ones, lunged forward.
But Gav, with a somersault, dodged her thrust and brought his heel down on her shoulder.
Crack!
A sickening crunch as her right arm was dislocated.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Ozma swung the sword in her other hand, slashing Gav’s side.
A spray of blood, and the two, both injured, continued their breathtaking close-combat duel.
Gav caught Ozma’s diagonal slash with his bare hand.
Ozma released her grip and kicked at his legs, and Gav, blocking the kick, attempted a joint lock.
Ozma, with a split-second decision, threw herself backwards to avoid being grappled, then quickly drew a new sword.
Gav, having crushed the sword in his hand with his bare strength, looked at the unfamiliar weapon with amusement.
“So, that’s your secret weapon.”
Instead of replying, Ozma held her Hellfire Katana horizontally.
Flames flickered along the blade, which was covered in incomprehensible runes.
A mana-cutting sword, forged by a dwarf named Nakamura.
It was a weapon Ozma had prepared specifically to fight Gav.
She had already proven its power in her spar with Kaldrash.
All that remained was to cut Gav.
Snap!
Ozma, forcing her dislocated arm back into its socket, glared at Gav, her eyes now black with excitement.
Purple electricity crackled around her body.
In the heat of battle, she had acquired a new spell.
Spell-technique Armament (술식무장) – Purple Lightning Flash (자전일섬)
It was a fourth-tier spell, but like her master, Kaldrash, she had used a shortcut to manifest a spell above her current level.
To put it simply, Spell-technique Armament was a spell that enhanced the body by enveloping it in a specific element.
It was similar to the Aura Weapon technique used by aura users.
In other words—
Instead of imbuing her sword with aura, she was imbuing herself.
Each of the four elements had unique properties.
And the effect of the lightning Spell-technique Armament, derived from the wind element, was simple:
‘Acceleration’
Ozma crouched down.
Her thigh muscles, coiled like a predator about to strike, were a menacing sight.
Gav, facing her, extended his palms.
He then slowly drew a circle in the air, resembling a tai chi symbol, brought one arm to his hip, and extended the other towards Ozma.
“Come.”
As Gav spoke, a gust of wind swept through the arena.
Ozma, already fast, now moved at a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye, her sword held horizontally.
Swoosh!
A trail of fire followed the trajectory of her Hellfire Katana.
Ozma’s attack, enhanced by Purple Lightning Flash, was incredibly sharp.
Gav, with a fluid, tai chi-like movement, deflected her attack and, seizing the momentary opening, lunged forward, his shoulder aimed at her.
BAM!!
But just before impact, Ozma, her reflexes enhanced by Purple Lightning Flash, dodged the attack and, in a semi-circular motion, slashed at Gav’s body.
“!”
For the first time, Gav’s expression changed to one of shock.
The blade, which should have been blocked by his aura-infused arm, had cut through his flesh.
Slash!
The Hellfire Katana, having cut deep into his right arm, was cleanly withdrawn.
He tried to heal the wound with magic, but the black flames and lightning searing the wound slowed the regeneration process.
Ozma, stepping back, flicked the blood from her blade and pointed it at Gav.
“So, how does it feel to be careless?”
Gav, his arm mangled, the bone visible through the torn flesh, grinned.
“We’ll see.”
He raised his leg high.
“My turn, isn’t it?”
“What?”
Before Ozma could ask what he meant, an overwhelming presence emanated from him, engulfing the entire arena.
One step (一步).
But the result was beyond anything imaginable.
With that single step, Gav turned the tables and forced Ozma to surrender.
The finalist had been decided.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thanks Xrecker!