I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 232. The Ultimate Technique of Magic Flow (2)

Upon hearing Yuri’s story, Johan asked.

“Light Blood?”

Yuri chuckled as he replied.

“Yeah, it sparkles, doesn’t it? So, I named it Light Blood (光血).”

Johan let out a sigh at Yuri’s casual response, as if it didn’t mean much to him.

“Heh, you brat… Do you even realize what you’ve just done, or are you just laughing?”

“What do you mean, what did I do?”

“You’ve made the impossible possible.”

“Then isn’t that a good thing?”

“You’re probably now the second most-watched person by both the Ryder Family and the Cradle. If things go south, you could become the second on the kill list.”

“Who’s the first?”

“Who else would it be? Obviously, it’s yours truly.”

“That’s too bad. I like being first.”

“Unfortunately, I have no intention of giving up the top spot. Hehe.”

“Oh, so if the old man croaks, I get to be number one? Haha.”

The two exchanged sly grins as they looked at each other.

Even while discussing how they’d drawn the attention of the most powerful family in the world, they tossed lighthearted jokes back and forth, showing just how alike they were.

Then, snapping back to his senses, Johan asked again.

“Anyway, how did you manage that? Light Blood? Judging by the name, it seems like a technique mimicking Black Blood, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I initially tried to imitate Domination, but… it was too complicated and difficult. So, I started with Black Blood.”

“And you thought you could just imitate it?”

“Why not? Turns out I could.”

Yuri spoke as if he were casually picking apples from a neighbor’s tree, which made the vein in Johan’s forehead throb.

“Did you listen to me with your ass the last time I told you? Black Blood and Domination are bloodline techniques exclusive to the Ryder Family!”

“Yeah, I remember. But it still worked.”

“…Damn it.”

Yuri shrugged as Johan muttered a curse under his breath.

“The structure of Black Blood wasn’t that hard to grasp. The real challenge was modifying it to suit me.”

“I see. So it’s that easy to modify, huh.”

“Yep. It works.”

“…Damn it.”

“Anyway, as you saw, the structure is similar, but for some reason, the manifestation looks different, and the effects are somewhat distinct too.”

“How so?”

Johan already knew how Yuri’s Light Blood differed in appearance from Black Blood from previous observations.

However, hearing that the effects were also different piqued his curiosity.

“You know Black Blood amplifies physical abilities like strength and stamina, right?”

“Of course. Who would know it better than I?”

The bloodline of the Ryder Family, when activating Black Blood, surpasses human limitations in physical capabilities.

Explosive power and speed.

Immense stamina and regenerative abilities.

As the mastery deepens, these enhancements increase dramatically, making Black Blood one of the core reasons for the Sword Master’s extraordinary strength.

But Yuri’s Light Blood was different.

“My Light Blood doesn’t amplify physical abilities.”

“Then it’s a failure, isn’t it?”

“Instead, it instantly restores depleted stamina and mental strength. It even recovers some mana, though not much.”

“…?!”

“It doesn’t expand the vessel like Black Blood does, but it fills the empty vessel.”

“Hm…”

A look of admiration spread across Johan’s face.

Techniques that restored depleted stamina and mental strength weren’t unheard of, though they were rare.

However, restoring mana was a completely different matter.

“Don’t tell me… Does that Light Blood of yours continuously refill mana as long as it’s active?”

“Of course!”

“Really?!”

“…I wish. It’s not that potent. It’s just a one-time thing.”

“….”

“And it doesn’t even restore that much mana, so it probably costs more mana to maintain Light Blood.”

“…So what’s the point of it?”

Yuri’s Light Blood was undoubtedly a remarkable technique.

But compared to Black Blood, which provided transcendental physical abilities, it didn’t seem all that impressive.

It was hard to believe it was a technique that mimicked Black Blood, given how entirely different it had become.

However, Yuri simply shrugged, showing he didn’t see it that way.

“I told you, Light Blood restores stamina and mental strength while it’s active. That’s more than enough. Thanks to that, I was able to take a few extra steps in the Hundred Steps Ceremony!”

“Ha… Hahaha.”

Seeing Yuri’s content expression, Johan couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.

‘If the Ryders find out about this, they’ll probably clutch their necks in collective shock.’

A secret family technique.

One of the most prized among their bloodline’s secrets was being pilfered and used as a stamina recovery method.

Johan almost wanted to spread the news to every corner just to see the Ryders’ reaction.

As Johan suppressed the chuckles bubbling up inside, Yuri stretched with a long yawn.

“Well, it’s just at this level for now… but with more tinkering here and there, I’ll make it more useful.”

A gleam of determination appeared in Yuri’s eyes.

He had a hunch.

‘This isn’t it… There’s something more.’

From his direct use, he sensed that Light Blood might still harbor secrets he hadn’t discovered.

There was ample value in continuing to research and refine it.

“For now, I’m just glad there aren’t any side effects.”

Yuri spun around, a satisfied look on his face.

“I thought there’d be some major side effects after using it, but turns out there’s nothing. A bit stiff, sure, but considering the risks I took, it’s quite manageable.”

Yuri hopped up, twisting his waist energetically.

Except for a slight stiffness in his mana core, his body felt fine.

He had expected significant aftereffects when using Light Blood, but he felt so well that it almost rendered his resolve pointless.

‘Does Light Blood have this kind of effect too?’

As Yuri pondered, Johan clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, after sleeping that much, of course you should be fine.”

“Huh? How long did I sleep?”

“Twenty days.”

“What?”

“You, you slept for nearly twenty days.”

For a moment, Yuri thought he’d misheard.

Blinking, he asked again.

“…How long?”

“Today marks the 20th day. I was about to declare you dead and arrange your funeral if you didn’t wake up soon, but luckily you did.”

Yuri’s eyes widened as he let out a resigned sigh.

‘Looks like there are side effects after all….’

If what Johan said was true, then it was practically like coming back from the dead.

As Yuri blinked in disbelief, Johan dusted off his pants and got up.

“Well, since you’re awake, I suppose I should be heading off.”

“Heading off? Where to?”

“….”

Johan hesitated at Yuri’s question.

His pride was wounded, making it hard to admit the truth.

‘How do I say I’m off to train because I’ve been lazing around because of you?’

So, Johan smoothly shifted the topic.

“That’s none of your concern. But I’ll leave you with two assignments this time as well.”

“Assignments?”

Just like this time last year, Johan’s assignments were directly linked to Yuri’s growth trajectory.

So Yuri paid close attention.

With a sly grin, Johan spoke.

“First, you could consider it more of a commission than an assignment.”

“A commission?”

“Do you remember what I said before? Magic Flow – Capturing… No, now it’s Magic Flow – Containing. Anyway, Magic Flow Four is still just a concept in my mind.”

“Ah!”

Yuri, recalling Johan’s past words, nodded.

He quickly grasped what Johan’s commission entailed.

“So… you want me to create it?”

“Exactly!”

“Any specific theories?”

“None.”

“…None at all?”

“Correct.”

“…Not even a little?”

“Not even a speck.”

Yuri crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.

“You’ve gotten more shameless than I thought, Old Man. You were all about researching together before, but now you want me to do it all by myself!”

Johan rubbed his ears at Yuri’s whining.

“Who told you to completely change direction with Magic Flow – Containing from what I originally planned? I’m struggling just to keep up with the pace you set.”

“….”

“So, you figure out the rest! You’ve always managed to create things on your own, haven’t you?”

Johan’s point was valid, and Yuri couldn’t argue further, so he pouted his lips and mumbled.

“So… what was your original idea after Magic Flow – Capturing?”

With that question, Johan took on a more serious demeanor as he explained.

“Magic Flow One is realizing and sensing the flow, Two is letting the flow pass through, and Three is temporarily containing the flow… Up to now, Magic Flow has basically only utilized the existing flow.”

“True.”

“In other words, it means using the Sword Master’s power and returning it to the Sword Master, only using the opponent’s strength.”

“…Wasn’t that the whole point of Magic Flow?”

“It’s not the goal. It’s the direction. The ultimate goal of Magic Flow is to use the Sword Master’s power to defeat the Sword Master.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“It’s different. Simply returning the Sword Master’s power is not the same as using the Sword Master’s power to face him.”

Yuri wasn’t dull.

He accurately picked up on the key element in Johan’s explanation.

“So, it’s not just about returning the Sword Master’s power through

Magic Flow… but adding something extra?”

Johan answered with a smile.

Yuri then fully understood the ultimate goal Johan had for Magic Flow.

He muttered softly what he had realized.

“Returning the Sword Master’s power only results in the Sword Master’s power. If that monster counters with the same force, it’ll just cancel out…”

Johan picked up where Yuri trailed off.

“You’ve got to return the Sword Master’s power with your own added to it. Only then will that monster be truly shaken.”

This was Johan’s original vision when first conceiving Magic Flow.

The ultimate of Magic Flow.

It was about combining your own power with your opponent’s and sending it back stronger.

To overwhelm the Sword Master with force.

This was the concept of Magic Flow Four, the final form: Magic Flow – Fusion (合).

“….”

“….”

A brief silence settled between Yuri and Johan.

‘Adding external force to the flow… no, merging it….’

Yuri pondered how to bring Johan’s idea of Magic Flow’s ultimate form to life.

And Johan patiently waited for Yuri to finish sorting through his thoughts.

About ten minutes later.

Yuri let out a sigh and spoke up.

“Sigh… This isn’t going to be easy. Isn’t this a bit too tough for an assignment?”

“If it were easy, I would’ve researched and made it myself. The fact that I couldn’t is why I brought you in…”

But perhaps you really might pull it off on your own.

Johan left the rest unsaid.

‘The moment you truly complete it… Magic Flow will become yours, not mine.’

Yuri had already altered much of the direction of Magic Flow Three from Johan’s original concept.

If Yuri were to create the final form, Magic Flow would become more Yuri’s than Johan’s.

It would be seen as Yuri’s, not Johan’s.

In a way, it seemed his lifelong research was slipping into another’s hands.

Yet Johan could entrust the completion of Magic Flow to Yuri because his goal wasn’t merely the perfection of Magic Flow.

The endpoint of the path he’d walked all his life.

That was to defeat the Sword Master.

‘If that can be achieved… what wouldn’t I be willing to give up?’

His lifelong research into Magic Flow?

It was just another means to defeat the Sword Master.

If Yuri truly completed the final form of Magic Flow, crafting the ultimate weapon to defeat the Sword Master, Johan would proudly proclaim that Yuri was the true creator of Magic Flow.

‘And now, in matters of Magic Flow, I find myself learning from this kid…’

Johan couldn’t help but smile wryly as he thought about how his position had shifted in just over two years since meeting Yuri.

“Well, fine. If the ultimate of Magic Flow is the first assignment, then what’s the second one?”

Yuri’s question brought a gleam to Johan’s eyes.

‘Sure, I might be learning about Magic Flow from you, but there’s still plenty I can teach you.’

With a smug expression, Johan shot back a question.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“What comes after the mastery of Power, Refinement, Transformation, and Magic at Level 7? What will you achieve at Levels 8 and 9?”

Yuri’s eyes sparkled at those words.

His gaze was alight with curiosity and anticipation.

Sensing the growing interest, Johan grinned and gestured toward the door with a nod.

“Follow me. Before I leave, I’ll broaden your horizons a bit.”

With that, Johan strode confidently outside.

And as Yuri followed closely behind…

“…Good grief.”

He found himself opening his eyes to a whole new world.