I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 237: Side Effects (1)

Yuri walked forward with a relaxed stride and commanded the wolves.

“You’re in the way, so get lost.”

It was a command that might have bruised their pride, but the wolves didn’t mind.

No, they were actually grinning and quickly stepped back.

Even as the group of the 50th class slowly withdrew from the encirclement they had painstakingly created, the 51st class didn’t make any notable moves.

Rather than the wolves, it was the presence of the tiger approaching them that kept the 51st class from acting recklessly.

“Is that man… a tiger?”

“A whopping 5 million points!”

Those who had been with Mucci from the beginning of the 51st class sparkled at the sight of Yuri’s leopard print vest.

“……”

Those who joined later watched Yuri warily and gathered around Lisa.

But even they had a slightly perplexed look in their eyes.

A tiger had appeared and conversed with the 50th class.

And the clothes the tiger wore were not those of the Black Sword Corps but the same as their own.

The implication was simple.

‘A tiger is one of our own?’

The most challenging creature to catch in this forest, the tiger, was a cadet from the Cradle like themselves, not part of the Black Sword Corps.

It felt a bit strange.

But perhaps that was natural.

Yuri had appeared during the Hundred Steps Ceremony when most of the 51st class had been unconscious.

The only ones in the 51st class who knew about Yuri’s true identity were Mucci and Lisa, who had pretended to faint until the end.

So, while the others were wary of Yuri, they didn’t feel fear or think of running away.

No, rather, the thought that they had a numerical advantage and could make a fortune by catching the tiger began to creep into their minds.

“…Miss, what do you want to do?”

A boy from the group that had come with Lisa spoke quietly.

Lisa smiled gently and replied.

“Do as you please.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“……?!”

This was the first time Lisa had ever ordered them to act independently since they had been with her.

After a moment’s hesitation, the boy looked at his comrades.

Including himself, there were seven of them, excluding Lisa.

And if they included those on the other side, there were ten in total.

For some reason, the seniors who played the wolves had already stepped back.

‘Are the other seniors not going to interfere?’

‘Is he planning to face us all alone?’

If the tiger approaching them had been a member of the Black Sword Corps instead of just another cadet.

And if there had been other wolf seniors with him, the 51st class might have thought differently.

But seeing Yuri walking leisurely toward them alone only gave the 51st class the impression that ‘this was doable.’

‘Before the other seniors step in…’

‘Let’s end this quickly!’

They exchanged glances and charged at Yuri like lightning.

The two others standing behind Mucci gritted their teeth and joined the rush.

“Ah, no!”

Mucci reached out, alarmed by his classmates rushing past him, but he couldn’t stop them.

The eyes of the two were already clouded with greed.

‘If we do this right…!’

‘Maybe we’ll have a chance too!’

If enough people attacked, maybe they’d get lucky.

If those rushing in first could wear down the tiger or even injure him.

They could get lucky and end up with the tiger’s pelt for themselves.

With different thoughts in mind, the nine boys and girls charged at Yuri.

Some hoped to capture the tiger.

Some were hoping to gain something through sheer luck.

But all of this was based on decisions made by those who had never even entered the bear territory, let alone faced a tiger.

Additionally, they were unaware of Yuri Holland’s true capabilities, leading them to hold onto delusions.

But such delusions are easily shattered.

Snap-.

Even as nine people charged at him, drawing their swords from all sides, Yuri remained completely calm.

When the distance between him and the nine shrank to about two meters.

Zap-.

A blue lightning bolt crackled in the center of the clearing.

In the blink of an eye, Yuri’s body seemed to be sucked into the blue lightning and disappeared.

Then.

Boom-.

A massive noise erupted along with a burst of light as thick lightning tore through the space between the nine.

“Gah!”

“Kuh!”

Nine bodies convulsed in mid-air as if they had been electrocuted.

A single thunderous boom reverberated as all of them were simultaneously flung backward.

Thud- Crash- Thud!

Some were hurled far away.

Others crashed into trees.

Still, others were thrown into the bushes.

Though the details varied slightly, the outcome was the same—they all ended up sprawled on the ground.

They had already passed out by the time they were airborne, so none of them would be getting up.

A single streak of lightning.

And a strike delivered in the blink of an eye.

The wolves who had stepped back to observe swallowed hard at what they witnessed unfold before their eyes.

‘…I couldn’t even see it.’

‘What the hell did he do?’

‘Something’s… different compared to the Martial Dragon Tournament, isn’t it?’

Though they couldn’t precisely grasp it at their current level, Yuri’s presence felt more stable.

It had only been a few days since the Martial Dragon Tournament, yet Yuri already felt different.

Ivan, Clarice, and Jerry swallowed nervously.

Having swept away nine with a single strike, Yuri turned his head, searching for his next prey.

His gaze landed on Mucci, whose face had gone rigid.

“What are you doing? Not coming?”

Yuri smirked and gestured with his hand.

But Mucci still showed no intention of moving, and Yuri chuckled.

“Hey, weren’t you the one who came into the Cradle to challenge me again? Seems like now’s the moment.”

Yuri’s provocative voice caused Mucci to grip his spear tightly.

‘That’s right……!’

Yuri was right.

The reason he entered the Cradle was to challenge Yuri once more.

To prove to himself that he would never lose again.

How hard he had trained to prepare for this.

So this moment of re-challenge was what he had been eagerly awaiting… and yet…

‘So why… am I not moving?’

Because he had seen his nine classmates collapse in an instant?

Because he was overwhelmed by Yuri’s aura?

Or was it because Yuri’s back seemed so daunting as he walked ahead during the Hundred Steps Ceremony?

Mucci stood silently, and Yuri clicked his tongue as he watched Mucci’s wavering eyes.

“Hey, you crybaby. What are you hesitating for? You already know, don’t you? No matter what you do, you’ll never beat me. Are you seriously thinking you can win?”

“……?!”

The voice filled with ridicule pierced his ears, and Mucci realized why he had been unable to move.

‘It was everything… It was all of it!’

The reason he couldn’t move was precisely because of everything.

Because he had seen the nine of his classmates go down all at once.

Because he was overwhelmed by Yuri’s presence.

And because Yuri, who had advanced so far ahead during the Hundred Steps Ceremony, seemed so much bigger than himself.

He had accepted all of it, understood it, and knew he would lose again, and that’s why he couldn’t move.

Mucci simply didn’t want to lose.

Yuri, having realized this earlier, smirked.

“Yeah, maybe doing nothing like now is the better choice.”

“What are you saying……?”

“You’ve already lost once, and you’ll keep losing. You’ll never beat me in your lifetime… So just like now, accept your defeat, and keep living without doing anything.”

“……?!”

At Yuri’s words, filled with mocking laughter, sparks flew from Mucci’s eyes.

He muttered softly.

“No…….”

And that muttering mixed with the heat bubbling up inside him, transforming into a resounding roar.

“I don’t want thaaat!”

A shout so loud it felt like it would tear one’s ears apart.

Mucci’s axe-spear traced a crimson arc as it flew toward Yuri.

Swish-!

The sheer force and incredible speed.

Yuri vanished once again in an instant.

Swoosh-.

And reappeared right behind Mucci.

‘Huh?!’

Mucci, having lost track of Yuri’s movement so easily, tried to twist his body in panic, but naturally, Yuri was faster.

Whoosh-.

Yuri swung his sheathed sword at Mucci’s back.

The sheathed sword, imbued with powerful energy, struck Mucci’s back.

Bang-!

The sound of the sheathed sword hitting Mucci’s coat echoed like an exploding bomb.

“Argh!”

Even Mucci, with his exceptionally sturdy body, couldn’t endure it; he coughed up blood and fell forward.

But if it had been an ordinary person, they would have died instantly from that blow; Mucci merely spat blood lightly.

And yet, he tried to stand up immediately.

However.

Smack-.

Yuri swung the sheath, hitting Mucci on the back of the head, and Mucci’s face crashed into the ground.

Thud-.

Mucci collapsed, unable to offer any meaningful resistance.

Lying limp and unconscious, Yuri looked down at him and muttered softly.

“What can I say, your big bro here has outgrown playing with you.”

The Mucci he had once struggled to defeat had been dealt with too easily.

Feeling the gap that had grown between him and Mucci, Yuri smiled with satisfaction.

But at that moment.

Yuri’s expression suddenly turned cold as he extended his arm to the left.

Crackle-.

Electricity crack

led around his outstretched arm.

Snap-.

When his hand clenched the seemingly empty air.

With a faint afterimage, Lisa appeared, holding a short dagger.

Yuri’s hand had firmly grasped her jaw.

‘What is this now?’

Lisa’s turquoise eyes reflected a mix of shock and amusement.

The moment her jaw was caught, she tried to swing her dagger, but Yuri was faster.

Boom-!

As soon as he grabbed Lisa, he slammed the back of her head into the ground.

“Ugh?!”

Perhaps because of the severe impact.

Lisa’s eyes opened wide, and the whites of her eyes showed as her pupils rolled up.

In other words, her eyes were rolling back.

By now, she was likely seeing white in front of her eyes.

Yuri lowered his voice as he stared down at the unconscious girl he had slammed into the ground.

“You tried to backstab me… So you must have been prepared for this, right?”

With a cold gaze, Yuri grabbed Lisa’s chin, lifted her slightly, and slammed her back into the ground.

Boom-!

“……?!”

With another strong impact, Lisa’s limbs convulsed.

Unable to withstand the shock, she eventually lost consciousness.

Having dealt with all 11 of them in just five exchanges, Yuri stood up and stared at his palm.

The palm that had gripped Lisa’s jaw was damp.

“…Did she lick me?”

With a look of mixed annoyance and disbelief, Yuri clicked his tongue as he stared at the unconscious girl.

“A proper lunatic has joined us.”

He wiped his saliva-covered hand on Lisa’s clothes and turned to the wolves.

“This place is settled. Let’s find the others and get moving.”

The night had only just begun.

There were still plenty of 51st class members to hunt down.

“Move out!”

Yuri called out cheerfully as he took the lead.

Despite clicking their tongues, the wolves quickly followed close behind him.

“Take me with you, Your Highness!”

“Me too!”

“Let’s go together!”

These were the backs of those who realized that the safest way to enjoy this chaotic night was to stay by Yuri’s side.

And so, that night.

Thanks to Yuri’s rampage, the 51st class members, without exception… were all dragged to hell.

* * *

Inside a large tent.

Over 80 people lay sprawled inside.

To an outsider, it might have looked like a pile of corpses, as none of them showed any signs of movement.

They lay there in darkness for some time.

Light began to filter through a narrow slit at the entrance of the tent.

After about five more minutes.

Mucci, who had taken the worst beating but was the first to wake, began to stir, grimacing from the dull pain.

The pain in his back and the back of his head helped Mucci regain his senses.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

Mucci blinked slowly as he tried to grasp the situation.

“…Huh?!”

He shot up and glanced around the unfamiliar space.

A vast area that seemed like a large tent.

Dozens of people lay inside.

“Where is this…?”

Mucci tried to get a better grasp of the situation and attempted to stand.

Just then.

Flap-.

The entrance to the tent fluttered as sunlight poured in.

A silhouette appeared in the blinding backlight.

“Wake up!”

The voice was full of sternness and coldness.

Mucci tilted his head at the familiar sound.

‘Huh? This voice is…?’

Finally, as the tent’s fabric settled and blocked the light.

The backlight vanished, revealing the owner of the voice.

“Everyone, rise!”

A boy with a cold expression.

He was none other than Gunther Irons.