LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 227
Chapter 227
Teslon moved forward.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each step echoed with a heavy metallic sound through the ground. Kadamyte, pointing his axe, muttered under his breath.
“What a bizarre suit of armor. How does one expect to move in that?”
No matter how large it might be, that armor was excessively so. In fact, the armor’s limbs were far longer than its wearer’s actual limbs. How was that even supposed to work? At that size, it seemed unlikely the wearer’s hands even fit inside the gauntlets.
Regardless, leaving it alone wasn’t an option. Iniya was the first to strike.
“Hah!”
With a sharp cry, Iniya’s form darted across the distance like a flash of light. She became one with her rapier, a silver streak slicing through the air, and in an instant, she was in front of the steel giant, Teslon. As she leaped toward him, a thought struck her.
‘No defense?’
Even as her Blade Aura drew near, the opponent merely stood there, motionless. Sensing something ominous, Iniya channeled even more Aura into her weapon. Just as the spear of Aura collided with Teslon’s metallic chest—
“Spiral Guard!”
With a resounding shout, Aura erupted from Teslon’s body, swirling around him and deflecting Iniya’s attack.
“Ugh!”
Letting out a groan, Iniya was sent flying backward. Siris’s eyes widened in shock.
“Huh? That move…”
Siris wasn’t the only one stunned. Kadamyte, along with the other warriors from the Duchy of Antares, shared the same astonished expressions. The technique employed by that steel giant was all too familiar to them.
“That’s Repenhardt-nim’s technique!”
Even amidst his astonishment, Kadamyte sprang into action.
“Ugh! Go, Haltorn!”
Merging his full-body momentum with his Aura, he hurled his battle axe, *Haltorn*. The Aura-clad axe roared as it hurtled toward Teslon’s head.
“Hmph!”
With a scoff, Teslon extended his fist.
“Chain Strike Blast!”
A dazzling projectile of Aura shot forth, intercepting the battle axe midair. The air vibrated as the battle axe lost its momentum and fell to the ground. Reaching out, Kadamyte retrieved his weapon, biting his lip. The color might have been slightly different, but there was no doubt—it was Repenhardt’s technique, *Chain Strike Blast*.
Gripping his axe once more, Kadamyte muttered in disbelief.
“Is he an old classmate of the Savior?”
Teslon, who had easily deflected the attacks of two Aura Users, let out a booming laugh.
“I’ll show you the true power of *Gym Unbreakable*!”
He kicked off the ground. Despite his massive frame, Teslon charged toward Kadamyte with terrifying speed.
Kadamyte also leaped forward to meet the attack. Swinging his battle axe in a horizontal arc, he struck Teslon’s side.
*Clang!*
A deafening metallic sound reverberated. Kadamyte grimaced. He could tell immediately from the feel of the impact—his strike had missed its mark. At the precise moment of impact, Teslon twisted his body with impeccable timing to reduce the force of the blow.
It sounded simple enough, but achieving such timing was a challenge, even for an Aura User. This was doubly true when the attacker was also an Aura User.
“How is this even possible?”
As Kadamyte stepped back in shock, he heard Iniya’s voice.
“That’s exactly the same defensive technique as Repenhardt-nim’s.”
“So, he really is an old classmate, huh?”
“But isn’t there supposed to be only one *Gym Unbreakable* per generation? Could he be that master you mentioned?”
“I don’t think so. I heard that old man was just as massive even without armor.”
The two dashed forward once more. Whatever connection this mysterious youth had to Repenhardt, it didn’t change the fact that he was their enemy now.
If so, they had to face him with their full strength!
“Blade of the Frozen Wastes!”
Channeling her Aura of frost to its utmost, Iniya aimed for Teslon’s left side. Kadamyte also swung his axe down from the front. Two streams of Blade Aura erupted in brilliant arcs, storming toward Teslon like a whirlwind.
But Teslon simply stood his ground, spreading his chest wide open with calm composure.
“Spiral Guard!”
*Clang! Clang-clang!*
Both Iniya and Kadamyte were thrown back by the recoil. They trembled with frustration as their feints and coordinated assaults, executed with all their strength, were completely nullified by the swirling Aura barrier.
“Ha-ha-ha! That felt great!”
Laughing wildly, Teslon counterattacked, throwing a series of punches. His devastating blows, reminiscent of battering rams, slammed into Kadamyte, sending him reeling backward with his axe.
“Gah!”
Kadamyte groaned as he was pushed far back. The impact was so powerful that the shockwave traveling through his axe had paralyzed both of his arms. Staggering, he sent Teslon a look of disbelief. Even though it wasn’t a direct hit, the force had been enough to cause such severe damage.
‘What kind of monster is this guy?’
Seizing the opening, Teslon turned his assault toward Iniya. The 2.4-meter-tall steel giant unleashed a relentless barrage of punches and kicks, raining down on her delicate frame like a storm.
Dodging frantically, Iniya frowned.
‘This is completely different from before….’
The power behind Teslon’s attacks had increased dramatically.
Teslon's amount of Aura itself hadn’t changed significantly. However, even with the same power, there was a vast difference in impact between a feather duster and a hammer.
Not only had the strength of his punches increased, but the durability of his body itself had risen. This allowed him to fully utilize *Gym Unbreakable’s* techniques, which he had previously been unable to execute due to physical strain. Consequently, his power and speed were on an entirely different level compared to when he fought unarmored.
“Hyaaaaaah!”
With a prolonged shout, Teslon continued to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks. Iniya, unable to even consider counterattacking, was forced to retreat step by step.
Yet, even as she stepped back, she displayed incredible skill by deftly redirecting all of Teslon’s attacks with her Blade Aura. She gently tapped the sides of his punches and kicks with her Aura, causing their trajectories to veer off course.
The technique itself wasn’t groundbreaking, but the precision and timing she displayed were extraordinary. Unlike Teslon or other Aura Users, who would slightly deflect the point of impact to reduce damage, Iniya redirected the full force of the attacks away entirely. And she was doing this against Teslon, who was now wielding *Gym Unbreakable’s* techniques with full mastery.
It was nothing short of a miraculous display. Such refined swordsmanship could likely deflect even a flying ballista bolt with a mere touch.
‘What is this elf woman? Just in terms of swordsmanship, she’s nearly on par with Cyrus in his prime.’
Even Teslon, who typically looked down on other races, couldn’t help but be impressed.
“For an elf, your skill is remarkable….”
Iniya frowned, her response cold.
“Hmph! And do you think you’re qualified to talk down to me while stomping around in that ridiculous armor?”
Despite her biting words, her hands, redirecting his attacks, didn’t falter in the slightest. This was undeniable proof that she stood at a level far above Kadamyte as an Aura User. Teslon clicked his tongue inwardly while continuing his barrage of punches.
‘Tch, this isn’t going to be easy.’
Judging from the elf woman’s skills, it didn’t seem like he’d land a critical hit anytime soon, no matter how long he kept throwing punches.
Still, Teslon wasn’t particularly worried. After all, he had another weapon beyond his Aura.
Suddenly, a quiet chant slipped from Teslon’s lips.
“Chains of Light that bind the limbs, *Hold!*”
In an instant, rings of light appeared around Iniya, binding her tightly. Startled by her sudden immobility, Iniya gasped. She hadn’t mentally prepared for this—magic was almost never used in duels between Aura Users.
“…Ugh?”
Of course, *Hold* wasn’t a high-circle spell, so simply attempting Aura defense was enough to dispel it quickly. However, the cost of breaking it was an unavoidable momentary slowdown. And for Teslon, that brief opening was all he needed.
*Whoosh!*
Teslon’s spinning kick grazed Iniya’s shoulder. It wasn’t a direct hit, just a glancing blow, but the intense pain it inflicted threw her stance off balance. Teslon didn’t waste a second exploiting the gap.
“Take this, you arrogant elf woman!”
With a shout, Teslon delivered a blindingly fast left hook, forming an arc as it crashed into Iniya’s abdomen. Iniya, desperate, twisted her body to deflect the blow as much as possible. Still…
“Guh…!”
Her eyes widened in shock. Even though she had redirected much of the force, it felt as though her torso had been completely carved apart. Had she not mitigated the impact, it might have genuinely been torn open.
Unable to even scream, Iniya found herself targeted by another attack. Teslon used the momentum from his left hook to launch a ferocious uppercut aimed at her chin.
Her vision blurred, and fear flashed in her eyes.
‘No… this can’t be!’
Calling it an uppercut hardly did it justice—Teslon’s massive fist was larger than her entire head. If it landed cleanly, it wouldn’t be surprising if her head were ripped off entirely. Even if she somehow survived, it was certain her teeth would be shattered.
No matter how beautiful someone was, a toothless face couldn’t be called attractive anymore.
‘I haven’t even finished charming Repen-nim yet!’
Fueled more by her obsession with her appearance than skill, Iniya barely managed to wedge her left arm between her chin and Teslon’s fist. At that exact moment, Teslon’s punch smashed into her with merciless force.
*Boom!*
The heavy metallic sound echoed as Iniya was sent flying, blood trailing in her wake. Watching her fall, Kadamyte let out a cry of anguish.
“Iniya!”
Though she managed to stabilize herself midair and land on her feet, she hadn’t emerged unscathed. Her left arm hung limp, clearly broken. While her jaw had been protected, the cost was a fractured arm.
Teslon murmured in genuine astonishment.
“Incredible. She deflected my strike even in that situation?”
Honestly, if Teslon had been in her place, he doubted he could’ve done anything to defend himself. Though, thanks to *Gym Unbreakable,* even if he took the full brunt, he wouldn’t suffer much damage.
Regardless, her skill was undeniably impressive. Teslon found himself looking at Iniya with newfound admiration.
At that moment, Kadamyte’s shout drew Teslon’s attention.
“You cruel bastard!”
With rage in his eyes, Kadamyte charged at Teslon with reckless abandon.
Pouring all his strength into every swing, he struck over and over. The axe blade, glowing with reddish-brown Aura, relentlessly hammered against Teslon’s steel body.
*Clang! Clang-clang!*
But Teslon didn’t budge. Like an ancient, immovable tree brushing off a weak storm, he calmly deflected every attack with *Spiral Guard,* unshaken by Kadamyte’s efforts.
“Damn it!”
Grinding his teeth, Kadamyte pulled his axe far back. He couldn’t continue like this. He needed far greater destructive power to break through that absurd defense.
‘Fortunately, that guy doesn’t seem to be thinking about dodging….’
They said *Gym Unbreakable* didn’t involve evasion, and true to form, Teslon absorbed all attacks with his armor or deflected them with *Spiral Guard.*
That left an opening—a chance. Kadamyte’s eyes gleamed with determination.
*Whoosh!*
Aura surged from the ground beneath Kadamyte, spiraling upward around him. He channeled every ounce of energy, even the bare minimum required for his body’s defense, into a single point. At the same time, he invoked the power of Earth Resonance, amplifying his strength even further. With his entire body coiled like a spring, he swung his axe downward.
It was no longer a complex technique. It was a single, devastating motion—like a lumberjack chopping a tree, but with his strength multiplied many times over.
“Take this!”
Kadamyte, the dwarven warrior who had devoted over 150 years to the martial arts, unleashed everything he had on Teslon’s side.
And then, it happened.
The Teslon who had absorbed every attack so far suddenly twisted his body to evade the blow. Kadamyte’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“What?”
At this moment of all times, he dodged!
A short, mocking laugh echoed from beneath the *Adamandril Suit’s* helmet.
“I knew it. Everyone who faces our martial arts falls for this exact trap!”
It was true that the techniques of *Gym Unbreakable* were famous across the continent for their lack of evasion. The historical *Fist Kings* were also renowned for enduring nearly every attack head-on without dodging.
Because of this, Aura Users who faced them almost always arrived at the same conclusion:
—If they aren’t going to dodge, there’s no need to worry about defense. Pour everything into sheer destructive power!
And that was the trap *Gym Unbreakable* had always set.
Forsaking the meticulously honed techniques engraved in his soul, Kadamyte had gambled on a single, crude strike. Naturally, such a simplistic attack left him open on all sides, creating countless vulnerabilities. Teslon targeted one of those gaps with precision.
There was no need to dodge repeatedly—just once was enough. All he had to do was exploit the mental gap where the opponent believed evasion was impossible.
“*Death Counter!*”
As their bodies crossed paths, Teslon’s fist rocketed toward Kadamyte’s chest. With a deafening roar, his punch drove deep into the young dwarf’s torso.
“……!”
Kadamyte’s eyes widened in shock as blood burst from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
It had been an all-or-nothing charge, focused solely on destruction, without any defensive preparation. The force behind Teslon’s counterattack, amplified several times over, was far beyond what even an Aura User could endure.
“Guhhh…”
Coughing up blood and froth, Kadamyte’s eyes began to lose their light. The vitality drained from his body, leaving him lifeless.
Iniya, horrified, screamed in despair.
“Ka-Kadamyte!”