Return of The Martial King

Repenhardt straightened his posture, gritting his teeth through the pain. Before he realized it, Teslon had already closed the gap, stomping his foot and surging right in front of him.  

“You’ve been taught well! Your reaction’s not bad!”  

A sharp karate chop aimed for the crown of Repenhardt’s head. Twisting his body, Repenhardt intercepted the chop with his shoulder and threw a counterpunch.  

“Straight Cannon!”  

A golden barrier enveloped Teslon’s entire body. However, Teslon merely sneered.  

“Straight Cannon is effective against multiple enemies, but it’s easy to block since its power isn’t focused on a single point!”  

A yellow aura swirled around Teslon, shredding the golden barrier to pieces. He had completely nullified the force of the Straight Cannon using Spiral Guard.  

Repenhardt cursed under his breath.  

“Damn it!”  

Despite his mocking tone, Teslon responded with the same technique.  

“Straight Cannon!”  

An identical golden barrier surged toward Repenhardt. Naturally, Repenhardt raised his Spiral Guard to defend himself.  

At that moment, Teslon rotated the aura within the Straight Cannon, throwing another punch imbued with the spiraling energy.  

“Straight Cannon, Spiral!”  

The first golden barrier clashed with Repenhardt’s Spiral Guard and canceled each other out completely, reacting in a way vastly different from when Repenhardt had used it. Following closely behind, the second Straight Cannon struck Repenhardt directly.  

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosive roars echoed as Repenhardt was hurled back dozens of meters. The shockwave alone tore apart the road and snapped several streetlights. The impact sent Repenhardt’s body crashing deep into a building. With a thunderous crash, the three-story structure collapsed entirely, scattering debris and a thick cloud of dust.  

“Ugh…”  

Groaning, Repenhardt clawed his way out of the rubble and got to his feet. His body, resilient as it was, could handle breaking through a building or two without much trouble, so his back didn’t hurt that much. However, the spot where the Straight Cannon had landed squarely throbbed with intense pain.  

Teslon approached, laughing heartily.  

“Spiral Guard cancels itself out when clashing with another Spiral Guard. Didn’t your master teach you that?”  

He had blended a Spiral Guard into his initial strike, breaking through Repenhardt’s defense, and then followed up with the second Straight Cannon.  

Rising to his feet, Repenhardt grimaced.  

‘I was never taught anything like that…’  

In truth, Gerard had never taught him anything like that. Spiral Guard, after all, was a technique that only the successors of Gym Unbreakable could utilize. The martial school itself struggled to produce successors, with just one per generation being a rare stroke of fortune. The idea of Spiral Guards clashing was essentially unheard of.  

It seemed Teslon realized this fact almost immediately.  

“Oh, now that I think about it, I came up with that on my own.”  

Even as successors of Gym Unbreakable, the gulf between Teslon and Repenhardt’s skill levels was vast. On one hand, Repenhardt, though relying only on memories, carried the experience and mastery of decades as the Fist King. On the other, Teslon hadn’t surpassed the raw capability of someone in their twenties.  

The only reason Repenhardt had previously held the upper hand was because of Teslon’s frail body.  

‘But what on earth is that artifact?’  

Grinding his teeth, Repenhardt focused on Teslon—or more specifically, the armor he wore. Clad in that suit, Teslon had become the perfect successor to Gym Unbreakable. He wielded all its techniques seamlessly and executed every defensive maneuver flawlessly.  

‘He’s basically become the Fist King from my previous life. Well, not quite as impressive as Teslon’s body was the last time I saw him in my past life…’  

The memory of Teslon in his prime flitted through Repenhardt’s mind, prompting a faint smile.  

That armor—what was its name? Adamandril Suit, wasn’t it?  

Its strength and power were undoubtedly extraordinary. Yet, even so, it paled compared to Teslon, who had once reigned as one of the continent’s strongest, splitting the title with Repenhardt himself. The fact that Teslon had surpassed even ancient artifacts with his bare hands in their prime only underscored how absurdly powerful Gym Unbreakable’s techniques were.  

Noticing Repenhardt chuckling, Teslon frowned deeply.  

“Do you still find my attacks amusing?”  

“No, that’s not why I laughed…”  

Repenhardt stretched his neck from side to side, smirking wryly.  

Yes, Teslon’s skill as a martial artist and successor of Gym Unbreakable was undeniably superior.  

But Repenhardt hadn’t spent his past life idly, had he? Once, he was the greatest mage in history. The level of magic he achieved was beyond comparison, even to Teslon’s abilities.  

Though his current lack of mana left him at a disadvantage, Repenhardt had once stood as the strongest mage, capable of facing not just Teslon but also the other four strongest individuals on the continent simultaneously.  

Repenhardt’s eyes glinted with determination. Adopting the exact stance of Gym Unbreakable, he extended his fist.  

Recognizing the familiar technique, Teslon scoffed and prepared to counter.  

As Repenhardt extended his fist, he recited a spell with unwavering confidence.  

“I am the roaring song, Radiance Song!”  

Teslon’s eyes widened in shock. A golden, gleaming fist hurtled toward him in the form of a Booming Fist.  On its own, it was nothing exceptional, but the true problem lay behind it—five streaks of luminous magic spells were trailing right after the punch.  

“Huh?”  

Caught off guard, Teslon dodged the fist and swiftly deployed Spiral Guard to deflect the oncoming magical streaks.  

The moment the spells were repelled, Repenhardt leaped into the air, somersaulting high above. Mid-spin, he twisted his body and aimed a heel kick directly at Teslon’s crown.  

Ordinarily, it would have been just another basic kicking technique, but—  

“A spinning wheel of fire, unleash the Flaming Wheel upon my foe! Wheel Flare!”  

Following the arc of his kick, flames coalesced into a spinning disc that filled Teslon’s field of vision.  

This was no ordinary situation. Teslon, being no stranger to magic, recognized the spells. Wheel Flare and Radiance Song were high-circle spells, well beyond what could be cast without an incantation or substantial preparation.  

“Haaaah!”  

Repenhardt pressed his offensive on the bewildered Teslon, launching a relentless barrage of punches and kicks. Hooks and straights, low kicks and high spinning kicks—each technique was textbook-perfect.  

Yet with every movement, spells continued to accompany his attacks.  

“Prison of Flame! Ignition! Pierce and crush, Force Hammer!”  

Flames and frost struck Teslon and the Adamandril Suit in rapid succession. Then, a body blow imbued with Force Hammer landed squarely on Teslon’s abdomen.  

BOOOM!

With an explosive impact, Teslon was sent flying, crashing deep into a distant building. From within the helmet of his suit came a muffled groan, followed by blood spilling from his lips.  

“Cough, cough!”  

As he struggled to rise amidst the rubble, Teslon couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The Adamandril Suit—an artifact crafted from the rarest magical metals—had a large dent in the abdominal section. Moreover, the force of the impact had clearly shaken his internal organs; the blood he spat was undeniable evidence.  

This level of destruction was impossible with Repenhardt’s aura alone. However, by layering and timing the effects of various spells, he had achieved devastating force.  

‘Even simple magic, when used at precisely the right moment, can create such overwhelming power? As expected of the Demon King…’  

Still, one question lingered in Teslon’s mind.  

“But how are you casting spells without an incantation?”  

At that moment, Repenhardt smirked coldly and spoke.  

“I changed it.”  

“Huh?”  

Repenhardt threw a light jab into the air. It was a simple, textbook-perfect jab, executed with speed and precision.  

But then, a spark of lightning formed at his knuckles. Clenching his electrified fist, he continued,  

“It was too much trouble to cast spells while punching, so I adapted. I aligned the somatic components of all my magic with Gym Unbreakable’s movements!”  

Teslon’s jaw dropped in disbelief.  

“You’re insane! That’s even possible?”  

---

Teslon stared blankly at Repenhardt, his mind momentarily paralyzed with shock.  

‘He turned our martial art’s brute movements into somatic components for magic? That’s… ridiculous!’  

If it were the old, simpler Teslon, he might have just brushed it off, thinking, Huh, that’s a neat trick. But now that his mind had been sharpened by study, he was so stunned that his thoughts were a void.  

‘Can someone like the Demon King even make this possible?’  

Somatic components—hand gestures used for magic—exist to assign precise measurements needed to rearrange mana. It’s akin to using a ruler while drafting blueprints. When a mage reaches a certain level of mastery, they can cast spells with incantations alone, bypassing these gestures entirely.  

Each magical discipline has its unique set of somatic gestures, developed over centuries to align optimally with the mana attributes of its school. These movements are the result of hundreds of years of refinement by countless mages striving for the most efficient gestures.  

Yet here was Repenhardt, who had single-handedly restructured and redefined these somatic gestures in an incredibly short time, turning the movements of Gym Unbreakable into a magical framework that rivaled centuries of collective research.  

‘A genius… I’ve heard the word thrown around, but this is beyond anything I imagined!’  

Teslon couldn’t help but feel awed by the power of the Demon King.  

Meanwhile, Repenhardt was already preparing his next move.  

“Chain Strike Blast!”  

He unleashed a rapid barrage of punches into the air. A dozen aura projectiles shot out from his fists like bullets.  

“Ugh!”  

Despite his shock, Teslon knew he couldn’t afford to stand there gaping. Battle demanded focus, and now wasn’t the time to let his amazement overwhelm him.  

Pushing aside his swirling thoughts, Teslon steeled himself. Slamming his metal boots against the ground with force, he activated his counter.  

Whoosh!

Golden aura erupted like a geyser, intercepting the incoming Chain Strike Blasts. The projectiles, caught in the surge of energy, veered upward and missed their target. As the blasts were deflected, Teslon’s expression hardened.  

‘Chain Strike Blast is easy enough to block, but…’  

The blasts, being projectile-like bullets, were particularly susceptible to vertical impact. There was no need to use Spiral Guard; simply generating a light aura collision was enough to alter their trajectory.  

Yet Teslon couldn’t go on the offensive. Repenhardt’s striking stance, seamlessly doubling as somatic components, allowed him to cast another spell in rapid succession.  

“Explode and freeze! Quarter Prison Orb!”  

Four orbs of frost arced through the air, curving around to strike at Teslon’s back. Clicking his tongue, Teslon realized the truth.  

‘So he’s turned that motion into a somatic component too!’  

Though the Adamandril Suit could endure the direct impact of Prison Orb, the spell’s secondary effect—a freezing explosion—would immobilize him if it connected. In the current situation, losing mobility was far too dangerous. Abandoning any chance for a counterattack, Teslon surged his aura.  

“Spiral Guard!”  

While Teslon neutralized the Prison Orbs, Repenhardt capitalized on the opportunity, closing the distance to unleash a furious melee assault.  

Whoosh! Whoosh!  

Left and right hooks followed one after another in relentless succession, a whirlwind of punches bearing down on Teslon. Teslon raised his guard and met the storm head-on. Punches and kicks collided in midair repeatedly, creating bursts of sound with every clash.  

In raw physical strength and technical skill, Teslon still held the upper hand. But Repenhardt’s relentless assault, enhanced by magic, was gradually tipping the scales in his favor.  

Targeting Teslon’s solar plexus, Repenhardt delivered a low smash and invoked a spell.  

“Barrier of Dark!”  

A simple first-circle spell that conjured a shroud of darkness—it wrapped around Teslon’s helmet. For an instant, Teslon’s vision plunged into darkness, but he remained unfazed.  

Deflecting the smash, Teslon roared and countered with alternating mid-level kicks.  

“Hah! Did you think an Aura User would panic just because you blinded me?”  

Even in pitch-black darkness, Teslon’s mid kicks struck toward Repenhardt with unerring precision. Aura Users, after all, could perceive their opponent’s every movement through their senses, even in total darkness.  

Blocking the kicks with his knees and forearms, Repenhardt smirked and retorted,  

“I know. Even I know that much!”  

Teslon immediately launched a spinning kick aimed at Repenhardt’s head. Repenhardt bent his knees and countered with a powerful uppercut. Just as Teslon tilted his head back to dodge the punch, another spell was activated.  

“Hide Mana Stream!”  

It was a mental magic spell designed to conceal the flow of mana.  

Teslon was caught off guard.  

Though his sense of aura remained intact, the ambient flow of mana around him had completely vanished. In simpler terms, while he could still see Repenhardt’s movements, the presence of his magic was now undetectable.  

Using spells to obscure a warrior’s senses wasn’t uncommon for mages. When faced with such situations, the standard response for warriors was to prioritize defense and strike directly at the mage’s vulnerable body. Even if the spells themselves were hidden, the mage’s physical presence remained perceptible, and their frailty meant that even a glancing blow could disrupt any sensory manipulation spells.  

But this was different.  

The caster of this spell was one of the strongest beings on the continent, possessing an unparalleled physical body. Even if Teslon landed a direct hit, the spell wouldn’t break.  

‘Damn it, so our school can employ such underhanded tactics once magic gets involved?’  

Teslon’s frustration was evident. The combination of Gym Unbreakable’s martial techniques with Repenhardt’s mastery of magic had created a battle style that defied conventional logic.