Isaac first activated the Eye of Chaos.

His eyes turned a deep violet, and tentacles began to slither out from between his eyelids. He had never used this ability to such an extent except when trying to discern everything about his opponent.

Dizzying.

Looking at Elil with the Eye of Chaos, Isaac began to understand the enormity of what he had said.

Even with the Eye of Chaos, Isaac couldnt glean any information about Elil.

It wasnt that he couldnt see him. There was just too much to see. Elil was prepared to cut Isaac down with tens of thousands of movements. He had complete control over the space they were in.

Meanwhile, Isaac realized that no matter how much he attacked, he wouldnt be able to touch Elil.

His confidence was not arrogance.

But thats only if I fight like an ordinary swordmaster

Isaac didnt know his own limits when pushing the power of Chaos to its extremes. He had avoided relying on Chaoss power because he knew that the more he used it, the further he drifted from his true self.

Today might be the stage to test those limits.

Isaac ignited the heat of the Luadin Key to its maximum. The heat, fused with his sword aura, flared with a menacing force. He took a deep breath and then launched himself forward.

*Boom.* The granite slabs of the floor cracked under the shockwave. Sword aura flowed from his blade, leaving strange marks on the walls and floor as it surged forward.

*Slash! Boom!*

Isaac slashed horizontally at Elils body in an instant. However, Elil caught the sword with one hand without even looking at it. He was simply staring at Isaac.

It was an unbelievable feat. Catching sword aura with an ordinary sword was impossible.

But Elil did it.

The tip of his sword precisely struck the hilt of the Luadin Key.

No matter how strong a sword, it had weak and strong points. The weaker part is near the handle, and the stronger part is the tip. Even with sword aura, the distribution of force doesnt change.

Elil intercepted it at the exact weak point in a fraction of a second.

Just use sword aura, you madman!

Understanding and replicating are entirely different matters.

Isaac was certain he could never master Elils technique, no matter what. He continued his attacks. Although he was cautious of Elils counterattacks, each strike was blocked by Elils sword tip.

Yet it was strange that Elils sword tip didnt even get damaged.

Thats not an ordinary sword, is it?

Its the Holy Sword Aleval.

Holy Sword Aleval? Thats a new name to me.

It means nameless.

So Elil wouldnt use miracles or advanced sword techniques, but he would use a holy relic?

Isaac thought about pointing this out but decided against it, as it made him look pitiful. However, Elil, perhaps sensing this, added an explanation.

Any sword I wield becomes a holy sword. But without a legend, its just slightly better than an ordinary sword, so dont worry about it.

In other words, he had indeed just picked up a random sword.

Isaac felt a mix of disbelief and awe at the idea that any sword Elil picked up would become a holy sword.

It wasnt surprising, considering it was a weapon used by a god, not just an angel. Although Elil wasnt using sword aura, the sword still didnt emit any special energy.

Accepting this, Isaac resumed his attacks.

*Clang! Clang! Crash! Crack!*

Isaacs attacks were fierce and aggressive, but they were merely traps to provoke Elils reaction.

Elil saw through Isaacs ploy and didnt move unless there was a genuine opening. Hence, Isaac used his sword aura to viciously grab and tear at Elils sword to disrupt his movements.

After several exchanges, Isaac began to understand Elils movements through the Eye of Chaos.

Elils body moved with mechanical efficiency and effectiveness. Every muscle fiber contracted and relaxed with a clear purpose.

His movements were so beautiful they almost exuded a sense of functional beauty.

Was this monster just born this way?

Isaac continued his relentless assault, even though replicating Elils techniques seemed impossible. Elil had vowed not to use sword aura. Missing even once in targeting the exact point where the force changes would break his sword.

Isaac aimed for that.

Honestly, Im not sure I could win even if Elil fought barehanded.

*Crack!*

When Isaac crossed swords with Elil for the fourth time, he managed to make their blades clash directly. The moment their blades met, the teeth of Elils sword chipped, and a crack formed. Isaac didnt miss the opportunity and immediately executed his Ezak Swordsmanship: Eightfold Path.

*Boom!* In an instant, Isaacs energy erupted, creating the image of a beast rising from the abyss with eight tentacles, engulfing Elil in a ferocious attack.

*Crack, crack, crack!*

However, Elil merely tapped at parts of Isaacs sword trajectory with his own blade.

The Eight Branches lost its momentum and shattered almost instantly.

The beast formed by sword aura dissipated, and Isaac lost his balance. Elil approached casually, placing his blade against Isaacs neck.

Two.

Elil whispered. Isaac couldnt tell how many chances he would get, but he was already launching his next attack before Elil could say anything more.

From beneath Isaacs shadow, the grasp of the abyss shot up.

The grip of the abyss emerged right beneath Elils feet, writhing to tear him apart. However, Isaac realized through shared pain that it was thrashing not to finish its prey but out of agony.

For the first time, the abyssal grasp had been slashed and wounded, revealing its innards and viscera. It melted away quickly into the colors beyond.

Elil had not been swallowed by the abyssal grasp. He had simply stepped back and sliced through it as it emerged.

But there was a result. Elil looked at Isaac for a moment before tapping his sword. With a sharp sound, the blade split in half. The part Isaac had managed to crack had broken.

Impressive.

Isaac steadied himself again.

Elil had taken Isaacs life twice, but Isaac had broken Elils holy sword, Aleval. Breaking a gods sword was an encouraging result.

Instead of picking up a new sword, Elil picked up the broken blade.

Then he assumed a dual-wielding stance. What had been Aleval was now divided into Al and Eval.

Lets raise the difficulty a bit.

With those ridiculous weapons, higher difficulty?

Isaac wanted to laugh but couldnt even move his lips.

Being underestimated has its limits.

His eyes burned even more fiercely.

Then Ill raise the difficulty too.

Isaacs left hand finally began to twitch and morph.

***

Despite his bravado, Isaac had never considered Elil an opponent of low difficulty.

The reason he hadnt used the tentacle of his left hand until now was that it interfered with holding his sword and couldnt exert its true power in its unfamiliar form. The tentacle was more of a tool for unpredictable situations.

But Elil required experimental attempts to find a breakthrough.

Bang. Isaac charged at Elil again.

This time, he didnt approach head-on but circled around, looking for an opening. Elil was deflecting Isaacs attacks with minimal movements. It required high concentration to execute such precise actions.

In this case, a flashy and unpredictable technique was necessary.

*Crack, crack, crack!* The tentacle gripped the Luadin Key tightly. After witnessing Elil sever the grasp of the abyss, wielding the tentacle recklessly would be foolish. Instead, Isaac decided to use the enhanced grip strength and flexible movements provided by the tentacle.

The hilt of the Luadin Key, now almost fused with his left hand, was invisible. The blazing flames seemed to scream.

Now!

As Elil moved to face Isaac, who was circling him, Isaac kicked off the wall and lunged. The colors of the abyss burst forth from each step, enveloping Elil.

Though it couldnt inflict deadly damage, it was enough to obscure Elils vision.

Isaac swung the Luadin Key, entwined with tentacles, mimicking Liannes advanced swordsmanship. Reproducing her swordsmanship perfectly without Lumiarde was impossible. However, the fluidity of the tentacles allowed him to replicate the intricate movements to some extent.

*Clang!* Using the Elion swordsmanship, dozens of beasts with gaping maws emerged from the ink-like colors beyond, attacking Elil. Elil, unflinching, disrupted and countered Isaacs swordsmanship calmly, just as he had before.

At that moment, Isaacs eyes gleamed. Using the Eye of Chaos, he tried to delve deeply into Elils emotions to unsettle him.

!

But all he sensed was a single thought: the desire for battle.

There was no emotion to draw upon.

*Boom!*

Finally, Isaacs sword clashed with Elils once more.

This time, Isaacs sword didnt waver as easily. Elils eyebrows twitched. The ridiculous strength and flexibility of the tentacle absorbed and deflected Elils attacks. Elil had no choice but to parry each strike that rained down on him.

It was akin to catching raindrops one by one. An impossible feat for most, but for Elil, it seemed as simple as a walk in the park.

Three.

Though Isaac was the one pressing the attack, hiding within the colors beyond and pushing forward, it was Isaac who was on the defensive.

His breathing grew labored, and his vision blurred. Hunger gnawed at him slowly.

Four.

In that time, Isaacs life was taken two more times.

Yet, Isaac continued to press on.

Just one mistake, one moment of carelessness, and he could prevail.

Isaac was already using the Broken Crystal Tombstone Fragment.

This is an opponent where cheap tricks wont work.

The fragment heightened his focus to an extreme degree. In the intense concentration that felt like his brain was burning, Isaac felt the world slow down. Just like Elil, he could afford no mistakes.

I must force a reaction in direct combat!

Isaac attacked with the intent to kill Elil but did not think of victory.

Such determination might provoke a reaction or emotion from Elil, finally leading to victory. Driven by this single-minded resolve, Isaac pushed his limits to the utmost.

*Pik, jureuk* The intense focus granted by the Broken Crystal Tombstone Fragment and the Eye of Chaos allowing him to discern Elils intentions and movements caused his eyes to bleed. Blood-tears streamed down his face.

Isaac didnt even notice the blood-tears as the tentacles absorbed them before they obscured his vision.

With heightened focus, he unleashed advanced swordsmanship without pause. The Eightfold Path, Drowned Hand, Avalanche Swordsmanship, Rotten Hammer Swordsmanship, techniques of Cedric, the Knights of Aldeon, and the Elion Knight Order. Isaac meticulously executed and unleashed every swordsmanship he had witnessed and consumed.

As a result, there wasnt a part of his body that wasnt being strained.

Only then could Isaac begin to mimic Elils movements.

His muscles, bones, blood flow, and nerves screamed in agony as they were forcibly aligned like a machine. It was a violent will that would force the body to move correctly even if it had to crush it. In fact, his body was tearing apart.

Even the tentacles gripping the Luadin Key were splitting and bleeding from the pressure. Yet Isaac pushed on, unaware that his body was breaking apart from his own sword aura.

He was nothing but a vortex consuming everything, jaws open wide, aiming to devour Elil.

*Shick.* The blood Isaac shed turned into mist and dispersed.

The blood mist mixed with the colors beyond, forming a monster born of chaos that swung its sword.

It was a beast of calamity.

By now, it was impossible to distinguish between the colors beyond and Isaac.

Only then did Elil begin to move.

***

Elil moved swiftly, continuing his attacks and defenses to avoid getting caught up in Isaacs swordsmanship.

A fighting spirit that didnt care for its own body.

But Elil sensed that it wasnt desperation but conviction that drove Isaac.

And he was thrilled by that fighting spirit.

An old emotion was stirred within him by that fighting spirit.

Five.

Elils sword once again grazed Isaacs heart. But he wondered if Isaac would have stopped even if he had pierced his heart.

With that fighting spirit, Isaac would likely have struck down with his body even if he lost his heart. And Elil found it increasingly difficult to exploit Isaacs weaknesses.

A slight doubt.

That was enough for Isaac.

If he could make Elil realize that his chance of winning this fight wasnt 100%, it would be enough.

Only then did Elil realize what was happening.

Isaac was fighting with everything, risking his life, while demanding something from Elil.

Demanding he use his sword aura, demanding he show his true swordsmanship.

Demanding he lay everything he had before Isaac.

In the midst of it all, Isaac was growing at an incredible pace. By observing and devouring each of Elils movements, he felt sword aura form at his will. No, the sword aura was guiding and leading him.

It brought Isaac to a realization.

Sword aura could it be

And as Isaac transcended a certain limit, he stopped unleashing every swordsmanship he knew.

He discarded everything. All miracles, relics, blessings, and wonders.

Only one movement remained.

He perfectly mimicked Elils movement.

TL Notes