Chapter 132 - Deception

Damian Lancester swung his sword through the air again with an expressionless face.

To a layman, it might seem like a meaningless motion, but anyone with a deep understanding of swordsmanship and mana would not be able to close their gaping mouths.

A person who could produce a slash that transcended space so casually was, by their very existence, a source of fear.

Among all formulas, magic, sorcery, and law, the knowledge and understanding of ‘space’ were treated as the most advanced. It was a natural treatment considering its power, complexity, and endless depth.

Damian ‘Spacer’ Lancester. Although his rank was the lowest among the EX-rank Climbers, he was a monster among monsters who had maintained his position at the top of the climber society, which was full of extraordinary superhumans, for a long time.

The EX-rank Climber present here was a man who could handle it like a toy box.

“...Hmm.”

However, Damian, who was creating such a scene, merely let out a dissatisfied sigh.

“They're unusually good at dodging. The rats.”

His attacks were not weak or low-level.

A simple ‘slash that transcends space’ meant more than just being able to strike from a distance; it meant being able to land a direct hit on a vital spot, no matter what defensive measures the target had.

Each slash was just an ordinary cut, but they were invincible attacks that could slice through any target if they made contact.

Such fearsome attacks, their angles twisted before reaching their target, rained down in a concentrated point, and flew from unseen blind spots.

But, those slashes that rained down like that.

“…”

Ducking, rolling, and slightly twisting his body to the side. He evaded all of them with appropriate movements for each attack.

The worms, whom he would surely have given a high evaluation if their level had even reached his toes, were casually dodging them with ease.

Damian narrowed his eyes and glared at the man who seemed to be the cause of this strange phenomenon.

Kim Gyu-sik, was it?

From the beginning, that guy had been controlling the positions of the two people around him, including his own movements.

With an organic movement as if the three of them had their brains connected, they were dodging the slashes of an EX-rank Climber that tore through space itself.

“Alright, from now on, 337 rhythm. Duck, duck, roll. Duck, duck, roll. Now duck-duck-duck-duck-duck-duck-ro...”

“Ah, you're so distracting, so shut your damn mouth!”

“...Haven't you been a little too harsh on me lately?”

They were so relaxed that they were even exchanging such trivial banter amidst his attacks.

‘...That guy.’

In fact, he had never paid much attention.

The EX-rank was the pinnacle of the climber society, which had maintained its iron fortress for over 10 years. Stories about promising newcomers or who was what were enough to make him bored.

Only those who proved themselves, proved themselves again and again, and proved their worth until the very end could enter his sight.

But, that man.

He had succeeded in capturing his attention in just this short period of time.

In that case.

Shall I get a little serious?

-Rooooo…

The atmosphere writhed again.

The attacks he had thrown so far were all basic moves for Damian. But the one that would fly this time was one he had put some effort into.

The various enhancement formulas engraved on his sword exploded, launching a slash at a transcendent speed. Of course, it didn't end there; he immediately deployed his mana.

[ Trapping Dragon Flash ]

A slash that transcended the realm of mere ‘speed’ and reached the speed of sound flew in from all directions.

The air, the background, and all space in its path were bisected by the slash, sweeping over the spot where Kim Gyu-sik was.

The aftermath of the slash alone created a disastrous aftershock, devastating the surroundings.

An attack of certain death that he surely could not have defended against, dodged, or countered.

“…”

Damian sighed and sheathed his sword.

The dust had not yet settled, so his vision was not clear, but his perception of space, which was superior to anyone else's, could not detect any movement from beyond.

As expected, he couldn't even handle that much? He had put up a good fight for his abilities, but was that all he had? It was very disappointing.

“Ah, I finally found it.”

“-!”

So he thought.

Until that voice was heard from nearby.

***

Again, a slash that instantly tore through space swept through the direction where the voice had come from.

The ground was torn away, and what little remained of the desolate surrounding terrain was completely shattered.

But, the man who had spoken in a relaxed voice was standing there perfectly fine.

‘How...!’

Damian's mind was instantly thrown into a jumble.

The fact that the man who should have died from that slash earlier was standing there perfectly fine.

How on earth had he found his position?

And what on earth was that, just standing there and taking the attack he had just thrown without any countermeasures?

“You look like you've seen a ghost. Why are you so scared?”

“...You.”

Damian carefully observed the man in front of him and caught his breath.

He had to refrain from making rash judgments. This man had just stood there and taken the blow he had created without any action. He had no idea what other tricks he might be hiding.

“That last attack, how did you deflect it?”

“I just saw it and dodged.”

“…”

What kind of nonsense was this again?

He had to admit his guts, trying to mock him even in this situation.

“...I have no hobby for wordplay, so cut it out and speak. Then the next time we meet, I will at least kill you without pain.”

“No, I really saw it and dodged.”

“How dare this vermin mock me-”

As Damian was about to say that, a sudden realization struck him like lightning.

What if.

Just what if.

This man had really ‘seen and dodged’ it. If that was really the truth.

Because among the abilities Damian knew, there was one that made that possible.

What if this man.

Had the Demonic Eye that saw through everything?

“...How absurd. There's no way a guy like you would have that.”

That power was only permitted to that ‘monster.’

No matter what, there was no way a guy like this had the same thing.

As he was thinking that and letting out a faint laugh.

This guy named Kim Gyu-sik suddenly pulled out a bomb.

“Oh, what. He already ate Observation? He's much faster than I thought.”

“...!”

Damian, who had never lost his composure until now.

This time, he couldn't help but be genuinely startled and draw his sword.

“You... You. You know him? And about ‘Observation’?”

“He's the most likely candidate for the final boss, so how could I not know? I was thinking of investigating him soon anyway. Thanks. I learned something important.”

“...Final boss? What do you mean?”

“It's just something.”

The man said with a grin.

Still, there was no sign that he was about to take any action.

Damian felt a cold sweat run down his back and gripped the hilt of his sword a little tighter.

‘...How long has it been.’

Since he had the ‘initiative’ taken from him and was forced into a situation where he had to react passively to the opponent's moves.

He couldn't even remember the last time.

This feeling he had never experienced since reaching the position of an EX-rank Climber.

‘But that doesn't really suit my aptitude.’

If the opponent didn't reveal their cards, he would just have to force them out.

Damian took a deep breath and prepared for a strike.

“...Certainly. You are a little different from the riff-raff that are everywhere.”

Damian, who calmly admitted it, took his stance.

He knew this guy named Kim Gyu-sik was no ordinary opponent.

But that was as far as it went.

He was an EX-rank Climber. The pinnacle of all superhumans.

If they fought head-on, this guy would surely not be able to hold out properly.

“From now on, I'll take you seriously.”

“...Ah~”

But, Kim Gyu-sik's reaction to his words.

Was just to pick his ear as if he was annoyed.

“Yeah, yeah. Certainly, if you come at me like that, someone like me wouldn't be able to hold out and would be instantly killed.”

“…”

For someone saying such things, he was extremely relaxed.

But he would not be deceived by words anymore. No matter what he babbled, he would just crush him with all his might.

“But, I think you're misunderstanding something.”

At the same time as Damian's sword was drawn with a terrifying momentum, Kim Gyu-sik smirked and spoke.

“Did you come here to kill me in the first place?”

-!

With those last words, Kim Gyu-sik's form was swept away by Damian's sword.

But after the dust storm cleared, only a bisected circular sphere was bouncing and rolling in that spot.

“...?”

Wait a minute.

A circular sphere?

Damian, who had rushed over there, examined it closely.

A mana sphere based on the principles of sorcery. Its main purpose was to confuse the opponent with an ‘illusion.’

In other words, the ‘real’ Kim Gyu-sik had never been here from the beginning.

“…”

And in Damian's mind, the last words of Kim Gyu-sik's illusion were replayed.

His original purpose for coming here was definitely...

[ Conqueror ‘Kim Gyu-sik’ has captured the ‘No Man’s Land’ zone. ]

[ The first Conqueror to capture 3 zones has appeared. A capture bonus will be given. ]

“...That, damn, vermin.”

A voice that could make frost form even in the middle of summer flowed eerily from Damian's mouth.

His eyes were bloodshot, and a rage that numbed his mind consumed him.

He had probably pinpointed his own location based on the fact that he had used mana to launch an attack, and then sent his ‘illusion’ there to disrupt his consciousness.

The main body had gone to the mana crystal in the meantime and succeeded in capturing it.

When he turned his head towards the crystal with a demonic expression, Kim Gyu-sik, who was also looking at him from there, was smirking.

And the moment their eyes met.

Kim Gyu-sik slowly raised his middle finger.

His lips were mouthing the following.

“Idiot.”

Then, he took out some kind of mechanical device from his hand and created a portal.

And he immediately disappeared.

Having completely made a fool of him.

“…”

He himself.

An EX-rank Climber.

Had been perfectly played in the hands of that lowly worm.

“...I'll kill you.”

A growling sound lingered at the corner of Damian's mouth.

“I'll rip you to shreds-! I'll kill youuuuuu-!”

A roar like that of a wounded beast echoed loudly in the no man's land.

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