Chapter 57: All out with the Weapon Instructor

The sound of bones cracking echoed from his neck and shoulders as he rolled them, curling and unfurling his gauntleted fists while waiting for the others to finish.

Once the students returned to their positions with their weapons ready, a metallic sound suddenly rang throughout the dojo.

SHRAAAANG!

Chains unfurled from beneath the weapon instructor’s wide sleeves, dropping toward the floor before he caught them in his hand, while the familiar double-edged dagger appeared in his other hand.

Then,

CLAAANG!

He forced the two weapons together, connecting the dagger to the chain and transforming them into the same chained weapon he had used during their previous lesson.

He spun it heavily around his hand before looking across the students.

"Defend yourself!"

The moment those words left his mouth,

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The students turned in shock when the ground suddenly shook beneath their feet, revealing a crater in the center of the dojo where the floor had been shattered from the sheer force of something that had just launched itself from it.

"What the!?"

Before anyone could even process what had happened, they looked upward.

VROOOOOOOM!

The air was torn apart as a figure shot through it at terrifying speed.

SHRRAAANG!

The chain whipped through the air, lashing toward its target with enough force to make the surrounding air tremble, and then,

BAAAAAAAAANG!

A violent shockwave erupted throughout the dojo as a gauntleted fist collided head-on with the edge of the instructor’s dagger.

BOOOOOOM!

Declan was launched backward, his body twisting through the air as he somersaulted before crashing into the opposite wall.

He remained there for a moment, embedded against it, while the weapon instructor took two heavy steps backward, each one causing the dojo floor to tremble beneath his feet.

"Hmmm."

A low growl escaped the instructor’s lips as he looked toward the wall, but Declan was already gone.

BOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOM!

His speed was so ridiculous that the Newcomers could barely follow him.

All they could see was a blur flashing from one side of the dojo to another, accompanied by the images of his feet striking the walls as he changed direction.

Then,

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Another terrifying shockwave exploded through the dojo.

The students turned toward the source just in time to see Declan descending from above, both of his fists slamming downward toward the instructor, who immediately raised his dagger to block them.

SHRIIIING!

The dagger’s edge scraped violently against the gauntlets, sending a shower of red sparks into the air.

Then,

VROOOOOOM!

The chain suddenly shot toward Declan’s exposed chest.

VROOOOOOOM!

It tore through the space where his body had been, but Declan had already moved.

He twisted his body inward at the last possible moment, dropping toward the ground as the chain passed above him, and the moment his feet touched the dojo floor, the ground beneath them crumbled from the force he released as Declan launched himself forward once again.

He emerged from beneath the instructor’s guard.

CLAAANG!

BAAAAAAAAANG!

The gauntlet and chained dagger collided once more, producing another deafening metallic explosion as red sparks scattered between them.

"I swear I won’t lose this time!"

Declan’s veins bulged along his arms as he pushed against the dagger, refusing to give ground.

"You’ve indeed grown stronger!"

The weapon instructor’s voice echoed inside Declan’s mind, but before he could respond, the chain suddenly moved, rippling through the air like a living snake before swinging toward his ribs.

Declan immediately retreated, crossing both arms over his side just before the chain arrived.

BOOOOM!

The impact sent him flying backward, his body crashing against the wall.

For a brief moment, silence filled the dojo, then a hand suddenly gripped the wall as Declan pulled himself free, his shoulder clearly dislocated, but he barely reacted.

Instead, he reached across with his opposite hand and grabbed the injured arm.

CRACK!

He twisted his shoulder back into place before moving his arm around and wiggling his fingers to make sure everything was functioning properly.

Once he confirmed that it was, Declan turned toward the other students.

"Are you all here to fight or watch?"

His words snapped the remaining students out of their hesitation, and they tightened their grips around their weapons before charging toward the instructor.

BAAANG!

BAAANG!

BAAANG!

For the next several minutes, the dojo became a battlefield, with hundreds of Newcomers exchanging blows against a single weapon instructor.

Yet despite being surrounded by a hundred students, the instructor remained completely unshakable.

BAAAAANG!

BOOOOOOM!

Students were sent flying through the air one after another, crashing into the walls and rolling across the floor before struggling back to their feet.

The instructor was clearly restricting himself to their level, yet even with his strength brought down to match theirs, none of them could overwhelm him.

Declan, however, moved through the battlefield like a phantom.

He flashed between the students, appearing and disappearing as he searched for an opening, and eventually, he saw it.

The instructor had just blocked an axe descending from above, leaving his back exposed for the briefest moment.

That was enough.

BOOOOOOOM!

Declan burst forward in a straight line, pulling both arms backward and causing the sharp edges of his gauntlets to extend fully from his knuckles before driving himself forward.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A series of shockwaves rippled outward as his sharpened gauntlet fist tore toward the instructor’s unprotected back.

’It’s over.’

The attack wasn’t merely fast.

It came at exactly the right moment, with three students simultaneously attacking the instructor from different directions, one bringing a heavy axe down from above, another striking from the side with a katana, while a third unleashed a barrage of shuriken that the instructor had already avoided with the help of his chains.

None of them had expected Declan’s attack from behind.

His fist shot toward the instructor’s spine with frightening speed and precision, but at the very last moment, the instructor’s eyes widened.

BAAANG!

VROOOOOM!

Declan suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet collapse, and before he could react, the instructor’s body flickered before disappearing completely.

’He dodged it!’

Declan’s eyes narrowed.

’Above!’

The realization came almost instinctively, and he didn’t even bother looking upward. Instead, he immediately rolled away from his position.

A pulse of energy erupted.

BOOM!

A dagger cleaved through the space where Declan had been standing only an instant earlier, leaving a meter-long slash carved into the dojo floor.

The weapon instructor landed heavily, shaking the ground beneath him before immediately swinging his chained dagger outward.

Declan ducked his head, allowing the chain to pass over him, but the weapon didn’t stop there, colliding with several nearby students and sending them flying backward while simultaneously clearing a five-meter-wide space around the instructor, leaving only Declan and the weapon instructor standing inside it.

Declan took a cautious step backward.

The air suddenly rushed against his face, violently ruffling his hair, and when he looked forward again, the instructor was already standing only a meter away.

"I’ll be getting rid of you first."

The instructor’s voice had barely faded when his dagger shot toward Declan, while the two edges of the chain simultaneously descended like whips.

Declan could avoid the dagger by stepping backward, but doing so would place him directly in the path of the chains, and judging from the force behind them, a direct hit would tear a deep wound into his body and remove him from the fight.

If he stepped forward instead, he would be forced to face all three attacks simultaneously.

What to do?

There was only one answer.

FIGHT!

’I won’t lose.’

Declan roared as both gauntleted fists jerked backward, the pointed edges extending violently from his knuckles.

’Activate Apex Strike!’

Neon-blue light immediately radiated from his hands, although the gauntlets concealed most of it from view, and then both fists shot forward.

One collided with the dagger, and the other met the incoming chain.

BOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

Three strikes collided within a single second, but that was only the beginning.

Declan’s fists continued moving with terrifying speed, four afterimages forming around his arms as he desperately defended against the instructor’s barrage, yet despite his efforts, he still wasn’t able to block everything.

Part of his clothing was ripped apart, the side of his face was bruised, and a thin spray of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth as, step by step, he was forced backward.

He was losing.

Declan gritted his teeth before calling out internally.

’Hey, system.’

[Yes.]

’Input two Ability Upgrade Cards into Apex Strike.’

[Congratulations. Apex Strike has reached Level 3!]

FLICKER!

Declan suddenly felt a tremendous force surge through his arms and spread throughout his body, while a faint blue glow flickered inside his eyes.

Then something changed: The instructor’s movements slowed.

The dagger that had previously been moving too quickly to follow now seemed almost sluggish, while every movement of the chain became so clear that Declan could see its trajectory before it even arrived.

He stepped forward.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Four strikes erupted within a single second, and every dagger strike was knocked aside as the weapon instructor was forced one step backward.

The instructor’s eyes gleamed with white light.

’He grew stronger again!?’

The thought flashed through his mind as Declan surged toward him.

Another series of violent collisions erupted between them, but this time, neither side was pushed backward.

Declan held his ground.

Every attack was met with a precise block, his movements becoming sharper and more efficient with every exchange, until the chain suddenly changed direction and snaked toward his leg in the middle of the barrage.

A sneak attack.

But Declan had already seen it.

He jumped, allowing the chain to sweep beneath him, and at the same time, the weapon instructor raised his head.

Declan was descending from above, his leg already swinging downward toward the man’s face.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!