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Camilla was running frantically down the hallway, constantly checking the communication device. It was still unresponsive, likely due to the interference from the jamming signal.

“Please! Please!”

She resented herself for not being able to run faster. She despised herself for leaving her comrades and friends behind, fleeing to call for reinforcements.

Logically, it was better for Camilla to run. If she had stayed, she would have been defeated instantly by the colossal mech, making the idea of facing it laughable. But Gilbert might have been able to buy some time against the outdated mech. She wanted to believe that. Otherwise, her heart felt like it would tear apart.

Even now, she regretted it several times.

If she had stayed and Gilbert had fled alone, maybe he would have survived.

Of course, it was a meaningless assumption. The Gilbert she knew wasn’t the type to abandon his comrades and run away alone. He would have stubbornly insisted on dying together if it came to that.

So Camilla had run out to call for reinforcements.

To bring help as quickly as possible.

By now, Camilla was gasping for breath, feeling a stabbing pain in her lungs as if a knife were twisting inside. Her body screamed for air, but she didn’t stop running.

Finally, when she reached the entrance she had first come through, the communication device started working.

“What’s going on? Why are you panting like that? And where’s Gilbert?”

Brynhild, who had been waiting outside with her arms crossed, interrogated Camilla, who was pale as a sheet. Brynhild’s characteristic skill, Sixth Sense, was reacting fiercely.

Even as they entered the central headquarters, Brynhild had felt uneasy, but it seemed there were even more terrifying things lurking inside.

“Gilbert… is in danger!”

Camilla shouted, gasping for breath.

Brynhild’s expression twisted. Her Sixth Sense was sending even more urgent warnings of danger.

“Tell me what’s going on, quickly!”

“There’s… an outdated colossal mech inside. There’s no time. We need to help Gilbert now!”

As soon as Brynhild heard Camilla’s words, she dashed into the entrance like an arrow. Hans, his face twisted like a demon’s, followed closely behind.

Camilla chased after them but then thought they might need more reinforcements, so she connected the communication device.

“This is Sparrow Squad! Respond!”

[This is Polaris. Report.]

“An outdated colossal mech has been spotted in the Slaves’ central headquarters building! Sparrow is engaging alone!”

[What?]

Seraphina’s voice hardened.

The news of an outdated colossal mech appearing had clearly put her on edge.

[Alert the nearby knight orders! Support Sparrow!]

“The communication jamming signal from the colossal mech is covering the entire central headquarters, making communication impossible!”

[Those damn bugs are up to their tricks again!]

Camilla ended the communication and immediately rushed back into the central headquarters where Gilbert was. After a brief rest, she had recovered enough to run faster than before.

Camilla ran frantically.

The worst-case scenarios kept playing in her mind, but she tried to shake them off.

Gilbert will be fine.

He has to be fine.

Repeating it over and over, Camilla finally arrived at the place where she had encountered the colossal mech.

“Is Gilbert okay?!”

“…See for yourself.”

Brynhild replied in a tone that seemed drained of energy.

Camilla, suppressing the creeping anxiety, pushed past Brynhild.

“This is…”

Camilla slumped down, her strength leaving her.

Fortunately, the worst she had feared hadn’t happened.

But he wasn’t exactly unscathed either. He stood with his back to them, holding a sword in his left hand.

His academy uniform was torn in several places, and he was covered in blood.

Yet, his broad back remained unbent, standing tall.

The only strange thing was that he stood completely still, without any movement.

“Ha. Just how much of a monster is he?”

Brynhild shook her head. Her eyes were fixed on something beyond Gilbert.

Camilla’s gaze followed Brynhild’s.

“This… can’t be.”

Camilla, who had been too focused on Gilbert, now saw what she had missed.

Beyond Gilbert’s shoulder was a long slash that had cut diagonally through the entire armory, and in the center of it lay the colossal mech, split in two.

***

It was right after Camilla had left to call for reinforcements.

Gilbert, who had boldly challenged the colossal mech, was struggling more than he had expected.

After all, he was facing a colossal mech. Even if it was an outdated model and significantly smaller than the current generation, it was still much larger than a human.

In fights, size often determines superiority. Even in modern combat sports, weight classes exist because, all else being equal, the larger fighter has an advantage.

And this was a fight between a human and a colossal mech. No matter how much Gilbert had stepped into the realm of superhumans, he couldn’t match a mech that was two or three times his size.

A mere graze would mean serious injury.

Gilbert focused on dodging, taking advantage of the fact that the mech’s pilot was inexperienced.

[Die! Die! Die!]

The way the mech swung its sword wildly was fundamentally flawed. Perhaps the pilot’s inexperience prevented them from executing proper swordsmanship.

Either way, it was a blessing for Gilbert.

If the pilot had been more skilled, dodging so narrowly would have been impossible.

How long did this game of cat and mouse last?

By now, Gilbert had poured all the mana he could muster into enhancing his body.

As time passed, the pilot seemed to grow more accustomed to the mech, and its movements became more precise. It seemed the mech, being a powered suit type, allowed for quicker adaptation.

Just how unlucky could he be?

Gilbert cursed inwardly as he rolled to the side. The iron sword that had grazed his previous position completely demolished the armory’s outer wall.

[So this is it. This is what a real colossal mech is like.]

The pilot laughed maniacally as he began to display a more systematic swordsmanship.

Gilbert, who had been dodging with ease earlier, now had to move more cautiously. The pilot’s skill far exceeded his expectations.

He wasn’t a mercenary but perhaps a knight of some order.

Gilbert judged that the pilot’s swordsmanship wasn’t something honed through countless battles like a mercenary’s. It had a certain structure and was at the level of a fourth-grade knight.

Because of this, as the pilot grew more accustomed to the mech, Gilbert found himself rolling on the ground more often. There was a limit to how much a human body could dodge the mech’s high-speed shifts.

It was only because Gilbert’s physical abilities were nearing superhuman levels that he could hold out with such minimal mana.

But that didn’t mean he could keep running forever.

**- Bang!**

When the heavy iron sword came flying, Gilbert reflexively poured all his mana into his sword to block it.

“Ugh!”

The recoil sent him flying, and he crashed into a wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The impact felt like it would shatter his body, and his vision blurred.

It was just one mistake.

The price for momentarily losing track of the mech’s movements was this. Even with all his mana poured into the block, stopping the iron sword was impossible.

Gilbert, pinned against the wall, coughed repeatedly. It seemed his internal organs were injured, as clumps of blood rose with each cough.

“Cough…”

Finally stopping his cough, he looked at the sword in his hand. The sword that had clashed with the iron sword was completely shattered. Only the grip and guard remained.

He tossed the remnants aside and picked up another sword lying nearby.

“Ugh!”

As he tried to get up, a terrible pain surged through him. It seemed he was already in a state unfit for combat.

But if he stayed down, he would surely die. The only reason he had time to recover was that the pilot, perhaps mocking him, didn’t immediately attack.

If he had stayed down, the pilot would have surely cut his throat in one stroke.

[That’s right! You can’t fall yet. You have to keep getting up until I’ve repaid all the pain your Empire’s dogs have caused me!]

That damn bastard.

Gilbert clenched his teeth, gripping his sword tightly. Every time the pilot played the victim, it made his stomach churn.

Did he really think what he was doing was justified?

Gilbert would never understand it, even if he died. And it was disgusting.

Gilbert checked his body as he breathed.

First, breathing felt slightly uncomfortable, so it seemed a few ribs had cracked from the earlier impact.

His right wrist, which had blocked the iron sword, seemed broken as he couldn’t muster any strength. There were also minor bruises and wounds.

But considering he had blocked that massive iron sword, it was a cheap price to pay. Normally, all his bones would have been shattered.

**- Spit**

Gilbert spat out the blood that had pooled in his mouth.

Honestly, he wanted to turn and run. No matter how much of a veteran he was, facing a colossal mech with just a sword was too reckless.

He hadn’t even taken a direct hit; he had used his sword to deflect as much force as possible, and yet he was in this state.

Winning against a colossal mech in this situation was beyond a joke.

But he didn’t choose to run.

Instead, Gilbert slowly began to circulate his mana.

And at that moment.

**[Physical Ability Stat has increased by 1.]**

**[The hidden condition for the skill Hundred Beasts has been met, and the skill has activated.]**

Golden mana began to wrap around Gilbert’s body in a specific pattern.

Skill: Hundred Beasts.

A legendary-grade skill despite being a growth-type, it was a skill that couldn’t be used unless the physical ability stat met the activation condition.

But perhaps because he had faced death, his physical ability stat increased by 1, meeting the condition and allowing the skill to activate.

The sub-skill of Hundred Beasts, Regeneration, began to heal his body. The cracked ribs and broken wrist bones mended, and all the minor injuries were completely healed.

But that wasn’t all.

The passive effect of Hundred Beasts activated, and the golden mana, like threads, began to adjust his body’s durability according to his stats.

His muscles and bones were fundamentally rebuilt. The strength of his bones and the elasticity of his muscles increased, and his endurance and stamina rose to a level beyond comparison. The mana within his body began to compress intensely.

As the reconstruction of his body completed, a warm sensation pierced through the center of his body.

**[The effect of Hundred Beasts has fully bloomed the Mana Core.]**

**[The blooming of the Mana Core has increased the Mana Ability Stat by 10.]**

Gilbert’s red eyes began to glow with golden mana.

The Mana Core, which only forms when the Mana Core Technique reaches a certain level, had formed, and mana spread throughout his body.

While it couldn’t compare to the metamorphosis experienced when stepping into the realm of superhumans, it was true that he now possessed a far superior body.

Feeling the overflowing power, Gilbert glared at the still-standing colossal mech.

He thought that maybe, just maybe, he could take it down before reinforcements arrived.

[What are you doing?]

Perhaps sensing the danger, the pilot inside the mech asked.

But Gilbert, who had no obligation to answer, ignored the question and raised his sword.

It was the basic stance of the Winter Sword.

[You arrogant bastard!]

Perhaps annoyed by the human daring to oppose the mech, the pilot gripped the mech’s iron sword and swung it at Gilbert.

Gilbert accurately tracked the descending sword’s movement and twisted his body to barely dodge it. A strand of his hair was cut, but with his now lighter movements, he aimed for a counterattack.

**- Bang!**

But breaking through the mech’s magic barrier was still impossible. He swung his sword with all his might, but it was blocked by the mech’s barrier.

Gilbert clicked his tongue and quickly stepped back. The mech’s massive fist came flying right after.

From the earlier move, it seemed the pilot had some skill in sword wrestling.

What now?

He had thought he could take it down, but he never thought it would be easy. The possibility had only risen from zero to about five percent.

But with his attacks being blocked by the magic barrier, it dropped back to one percent. It was better than zero, but he had no idea how to overcome this hurdle.

First, Gilbert decided to exploit the mech’s biggest weakness.

The older the model, the more delay there was between the pilot and the mech.

Gilbert thoroughly exploited this, predicting the mech’s movements and moving a step faster, striking the magic barrier.

Each strike was a full-powered attack with all his mana.

**- Bang! Bang! Bang!**

After three consecutive strikes, Gilbert ducked to avoid a horizontal slash. Given the greatsword’s length, he didn’t even consider dodging backward.

In the brief moment before the next attack, he struck the barrier again. Following the Winter Sword’s techniques, his strikes flowed like water.

**- Bang! Bang!**

It was the same as before.

The nerve-wracking dodges and attacks continued. Though only a few minutes had passed, it felt like an eternity to Gilbert.

**- Boom! Boom!**

Meanwhile, the pilot, now fully accustomed to the mech, began launching even sharper attacks. Perhaps forgetting they were underground, he didn’t hesitate to deploy the mech’s magic armor.

Gilbert felt his breath quicken and his stamina deplete.

While the enemy was piloting a mech, Gilbert was exerting his full strength every moment, so even with Hundred Beasts active, his stamina was quickly reaching its limit.

“Ugh!”

He blocked another unavoidable greatsword strike with his sword.

Though he was pinned against the wall again, his enhanced body allowed him to get up immediately.

However, his right arm was shattered again, so he switched the sword to his left hand.

Regeneration had already reached its limit, so his right arm’s healing was slow.

[This monster…]

The pilot, who had earlier vowed to tear Gilbert limb from limb, muttered in a shaken voice. He never imagined a human could face a colossal mech bare-handed.

Thinking that delaying any longer might bring reinforcements, he gathered all his mana and focused it into the iron sword. If the circumstances had been better, he would have enjoyed it more, but now it was time to leave.

Gilbert, seeing the pilot’s mana concentrated in the sword, bit his lip.

Somehow, the next move would be the final showdown.

He finally drew the last card he had been saving.

“Limit Break.”

**[Limit Break initiated.]**

**[Warning! Using Limit Break may result in permanent stat reduction.]**

As Limit Break activated, his perception of time began to stretch.

The surroundings seemed to stretch like taffy, and as Gilbert exhaled, everything returned to normal, only to slow down.

The perfect strike all swordsmen yearned for—the ‘realm.’

Gilbert instinctively knew this was that realm.

He slowly drew his sword and gripped the hilt with his right hand, which had partially healed.

Closing his eyes gently, he focused everything he had into the sword.

“Huu.”

As he exhaled, a cold chill emanated from his mouth.

His mental image began to form.

A bitterly cold winter.

A clear, icy blue winter sky.

The mana output, amplified by Hundred Beasts, surged explosively.

At that moment, Gilbert’s eyes opened.

**Winter Sword – Iaido**

**Winter Sky Cleave**

A cold wind swept through the winter.

The sky was split in two.

 

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