"Do you understand now?" I asked, lowering my sword as if there was no much deal left. "I have... too many patterns."
As if human, the Sentry let out a composure that suggested that it processed the words. It lasted for a full second before it lunged again, with twice its initial speed.
I already foresaw it was going to be the next action of the Sentry.
Having observed as it gulped deep into its mind the words I had spoken, I knew it was going to act to teach my place... as it thought.
I knew that the more desperate it beca, the easier it was to read.
And then—it struck.
Its strikes, though fast, carried a slight imbalance, like that of soone impaled. At the sa ti, it also revealed the evolving frustration in the demonic artifact, which made it sloppy in microscopic monts.
But even in this tension, my resolve had already cooked enough to be able to exploit the monts.
I barely sidestepped, not giving myself a long space away from the Sentry, and then slashed across its arm joint.
A heavy clang burst out as tal snapped. The Sentry roared, narrowing every one of its seven eye-pupils into a show-sympathy state.
But then, the emotional tension I thought was about to build changed, replaced with the kind that revealed a feeling of insult.
’Well, I expected nothing less from a demon-made,’ I thought, bracing myself to counter its attack.
It stabbed its remaining arm-blade forward, hoping to get in the last minute. But I used it to my advantage.
Leaning to the side, I let the blade pass an inch from my jaw, then grabbed its forearm with my free hand. The force of its forward thrust dragged several ters before I planted my heels firmly to the ground and halted it finally.
Our eyes—all seven of its and both of mine—locked. I felt the drench of condemning aura from those eyes, but I didn’t let it affect .
Instead, I growled and muttered. "Too slow."
Even though, to a spectator, everything was happening very fast.
With a twist and a heave, I swung the Sentry over my shoulder and slamd it into the ground.
The entire arena shuddered with its impact. Dust exploded upward in waves.
I didn’t spare it any ti to rise. I swung my sword downward in a heavy arc—but the Sentry suddenly surprised at the last minute.
It rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the blow. The ground cracked open from the force of my strike.
"Hmph... still got so strength left, huh?" I muttered.
As if nothing had happened to it, the Sentry was able to leap back to its feet. Except now, its movents were uneven, as if possessed by a drunk spirit.
It was malfunctioning. Its body twitched unpredictably. Lines of red-hot cracks crawled along its torso.
Still, it raised its blade.
Still, it refused to fall.
"I can see you returned with 2x version of your forr self," the Sentry said, flashing its eyes of fury. Then it chuckled slightly, "Now let see how you handle my trump card."
"Grant this honorable compensatory mode," it added.
’Compensatory mode?’
"Wait," I stretched my hand as if to beco interrogative. "What do you an—"
Oh.
Oh no.
It was already in motion. Energy surged from its core, and the air turned scorching hot. The brightness of the arena flickered, as if it had been illuminated by light orbs all this while. The entire do shook violently.
The Sentry’s body compressed, its fra tightening into a smaller, sharper, denser form.
’A devil. Yes, he was a devil!’ I cursed at the top of my mind’s voice.
The Sentry was taking a while to form. A complete evolution from its initial—first and second—forms.
’To think that my father was able to defeat the demon master and capture this artifact... he was surely a devil!’
Snapping my thoughts back to reality, I discerned the Sentry.
So... this... was its final form?
I should make it true, however.
Breathing softly, I said. "I see. Guess the real battle starts now."
But I was speaking to myself. Without wasting further ti, the Sentry dashed—no, vanished—and a split second later, its blade was already pressing against my neck.
I must consider myself a very lucky person at this instant. Only instinct saved . I ducked, rolled, and counter-slashed.
"Hmph... Hmph!" The Sentry humd, as if it was mocking .
Until I understood it wasn’t really mocking . It had once again proved its high intelligence, despite being an artifact.
The dash from the Sentry earlier wasn’t made to end . In fact, it knew very well that there was every possibility that I could dodge the attack, considering my speed so far. Its dash was to distract .
’I’m beginning to suspect you were made, and a human brain was inserted into you.’
In a split second after successfully distracting my focus, the Sentry moved back a bit and split into afterimages.
I thought it was trying to distance itself, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was closer than I could imagine.
Three... Six... Eight... Twelve.
Twelve afterimages of the Sentry surrounded like ghosts, each mimicking the sa killing stance as the demonic artifact.
"I don’t need to maintain a distance in fights to win against my opponents," the Sentry began to make its speech, the voices from the afterimages echoing around in unison.
"Young boy, I must comnd you for your capabilities so far and your ability to hold up this long..."
The Sentry continued to speak, and in all honesty, I must admit that my whole body trembled in tension.
For the first ti since the second stage of our fight began, a bead of cold sweat rolled down my spine.
Yet, I tried to hold myself, concealing the rising fear that almost enveloped my very person.
’It has such an interesting trick. All I need is to hit the real one. Just the real one.’
I closed my eyes, foolish according to the Sentry, but I knew what I was doing.
The phantoms saw it as an advantage and lunged, attacking simultaneously.
Twelve blades shot out, targeting one person—.
In the last mont, I opened my eyes and stepped in, exposing myself to the attack. Straight into death.
’I will live. I must live!’ My mind scread, reminding of the different purposes I had before and during the test.
My sister, my companions, and even the mont allies I had promised victory. I would lose none.
To the audience, it might look like suicide. Although I wasn’t aiming for outright safety, I knew what I was aiming for.
I was aiming for victory.
I moved with purpose, bending under the first strike, catching the second with the flat of my blade, deflecting the third with my wrist guard, and then pivoting into the narrow pocket of space between the fourth and fifth.
The real Sentry was the eighth.
When I closed my eyes earlier, it was to feel their different aura densities. That of the eighth was thickest, and the weight of its killing intent was slightly heavier.
Hence, I sensed that it was the real Sentry.
So I turned, slashed, and felt my blade collide with sothing solid—not an illusion.
The Sentry recoiled, stumbling. Its other afterimages flickered and shattered like glass. Finally isolated again.
"Got you," I hissed.
The Sentry retaliated with a wild burst of energy that pushed backward several feet. My boots skidded across the cracked arena tiles, sparks flying.
We both paused.
Both of us heaving—in our ways.
The Sentry’s core flickered violently, pulsing like a failing heart. And my chest rose and fell with the rhythm of a storm I barely contained.
Slowly, I raised my sword again.
"This ends now."
The Sentry didn’t speak this ti.
It charged.
I charged.
Our blades t for the final ti in a collision that tore cracks across the entire arena floor. The shockwave shot upward, splitting the clouds above.
Light swallowed everything.
For a mont, the world was only white brilliance and vibrating steel.
Then—CRACK!
My blade cut through the Sentry’s core.
The Sentry froze.
Its seven eyes dimd, one after another, like candles blown out.
And—BOOM!
The Sentry detonated in a burst of white-blue energy, scattering tallic fragnts across the arena.
I exhaled deeply.
The fight was over.
My sword lowered slowly, trembling from the force of what it had endured. I wiped the blood on my cheek with the back of my hand, and with reluctance, I collapsed.
"It’s done," I whispered, my eyes flickering. "We... won."
My brows were persistently threatening to close, but I was able to see the two blurry figures approaching .
I smiled, knowing I had fulfilled my promises, then a twist of darkness took over .
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