I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents-Chapter 62: Crimson Knight (4)

Thud.

A knight.

Dekkan was approaching Han Yuseong.

The crimson glow in his eyes burned more intensely than before.

The seniors from the Transcendent Gallery had casually thrown bits of advice at him just before his departure to face Dekkan.

Among the Archmage’s tips, one had been about that eye-glow.

- Archmage: If the glow is deeper than before, it means he’s completely lost his reason.

- Archmage: At that point, even if his opponent is human, he’ll try to kill them. He won’t be able to distinguish anything anymore.

He’s coming.

The knight who had once risen to the Sixth Rank.

Fwoosh—

A dark crimson aura flared up like fire along Dekkan’s blade.

Han Yuseong’s entire body tensed.

One wrong move meant death.

No exaggeration.

- Sword of Light: His strength and sword aura shouldn’t be much different from when he was alive.

- Sword of Light: In fact, being already dead, he might move with fewer restraints.

- Absolute Monarch: Just because he’s lost reason doesn’t mean he can’t wield his skills properly.

- Absolute Monarch: At the Sixth Rank, even if the mind forgets, the body remembers. Like an engraving.

The knight in black armor charged, white hair wildly whipping in the air.

Was this a sword strike or a lightning bolt crashing down?

There wasn’t time to think. He just blocked it first.

Dragonslayer Sword – Libra.

A sword defense style that balances blade and body.

CLANGGG!

But balance or not, the force threw him off to the right.

The ground beneath him cracked.

Now was not the time to regain balance—he had to move forward.

BOOM!

He pushed through the rising cloud of dirt from below.

He aimed for Dekkan’s blind spot.

Dekkan’s right flank.

CHAAANG!

Where there should’ve been an opening, Han Yuseong’s blade was already there.

KAAANG—KANGKANGKANG!

Sparks burst.

Dekkan’s sword chased Yuseong’s in a vicious arc, aiming to sever his wrist.

SZZZTTT—

Yuseong spiraled his sword aura and barely deflected the strike.

Then came dozens of exchanges.

Scarlet and white auras burst and scattered like fireworks.

Han Yuseong thought:

Had he ever faced such a wall before?

Yes.

In truth, everything had felt like a wall in the beginning.

This wall just happened to be much taller than the rest.

He crushed the despair creeping up from his toes.

Dekkan still held the same massive shield in his left hand as he did two days ago.

He slammed it to the ground.

A crimson shockwave surged out like a wave.

- Absolute Monarch: Do the same.

- Absolute Monarch: Even if the domain you raise is a bit smaller than mine, it must remain intact.

↳ Absolute Monarch: That’s the way to break and counter Valsenarz Style 6: Heaven and Earth Seal.

Rather than infusing aura into his shield, Han Yuseong chose to carve a domain with his sword aura.

VVRRRMMMM!

The force radiating from the ground Dekkan stood on clashed with the wave from Han Yuseong’s sword strike.

Naturally, Han Yuseong’s domain couldn’t overpower Dekkan’s.

But neither could Dekkan’s engulf the circular field Yuseong drew with his sword.

After a prolonged tug-of-war between domains, Dekkan was the first to withdraw his power.

TIIIIING!

Light burst like a flare.

Dekkan’s sword came down diagonally.

But it wasn’t just one line.

Han Yuseong realized that immediately.

They were coming—

Countless trails of slashes.

Each razor-sharp at the tip.

A line from the Absolute Monarch flashed through his mind.

- Absolute Monarch: Just because you deflect one trajectory doesn’t mean it’s over. A sword aura once parried may bend in bizarre arcs and come crashing back.

- Absolute Monarch: That’s Valsenarz Style 3 – Kiorfeda. The issue is, Kiorfeda has no clear counter.

- Absolute Monarch: But if the Dekkan you’re facing was replicated based on the memory of learning swordsmanship from me... his lower guard might be slightly more vulnerable. Slightly.

It was impossible to block those slashes with a single sword.

Shing—

He held Mundum Exstinguit in his right hand and raised Carnavalte with his left.

Fourth-Rank Swordsmanship.

Dragonslayer Form Eight:

Draco Scalpere.

A flurry of slashes, as if counting scales on a dragon’s hide.

Once again, the battle resumed.

KWAAAAANG!

The sound of the air being shredded ripped through his ears.

His vision blurred.

Han Yuseong felt a strange sensation.

“My body’s far ahead of my mind.”

Compared to how much his physical capabilities had grown with level-ups, his technical skill was sorely lacking.

He had access to top-tier martial arts like Dragonslayer from Sword of Light and techniques from the Heavenly Demon—but that was it.

He hadn’t attained any personal enlightenment.

Trying to parry Dekkan’s swordplay made that painfully obvious.

Just as the Absolute Monarch had said, the lower guard was looser.

He aimed low with Carnavalte, but Dekkan’s sword instantly pursued his.

“Too shallow.”

Adjustment.

Han Yuseong corrected the flaws in his form in real time.

Even so, Dekkan still seemed to spot gaps.

A cold blue aura pierced into the crevices of Draco Scalpere.

—SCCCHHRRRK!

Han Yuseong’s brows furrowed.

“......!”

A searing pain erupted from his left shoulder.

His internal armor and physical plating were pierced at once.

SLASH!

Another cut landed on his right thigh.

The scent of blood overwhelmed his senses.

WHUDD!

Dekkan’s foot smashed into his abdomen.

His body was flung into the air.

CRASH—CRACK! THUD!

He tumbled twice across the ground and smashed into a massive tree.

If he hadn’t reflexively rewrapped himself in internal energy, he’d have broken multiple bones.

He ended up slumped against the tree.

Head hanging.

Thud—

Dekkan approached slowly.

Blood flowed.

His consciousness flickered.

He’d expected this.

The opponent was a Sixth-Rank swordsman.

This level of pain was inevitable.

[Status Effect – 'Critical Bleeding': Doombringer has been activated.]

He had lost a lot of blood, but luckily the wounds weren’t enough to keep him from fighting.

Han Yuseong refocused.

SPLASH—

He poured a high-grade crimson healing potion onto his left shoulder.

The remaining half he splashed onto his right thigh.

Gulp! Gulp!

He downed another bottle.

Injected a pain-suppressing stimulant into his side.

Doombringer would remain active for two minutes, regardless of healing.

Fully recovering in this state was a luxury.

He stood and stomped the ground.

- Sword of Light: I once said your vessel was too large to reach Fifth Rank quickly, but now... that statement may no longer apply.

- Sword of Light: Facing death head-on.

- Sword of Light: That’s the fastest route to growth.

Extreme situations, extreme advice.

He could see Dekkan’s charge.

KRRRRMMM—

Dragging his sword across the ground, Dekkan suddenly slashed upward.

Yuseong recognized the posture—Sword of Light had explained this technique before.

- Sword of Light: Ironfault Style 7 – Serpens Ascendance.

- Sword of Light: A long-range slash that slithers across the ground toward the target.

- Sword of Light: The way to counter it is to cut off the snake’s head. I think I taught Dekkan that when we fought ancient beasts together.

Han Yuseong focused mana into his legs.

Soft Wave Step, Form Three:

Chuseong (Star Chase).

BOOM!

He stamped down, launching forward.

The scenery blurred past him.

He reached the edge of the slash and struck the center—causing the pursuing wave to dissipate.

And then—

“......”

A shadow loomed over him.

Dekkan.

“When did he get here?”

The red glow bore down toward his head.

A feint.

Serpens Ascendance had been a setup to close the gap.

He raised Carnavalte, now enveloped in aura, to block—

CHAAANG!

Carnavalte shattered on impact, fragments scattering into the air.

Blade shards fell to the earth.

SSSSHHH!

Yuseong barely stabilized his sliding body.

“Right... when have I ever used dual swords before?”

He couldn’t afford another thought.

He enveloped Mundum Exstinguit in white light and blocked Dekkan’s next strike.

A torrent of relentless attacks followed.

CLANG! CRACK! KRAAAANG!

The force of their clash sliced two trees clean through.

After over thirty exchanges—

Yuseong swung horizontally and leapt back.

Far.

Seventy meters now separated them.

Left alone, Dekkan suddenly grasped his sword handle with both hands and held the blade vertically downward.

Ssssshhhh—

Slowly, he raised his arms.

A dark crimson aura blazed furiously along his blade.

↳ Absolute Monarch: If he suddenly takes a stance to plunge his sword straight down—it means he’s deploying a Sphere. Only a handful of Sixth-Ranks possess it. Dekkan was one of them.

↳ Absolute Monarch: It’s a mimicry of the ‘Personal Domain’ that only those of Seventh Rank and above can use. Technically, it's considered a precursor stage.

Han Yuseong had wanted to keep clashing longer.

To see if he could reach Fifth Rank.

To judge that boundary.

But if Dekkan unleashed Sphere, there’d be no time for judgment.

Doombringer had roughly one minute left.

He reached for an item he had prepared in the side pouch on his belt.

[Extreme Breath]

Category – Drug (Stimulant)

Effect:

For 40 seconds, the user becomes completely numb to all pain, allowing them to ignore bodily overload and unleash superhuman strength and reflexes.

During this time, movement speed, reflexes, and strength are dramatically enhanced. However, once the effect ends, the user will experience intense pain, muscle damage, and extreme physical exhaustion.

Thwack.

Without hesitation, Han Yuseong injected Extreme Breath into his side.

It stacked with Doombringer.

The effects could be layered, but the backlash afterward would be far more severe.

Which meant—

If the battle didn’t end within 40 seconds, it would be his defeat.

As soon as the injection was complete, a countdown timer appeared at the bottom-right of his vision.

【 40 seconds 】

Han Yuseong had no time to even glance at the ticking seconds.

- Absolute Monarch: Dekkan’s Sphere is a zone of denial.

- Absolute Monarch: It’s similar in effect to Valsenarz Style 6: Heaven and Earth Seal. But the area is much wider and its pressure even greater.

- Absolute Monarch: Once fully deployed, even those with more total mana than Dekkan will find their movements heavily restricted. Those with less may struggle to even breathe.

- Absolute Monarch: The way to break it is to slip in before the zone is fully stabilized. You must close the distance to Dekkan—right to the edge of his body.

- Absolute Monarch: The zone spans a wide area, but there’s a narrow 6.5-foot gap near him that remains exposed.

- Absolute Monarch: Escape is impossible. As long as Dekkan wills it, your Fourth-Rank self will be caught in its effect, no matter where you are in the Forest of Beasts.

- Absolute Monarch: If you still intend to fight even after it activates, rush into that narrow space as fast as you can.

↳ Admin: By 21st-century Earth standards, that means you need to get within 2 meters of Dekkan.

Get within 2 meters.

- Absolute Monarch: An incomplete Sphere has gaps—partially unstable, semi-opaque zones. Step through those.

Han Yuseong drew in a deep breath and summoned his mana like a burning tide.

【 39 seconds 】

- Absolute Monarch: Faster than you think.

He activated React Impulse, an acceleration spell embedded in Renoma’s Pulse, the artifact bracelet given to him by the mage Yunes.

Doombringer was already pushing him past his physical limits.

Now Extreme Breath shattered them further.

It was enough.

He had built a platform to surge beyond his boundaries.

Dragonslayer Swordsmanship, Movement Form 3—

Micatus.

The air around him warped, as though it had been torn.

Dust spiraled violently.

And then—

Dekkan was right in front of Han Yuseong.

【 39 seconds 】

The countdown hadn’t moved since the charge began.

He had broken through the Sphere’s unstable points and closed the gap to Dekkan.

In 0.48 seconds.

Heat pulsed through his body.

He swung his sword—

At Dekkan.

Dekkan responded instantly, pulling up the sword he had just planted and slashing.

CHAAANG!

A circular wave burst outward from both of them.

Their killing arcs clashed in midair like crossing blades in the wind.

BOOM!

Two murderous currents sliced the cold air and collided head-on.

White and crimson light spun wildly, tangled in midair—and finally exploded.

The sky turned into blinding brilliance.

Dekkan’s side armor crumpled inward.

Han Yuseong didn’t let the opening slip by. He pierced through the steel shell.

Dekkan staggered slightly.

【 32 seconds 】

Realization.

Han Yuseong’s mind was finally catching up to the accomplishments of his body.

Only after stepping onto the edge of death.

Doombringer and Extreme Breath pushed his physical limits—and in doing so, they expanded his consciousness.

Behind Dekkan, he saw the forms of countless swords.

Illusions, yet not illusions.

There it is.

Just within reach—

The level he had longed for.

Han Yuseong reached forward.

Toward the path.

Thump.

A surge rushed through his aura circuit.

At the core of his body—his aura pathway—

Next to the pillar that symbolized his Fourth Rank, a new tendril shot up.

A delicate line, soon becoming a pillar in its own right.

A new axis.

Fifth Rank, attained.

【 21 seconds 】

The white light engulfing Han Yuseong’s sword, Mundum Exstinguit, grew even more intense.

- Sword of Light: Make sure to use that item only after creating a clear opening.

A gap.

A path of the sword he couldn’t see before achieving Fifth Rank—he could see it now.

Once more, white and red clashed.

【 15 seconds 】

BOOM! CHANG!

He swallowed it.

Dekkan’s superior sword trajectory.

The patterns and aura structures that he couldn’t read before now became clear.

【 9 seconds 】

Shattered earth fragments flew through the air from their clash.

KWA—KAKAKAKANG!

A crimson arc swept toward him from the side.

He bent his body sharply backward to avoid it—

But failed to notice the sudden burst of sword energy from it.

A strike slammed into his upper body.

A sharp line was carved into the jet-black Phaethon Armor.

Endure.

Han Yuseong kept pursuing the opening.

【 6 seconds 】

He raised his sword upward.

Dragonslayer Swordsmanship – Form Nine:

Breaking Blade (Pagem).

The angle was just right for it.

Mundum Exstinguit slammed into the center of Dekkan’s blade.

BOOOM.

Dekkan’s arms were flung backward.

He didn’t drop the sword—but a gap had formed.

【 4 seconds 】

Han Yuseong pulled out a pre-prepared item from the holder on his belt.

A shard, gifted by Sword of Light via interdimensional trade. It looked like a broken fragment of something.

- Sword of Light: A strike that will land.

- Sword of Light: Only use it when that kind of moment appears. It’s literally just a fragment.

- Sword of Light: A shard of the Holy Sword Ecclesia.

KIIIIIIII—NG!

He placed the fragment in his left hand onto the blade held in his right.

The shard melded into the sword.

【 3 seconds 】

CRACK—

The sound of something splitting.

【 2 seconds 】

Han Yuseong realized he had just been slashed across the left flank by a sword Dekkan had conjured in an instant.

But his movement didn’t falter.

His willpower, rooted beyond physical pain, was smothering the agony.

White Light.

His sword ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) now emitted a purer light than ever before.

He slashed diagonally.

Radiance engulfed Dekkan.

【 1 second 】

The brilliance tore from Dekkan’s left shoulder down to his right waist—

Armor and all, the blade pierced straight through his body.

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