A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

The best defense was a strong offense. Enkrid imprinted the enemy’s entire body into his mind.

He wasn’t just looking with his eyes—he was reading the intent behind each movement.

For a moment, it felt as though his head and eyes were burning.

He gathered that much focus.

His blood vessels bulged as his pulse pounded through his body.

His One-Point Focus activated to its fullest extent.

The enemy moved.

A series of small motions.

A sequence of actions, each containing a hidden meaning.

Just as one could read between the lines of an otherwise mundane sentence, Enkrid deciphered the context of his opponent’s movements.

Movements that seemed meaningless—he analyzed them.

How does a knight’s sword move?

He didn’t fully know yet.

Understanding the process was difficult.

But he had seen it countless times through death.

He had stood frozen in place, powerless, and watched.

He had watched as Ragna and the others fell.

And so, he saw it now.

A tiny gap—the briefest of openings that emerged in the moment a knight drew their sword and swung.

Had he not repeated today over and over, had he not gained these repeated experiences, he never would have noticed it.

Even with the sharpest senses and his finest One-Point Focus, that gap would have remained invisible.

But Enkrid had been waiting for it.

Sharpening his instincts through countless deaths, he had pushed his concentration to its limit, feeling as though his blood vessels were igniting.@@novelbin@@

The enemy was about to draw their sword.

Enkrid felt time slow down.

Yet he proceeded with complete composure.

Exactly as planned.

Exactly as he had envisioned.

First, he activated Heart of Might.

Boom.

As his heart pounded, blood surged wildly through his veins.

His body wasn’t in perfect condition, but this was the best it could be.

His hand naturally wrapped around the gladius grip as he pivoted his body slightly.

At that moment, the knight’s sword was fully drawn.

With an irritating tchik sound, the blade scraped against the scabbard.

Enkrid took a breath.

Time felt sluggish, but his thoughts moved with clarity.

A fleeting series of realizations flashed through his mind.

The first sword he had developed—the Serpent Blade.

A sword that flowed.

The second—the Lightning Thrust.

A technique infused with Instantaneous Will.