As the battle between Kurenai Kōrin and Ren Kuroda dragged on, Kōrin grew increasingly convinced of one thing—
The opponent standing before him was nothing short of a monster.
No matter how one looked at it, Kōrin was a demigod—half human, half divine. His physical body was extraordinary, and when it came to his own martial prowess, he had absolute confidence.
Even when facing Berserker-class monsters on the battlefield, he believed he could trade blows evenly with legendary heroes for hundreds of exchanges.
Yet the moment he crossed weapons with Ren Kuroda, that confidence began to crumble.
Barely a few dozen exchanges into the fight, Kōrin realized—his pride as a warrior meant nothing here.
Not only were Ren's overall parameters overwhelmingly superior, but even the angles, timing, and structure of his attacks completely suppressed Kōrin at every turn.
And that made no sense.
Even if the enemy knew his true name, it shouldn't have been possible to understand him to this degree.
While fighting Ren, Kōrin felt it keenly—every single strike landed precisely where he hated it most, or where his defenses were thinnest.
Once or twice could be written off as coincidence.
But every time?
That sent a chill down his spine.
Predicting every attack, identifying weaknesses in real time, and countering them almost instantly—this was something no one should have been able to pull off.
For warriors of their level, concealing one's weaknesses was basic instinct.
Especially for someone as refined as Kōrin.
At this stage, even if weaknesses still existed, they were few—and buried deep.
Those vulnerabilities were lifelines. Expose them, and you die.
To be frank, Kōrin doubted even the mentor who had taught him spear techniques and rune sorcery would understand his weak points so thoroughly.
And yet this Assassin did.
Every time.
That realization alone was enough to make Kōrin uneasy.
And because of that, the entire fight felt suffocating.
As the famed Hound of Cúlin, Kōrin was known for overwhelming opponents with ferocious, relentless offense—like a wild beast tearing into its prey.
But now?
That style was completely neutered.
His aggression couldn't take shape. His weak points were constantly targeted. Everywhere he moved, he was restrained.
"Maybe you've got some trick that lets you see all my flaws," Kōrin snarled, eyes burning, "but if you think that means you've already won, then you're naïve, Assassin."
He gripped his spear tightly.
"Do you know why they call me the Hound of Cúlin? It's not just because I once guarded a gate. It's because of how I fight!"
Having been suppressed for so long, Kōrin's frustration had reached its breaking point.
And in that moment, he realized—
Fighting this cautiously was pointless.
Instead of letting himself be strangled slowly, he would return to his original style.
All-out offense. A reckless charge.
Ren's continued suppression was entirely thanks to his recently upgraded Mind's Eye skill combined with a new ability—Weakness Perception.
Against something like the Sea Demon, a glorified punching bag, Ren hadn't noticed just how terrifying that combination was.
But now, against Kōrin, it became painfully clear.
At A-rank, Mind's Eye didn't just pierce invisibility and illusions—it allowed Ren to predict attack trajectories.
And Weakness Perception let him instinctively detect flaws in the enemy's techniques the moment they struck.
Predict the move.
Identify the weakness.
Exploit it with superior blade technique.
Who could withstand that?
Honestly, if Ren hadn't still been adjusting to his newly acquired skills—and if Lancer-class agility hadn't been absurdly high—most opponents would've been dead already.
In another close exchange, Ren once again saw through Kōrin's opening.
This time, his blade stabbed straight toward Kōrin's kidney.
If that strike landed cleanly, one of Kōrin's precious "apple kidneys" would be gone—along with any future happiness tied to them.
Ren expected Kōrin to retreat again, sacrificing offense to avoid injury—
But instead, Kōrin grit his teeth.
He tightened both hands around his spear, thrusting forward like a roaring dragon, fully intent on trading lives—injure the enemy at all costs, even if it destroys himself.
You're willing to give up your kidneys just to blow my head off?
Kōrin hadn't acted impulsively.
He knew full well that, given Ren's physical abilities and agility rivaling his own, a clean decapitation was unlikely.
But even if he couldn't kill—
Hurting Ren was still worth it.
He was bleeding more and more with each exchange, while Ren remained completely unscathed.
If this dragged on, he'd be worn down and killed.
Better to fight like a mad hound.
Even if he took damage, he'd make sure Ren did too.
Once weaknesses were ignored, they stopped being weaknesses.
Either the enemy stopped attacking—
Or they were forced into a brutal exchange.
As for who would endure longer—
Let willpower decide.
In a narrow path, the braver warrior wins.
Ren saw Kōrin's intent instantly.
And instead of retreating, he laughed and stepped forward.
If he's willing to gamble his kidneys, what do I have to fear?
Since when had an oni ever backed down from a duel?
Seeing Kōrin charge without dodging, Ren drove his blade forward mercilessly, aiming to skewer both kidneys straight through.
As Kōrin's crimson demonic spear surged forward like a dragon, Ren raised his left hand—planning to repeat history and catch it barehanded once more.
But this time, Kōrin's face twisted with fury.
"There's a limit to looking down on someone! Do you really think I'd fall into the same trap three times, Assassin?!"
With Mind's Eye active and superior parameters, Ren did once again read the spear's trajectory perfectly.
His left hand reached out—
But just as he was about to grab the shaft, Kōrin roared and detonated his mana, violently twisting the spear with both hands.
The sudden burst of power, combined with the rapid rotation, caught Ren off guard.
His grip slipped.
The spear tore free.
And now—
Ren's blade had already been committed.
Dodging was impossible.
The red spear skimmed past his ear by a hair's breadth, the spiraling wind slicing away a few strands of black hair.
In that split second, Ren relied on monstrous physical control and combat instinct, forcibly tilting his head just enough to avoid having it blown apart.
That micro-adjustment, however, caused his own strike to deviate.
Instead of a fatal blow, it left only a shallow cut across Kōrin's abdomen.
Missing such a perfect opportunity made Kōrin finally realize—
If this fight continued normally, his chances were slim.
Staring at Ren, he spoke again.
"I don't know what kind of monster you are," Kōrin said grimly, "but that overwhelming skill, those terrifying parameters, those eyes that see through everything…"
He exhaled.
"I hate to admit it, but if this keeps up, you'll probably win."
His grip tightened.
"But I still have one last move. If you can survive that—then I'll admit defeat. Fighting any further would be meaningless."
He looked straight at Ren.
"What do you say, Assassin? My strongest spear. One move to decide everything."
In truth, even without Kōrin saying anything, Ren could tell—
His mana reserves were still abundant. He could unleash his own trump card at any moment.
But facing Ren, Kōrin felt something he hadn't felt in a long time—
Excitement.
This Holy Grail War hadn't given him a good Master—
But it had given him a worthy opponent.
In the past, enemies trembled before his hound-like ferocity and his inevitable killing spear.
But this Assassin was different.
He accepted everything—pressure, inevitability, head-on confrontation—without the slightest hesitation.
That shattered everything Kōrin thought he knew about the Assassin class.
And because he acknowledged Ren as a true warrior—
He extended this challenge.
Would this man remain invincible before his strongest spear?
Would the spear pierce Ren's heart—
Or would Ren's blade cut his throat?
The thought alone made Kōrin's blood boil.
Ren didn't answer verbally.
Instead, he calmly sheathed his Nichirin blade.
His body lowered slightly into a stance.
Dense mana surged around him, almost tangible.
"HAHAHAHA—then come!" Kōrin roared. "The fully empowered Spear That Pierces Death and Thorns! Your heart is mine, Assassin!"
Ren's silence was his answer.
Seeing the overwhelming aura radiating from Ren, Kōrin's grin widened in pure joy.
He slammed his feet into the ground, shattering it, and leapt nearly ten meters into the air.
Every ounce of mana in his body flowed into his spear through his right arm.
This time—
There was no restraint.
Not only did he pour in his maximum mana—
At the very end, he even reinforced the attack with Rune Sorcery, pushing it beyond its limits.