Supreme Swordfiend

The next nine men to challenge the swordsman refused to stand still. They all seemed to anticipate a Heaven Skewer, darting to the side as they approached Leon. One even ducked under the blade before continuing his approach.

None anticipated Leon's rapid follow up. The first man had only made it as far as he did on the back of Leon's surprise. Now that he was expecting the soldiers to dodge they were easy pickings for him, Bladeless caving in ribcages with vicious sideswipes, catching the men on the dodge and sending them into the river below.

With punctured lungs, they lay in the waters gasping for breath, some taking minutes to finally die. Well before these resilient ones were dead, Leon was already on to the next man. He'd burnt a little energy to heal his stab wound. Minor in the grand scheme of things but it served as an ill portent. Taking a hit this early wasn't the best look.

His arms were beginning to burn, wielding Bladeless still took a physical toll on Leon. Healing his stressed muscles wasn't an option- when one tore he would spend energy to heal, anything before that point was cowardice. A little pain could be tolerated in pursuit of his goal. The sun was to his front, each man emerging from the light, bearing down on Leon.

The dungeon's strategy was already clear. Leon could tell it was taking an active role in opposing him, clearly this dungeon was designed to actively interfere and engage with the challenger, sending the weakest foes first. A test of base competency. Then it would begin tailoring its approach as Leon continued his slaughter. It provided additional armour, defending the points he targeted. For now that was the only adaptation. The soldiers all seemed equally physically capable, each one roughly as strong as Leon. Their power would grow with time, Zerasos had assured him of that.

Still, the greatest threat so far, came from within. Thirty-nine dead men had stoked Leon's ego higher than ever. The whispers in his mind had grown to a constant chatter, reminding him that while any other man would have died by now, Leon Knox, Earth's greatest swordsman still stood strong. He held fast. This dungeon was nothing before him, destined to be a mere footnote in the storied legend he was penning in the blood of his foes and the sweat of his brow.

He maintained enough rationality to recognise that this was a mere opening salvo, that the dungeon had yet to truly bare its fangs. How long he would be able to hold that thought remained to be seen.

Soldier number forty. Armoured to the same degree as his predecessors, with a new pair of fancy iron boots. They didn't help him survive any longer, the soldier's increased grip on the floor, alongside his greater degree of encumbrance making him slower to dodge. Leon caught him with a Heaven Skewer, sending the man back towards his fellows, chest caved in. Though Bladeless hadn't pierced the man's flesh. the force of the colossal blade's thrust had shattered the iron breastplate, sending shattered metal into the soldier's heart.

Leon was slightly aggravated at this turn of events- the challenge was meant to increase not decrease!

"You guys are getting worse! Step it up a little, at least entertain me a little before you die!"

They didn't change their loadout again until soldier fifty. This one looked far warier, with a longer sword and a thick banded iron shield.

The shield didn't help, the man's arms shattered trying to absorb the power of Bladeless, Leon drawing back to finish the man off with a blunt slash. Into the river he went, another winning strategy discovered. It was a curious back and forth, the dungeon seemed either unable or unwilling to repeatedly switch the equipment of the soldiers. It reminded Leon of an AI, iterating on ideas, searching for a combination of items that would stump the swordsman.

Number sixty opted for a thicker and larger shield, a shorter sword and proper arm protection. The extra weight dragged his speed down even more, leaving Leon able to easily dispatch the next set of warriors.

Exhaustion was setting in. They gave him less than a minute between challengers, the continual strain forcing Leon to his physical limit. He'd begun digging in to his food stocks, an entire cooked chicken vanishing down his throat in between challengers. Luckily he had a full score more in his ring, alongside a number of other tasty meals to keep his stamina up.

If worst came to worst he'd have to resort to the dino corpses. He hoped they wouldn't make him do that, raw velociraptor did not sound appetising.

Number seventy- shields discarded, armour slimmed down, a pair of gladius in hand. Too weak, the lack of armour left the nimble warriors unable to take a hit.

Number eighty- full plate alongside a two handed curved greatsword. The armour was too thick to crack open, a fact Leon discovered after Bladeless was firmly rebuffed. Leon instead opted to cave the man's armour in around him, beating the sheeted metal inwards, encasing the poor soldier in a metal coffin that slowly leeched his blood out over the course of multiple agonising minutes. His comrades didn't like that, if the increased ferocity they charged with was truly an indication of their ire. Leon suspected the governing intelligence of the dungeon was merely irritated he'd found a solution to its latest challenge so easily

In between fights Leon claimed the dead man's greatsword, practicing a few strikes against the air and hoping they would count. It was a strange weapon, shaped like an flickering flame, the ripples of the sword's edge giving it a distinctive profile. On visuals alone, Leon would have identified it as a Germanic flamberge, but those were typically straight swords that featured curves only in their undulating blade design.

This greatsword was curved both in blade structure and design, like a blacksmith had taken a shamshir, scaled it up and then added the distinctive flame pattern that characterised a flamberge. Highly impractical, the sword wouldn't function well in battle, lacking any specialised purpose.

It was too unwieldy to use from horseback, the traditional place of curved sabres. Too heavy to serve as an effective infantry weapon and too flashy- the sword demanded attention.

A shame, that it was at the same level as Leon's armour. The System gave no blue box for the silly flamberge even when Leon squinted really hard at the sword. He did get the credit towards his quest he was looking for.

"Curved Greatswords- 1/1"

One down, one to go. Maybe he could even get that last one here, rather than having to go hunt down Mike?

"Oh no, please don't send any greatsword wielding soldiers- that would really suck and I would hate it! I'd probably even die to them!"

Number ninety- Leon's reverse psychology had failed, the soldier had switched back to the gladius the dungeon seemed to favour arming the cannon fodder with. Back to the tried and true iron breastplate, iron helmet and iron boots. This one had a presence though, a confidence and a swagger the rest hadn't possessed. An elite.

Leon's suspicions were confirmed when the man's blade burst into flames, the soldier rushing at Leon ever so slightly faster than before. After eighty nine kills against soldiers who had been physically identical to each other Leon could spot the difference in speed right away. This one was using a circuit and a spell.

The flame wielder sliced his blade towards Leon, sparks clattering across the bridge as Leon blocked the blow with Bladeless' thick girth. Taking one hand off his sword, Leon slammed his palm into the soldier's face breaking the man's nose, the open helmet a distinct disadvantage in close quarters, his momentum halted after the sudden block threw off his game plan.

Following up his strike with a Heaven Skewer, Leon took an animalistic joy in watching the man go rocketing back. If he wasn't dead after hitting the ground his wounds would kill him.

Mana usage was expected, unpleasant but expected. He could deal with this development. The flame blade set of foes went down, Leon able to adjust his tempo to account for the increased speed of his enemies. Wiping the blood from Bladeless and the sweat from his brow, he noticed the enemy commander had ridden forward once again, crimson and gold armour gleaming in the midday sun.

"It appears we have underestimated you. This is where your little show ends, savage. Centurion Lanius, avenge your men! Wash away this stain upon your honour!"

A man emerged from the crowds, red cloaked stitched with golden accents, armour gleaming with greater intensity the the pig iron of the common rabble. Must have been it was steel, not iron, though Leon was no expert. The centurion carried a spear in one hand and a thick tower shield in the other, hate clear to see on his face, helmet affixed with bright red plumage. He spoke as he approached, his voice choked with emotion.

"My brothers lie dead and dying at your feet. For what? A savage's attempt to stall the inevitable? You will join them only after I have satisfaction from you Ku Kulin!"

Leon hefted Bladeless over his shoulder, ready to dodge or block as the situation demanded. This man was different. Tougher, he walked with a surety and poise that set Leon's teeth on edge. Threat, a real proper threat had emerged to face him. He wouldn't let the centurion know he was getting serious though- better they underestimate him.

"What kinda satisfaction? I don't swing that way, plus you're too weak to beat me in a fight anyway, just like all your dead friends. You know that first guy you sent up begged for his life right? How pathetic, at least die like a man. Now- put up and shut up, you whiny little bitch."

The centurion's spear burst into flame and before Leon could react the man had thrown it at him. It was only a last second dodge that saved Leon's life, the spear tearing through his cuirass, the dodge having kept his heart intact. The flames seared his flesh as the spear tip cut through, Leon involuntarily coughing a mouthful of blood up as the fluid began pooled in his pierced lung, his breath shortening while he struggled to force oxygen into his system.

The centurion drew his gladius and was on Leon before the swordsman could even pull the spear from his chest, slashing open cuts above the swordsman's brow, blood pouring into Leon's eyes obscuring his vision.

He still spotted the centurion though, the man moving in once more, gladius aimed at Leon's legs. He was aiming to slide the blade behind Leon's knee, likely attempting to hamstring him.

Fighting off the agonising pain, Leon discarded all technique throwing all his weight behind Bladeless, aiming to send the centurion into the waters below.

His strike was blocked, the centurion's shield easily absorbing the blow. This did little to deter Leon. He kept swinging, his wild strikes warping the steel shield and forcing the centurion to choose. His arm or his shield?

He discarded the shield, backpedalling to avoid Leon's next strike. The swordsman took the opportunity to wipe the blood from his eyes with one hand, pulling the spear from his chest with the other while Bladeless precariously balanced against his body.

Leon's energy reserves dwindled to well below half healing the damage done to him, his flesh knitting back together at a visibly accelerated pace, the miracle healing clearly unnerving the centurion. The man stayed back, watching while Leon flung the spear into the river, taking Bladeless in both hands. Leon was furious as he faced down his toughest foe to date. He'd known the man was a threat and still eaten shit in the first exchange. How irritating!

"Not bad, not bad at all. For a mid-boss you fight pretty good. Time for me to get serious!"

The centurion didn't move straight away, both men waiting for an opening. The centurion answered Leon's taunt, eyes locked on Leon's now healed chest, both incredulous and fearful at the swordsman's recovery.

"You regenerate from wounds that would kill lesser men and you fight with the strength of ten. It is unnatural! My brothers will rejoice when you are slain foul demon!"

Leon saw an opening as the centurion prattled on- a gap in the man's stance as he moved from side to side. Rushing forward, Leon sent a Heaven Skewer at the man, aiming to kill him in a single hit, only to miss entirely.

He only realised it had been a feint after seeing the centurion's cruel grin from beneath Bladeless, then Leon's right eye saw nothing more as his too slow dodge backwards let the centurion slash across his face, the gladius tip destroying his right eye.