Seeing Moke suddenly charge at him as if he didn't care whether he lived or died, Lude instinctively dodged to the side.
Lude thought the move was rather foolish. A rapier didn't take much strength to pierce an enemy, and charging forward like that only exposed one's flank.
But contrary to what he'd expected, Moke didn't lose his balance after the desperate attack missed and scramble to turn around. Instead, he darted right past Lude's side!
That charge had been a feint. His real aim was...
The gun!
After spinning around Lude's guard, Moke sprang beside Matos's body. He used the sword in his right hand to force Lude back, then snatched up the gun beside Matos with his left.
"It's over," he murmured, pulling back the pistol's hammer with his thumb.
Moke was highly skilled in close combat and had clearly received systematic training in the use of the rapier. This ancient melee weapon had fallen out of practical use in this era, but it remained a favorite dueling weapon among gentlemen.
The standard way to use a rapier was to hold it in the right hand and use various off-hand weapons to support it with the left.
A coat, a cloak, a parrying dagger, a buckler, a torch, or even a flintlock.
Pistol bullets could briefly throw Lude's movements off. A hit to a vital area such as the eye could even cause serious injury. Moke had deduced this from the way Lude had reacted to bullets earlier.
And based on their previous exchange, Moke estimated that with the pistol's help, he could overload all the cybernetics in his body for a short time and put three holes in Lude!
But just then, he noticed the expression on Lude's face change. It was...
...disappointment?
"So you're going to use a gun. Does that mean you don't have any other sword techniques you're confident in?"
Lude spoke with a faint note of dissatisfaction in his voice.
Moke froze for a moment. Then Lude sighed. "Never mind. You've already learned quite a bit."
"Besides, I can tell you're not formally trained either."
"Your swordsmanship is actually rather crude in terms of technique. It boils down to three things: speed, accuracy, and force... and I've already learned all three."
"So it's time to end this fight."
"After all, my weakness is that I've never systematically learned how to kill someone, or how to use a weapon with elegance and deadly precision."
"But when it comes to fighting dirty and striking from the shadows, I'm confident I'm as good as anyone."
A bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down Moke's temple. He might not have been very confident in himself in the past, but he had still fought through many battles alongside his teacher.
Lude's words didn't sound like bluster from someone backed into a corner. They didn't even sound like the sort of self-encouragement someone might use in the middle of a fight.
All Moke could sense from Lude's presence was one thing: the confidence of someone who was certain.
He truly believed he could win—and was absolutely sure of it!
Even worse, Moke realized he had no idea what Lude was going to do next!
When you didn't know what your enemy intended, you had to attack first and interrupt him. As long as you stopped your enemy from carrying out his plan, you'd succeeded!
With that thought, Moke aimed at Lude's left eye and pulled the trigger.
But as the muzzle flashed, Lude merely reached up and grabbed the shoulder of his coat.
Then he spun in the opposite direction, dodging the bullet as he flung the coat at Moke!
The instant his vision was obscured, Moke realized something was wrong.
He flicked his sword upward, knocking the coat away.
But the moment the coat flew aside, he saw Lude smiling behind it.
The next instant, a small glass bottle flew toward his left hand.
Almost by instinct, Moke pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced the bottle, which burst into a shower of shards. But the liquid inside followed its momentum and splashed all over his left hand!
"Ahhh!!!"
A plume of smoke rose from Moke's left hand as he screamed. The revolver slipped from his grasp and hit the floor.
The impact made the cocked hammer fall. With a BANG, the recoil sent the revolver spinning beneath a nearby seat.
But Moke had no time to retrieve it. His left hand had already turned completely black!
Sulfuric acid. It had come from Professor Beshe's stockpile, but now Lude was using it in a fight.
Even as pain tore through his left hand, Moke remained on guard.
When he saw Lude approaching, he immediately raised his sword toward him and took a defensive stance.
But Lude didn't clash swords with him this time. Instead, he turned his blade and pushed Moke's Nail Sword aside. The moment Moke's guard was wide open, Lude kicked him in the knee.
Moke screamed again.
Lude was powerfully built, and the kick drove Moke's kneecap to one side, bending the entire joint backward.
The intense pain drenched Moke in cold sweat, and the broken leg left him off balance for a moment.
But he had endured years of training, so he didn't simply fall. He rolled across the floor and steadied himself on one knee.
Yet the moment he regained his balance, a sharp gunshot rang out. A bullet struck him squarely between the eyebrows, knocking him backward.
Thanks to the subdermal armor, the .38-caliber bullet didn't penetrate Moke's skull, but the tremendous impact still left him dazed.
Through the haze, he vaguely heard footsteps nearby.
He realized Lude was approaching, so he instinctively thrust his sword forward—and...
It struck nothing but air.
Lude easily dodged the thrust, then drove the Dragon Tooth Sword in his hand backward into Moke's chest.
"It's over."
Supporting Moke with his left hand, Lude gently lowered him into a chair. With his right, he took the Nail Sword from Moke's hand. "I stabbed your liver, not your heart, so you have about three minutes left. Any last words?"
Moke weakly shook his head. "No need... My teacher is the only family I have."
He gazed wistfully at his teacher's body and murmured, "I've always been indecisive. My teacher treated me like his own son, so of course he was disappointed in me. Even before he died, I never once made him proud."
"But thanks to you, at least when we meet again, I can tell him I didn't let him down."
"You will."
Lude smiled and patted Moke's shoulder. "You're the most respectable opponent I've met since coming to this world. Your resolve shines like a diamond. If I were old Brandon, I'd be proud of you."
"Besides, Moke, I want you to know that losing to me is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of."
"You... Are you someone really impressive?" Moke asked curiously.
Before you continue