The Broken Cycle 9

The Broken Cycle

After steadying himself, Ian did not attack immediately.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly and looked at Karg, whose face was filled with astonishment after his ultimate move had been broken. In Ian's icy eyes, there seemed to flash an extremely faint expression of—"I've learned it."

Then.

During the next few exchanges between Ian and Karg, Saruman discovered in horror that traces of Karg's battlefield fighting style had begun appearing in Ian's swordsmanship—its ruthlessness and directness, subtle to the extreme. Occasionally, there was even a hint of the deceptive variation that had preceded that underhanded move just now.

Though it was immediately covered over by more refined technique, that fleeting shadow made Saruman's scalp prickle!

He—he was really learning!

Not just learning moves, but learning styles!

Learning the combat instincts tempered on the brink of life and death!

"Even things born in the instant between life and death can be learned by the blood curse..." Saruman finally understood just how pale and powerless his earlier warning had been. In Ian's eyes, Karg had likely changed from "an intruder to be dealt with or ignored" into "a mobile sample repository of somewhat distinctive swordsmanship and battle aura."

What made Saruman even more despairing was that Ian did not seem eager to counterattack and end the battle. Instead, he seemed to be—having fun, and enjoying it? That realization brought Saruman a bone-deep chill and an absurd, sorrowful sense of tragedy far greater than any direct threat of death.

"No! No!!" At this moment, Karg had also noticed something was wrong. Too late, he finally realized that Ian did not seem eager to counterattack and end the battle.

Instead, he seemed to be observing, learning—or rather, simply observing and learning!

At first, Karg had not noticed.

His extreme rage, his