He may have sounded aggressive, but Theo was extremely nervous. He had expected someone on Veronica’s level to show up, but he hadn’t expected a sword demon. If Lee Yoonsung’s memories were trustworthy, Zest had unleashed a sword ring. Despite retreating thirty meters in two seconds, Theo still felt like he was in Zest’s range.

He had already started holding his breath. Theo realized that he could lose his head if there was even a small gap between his inhale and exhale. His perception had sharpened to an unprecedented degree, but he knew he could only maintain this state for another twenty seconds. If he lost his concentration for even a moment, he would die.

I need to catch up with that speed somehow.

Gladio had only bought him three seconds, but its sacrifice had given him a clue. Zest’s sword was freakishly fast, but the interval between the strikes wasn’t zero. It was just such a short gap that it was impossible to catch with human senses. Gladio’s solution was to read the path of the sword and intercept it.

If Theo wanted to catch up to Zest, he needed the reflexes of an Ulfheðnar, the ancient species that Superbia had transformed into. But could Theo reproduce such reflexes?

... I can do it.

He needed to use the same...