The Weapon Genius: Anything I Hold Can Kill-Chapter 66: Phantom Blows

The tension in the training ground had changed.

Before, the recruits had been watching the fights with curiosity, treating them like tests. But after Areum's match, after the shock of how far she had almost taken it, everyone understood.

These weren't just sparring sessions.

These were survival lessons.

Jin let the energy settle for a few seconds, then swept his gaze over the remaining recruits.

He didn't hesitate.

"Haeun. Daehyun."

Haeun grinned as she stretched her arms above her head, shaking out the lingering stiffness in her shoulders. "Finally," she muttered. "Was wondering when I'd get my turn."

Daehyun didn't say anything at first. He just exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders, casual but focused.

Then, he cracked a smirk. "Hope you're not afraid of getting hit."

Haeun's grin widened. "Hope you're not afraid of hitting the wrong thing."

Jin raised his hand.

"Start."

Haeun moved instantly.

In a blur of motion, three more of her appeared. Then four.

The illusions scattered across the battlefield, sprinting in different directions, flickering in and out of focus.

Daehyun didn't react.

Not yet.

He shifted his stance, keeping his weight low, watching her closely. He could hear the light scuffs of footsteps, feel the vibrations in the dirt. He wasn't going to fall for the first trick she threw at him.

Haeun's copies danced around him, moving at different speeds. Some feinted forward, others disappeared as soon as he focused on them.

Then, in a blink—she was behind him.

She twisted her hips, pivoting on her foot, snapping a kick toward his ribs.

Daehyun finally moved.

His Chain Strike activated.

Instead of a normal punch, his attack extended mid-motion—bending sharply, curling around his own body like a whip.

The attack smashed through two illusions at once, sending cracks of energy bursting through the air—

But Haeun wasn't one of them.

She flipped backward, landing light on her feet.

Daehyun's eyes flickered. "Tch. Slippery."

Haeun's grin never faded. "You'll have to try harder than that."

She blurred again—and now, there were six of her.

Daehyun exhaled through his nose. Fine.

He wasn't going to waste time guessing.

Instead of waiting for her to make the first real move—he attacked.

He swung out three strikes at once, his Chain Strike lashing in wide arcs.

The force crashed through the battlefield, ripping apart most of Haeun's illusions in a single sweep.

One of them flickered—but didn't disappear.

Daehyun's eyes sharpened. There.

His arm moved on instinct—his Chain Strike curled like a serpent, shooting straight for the real Haeun.

Haeun barely had time to react.

She twisted at the last second, but the attack clipped her side, sending her skidding back.

She landed on one knee, clutching her ribs. "Owww. Okay, that sucked."

Daehyun cracked his neck. "Took you long enough to stop running."

Haeun groaned, rolling her shoulders. Then, despite the hit, she grinned.

"Alright," she muttered. "Time to try something new."

She exhaled, then her body flickered—

And now there were ten of her.

Daehyun tensed.

Even Jin's eyebrows lifted slightly.

Haeun bounced on her heels, her voice lilting with amusement. "Still feeling confident?"

Daehyun exhaled, lifting his fists again.

"Always."

The fight wasn't over yet.

Haeun's illusions swarmed the battlefield.

They weren't just flickering around randomly anymore—they were circling Daehyun, weaving in and out of each other, moving in unpredictable patterns.

Some ran at him head-on. Others stayed back, mimicking a defensive stance. One dashed toward his blind spot, only to vanish before impact.

Daehyun's grip tightened.

It was impossible to tell where the real one was.

He exhaled, lowering his stance.

Fine.

If he couldn't tell which one was real—then he'd hit all of them.

His arm swung outward, slicing through the air.

The force whipped across the battlefield, smashing through three illusions at once.

But Haeun was already moving.

The moment she saw his arm extend, she pivoted sharply to the left, staying just out of range.

It was a feint.

Daehyun had expected her to dodge that way—his foot was already planted, his other arm swinging up from below.

His strike bent upward, like a snake coiling toward its target.

Haeun barely had time to react.

She twisted her body mid-air, arching her back unnaturally to avoid the hit—

But the attack clipped her ankle, knocking her balance off.

She landed hard, rolling across the dirt.

A sharp sting spread through her leg. If that hit had been any higher, she would've been out.

Okay. New plan.

Haeun's fingers dug into the ground as she sprang back up, her foot already sliding backward to create more distance.

"Fast," she admitted, flexing her ankle. "But you're still guessing."

Daehyun smirked. "Am I?"

She barely noticed in time.

The dirt beneath her shifted—

Her eyes widened. Oh, shit.

Daehyun's attack hadn't stopped moving.

His previous strike had hit the ground at an angle, but instead of dispersing—it rebounded.

The force from his last attack ricocheted upward like a coiled chain snapping back into place, curving toward her in a sudden, unnatural arc.

A delayed counterattack.

Haeun barely ducked, the force of the strike whipping past her head. The wind from it rushed through her hair, scattering dust behind her.

Daehyun hadn't just been throwing attacks randomly.

He was setting up redirections.

Haeun clicked her tongue. "Okay, that's actually cool."

Daehyun's grin widened slightly. "Try and dodge this, then."

He stepped forward, his next strike already in motion—

But Haeun didn't dodge.

Instead—she ran straight at him.

Daehyun's eyes flickered.

What?

The moment she got close, her body shimmered—

And then—three versions of her appeared.

All at once.

Each one took a different angle—one going low, one leaping above him, and one spinning behind his back.

Daehyun had no time to react.

His body moved on instinct.

His arm shot forward, aiming for the Haeun in front of him. But just as his strike was about to land—

She vanished.

The real Haeun was already behind him.

She drove her elbow into his ribs with full force.

Daehyun's breath hitched as the impact sent him stumbling.

She landed a clean hit.

The recruits watching inhaled sharply.

For the first time, Daehyun's stance wavered.

Haeun's lips curled into a grin. "Got you."

But Daehyun wasn't done yet.

Even as he was falling back—his arm snapped outward, his attack bending at an impossible angle, curving right back toward her.

Haeun hadn't expected him to counter mid-fall.

She tried to move—but she was a second too late.

The hit slammed into her stomach.

She gasped, her entire body jerking from the impact.

The force sent her skidding across the dirt, rolling once before stopping on her hands and knees.

Both of them collapsed at the same time.

Silence.

Neither moved for a few seconds.

Then, Haeun groaned.

"Ughhh," she wheezed. "I hate this game."

Daehyun coughed from the ground, rubbing his ribs. "Same."

Jin exhaled, stepping forward. He looked at both of them before shaking his head.

"…Draw."

The recruits started murmuring again, not knowing how to react at first. A few of them looked at each other, absorbing what had just happened.

Haeun let out a dramatic groan, flopping onto her back. "I finally landed a hit, and I still didn't win."

Daehyun sat up, shaking his head. "You didn't lose either."

Haeun pointed at him, still lying down. "I hate that more."

Jin crossed his arms. "You both fought well. But you both got reckless at the end."

Haeun tilted her head back to look at him. "You call that reckless? That was genius."

"You were so focused on landing a hit that you let yourself get hit," Jin said flatly.

Haeun groaned again. "Okay, fine, maybe mildly reckless."

Jin turned to Daehyun. "And you rely too much on your ability landing the first time. If Haeun had been just a little faster, she could've taken you out before you countered."

Daehyun rolled his wrist, nodding slowly. "Noted."

The recruits had started murmuring again, a few glancing at the final two who had yet to fight.

Jin turned his head.

The last two standing.

"Hyunwoo. Haneul."

His voice was steady.

"Final fight."

The last match was about to begin.