episode_0026

What exactly must I do to defeat that monster?

How can I minimize the damage I take?

These were the only thoughts that filled my mind when I stepped onto the field and faced the old man.

He wouldn’t die even if I stabbed him through the heart with this sword anyway, so perhaps it would be better to just inflict a fatal wound.

No, breaking his major joints wouldn’t be a bad method either.

But there was a variable.

‘No matter how retired he is, he was still the former Sword Saint.’

A brief silence flowed between me and the old man.

To ordinary people, it would seem like a very short time.

However, the Sword Saint and I had enough time to size each other up.

After the match began, both of us simply stood still for a few seconds.

The old man remained perfectly still, not even twitching.

‘His hand? Is it his hand?’

I tensed, wondering if his muscular arm would reach for a sword,

but whether it was fortunate or not, he made no move.

His magic remained in a near-static state, as if signifying his intent to stay still, and his eyes were firmly closed, as if allowing all my attacks.

There was no movement of magic, which would signal an impending action, nor was there any flow of magic to detect my attacks.

I slightly raised my hand.

‘Formless Sword.’

Then, two Formless Swords appeared beside me, fainter than spirit swords but shimmering, clearly showing their form, though only in my mind’s eye.

I swiftly directed those swords towards his knees.

‘All I need to do is make him kneel… If so, targeting that area would be the orthodox method, right?’

The Formless Swords pierced the old man’s legs.

However,

‘He’s still not attacking…?’

The Formless Swords, which hadn’t yet fully materialized, inflicted no damage on the old man, and I had no intention of causing harm yet.

Was the old man in front of me acting this way even though he knew the true nature of my Formless Swords?

Or was he preparing to counterattack, knowing what they were?

‘I’ll find out when I slash him, I guess…’

I swung my slightly raised arm through the air, clenching my fist tightly.

Then, red blood splattered onto the training ground.

‘Impossible… Is that even human…?’

Even though his knee was half severed, he was holding on, connecting his joints with sword aura.

The last hero standing on the stage.

With so much magic concentrated there, that’s how he appeared to me.

Standing alone in a space as black as the universe, blood gushing from his legs, he said.

“Child, you bring this old man entertainment after a long time.”

Goosebumps.

The surging of magic that had maintained its stillness.

And his blue eyes, intensely felt through the magic.

Those emotions flooded in all at once.

I held my trembling left arm, which had severed his knee, and spoke.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

At least he was showing a faint smile.

And he hadn’t yet touched his sword.

I could feel at ease.

However, that feeling of relief didn’t last long.

His surging magic returned to its calm state, and I felt something was wrong.

‘Why… does it feel even more terrifying as it returns to stillness…?’

Fighting the Queen of Vampires had also given me goosebumps, but this felt distinctly different.

If she was a splendid castle found in the capital,

he was like an unpretentious but absolutely impregnable iron fortress.

“System, can I use ‘that’ again?”

[The system says ‘that’ is useless against humans.]

I whispered to the system, intending to use my strongest weapon, but it was impossible.

“Child, do you have the confidence not to die even if I draw my sword?”

My heart felt like it had dropped from my chest to the ground.

However, I didn’t drop my smile and summoned all my swords to prepare for a surprise attack.

A soft clink… clink….

The four swords trembled slightly, as if reflecting my feelings.

‘[Setus Style, Second Form]’

‘This could even be good. It could be an opportunity to use a new form of the Setus Style…’

The orcas were simply dancing beside me.

“Of course.”

Before my words even reached his ears, a lion that had long slumbered within his sword awoke from its deep sleep.

When my magic sensed its form.

Although he was my enemy, I couldn’t help but admire him at that moment.

Could there be such beautiful sword aura?

No, there couldn’t be.

I instinctively felt that even if I learned the Setus Style to its very last form, I would never reach such a realm.

Of course, in terms of power, Setus would be overwhelming.

“Here I come, child.”

Blue fur.

Only that was visible before my eyes.

Flutter.

A single blue fur fluttered down before my eyes.

And then.

‘Where did he go…?’

The old man who had been in front of my eyes had disappeared at some point.

Was Regulus’s swordsmanship truly this fast?

Or was this old man simply incredibly strong?

My mind became muddled, but Regulus’s single remark cleared everything up.

“Quite impressive. You managed to defend yourself to some extent in that instant.”

The orcas that had been dancing beside me were now blocking my path.

But they were spewing out sword aura like waves.

Some of the spirit swords were cut in half,

and even the intact ones were trembling.

Blood flowing from the wound on my right shoulder was soaking my clothes, and I summoned my spirit swords again, preparing for his next attack.

Even with a wound, if I couldn’t block his next attack, there would be no chance of winning.

[The orcas wander the sea in agony.]

‘What is this…?’

This message appeared in the skill window, which was explaining the Setus Style, not the system.

[You have provoked a colossal entity in the sea.]

[That entity wishes to manifest here.]

As if possessed by the message, I created a greatsword by combining three spirit swords and another greatsword by combining two, and floated them in the air.

[The minimum conditions for that entity’s manifestation have been met.]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up your skill with your own hands!]

The fear of that blue lion.

That fear moved my orcas and awakened the third form of the Setus Style, which had been deeply slumbering.

‘Waves…’

Behind me, a colossal wave began to rise again.

‘They never stop.’

***

‘Indeed, that girl is worthy of defeating. If she showed such defensive skill…’

Regulus took his stance again, preparing his second attack.

The lion imbued within his sword was ready to roar once more, and the spectators present were merely silent,

not making a single sound.

‘I’ll have to go a bit stronger than before…’

The old man rushed towards the small boy,

The lion behind him also charged rapidly at the boy.

The people around them moved as if time had slowed down.

However, he felt something was wrong.

The boy’s sword aura, which had clearly been gathered tightly for defense just moments ago.

That boy’s sword aura, small yet coalesced to create a massive sword aura.

It was spreading out around him.

It was as if it was trying to absorb something.

‘Does he have a trump card…?’

Regulus instinctively knew he should slow down,

but perhaps it was because he felt he shouldn’t turn his back on a student.

Or was it simply his pride?

He simply kept running, looking only forward.

Thus, he ran towards the boy and tried to thrust that massive slash into the boy’s arm.

Clang!

But with a clear ringing sound, the attack clashed against the rapier spirit sword.

However, Regulus’s strength was not just this much, and he exerted more power to break through the sword.

And he felt it.

A whale hidden within the sword aura.

That whale was enormous, already on the verge of swallowing Regulus.

As the whale’s colossal mouth became visible, the sword that had been blocking him vanished.

He momentarily lost his balance, but quickly regained his stance and raised his sword.

A thunderous crash!

But before he could even prepare his next attack, a massive wave of sword aura struck him from the right.

It was an unbelievable amount of sword aura.

Sword aura that the boy should absolutely not have been able to wield, considering his sword aura until now.

Sword aura that felt like the passage of time.

Sword aura that contained the regrets of having cut down countless people.

And decisively.

Even the colossal blue lion imbued in that sword.

‘My… sword aura…’

Regulus, having taken the full brunt of his own power, was flung out of the training ground and slammed into the wall.

Slammed into the wall, he lay there for a moment, lost in thought.

Lost in thought for a moment, he whispered with a smile, as if all his obsessions had vanished.

On his face, there was a joy, as if he had finally found satisfaction.

“Excellent, child.”

Before he knew it, Ray was standing in front of Regulus, holding a staff and sporting a faint smile, just as he had first seen.

Hearing the compliment, Ray looked at Regulus with a slightly surprised expression, then replied with a bright smile.

“Thank you.”