chapter_0153

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
153

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
153

I took a deep breath and
infused divine energy into my fist.

Then, just like last night’s
intense training in the Mental World, divine energy gathered in my
fist.

Seeing my fist covered in
divine energy, as if wearing a gauntlet, I assumed the stance Grandpa
taught me yesterday.

Grandpa said that when you put
all your strength into an attack, you don’t just use the power of
one part of your body.

A full-power attack utilises
the strength of your entire body.

It starts from your steps,
travels up through your waist, and culminates in an explosive release
through your arms.

Following the advice that had
become second nature to me, I threw a punch at the training
scarecrow.

My punch caused cracks to form
from the point of impact, soon shattering the training scarecrow into
pieces on the ground.

The only thing left to prove
that the scarecrow had ever stood there was its core, embedded in the
floor.

‘Indeed.’

I had destroyed training
scarecrows before.

The power of my full-strength
mace swing could easily dent metal.

But this was the first time I
had shattered a scarecrow with just a single punch.

This is [Divine Martial Arts].

Such incredible power.

‘Yes!’

Feeling more motivated?
Grandpa, is that even a question?

We’ve only just started, and
I’m already producing this kind of power. How could I not be
motivated!

Of course, I probably can’t
use this in actual combat just yet. The amount of divine energy
consumed to create a single strike was too great.

As an Apostle of Armadi, I
possess quite a lot of divine energy, but for this one attack, I had
to use more than half of what I had.

At times like this, Practice
Mode is really efficient. There, I don’t need to worry about running
out of divine energy.

‘I just need to practise,
right?’

Besides, aren’t I training
hard every night? If I keep training to the point of exhaustion, I’ll
eventually get used to it.

“Miss! You’re truly
amazing!”

While I was recovering my
exhausted body from that punch, I heard Karl’s voice from behind.

He wasn’t stalking me like a
perverted fox; I had stationed him behind me from the beginning.

Since we were going to spar
later.

When Karl is my opponent, I
can go all out without any worries.

Currently, among the
first-year students of the Academy, there isn’t anyone who can match
me in a one-on-one duel when I use my full strength.

Frey is the only one who can
offer some challenge, but even she is one or two levels below me. She
isn’t someone who can make me push myself to my limit.

However, Karl is different.
He’s still much stronger than me. I had always known that Karl was
strong. From the first time we met, even when he was going easy on
me, I couldn’t land a single hit on him.

But you know what? Compared to
the time when I first sparred him, I’ve grown unbelievably stronger.

Yet, despite all that, I still
couldn’t catch up to Karl.

The more I improved my skills,
the stronger I got. But the more I realised just how monstrous Karl
really was.

To think that someone like him
is just an ordinary knight in the Allen Family. The Allen’s Knight
Order really is like a demonic realm.

No wonder Grandpa was shocked
asking what kind of place it was.

And it’s no surprise that the
professors look at my skills and say it’s because of the Allen Family
bloodline.

“It’s been a while since
I’ve had a duel with you, Miss.”

Karl stood in front of me,
holding the wooden sword he’s always favoured.

He was dressed in simple cloth
garments, without any armour, but that didn’t matter.

As a skilled knight, he knew
very well how to protect his body with his own mana.

Even if I struck him with my
mace using all my strength, I wouldn’t be able to injure him.

No, wait. If I used [Divine
Martial Arts], it might be a different story.

“You seem quite exhausted.
Don’t you want to rest a bit more?”

“Is this sloppy mutt really
worried about his master? Haha! How considerate! Should I pat you on
the head for that? You sloppy mutt? Truly disgusting.”

I taunted Karl even before the
sparring began, meaning I was going all out.

Compared to Karl, I was still
overwhelmingly weak. I couldn’t afford to be picky about my methods.

“That’s a reward I
would very much like to receive, but I’ll defer it to later.”

Despite my intense
provocation, the buff I received was minimal. Karl managed to control
his emotions.

He must have grown accustomed
to hearing various things from me every day.

I wasn’t too surprised
because it was within my expectations. I knew that sooner or later,
Karl would lose his composure.

I held the dwarven-shield in
my left hand and my trusty mace in my right hand.

After a deep breath, I recited
several divine spells in my mind.

Enhancing my physical
abilities. Boosting my vitality. Increasing my luck.

I used any magic that could
benefit me right now.

Then, I channelled the
remaining divine energy through my entire body.

Just as one would enhance
their body with mana, I was augmenting my abilities with divine
energy.

It’s still clumsy and far
from being efficient, but that doesn’t matter.

Right now, my objective is not
efficiency, but solely one thing. To land a blow on Karl.

“Are you ready?”

“And what about you, you
sloppy mutt?♡ Have you prepared yourself to get beaten and whimper
to your Master?♡”

“No. Sorry, but I’m not
planning to lose to you just yet, Miss.”

Karl outwardly remained calm,
but my provocation had clearly gotten to him.

I could feel a noticeable
increase in the buff compared to just a moment ago.

With this, the preparations
were roughly complete.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

“Shall we start, you
sloppy mutt?♡”

“Come at me anytime.”

I held my breath for a moment
and stepped forward.

The gap between Karl and me
was narrow.

Even with my short legs, I
could reach him in a single step.

But Karl didn’t let me
approach easily.

He deliberately struck my
shield to maintain the distance with his sword.

As a result, my initial charge
was completely neutralised.

Damn it. He’s fast.

He really meant it when he
said he didn’t want to lose to me! That sloppy mutt!

The speed of his sword was
different from when we sparred before!

I bit my lip hard as I
received his relentless attacks.

“You’re desperate to win
against your master, aren’t you? Absolutely filthy♡ Disgraceful♡
Worthless sloppy mutt♡”

“Haha! Better to be
disgraceful than to lose!”

If I had known it would be
like this, I wouldn’t have tested out [Divine Martial Arts]!

It was extremely difficult to
find an opening and step in between Karl’s relentless sword strikes.

The bigger problem was that
annoying tendency of his to maintain distance.

When I took a step forward, he
stepped back!

When I tried to create some
space, he would close in on me!

He’s really making this spar
dirty!

‘I’m trying!’

Grandpa said, to hide behind
the shield and observe the opponent’s attack.

It’s easier said than done! I
couldn’t help but think that, but I did as Grandpa instructed.

Having spent last night
training under Grandpa’s supervision, I had felt just how
incredible he was.

Since Grandpa was giving the
advice, I thought there must be some meaning to it.

“How long do you plan to
just watch? Miss?”

“You foolish sloppy mutt♡
I’m just playing with you♡ Don’t you even realise that?♡ Did you
trade your intelligence with a dog?♡”

The sword strikes from Karl
were much faster than when we sparred in the past. At first, it was
hard to keep up with my eyes, but as the attacks increased, I began
to get used to them.

Initially, I relied entirely
on the sense of my [Iron Wall] Skill to move my shield and block
Karl’s sword, but as I adapted, my own judgement began to mix in.

A long period of moving the
shield developed my instincts. Combined with my high shield
proficiency and [Iron Wall]’s advice, these three elements merged
perfectly.

“Hmm?”

For the first time, my
[Parrying] activated.

The moment his sword hit my
shield, its strength diminished significantly, and his sword was
deflected, giving me some breathing space.

However, that reprieve did not
last long.

Karl, who had experienced many
real battles, quickly adjusted to the situation.

The moment I took a step
forward, Karl responded with three consecutive sword strikes, pushing
me back.

This is really tough!

Is it okay for a knight to be
this desperate to win against his master?!

He should be able to gauge the
situation, take a hint, and know to lose appropriately! Isn’t that
what living in a hierarchical noble society means!

Of course, I would grit my
teeth to win if I were in his position too.

I can’t imagine what kind of
words he’d hear if he lost.

But Karl, you enjoy being
berated and treated like a dog!

So why don’t you just give in
already!

As the confrontation
continued, the number of successful [Parrying] executions gradually
increased.

As the exchanges continued, my
successful [Parrying] rate increased from the occasional lucky
deflection to consistently bouncing Karl’s sword back and startling
him.

Finally, I reached a point
where I could intentionally create moments to time my [Parrying].

“You think you’re so
great?♡ Can’t even break through the shield of a small, cute girl,
you weakling♡ Sloppy swordsmanship♡ Trash knight♡”

Of course, I didn’t forget to
throw in some taunts during our bout.

In games, the rage status
effect might not be much, but in reality, it’s different! Forcing
your opponent to lose their composure is a tremendous advantage!

Though the downside was that
Karl’s attacks grew more intense with his increasing anger, the buff
from my [Mesugaki] Skill could mitigate that to an extent!

By the time Karl’s one-sided
assault had turned into a fierce exchange from both sides, Grandpa’s
voice echoed.

‘It’s time to bare my fangs,
right?’

‘Of course!’

What I’d been contemplating
while fending off the wooden sword swung with more sincerity than
usual by Karl was one thing!

How could I deliver a decisive
blow to that sloppy guy feigning calm despite his growing fury!

‘Yes!’

Watch closely, Grandpa!

I’ll show you a girl you
trained, smashing that sloppy guy’s face with a mace!

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