Chapter 206

I know.

That Glick is a powerful mage.

He’s not a boss, but it’s impossible to clear him on the first try.

I’ve died many times to him.

But that’s exactly his level.

Once you gather information and figure out his magic patterns, he’s an opponent you can definitely handle.

In other words, he was the perfect opponent to test my current skill level.

Especially since Elaine had volunteered to come along, allowing me to face him one-on-one.

‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’

Turk’s Eight Imperial Forms, Godwin’s Strong Sword, Dan’s Illusion Sword, and finally, the five basic forms of Baker’s Swordsmanship.

I was going to use this opportunity to thoroughly assess how far I had come.

“I will kill you!”

A dark spear shot out from Glick’s outstretched hand.

But it was on a different level from the Dark Spear I had faced at the lodgings.

It was much larger and longer.

It was a Dark Lance.

The monstrous Dark Lance pierced towards me from a distance.

An incredible range.

Its power was also terrifying.

If I showed even the slightest opening, I would be skewered.

‘Perfect.’

It was perfect for testing my defensive skills.

I didn’t mean to take it head-on.

If I took that kind of attack head-on, the force would push me back.

I might even lose my footing.

I needed a more advanced defensive technique.

Deflection.

Regina’s specialty.

Compared to her, my skill was naturally amateurish, but it was a technique I needed to hone.

Because it was a technique that could be used effectively in various situations.

It could create an opening for a counterattack after defending, or it could block a powerful attack without giving the opponent an opening, like now.

I prepared the Eight Imperial Forms, a solid but less powerful swordsmanship.

It was a swordsmanship that could be used for both offense and defense, but it was actually more suitable for defense.

It was perfect for situations like this.

‘Now!’

Swish.

My sword drew a clean line in the air.

Clang!

With the impact, the trajectory of the menacing Dark Lance was slightly altered.

The Dark Lance narrowly missed, piercing the empty air.

“Tsk.”

A look of disappointment appeared on Glick’s face.

He seemed to think that I had blocked it out of sheer luck, even though he could have easily finished me off.

Wouldn’t the backlash be even stronger if he thought that way?

I decided to play along with his thoughts to shake his mental state.

“Ugh… Wh-What is this?! Th-This power!”

I groaned, my face pale.

My acting skills were getting too good for my own good.

“Hmph, it’s the great dark magic that a dog of the religious order like you wouldn’t understand. Watch closely. It’s the magic that will kill you.”

Glick sneered.

He seemed pleased with my flustered reaction.

Good for you, you little shit.

Well, he must have a lot of pent-up frustration after being played so badly.

I chuckled inwardly.

“W-Wait! I think we can negotiate without fighting…”

“Shut up! I said you’re going to die!”

Glick retracted the Dark Lance and thrust it out again without hesitation, radiating killing intent.

I deflected his attack once again, timing it perfectly.

Clang!

The Dark Lance twisted.

It pierced the empty air once more.

“You’re putting up a good fight!”

Glick was still confident.

He seemed to think that he had complete control over the situation.

He must have been confident in his high-level dark magic, and since he was controlling the distance and launching attacks unilaterally, it wasn’t unreasonable for him to think that way.

He would be furious if he knew that his confident attacks were being used as fodder for my deflection practice.

Whoosh!

Clang!

Whoosh!

Clang!

Whoosh!

Clang!

The Dark Lance continued to pierce towards me menacingly.

I deflected each attack.

‘Heh, this level is no problem, huh?’

I felt a sense of ease.

Because deflection was becoming more and more familiar to me.

It was good practice.

Especially since a single lapse in concentration could cost me my life.

Contrary to my inner thoughts, I continued to put on a good show outwardly.

“S-Stop!”

“Hmph, stop? You’re the one who should stop living!”

Whoosh!

Clang!

“P-Please stop!”

“Hahaha, talk back to me like you did before, you dog of the religious order!”

Whoosh!

Clang!

“I-I was wrong! So please stop!”

“Your mistake is being alive! Just die!”

Whoosh!

Clang!

After deflecting several attacks.

No, after deflecting dozens of attacks.

Glick finally seemed to realize that something was strange.

“S-Stop it!”

“…”

Whoosh!

Clang!

“P-Please stop!”

“…”

Whoosh!

Clang!

“I-I can’t take it anymore!”

“…”

Whoosh!

Clang!

His attacks and my deflections seemed to lack spirit.

And he was staring at me in silence with a complicated expression.

Then.

“…A-Are you really tired?”

He asked a stupid question.

I knew why.

It should have been me, the one being attacked unilaterally, who was tired and exhausted.

But for some reason, I didn’t look that way, and he had realized that it was a strange situation where only his mana was being depleted.

“Huff, huff, I’m tired.”

I acted tired, but Glick’s expression was lukewarm.

“W-Wait.”

Glick’s hand moved again, muttering something stupid.

Whoosh!

The Dark Lance pierced towards me.

Clang!

I deflected it effortlessly.

As if that was his final confirmation, his expression contorted into something indescribable.

His whole body trembled.

And then.

“Y-You bastard! You’re not tired at all!”

Glick exploded with rage.

I smiled apologetically.

“Oops, did I get caught? Sorry, sorry.”

The finishing blow to an opponent who was on the verge of going insane.

Glick’s face turned red, as if he was about to explode if touched.

The veins on his face looked like they were about to burst.

“Y-You bastard! You dare mock me until the very end?”

Glick shouted at the top of his lungs, throwing the remaining Dark Lance with all his might.

“Whoops.”

I dodged it with an exaggerated motion, deliberately provoking him.

It seemed to have fueled his anger even more.

His eyes gleamed with madness.

“Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!”

Glick’s trembling hand drew a giant sword.

Two of them, one in each hand.

Dark Blades.

Dark swords that mercilessly slaughtered anything that stood in their path.

Two of them.

It was the most powerful magic Glick had used so far.

“Die!”

Whirl! Whirl! Whirl!

The first Dark Blade approached me, spinning fiercely.

Its terrifying power was amplified by its rotational force.

And it was spinning so fast that it was difficult to find the right timing and point to deflect it.

Still, I tried to deflect it.

Swish.

Clang!

My body swayed backwards.

I failed to deflect it properly.

The blade grazed my shoulder, narrowly missing.

I felt a stinging pain from the shallow cut.

Blood trickled down.

“Whew, this level is still too much for me, huh?”

I muttered, letting out a sigh of relief as the blade missed.

My skill wasn’t enough to deflect an attack of this level.

It seemed like I needed more practice.

Practicing here would be the most effective, but I decided to stop.

Because I might actually lose my head if I did.

“Haha, try acting all relaxed now, you bastard!”

Glick, emboldened by drawing a little blood, regained his confidence.

He must have been that desperate.

After being constantly toyed with, he had finally landed a hit.

Well, if you could even call that a hit.

“No, I wasn’t acting relaxed at all. I was just putting on a good show for you. To make our devout Glick feel good about himself.”

“Shut uuuuuup!”

Glick roared like a lion, throwing the remaining Dark Blade.

Whirl! Whirl! Whirl!

The second Dark Blade approached, spinning menacingly.

But there was something I needed to take care of first.

The first blade, returning towards me.

That was the true terror of the Dark Blade.

It didn’t stop with a single attack, but continued to target the opponent’s life, freely maneuvering through the air like a flying sword.

I had given up on deflecting it because I knew that.

A threat that didn’t allow for a moment of carelessness.

Here.

“Let’s go strength against strength.”

I muttered, assuming a stance.

The strongest strike I possessed.

The Executioner’s enhanced strike.

Offensive and defensive techniques weren’t necessarily separate.

The Net Slash Form, the ultimate defensive technique of Baker’s Swordsmanship, could also be used for offense, and the Executioner’s Strike, a powerful offensive technique, could also be used for defense.

The key was knowing how to use them in the right place at the right time.

The decisive reason why I chose the Executioner’s Strike.

‘No blind spots.’

The Dark Blade, which could target the opponent’s life from all directions.

No matter how good the Net Slash Form was, it couldn’t cover all directions.

On the other hand.

The enhanced strike, with no blind spots, could perfectly respond to attacks from all directions.

I had already figured out that it could also be used effectively for defense.

Whirl! Whirl!

The chilling sound of the blade came from behind me.

But I was only focused on the second Dark Blade.

I saw Glick smirking.

He probably thought I hadn’t properly grasped the movement of the first blade.

But.

“Haaa!”

I shouted, unleashing the Executioner’s Strike.

My body was perfectly reacting to the menacing blade behind me.

Boom!

A louder clash than ever before.

The first blade was repelled far back.

My strike had gained the upper hand in the clash of strength against strength.

I could clearly see that a chunk of the Dark Blade’s energy had been chipped away.

The power generated by the perfect combination of Ran’s masterpiece sword and Godwin’s Strong Sword.

Strength surged through my hand.

Yes, this was it.

This was the power.

Even if it meant becoming a sword maniac, I could confidently say that I had crossed the threshold of a true expert.

To the point where I was no less skilled than any of the protagonists I had raised in the past.

“What?! You blocked it?!”

Glick looked shocked.

He seemed unwilling to believe it.

But he soon gritted his teeth.

“You bastard! Block it if you can!”

He radiated intense pressure.

That’s right.

The attack was just beginning.

But he was mistaken.

He wouldn’t succeed by repeating the same technique.

“Haaa!”

I immediately unleashed Godwin’s Strong Sword towards the second blade.

Boom!

With another loud clash, the Dark Blade was repelled.

And.

Whirl! Whirl!

The first blade came back at me.

His intention to wear me down with relentless attacks until I was exhausted was obvious.

Of course, I had no intention of playing along.

I had tested my defense enough.

It was time to go on the offensive.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

I charged forward before the first blade could reach me.

“You dare!”

Glick quickly retreated, creating distance.

His movements were unlike those of an ordinary mage, as if he had cast a Haste spell.

But.

No one was faster than the wind.

– Flying Slash Form.

My sword unleashed a gust of sword wind.

The sword wind charged towards him with the speed of a gale.

Glick’s face turned pale.

“D-Damn it.”

He stopped and hurriedly erected a shield.

The sword wind collided with the shield.

Clang!

As expected of a mage called a Master in the world of dark magic, Glick’s shield was quite sturdy.

Sturdy enough to withstand the force of the sword wind.

But.

In the meantime, the distance between Glick and me had closed considerably.

“Tsk!”

Glick chose not to deactivate his shield.

It seemed like he was planning to use the shield to buy time while controlling the two Dark Blades to finish me off.

It was a decent choice.

It was certainly troublesome and difficult to break through his sturdy shield while dealing with the attacks of the Dark Blades.

Then.

“Shall I use the power of connections here?”

I smiled mischievously.

I already knew.

That Elaine would have finished off the dark mages by now.

She was probably watching my fight nervously.

Knowing her personality, she would want to help, but she would be hesitant, afraid of hurting my pride.

So all I needed was a single word.

“Hey, top student, can you cover my back?”

“Ah, yes.”

As if she had been waiting for it, an ice wall was erected behind me in an instant.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

I could hear the Dark Blades struggling to break through the ice wall.

But it was futile.

They were on different levels.

I smiled and raised my sword high.

“Let’s end this.”

I had originally planned to test him further, but it was enough.

I could tell that he wasn’t on that level.

“Y-You cowardly bastard!”

Glick screamed, his eyes bloodshot.

“What the hell are you talking about after ganging up on me?”

I scoffed.

The Turtle Sword crashed down on Glick’s shield without mercy.

“