episode_0011

Bang! Bang!

“We just need to rest a bit…!”

“Shut up!”

Each of Sara’s attacks, driven by her loss of reason, was threatening.

Of course, her attacks were intense, making it easy to anticipate and block them.

But.

[Accumulate) Feed magic until the holy Asbel’s sword is satisfied]

‘Why isn’t there any change happening.’

Shouldn’t there be a change by now after doing this much?

Wasn’t this supposed to work like this from the beginning?

No. I could be sure of it.

This is not the wrong method.

My mana in the status bar is not decreasing significantly.

It’s the same situation as when I blocked Lena’s attack last time.

So, it means that there is enough mana stored that this sword doesn’t need to absorb my mana.

‘Then where is the problem.’

10,000 is not a small number, but…!

As the fight continued, Sara, regaining her reason, started pushing me back with her fast attack speed and various attack patterns.

‘Danger…!’

Boom!

The wind air felt on the tip of my nose.

And the sharp wind grazed my sleeve.

Despite the strong attacks coming at me, I felt something off in her fighting style right now.

‘Creating gaps to use only magic from a distance.’

Why is she only using wind and water elements?

The greatest feature of a magic swordsman is the ability to use all elements and proficiency in swordsmanship, making it a job that can rival swordsmanship and sagehood.

‘Right now, if I catch her with earth magic, I could easily win.’

All attacks were threatening.

But within the line of defense, all the attacks were not able to provoke a fatal blow. Is she ignoring them?

…But looking at her expression, it doesn’t seem like it.

I surveyed the surroundings.

Why isn’t she using all the privileges of a magic swordsman?

The reason was relatively easy to find.

Clang!

I deliberately cut off a branch with the fang sword of Kraberke that I held in my left hand.

“You! I will kill you.”

‘Oh…’

If it goes like this, the patterns I need to think about will decrease.

I’ve been thinking about numerous paths so far, but she can only use two elements here, wind and water.

‘If it’s this much, I can easily dodge.’

I have to show my reckless nature.

Clang!

This time, I deliberately cut off an innocent branch next to me.

“Stop it!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Despite Sara’s protests, I ruthlessly cut off the branches next to me.

“Stop it!!”

She tried to come closer.

I stopped the hand that was cutting and said.

“I feel like these are hindering our fight. It’s better to get rid of these things that are not helping at all, right?”

“…”

Sara’s hands were shaking.

Numerous elemental spheres were floating around her.

‘Oh? If there are this many, I won’t be able to dodge…!’

One sphere flew towards me.

I couldn’t help but be surprised by the tremendous concentration of mana, unlike before. But still, elements are limited.

I looked at Sara, taking a deep breath.

The shadows created by the elements and the shadow cast by her bangs covered her eyes.

What expression is she making?

I couldn’t see it, but I could accurately guess.

This vitality.

This…isn’t it death?

Bang! Kwang!

“Wait, hold on!”

…

I continued to block Sara’s attacks, who didn’t respond to my words.

I kept blocking without dodging.

As a result, the remnants that I couldn’t block pierced my body, leaving scars.

But I could tell.

‘With this level of attack and speed.’

I will soon wake up.

The continuous attacks that were coming at me also felt like they were losing their firepower. You’re not used to such attacks, are you?

The speed is indeed fast.

But compared to before, there was a clear difference.

My intuition was right, as Sara opened her mouth with a fierce expression as if challenging me.

“Stop blocking and fight back!”

What’s this? Is she provoking me?

Sorry, but that’s my specialty.

“Why? Are you getting tired?”

“Always being ignored…that’s why I hate you!”

As if this was her final attack, she once again summoned concrete objects around her.

The increasing speed and power.

And this ominous feeling.

Clearly, this is a decoy.

Now, in this situation, the best choice she can make is…

Sara rushed towards me.

Clang!

“Have you used up all your strategies? Now it’s just simple attacks?”

“Shut up!”

I continued to block her relentless attacks.

The exchange of blows continued.

Blocking strong attacks quickly drained my stamina.

But why did Sara, who seemed fierce, still look fine?

Was she conserving her stamina? Or is it just the difference between someone who has trained since childhood and someone who hasn’t? I don’t know.

“I feel a sense of detachment.”

Honestly, I’m starting to get tired.

Even though it may not seem like it, I’ve been fighting for tens of minutes.

It’s tough.

I want to stop and rest right now.

But I can’t stop.

It’s not the pressure of completing the quest.

It’s just…I’ve never faced someone my age with a sword like this before.

I’m actually enjoying this situation too much.

“What are you hesitating for…are you still treating me like a girl…damn it!”

What’s she talking about?

Right now, that’s not important. Judging by her tone, I could tell she was also getting tired.

“Let’s take a break.”

“Don’t be lenient! Don’t ignore me like you did at the ball…I’ll make you pay for that humiliation today.”

The ball?

Is she talking about when we were kids?

Just because one punk disrespected a sword master?

That’s ignorant, stupid. Oh, maybe both.

But I’m curious, so it should be okay to ask.

I distanced myself from her, who seemed to be recovering stamina, and asked,

“Did you lose to me?”

“You don’t even remember me…”

Her forced laughter disappeared. It felt like I touched something I shouldn’t have.

Thud!

With one attack, I could tell it was different from before.

‘No reaction?’

It’s not about how to block, it’s about how to see.

With her attacks that were already hard to keep up with, the lack of reaction made it impossible to block.

Swish!

“Oof…”

A clean sword strike hit my abdomen.

It’s now a difficulty level I can’t enjoy. I need to finish this as quickly as possible.

“You can dodge attacks like a punk…don’t ignore me and come at me as much as you want…”

I couldn’t sense any vitality from her. No, I couldn’t sense any emotion from her at all.

It was a more terrifying vitality than life itself.

But there’s no way to escape from here.

This fear.

If you can’t avoid it, you might as well enjoy it.

“If you dodge, you lose.”

“Come at me…I’ll kill you…”

Ignoring Sara’s muttering, I adjusted my stance.

I don’t know how much is left for the quest, but if it’s not enough, I’ll provoke her again next time.

For now,

“Today, it ends.”

This time, I rushed towards her first.

If I don’t close the distance first, I’ll be hit by her incoming attacks again.

Clang! Thud!

‘Once.’

I’m out of stamina. Honestly, I was confident, but it seems like it’s not the right time yet.

There’s no changing it even if I regret it.

I look for what I can do now.

Crash!

‘Twice.’

With no reaction, it’s difficult to block all the attacks.

Most of the attacks, even the easy ones, were hard to block.

However.

Even so, I could sense the presence around me more keenly, no matter how quiet the attack was.

“I can block it!”

Bang!

I blocked the flying fireball from behind.

At the same time, Sara, who had regained her senses, had a surprised expression. It was already too late!

I quickly turned back and aimed my sword at her. Huh?

Contrary to my calculations, the black sword did not reach her.

I can’t afford to fail here. How did I get this far…!

[Success) Accumulated) Over 1 million mana has been absorbed by Asbel’s sword]

[Trait) Absorption and emission]

[Emit based on the last received attack]

Flames rose from the tip of the sword and flew towards her face.

“I won…!?”

She easily dodged the attack that came out in front of her.

Shock and fear were felt simultaneously. Is this really a person?

I, who had exerted all my strength, was swept to the ground without any resistance.

“Is it over now?”

Well, she seems to have regained her senses, so I won’t kill her.

I should be satisfied with the trait I gained now…

Thud.

“Huh? Hey!”

“…”

“Hey! What if you collapse too!”

“I…lost…?”

“No! Hey!”

Wait.

This smell of burning…could it be from the attack earlier?

“Your precious garden is burning! Snap out of it!”

“It’s all over…this garden, my efforts, and my life.”

“No…”

I sighed.

But she is the only one who can put out this fire. Even if I can’t trust her, I have to stay alive for now.

“Ugh…”

Using every last ounce of strength, I crawled towards her.

“Hey!”

“…”

I reached out to her right in front of her.

“Snap out of it!”

“Surprise! What’s up with you.”

I have no strength left to answer her question.

Using the last remaining strength, I reached out to her shoulder.

“Let’s resolve this now.”

[Skill: Eholo]

[Sara Hilita’s health recovers by 20%]