episode_0054

“Yes! Today marks the day that concludes this year’s academy sparring exams, decorating its finale.

Without further ado, the first match of this final day! None other than the match of Mark Viscerus will now begin!

Spectators, please welcome the athletes with applause!”

With the splendid introduction from the commentators, Mark Viscerus entered the sparring arena. He was wearing the neat attire provided to participants, holding Serion’s treasured sword, and wearing a faint smile. Not a hint of tension was felt in his appearance; instead, he was filled with composure.

As soon as he showed his face in the sparring arena, countless spectators immediately began sending thunderous cheers, shouts, and applause.

And in the VIP section, which is to say the highest place where one can see the combatants most clearly, Regulus Serion, the head of the Serion family, was watching the sparring arena with a solemn face..

“Wow! It’s that Mark Viscerus! It was really worth coming even on the last day!” “To think the day would come when I’d see that academy celebrity in person! Wow!” “Kyaaah, he’s so handsome. Look over here, please”

Mark, as if to reciprocate the praises and cheers directed at him, waved his hand and walked towards the center of the sparring arena.

“Yes.. Then next, his opponent makes her entrance! The next succe… of the Serion family… Ch.. cough! The lady of the Serion family, Seraphina Serion, reveals herself in the sparring arena! Please welcome her with applause as well!”

Clap.. clap.. clap “Wow.. woah..!”

Seraphina, wearing the same sparring attire as Mark, entered the sparring arena holding a greatsword she had swung for a long time, whose only advantage was its sturdiness. She, too, hadn’t expected it, but the spectators’ reaction wasn’t good, and even the few reactions there were were out of minimal courtesy and pity. There were times when some were moved and showed respect just by her gaze, but the situation had changed too much.

Even though she had a cold personality towards others, because she possessed skill incomparable to anyone else, that much could be tolerated. But now that a more skilled person than her has been born, she was nothing but a loser from the past era who merely had a cold personality towards others.

Therefore, compared to the reaction that welcomed Mark’s entrance just now, it couldn’t help but be pathetic.

And for a moment, Seraphina could see, truly only for a moment, the sight of her father sending her a look of pity.

“Cheer up, Seraphina!”

Amidst all that, only one man, there was a man raising his voice for her.

Including the startled Seraphina, the gazes of most spectators turned towards the place the voice came from. His identity was naturally Ropel Teufel; even while leaning on crutches and wrapped in bandages, he was smiling at her.

‘Truly an irrepressible fellow’ Even as she thought that, she couldn’t help but show a pleased smile on her cold face.

She also waved her hand once towards Ropel, and soon walked confidently towards the center of the sparring arena, in front of Mark.

Before the sparring, Mark and Seraphina, facing each other, slowly approached each other to shake hands. Because it was the final day, with only the skilled remaining, the proceedings had to be quite solemn. Just as their hands met, Mark quietly opened his mouth.

“You managed not to run away, nor forfeit. Seraphina. I’ll praise you for that much.”

Although Mark was mindful of the public, he spoke quite aggressively. As the sparring arena was large, the distance between the students taking the test and the spectators was bound to be far. Although observation magic allowed spectators everywhere to see the match, it only showed the movements of the two combatants, and could not transmit sound, which is non-visual information corresponding to hearing. Therefore, Mark could say such things without caring about his reputation.

“Regardless of this or that, you’ll have no choice but to return to the family eventually, so I’ll specially control my strength. My master asked me to finish as quickly as possible, but still, I’ll go easy on you in my own way…”

“It doesn’t matter” “..What?” “I said it doesn’t matter. It means do your best. Like that day, before Ropel.”

At her words, Mark flinched for a moment. The day she sparred with Ropel. That day was the first obstacle that blocked her life, which had only known success since entering the academy. In other words, for him, it was a day of utter disgrace, when he lost to an opponent he had greatly underestimated. And her words, which only she knew about, could clearly only be taken as a provocation.

Because of her unexpected reaction, Mark couldn’t help but be dumbfounded before the start even began. Just as he was about to say something more, soon, in order to start the sparring, the two had no choice but to put distance between them.

“Alright then, both sides please prepare yourselves at your places. Three!”

Between Mark and Seraphina, a giant flag-like shape appeared. This was used to signal the start of the match.

“Two!” With that countdown, Mark soon kicked off the ground, taking a stance to fly right in front of Seraphina. To keep his master’s words about clearly showing her her place, he intended to subdue her in a single exchange.

With the minimal affection they had shared until now, he had intended to at least protect her honor a little in front of the public, but as she herself refused and even went so far as to provoke him, wasn’t there nothing he could do? With such thoughts, Mark lowered his stance, waiting only for the flag-like shape to swing down.

“One!” CRASH!

As the sound of Mark kicking off the ground echoed through the sparring arena, he flew right in front of Seraphina in the blink of an eye. And then, holding his greatsword with both hands, he swung it with all his might. At this point, Mark was certain of his victory and her defeat.

However. CLANG!

Not the sound of flesh being cut, nor someone falling to the ground, a cheerful sound of steel clashing against steel echoed. Seraphina had blocked Mark’s attack that had flown at an unbelievable speed.

“What..? How…!” Those words burst out of his mouth before he knew it. Clearly, at the level of Seraphina he remembered, she shouldn’t have been able to block this attack.

The flustered Mark struggled to maintain his composure and put distance between himself and her. And then, he lunged from a different direction, starting his attack once more. Aiming for the flank, he swung his greatsword with a large rotation, and even if the attack was blocked, he continued the attack endlessly without stopping the rotation. Each strike contained his full effort; it was truly a fierce series of attacks.

If it turned into a battle of attrition, he would have the advantage, so even if she blocked the attack this time, she wouldn’t last long. As he expected, Seraphina seemed busy defending against all of Mark’s attacks and unable to show any particular movement. Just as he thought he would take the victory easily like this, that thought flew away with the intense pain felt in his side.

“Gah!” Seraphina finally found an opening in the seemingly endless onslaught of attacks, and just like that, her greatsword drew a gentle, wave-like trajectory and she counterattacked. Mark, who had been pressing her back moments before, ended up flying in the opposite direction from her.

And from about this time, little by little, the spectators’ reaction began to stir. Because Mark Viscerus, who had not allowed a single strike from any sparring opponent, had taken a hit for the first time.

Without even having time to care about the gazes directed at him, Mark’s mind was in chaos from the pain and Seraphina’s current state.

“Kuk!” “Keok!” “Ugh!

Afterwards, Mark charged at her repeatedly, but the result was the same. Mark’s technique, which seemed to perfectly replicate Serion’s techniques, Seraphina reacted smoothly and parried it without difficulty. And the level of her technique was growing even as they fought. It’s strange. It’s definitely strange.

Looking now, Mark noticed that her stance was different from usual.. It was a fact he knew because he had learned the same Serion swordsmanship, but Seraphina’s appearance now was exceedingly bizarre. Infinitely close to Serion, that is definitely not a Serion technique.

And it wasn’t only Mark who was feeling such bewilderment. Mark’s master, Regulus Serion, also had risen from his seat without realizing it and was astonished by the match before his eyes. Having seen countless swordsmen over a long period, he could gauge their talent just by watching.

And that was the same when it came to his daughter, especially as he had seen Seraphina’s sword countless times, he knew exactly how skilled she was. As for the extent of her talent, it meant he knew better than anyone else.

But now, in her sword and stance, that talent wasn’t felt. As if it hadn’t existed from the beginning, it meant her talent wasn’t felt at all.

But conversely, her sword and technique were precise and deadly. Perhaps to the extent that it could be compared to his own former master, a clean and sharp sword.

The successor he had marked is unable to avoid struggling, and the child he had given up on long ago is using techniques similar to his former master. As if denying all his past experiences, this truly contradictory situation unfolding before his eyes was utterly unbelievable.

“Is that so. That person’s realm, was it achieved like this?”

Right now, Seraphina also, was admiring her own skill. Because it was the first time for her also to use in a real match a technique she had only ever practiced alone.

‘Focus on what you have built up.’ Recalling the memory Ropel showed her, and applying the words her little older brother had given her, which is to say, the words her elder brother had left behind, this was the conclusion she reached.

Thinking about it, she herself, without realizing it herself, had been relying on something called ‘talent’ more than necessary. In order to elevate the Serion swordsmanship, which is of geniuses, by geniuses, and for geniuses, she had been unable to focus on what she herself had built up.

The concept of talent, while taking care of her, was also binding her. Therefore, she couldn’t help but finally reach a conclusion.

To abandon her talent, in her technique. That is, she chose to abandon herself in her own sword.

She discarded everything she had possessed from the start, and instead filled it with only what she had diligently built up until now. The result of that is this, what is called the realm of ‘No Self’.

In fact, she also now, doesn’t precisely understand the sword and technique she has brought forth, so for now, she is maintaining a defensive posture. Nevertheless, just one thing, the fact that she has now reached a new realm was undeniable.

Mark confronted her by fully mobilizing his techniques, but. She merely smoothly deflected all those attacks and delivered only a single, powerful counterattack.

At this, Mark gradually lost his composure and couldn’t help but become impatient. No matter what attack he made, it could never reach his opponent, and instead he would suffer a counterattack.

Now, this situation was similar to the nightmare of that day when he had been miserably defeated by the man named Ropel. Could she possibly also…. No, that can’t be..! That can’t be..!

It’s just.. just a fluke!’

“Th.. This can’t be…! This can’t be!” Half-earnest in the unbelievable reality, Mark stood his sword as if plunging it into the ground. Drawing out his own potential, he was using the power of the treasured sword.

To the extent that dust rose around him, Mark’s power was gathering.

But Seraphina, even upon seeing him like this, did not stop him. Rather, as if she would wait for him, she watched him with composure.

Eventually, Mark, with bloodshot eyes, roughly pulled out his greatsword and immediately charged towards Seraphina..

At this, Seraphina quietly pointed her sword towards him and took a stance once. That stance from when Ropel finished off Mark, she still remembered.

The spectators, who were watching the two slowly closing in with bated breath, at this moment, were all thinking the same thing.

A single exchange, that everything would end with just this one exchange.

…!!!! CRASH!

Unthinkable as just swords clashing, a tremendous explosion occurred along with a flash of light. With power as if an earthquake had just happened, even spectators sitting far away swayed. So mighty was its power and aftermath that even the observation magic, which operated with magic-formed circuits, was cut off for a moment.

As the dust scattered like mist cleared, there was only one person standing tall.

That was the Cold Rose of the Knight Department. It was Seraphina Serion.