Chapter 51

A sandstorm raged violently.

The sound of two lightning bolts colliding echoed continuously.

The once flat ground was dug up, split, and crushed, turning into a scene of ruins.

Piles of dirt surged like waves, scattering in all directions, while shattered fragments flew everywhere.

Damien’s greatsword swung with even more ferocity, now resembling an excavator, uprooting everything around him.

The heavy sound of slicing through the air roared like a giant’s scream, spreading fiercely.

Students who had retreated to avoid the aftermath watched the intense battle unfold before their eyes, holding their breath in awe.

They were painfully aware of the gap in their own abilities.

But they weren’t watching Damien.

On the opposite side, there was a woman wielding a single longsword, effortlessly dominating the storm of Damien’s greatsword as if it were child’s play.

—

– **Kwoong!**

Damien’s greatsword, deflected at an angle, slammed into the ground once again.

Flying dirt clumps tapped against his armor.

Resting the longsword on her shoulder, she took a step back and smiled leisurely.

“Still the same. Still clumsy.”

Damien’s fighting style hadn’t changed much from before.

The weight and centrifugal force of the greatsword were used for powerful strikes.

Leaping down for a slash, spinning to swing, charging forward for a thrust—his movements were rough and aggressive.

It was exactly the same as during the entrance exam.

Exposing countless openings, yet covering them with the sheer momentum of his greatsword.

Against opponents of a similar level, it would have been hard to exploit those gaps.

Blocking or countering the force of his greatsword would have been a struggle.

But she dodged the greatsword aimed at her head with ease, deflecting the follow-up slashes with the flat of her longsword, altering their trajectory.

The futile strikes sliced through empty air.

This swordsmanship was only meant to overwhelm weaker opponents.

In the end, when faced with a stronger enemy, it would be easily dismantled like this.

Of course, it was only natural that his swordplay would end up like this.

Before coming to the academy, he had likely never faced an opponent stronger than himself.

“First, your movements are too big. It’s obvious where you’re aiming, and it’s easy to dodge.”

She lay back to avoid the spinning slash aimed at her waist. The greatsword brushed past her face.

The rough wind tangled her hair, cooling her heated forehead pleasantly.

“-And it’s easy to counter.”

She sprang up and thrust her longsword forward.

Damien’s torso was wide open after swinging his greatsword too widely.

Not wanting to pierce through him, she relaxed her grip and lightly stabbed his side before retreating.

The belated swing of the greatsword weakly cut through the air.

Damien frowned slightly and leaped into the air, spinning vertically.

The greatsword, filled with centrifugal force, came down like a thunderbolt.

“The momentum is good, but that’s all it is.”

With the physical ability to react, such predictable attacks were nothing.

A couple of steps to the side would have sufficed to dodge.

Only weaker opponents would be intimidated by the momentum.

The ground where the greatsword struck erupted with a loud noise.

Only the ground.

“Relying on strength and speed isn’t wrong… but that only works against weaker opponents.”

She stomped on the greatsword embedded in the ground.

The tip dug deeper, causing Damien’s upper body to tilt.

“If your opponent is stronger, it’s nothing.”

Damien’s arms bulged as he tried to lift the greatsword.

As if that would work.

The greatsword didn’t even budge.

After all, the strength of her single leg pressing down far surpassed that of Damien’s two arms.

“Khh…!”

“Trying hard.”

She kicked Damien away.

With a *thud*, Damien let out a short groan and collapsed.

“Do you get where your problem lies now?”

He could have overwhelmed weaker opponents.

Against those with similar physical abilities, he might have fought to a draw.

Like during the entrance exam.

Knut fought without blessings, so it ended in something close to a draw.

Professor Kal-lain once said, “If a swordsman and a paladin are of similar skill, the swordsman might as well just die.”

Damien was exactly in that state.

“Not yet!”

Damien gritted his teeth and charged again.

His habit of speaking was just like Milia’s. A bit annoying.

She raised her longsword.

Damien swung his greatsword like a storm.

The ground screamed as it was shredded like fruit in a blender.

Dirt and gravel fragments scattered like a waterfall.

The relentless barrage of attacks reminded her of when she fought Nigel.

“Haaaah!”

“Now, this is a bit better!”

She swung her longsword. Faster. Stronger.

Deflecting, blocking, and sometimes countering the greatsword, she didn’t move an inch.

– **Kakakakakang!**

The insane clash of sounds merged into one, transforming into a massive noise.

It was like a fireworks display.

She was glad she had invested in a good weapon.

The performance of her longsword was impressive. If it were the academy’s standard steel sword, it would have shattered by now.

The black iron longsword Asha had made for her didn’t even have a scratch despite the tremendous impact.

Though the blade was completely mangled.

In contrast, Damien’s greatsword, made of ordinary steel, was reaching its limit.

Cracks began to appear on the blade, clearly visible.

She gripped her longsword tightly and added more force.

“Kaaah!”

A precise slash aimed at the cracked part.

With a *clang*, Damien’s greatsword split in two.

The broken tip flew toward the watching students.

Caught off guard by the sudden danger…

The shocked students quickly dodged.

“Ugh…!”

“This is it.”

Damien blocked the punch aimed at his solar plexus with his half-broken greatsword, using it like a shield.

Well, that’s not gonna stop it, right?

– Crash!

The greatsword shattered like glass, and my fist plunged straight into Damien’s stomach.

“Gah…!”

Damien flew about ten meters horizontally.

Surely his organs didn’t burst or anything, right? I didn’t plan to send him to the infirmary.

I sheathed my longsword, clicked my fingers, and walked toward him.

Damien groaned and staggered to his feet.

There was a bit of blood at the corner of his mouth, but since he wasn’t vomiting blood, he’s probably fine.

He clenched his fists and charged at me.

Time for a beating.

—

After that, it was pretty much a one-sided beating.

Damien’s combat skills were pathetic.

He couldn’t properly block or deflect my punches and kicks, just flailing his limbs clumsily.

He couldn’t even dream of counterattacking, barely reacting to my attacks aimed at his vitals by taking the hits elsewhere.

That’s pointless against me.

“Gah! W-wait, Halshal!”

“You’re not dodging, just tanking it? Is that not your body?”

Taking a chop aimed at your neck with your shoulder still hurts, you know?

Damien’s head kept spinning.

Like a balloon dancing in the wind, his whole body wobbled with every hit.

Huh, this is kinda fun.

“Ugh…”

Damien, who couldn’t even lift a hand or foot, finally collapsed.

His once fresh face was now swollen all over.

“As expected, you didn’t even properly learn hand-to-hand combat, huh?”

I could tell when he was just swinging that greatsword around.

Generally, those who only dig one well don’t last long in battle.

You never know what variables might come up in a fight, so you need to have a variety of skills.

“Such a waste of talent. If you lose your greatsword, you’d even lose to Milia, wouldn’t you?”

Not that you’d actually lose, but still, you’ve got decent physical abilities.

What’s clear is that with this level of skill, you’re doomed if you try to play the hero.

“This won’t do. From now on, you’re doing special training with me every sparring session, got it?”

“……”

No answer means you agree, right?

At least you’re not backing down in the face of hardship, like a true hero.

Your mindset is admirable, Damien.

“Uh, Halshal…?”

“Yeah? Milia?”

From behind me, Milia cautiously called my name.

I turned to look at her.

Her eyes were trembling intensely, filled with panic and awkwardness.

Guess seeing the guy she admires getting beaten to a pulp was a bit shocking…

“Damien… I think he’s unconscious.”

At her words, I glanced back at Damien.

He was slumped over, not moving a muscle.

Wow, he really passed out. He was still squirming earlier.

He didn’t even break any bones, and he’s already out cold. Guess we need to work on his mental toughness too…

In the end, Damien was carried off to the infirmary.

Milia’s piercing stare made me feel a bit guilty.

Well, it’s not like he was seriously hurt—just some bruises and a few cracks here and there.

“Sigh…”

I let out a frustrated puff of air.

The future hero is just too weak.

Objectively speaking, for his age, his skills are actually above average.

But thinking about the future, being just above average won’t cut it.

Guess it’s unavoidable since he’s only a first-year.

Even if I try to train him properly, he needs the freedom to move.

There’s only so much I can do spoon-feeding him everything.

Guess I’ll just keep sparring with him.

Two months of beating him up should get him to a level where he can handle a Suin attack.

—

I also sparred with Milia.

She hesitated for a while when I suggested it.

I didn’t beat her up, just blocked and deflected her shortsword while pointing out her flaws.

Her sword skills were sharp overall, but she lacked critical awareness.

“Your focus is good, but you can’t handle attacks from outside your field of vision.”

So if there are multiple enemies or they’re fast, she’ll panic and get hit.

She’d be fine against Kobolds, but anything stronger would be tough.

“Your stamina’s lacking too, so you can’t fight for long.”

After about three minutes, her swordplay noticeably slows down.

“Like Damien, your attacks are too straightforward.”

Stabbing is a linear attack, but you should at least make it unclear where you’re aiming.

If they can see where you’re aiming, they’ll just dodge.

“But your movements to exploit openings are good.”

I made sure to compliment her so she wouldn’t get discouraged.

Milia smiled and thanked me after the spar, so I guess it went well?