Chapter 371

The days were more fulfilling than expected.

“I am Bertrand, the Ninth Sword of Landenburg. Pleased to meet you.”

“Please call me Klaus, the Fourth Sword. It’s an honor to face the Empire’s strongest swordsman.”

“I am Karim, the Fifth. I look forward to this.”

During the day, I sparred with the masters Ludwig had summoned from Landenburg, honing our skills together.

We fought one-on-one, pointing out each other’s weaknesses, and the next day, we engaged in team battles.

“Well, nice to meet you. I assume you know who I am, so let’s get started.”

Bertrand, the Ninth Sword, was a man in his late twenties with brown hair and blue eyes.

Unlike most knights these days, he wielded a one-handed sword and shield, employing a solid and orthodox fighting style reminiscent of a paladin…

“Your core strength is lacking. What’s the point of holding a shield if you get pushed back?”

Bertrand, struck by a two-handed slash, was sent flying into the wall, shield and all.

While he might fare well against opponents of similar strength, he was likely to be overwhelmed by stronger foes.

He seemed weaker than Nigel, to begin with.

Perhaps the ranking of the swords was based on the order of joining rather than actual skill.

“Next.”

—

Karim appeared to be in his forties, though he was actually thirty-nine.

He was said to be the third oldest among Landenburg’s swords. A giant of a man who wielded a massive two-handed hammer with ease.

As a knight with over a decade of experience, it seemed unlikely he needed my advice. Instead of offering guidance, I relentlessly targeted his weaknesses throughout the fight, relying solely on the finesse of Life Force rather than brute strength.

“This is… incredible! Truly versatile!”

Karim, amazed by the whip-like, chain-like, and even drill-like techniques of Life Force, let out a delighted laugh.

I tested all the Life Force techniques I had against him, excluding the overly lethal ones.

“Now, how will you handle this!”

Six sharp, red tendrils. Karim swung his hammer at the attack targeting his arms, legs, head, and torso simultaneously.

Two tendrils shattered into dust, three were deflected by his armor, leaving only scratches, and the last one narrowly missed his unarmored side as he rolled away.

“More like a monster’s tactics than a human’s!”

Karim dodged, parried, and blocked the relentless tendrils, scattering thin trails of blood.

Indeed, an experienced knight could handle this. It was no different from fighting a multi-legged monster.

Red tendril blades.

Hersela might call them ‘Crimson Blades.’

This technique, using Life Force blades like multiple arms, was effective at targeting blind spots but lacked power.

Being mere energy constructs, they couldn’t pierce or split steel, though they might work on flesh.

Moreover, there was a more fundamental issue.

Focusing on the tendrils made my movements sluggish, and focusing on movement made the tendrils’ paths predictable.

Humans can’t even fully control two arms, let alone eight. It was only natural.

If Hersela handled the control, it might work, but it wasn’t a technique suited for me.

“Here I come!”

A crimson shadow spread from my toes.

A Life Force wave extending toward the enemy, from which sharp stakes suddenly erupted.

“Huh?!”

Karim, wary of the black-red shadow, was caught off guard when stakes shot out.

He smashed most with his hammer, but one pierced his foot.

“Ugh…!”

This could be useful.

In a real fight, it would have pierced his groin, killing him instantly.

Hersela named this technique ‘Extreme Shadow.’

A fitting name, both intuitive and stylish.

“…An attack that rises from the ground… Then…”

Karim, grimacing in pain, stepped back to create distance.

Once the distance widened, Extreme Shadow became ineffective.

Being a technique that extends from my body, its power, length, and speed diminished with distance, rendering it useless.

It might work as a surprise attack at close to mid-range, but it wasn’t suitable for long-range combat.

It needed some refinement to be truly effective.

What technique should I try next…

Pondering my next move, I intensified the Life Force around me.

—

The fight with Karim was a valuable experience.

It allowed me to clearly understand the limits and strengths of the techniques I had been casually wielding under Hersela’s control.

“Good work.”

“…It was an impressive experience. Truly, the Empire’s strongest swordsman. To think you could do this without even using a sword…”

Karim, kneeling and battered, forced a smile.

Though not critically injured, he was bleeding profusely, making further sparring dangerous.

After asking Rana to heal Karim, I faced my final opponent, Klaus.

“I look forward to seeing the swordsmanship of the Empire’s strongest swordsman.”

Klaus, a handsome man in his early thirties, was a typical knight, wielding an imperial longsword.

“Your swordsmanship alone might surpass mine.”

If he had mastered the longsword, his technique might be better than mine, even if his strength and speed were inferior.

I fight using all sorts of miscellaneous methods.

-Clang!

Two longswords crossed brilliantly.

This time, unlike with Karim, I focused solely on swordsmanship, using Life Force only for physical enhancement.

At first, I used only master-level strength, gradually increasing it as I grew accustomed.

“Haa!”

A slash aimed at Klaus’s neck was deflected by his blade.

The sword blocked at the hilt. I twisted my wrist and struck his chin with the pommel.

“About this much!”

Klaus, dodging the pommel, kicked my abdomen.

Simultaneously, he aimed his longsword at my neck.

Two sounds echoed at once.

A heavy impact and the clash of steel.

I tensed my abs to withstand the blow, blocking Klaus’s blade with my own.

Supporting the middle of the longsword with my left arm.

“You’re blocking with your bare body?!”

Klaus was shocked to see me withstand the steel boot’s strike with just my abs.

It hurt, but compared to Ryu-rik, it was nothing.

Back then, I thought my stomach would burst.

Even though I was wearing thick armor, unlike now.

“Maybe for a beastman, but a human’s kick won’t work on me!”

I swung my longsword, dislodging his blade.

Klaus was pushed back, leaving a deep groove in the ground.

“Haaa!”

A thrust followed.

The crimson-tinged blade shot toward his heart.

“Ugh…!”

Klaus, hastily adjusting his stance, deflected my blade with a fluid motion.

A flawless defense.

—

As a knight who had mastered the longsword, Klaus’s swordsmanship was the second best I had ever seen.

Second only to the Ghost Sword.

No, in terms of technique, he might even surpass the Ghost Sword.

He seemed to have mastered every technique possible with a longsword.

He wielded it like a hammer, used the middle of the blade like a spear, and engaged in close combat with diverse methods.

I had learned similar techniques from Nigel, but I hadn’t delved deeply.

For me, punching was more efficient than fighting like that.

‘This is trickier than I thought.’

[Of course. You’re fighting without using your strengths.]

In this situation, with my strength and speed halved, his attacks were sufficiently threatening.

Not only that.

He excelled not just in utilizing the longsword’s structure but also in the artistry of swordsmanship itself.

Like the Ghost Sword, he could perfectly redirect force, making enemies fall on their own, and confuse opponents with feints.

He even demonstrated a technique where he slid his right hand along the hilt to extend the blade’s reach mid-swing.

The blade’s length increased by over 20cm in an instant.

Blocking head-on was manageable, but trying to dodge and counter could be fatal.

“Wow, impressive. Pure swordsmanship alone won’t be enough to beat you.”

I glanced at my shoulder, grazed by his blade, and offered a compliment.