Chapter 91

Empire Swordsmanship.

The official name is the Imperial Knights’ Standard Swordsmanship.

It’s a defensive and counter-focused swordsmanship that utilizes every part of a two-handed longsword to deflect, entangle, and target the enemy’s vital points.

If you fight without knowing it, you’ll just get wrecked by its intricate techniques.

If we’re talking purely about sword duels, it’s no exaggeration to say there’s no more efficient swordsmanship than this.

The problem is, Empire Swordsmanship is fundamentally designed for human combat, so its effectiveness drops as the gap in physical ability widens.

It’s almost useless against enemies whose attack patterns are completely different from humans.

Plus, if a longsword isn’t the right weapon for you, you can’t even use it properly.

That’s why knights who’ve surpassed a certain level use Empire Swordsmanship as a foundation and then create their own unique fighting styles.

They either mix in other weapons for unconventional methods or adapt the core principles of swordsmanship to suit themselves.

I did the same.

With enough strength and speed, I didn’t need to use both hands, so I switched to one-handed swordsmanship and made it more aggressive.

As for Leonor… she chose to maximize precision.

To the point where she could deflect even a strike from someone stronger than her.

—-

*Swish!*

A sound like rough pages being rubbed together.

It was a strange sound for swords clashing, even if they were wooden swords.

A lightly swung strike glides smoothly.

Even if it were a real sword cutting through water, the recoil would be stronger than this.

“Hah!”

Leonor let out a short shout and thrust her sword.

I blocked the incoming wooden sword with the flat of my blade.

At that moment, the tip of Leonor’s sword wriggled like a snake, slipping past the flat and piercing toward me again.

Her skill is truly impressive.

In that aspect, she might even be better than me.

She smirked.

Not a smug smile of assured victory, though.

Well, it’s a meaningless attack anyway.

I violently twisted the flat of my blade.

With overwhelming strength and speed, Leonor’s body was yanked along.

Leonor, who had caught her balance by bracing against the ground, adjusted her grip on the wooden sword.

“Your strength is still ridiculous. You’re barely even using your Aura.”

She was right.

There was a gap in physical ability between us that couldn’t be bridged by skill alone.

Even before awakening my Aura, my body was already beyond that of a master.

Unless I was completely ignorant of swordsmanship, I’ve already mastered the core principles of Empire Swordsmanship.

Timing and countering were simple for me.

“Well, if I went all out, I’d accidentally become a royal assassin.”

“Then I have no choice but to try harder!”

Leonor charged again, a wide smile on her face.

She seemed to genuinely enjoy this moment of swinging her sword.

She must’ve been testing me earlier because her speed was twice as fast now.

At this level, she’s probably on par with Freide. Still, she’s no match for me.

Since there’s not much I can teach her technically, at least I can give her experience fighting against overwhelming strength.

I raised my intensity slightly.

The wooden sword I swung left a faint afterimage, emitting a threatening sound.

The clashing sounds started to grow heavier.

“Haaaah!”

“Pretty fast, but still lacking in strength.”

I swung my sword horizontally.

My wooden sword, aimed at her waist, left a brown afterimage as it struck.

It looked like it could’ve cut her torso in half.

“Ugh…!”

Leonor hastily twisted her body and sword to deflect it.

With a harsh grinding sound, the tip of the sword aimed at her waist was redirected into the air.

Her body slid backward.

Smoke rose from the sword.

The area that had made contact was blackened as if scorched by friction heat.

Her deflection skill is an art.

Even if she couldn’t withstand the force and was pushed back.

I charged at Leonor.

If you’re going to enjoy it, do it properly. Right?

“Ha, that’s it! That’s how you should come at me!”

Leonor also charged at me.

The swords danced.

Clashing without bouncing off, endlessly grinding against each other.

A faint flame rose from the overheated blades.

“Hah!”

I grabbed her leg as she aimed for my waist and threw her.

Leonor flipped in midair and landed.

“You’re really amazing—”

“Keep that up and you’ll die.”

Leonor, who was about to stand, hastily ducked.

The tip of my sword, which I thrust in pursuit, pierced the air where her head had been.

The wind pressure from the strike made her hair flutter.

If she hadn’t ducked, there’d be a hole in her face.

Though I was planning to stop just before.

I lightly kicked her.

“Hah!”

Leonor, deflecting to the side, swung her sword again.

Her reaction speed isn’t bad either.

I knocked Leonor’s wooden sword away with my left arm.

I turned my head to avoid the foot aiming for my chin and rammed her with my shoulder.

“Ugh…!”

“Ugh”? What an undignified scream.

Leonor rolled across the floor.

Though I should praise her for not dropping her sword even then.

It really hit me how I’ve crossed the threshold of a master.

Even without infusing my strikes with Aura, my overall attack power has noticeably increased.

In the past, I would’ve had to fight with much more focus.

“Ow… that hurt quite a bit.”

Leonor stood up, slightly unsteady.

Her brow was slightly furrowed from the pain, but the smile on her lips remained.

Her cheeks were even flushed.

Her rough breathing, rosy cheeks, and the sweat dripping down made her look… quite stunning.

Even her shoulders shook with each exhale, causing what was below her collarbone to sway as well.

Yeah, that’s an advantage too.

If my opponent were a man, their focus would definitely waver, and they’d lose their sharpness.

After all, there were players who liked Isabella just because she was beautiful.

Even after seeing what happened to the heroines who were invited to the Imperial Palace without knowing anything.

The looks of horror on the faces of beginners who thought it was just a simple harem-raising game when they got hit with a backstab full of malice are still vivid in my mind.

And all that under the guise of praising talented individuals…

Since it’s an invitation with a purpose, it’s no wonder that the heroines I worked so hard to raise are the ones being called.

I got hit too.

Oops, my thoughts wandered off. I need to focus on the fight first.

I shook my head slightly and looked at Leonor again.

“How about it, are you going to keep going?”

“Of course! This is too much fun!”

Leonor laughed heartily.

Gripping her half-burnt wooden sword, she charged at me again.

Yeah, that’s more like it.

I really like her personality.

If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have bothered with this annoying task.

I raised my sword again.

With that much determination, I guess I can beat her up a little more?

—

I changed my tactics.

To a way that would clearly work on Leonor.

Since this is supposed to be a training match, I should at least get something out of it.

The sound of clashing echoed. Relentlessly, at a very fast pace.

Leonor’s swordplay became frantic.

Her wooden sword danced wildly.

“Ughhh!”

“Looks tough? You’re great at deflecting, but this is how you counter it.”

A series of intense strikes rained down.

Not heavy, powerful swings, but quick, short strikes focused on speed.

Like tap dancing.

If she tried to deflect my strikes, I’d pull back without hesitation and strike again immediately.

Light attacks with no real force behind them. Each strike flowed seamlessly.

Each strike was weak, but… if it hits, it still hurts.

Unless you’re wearing armor.

The relentless barrage gradually broke through Leonor’s defense.

Like water dripping through a rock.

The impacts she couldn’t deflect accumulated on her wooden sword, splintering it.

I didn’t give her a chance to counter.

Finally, the wooden sword broke through her defense and reached her.

The cheerful sound of strikes mixed with the sound of meat being pounded.

A bit irreverent, perhaps?

Leonor’s body began to stagger.

I didn’t put much force into it, so her body wouldn’t break, but it still hurt.

Her waist, shoulder, left arm, thigh.

Each spot hit by the wooden sword left deep bruises.

Her arm might be broken. I felt something snap at the tip of my fingers.

“Ahhh!”

Leonor gritted her teeth and groaned. Her lips were still curled up.

…Does she actually like getting hit? Nah.

Maybe I should knock her down once.

I suddenly extended my left hand.

The moment my fingertips touched Leonor’s sword hilt, the wooden sword shattered helplessly.

The follow-up strike hit Leonor’s lower abdomen.

“Ugh…!”

With a scream, Leonor flew back and crashed into the wall of the training ground.

She coughed violently as she lay sprawled on the ground.

Her organs should be fine.

It was just a pushing strike, not meant to break anything.

If I had aimed with my fingertips, I would’ve pierced through her organs.

“Haah… haah…!”

Leonor wiped her mouth with her forearm and stood up.

Her staggering form clearly showed exhaustion.

“Looks like this is it. You’re at your limit too, and if we keep going, it’ll get bloody.”

Her left arm was completely broken, and there were signs of muscle tears and deep bruises all over her body.

If this were a duel, maybe, but this is just a friendly match. It’s time to stop.

“Ugh…! It’s definitely too much to go further, but I’m still a bit disappointed. I wanted to see the full power of a master, but I guess I’m not strong enough yet.”

“Full power? Hmm… well, since it’s the last one, I guess it’s fine. Come at me.”

I wanted to try it out seriously too.

“Oh, you’re going to show me something? I knew it, I like your straightforward personality!”

Leonor was thrilled.

She discarded the broken wooden sword, picked up a new one, and charged at me.

A full-power thrust.

Since it was the final strike, she didn’t even consider defense.

As I watched her, I looked deep within myself.

At the blue glow nestled deep in my mind.

The awakened power seeped through my entire body.

*And then, time slowed down.*

My nerves burned, and my senses transcended human limits.

A transcendent power filled my body.

Everything moved like a turtle.

The world seemed as fragile as a bubble.

As if it would shatter into pieces with just a step.

I laid my sword horizontally and slowly brought it to my shoulder.

It felt like moving through water, with a strange resistance.

And then I swung.

At Leonor’s wooden sword, which was slowly approaching in slow motion.

The tip of my sword passed through her wooden sword like a phantom.

I swung again. And again. Repeatedly. Endlessly.

After about five strikes, everything returned to normal.

– BOOM!

A deafening roar echoed.

Flames shot up, and the air exploded like a bomb.

Leonor, blown away by the shockwave, tumbled on the ground.

I didn’t even think to check on her, just replaying the scene I had just witnessed.

What was that?

It was a truly bizarre sensation, as if I had stepped out of the flow of the world.

Looking down at my hand, there was nothing left.

Except for the shattered fragments.

Is this my full power? It’s an absurd amount of strength.

A sense of exhaustion weighed down my entire body.