Nine swords floating in the air.
Each one was forged from my master’s aura, and none of them could be taken lightly. They each carried a potentially fatal strike.
A head-on fight is simply out of the question! In that case…
Thinking I needed to disrupt the trajectory of the swords as much as possible, I twisted my body diagonally and began circling around my master.
Shweeeek—!
Shhhk—!
“Hup!”
Chang! Clang! Chang-chang!!
The swords relentlessly tracked me, as if guided by some homing system. While parrying them, I kept searching for an opening to strike back.
“……”
My master looked on with a blank expression as he controlled the aura swords with his hand. He didn’t appear to have a single gap in his defenses.
It was so like him. He was utterly composed, even while facing his own disciple, taking every possible precaution as if he could counter any attack.
If I could, I’d have loved to unleash a barrage of aura swords myself. But with my current level, I could barely coat the sword in my hand with aura, let alone release it externally.
I had tried emulating that technique a few times, admiring it from afar, but maintaining a mass of aura outside the body and launching it as an attack was no easy feat.
It was like juggling with one hand, twirling a pen with the other, tap-dancing with your feet, and spinning a hula hoop all at once.
It was something far beyond what human cognition should be capable of. How that man managed it wasn’t just admirable…it was terrifying.
To make things worse, each of those aura swords used different sword techniques. Let your guard down for even a second, and you’d be struck.
I can’t match his strength. Not his technique. Not his tactics or strategy either…
But there is one thing.
Only one thing where, at my current level, I might surpass him.
Fweeeeeng—!!!
“……!”
As I suddenly accelerated, my master’s once relaxed grip tightened, and I let out a faint smile as I began channeling even more aura into my legs.
My body blurred, nearly flashing like a bolt of light, and my master recalled the aura swords to defend his immediate surroundings.
– The other things… they’re hardly worthy of being called Lord. But your legs, at least, are quite impressive.
Here I come, Master.
[Noctus Style: Second Form]
[Thunderclap Slash]
Twisting my running feet sharply, I launched myself toward his back. Without missing the briefest of openings, I swung my sword.
Claaaang—!
“……”
“Knew it… you blocked it after all…”
But my master, having sharpened his senses, immediately noticed me approaching from behind and blocked the lightning-fast strike in an instant.
However—
Fwaaash—!
“?!”
In a flash, I shot away from him and launched another strike from the opposite direction.
Claaang—!
Fwaaash—!
Claaang—!
Fwaaash—!
Claaang—!
Fwaaash—!
From the 2 o’clock direction, then 5 o’clock.
Next from 8 o’clock, and again from 12 o’clock.
With strikes coming in rapid succession from all directions at speeds too fast to track by eye, even my master would have taken a hit if it weren’t for the aura swords protecting him.
Because I had to explode forward at extreme speeds while looking for any openings, the strain on my legs was enormous. But I pushed myself with every ounce of strength I had. This was the best chance to land a hit on him.
Tat-tat!
“Hmph!”
Perhaps thinking this was going to get troublesome, my master began rotating the aura swords around himself like propellers, signaling that he wouldn’t allow me to get close.
Sorry, but this time it’s different!
Just before clashing with the spinning blades, I pulled my sword in and dodged the flying attacks.
My sudden change in pattern drew a flicker of surprise from my master and his reaction told me everything. This technique had worked.
[Noctus Style: Fourth Form]
[Sound of Thunder]
After deliberately dodging my master’s sword, I brought my palm that was covered in aura to the flat of my blade and struck it hard to produce a massive roar.
Rumbleeeeeeeeee—!! Boooom!!
A thunderous boom shook the entire arena, and perhaps due to the aura-infused strike, a blue flash of light exploded right before both our eyes.
That was a mistake… I only meant to create a simple flare effect, but the blast was way stronger than expected.
I had used this move to rob his senses through sound and light, but it turned out more powerful than planned. Even I was affected by it.
This technique needs some refining… I was just thinking that when I felt something shoot up my spine. I raised my sword in time to block whatever was flying at me.
Claaang—!
“Your senses have sharpened. Even with your perception disrupted, you still picked up that attack?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
But it didn’t work on my master.
No—technically, it did, but he saw through it and countered.
“Still, since I’m closing my eyes, I suppose that counts as a handicap. Consider it an honor.”
The sight of him calmly responding with his eyes shut left me so drained that I almost dropped my sword. But I forced myself to hold on.
“Are you sure you’re actually human?”
“Is that any way to speak to your master?”
If master acted like a normal person, I wouldn’t say things like that.
Watching him take on the air of some supreme master straight out of a wuxia novel, I felt certain….I shouldn’t push this any further.
First, cut off his escape routes.
Shwak! Shwak!
With two swift strikes, I sealed off his left and right, leaving him no room to move.
He didn’t flinch, perhaps realizing the slashes weren’t aimed directly at him, but to me, it felt like a condescending chuckle from an untouchable being. There was no way I could enjoy that.
I have to end this in one blow… If I mess this up, I’ll seriously die!
Crackle! Krrrrrrng!!
I began channeling every last bit of aura in my body into my blade.
For some reason, I could hear thunder crackling in my ears as the aura compressed. Soon, it engulfed the sword entirely and became so heavy that I could barely lift it.
Feeling that the strike was ready, I looked toward my master. He stood poised, prepared to block it with a single sword.
His elegant stance and calm readiness gave off an air of unease, but I knew…this man wouldn’t go down from something like this. That certainty steeled my nerves.
“Here I come.”
[Noctus Style: Third Form — Revised]
[Heaven-Shattering Thunderclap]
The aura packed into the blade surged forth with a massive surge of lightning energy, blasting toward my master.
A brilliant blue bolt roared as it struck him head-on.
Booom! Rumbleeeeeeeeeee!!!!
Whether it was due to the lightning or the heat that came with it, sweat poured from me as I dropped to one knee.
I had spent every ounce of strength I had that standing was no longer an option. I just stared into the settling dust where the blow had landed.
“…Did he… do it?”
No. Seriously, who the hell said that?
I had saved that line all anxious, just for this moment. Who stole it and said it?!
I frowned and turned to glare toward the source of the sound coming from the audience seats—
“Kekeke. Even if I’m your master, to launch such an attack without hesitation… You must’ve been holding quite a grudge.”
“You son of a—”
Haa… That bastard who said my line earlier. I’m going to hunt him down and kill him.
“But still, that hurt quite a bit. It’s been a while since I felt something this electrifying. Must be the heaven technique you embedded… I’ll give it a passing grade.”
Shhk.
“Still… you’re far from ready. At this level, it’s embarrassing to even call yourself a fellow Aura Lord.”
“…Please go easy on me.”
With trembling hands, I barely managed to grab my sword from the ground. As I looked at my master’s sheathed blade raised toward me, all I could think about was how to get hit in a way that would hurt the least.
***
“……”
Standing atop the nearly 80% destroyed and scorched arena, Frezia looked down at Mas, who was being beaten with a sword sheath by Count Helios.
Having been barred from entering the finals due to the Headmaster’s strong opposition, she had come to see who would win the tournament instead. When she heard that there was a duel between two Aura Lords, her curiosity was piqued and she decided to stay and watch.
Then came the man introduced after the famously known Count Helios.
“That man…!”
Even from a distance, her superhuman physical senses immediately recognized him as a student of Amor Academy, the one who had once guided her.
Though she had met him face-to-face and even spoken with him before, she’d never imagined he was such a powerful fighter. Now, she felt a sting of shame toward her past self.
Which means… the one who saved me and Delphine was…
Though his face was hidden behind a mask, the masked man’s physique was nearly identical to Mas’s. For the first time ever, Frezia found herself intrigued by someone.
And so, the match between the two began….and just moments later.
“…Amazing.”
Before anyone realized it, even the crowd that had been cheering wildly was now silent. They were completely captivated by the two warriors and their swordsmanship that defied all logic.
Even from this distance, Frezia could feel the overwhelming pressure of Count Helios’s aura. She was left speechless by Mars’s precision as he relentlessly exploited the slightest openings with lightning-fast strikes.
Even with my dynamic vision, I almost missed a few of those. If it were me… could I block those attacks?
It wouldn’t be impossible. But after a quick calculation, she concluded that if time went on, she would inevitably lose. Just then, a tingling sensation ran across the back of her hand, and her body flinched involuntarily.
“Lightning…?”
Along with it, Mars Noctus launched a full-powered strike at the Count.
A brilliant blue flash blinded the eye, and the stage was half-destroyed, once again emphasizing the sheer power behind Mars’s recent blow.
She knew that because it was a duel between Aura Lords, multiple layers of protective magic had been set up around the arena. Yet seeing that very barrier now on the verge of collapse showed just how far beyond normal this was.
“Ah. He’s down.”
Mars, seemingly drained, dropped to one knee….that much Frezia could see clearly.
But when she saw his dumbfounded face turn into a half-laugh as Count Helios calmly emerged from the cloud of dust, she couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.
He looked like a puppy whose treat had been stolen by its owner. The world was utterly crumbling in his eyes. That betrayed expression of despair broke her composure for a moment and made her laugh.
His clothes were torn, black scorch marks seared into his skin, but the Count walked out unscathed and approached the exhausted Mars. Then, declaring it part of his training, he began smacking him around in every direction.
“Argh!! Please, have mercy!! You said you were being serious!! I gave it everything I had…is this how you repay me?!”
“Since my student gave it his all, shouldn’t the master respond in kind? Hoho!”
“You’re mad I hit you with all I had, aren’t you?! Agh—my bones! That’s my bones you’re hitting!!”
“What good is speed alone? You lack strength, and you lack technique. Now, come on…block it already.”
Hmmm… this is fun.
Watching Mars, teary-eyed and getting smacked around like it was raining fists on a dusty day, Frezia recalled a certain thought that would probably make the Headmaster of Bellum Academy faint in horror.
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