Ah, this is fun.
Having wandered the battlefield herself, she had heard every insult, from curses about her parents to those too vulgar to repeat, but this was a kind she had never heard before in her life.
To have her peopleâs blood treated with such contempt in words like this was truly something new.
More than anything, Ayada was a knight and loved her skin.
She was proud of being Eastern.
"...What?"
Ayada tilted her head in confusion.
"It stinks.
Go take a bath."
Ragna was just doing as he had been taught.
Enkrid had always been good at targeting his opponent's weaknesses.
Especially when it came to provoking them, Enkrid was undoubtedly the best on the continent.
Though he wasnât his direct disciple, Ragna had learned a lot from him over the years.
"...Did you just say I smell?"
Ayada was a knight, and also a woman.
The brown shit and the smellâit was a series of words that grated on her.
But what really bothered her was how calmly Ragna had said it, as if it were true and factual, without the slightest hint of emotion.
That irritated her even more.
"No.
It doesn't stink.
It smells nice.
Like flowers."
The squire quickly chimed in, but it was already too late.
Ayadaâs face hardened.
Her teeth clenched.
Her jaw muscles tensed, revealing the strain across her face.
"Shit, bastard?"
Ayada was angry, but she didnât lose her composure entirely.
She had a lot to uphold.
She converted her fury into power.
She was going to kill him.
"Iâll cut your tongue out."
Ayada unsheathed her sword.
Ting.
Two swords, one short and one long, both in her hands.
The sword in her left hand was closer to a regular longsword, while the one in her right hand was shorter.
"You better not, orâ"
The squire hesitated, then pulled out his weapon as well.
Swish!
Ragna could tell from the sound of the sword being drawn that his opponent held a longsword.
At the same time, his eyes scanned Ayadaâs weapon.
From behind, the squire subtly pressured him.
He pointed his sword and closed the distance.
Ragna was now faced with enemies both in front and behind.
How should he deal with this?
His front and back were blocked.
The engagement started with Ayada.
With a swift move, she closed the distance.
A rapid thrust came next.
Ragna raised his sword to block it.
Thud!
The enemyâs attack was just a feint.
The real strike came from behind.
The squireâs sword fell from above, heading straight for the back of Ragnaâs head.
His trained senses immediately woke him up.
Ragna bent his knees and thrust his sword upward.
The longsword style relies on strength.
Naturally, Ragna knew how to put real power behind his strike.
Even with this short movement, the impact was enough to send a jolt.
The squire didnât finish his downward strike.
He had only intended to make it look good before retreating.
Ragna thrust his sword upward and immediately spun his body to the side.
From the spot he had just vacated, Ayadaâs sword shot up in a violent upward cut.
It was a quick strike, like a bird snatching a fish out of the air.
Swish!
The sound of the blade cutting the air was chilling.
It was a fast, no-hesitation attack.
"My name is Ayada, the fragrant Ayada of the Royal Knight Order of Azpen."
Ayada introduced herself, creating her own nickname, then charged forward.
Ragna sensed another deadly strike coming from behind.
Even without seeing it, he felt the air shift and the murderous intent.
His front and back were locked down.
âInhale.â
Ragna spun his sword in a circle.
If he couldnât block it, then he would deflect it.
His sword, longer and larger than a typical blade, traced a spiraling arc.
The trajectory was faster than usual.
In that arc, the squireâs sword and Ayadaâs sword both met.
Clang!
This time, only Ayadaâs sword met his.
In battle situations, Ragna was quicker than anyone at assessing the circumstances.
âBackwards, counterattack.â
That was his plan, one that incorporated âWillâ into his counter.
Though the squire was a knight-in-training, someone like him had the strength to overpower.
Their intent and will carried them through the actual attack.
After that, a phantom blade shot toward him.
There was no way to dodge it.
Distinguishing between real and false was difficult.
If he relaxed for even a second, it would slice him.
It was a phantom blade, but it had the potential to cut through flesh and bone at any moment.
Ayadaâs swordplay was brilliant.
It was fast, yet it carried weight.
It was a style somewhere between the longsword and the quick sword techniques.
It looked like it had been honed through years of training.
She seemed to have inherited a swordsmanship lineage.
But above all, their attacks were perfectly synchronized.
It was a crisis.
An imminent, dangerous crisisâif he misstepped, he could die in an instant.
But it was in this very crisis that Ragna found satisfaction.
Hadnât he been waiting for a moment like this, when his inner voice would push him forward?
This situation filled him with a profound sense of fulfillment.
"Youâre smiling?"
Ayada saw the expression on his face and opened her mouth in disbelief.
The emotions on his face were more disturbing than the swing of his sword.
Ayada, dumbfounded, let out a small laugh.
But Ragna smiled genuinely.
He was enjoying this moment.
"Do you scream in joy when youâre stabbed with a sword?"
Ayada asked, incredulously.
Ragna quietly relished the moment.
A crisis was both a trigger and an opportunity.
In this moment, all he had to do was leap forward to what came next.
Ragna realized this was the moment he had been waiting for.
He needed a trigger.
"Shut your mouth.
It stinks."
In the middle of it, he used the sword technique that Enkrid had taught himâa cut of the tongue.
"Yeah, yeah, Iâll kill you.
Iâll make sure to grind you to pieces."
Ayadaâs sword moved again.
The blade swished through the air, leaving afterimages.
It was a different style of quick sword compared to Lykanosâs.
Ragna realized his earlier mistake.
It wasnât just a combination of longsword and quick sword techniques.
âItâs mixed with phantom blades.â
It was an overall well-executed swordsmanship.
And it was all the more appealing to him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ayadaâs sword was blocked countless times.
Thud!
He blocked a strike coming from behind.
He found an opening and countered.
Clang!
Thud!
Swish!
At times, the clash of steel created sparks.
Swish!
He pushed off the ground with his feet, his body never stopping its movement.
No, he had to keep moving.
If he stopped to catch his breath, heâd be hit with a sword.
So he minimized his breaks to the absolute minimum.
He endured.
"Ha!"
A battle cry came from behind.
The moment he sensed the attack coming with undeniable momentum, Ragna reacted.
He held his sword vertically and spun to block.
Bang!
The largest noise erupted after their clash.
It was the squireâs strike that he had blocked.
The squire had a mix of phantom blade and longsword techniques.
He had to lift himself after the block, but the shock hadnât dissipated properly.
His knee throbbed.
After that, Ayadaâs sword dropped again from above.
It was a swift overhead strike, like a bird diving to catch its prey.
Ragna didnât have time to lift his sword; instead, he twisted his body.
The blade scraped across his shoulder.
Blood spurted into the air.
Despite the armor, his shoulder was cut.
Ayadaâs blade was no ordinary sword.
Its cutting power was exceptional.
With that, Ragna swung his sword.
His sword, about half the length of a typical longsword, whipped through the air like a whip, cutting the front with the speed of light.
Bang!
The sound of thunder erupted from the swing.
Ayada didnât block; she dodged.
She knew.
This wasnât the kind of attack that could be blocked.
Her eyes, sharper than most, could see it all.
"Ha."
Ragna, taking a small breath after the brief pause, knew what he had to do.
Having unleashed everything he had learned, a stab found its mark on his thigh, and his left shoulder had been nicked.
His resolve remained strong.
Despite everything, Ragna didnât retreat.
He never considered the possibility of losing.
Instead, he was consumed with the thought of drawing closer to something he couldnât quite grasp.
And it wasnât a delusion.
Ragna had a wall before him, one that only he could perceive, and now he had found the trigger.
"Ah, this is fun."
Ragna muttered as the battle continued.
"You crazy bastard!"
Ayadaâs anger flared even more.
Though Ayada was winning, she was the one who felt anxious.
It made sense.
Ayada had âWillâ on her side.
To her, Ragna was someone who, in real-time, was closing in on her.
âMonster bastard!â
Ayada could feel the changes in Ragnaâs sword.
She saw it.
And naturally, her anxiety grew.
"Shit."
Squire Bill spat out a curse.
He was usually calm, but when pressed, he became ferocious.
For Bill to speak such harsh words meant that something in the atmosphere had shifted.
A man who should have died long ago was still holding on.
And while he held on, his superior, the knight-in-training, made a subtle signal.
Things were turning really bad.
Billâs insides churned.
Ayada was in a similar state.
âWhat the hell is this guy?â
The two swords in Ayada's hands moved faster.
In an instant, it felt as though she had four arms, fooling her opponentâs eyes.
The illusion created by speed.
Ragnaâs eyes followed it.
Thud!
He couldnât block everything, so one strike landed on his abdomen.
But it wasnât a clean hit.
The thrust only partially connected.
The enemy staggered back, twisting his body to avoid a fatal blow.
âHeâs retreating while taking a hit?â
As Ragna twisted his body, he extended his sword.
Ayada couldnât continue her follow-up attack.
Her opponentâs intentions were clearâwhy let herself get caught by the enemy's fangs?
She, too, pulled back.
The strike aimed at exploiting an opening only grazed the skin.
Squire Bill shifted his position again, trying to regain his stance.
While Ayada briefly pulled back, Ragna wobbled a few times.
It wasnât a feint to deceive someone.
It was simply a result of trying to absorb the last blow.
Ayadaâs body instinctively reacted.
She saw the opening in her opponent.
Her eyes locked onto it.
Squire Bill adjusted his grip on his sword.
âThis time, Iâll end it.â
Thatâs how it had to be.
It had to be.
A foreboding sensation flowed through Ayadaâs body.
She felt that if she didnât kill him now, she never would.
What the hell was happening?
âIs he getting better as he fights?â
It didnât make sense.
What kind of talent could do this?
Right before Ayada and Squire Bill charged forward, Ragna realized.
âSo this is it.â
It had been a short fight, but in Ragnaâs mind, it felt long.
He reflected on the battles he had fought up until now.
He recalled the sword he had wielded.
Since he was young, Ragna had always seen where his sword should go once he took it in his hand.
He knew exactly where to swing his sword.
It wasnât something he could explain.
He just swung it as he saw it, and his enemies either died or were wounded.
This was the natural instinct of Ragna, a genius.
But now, between Ayada and Squire Bill, the path was cut off.
It didnât continue.
He was forcing his way through the broken path, holding on.
And then, it dawned on him.
He realized that until now, he had only walked the path that had been given to him.
He had just followed the path shown by his talent.
That was a passive and defensive posture.
So what was the opposite of that?
âWith the sword I wield.â
He carved out a new path.
The swords Ayada wielded began two separate arcs in the air.
At the same time, a thunderous pressure came from behind.
Between these two skilled warriors, Ragna didnât connect the broken paths.
Instead, he walked a new road.
Crunch.
His arm muscles reacted, his whole body tensed, and his heart thudded.
Boom!
Ragnaâs body moved in sync with his heartbeat.
To carve a new path, the first step must be taken.
And Ragna did just that.
He blocked Ayadaâs first sword with his right forearm.
Thud!
He powered through, pushing his muscles and absorbing the blow.
Then, a short blade came up from below, aiming at his abdomen.
He lifted his knee and struck the enemy's hand holding the sword, deflecting it.
Plick!
The blade grazed his side, but it slid down his back.
At the same time, he used his knee.
Ragna gripped the sword in his left hand and spun his body.
Ragna was also a human with superhuman strength.
The longsword technique required strength training.
Ayadaâs sword lodged itself into his forearm.
Ragna pivoted on his right foot, swinging his left hand backward.
It was a backslash.
âBend.â
He poured âWill of Severanceâ into the strike.
Whoosh.
The sword cut through the air, making a sound that was sharp and powerful.
Before Squire Billâs sword could land from behind, Ragnaâs strike, which had absorbed the sound, met Billâs torso.
Clang!
Wham!
The body split in half mid-air.
Blood and guts spilled out.
Billâs sword was just about to touch Ragna's shoulder when it hit.
With the last of its force, his blade struck Ragnaâs shoulder.
Thud, a short impact sound rang as the shock rippled through Ragnaâs body, but it didnât matter.
The path he had carved was still open.
Thud!
With his right arm, he blocked the sword and pinned the sword-wielding hand with his knee, then spun to cut through his opponentâs torso.
The blade that had met Ayadaâs shoulder soon found its mark.
Ragnaâs forehead collided with Ayadaâs helmet.
Thanks to the face guard of Ayadaâs helmet, Ragnaâs forehead was split open, and blood poured out.
It didnât matter.
Thud!
Ayada struggled, yanking her sword out of Squire Billâs corpse.
Ragna relaxed, letting her do as she wished.
He quickly pulled his left hand up and positioned it.
The sword that had split Squire Bill sank downward.
Ayadaâs eyes darkened.
âCrazy.â
For a moment, the opponent in front of her showed abilities that were similar to her own.
It was like the Will that shone in his eyes.
He had found the best moves in every battle.
Ayada crossed her swords, but Ragnaâs fallen sword was heavy.
Bang!
An explosive sound erupted where their swords met.
Crack!
"Ugh!"
Ayadaâs arms shattered.
Thus, the outcome of the fight was decided.
"Ah."
Ragna, bleeding from his right arm and shoulder, let out a short exclamation.
He staggered, as though about to fall.
He slowly shook his head from side to side, trying to steady himself and catch his breath.
He was still half-leaning, indicating just how exhausted he was.
In that state, Ragna spoke.
"Thank you."
It was heartfelt.
Ayada realized that her opponent was truly insane.
"You, you, thisâŠ"
This isnât over.
Do you think Iâm alone?
I didnât come here alone.
But she didnât finish her sentence.
Instead, Ragnaâs sword hit Ayadaâs helmet with precision.
Bang!
The helmet was crushed, and Ayadaâs skull shattered.
Thus, one knight-in-training from the Royal Knight Order of Azpen was killed.
***
Enkrid didnât think this was the end.
Even as he cut through the dust and followed the path, he was preparing for what might come.
Just moments ago, a rope had flown at him, almost trapping him.
It had been futile.
The technique of isolation, making oneself appear larger.
With a swift motion of his muscles, he expanded them and spread his arms wide, using the Heart of Might.
Crack.
As soon as he was grabbed, the rope scraped his skin and snapped.
Afterward, the frequency of arrows coming at him decreased, but he still wasnât letting his guard down.
Just because he could repeat today doesnât mean he would slack off now.
If he didnât give his best, what would become of him?
He would stop being Enkrid.
So he gave it his all.
The footsteps of the soldiers pursuing him grew fainter.
But he still didnât let his guard down.
âUntil the end.â
He kept moving forward.
Whether he found his allies or discovered some signal, he was looking for changeâno, he was chasing it.
Six quarrels had lodged in his back.
Heâd been stabbed in the thigh.
But that wasnât all.
His right boot had been torn off, and he even took a stone to the forehead.
He had bled quite a bit.
The half-dried blood on his forehead began to spill again with the violent movements.
Every muscle in his body was trembling.
He had already reached his limit.
Did it matter?
No, it didnât.
So, Enkrid kept running.
He believed this wasnât the end.
Because letting his guard down was out of the question.
He ran and ran.
Suddenly, a four-legged beast lunged from ahead.
Enkrid took a defensive stance.
He dropped his sword in his right hand and thrust with the one in his left.
A quick response followed.
Along with the beast, a man with a long sword was charging in.
Enkrid instinctively tried to draw his sword but stopped.
The man spoke.
"Letâs save the duel for later.
Iâve sprained my arm."
It was Ragna.
Clang.
Beside him stood Lake Panther, Esther.
They had broken out of the encirclement.
Enkrid couldnât tell when that had happened.
And frankly, he didnât need to know.
He wasnât thinking about stopping until he either died or escaped.
He had no intention of halting.