Ah, how amusing.
She had wandered the battlefield herself and had heard all kinds of insults, from curses about her parents to ones that were difficult to even repeat. However, this was a kind of insult she had never encountered before in her life.
It was the first time anyone had treated the blood of her people with such contemptuous words.
More than anything, Aya was of Knight Order and loved her skin.
She was proud of being an Easterner.
"...What?"
Aya's head tilted slightly.
"You smell. Go wash yourself."
Ragna was merely doing what he had been taught.
Encrid always exploited his opponent's weaknesses well.
Especially when it came to provoking the other party, Encrid could easily be considered the best on the continent.
Even if Ragna wasn't his top disciple, he had certainly learned a lot over the years.
"...Did that thing just say I smell?"
Aya was a Knight, but she was also a woman.
Words like 'filth' and 'stink' were a sequence of deeply offending terms.
To make it worse, he said it with such a calm expression, as if it were the absolute truth.
That made it even more infuriating.
"No, you don't smell. You smell fragrant. Like flowers."
The Squire quickly spoke up, but it was too late to recover the situation.
Aya's face hardened.
She clenched her teeth.
The muscles in her jaw tensed and became visibly pronounced.
"You little bastard."
Even though Aya was angry, she didn't lose her entire composure.
She had a reputation to maintain, after all.
She channeled her anger into strength.
I'll kill him for sure.
"I'll cut your tongue out first."
Aya drew her sword.
Ting.
In both hands, she held two swords: one long, one short.
The sword in her left hand was close to a regular longsword, while the one in her right was shorter.
"You won't die nicely. No, never mind."
The Squire, who had been about to say something from behind, stopped and drew his own weapon.
Srrrrng!
From the sound of the sword being drawn behind him, Ragna could tell it was a longsword.
At the same time, his eyes quickly scanned the weapons in Aya's hands.
From behind, the Squire applied subtle pressure, closing the distance with his sword aimed at Ragna.
Now he was caught between enemies at both front and back.
"Did you really think this would be a fair duel? Watch your back, idiot."
There was a sharpness in Aya's words, likely due to her anger.
Ragna took her advice to heart.
He planned to be cautious.
The Squire shifted his footing.
Sssk.
He dragged his feet across the ground as he moved to a new position.
Ragna matched his steps, moving several paces himself.
In front was Aya, and behind was the Squire who had been fleeing earlier.
How should he deal with them?
He was cornered.
It would begin with Aya.
With a swift movement, the distance closed.
A lightning-fast thrust followed.
Ragna raised his sword to block it.
Clang!
The opponent's attack was only a feint.
The real strike came from behind.
The Squire's sword was coming down from above, aimed at the back of Ragna's head.
Ragna's honed instincts awakened his entire body.
He bent his knees and thrust his raised sword upward.
The Middle Sword Technique was based on strength.
Naturally, Ragna knew how to properly apply force.
Even with such a short motion, he could deliver a powerful impact.
The Squire didn't bring his sword down all the way.
He showed intent but quickly retreated.
As soon as Ragna thrust his sword upward, he threw his body to the side.
Aya's sword surged upward from where he had just been standing.
It was a terrifyingly fast upward slash.
Whoosh!
The sound of the sword cutting through the air was menacing.
It was a quick and decisive attack, with no hesitation.
"My name is Aya, Aya the Fragrant of the Royal Knights."
Aya introduced herself with her self-made nickname as she charged forward.
Ragna once again sensed the incoming strike from behind.
Even without seeing it, he could feel the air ripple and the killing intent.
There was no way to block from both directions.
'Huff.'
Ragna swung his sword.
If he couldn't block it, he would simply strike it away.
His sword, larger and longer than a regular blade, traced a spiral path through the air.
His sword sliced through the air twice as fast as usual.
Both the Squire's and Aya's swords were caught in that trajectory.
Clang!
Once again, only Aya's sword made contact.
If there was one thing Ragna excelled at, it was reading battle situations faster than anyone else.
'The Squire is using Illusionary Sword Techniques.'
And quite a high-level Illusion Technique, almost close to 'Will'.
Though called a Squire, this opponent had skills surpassing many Junior-Knights.
They executed their attacks with full intent and determination until just before the actual strike.
A phantom blade then followed in its wake.
Detecting it and dodging was nearly impossible.
It was hard to distinguish between what was real and what was fake.
Any slight hesitation, and the blade could very well become real.
Though it was an illusionary sword, behind it always lay a real blade, waiting to cut flesh and bone.
Aya's swordsmanship was dazzling.
It emphasized speed but also carried weight behind it.
It was somewhere between the Middle Sword Technique and the Swift Sword Technique.
It was evident that she had been properly trained.
She appeared to have inherited a respected lineage of swordsmanship.
More than anything, their teamwork was impeccable.
It was a crisis.
An extreme crisis—one misstep, and he could fall and die instantly.
But because it was such a crisis, Ragna was satisfied.
Hadn't he been waiting for a moment like this, listening to the voice inside himself?
The current situation filled him with immense satisfaction.
"Are you... smiling?"
Aya noticed Ragna's face and opened her mouth in disbelief.
More unsettling than swinging a sword was the expression her opponent's face was creating.
Aya, baffled, let out a small laugh.
On the contrary, Ragna was genuinely smiling.
A broad grin spread across his face.
He savored the moment.
"Do you scream in pleasure when you get stabbed or something?"
Aya asked in disbelief.
Ragna silently enjoyed it. After all, a crisis is both a turning point and an opportunity.
It was simply a matter of overcoming this moment to reach the next.
Ragna realized that this was the moment he had been waiting for.
He needed this turning point.
"Shut your mouth. You stink."
He said, using one of the verbal daggers he'd learned from Encrid.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll kill you. I'll slice you up into tiny pieces and kill you."
Aya responded as her sword moved again.
Her sword cut left and right, leaving afterimages.
It was a Quick Sword Technique, different from Laikanos's style.
Ragna realized he'd been mistaken.
It wasn't a mix of the Middle Sword Technique and the Swift Sword Technique.
'There's illusionary swordsmanship mixed in as well.'
This meant her swordsmanship was highly refined.
And that made him like it even more.
Clang!
Aya's sword strikes were blocked countless times.
Clang!
He blocked the strike coming from behind.
He saw an opening and struck back.
Clang! Clang!
Sometimes, sparks flew as steel met steel.
Thud!
He pushed off the ground with his feet, moving constantly.
No, he had to move.
If he paused, he would be struck by a blade.
So, even catching his breath was something he had to minimize.
He endured.
"Hya!"
He heard a shout from behind.
Sensing an attack flying in with undeniable momentum, Ragna reacted.
He raised his sword vertically and turned his body to block it.
Crash!
It was the loudest sound since the fight began.
He had blocked the Squire's heavy blow.
The Squire wasn't just using Illusionary Techniques, he also wielded powerful strikes from the Middle Sword Technique.
Ragna should have jumped to absorb the impact, but he hadn't fully neutralized the force.
His knee throbbed.
Right after, Aya's sword came down from above, aimed at his head.
It was a sharp, precise downward slash, like a swift bird diving for a fish.
There was no time to raise his sword, so he twisted his body.
Pssh! Pshhh!
Aya's blade grazed Ragna's shoulder.
Blood spurted into the air.
Though his armor wasn't weak, it was sliced through.
Aya's sword was no ordinary weapon—it had extraordinary cutting power.
Despite the wound, Ragna swung his sword.
His longer-than-average blade whipped through the air, tearing forward like a beam of light.
Boom!
A thunderous sound erupted from the swinging sword.
Aya didn't block it. She dodged.
She knew as well as he did.
That was the kind of attack you didn't block.
Her eyes were a bit special, allowing her to see everything clearly.
"Huff."
Ragna took a brief moment to catch his breath.
Having unleashed everything he had learned, he now had a stab wound behind his thigh and a deep cut on his left shoulder.
'Open your eyes... I'm at a disadvantage.'
Even so, Ragna did not retreat.
The idea of losing simply didn't exist in his mind.
All he could think about was getting closer to something just beyond his reach.
And it wasn't a delusion.
Ragna knew he was standing before a wall that only he could perceive, and he had just encountered the turning point.
"Ah, this is fun."
Ragna murmured in the middle of the fight.
"You crazy bastard!"
Aya grew even angrier.
Aya was winning, yet she was the one feeling anxious.
It was natural.
Aya had the 'will to see',
From her perspective, Ragna was catching up to both of them in real time.
'This freak!'
Aya could feel Ragna's swordsmanship evolving.
She could see it.
Naturally, her anxiety grew.
"Damn it."
The Squire, Bill, cursed.
Normally a calm person, Bill became fierce when cornered.
For him to start swearing meant that the situation was taking a strange turn.
A man who should have died long ago was still standing.
He was hanging on, and as he endured, his superior—the Junior-Knight—gave him a look.
It was clear: something was seriously going wrong.
Bill was growing desperate.
Aya felt the same.
'What the hell is this guy?'
Aya's swords moved even faster.
For a moment, it was as if she had four arms, deceiving Ragna's eyes.
It was the illusion created by her speed.
Ragna's eyes followed the movement.
Thud!
He couldn't block everything, and he took a hit to his abdomen.
But it wasn't a clean strike.
The thrust only partially landed.
Ragna twisted his body and retreated, avoiding a fatal wound.
'He's retreating while getting hit?'
As he twisted, Ragna extended his sword in a long thrust.
Aya couldn't follow up with another attack.
She saw his intent clearly—why rush into a trap and risk getting caught in his fangs?
She also stepped back.
Her perfectly aimed thrust ended up only grazing his skin.
The Squire Bill moved to regain his position.
While Aya briefly retreated, Ragna staggered a few times.
It wasn't a feint to deceive anyone.
He was genuinely struggling to recover from the previous blow.
Aya's body reacted instinctively.
A perfect opening had revealed itself.
She saw it.
Bill also adjusted his grip on his sword, preparing to strike.
'This ends now.'
It had to end.
A sense of foreboding swept over Aya's entire body.
She felt it in her bones—if they didn't kill him now, they never would.
'How was this guy—getting stronger during the fight?'
It made no sense.
What kind of talent could be like this?
Just before Aya and Bill charged at him, Ragna realized something.
'This is it.'
The fight had been both long and short, depending on how you looked at it.
Ragna reflected on his battles so far, recalling the sword he had wielded.
Since he first picked up a sword as a child, Ragna had always known where his blade should go.
In other words, he instinctively knew where to swing the sword.
It wasn't something he could explain.
Whenever he swung his sword the way he saw fit, his opponents either died or were severely injured.
Ragna was a genius, gifted with these senses.
But between this Knightess and the Squire, the path was blocked.
The path didn't continue.
He was barely holding on, forcing the broken paths together.
Then, it hit him.
Up until now, he had only followed the path laid out for him.
He had merely followed the path his talent showed him.
It was a passive, defensive stance.
So, what's the opposite of that?
'With my sword…'
He would carve his own path.
He would pioneer his own way.
The Knightess's two swords traced twin arcs.
Behind him, the Squire came down with lightning-like force.
In that moment, standing between these two skilled opponents, Ragna didn't try to connect the broken paths.
Instead, he walked a new one.
Crunch.
His arm muscles tensed, his entire body moved, and his heart pounded.
Thump!
As his heart beat loudly, Ragna's body followed its rhythm.
To create a new path, one must take the first step.
And Ragna did just that.
He blocked Aya's first sword with his right forearm.
Thud!
The blade pierced into him, but he flexed his muscles, holding it in place.
Next, a short blade came up from below, aiming for his abdomen.
He raised his knee, striking the hand holding the sword, causing the attack to miss its mark.
Whizz!
The blade grazed his side and passed behind him.
Simultaneously, Ragna grabbed his sword with his left hand and spun his body.
Ragna was also a human with superhuman strength.
The Middle Sword Technique required intensive strength training.
With Aya's sword still lodged in his forearm, Ragna pivoted on his right foot and swung his left hand backward.
It was a reverse slash.
'I will cut.'
He imbued the slash with the will of 'Severance'.
Whoosh.
The blade sliced through air and sound alike.
Before the Squire Bill's sword could land on him, Ragna's strike, which devoured the sound, reached Bill's torso first.
Clang!
Thud!
In midair, Bill's body was sliced in half.
Blood and entrails spilled out.
It happened just before his sword could make contact.
In his final moment, Bill's blade struck Ragna's shoulder with the last of his strength.
Thud!
The sound was brief, and the impact rippled through Ragna's body, but it didn't matter.
The new path Ragna had carved was still unfolding.
Crack!
Blocking with his right arm, he struck the hand holding the sword with his knee, spun around, slashed through Bill's torso, and immediately after, was hit in the shoulder by the remaining force of the sword.
Ragna then headbutted Aya's helmet.
The faceplate of Aya's helmet deflected the blow, causing Ragna's forehead to split open and blood to trickle down.
It didn't matter.
Crunch!
Aya forcibly pulled the sword lodged in Ragna's right arm free.
Ragna let go, allowing her to do as she pleased.
Meanwhile, he raised his left hand, pulling it up.
The sword that had just cut through Bill was now thrust downward.
Aya's eyes darkened.
'This... monster.'
For just a moment, her opponent displayed abilities similar to her own.
Like the will in her eyes, he found the best move in every fight.
Aya crossed her swords, but Ragna's falling blade was heavy.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rang out as their swords met.
Crack!
"Aargh!"
Aya's arms both broke.
With that, the outcome of the fight was sealed.
"Ah."
Ragna, who was bleeding profusely from his right arm, shoulder, and thigh, let out a short sigh.
He swayed as if he might collapse at any moment.
Slowly shaking his head from side to side, he struggled to steady his breath and stand upright.
Even so, his body remained tilted, exhausted.
In that state, Ragna spoke.
"Thank you."
He meant it.
Aya realized that he was truly insane.
"You, you… this isn't over…"
This wouldn't end here.
Do you know who's behind me?
She didn't come here alone.
But the words never came out.
Instead, Ragna's sword came down squarely on Aya's helmet.
Thud!
The helmet caved in, crushing Aya's skull.
And thus, one of the Junior-Knights of the Royal Knights was dead.
* * *
Encrid didn't think this was the end.
As he moved forward through the dust along the path, he prepared for what was to come.
After all, a rope had just flown through the air, attempting to ensnare him.
Of course, it had been futile.
The Isolation Technique, making the body appear larger.
With a swift motion, Encrid crouched his muscles before suddenly extending them, using the Heart of Great Strength, spreading his arms wide.
Crack!
The ropes tore apart, scraping against his skin the moment they tightened around him.
Though the frequency of incoming arrows began to decrease, he remained vigilant.
Just because he could repeat 'today's' efforts didn't mean he could afford to slack off. If he didn't give his best now, what would happen?
That wouldn't be Encrid.
So, he gave it everything he had.
The sound of the soldiers pursuing him grew more distant.
Yet, he didn't let his guard down.
'Until the very end.'
He pressed on.
Whether he found allies or came across some signal, he was pushing forward, chasing after the next move.
Six quarrels were embedded in his back.
He had taken a knife to the thigh.
That wasn't the end of it.
His right boot had been torn apart, and he had taken a thrown rock to his forehead.
He had lost a lot of blood.
The half-clotted blood on his forehead started to flow again from the intense movement.
Every fiber of his muscles trembled.
He had reached his limit long ago.
So, did it matter?
No, it didn't.
And so, Encrid kept running.
Thinking this wasn't the end.
Vigilance was crucial.
He ran, and ran again.
Suddenly, a four-legged beast jumped out in front of him.
Encrid quickly assumed a defensive stance.
He dropped the sword in his right hand and thrust with the one in his left.
His brief preparation flowed reflexively.
Alongside the beast stood a man wielding a long sword.
Instinctively, Encrid went to draw his sword but paused.
The man spoke as he noticed.
"Let's save the sparring for later. I've pulled a muscle."
It was Ragna.
Beside him stood Esther, the Lake Panther, growling softly.
Encrid had escaped the encirclement.
When exactly that had happened, Encrid didn't know.
But, in truth, it didn't matter.
You either run until you die or walk until you escape.
He simply hadn't considered stopping.
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