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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Skull Crushing
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'Divine Sword Style?'
Hearing Malick's murmur, I, flustered, immediately drew up mana and layered acceleration and enhancement spells over my body.
From the dagger Malick held, a pure white light shot up, forming a long shape.
"Soul Rend."
Why could that skeleton wield the Divine Sword Style?
That question flashed through my mind, but I had to set it aside for a moment and draw my sword first.
If what that skeleton was wielding was truly the Divine Sword Style, that secret technique wouldn't be something I could block while lost in thought.
Even so, I didn't deceive the Scales.
The reason I readily complied with Malick's demand was that I myself felt its necessity.
'I'll try this first...'
If, while exchanging blows, I felt even a hint that I might lose, I planned to deceive the Scales.
Of course, engaging in combat without deceiving the Scales and conserving durability wasn't a bad experience per se.
But I absolutely did not want to lose to that skeleton.
-Swoosh!
The pure white sword strike Malick swung flew towards me, aiming to draw a pure white line, and seeing it, I murmured and swung my sword.
"Divine Sword Style, First Form: Soul Rend."
-Boom!
Then the pure white line flying towards me and the pure white line I drew collided, making a thunderous sound.
-Swoosh!
Hearing that sound, I didn't hesitate, turned my body backward, and swung my sword.
Then a bundle of colorless sword aura flying from behind me scattered in all directions.
Turning around, I saw Malick, like me, had swung his sword behind him and was now turning his body back towards me.
'He said he was a senior, was he really?'
I realized it clearly through the exchange just now.
I don't know why, but that person knows how to wield the Divine Sword Style, just like my master.
-Click!
In the brief moment I was thinking, Malick's form vanished.
"It seems I've shown you what I needed to..."
Malick, who had somehow reached in front of me, thrust his dagger towards my solar plexus and whispered.
-Clang!
As I raised my sword to block the dagger, Malick gestured with his head towards the sleeping Randel, then curved his lips into a smile.
"Shall we go outside? Wouldn't want anyone innocent to get hurt."
And you're the one who swung a sword first?
I was about to retort, but seeing Malick's right foot flying towards my head, I couldn't and had to raise my forearm into a defensive stance.
As I blocked Malick's right foot with my forearm, the impact sent my body flying backward.
-CRACK!
A slight sharp pain shot through my back, and the scenery in my vision changed from a shabby log cabin to a forest.
"You're quite good, better than I expected."
My feet hadn't even touched the ground yet, but Malick's voice rang in my ears.
Malick, who had already leaped in front of me, was swinging the dagger in his right hand towards my wrist.
-Clang!
Reflexively, I raised the sword in my right hand to block the dagger, then spun my body in mid-air and opened my lips.
"Just keep your promise."
Then I swung the sword in my left hand diagonally.
"If you win, junior."
Malick, deflecting my sword with the dagger in his left hand, replied with a smirk.
-Thud.
Landing on the ground, I immediately pushed off and charged at Malick.
-Clang!
-Clang!
-Clang!
Malick's dagger and my sword clashed countless times, sparks flying incessantly from the spot.
How long did I keep swinging, parrying, and dodging?
-Swoosh!
The sword in my left hand suddenly cut through the air.
"Your fundamentals seem solid."
How did he get all the way over there already?
Malick, who had retreated quite a distance, put his dagger into his robe and then opened a subspace, pulling out two swords from within.
As I watched, I realized the identity of one of the two swords, and had to grit my teeth.
Because the identity of that sword was the 'Sword of Good and Evil' that I had tried to obtain in Arvik.
"Junior, do you know what I'm about to do?"
Malick, who surely had no idea how much I was cursing him internally, bent his knees and then began to assume a familiar stance.
'Spatial Draw?'
Seeing that stance, I reflexively swallowed dry, and a wave of tension washed over me.
It made sense. That secret technique was one I couldn't perform unless I deceived the Scales.
I started to ponder. Whether or not to deceive the Scales, even now.
"Junior, can you perhaps do this in your current state?"
"..."
"As expected, you're just a fool who can't do anything without deceiving the Scales. From the look of it, you're probably debating whether to deceive them even now, but let's not do that. How about this instead?"
How did he know I was debating?
I've been feeling it for a while, but that skeleton seems to read people's minds unusually well.
"If you, junior, can block this secret technique in your current state, or endure it without losing consciousness, then you win. How about that?"
Hearing Malick's proposal, I had to fall into thought for a moment.
'Can I block it?'
I know what secret technique Malick is about to perform.
I also know where and how Malick's sword strike will come at me, and I know the counter-method.
'The problem is, I don't know how much power that guy will put into it.'
Even so, it probably won't be enough to make me lose consciousness.
"Alright then."
Having reached that conclusion, I nodded and adjusted my stance.
Was it because I hadn't deceived the Scales?
After layering acceleration and enhancement spells on my body a few times, I could feel my mana reaching rock bottom.
"That's a good stance. Then I'll go right away."
Did he realize I was ready?
Malick, having said that, slowly began to move the palm of his hand that was resting on the sword hilt.
-Clack.
The pommel clicked slightly, and a part of the blade emerged from the scabbard.
"Divine Sword Style, Fifth Form."
As Malick murmured, his aura shifted dramatically, and the surrounding space began to ripple.
"Spatial Draw."
As Malick drew his sword, the naked silver-skinned blade reflected the sunlight, revealing itself.
-Whoosh!
Malick's sword cut through the air with a quiet sound. Malick's form instantly darted from its spot.
-Swoosh!
After fully swinging the sword in his right hand through the air, Malick rotated his body in mid-air and swung the sword in his left hand.
Then pure white cracks began to appear all around me, like mushrooms after rain.
'Not threatening, though.'
Of course, as one of the Divine Sword Style's secret techniques, it was true that it possessed power far beyond other sword arts.
It was also true that the power of the secret technique Malick performed was far less threatening than the Spatial Draw I had performed.
Perhaps that's why. The thought occurred to me that I might be able to try that amazing method I'd thought of before.
'Let's do it.'
-Whoosh!
As I resolved, countless sword auras began to pour silently from within the pure white cracks towards me.
And I had been swinging my sword long before the sword auras began to pour.
-Swoosh!
-Swoosh!
-Swoosh!
Each time I swung my sword, Malick's pure white sword aura split apart in the air or was deflected.
The deflected sword auras cut through space, creating new cracks in the air.
Confirming this, I continued to swing my sword.
Was it because I knew where and in what order the barrage of sword auras would come at me?
There was no hesitation in my sword swings. I simply cut through them in a trance, waiting only for the moment I remembered.
'Now!'
The fleeting moment when the number of pouring sword auras noticeably decreased.
Seizing this, I simultaneously cut through Malick's sword aura and swung my sword one more time at the maximum speed I could muster.
-Swoosh!
Then the space between the pure white cracks that had appeared all around was cut.
"Haa... haa..."
Perhaps because I had parried hundreds of sword auras laden with mana, my breathing became ragged, and a tearing sharp pain began to spread through the hand holding my sword.
"Junior, you know that's the last one, right?"
Did my appearance seem cute to him? Malick smiled contentedly and asked me, as I was catching my breath.
"I know. But this time, it's your turn, senior."
I grinned at Malick and raised my sword.
"Look up."
"Hm?"
As I muttered, Malick tilted his head and looked up.
"Wow... I didn't expect this."
Seeing dozens of pure white cracks that had suddenly appeared above him, he genuinely exclaimed in admiration and raised his sword.
"You didn't deflect my sword aura, you cut space with my sword aura..."
-Swoosh!
-Swoosh!
-Swoosh!
"It's ingenious, I'll give you that. But that's all it is."
Malick swung his sword incessantly at his own sword aura pouring down on him, yet still asked me,
"How are you going to block that?"
As soon as Malick finished speaking, the only crack around me that hadn't disappeared began to ripple.
-Whoosh!
The transparent sword strike Malick had unleashed at the very beginning rushed towards me with a quiet sound.
"How am I supposed to block it?"
I swung my sword once more towards the space I had cut through in that fleeting moment earlier and said,
As my sword cut the space in front of me, another pure white crack appeared above Malick.
The transparent sword strike that had been flying towards me at an insane speed was sucked into the space I had cut.
"You're the one who needs to block it, senior."
I said, looking at the only crack remaining above Malick that hadn't disappeared.