VS Swordsman & Magician

Chapter 13 - VS Swordsman & Magician

"Gaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

Young lady charged once again with a war cry.

I should stop thinking of her as a noble lady.

She has a lovely face that would make her look amazing in a lady's dress, but her devil-like expression is ruining it.

Well, I don't have any right to say things about that though, since I've never used my beautiful face being single-minded towards swordsmanship.

I once again countered Young lady who ran the shortest distance between us using a Water God Style stance.

However, before Young lady reached me, a water bullet came flying from behind her.

It's Rudeus' magic spell.

Is he using a less lethal water spell because of his sense of aversion towards using a dangerous attack against a little girl?

Well, it doesn't matter.

I parried away the water bullet that came flying toward me and launched a flying slash toward Rudeus in return.

"Uwaa...!?"

Fuhaha!

Ever since I became better at controlling battle aura, I've finally succeeded in learning the fantasy swordsmanship's representative move of releasing flying slashes!

Scatter before my dream that has come true, Rudeus!

Well, flying slashes are far weaker and slower compared to directly attacking, and I've also held back while using is a wooden sword so he wouldn't actually scatter.

"Rudeus...!?"

"Looking away is, strictly prohibited."

"...!?"

I hit the immature Young lady's head, who was distracted by Rudeus despite being on the verge of entering each other's attacking range.

It's not powerful enough to make her faint.

We haven't even fought at all, so it would be a shame to end it here.

As a result, Young lady didn't give up or show hesitation because of pain, and went to an offensive with the anger of being hit.

Just like before, I parried her attack using a Water God Style technique.

If it ended here, it would be the same ending as before, but even I don't wish for it to be so.

"Water Ball!"

"Oops."

Rudeus, who recovered quite quickly despite receiving my long-range counterattack that I held back, once again released a water bullet spell from the side.

With my sword speed, I could make it in time while exchanging blows with Young lady, so I once again parried and released a flying slash as a counter.

But maybe because he knows what's coming. Rudeus immediately activated a shockwave spell to evade my counterattack by sending himself flying.

And after reaching a stop, he once again started covering fire.

"Is that so~."

Clever.

Shockwave movement is a tactic that Rudeus taught my elder sister and uses, but Elder sister has a better mastery since she has learned North God Style, yet the speed of his consecutive activation of magic spells is amazing.

Just like his timing of using a new spell soon after releasing a water bullet, it's impossible for my elder sister.

His casting speed is quite fast... or perhaps I should say he's using two kinds of magic spells at the same time.

These are probably not skills of a warrior but a magician's.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"

And with Rudeus' cover fire, Young lady's attack also became threatening.

Even if I could deal with her easily one on one, if I need to deal with her in a place where bullets are flying from the side, it's natural that it's more difficult because I would become distracted.

This is probably how a person who's playing multiple games of chess against two people might feel.

But it's still within the range I could deal with.

It would be an equal fight if it's only against a Water God Style swordsman, but it's not like I'm one.

I'm Paulo Greyrat's disciple.

A woman who uses all three major styles.

"North God Style [Illusion Step]!"

"What!?"

"Uwaa...!?"

I used Illusion Step, a way of walking that I used before, to trick Ghislaine.

Stopping while seeming to accelerate, accelerating while seeming to stop, moving right while seeming to move left, moving forward while seeming to move back.

My Illusion Step, which became far better than before after being bestowed Advanced rank in North God Style, was not enough to be called unpredictable, but it showed a great effect in tricking the opponent's measuring the distance.

Because of that, Rudeus' magic spells no longer hit, and Young lady's sword lacked the accuracy to swing at the right place, so I could parry her blows easier than before.

So much so that I could counterattack while parrying.

"Ow...!? Ouch...!?"

"Oops...!?"

Young lady who was exchanging blows with me in a close range, of course, even Rudeus, who couldn't tell the direction of my flying counterattack because of my Illusion Step, received a lot of attacks.

If this was a real battle, the two of them would've been cut into minced meat by now.

However, this is just a practice match, so there's no need to worry about dying.

Like Young lady, despite being given lots of mochi-like bumps, she is still quite energetic.

"I'll kill you...!!"

Ah, such decisive words finally came out.

Ghislaine told me I could beat her, but maybe I shouldn't have.

What should I do if she tries to kill me using her authority...?

I should let Ghislaine take responsibility and protect me, that's what I should do.

While thinking of that, I blocked Young lady's swinging down slash.

Because Young lady pinpointed my current position because of her beast-like intuition and luck, and me stiffening because of fear of authority, I blocked her instead of parrying.

I am physically stronger than her, so there's no problem, but to think that such a thing would shake my spirit, I still have a long way to go.

"...! Eris, move back! [Quagmire!]"

Mm?

The instant I was sewn to the grown after receiving Young lady's attack, Rudeus put his hands on the ground and cast a magic spell.

It's a magic spell that changes the ground around me into a quagmire.

It's a magic spell I've never seen Elder sister use, in other words, a completely unfamiliar magic spell that I would see for the first time.

Young lady's reaction speed was impressive, or should I say she trusts Rudeus very much? The instant Rudeus told her to move back, she had already backed off closer to Rudeus.

Oh, rats~.

Because of the timing, I was pushed toward the ground, it was too late for me to escape out of the effective range.

Because I saw Rudeus' mana spreading through the ground thanks to my demon eye, I escaped into the air by jumping despite seeing it for the first time, but there was no place nearby I could land.

At this rate, I would be exposed to a barrage of magic spells from Rudeus in mid-air with nowhere to escape.

"Do it, Rudeus!!"

"This is self-defense... please don't hold a grudge!"

Young lady smiled magnificently as if she was assured of their victory, while Rudeus made a slightly bitter face while preparing to cast magic spells.

But it's too early for the two of you to decide the winner of the battle.

"Ha!"

"Wha….!?"

"...!?"

For starters, I contained them with a flying slash.

It was a held-back blow, as usual, but it was enough to stop the two of them.

In the meantime, I also prepared to use magic.

I'm a swordsman, but I didn't say I couldn't use magic spells.

Of course, I'm not good at it.

However, I didn't give up years before I asked Rudeus to teach me, and recently, I even asked my elder sister to teach me, so I've finally become able to use the magic spells, at the very least!

When I first learned how to use magic, I didn't intend to use magic spells in battles at all, but Elder sister, who fought with the combination of swordsmanship and magic looked so cool, so recently, I changed my opinion and decided that it might be fine using it as a complement to swordsmanship.

"[Air Burst]."

What I used is the Beginner magic spell that creates a shockwave that Elder sister also uses.

Just like Rudeus, I launched it against myself.

With that, my body was knocked away, flying toward Young lady who lost her balance because of my flying slash.

"North God Style [Sliding Avalanche]."

"Ugyah...!?"

Young lady was finally knocked out by the North God Style technique that attacked from above.

Seeing that, Rudeus used his shockwave movement to try to create distance.

It's the right decision.

Young lady and Rudeus were quite close.

In other words, I, who have beaten Young lady, is quite close to Rudeus.

A magician can't win against a swordsman within this distance.

That's why Rudeus' decision to create some distance on the spur of the moment is correct.

But since Young lady was already defeated, I should end it.

It's a thank you for fighting such an interesting battle.

At least at the end, I'll fight "with all my strength".

"Sure, kill."

I raised my sword above my head.

It's a sure-kill technique that I could only release from this stance.

But its power is tremendous.

After all, it's a technique that defeated Master.

"[Ghislaine, imitation]."

"...!!?

An incomplete ultimate technique that I don't even know the official name of, an ultimate technique that I copied from Ghislaine two years ago, and took me more than a year to learn a degraded version, attacked Rudeus.

This technique's greatest feature is its surprising speed.

When Ghislaine used it, I couldn't even see it properly.

Even my inferior version could be released with an overwhelming speed that even Master couldn't defend or evade if released at the right time.

It's a sure-kill blow that promises a sure win against most opponents at the moment it was released.

Rudeus, who received that, fainted.

Of course, I held back, so he wouldn't die.

"Victory."

For the time being, I made a peace gesture towards Ghislaine, not caring about the unmoving two.

Ghislaine was looking at me with a stunned expression.

"The last one, is it Sword of Light? Where did you learn it?"

"Sword, of Light? That's, Ghislaine's, technique. I learned, it, after, seeing it, before."

"...you're as ridiculous as Rudeus when it comes to swordsmanship." Emily, I allow you to call yourself Sword Saint starting today."

"Eh...?"

Sword Saint?

Does it mean I will be at the Saint-rank in Sword God Style?

"That's, great, but, can you, acknowledge me, so easily?"

"There's no problem. Sword of Light is Sword God Style's ultimate technique. The condition of being promoted to a Sword Saint is to be able to use that. At the very least, that's how it is in the Holy Land of the Sword, where I trained."

"Is that so~."

Without noticing it, I learned such an amazing technique huh.

At any rate... fufu, fufufu.

Sword Saint, Sword Saint Emily huh.

What a cool-sounding name.

Being called by such a cool nickname is one of my dreams.

I'm still halfway to achieving my dream of becoming the world's strongest swordsman, but one of my intermediate goals has come true.

I'm so happy!

I was thrilled.

Yet, that giddy feeling was easily blown away after my match against Ghislaine after waking Young lady and Rudeus up.

I fought quite well, but I couldn't really win against Ghislaine who became more serious than before.

The world is vast.

The only relief might be Young lady's anger subsided a little after seeing me get beaten up by Ghislaine.

In this way, I think she wouldn't kill me using authority anymore.

Well, my favorability towards Young lady is well below negative, so it doesn't change that she doesn't like me that much.

And that declares the end of my visit to the Boreas family.

It was fun, except for being hated by Young lady.

I really gained a lot, so I should come to visit once a month.