Chapter 146: Harmonizing Blades
The cross greatsword came slashing in at a remarkable speed. But even so, it wasn't so difficult for Ludenberg Lavante to handle. Ashytara Solenute's growth was astonishing, to be sure—but perhaps he had advanced even further beyond her. Still, he wasn't one to take it easy. In a spar without divine power, one had to focus purely on swordsmanship, flowing in sync with the opponent.
In his vision, Ashytara moved like she was dancing. Her upward slash started from her toes, spinning once before whipping around—and the moment Ludenberg dodged, her entire body twisted sharply, bringing the blade crashing down toward him again. But Ludenberg knew exactly where her greatsword accelerated from, so he blocked that point with his own blade. Blocked at the spot where it was building momentum, the greatsword's force began to falter rapidly. Ludenberg seized the opening and struck her weapon upward with brutal force.
Kaang! With a crisp ring, Ashytara's cross greatsword bounced away, and in that gap, Ludenberg's sword surged forward. His blade hovered right before her throat.
Ashytara lowered her sword and said to him, “I lost.”
She accepted the obvious result without a trace of bitterness.
“You've definitely improved a lot. If you'd had divine power wrapped around you, I probably couldn't have deflected it so easily.”
“……No need for empty words between us. Even with divine power, you would've pierced that gap and knocked my sword away. Right?”
“……”
“See? So don't say stuff like that. It's not like I'm better than you after just one or two days.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“So, don't spar with the other kids—help me out instead. Okay? We need to sync up anyway.”
He couldn't help nodding, entranced by her words and faint smile.
“Sure.”
“Great. Let's eat first, then……get serious about matching our rhythm. Come to think of it, we've only ever sparred against each other—we've never practiced fighting together.”
“True.”
Ludenberg pondered it. What had it been like under his father's guidance? They'd just swung swords to endure, with no mindset for cooperation. So even under the same master, they naturally never learned to combine their strength.
Ashytara had pinpointed it too.
“The friendly matches definitely require teamwork. And if we end up fighting side by side like in that last ambush, I don't want to be your liability. So we need to practice cooperating too.”
Ludenberg nodded at her sound reasoning. Or maybe the reason didn't matter much. He just wanted to do something with Ashytara. Especially since syncing up was something they'd never tried before. First-time challenges always set the heart racing, and Ludenberg was no exception. Especially when that challenge meant staying close to the girl he liked, sharing their rhythm—it was only natural for him to agree.
“Got it.”
“Then let's head to the cafeteria.”
“Yeah.”
“Lude, Tara!”
But then a voice called out to them. One they'd heard so often it was familiar by now. It was Dalia Retiu. Beside her stood Seia Shahain, looking somewhat sullen as Dalia gripped her sleeve. Just moments ago, when Ashytara had been talking, Dalia had been alone—clearly, she'd dragged Seia over in the meantime, insisting they eat together.
“Dalia sunbae? Seia sunbae too?”
“Mind if I join? Oh, Seia too!”
“Seia sunbae as well?”
“Yeah. Just grabbed her. Might as well eat together, right?”
“……Dalia sunbae. Let go of her hand first.”
“Huh? Nah, she'll run off.”
“I'm not running. I didn't want to eat alone anyway. And dragging someone like this is super rude, you know? Let go. Now.”
Seia's sullen expression was turning downright fierce. There was an odd intensity to it……she seemed seriously pissed.
“O-okay! Fine, just don't make that scary face. You look really scary like that. Anyway, you'll come with, right?”
Her eyes glistened pitifully, like she'd burst into tears if refused. Where were her same-year friends, anyway? Seia shot her a look of exasperation, but Dalia ignored it like she was used to such stares.
“Haha……yeah. Sure. Dalia sunbae.”
Ludenberg nodded blankly, Ashytara with a slightly flustered smile, and Dalia beamed as she led the three of them off.
“Awesome! Let's go!”
* * *
The cafeteria was packed with all sorts of people. Plenty recognized them and greeted them warmly. Dalia especially was hugely popular among Ortara's third-years—apparently from whatever she'd done during last year's exchange event.
“Hey, Dalia. Back again?”
“Hi!”
She chatted amiably with them—clearly old acquaintances—waving as she rejoined the group.
“Sorry, sorry. Ran into some kids from last year.”
“What exactly did you do last year……?”
Come to think of it, popularity at Ortara was proportional to strength. And for her to be that popular……
“Dalia sunbae beat up all the Ortara second-years last year. So now they're third-years.”
“Seia! It wasn't that bad!”
“It was. I'm just stating facts.”
“Beat them all up……?”
“Misunderstanding, total misunderstanding. Wasn't that rough.”
As Dalia waved it off, Ludenberg and Ashytara recalled her faculty. Knight faculty, right?
“……?”
Doubt flickered across their faces in an instant. Dalia's build was clearly smaller than Ashytara's or Ludenberg's—about Cletta's size, maybe a bit bigger. Not exactly imposing. And yet she'd crushed Ortara students who looked plenty sturdy?
“Come to think of it, Dalia sunbae, you're in the knight faculty, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What weapon do you use?”
“Axe-spear.”
Seia chimed in from the side.
“Axe……spear?”
“Yeah. A bit bigger than Ludenberg.”
Ashytara glanced at Ludenberg's height. Even among women, she was fairly tall, but there was still a noticeable difference. And an axe-spear bigger than that?
“Anyway, enough about that—let's eat!”
Dalia hurriedly changed the subject. Watching her, Seia recalled last year: Dalia, underestimated for her small frame by the Ortara warriors, then utterly demolishing them in the friendly matches. Swinging her axe-spear like a maniac, shoulder-checking warriors who tumbled away one by one. Even with priests' divine power, they couldn't halt her charge. Naturally, Solemnute Adem won overwhelmingly. For one simple reason: Not a single one of Ortara's proud warriors had broken through Dalia. And since it was winner-stays-on, most had tasted defeat at her hands. From then on, even Solemnute Adem students—even friends—stopped teasing her as "shrimp." Or they'd end up buried. She stayed low-key as student council president now, which hid it—but she hadn't earned the faculty and dean's overwhelming support for nothing. The Ortara warriors actually welcomed her strength, leading to this camaraderie. She was trying to hide her wild side from these promising juniors she liked……but Seia knew. The moment Dalia got mad, the friendly matches would be Solemnute Adem's victory again.
* * *
After eating, Dalia said to Ludenberg and Ashytara,
“Lude. Tara.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know about Ortara's sacred laws?”
“Ortara's sacred laws? No, not in detail.”
“Oh? Then could you spare some time? Won't take long.”
“Sure. But it's a bit sudden……”
“It's all for the friendly matches. Knowing their sacred laws makes countering them way easier.”
“Ah. True.”
Dalia smiled at Ashytara's agreement. People who listened well always energized the speaker.
“Good. So……I'll start with the basics of Ortara sacred laws. Unlike Solemnute's, which wrap natural forces around the body—like wind, water, or earth's traits—theirs is different.”
“How so?”
“They wield souls.”
“Souls……?”
“Yeah. Ortara's sole god, the all-seeing Herhata, grants priests eyes to see souls. Things we can't see.”
“Even the souls of the dead……?”
“Exactly. And that becomes the warriors' power.”
“How?”
“Ancestral souls of Ortara. Infused into warriors' sturdy bodies, strengthening them further. Senses too. So warriors blessed by priests' divine power get insanely strong. Hard to imagine their pre-blessing state.”
Dalia's explanation was thorough. Probably from fresh experience last year—no one else could match this accuracy.
“How exactly do they get stronger? Just faster, stronger……like that?”
“No, not that simple. More like……transcending limits?”
“Ah. Sounds seriously powerful.”
“Yeah. No joke. All physical abilities skyrocket, awakening dormant potential. But when the priests' divine power cuts off, overwhelming weakness hits—so stalling could be a solid strategy.”
“Ah……Thanks for the advice. I think I get how to handle it now.”
“Yeah. Work on that in training with Ludenberg.”
“Thank you, sunbae.”
Hearing Dalia's explanation, Ludenberg fell into thought. For some reason, it made him think of belief. Enhanced bodies and senses, transcending limits……
Is there some connection?
For some reason, it felt like there was.