Chapter 49

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 49

Chapter Title: Imperial Swordsmanship (4)

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"Hahaha! Now it's just the three of us!"

Kael's laughter filled the entire arena.

Just as his words following the laugh suggested,

the only ones left standing in the arena were me, Libia, and Kael.

All the other cadets,

had been slammed into the ground in an instant the moment Kael started moving in earnest.

'Smooth sailing so far.'

The first phase of the plan: weaving naturally through the swarm of cadets like flowing water, launching attacks to drain Kael's stamina as much as possible.

The first stage had gone even more smoothly than planned.

'Impressive as ever, Libia.'

Libia's movements had been the key to pulling off that first phase.

I could always press the attack with optimal moves thanks to the Pioneer's action assistance,

but Libia had no such perk or prior experience...

That was why, in previous attempts,

Libia had failed to navigate the cadets properly and been the first to retire against Kael.

True to her status as one of the five protagonists with the highest talent excluding playable characters,

she was now gliding through the cadets like water, chaining attacks with natural ease.

My admiration for Libia's talent was short-lived.

Now, to execute the second phase against Kael,

we both sprang into motion once more.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

We didn't activate {Defying Heaven} recklessly right away.

If we couldn't restrict his movements,

activating {Defying Heaven} would just let Kael dodge around endlessly, accomplishing nothing...

As expected,

the moment I held off on {Defying Heaven},

Kael didn't flee but stood his ground proudly, bracing for our attacks.

'Can't let him grab me now.'

From here on, during the second phase,

getting caught by Kael meant retirement—instant mission failure.

So for the first strike,

Libia swung her sword straight at Kael from the front.

And then,

my sword whipped toward the hand Kael extended, mana-charged to grab her blade.

Slashes—

That linked strike.

Kael barely yanked his hand back in time to dodge,

so it merely sliced the edge of his uniform.

Without {Defying Heaven} or {Moonlight},

just our coordination alone had grazed the professor's clothes.

After dodging backward,

Kael spoke up, his tone laced with admiration.

"Heh... You've synced up that well just to try and beat me once, huh..."

But without responding,

we swiftly moved again.

For the next attack,

Kael didn't try to grab Libia's strike this time,

opting instead to leap back and evade from the start.

Slashes—

The second strike.

Anticipating the dodge, my sword—swung as I moved behind him—grazed Kael's side.

'Dodged that too...?'

I'd been sure it would land solidly, but...

Kael twisted his body with blinding speed,

and the attack merely nicked his clothes again, not touching flesh.

worthy of an academy professor.

Still, our attacks were landing bit by bit, even if just barely...

'It's possible.'

I could see a path to victory.

And as we prepared our next attack with Libia,

Kael, who had fully retreated, continued speaking.

"Ganging up two-on-one? More cowardly than I expected."

"It's strategy."

With that light reply,

Libia and I moved swiftly once more, pressing the assault.

Slashes—

First strike,

Slashes—

Second strike.

Slashes—

The third strike came fast and relentless.

Finally, my sword grazed his waist,

drawing a trickle of blood from Kael's side.

"Suits the term 'technique' more than 'strategy'!"

Wiping the blood with his hand,

Kael pressed on.

'Technique, huh...'

What we were doing was less "strategy" and more a feat of personal skill, that much was accurate.

Libia leads with the initial attack.

Then,

I read Kael's response,

pinpoint it precisely,

and swing at his retreat or his grabbing hand.

Something I could pull off easily with the Pioneer's title assistance.

Normally, even a slight delay in reading or reacting meant instant defeat...

It was movement transcending personal prowess,

something akin to art.

A technique worthy of the name.

With a brief mental nod,

Libia and I moved again.

Slashes—

My blade grazed Kael once more.

As the strike connected,

I began preparing for the plan's final phase, which was starting to take shape.

Kael's predicted actions boiled down to two: grab the attack or dodge it.

So if he did something else,

that would be our opening...

'About time...'

The opportunity was drawing near.

And right on cue,

Kael broke pattern—not grabbing or dodging.

In the dominated space,

every nuance of his movement registered clearly.

Feinting a backward dodge while moving to strike me as I repositioned.

To counter,

I predicted the impact point, armored it with max mana,

and shifted behind Kael.

And—

"Guhk—"

Clang—

Kael's attack hit true,

and I went flying, sword slipping from my grip.

'Taking the hit on purpose...?'

'Yeah, don't worry. I'll minimize damage by focusing all my mana.'

And, as expected, having dropped his sword,

Kael ignored me—already sent flying by the direct hit—and turned to finish Libia.

Seeing that,

I struggled to my feet and triggered the skill.

"Even with mana focused... that hurt..."

I'd minimized damage as much as possible with concentrated mana,

but the pain still throbbed.

Yet,

with the Pioneer's action assistance active, my body ignored the agony,

moving solely to secure victory over Kael.

'So you...'

And..

Boom—

Finally, Libia was slammed into the ground by Kael's hand.

At the same instant..

Boom—!!

I kicked off the earth, launching toward Kael.

Seeing me,

Kael faltered briefly, then grinned as if realizing it was too late, trying to dodge.

But—

"Too late—!"

Thud—

Libia, pinned to the ground,

grabbed Kael's leg with all her strength.

And by then,

I'd reached Kael and clenched my fist with full power.

With {Moonlight} activating,

blue mana enveloped my fist.

Combined with {Defying Heaven},

overwhelming power surged into my punch.

And—

"This lesson is..."

Boom—!!!

"...my victory!"

My fist slammed Kael's face straight into the ground...

And with the thunderous boom echoing through the arena, signaling the spar's end,

the pleasant translucent window confirmed the quest's success.

'I lost...'

Professor Kael of Imperial Swordsmanship.

He lay on the arena floor now,

gazing up at the sky after tasting defeat.

'Just the ceiling...'

Lying on the arena floor,

all he could see was the ceiling,

but Kael couldn't rise easily.

He'd lost.

If that truth alone,

he wouldn't have been shocked.

Defeat was something he'd endured countless times on the path to knight commander.

But...

losing to mere

15-year-old...

first-year academy cadets...

that warranted shock.

'Even for the top student...'

Even if he was the irregular hailed as the greatest talent in history...

"Kuhahaha!"

Once the shock faded, laughter came naturally.

15 years old.

A first-year beating an imperial knight commander aspirant.

What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of monster would sprout from that young sapling's growth...?

'I'm truly blessed!'

Not just witnessing that young sapling's growth,

but able to aid it—

he was undoubtedly blessed.

"Excellent! Aden, I'll teach you Imperial Swordsmanship!"

Shaking off the impact of being floored,

he rose

and addressed the brilliantly shining young sapling.

As promised,

offering to pass on Imperial Swordsmanship.

And his response was, naturally—

"No need...?"

Acceptance...

"Class dismissed then? We'll head out."

Acceptance.....

No, this isn't...

"Wha... what...? Wait, Cadet Aden—!"

Stunned that the sapling's reply wasn't acceptance,

he faltered mid-sentence...

Realizing it was refusal,

he urgently called after Aden and Libia as they departed together, but...

"They're gone..."

The two had already left the classroom.

Left in the arena were the lonely figure of Professor Kael of Imperial Swordsmanship

and the cadets sprawled on the ground around him.