Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Melee Combat (4)
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The clash of steel.
The noise of armor joints grinding together assaulted my eardrums.
But even louder than that was the racket of sword striking sword.
Right now, Valentis and I were going all out, trying to kill each other.
Surrender? Fuck that.
Even if I could, I wouldn't.
A cornered rat will bite a cat. Because there's no other choice.
So, you've got to either die or go down swinging. That's exactly my mindset.
Thanks to that, I'd already died well over a hundred times. The good news, if you can call it that, is I'd caught up to the knight's skill level somewhat.
Of course, I couldn't deny I was still at a massive disadvantage overall. But compared to before, the duel was at least somewhat viable now.
A knight's advantage is his blinding speed.
His strikes dart in and out of blind spots and your field of vision, creating an illusion close to teleportation.
But in the end, the targets are always the same. Mostly arms and neck. Occasionally the abdomen or legs.
Even those are usually desperate swings at openings, so blocking them isn't too hard.
Now, my defense was pretty solid.
The problem was offense. Sloppy attacks just handed him counterattack opportunities.
But I couldn't just not attack at all. Pure defense would wear me down until I lost.
So, I had to swing my sword, even knowing a counter was coming.
Don't chicken out.
Even if I die, I come back.
I just need to kill him once.
I'd completely changed my mindset. Up until now, I'd been waiting for openings.
But I'd changed my thinking.
In the end, I just need to kill him once. Since I revive anyway.
Normal thinking isn't possible anymore.
Of course not. I've died how many times already?
It's no wonder my mind's twisted from it all. But honestly, that's for the best.
I don't need some scared kid pissing himself in fear. Right now, it's just about swinging my sword one more time.
I switched to a perfect all-out offense.
Ignoring defense entirely in a beast-like onslaught, the knight started to give ground bit by bit.
Well, yeah.
Unlike me, you only get one death.
Puuk!!!
On my 130th death, my sword finally pierced the knight's shoulder.
It was a huge accomplishment.
Up to now, my strikes had always been blocked by his defense, and even if I landed one, it never pierced his armor.
It was enough to break my spirit.
Repeating death after death without making an inch of progress—it was suffocating.
I nearly lost heart, disappointed in my own pathetic, talentless self.
But even so, I kept forcing myself forward. This shitty reality shoved me along.
I had no choice but to walk.
And even if it was a path I was dragged onto kicking and screaming, a path is still a path. I didn't give up and kept going.
Eventually, I reached this point.
The knight's face twisted in shock. Seeing that expression for the first time made me laugh despite myself.
"What's wrong? Overwhelmed?"
"I can't deny it. To pierce the armor bestowed upon me personally by His Majesty the Emperor and draw blood..."
"Yeah, why'd you have to act so cocky..."
"Yes, this must be Aura?"
"...What?"
Suddenly, a forgotten fact hit me. My face drained of color.
Right. This is a fantasy game.
There were mages around, weren't there? And if mages exist...
Then knights' signature Aura exists too.
Whoosh!!
A blue flame-like mana erupted around the knight's sword, like roaring fire.
I could only stare blankly at it.
Fight back against that?
How?
I knew instantly. You need the same power just to stand against it.
Separate from my spirit breaking under the overwhelming force, my body was already moving on instinct.
The moment he activated Aura, his already formidable strength and speed surged even higher.
Still, I managed to raise my sword in time because my body, following instinct, moved a step ahead.
Instinct chose defense.
No matter how quick the instinct, dodging was impossible—he was too fast.
So, block the strike first somehow. Then counter...
Slash.
'...Huh?'
Thud. My severed upper body hit the ground. It sliced through armor and flesh like soft tofu.
No, even cake wouldn't cut that smoothly.
I open my eyes again.
Damn castle walls.
Damn duel.
Everything's the same. But every time I think I've landed a blow or seized the advantage...
The opponent pulls out Aura without fail.
Any favorable situation flips in an instant.
The gap with and without Aura was greater than heaven and earth.
At first, I thought if I could kill him in one strike before he used Aura...
I'd considered that. But sadly, it was impossible.
No matter the situation, right before death, he activates Aura without fail.
Probably some instinctual last-ditch struggle.
Mana detecting death and forcing Aura out to survive.
In other words, instant kills were off the table.
Of course, if I had Aura too, it'd be different.
'I have to deal with that damn Aura somehow.'
There were two main ways.
Awaken Aura myself. Or outlast until his mana runs dry.
The first was impossible even if the heavens flipped.
Meditation techniques or enlightenment? I'm already bulldozing through with brute force.
No way something delicate like that works for me.
Not even sure if those techniques really exist. So, only one option left.
Somehow endure until his mana depletes.
But that's easier said than done. The difference with Aura is literally worlds apart.
Maybe even more.
The moment Aura activates, the cutting power slices steel like nothing—not to mention...
His already powerful stats amp up further.
We're already outmatched in strength and speed. And it gets even stronger?
But I had no time to despair. Defend, dodge—anything, I had to do something.
Of course, parrying an Aura-clad sword with a normal one is insane.
"But no choice."
It's not about can or can't.
I have to make it happen. To survive.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sword Expert.
The realm beyond Sword User—where one merely handles a blade—and into truly wielding mana.
Aura, in particular, was practically the symbol of a Sword Expert.
Aura wasn't just channeling mana into the sword.
It activates mana to massively enhance the entire body, then pours the excess fully into the blade.
That's Aura.
The instant Aura is used...
Physical abilities skyrocket, and the Aura-wrapped sword becomes an unstoppable killer blade nothing but matching Aura can block.
And Rayfield von Orcd Valentis was a mid-level Sword Expert.
Reaching that at just twenty years old? Even in a talent-rich empire, he's top hundreds easily.
But that didn't mean Valentis was some fool who spammed Aura carelessly.
Aura was the crystallization of training and devotion to His Majesty the Emperor—faith itself.
In other words, using Aura meant the opponent was worthy.
And in Valentis's judgment, the man before him, Cain Blackguard, more than qualified for Aura.
"Valiant! Skill and courage! Even loyalty willing to stake his life! Cain Blackguard, you are worthy to face His Majesty's sword."
Valentis's blade began to glow with a clear blue light. Sky blue.
It was his heart for His Majesty manifesting in the sword. Loyalty, in other words.
Thus, only the worthy could receive this blade.
Yes.
A man like Cain Blackguard, fighting on despite staking his life against this overwhelming disadvantage.
Judging by piercing the armor, he could use Aura, however faintly.
Meaning at least entry-level Sword Expert.
Common as dirt in the Empire.
But in Arpen Kingdom, that's elite talent.
'I'll offer this deed to His Majesty.'
But that's as far as it went.
Even among Sword Experts, the gap between entry and mid-level was immense.
Matching Aura could hold for a bit, but just a moment.
Entry Aura couldn't withstand mid-level for five seconds. But the instant their Aura-clad sword met Blackguard's...
Valentis was shocked.
He had no choice but to be.
Aura boosts physical prowess and sharply heightens the five senses.
Even faint Aura is easy to detect.
Yet up to the clash, no Aura emanated from Cain's sword.
No, from the start...
No mana presence from Cain's body at all. What did that mean?
'A mere Sword User knight is matching me, a Sword Expert?'
Impossible.
No way.
But the evidence was undeniable right before his eyes.
Blackguard's sword boldly blocking his own Aura-wrapped blade.
In that moment, for the first time, a crack formed in Valentis's fanatic faith.