Chapter 351
Chapter 351
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 351
Chapter Title: A Swordsman's Conviction (3)
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"Think you're somebody just because you got a fancy rank? I don't care about your grades; I haven't been sitting around doing nothing either. When it comes to the sword, I'm confident I won't lose to anyone."
"You think Divine Transcendence is some big deal?"
Reina studied Rai, surprised.
She had mentioned Rian's Divine Transcendence in passing once. But for him to remember it was strange, considering his self-centered personality.
"Transcending the body? How very impressive. Should I give you a round of applause?"
Sparks flew in Rian's eyes.
"What? Are you…!"
"Rely on something like that, and your body will be the first thing to break."
Rian's mouth snapped shut.
"Yes, Divine Transcendence is certainly a difficult state to achieve. But that doesn't make it impressive. The world is full of things that are difficult yet useless. It'd probably be harder to move a mountain with a shovel, but no one does that. What are you going to accomplish by transcending your body? You're a human being, made of flesh and blood. Divine Transcendence? You might get a little stronger than others, but that's as far as you'll go."
The words were cruel, but they were also true.
Even Shirone, who had reached a similar state to Rian's, couldn't refute it this time. Mental Transcendence. To surpass the limits of one's magic through the power of an incarnation. But to transcend the feedback meant one's mind would eventually collapse.
Rian gritted his teeth and barely managed to speak.
"Shut up. What do you know? It's not like you've ever experienced it."
"You're right, I can't. How amazing. I'll be cheering for you."
Rai turned away again. Then, before leaving the room, he said.
"Congratulations. You can finally do something I can't."
Rian heard the last thread of his reason snap. He couldn't control his rapidly beating heart, and his body trembled against his will.
It was certainly unknown how effective Divine Transcendence would be in a real fight. But it was also the only hope he had, a miracle that had come after more than a decade of training.
"…Wait."
Rai walked on, ignoring Rian.
"I'm busy. It's your problem, so you deal with it."
"I said wait!"
Rian's shout echoed through the room. No one was surprised; they had all been expecting him to explode sooner or later.
As Rai turned around with a look of clear annoyance, Rian strode forward to face him.
"Ogent Rai, I challenge you to a duel. Let's fight with real swords."
Reina rubbed the bridge of her nose, as if she'd known this was coming.
"Rian, you can't keep…"
"No, I'm serious. If I lose to Rai, I'll go back to the academy. How's that? Are those acceptable stakes for a fight?"
Rai scoffed.
"I don't care whether you go to the academy or not. If you want to quit, go ahead. Just stop bothering me."
"Haha! Is that so? You're not just running away because you're scared, are you?"
A subtle tic distorted Rai's face.
"Scared of you? How utterly absurd."
"Aha, so you're busy? After all that boasting, your excuse is pretty lame. Didn't you always brag you could finish someone like me in a single strike? Or what? Is the kind of swordsman you talk about just some blowhard who plays with rank insignias?"
"Hah."
Rai wiped his face tiredly, then nodded his head as if in pity.
"Fine, I'll give you your duel. I'll be waiting in the training yard. Get ready and come out."
He turned coldly and headed for the door, then seemed to remember something and glanced back at Rian.
"And you, don't try to provoke people anymore. You have absolutely no talent for it."
"That bastard…!"
Rian was about to rush out after him, but Shirone grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"Calm down, Rian. You're the one who fell for his provocation."
"Ah."
The realization dawned on Rian, and he calmed himself.
Not that his anger had vanished. He was furious with Rai for turning the tables with a single sentence after all his clumsy taunts. Of course, Shirone just thought Rian was far too naive.
Tess, who had been listening from outside the door, cautiously entered.
"Rian, are you really going to do it? If you lose, you have to go back to the sword academy."
"Hmph, have you ever known me to go back on my word?"
"That's not what I mean…"
Tess glanced subtly at Kuan. Since Kuan had already stated he wouldn't accept the withdrawal papers, further problems would arise even if Rian changed his mind.
But Rian didn't care.
If he lost to Rai, he would go back to the academy, even if he had to get on his knees and beg. If they wouldn't take him back, he was prepared to wait at the academy gates.
"I'm doing it. It's a promise. But I'm not going back. I challenged him fully intending to win."
Rian looked back at Klumpf.
"Grandfather, you'll permit this, won't you?"
Klumpf stood with his arms crossed, lost in serious thought. Finally, his eyes flashed open.
"Let's go to the training yard."
***
The training yard was located behind Reina's mansion. Though Klumpf and Rai also lived there, Rai was busy with deployments every day, and Klumpf spent most of his time at the general's barracks, so the yard was not well-maintained.
In the center of the small, barely furnished clearing, Rai waited for everyone, his sword at his hip. While Rian was getting ready, Reina approached Rai with a worried expression.
"Hey, are you really going through with this? I hate this kind of thing. There's no need for brothers to fight with real swords."
"Just let him do what he wants. Do you think that fool would agree otherwise?"
"What if there's an accident?"
"We'll think about that when it happens. Besides, isn't this a good thing for you? That idiot will go back to the academy."
If the duel ended safely and Rian quietly accepted defeat, it would be a relief for Reina. But her anxiety didn't fade, as the two of them were like oil and water.
"Fine, whatever. Just go easy on him and end it quickly."
"I'm busy, too. I'll do that without you telling me."
Reina shrugged. Though self-centered, Rai had a clear sense of judgment and, unlike Rian, had never needed nagging, even as a child.
*'Then again, the one I should really be worried about is someone else.'*
In a corner of the training yard, Rian glared at Rai, taking deep breaths.
Tess came over and vigorously kneaded Rian's shoulders and arms. His muscles were tense; it seemed even for the bold Rian, this was a duel of great significance.
"Come on, come on! You can do it! Relax!"
Tess did her best to cheer Rian on. Of course, she didn't want him to quit the academy, but she wanted even less to see him get miserably beaten by someone.
Rian remained silent, focusing on composing himself. With his family, Instructor Kuan, and even Shirone watching, this was a duel he absolutely could not lose.
Reina approached and placed a hand on Rian's shoulder.
"For today's duel, I'm neutral. So take it easy. Don't be stubborn."
"Hmph, you'd be better off worrying about Rai. I'm not the same person I used to be."
Reina said nothing.
Rai wasn't even considering the possibility of defeat, and Reina felt the same. Having once wielded a sword herself, she knew the gap in their skills better than anyone.
*'The odds of Rian winning are practically zero. And Rai isn't the type to go easy on him to save his brother's pride.'*
As Klumpf and Kuan entered the training yard, Rian picked up the great straight sword he had received from his grandfather.
As Rian walked toward the center of the field, Shirone spoke from behind him.
"Rian, you have to win."
Rian turned his head and smiled. All traces of his earlier tension were gone.
"No problem. Leave it to me."
When Rian reached the center of the yard, Rai drew the black sword from his hip. It was longer and thinner than a standard longsword, a straight sword tailored for Ogent swordsmanship, and forged from black iron, making it incredibly hard.
Rai swung the black sword in a crisp X-pattern, then held the blade up to the sky, inspecting it.
"Let's get this over with. I want to rest."
"You won't be resting; you'll be lying in bed sick. I don't know about this deployment or whatever, but you'd be wise to cancel it."
"Whatever. Just hurry up and come at me."
Rai seemed unwilling to even bother responding to Rian.
Rian was displeased by this. To a genius who could master any technique in an instant, the untalented Rian couldn't possibly seem like family.
The memory of Rai's mocking smile from their duel as children suddenly flashed through his mind.
"In any case, I suppose I should thank you for accepting the challenge. Our bad blood ends today."
Rian lifted the greatsword with one hand and took his stance. Its precarious center of gravity, seemingly beyond human limits, was intimidating just to look at.
Rai lowered his black sword diagonally. Even so, the pole-like sword was long enough to touch the ground.
The reach of the greatsword and the black sword were evenly matched. But the lighter black sword would surely be faster.
*'I'm outmatched in technique anyway.'*
Rian planned his battle. It was a strategy as simple as his personality.
*'I'll crush him with power!'*
The moment he clenched his jaw, fire lit up in his eyes. His powerful pivot foot kicked off the ground, propelling his body forward.
"Here I come!"
Rian charged, raising his greatsword high. One could imagine the power of the heavy blade falling from a height of three meters without having to face it.
At the same time, flashes of black light shot out from Rai, penetrating every opening in Rian's stance. Rian hadn't even completed half his swing before he was forced to switch to defense.
Rai's fast, sharp attacks hammered against the surface of the greatsword like a blacksmith's blows.
"Kugh!"
The unexpectedly heavy impacts made Rian flinch.
It was different from Tess's rapier. Swift and precise, yet imbued with the characteristic power of the Ogent family's swordsmanship.
Once he lost the initiative, Rian was pushed back relentlessly. The retreat was so one-sided that it seemed impossible for him to regain control.
Rai moved wildly, as if performing a solitary sword dance in the clearing.
When Rian was pushed to the edge of the training yard, the onlookers gasped in awe. It was a display of swordsmanship that left even Tess, who was cheering for Rian, mesmerized.
"Hyaaaaaah!"
Rian's sword slashed horizontally. The air screamed as if it were burning.
Having barely created an opening, Rian took a step forward. But he couldn't do anything against Rai's lightning-fast attacks and was forced to retreat again.
Rai didn't stop his assault. It was as if he had trapped Rian and was simply beating him down.
The number of Rian's counterattacks dwindled, and soon, even blocking seemed to be a struggle.
*'Tsk, no improvement, none at all.'*
The duel was bland, and Rai didn't want to waste any more time.
After hammering Rian's sword to distract him, Rai reversed his grip on the black sword and plunged it into the ground. *Thunk.* The moment the blade sank in, a vibration traveled up through the soles of Rian's feet.
"What—!"
Rian looked down in shock as the ground swelled, as if filling with wind from below, and then exploded.
"Kugh!"
A shockwave powerful enough to make the ground explode slammed into the soles of his feet, causing his calf muscles to spasm.
The technique was called Earth Explosion.
It was a Sword Kill that Rai had perfected at the mere age of twelve, now driven into the ground.
Rian's knees buckled, and he couldn't keep his balance. He collapsed to a sitting position, holding up his greatsword with only the strength of his upper body.
Rai's black sword slammed into it with a clang, and a vibration surged through the greatsword.
Rian gritted his teeth, holding back a scream.
It felt as if his arm muscles were being torn apart in chunks. The shockwave coursing through his body radiated outward, and his shirt popped and tore. His clothes were left in tatters, as if he'd been stabbed by dozens of blades.
Rian scowled heavily, glaring at Rai. Rai, who still had his black sword pressed against Rian's, wore an indifferent expression.
The spectators sensed that the duel was over. The shockwave had ravaged his body; though he looked fine on the outside, none of his muscles could be functioning properly.
The second son of the Ogent family, Ogent Rai.
His skill was the real deal.