Chapter 82
Chapter 82
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Beyond Stance and Domain
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Inebil recalled the night she first met Lander. She had predicted everything perfectly and attacked with precision.
The moment she sensed victory, her halberd sliced through empty air. Even her razor-sharp senses were useless against Lander's stance.
No—perhaps it was precisely because they were so heightened that she fell for it.
What would her master's stance be like? Tension welled up inside her. A pleasant sort of tension. Steadying her fluttering heart, she raised the tip of her sword. Her master appeared ready.
"I'm coming in."
This time, she led with her right foot, moving lightly and nimbly. Her master's upper body leaned forward.
It hinted at an attack. A threat that she wouldn't settle for simply parrying and countering.
There was no reason to retreat. Her instincts, honed in real combat, told her exactly which way to charge.
She opened lightly with the first move. Her diagonal slash was deflected by her master. Just as expected—she didn't fluster and kept her footing.
Her sword followed the motion of her shifting upper body. Her master's blade was straightforward. Elegant yet upright. Why was it so hard to block when she could see exactly where it was headed?
Gritting her teeth, she parried one strike after another. Her breath came in gasps.
She wanted a moment to catch her breath and regroup, but her master's sword showed no sign of tiring.
The instant her sidesteps felt just a touch heavier, she spotted the opening.
Her master's left side. A glaring gap as the sword lifted, eyes drawn right to it.
She held the breath in her mouth and swallowed it down tight as she lunged at the one clear weakness. Then her nape prickled. A split-second hesitation.
It felt like a dark shadow had fallen over tempting prey.
She barely reined in her forward-leaning body. Instead of pressing the attack, she raised her gripped sword overhead.
Clang! Her wrist went numb. Her master's blade came down mercilessly on hers. That supposed gap on the side had been a hunter's trap. Dive in with a greedy lick of the lips, and her neck would have been left wide open.
She swung her sword with all her might to create distance. Cold sweat poured down her back. Only after the parry did she realize it.
That strike had been truly dangerous. If her reaction had been even a fraction slower...
"Aren't you being a little too ruthless?"
Inebil said with a smile. It was her master, after all—no one else. It had looked perilous, but her master would have pulled up short midway.
She must have judged that Inebil could block it, then struck without holding back.
Her master, who should have replied in her usual bright tone, lowered her sword and stared blankly at her. A sudden silence fell. What had gone wrong?
"What's up?"
"You're not hurt?"
"I wouldn't get hurt from something like that. I was a little startled, sure."
"Sorry."
Sorry? It was an odd apology. Inebil examined her master's face more closely. Her cheeks were flushed bright red.
Her master wasn't one to tire from a little exertion like this.
"Is something wrong?"
She grew worried and hurried over to her master.
"No, nothing."
"You're really okay?"
"Just a bit dizzy, that's all."
"You're lying. Master, you're lying right now. You might fool someone else, but not me."
She put force into her gaze. Her master wasn't all right. Something was definitely off.
She might be an unreliable disciple, but she could at least lend an ear to her worries. That's what those open ears were for.
"What's going on?"
"I'm really fine. More importantly, your instincts have sharpened since before. Six months ago, you would've charged in without a second thought."
Her master changed the subject. Inebil's lips pursed. She wasn't happy about it, but she couldn't press the issue.
"Tell me later. Don't keep it bottled up."
"I'm really fine, I said."
"Got it. Fine, then! So that was the stance?"
"Right. That's a stance. You show an opening to bait the enemy's attack, then counter. Nothing fancy about it. Anyone who's trained learns it with their body naturally. You will too."
"Really?"
She rolled her eyes upward. She thought back once more to her first clash with Lander.
Her nerves, incomparably sharper than now, had predicted the attack path. She'd unleashed her sure-kill strike—and whiffed it spectacularly.
It hadn't felt like a mere feint by exposing a gap. It wasn't some childish trick.
It was like her vision had been violated. No, not just vision—all her senses. An absurd upending of common sense.
Her master's stance was certainly sharp. A cleverly laid trap. But that was all.
No matter how elaborate, a trap was still a trap. Scrutinize it, and it showed. Her senses caught it. It was almost embarrassing to compare to Lander's.
She looked at her master again. The master who had once seemed so towering, like a mountain she'd spend her life climbing—why did she look so small now?
"What about domain? Can you show me yours, Master?"
She asked.
"Domain. I used to think it was something amazing too. But once I awakened to mana, I realized just how trivial it is."
"Trivial?"
No way. She recalled Lander's domain. Just imagining it sent chills down her spine.
If a stance scrambled the body's senses, domain stole away the mind itself.
"When mages cast spells, we feel the mana fluctuations. When someone who's awakened to mana wields a sword, the ripple spreads to those around them. That's what domain is."
Her master lightly flicked the sword she'd lowered. Inebil felt an inexplicable force shove her body ever so slightly.
"Something like that. Depending on the wielder, it might throw off their footing or induce dizziness, but it's ultimately a paltry power."
Inebil wanted to object, to describe the domain she'd witnessed. But her master let go of the sword. She glanced at it on the ground, then back at her master. Why drop it?
"And this is the power you'll gain soon enough. Once you see it, you'll understand. Why stances and domains are useless. Techniques are powerless in the face of overwhelming might."
Her master had skin that stayed porcelain-white even after rolling in the blazing sun. Now, dark red veins stood out boldly against that pale canvas. Inebil stepped back. Pure instinct, fleeing from danger.
The veins, vivid as if drawn in dye, slowly faded. An unknown power churned around her master.
The grass at her feet swayed wildly. It felt like invisible blades were whirling around her master.
A stinging pain made her check her arm. Blood was seeping out. What in the world?
She clutched the wound and stared at her master. Her master's eyes were closed.
She slowly turned her neck with a stiff sigh. The corner of her mouth lifted faintly. She looked utterly pleased.
In that instant, her master vanished from her sight. A presence registered behind her. She whipped around. A hand was reaching out.
Her master's hand seized her throat. Gack—a dry cough as she looked up at her master.
Her airway was blocked. Her body lifted slightly off the ground. Dizzying terror overtook her. Death flashed vividly before her eyes.
Inebil barely managed to croak out, "Master." Her master released her grip.
She collapsed to the ground, coughing repeatedly. She couldn't catch her breath. Tears welled up.
She finally steadied her breathing and lifted her head. Her master was gazing off in a random direction.
"What was that?"
At her words, her master moved. She picked up the fallen sword and hurled it. It flew with a sharp whistle.
She couldn't make sense of it. Her jaw trembled with lingering fear as she called out to her master again.
Her master, walking toward the direction she'd thrown it, turned her head.
"Why are you just lying there?"
Her tone sounded genuinely puzzled. No hint of callousness. Inebil's chest heaved raggedly.
Dianne's condition was off. Why was she acting like this? The atmosphere had shifted. Her master had her harsh edges, but she always ended up caring with a gentle smile.
Her master stared at her for a moment, then raised both hands. A change came over her eyes.
They trembled with confusion. Covering her mouth, she approached Inebil. Slowly at first, then in a rush.
"Hang on, let me see."
Her master's hand touched her neck. Inebil flinched from the earlier incident.
"Sorry. I..."
Dianne trailed off. The aura that had gripped her body vanished. Inebil hugged her master.
"It's fine. I mess up like that sometimes too when I get too worked up. Proof that I've gotten strong enough to match you, right?"
"I'm truly sorry."
"I said it's okay."
Inebil smiled brightly. The terrifying master was gone, replaced by the one she knew.
She didn't ask what had happened. Her master looked like she needed time. Even her master's stiffened expression soon softened with a sigh of relief.
"More importantly, why'd you throw the sword?"
She said, glancing toward the forest beyond the mansion grounds. Her master shot a look in that direction.
"No big deal. Want to take a short break?"
With her master's support, she sat on the bench. Her master said she'd check something quick and headed into the forest.
Inebil rubbed her still-throbbing neck as she watched her master walk away. That inexplicable power. That cold gaze. What on earth had it been?
* * *
Nothing. Dianne scanned the surroundings. It should have been right around here.
As she examined the ground, she looked up. She spotted a trace. She leaped onto the tree.
Blood stained a branch. Had she failed to land a fatal blow? She'd been sure she'd caught it clean, but the opponent was no amateur.
She extended her senses across the area but picked up no presence. A slippery one.
She climbed down from the tree. Who could it have been? Someone sent by Anke? They didn't have anyone with that kind of skill. Maybe they'd hired an outsider.
The curly-haired swordsman flashed through her mind, but she shook it off. Overthinking it. Anke spy made more sense.
She picked up the sword on the ground. It was bloodied. Judging by the splatter, not a shallow wound.
She decided to report to Silder first. Nothing could be overlooked around the mansion, no matter how minor.
She checked the surroundings once more, then headed back. Far off, she spotted Inebil resting on the bench.
She halted and swept her hair back.
That had been close. If Inebil hadn't blocked, her sword would have sliced through her disciple's neck.
She'd gotten lost in the thrill of their blade exchange and, at some point, let emotion sweep her away into swinging wildly.
Inebil hadn't received her new body yet. She'd known that, yet she'd lost herself to the rush of violence and reason.
This was a first. Even when she'd grabbed her disciple's throat, her mind had been numb. She'd thought, a member of the 1st Knight Order could take it, so Inebil would be fine.
Only when she saw her disciple's tearful eyes did she realize what she'd done.
It had been the same with the swordsman earlier, and now this. Her temperament was growing more violent. Her emotions were slipping from reason's control.
Had she not fully adapted to the new body yet? Or was it a side effect?
She'd need to consult Silder. Opening the Realm would have to wait.
She knew well how those who returned from unstable realms gradually lost their minds.
What if a complete realm came with side effects like this?
"No. I can hold it back."
She whispered it like a vow. The power was far too precious to let go.
And there was no turning back anyway. Pulling Inebil in would have to wait, but the broader plan wouldn't change.
-----------------------------------------------------------------