Chapter 89
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Duke Erwin
Duke Erwin.
Enoch strode toward the duke, sword already drawn.
"Tch."
The duke clicked his tongue and swiftly drew his own blade, aiming for Enoch's shoulder.
No matter how they compared him to the marquis, he was still a high noble. The sharp sword thrust forward in an instant.
Clang—!
But that was it. Enoch blocked it effortlessly and rolled his eyes.
The other knights were just watching—either assuming the duke would win, or thinking they couldn't interfere in a duel.
Enoch channeled lightning into his sword and thrust at the duke's chest.
Clang—! Clang—!
Dozens of clashes happened in a flash. The duke's face twisted in panic. Enoch had gotten the measure of him.
"So that's how it is?"
His swordsmanship began to shift. The basic framework he'd learned from Lione warped, overlaid with the duke's own style.
"Sky Sovereign Sword...? How do you—!"
The duke's face contorted as he poured blue aura over his blade.
Sky Sovereign Sword. True to its name, the aura was as vast and blue as the heavens.
Enoch recalled the forms of mana he'd seen so far.
Demonic qi, spirit power, divine power.
Compared to them, this blue mana wasn't all that different from natural mana.
"Hmm."
Mana was fundamentally derived from one's cultivation method. He roughly combined the flow of mana in the duke's body with the imagery of a vast blue sky, manifesting it at his fingertips.
Wooong——
Blue aura cloaked Enoch's sword. The only difference from the duke's was the purple lightning it cradled. The duke's face twisted in shock.
"You...! You're a branch member of Erwin! So that's where the bastard child from the records vanished to!"
"What nonsense is that?"
With the cultivation method and aura mimicked, the rest was simple. Higher sword arts aligned closely with their cultivation bases, so basing it on what he already knew, he let the emerging sword path guide his blade—that was the technique.
"Sky Sovereign Aura and even Sky Sovereign Dance Sword...!"
The duke parried Enoch's blade wide and retreated. He bit his lip, pondering something, then widened his eyes as realization dawned.
"The elf alliance planned this...! Stealing Erwin techniques by snatching a branch family member?"
"Poor guy..."
Enoch looked pityingly at the duke lost in his delusions. The cultivation and sword arts were decent enough, but the skill gap made copying them straightforward.
And at this point, he could claim them as his own.
He veered away from the Sky Sovereign direction entirely, twisting it to suit his tastes.
"Guess I'll call it Vast Sky Unfettered Sword or something."
The blue sky stretched endlessly. Scattered clouds beneath it cradled purple lightning, shrouding the heavens in ashen gray.
"That skill at your age... I'll acknowledge what's worth acknowledging. But leaking Erwin techniques without permission is a grave crime. Serve under Erwin now and atone for it."
The duke assumed a lowered stance, eyes cold. He gripped his sword with both hands, pulling it back behind his right shoulder. The rippling blue aura at its tip targeted Enoch's chest.
Enoch smirked and drew his sword back behind his waist.
"Carve this into your chest. What you're getting today is for forgetting your place."
The crime of blathering nonsense about his nonexistent closeness to Lione.
Killing him might be a bit much, though... Yeah, just his mood. He'd go easy.
Crackle. With the sound of sparks, Enoch's form blurred into a streak.
The duke reacted, swinging to cleave at his head. Enoch didn't bother responding. Just as planned, he brought the sword from behind his waist straight up in a slash.
Rumble——!!
Thunder roared. Thud! Silence fell over the severed arm that hit the banquet hall floor.
Enoch sheathed his sword and glanced back at the duke.
"Urgh...!"
The duke clutched the stump of his arm, groaning.
"That's me going easy."
Enoch tapped the duke's head with his scabbard and turned away. He spotted the female knight struggling fiercely. Eri, meanwhile, toyed with her like it was all a game.
[Daddy, you done?]
"W-What? My liege...!"
The female knight paled at the sight of the duke's severed arm and rushed forward. But—
Thwack—!
Eri's tail whipped her, knocking her out cold.
"Protect His Grace!"
The remaining knights finally grasped the situation and leaped in, but what good would it do?
Snap. With a flick of Enoch's fingers, the knights crumpled to the floor.
"Hmm."
Enoch pondered. He wasn't some psychopath; he had no intention of casually slicing cake amid this mess.
Fortunately—or not—he didn't need to think too hard about what came next.
"W-What in the world is going on here!"
The lord of the territory hosting this gathering—name unknown, but the lord nonetheless—rushed in, face drained of color.
Judging by his expression, he'd heard the situation. That explained bringing all the knights.
"You've harmed Duke Erwin—what do you plan to do about the fallout! I heard you're the Sword Emperor's disciple, but even so...!"
The lord pounded his chest frantically, like a gorilla with heartburn.
"See that, Daddy? Even this guy's calling you the Sword Emperor's disciple. Might be a bit of an issue."
"What's the problem with that?"
Enoch scratched his jaw and stood before the lord, staring him down.
"Still, I went easy. One arm is downright generous. Go reattach it if you want; I won't complain."
"T-That... Urgh..."
"Or should I ask the king?"
"W-What did you just say...?"
Perfect timing.
He'd seen Lione travel by slashing space, so as a Grand Master himself, he ought to manage it.
Kiiing—!
Enoch glared piercingly at the empty air before him, then swung his hand.
Crack—!
With the sound of space shattering, something eerie—neither black nor white—appeared. What was that? Probing it with his divine eye, he sensed it wasn't something to get close to.
"Not this?"
As Enoch puzzled it out, Zikfried sidled up after glancing around.
"Enoch."
"Oh, ooh...! Zikfried! Right, you're the one who brought him! Talk him down, quick!"
Zikfried gave an awkward smile at the lord's desperate plea and asked Enoch,
"You used a sword too? First time seeing it."
"...No! That's not what's important right now...!"
Enoch physically silenced the noisy lord and replied.
"Nothing stopping me."
"I thought Duke Erwin was a Grand Master too. Kinda anticlimactic how it ended."
"Grand Master? Doubt it."
Enoch glanced at the duke groaning in the corner and shook his head.
"Peak Master, maybe? Hmm... It's ambiguous. Feels like he's right on the edge. Not quite Master, but calling him Grand Master doesn't fit either."
"Is that so? That's bad."
"Why?"
Enoch tilted his head, and Zikfried gestured around.
The kingdom's promising youths had fallen silent, eavesdropping intently.
"Sounds like something the duke was hiding, and now everyone's in on it."
"Not my problem."
"Haha, fair enough."
Zikfried laughed heartily. Meanwhile, Enoch pieced together a clue amid his half-formed hunch.
"Oh, this might work."
His eye rings spun, tracing the lines of space. What he sought was the path to the kingdom's capital.
Enoch didn't even know the capital's direction, but his will manifested the line he desired.
"Ah, got it."
With a swing of his hand, space tore open. Through the rift, their gazes met—the king blinking in surprise.
"...What situation is this?"
"You're the king?"
The king felt a vague familiarity. Not just the face, but the attitude...
"...Enoch Estor?"
"Oh? How'd you know?"
'The punk's got the exact same attitude as the Sword Emperor.'
The king smiled warmly.
"I've heard about you from the Sword Emperor."
"Lione? Makes sense."
The king's hand trembled faintly.
Enoch popped a miraculously intact muffin into his mouth from the chaos and pointed to one side of the banquet hall.
"That guy over there... uh, what was his name? Some duke anyway. I lopped off one of his arms."
"...Hold on. I need some explanation of the circumstances..."
"That's the gist, so keep it in mind. I considered his neck but settled for an arm, so that's me being generous."
"No, wait."
With his piece said, Enoch sealed the rift.
Zikfried gaped at the king's sudden appearance and disappearance.
"...This is bewildering."
"Huh? What is?"
"Nothing. Just..."
"Anticlimactic."
Enoch yawned faintly, snapped his fingers to summon Eri, and tidied up the scene.
"Have fun?"
[Hmm... Kinda bummed I didn't fight that guy, but the lady knight was enough.]
"If you're bummed, fight her now?"
Enoch glanced at Karten de Pearson, who waved both hands frantically, face pale.
"H-Ha... I'll pass..."
"Weren't you up for a spar anytime?"
"Depends on the opponent. I'm an opportunist."
"He says that, Eri. Too bad."
[Doesn't matter.]
Eri shook her head lightly. Enoch mounted the spirit. Tearing space hadn't been too taxing, but figuring it out had worn him a bit.
"Still, not bad."
"Not bad how?"
Tsukiyo asked, suddenly glued to Enoch's back.
"The king's solid. The duke disappointed me a little, but the king was different."
At least the strongest human he'd seen so far. Probably stronger than that nameless swordsman who'd taken one of his eyes.
"Well, yeah. Power isn't purely about raw strength, but a king has to be near the top."
Zikfried nodded at Tsukiyo's words.
"He seemed to have some misconceptions from the start. Higher title doesn't always mean stronger. Usually, sure, but plenty of exceptions."
High nobles were generally above a certain level, but rank didn't perfectly match skill.
"Is that how it works? Whatever."
He'd figure it out gradually. Spar everyone from king to barons, and he'd get the picture.
"...Haha, the kingdom's gonna turn upside down."
"I'll flip it gently."
"Thanks ever so much."
"No big deal."
Enoch gave a thumbs-up.