Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Unfamiliar Guest (2)
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The forest was beginning to darken.
There, Demian faced off against the Sword Queen.
“Miss…….”
“David, don’t worry. It’ll be over quickly.”
David looked at the Sword Queen with a worried expression. In stark contrast, the Sword Queen’s face brimmed with confidence.
‘Quickly, huh. So arrogant.’
Michael Ryanbloom had been the same way. This was the problem with geniuses. They were arrogant to a fault.
‘If only they could be humble like me.’
Even a genius like himself never let his guard down against an enemy, no matter what. For someone lesser like the Sword Queen to act this way could spell trouble later on.
It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. She had probably only known victory her entire life.
If that was all one experienced, it was natural to grow bored of everything like Michael or arrogant like the Sword Queen.
‘I’ll teach her just how vast the world is this time.’
As Demian stood still, the Sword Queen urged him on.
“What are you doing? Get ready already.”
“I’m already prepared.”
The Sword Queen frowned at Demian’s words.
“You’re empty-handed.”
“That’s why I said I’m prepared.”
Demian held up his bare hands as he spoke. Veins bulged on the Sword Queen’s forehead at his attitude.
“Are you treating me like an idiot right now? You’re a swordsman!”
“There’s no rule saying swordsmen can’t fight bare-handed. Right?”
In truth, Demian had deep mastery in fist techniques as well.
In his previous life, among the masters he had fought were many martial artists, and he had absorbed all their realms and skills.
Moreover, the reason Demian had accepted this duel was to test a new technique.
The new technique he had devised could only be used bare-handed, without a weapon.
“Stop joking around and pick up a weapon already.”
“Why? Worried you might lose to my bare hands?”
Above all, fighting bare-handed was perfect for curing the Sword Queen’s arrogance.
She had likely never been dismissed like this in her life.
“……Fine. Let’s see if you say that after this.”
The Sword Queen drew her sword from her waist, her face flushed with anger.
The hilt was short, and the blade was extremely narrow. It was shaped for thrusting rather than slashing.
It was a rapier.
Rapier was originally a weapon made for self-defense in urban settings.
As such, it was known to be less suitable for combat compared to other weapons.
But in the Sword Queen’s hands, it was different.
Even from a slight distance, it felt chilling, as if it could sever one’s breath in an instant.
“Last chance. Draw your sword.”
Demian held out both hands and flexed his fingers. At last, the Sword Queen’s anger exploded.
“……Don’t blame me if you regret it after your wrist gets sliced off!”
The Sword Queen aimed her rapier at Demian. The moment the tip aligned with him, she lunged forward.
She glided across the ground and closed the distance in an instant. It was like watching an arrow in human form.
“Hah!”
With a sharp kiai, the Sword Queen thrust her rapier. The tip aimed precisely at Demian’s forehead.
‘Impressive.’
The footwork that closed the gap in one breath, the motion of thrusting the rapier, the flow of mana supporting it all.
Everything was perfect. Even mid-class knights would struggle not just to dodge but to block this attack.
But the one here now was Demian.
He had read her movement early and tilted his head aside. The rapier pierced empty air.
“You dodged well!”
The Sword Queen immediately pulled back her extended arm, returning to her initial stance.
“Hoo.”
She took a long breath. Right after, the rapier vanished.
Over twenty attacks poured out. It was enough to make one wonder if the rapier had split into multiples.
It was an astonishing burst of speed, but it was crystal clear in Demian’s eyes. He dodged each thrust with a single step.
“Tch.”
As all her attacks fell flat, the Sword Queen changed her swordsmanship. She began swinging the rapier instead of thrusting.
Light as it was, the slashing speed was equally fast. She swung it repeatedly, like drawing lines in the air with a brush.
Demian dodged those with ease as well. Then, the Sword Queen’s body vanished.
Immediately after, slashes flew in from all directions. She was invisible, yet the attacks kept coming.
‘Young as she is, the Sword Queen lives up to her name.’
The Sword Queen’s swordsmanship could be summed up in one word: “swiftness.”
A style that captured the shortest distance to the opponent faster than anyone and struck with extreme speed.
Anyone of middling skill couldn’t even properly track her form.
It was so fast it was almost flashy. Enough to make one’s eyes spin.
But in the end, a blade was just one blade.
Demian swung his palm in time with the rapier’s motion. His palm met the flat of the blade.
The rapier, which had been slashing diagonally, bounced sideways.
“……Huh?”
The Sword Queen faltered in the unexpected situation.
Demian didn’t miss the opening. He stepped forward, twisting his waist. He whipped his rear leg around, striking the Sword Queen’s temple.
It was a clean, powerful strike. But just before Demian’s heel could smash into her head, something strange happened.
Golden aura gathered over the Sword Queen’s skin. It spread wide, forming a barrier.
As heel met barrier, a harsh clash rang out, and the Sword Queen’s body was shoved sideways.
“Well, now.”
Demian lowered his extended leg and spoke. A faint smile played on his lips.
“To think a mid-class could use a protective barrier.”
Any knight could use mana to block an enemy’s attack.
By concentrating mana at the point of impact to minimize damage.
The protective barrier was an advanced form of that.
A technique that formed a shield of aura to block enemy attacks.
It was highly useful but difficult. It was said only high-class knights could achieve it.
Yet the Sword Queen was using it at mid-class.
Of course, it paled compared to a high-class barrier.
It was much weaker, less refined, and slower to manifest.
But the mere fact she could use it was extraordinary. A talent on another level.
“……Hearing that from you doesn’t make me happy.”
The Sword Queen spoke, her face set in firm anger.
“You dodged all my attacks and even created an opening to land a hit.”
If Demian felt surprise, the Sword Queen felt shock.
Never in her life had she been so utterly powerless.
“I thought it’d be quick…… Looks like I’ll have to get serious too.”
Golden aura enveloped the Sword Queen’s body.
Not manifesting it momentarily, but using it in real time to fully protect her body.
“Impressive. Truly impressive.”
Aura was powerful but consumed vast amounts of mana.
Yet the Sword Queen cloaked her entire body in it. It wasn’t just her mana reserves—it meant she wielded aura with proficiency.
“Protective barrier…… Perfect for testing my new technique.”
Demian circulated the Blazing Vitality Enlightenment Technique.
His body temperature spiked. Mana rampaged wildly, pushing his physical abilities and senses to their limits.
Normally, Demian stopped there.
The Blazing Vitality Enlightenment Technique was powerful but dangerous—crossing the line could turn one into a cripple.
But now was different. He had a way to counter its side effects.
Cotton Interior Forbidden Needle.
The mana cultivation method Demian had acquired at an underground auction.
Cotton Interior Forbidden Needle allowed manipulation of the meridians, the pathways of mana flow.
With it, one could strengthen or expand meridians. Or, as in the previous incident, destroy or twist an opponent’s to inflict pain.
Demian used Cotton Interior Forbidden Needle to reinforce his meridians. The burden on his body plummeted.
‘Now I can take it one step further.’
He pushed his body and senses even higher with the Blazing Vitality Enlightenment Technique.
The strain on his meridians grew accordingly. But thanks to Cotton Interior Forbidden Needle, they held firm.
“You…… What the hell are you doing…….”
The Sword Queen’s face stiffened.
Instinct told her something ominous was happening in Demian’s body.
“I don’t know what you’re preparing…… But I’m not just going to take it.”
The protective barrier around the Sword Queen thickened.
Unsure of the enemy’s attack, she seemed intent on fortifying her defense.
“Good call.”
Demian grinned and said. Then he kicked off the ground.
Something exploded from his entire body. A light stamp shattered the earth. The recoil launched him forward.
It dwarfed his previous use of the Blazing Vitality Enlightenment Technique.
By the time the world settled, Demian was within the Sword Queen’s range.
“Huh……?”
The Sword Queen realized it too late. She, a swiftness swordsman, had missed the enemy’s movement.
“No way…….”
She hastily tried to retreat from range, but Demian struck her abdomen with his palm first.
As the barrier tried to block the blow, Demian released his mana.
The released mana spread through the Sword Queen’s body. At the same time, it sealed her meridians.
With her meridians blocked, she could no longer maintain the barrier.
Demian’s palm strike plunged into her abdomen.
“Hngh……!”
A guttural gasp escaped the Sword Queen’s lips.
This time, she couldn’t hold on. She flew backward, crashing into a tree trunk before her head lolled limply.
‘Still room for refinement, but it’s a solid technique.’
What Demian had just used was a technique combining Cotton Interior Forbidden Needle to seal the enemy’s meridians mid-attack.
He had devised it believing it could easily subdue foes if executed properly.
‘As expected, it pierced the barrier effortlessly.’
A protective barrier was impressive but not invincible. Internal damage techniques that injected mana couldn’t be blocked.
That was why the Sword Queen couldn’t stop Demian’s infused mana.
“Miss!”
At that moment, David rushed over and supported the Sword Queen. She had lost consciousness.
David turned to Demian and protested.
“Don’t you think that’s too much! Beating up a delicate young lady like her without mercy!”
Delicate?
Demian made a dumbfounded face. Calling a woman like the Sword Queen delicate in this world.
“You’re overreacting. You’d know better than anyone. She’s not seriously hurt, despite appearances.”
At the moment of the abdomen strike, Demian had pulled his force. Thanks to that, the Sword Queen hadn’t taken major damage.
“How am I supposed to know that!”
“What’s a Master-class going to do if they can’t even tell that?”
David’s body froze at Demian’s words. The expression drained from his face.
“When did you figure it out?”
David muttered, and Demian replied nonchalantly.
“From the start.”