Chapter 202: Vanessa Olson (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: Vanessa Olson (2)
At the very least, it meant death.
That statement sent Jin’s mind racing. In all likelihood, he wouldn’t actually be killed by Vanessa today, regardless of how things played out.
However, if he failed to demonstrate a level of skill she deemed acceptable, he would certainly pay a heavy price. He would most likely be stripped of the privileges he had enjoyed as a reserve flagbearer.
Sring.
Jin drew Sigmund.
"It sounds as if my life could end today if I make the slightest mistake."
"That depends entirely on how you perform."
"Surely the condition isn't that I have to defeat you, Sir Vanessa?"
At that, Vanessa burst into a boisterous laugh.
Though he was being openly mocked, Jin remained composed, his expression betraying no embarrassment.
It was true that Jin had recently killed five assault captains of the White Wolf Tribe and displayed brilliant skill against the likes of Kall Zipple and Chukon Tolderer.
But Vanessa was a monster among monsters—someone who, in her youth, had carved through dragons in the Ante Mountains as if she were hunting wild boars.
Excluding Cyron, she was a figure who couldn't be left out of any discussion of the world's strongest, if only her name were properly known in the human world.
Jin, on the other hand, was only seventeen. Though his power was becoming an outlier, he was still a warrior in the midst of his growth. To ask him to defeat Vanessa was nothing more than a ridiculous joke.
"Does that even sound plausible? Your father isn't that unreasonable."
"That's a relief. Then, what must I do?"
Vanessa idly twirled her sword. It was a cheap iron blade, the kind one could find in any common forge.
"Just once, in any way possible. If your sword reaches me, you pass. I'll even count it if you just graze my sleeve."
Shuak!
The instant the words left her mouth, Jin swung Sigmund. The distance between them was a mere five or six paces, and Sigmund, imbued with lightning, unleashed the Pluto Sword Basic Form: Oppression.
‘Tch!’
Clang!
Sigmund was deflected by Vanessa’s iron sword. In that single exchange, Jin was pushed back several steps, the power of Oppression rendered utterly meaningless. Vanessa wore a smirk, as if finding his effort pathetic.
‘I didn't think it would work, but she parried it so effortlessly…’
He had certainly felt the "pulling" sensation, but the force of Oppression paled in the face of Vanessa’s overwhelming aura and physical strength.
10-star.
That was Vanessa’s realm. There were very few people in the world who could stand on equal footing with her in a one-on-one duel. While Oppression was indeed a formidable technique, to Vanessa, it was merely a curious little trick.
Had their swordsmanship been equal, it might have posed a threat, but the gap between them was simply too vast.
"I didn't think you were a complete brat, but you're certainly ill-mannered. To strike before I even gave the command to start."
"I took it as you giving me an opening."
"Then you just wasted that opening. Hmm, was that the Pluto Sword just now? Interesting. I'm starting to get curious about your spirit energy and magic as well."
"Father has told you quite a lot. I don't recall ever telling him I'd mastered the Pluto Sword."
"If you make it back alive, find the spy Sir Cyron planted among your companions and hold them accountable."
Vanessa knew about all of Jin’s abilities.
That meant it would be difficult to create an opening through unpredictability. The strike he had just attempted was his last chance to use a trick.
From now on, he had to break through with pure force.
‘A 10-star… creating a variable against a monster like that is nearly impossible to begin with. It wouldn't have mattered even if she didn't know about me.’
Wooooong!
Vanessa’s sword let out a heavy, vibrating hum as a massive amount of aura was compressed and infused into the blade.
That alone turned the cheap iron sword into a weapon more dangerous than any masterwork blade. The aura glowed so brilliantly that it illuminated the dark wilderness where they stood.
Crackle!
Before that sword could descend upon him, Jin acted first, generating lightning with Basic Form: Lightning. But the moment he swung Sigmund to bring down the bolt—
A gale erupted from nowhere. The stagnant air of the wilderness condensed toward Vanessa like seawater being sucked into a whirlpool.
‘The lightning… was diverted?!’
Zzzzt, crackle…! The lightning lost its path, becoming entangled in the wind. Soon, the warped bolts were completely dismantled within the gale, dissolving into blue particles as the sudden gust subsided.
Thump!
The moment she stepped forward to swing her sword, the ground beneath Vanessa’s feet shattered, sending stone fragments flying. Before the shards could even hit the ground, a wave of sword energy like a ship’s sail surged toward Jin, swallowing them whole.
Even without touching the energy itself, the stone fragments floating in its trajectory vanished as if evaporated, ground to dust by the formless sharpness emanating from the attack.
Jin watched the scene with wide eyes.
It was only because he hadn't dared to blink. Had he blinked—had he failed to perceive it—he too would have been dismantled like those stones, scattered into the wilderness wind.
He used his footwork to dodge the wave of sword energy, then gritted his teeth and turned his gaze back to Vanessa.
All he saw was the stone floor, brutally cracked by the force of her kick.
Vanessa was already behind the attack she had launched, closing in on Jin’s flank. Left with no choice, Jin detonated the Flash Cannon he had been hiding in his palm.
Surely, this would be Vanessa’s first time seeing ancient light magic. No, even if she had seen light magic from the mages or dragons she had killed in the past, this was undoubtedly her first time facing Flash Cannon.
Nevertheless, she dodged the Flash Cannon as skillfully as if she had encountered the spell dozens of times. Whether it was due to the instincts of a 10-star knight or because Cyron had detailed even this in his letters, he couldn't be sure.
Jin bet on the former. If she had perfectly anticipated his Flash Cannon, he wouldn't have had the chance to block her iron sword just now.
Clang!
He barely managed to block the following strike. He then manifested two ice spikes and fired them at her face and torso.
Naturally, 3-star ice magic posed no threat to her; it was a meaningless distraction. However, if enough meaningless distractions piled up, he might eventually find an opening for a proper strike.
Ching, ching-ching, thud! The volley of ice spikes shattered helplessly against the energy shrouding Vanessa’s body.
‘A magic swordsman… how intriguing. This is entirely different from facing a typical warrior.’
Though she was pressing him with a fierce glint in her eyes, Vanessa found Jin much more troublesome than she had anticipated.
He was like an assassin in that one never knew what might suddenly spring from his hands; he was like an archer, firing spells of various sizes whenever the distance widened; and he was like a mage, using mana to pull tricks and induce illusions.
Yet, in close quarters, he possessed the raw physical power characteristic of a pure-blooded Runcandel. It went beyond being interesting—it was almost mystical.
‘On top of all that, he wields lightning. Even most 9-star knights would have a hard time with him. And he hasn't even used his spirit energy yet.’
She could immediately understand why Cyron was so interested in him.
However, he was not yet at a level where she could agree that he was ‘capable of exchanging a blow with Cyron.’
"Urgh!"
Jin coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled back. He had sustained a slight internal injury from Vanessa’s last strike.
"Seventeen, you said? Your level is unbelievable for that age. You're comparable to how Luna was back then."
"Is this a sudden compliment?"
"But that girl was born with less talent than you. All she had was the sword—nothing else. Considering you have spirit energy, magic, and various strokes of luck, you seem a bit lacking in comparison."
"Was Sister Luna able to exchange a blow with Father at seventeen?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"No. That was likely possible from eighteen onward."
"When I return, I'll have to brag to her. I'll tell her I think I'm better."
"Your combat skills are excellent, but it seems you haven't learned to only say things you can back up. Runcandel education isn't exactly stellar, so I suppose that's to be expected."
On the surface, the battle seemed desperate.
In truth, however, Jin could barely suppress the pride swelling within him.
‘I still have so many cards I haven't played, yet I can hold out like this against a 10-star knight…’
Of course, Vanessa was using a cheap steel sword instead of her favored blade and was subtly controlling her pace, but even accounting for that, Jin was putting up a magnificent fight.
After leaving Laprarosa, it had been difficult to gauge his true strength during the operation to seize the compass. He had killed the five White Wolves too easily, and the mages had been too easily deceived.
One only learns their true standing when they face a wall.
In that sense, Jin realized that his growth had far exceeded his own imagination. Not only himself, but his allies and even his enemies would never have expected it—just as Vanessa was underestimating him now.
Furthermore, Jin was starting to feel certain.
‘If Sir Vanessa continues to fight at this level, cutting her sleeve won't be a problem. The question is, how much injury must I be prepared to take?’
Since this wasn't a true life-or-death duel, Vanessa wouldn't exert her full power. She likely believed that doing so would invalidate the ‘test.’
Jin, however, judged differently.
‘When I finally find a way to dive in and strike Sir Vanessa, where, exactly, will her sword stop?’
Would it stop after passing through his neck? Would it stop right in front of it? Or would it stop after severing one of his limbs?
That was the one thing he couldn't calculate. Vanessa had never sworn, ‘I won't kill you,’ so he needed to be careful.
‘Once I decide to dive in, I'll have to leave myself entirely at Sir Vanessa’s mercy. The chance of her killing me is low, but she might just take an arm.’
In fact, Vanessa was thinking exactly that. She had planned to take his right arm if he failed this test.
She believed that ‘evaluating’ Cyron Runcandel so flippantly required a corresponding price. To say he could exchange a blow with him was to apply a yardstick to Cyron, which was no different from passing judgment.
Soon, Jin finished his deliberation.
‘First, I must show Sir Vanessa something even more surprising. Something that will make her feel it would be a waste to fatally wound me. Something that will make her feel I've earned this much.’
He had plenty to show.
Vanessa would wait for him. She had come to find him precisely to see such things. And Jin was confident he could satisfy her.
Crackle!
Sigmund began to vent lightning energy once more.
It was the preparation to unleash a Fighting God Technique. As expected, Vanessa flashed a grin the moment Jin stirred his lightning.
"If that is your trump card, you had better unleash it with extreme caution."
"You can take your time and enjoy the show. I have quite a few of them."