Chapter 95
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Swordsmanship Sparring
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You want to spar with me, Chairman?
Thats right.
Bella stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
The watching students wore similar looks.
They were all thinking the same thing.
How could someone like Tristan, a complete amateur with a sword, possibly face off against Bella, who was an expert?
I agreed with them.
Even in this world, there were only a handful of people who could beat Bella in pure swordsmanship.
Tristan wasnt her match.
And yet, the reason Id challenged her wasnt for some other purpose.
It was because the personality of Extreme Sin Kind, Envy, was boiling inside me.
Throughout the sparring session, Id been observing Bellas swordsmanship.
Her style was elegant.
The way her blade sliced through the air carried the lightness of a butterfly.
Even swinging a wooden practice sword, it felt sharp and precise.
The Izarkhel Style, founded by the hero Alonso Izarkhel.
Bella, who had trained in the Izarkhel Style since childhood, had surely reached her own unique realm by now.
Watching her handle the students with ease, I thought to myself.
I wanted to make that swordsmanship mine.
Even if I couldnt have it 100, I wanted 99.9 of it.
Have you ever trained in swordsmanship before, Chairman?
I just learned it.
Just now?
Ive memorized everything up to what you showed.
What?
Bella glared at me in disbelief.
Are you saying you watched it and learned it? My swordsmanship?
Thats right.
I wasnt lying.
Thanks to my personality Greed, her swordsmanship was roughly imprinted in my mind.
All that was left was to recreate it with Envy.
You say the most intriguing things.
Bella stared intently into my eyes.
But all shed find there was my unwavering gaze, without a hint of hesitation.
The students around us seemed to sense the tense atmosphere between Bella and me, falling silent.
Finally, Bella spoke.
Fine.
She took slow steps forward.
Like a cat stalking prey, she approached me silently.
Care to show me that swordsmanship you claim to have learned from me?
Of course.
Bella picked up a prepared wooden sword and handed it to me.
Then, in a whisper too quiet for the other students to hear, she murmured.
Goodness Are you sure youre okay with this, even with your eyes injured? Honestly, sparring with an injured person feels a bit off.
This level of injury is just a penalty.
Hmph.
Bellas eyebrow twitched.
My Pride must have pricked her ego.
I guess I was worrying for nothing. That confident, huh? Want to make a bet? Loser grants the winner anything they want.
That bet means nothing to me. Theres nothing I want from you.
You mean that?
I shrugged.
Her cheeks puffed out in annoyance at my arrogant attitude, and she turned away sharply.
Fine. Dont blame me if you get hurt. I absolutely wont go easy.
Bella gripped her wooden sword.
The tip gleamed fiercely, aimed at me.
Grip your sword. Ill teach you exactly what swordsmanship is.
Clack-!
Clack-!
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the gym.
At the center were two figures exchanging blows.
The moment Bella put strength into her heel, her sword traced a semicircle.
Clack!
Tristan easily blocked her strike aimed at the back of his head.
Without stopping, he closed the distance.
?!
Startled for a moment by his aggression, Bella calmly parried his thrust.
It was a sharp attack exploiting the moment her stance faltered.
Bella couldnt help but admire it inwardly.
Impressive He had reason to be so confident.
She hadnt expected to have a fight like this with Tristan.
Not only was he blocking her sword, he was counterattacking aggressively.
At first, Bella had the clear advantage.
His grip on the sword didnt look all that impressive.
In fact, the students shed sparred with earlier seemed better. But after a few exchanges, the mood shifted.
Clack-!
After blocking, Bella gazed steadily at him.
She could tell.
The swordsmanship Tristan wielded closely mimicked her own movements.
It felt like facing her father, Duke Fred.
This must be how it felt to cross swords with a fellow practitioner of the same style.
Clack-!
Bella even felt a sense of awe toward Tristan.
The Izarkhel Style, on the verge of losing its successor after her, had been acquired by him, if only imperfectly.
But
Bellas sword grew faster.
Her strikes carried a sharpness hard to believe came from a wooden sword.
All Tristan could do was block.
No, the more he blocked, the more proficient he became.
As if learning her movements on the fly.
Clack-!
Guess it wasnt just bravado?
Stop
The two, locked blade-to-blade up close.
Bella could feel his solidly trained strength, without flaw.
Muscles firm enough that even clothes couldnt hide them. And the aura emanating from his entire body.
Tristan was no longer the pretty boy she remembered from before. He was a man.
She saw his larger mans hand readjust its grip on the sword.
The moment she saw that motion, Bellas eyes widened.
Izarkhel Style
First Form: Light Slash
?!
Bellas sword slid off Tristans.
Unbelievable.
What hed just used was unmistakably the secret technique of the Izarkhel Style.
Not sure if I got it right.
Tristan muttered calmly.
Gasps of admiration erupted from the students whod witnessed his secret technique.
What was that the Chairman just did??
Too fast I couldnt see it properly
Theyd never seen the Izarkhel Styles secret technique before, which explained their reaction.
Tristan was in the same boat.
Bella had never shown him the secret technique either.
You always manage to surprise me
The secret technique of the Izarkhel Style was a crucial move, fast as light.
No beginner could pull it off after seeing it just once.
To think Tristan had figured out an unseen secret technique just from watching the swordsmanship.
How could she even describe that talent?
Then, Tristan spoke.
Bella.
Yes?
Dont hold back.
His eyes were serious.
Your skills arent just at this level.
You speak like you know everything about me.
It was true.
Since shed thought of him as a swordsmanship novice, it had been hard to take him seriously.
Especially against someone injuredshe wasnt ruthless enough to swing freely.
Tristan had seen right through that.
How long do you think Ive been watching you? Dont take that time lightly.
Hmph. Is that so?
A smirk crossed Bellas lips as curiosity struck her.
Just how far did his hidden talent go, the one shed never known about?
Fine. Since you put it that way, itd only be polite to show you a bit of my true self.
Bella readjusted her grip on the wooden sword.
The atmosphere around her shifted, as if she were wielding a real blade.
Seeing it, Tristan nodded in satisfaction.
Just what I wanted.
Bella slashed at the spot where Tristan stood.
Clack-!
Wooden splinters flew from Tristans sword under her sharp attack.
That was just the beginning.
Bella began pressuring him at her maximum speed.
Tristan barely managed to block her erratic slashes.
Clack-!
Clack-!
Clack-!
The students watching the relentless exchanges were speechless.
This was far beyond a basic classhigh-level swordsmanship unfolding before them.
Amid Bellas continuous slashes, Tristans wooden sword was starting to look less like a sword and more like a stick.
If it were a real blade, Bella would have shattered his long ago.
Yet even in this disadvantage, Bella noticed the corner of Tristans mouth curl up slightly.
As if he were enjoying this.
Infuriating
Bella pouted, but she didnt hate the feeling.
She wanted to savor this moment of crossing swords with him a bit longer.
But she couldnt.
She had a class to teach.
Regretfully, she had to end the spar.
Hoo
Bella decided to finish it.
She raised her sword overhead into an upper stance.
Izarkhel Style
Final Form: Light Comet Strike
A strike of light flew straight at Tristan.
Surprisingly, he didnt defend.
Instead, he swung his sword. As if the best defense was offense.
...!
It was a bold attack.
In that fleeting instant, Bella twisted her body to dodge his strike.
And her final blow
Crack-!
Tristans wooden sword shattered, unable to withstand Bellas slash.
Hed successfully blocked the final strike with the flat of his blade, but that was it.
By the time he realized, Bellas sword had stopped right at his throat.
The match was decided.
As the triumphant Bella listened, a voicenot sounding particularly regretfulreached her ear.
Ive learned one move.