Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: 37. Fist of the Earth
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Meredes's training was nearing its end.
She raised her elbow, gripped her sword tightly, and focused her consciousness on her right arm.
Then, with a short deep breath, she swung her arm toward the center of the training ground.
First came the slow acceleration using her shoulder and elbow.
Next was the rapid acceleration using muscle contraction.
Wooong!
A shockwave erupted along the front of her forearm.
But the real technique started now.
She linked all the movements that had generated the shockwave up to this point into a single acceleration, connecting it to her wrist.
At the same time, she added extra acceleration to the sword using the elasticity of her wrist, triggering a new wind pressure.
Wooong!
Next, she quickly snapped her wrist back to ensure the blade didn't touch the unified shockwave.
Slash!
From a distance, it looked like lightly casting a fishing line.
But the result was devastating.
Kwaaaaang!
A shockwave reminiscent of a cannon shell burrowed into the ground, causing a massive explosion.
In an instant, it completely overturned the narrow patch of earth, showering dirt mounds in all directions. Meredes calmly blocked the flying dirt fragments with her palm and asked,
"How was it? Captain."
"Nearly... perfect."
Dabi couldn't tear his eyes away from the deeply gouged ground in the distance. Meredes sheathed her sword and bowed politely.
"If you could tell me what's lacking in my technique, I would be grateful."
What she had executed was a modified Gale Blade. Storm Sword, to be precise.
It was a technique even Dabi himself could only use smoothly after consuming the Ancient Wolf's core.
It had taken him years just to devise and perfect it. He was certain it would receive 'Master Skill' rating if registered with the Knight Guild.
Yet Meredes had mastered this finicky technique in less than a few months.
'And she's only 17. This is what a true genius looks like.'
Dabi clicked his tongue inwardly and shook his head.
"No, it's not lacking. It's just... different."
"Different how, exactly?"
Meredes asked with an expressionless face. Dabi took the lead and walked toward the impact site.
"I mean my Storm Sword and yours are different."
"Then it needs correction. Please tell me what I should fix."
"Wait first."
Dabi stopped in front of a pit that had dug in diagonally over five meters.
"Look. The power didn't scatter; it concentrated in one spot. Sure, compared to my Storm Sword, the explosion radius is narrow. But the impact on that narrow area is stronger on your end."
"......"
"This isn't wrong; it's just different. Depending on the situation, your Storm Sword might pack more punch. How did you do it? From the side, it didn't look any different."
"......Perhaps it's because of this."
Meredes swung her arm through the air as she replied.
"Storm Sword is a technique where the second wave, activated later, overlays the first wave and propels it toward the target. But I had trouble controlling the speed transitioning from the first wave to the second."
"Hm?"
"The speed of the final sword swing was too fast. During practice, the shockwave I'd barely created would get sliced apart by the blade before it could fully extend."
"......"
Dabi was momentarily speechless.
'What kind of nonsense is this? The sword swing was so fast it sliced the generated shockwave? Does that even make sense?'
Even Dabi, a Knight Master, had never imagined such a thing. Was it even physically possible? For now, he had no choice but to hear her out.
"......And?"
"So, the moment the second wave formed, I snapped my wrist back like a recoil as fast as possible. That's how I finally completed the technique. However, since it wasn't a perfectly calculated speed from the start like yours, extra force got added, and I thought the lack of spread across a wide area like yours was a flaw."
Meredes bowed humbly. Only then did Dabi draw his own sword and mimic her stance to grasp the difference firsthand.
"Even if you pull the sword back quickly, the Gale Blade weakens and doesn't deliver full power...... Hah!"
He executed the technique for real, but as expected, the two shockwaves failed to merge properly and flew off unevenly, thudding into the ground.
'This is neither here nor there. But Meredes's Gale Blade...... Ah!'
Having pinpointed the issue, Dabi swung his arm this time with enough force to split the shockwave before it could launch.
"Hah!"
At the last moment, he barely snapped his wrist back and drew his sword.
A new vertical shaft appeared in the training ground.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
"Urk......"
He'd put too much force into the reverse motion, straining his tendons. Dabi felt his entire right arm throbbing as he sheathed his sword.
"I barely managed to imitate it."
"What did you just do? Your Storm Sword flew out and then suddenly dropped vertically."
Meredes compared the two pits with wide eyes.
Hers had burrowed into the ground at an angle, creating a gentle crater. Dabi's had curved abruptly and slammed straight down from above.
"Probably because I forced the wrist snap too much."
Dabi removed his gauntlet and massaged his throbbing wrist. Even then, Meredes pulled out two elixir vials stored in her armor and offered them.
"Recovery Elixir and Pain Relief Elixir."
"Hm, thanks."
Dabi accepted without hesitation and downed them.
"I get the principle now. When the weakened second wave from the wrist snap hit the first wave, the first wave enveloped it like a cloth."
Dabi wrapped his right fist with his left palm as he explained.
"So the second wave's power stayed intact without dispersing until the very end. That's why you could deliver more concentrated power at the moment of explosion."
If Dabi's original method felt like a cluster bomb dispersing warheads, Meredes's was closer to a bunker buster piercing a single point.
"I also realized you can adjust the shockwave's final trajectory by controlling the angle and force of the wrist pull. The technique is evolving. This is all thanks to you, Meredes."
"It just happened to work out."
"No need to be modest. I might not have figured this out without you. We should classify Storm Sword into concentrated and dispersed types. When we officially register it with the Knight Guild later, I'll include your name too."
"That's not necessary."
Meredes shook her head, her face returning to its usual blank expression.
"I'm just receiving your guidance, Captain. More importantly, please teach me how to use the dispersed Storm Sword."
"Honestly, the concentrated type seems trickier to handle than the dispersed one."
Dabi stuck out his tongue and swung his bare hand through the air.
"You do need to control the speed from the start after all. For the bare-handed Gale Blade—the first wave—make the acceleration as slow as possible. Just enough to meet the bare minimum conditions for generating wind pressure."
"Understood. But......"
Meredes turned her head toward the forest. There, Regal lay sprawled with a somehow gloomy expression.
"......May I be excused for a moment?"
"Sure. Training ends here for today."
Dabi smiled, thinking to himself,
'Meredes is a pro at finding that wolf. I didn't even sense the presence.'
Even though he was the one who had eaten Regal's core, not her.
"Regal. Is something wrong? You don't look good."
Meredes hurried over and stroked Regal's scruff as she asked. Regal growled softly and narrowed his eyes.
"Hm, the ground tremors keep bothering me."
"I'm sorry. I was training Storm Sword, so I unintentionally kept shaking the earth."
"What? No, that's not it."
Regal belatedly shook his head as he noticed Dabi approaching slowly.
"There was an earthquake a few days ago. That's what's nagging at me."
"You mean the one a few days back. I felt the mansion shake slightly too."
It was the very day Claude had left the mansion to pursue that inexplicable 'Terajik route.' Regal bared his fangs slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"Something feels ominous. But I don't know what it is."
"Since the quake came from the east, there's no need to worry too much."
"Why?"
"Further east from here is just Elstone Earldom, and beyond that, only uninhabited dead lands."
"Hm......"
"Just in case, I sent aid supplies to Elstone Earldom via Kyle."
Dabi, who had arrived beside them, glanced toward the distant eastern forest as he spoke.
"Even if the quake hit there, recovery should be quick. Of course, if His Highness were here, we could provide more substantial support."
It was unfortunate that the quake struck precisely on the day Claude left, making national-scale aid difficult to discuss. Plus, only Regal here and a few core-consuming knights had even felt it.
"I'd like to go check it out myself if possible, but I can't leave the mansion grounds."
Regal said. Dabi spun around to gaze at the western sky with a wry smile.
"In that case, asking Lady Tolari wouldn't be a bad idea. She's flying over right now, after all."
"Everyone's there!"
Tolari, dressed sloppily as if in a rush, was flying in hurriedly for some reason. Meredes muttered in a barely audible voice,
"Why is she in such a disheveled state......"
"We can't send that mage woman either."
Regal shook his head. Dabi turned back and asked,
"Pardon? Why not?"
"The reason I can't leave the mansion grounds is that woman. Claude asked me to guard her before he left."
"His Highness did?"
"I'm handling the forest outside the mansion, and Didi's taking the inside."
"Why go to such lengths for Lady Tolari......"
Dabi furrowed his brow. Tolari, who had just arrived, landed in a form between beast and human, panting heavily.
"Hoo. Flying in a hurry made me out of breath. But were you talking about me?"
"No. More importantly, is something wrong? Why the rush?"
"Hm? Well, you see......"
Tolari seemed to have forgotten her point and hemmed and hawed before shouting,
"Right! Our elf is amazing, right?"
"......You mean Lanir?"
"Yeah, Lanir. We were just playing in the western forest—or was it magic training?"
Tolari grinned widely and pointed to the distant western sky.
"You know the western forest? Where I made the training ground with Tempest?"
"Yes. We've decided to do magic training there from now on, right?"
"Yeah. But that elf—her mana isn't huge or anything. But her control is insane."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she hit a target the size of two fists from afar with Wind Arrows?"
Silence fell.
Dabi stared at his own fist for a moment before asking back,
"Is that such a big deal? Enough to fly here in a panic to report it?"
"It's not that hard. Just a bit tricky?"
"......"
"No. Don't make that face yet."
Tolari shook her head vigorously at Dabi's incredulous look.
"I got curious and made the targets smaller and smaller. But she kept piercing them— even this?"
She formed a tiny circle with her thumb and index finger. Dabi held his breath and asked,
"Wait, you mean she made a target with her fingers?"
"Yeah."
"That could badly injure your hand! And it's a mage's hand!"
Mages can't cast if they lose both arms in extreme cases. But Tolari waved it off like it was nothing.
"Psh, who cares? Her control was so good, I knew she wouldn't get hurt."
"No, even so......"
"The point is Lanir, not me. She's got talent in magic. In a way I've never seen. Hehe. This is fun. His Highness really has an eye for people."
Tolari giggled like she'd found a fun toy. At that moment, the quiet Regal suddenly perked up his ears and rose.
"Eh? What's wrong, wolf? I'm not lying. I'm honestly praising the elf's talent—"
"Horses."
"Horses?"
Regal wrinkled his nose and turned his head east.
"Two humans on horseback are galloping from the eastern forest toward us. No, they're almost here. They seemed off, so I detected them late."
"Enemies?"
Dabi asked, hand on his sword hilt. Regal sniffed the air and shook his head.
"Doesn't seem like enemies. But they're in a huge rush."
"Not enemies, rushing from the east on horseback......"
'Elstone Earldom' flashed in everyone's minds. Moments later, the two knights arrived and dismounted hastily, shouting,
"Who goes there! We are messengers from Count Elstone! We have urgent news for Prince Claude!"
"I'm Dabi, captain of Claude's Knight Order."
Dabi stepped forward. The knights instantly knelt, flustered.
"You're a Knight Master? It's an honor to meet you."
"Skip the pleasantries. What is it? His Highness is away."
"That's......"
The knights exchanged troubled glances before nodding resolutely and producing the count's letter.
"Two days ago, we confirmed the Death Legion crossing the border. Their numbers are so overwhelming that our earldom's forces can't resist at all."
"What?"
"The count has issued evacuation orders to all nearby villages, but the situation is on a knife's edge. Please, His Highness... No, since His Highness is away, send an army as quickly as possible."
"An army......"
The count's letter stated the Death Legion numbered at least 50,000. The knights prostrated themselves before Dabi and cried out,
"If this continues, the entire earldom will be swept by the undead in an instant! There's no time! The more corpses, the more enemies! If we can't hold them in the earldom, next is the imperial heartland! The whole world will be overrun by the Death Legion!"