Why My Sword Fails Against Golems
Why had it come to this with the golems and superhuman swordsmanship? Iana swung her sword relentlessly, lost in thought.
She was certain she'd grown incomparably stronger than before. It wasn't that her swordsmanship had advanced a level or her realm had elevated. Instead, through countless real battles, she'd honed her combat techniques to perfection—momentary judgment, finesse, the ability to read the battlefield. Things no amount of mere training could grant in a lifetime.
And the man who had made her realize that, who had driven her to claim it as her own, was Ian.
She didn't know much about his personality or the kind of person he was, but she understood he was exceptional as a swordsman and as a lord.
"...But I still haven't learned how to deal with enemies my sword can't cut through."
The golems from the third gate. Monsters made entirely of solid material. A typical knight's strikes were deflected with ease. Infusing mana allowed her to slice them, but at an extreme cost to her stamina. For a pure swordsman, they were a natural predator, no exaggeration.
"Hoo! I thought I'd been consistent with my stamina training. But dealing with these monsters swarming everywhere is still tough."
Right now, she was facing four golems at once. Even that was the result of her iron resolve reducing seven to this number. But she was at her limit now. She could barely deploy her sword techniques to keep them at bay—that was it. She no longer had the strength to cleave through their tougher rocky hides and drive her blade into their cores. Just rolling her body to dodge a golem's fist left her legs trembling.
Is there anyone who can come save me? No way. This is a gate that only allows one person inside to begin with.
She'd entered prepared for death from the start. If she hadn't, far more people would have died. Of course, she hadn't done it planning to die. Among them, she had the highest survival odds. She might be able to clear it... that thought had crossed her mind too.
Even she, now facing death right before her eyes, thought only of reducing their numbers as much as possible for whoever came next.
"...I never thought death was scary before."
To an adventurer, death was like a pebble on the roadside. You didn't notice it usually, but someday you'd trip over it. Iana herself had killed bandits, mercenaries, even fellow adventurers over various issues.
I don't think I ever committed malicious murder...
She knew it was absurd to cling to qualms about killing when she'd chosen to wield a sword in battle. A sword was ultimately a weapon of murder; swordsmanship was an art for killing people. Knowing that, Iana had always fought with the awareness that she could die at any moment. It was the first lesson she'd learned when she first gripped a sword.
So now it was her turn. That was all there was to it. But...
"...I still don't wanna die."
There was no way she wanted to end her life like this. There were tons of people she wanted to talk to more. She had the burning desire to train harder and grow stronger. Above all, leaving her friends behind gnawed at her.
Luna would probably bawl her eyes out seeing me dead, right? Jenice seemed tough, but she was soft-hearted—could she really stand after losing a friend? And that man's expectations for me...
"Ha."
It was a bit funny that, after all her adventuring companions, the next person who came to mind was that man.
How strong an impression had he left in that short time? Well, he wasn't the type with a forgettable face or presence.
"At least I wanted to surprise that face once."
His fighting style was utterly different from any knight or mercenary she'd seen. Swordsmanship with no discernible end, absurd growth that never stopped. Before she knew it, a desire to defeat him as a swordsman had taken root.
Thinking that way made it regrettable, but there was no helping it. This was her final stop.
"Me, swordsman Iana. I won't die easily like this."
Her mana was nearly depleted. Standing, let alone holding her sword, was a struggle. But if she threw herself in without thinking of the aftermath, she could still move. If she was gone, the next to fight would likely be the vice-captain, her friends, or the lord himself. For their sake, she had to take at least one more golem down with her.
This'll be the last strike of my life.
Iana drew up every last drop of mana to her limit. Just as she charged for a piercing thrust at a vital point—
Kwaaaaang!
Suddenly, something slammed into a golem like a cannon shot. The impact didn't just push back the massive golem—it toppled it outright.
Kuwooooong!
Who could pull off something like that? How had they entered a gate that only allowed one person? Such questions didn't cross Iana's mind. There was only one man who could resolve trivial issues like that without a second thought.
Ian Armeina.
He asked, perched atop the fallen golem.
"Did I arrive too late?"
Her mouth worked silently before she managed a weary reply.
"...You were late. But you came to save me, so I'll let it slide."
"Good. Rest there. You did well."
Thud!
Iana's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. Golems were the worst matchup for a swordsman. And the one who'd come to face them was her own lord, just like her.
But why... doesn't it feel like I'll lose with him here?
With this man in front of her, she felt safe, reliable. It pissed her off, but seeing her body react on its own, she had no choice but to accept it. Exhausted and slumped, Iana watched the man who'd become her new goal fight.
****
Of all things, golems. What rotten luck.
There was no explaining it other than sheer bad luck. Golems with their solid bodies were a swordsman's worst nightmare. If you could cut them somehow, it was fine—just the difference between slicing tofu or chopping radish. The problem was the massive mana drain turning it into a war of attrition.
If you haven't reached the pinnacle, you have to crank up mana output and force the cut.
Like the difference between slicing a cucumber and splitting logs. The mana cost at that point was no longer negligible.
If it had been any other situation, Iana wouldn't have struggled. With other knights around, she'd have recovered while they held the line. Even with friends, she'd take the front while they peppered the golems with arrows and spells from behind.
But alone, she'd nearly died. That, in a way, was the terror of gates.
Well, gates that only allow solo entry are rare enough I can count them on one hand.
Anyway, good thing he'd arrived in time. A little later, and Iana might have been gone.
...She fought better than I expected.
Taking on seven golems and dropping three? Even fighting for her life, that was insane. The culmination of her honed swordsmanship, talent, and her unique mental fortitude. Compared to her original struggle against a crime boss, her growth was ridiculous. Probably the unique pressure of gates plus his acceleration of her progress.
Hunters or whatever, you get stronger facing death.
This time, Iana had fought with her life on the line. If she survived, she'd leap to the next level. Battling seven golems at once was training you couldn't buy.
"...Enough thinking."
After cleanly extracting the core from the fallen golem, he stood before the rest, sword in hand. Three left. B-rank hunter level would call it game over, but Iana had handled worse. Backing down now would bruise his pride.
I have ways to deal with them anyway.
In his past life, he'd farmed golems endlessly. Even as a swordsman, he'd mastered a few counters. Logically, swordsmen held the front while mages dealt damage, but solo gate runs required golem tactics too.
Not anyone could do it, so practicality was iffy, but Iana could absorb it.
Perfect teaching moment. Who knew when he'd next get to instruct her leisurely against golems.
He gripped his sword at an angle, then dashed forward. A golem swung its massive fist.
Kuwoooo!
Golems had overwhelming power and defense, but they were slow. Plenty of openings.
They cover with defense, but pierce that, and they're just slow targets.
Not every part was solid. They were aggregates of rocks, not monolithic. Weaker than mana-reinforced walls, but their seams were easy to sever.
Shaaaak!
After stepping to find a gap, his sword slipped in. A quick swing, and the arm detached—not sliced, disassembled.
"Eh...?"
Iana's eyes widened from afar. No wonder, after she'd sweated to half-destroy what he cut so easily. But it wasn't her failing. Even experts rarely cleaved golem fissures mid-chaos. That insight marked genius-plus.
Iana fighting this raw was far more impressive. And with more of them too.
So this swordplay was her lesson too. Fresh from battle, it'd spark huge insights.
Shrrrrk!
His sword writhed like a snake, severing joints. A flowing strike from top to bottom. Rocks tumbled, exposing the core—his foot crushed it.
Kwajik!
One golem crumbled. Emotionless, the rest swung again.
Bwooooong!
He dodged, closed in, struck the central seam where the core peeked.
Any monster's easy once you know the weak point.
Blade in, golem froze. One left. He kicked off faster, targeting legs first. Sever seams, topple the body.
Kuwooooong!
Mobility gone, it flailed—arms shattered like legs.
Kwaduk! Kwajik! Ujijik!
Head, torso—total disassembly. Left: the core, golem essence, top-tier item.
Lucky score.
Usually, you smash cores to kill; intact ones were rare treasures.
With a core, you can craft golems.
Perfect—he had mage Jenice and inventor Manila. This could secure Armeina Territory's defenses for good.
Overwhelming skill has conquered the gate!