Chapter 28
Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Growth-4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lava Sword Hwacheong, a sword forged from special ore mined in Volcano Volcano. It was a weapon of flame, where fire enveloped the sword aura with every swing.
Thunderbolt Spear Pulgal, a spear made by absorbing lightning fallen from the sky. It excelled in explosive power through lightning and blinding speed.
Mirror Shield, a shield ground from a mirror in ancient ruins. It was incredibly sturdy, with the unique advantage of reflecting and repelling attacks.
[Such overpowered weapons are all stored there?]
"That's right. And that's just in Sir Marken's armory alone."
Not only personal armories, but even considering the House of Reinhardt's own vast armory, it could stand against the kingdom's army if it came.
Of course, there were plenty of permissions and restrictions to gain access.
[Are you twisting things to snag one with this duel?]
[No way. My goal is clearly Ariasfil's growth and the duel itself.]
Of course, if they insisted on giving one, refusing would be impolite. It was proper etiquette and manners to say "thank you" and accept what an adult offered.
[Well... yeah. It'd be nice to pick up something slick this time.]
[Eheh~ I have absolutely no such selfish motives! None!]
Leo gazed at his rusted iron sword. If he won, he could bid farewell to this cheap hunk of junk.
[Don't let your guard down, though. That kid's talent is top-tier, even if she's young.]
[That's something I know better than anyone.]
Even appearing relaxed, Leo maintained his own tension. It was a rational instinct honed from over two hundred duels and defeats.
Kiiiik
Once preparations were complete, the door to the dueling arena creaked open.
Leo stepped toward the arena, where light seeped in.
The dueling arena was far larger and more imposing than the training grounds.
Most of the party guests sat in the spectator seats with reluctant expressions. They hadn't attended the party for this purpose from the start, so it was a perfectly normal reaction.
[Can't even compare to the training grounds?]
[Since it's a formal duel hosted by the family's Lady, no need to hold back.]
The moment Leo stepped onto the arena floor, the Lady of the House entered from the opposite side.
[...The aura's completely different.]
The aura was different. The expression fit perfectly.
Instead of a soft dress, the leather armor she wore implicitly displayed her prowess. Instead of a bouquet of flowers, the longsword gripped in her hand was more than enough to stir Leo's fighting spirit.
"Leo, thinking about it, we've never gone all out against each other until now."
She was right.
In their first duel, Ariasfil had used a dagger and been pushed back. In the second, Leo had restricted himself and refrained from using magic.
There had been situational constraints, but they hadn't dampened the passion for victory.
"So..."
The longsword slid free from its sheath. The blade tip soon thrust straight toward her worthy rival.
"Fight with everything you've got. I will too."
Leonardo's sword aimed back at her in kind.
"I've never held back. And I won't this time either."
Both knights' lips curled up ever so slightly.
The reason for their smiles was the same.
"The duel between Ariasfil Reinhardt and Leonardo now begins!"
The referee raised his hand from the upper seat overlooking the arena, signaling the start.
"Victory conditions are the opponent's surrender or combat incapacity. Unauthorized magic tools or interference result in a foul loss."
With the explanation complete, the raised hand lowered slowly.
"Begin!!"
A gust of dust swirled from Ariasfil's position the instant the shout rang out.
"She's gone?!"
The spectators cried out in shock, but Leonardo remained calm.
Kaang!!
The vanished Ariasfil halted right before Leo's sword. The resounding clash of metal—a split-second delay, and she would've been slashed without even noticing.
[She's faster than before?]
It surpassed even the young Ariasfil from his previous life. In pure agility, she was faster than Leonardo himself.
Chaeng!
Leo flicked away her blade, disrupting Ariasfil's onslaught.
At the same time
[Steam Smoke]
Hot steam erupted from beyond the magic circle, blasting toward Ariasfil. Borne back by the mist particles, she couldn't open her eyes.
"Urgh...!!"
By the time she forced her eyes open, the arena was already shrouded in heated water droplets.
'Where? Where is Leonardo...?'
Shwick!
Her opponent answered not with words, but a barrage of daggers.
"Fast...!"
Daggers flew one after another—not unblockable, but no light jabs either.
'But the daggers will run out eventually. And then...'
The thick steam veil was thinning bit by bit. A one-off 1-circle spell couldn't obscure vision for long.
'There you are...!'
Leo's crimson eyes gleamed through the fog. Ariasfil was already lunging, sword swinging.
[Lightning]
His counter: a 1-circle lightning spell. Straight-line trajectory—easy enough for Ariasfil to dodge.
'Got you...!'
Just before her blade connected—
Pzzzt-crackle!
The straight bolt splintered outward in all directions.
[Chain Lightning]
The chained bolts ensnared Ariasfil as well.
"Gaaahhh...!!"
"...What in the...!"
Every spectator gasped in astonishment. Any boredom or reluctance had vanished long ago.
"...The daggers he threw were wired."
Chris was first to catch on.
As Chris explained, thin wires connected the daggers Leonardo had hurled. Perfect conductors—the lightning's full power coursed through unimpeded.
"The Steam Smoke at the start boosted the lightning's power too."
The pervasive water droplets amplified the lightning magic. Not just in the air—Ariasfil's body was drenched as well.
"...Clever tricks, I'll give him that."
Even Marken was forced to acknowledge Leo's skill, albeit dryly.
[Finished her?]
[Gotta seal the deal.]
Leo yanked the wires and charged. One solid sword strike, and victory was his.
"...Ugh...!"
But—
[What...!?]
The surrounding lightning began to recede. A mana wind emanated from Ariasfil's center, pushing it back.
"No way..."
Ariasfil Reinhardt.
Her strength stemmed from swordsmanship, physical prowess, senses, bloodline—many factors.
But Leo knew.
Her fundamental talent was
[2-star...]
"Her aura's reached 2-star...!"
the essence of mana itself.
Two aura condensates blazed brightly beyond her body. The compressed mana cores repelled and scattered the lightning simultaneously.
"Ugh...!!"
The mana pressure shoved Leo back slightly.
"...What...! This power...?"
Ariasfil, stunned by her own surge, didn't press the attack right away.
'Then...!'
Leo seized the opening without pause, advancing swiftly with a flurry of strikes.
[Hey, hold off on any sneaky transformations. That's not manly.]
[Winning is justice.]
The victor is always right. To prove it, Leo pressed his assault relentlessly.
Kaaang!!
But she had already adapted to her newfound power. Repelling Leo's charge proved it.
"...Hoo..."
The momentum now flowed toward Ariasfil.
"Keep coming, Leonardo."
Getting into that armory didn't look easy anymore.
His body felt like it was on fire.
Not mere scorching pain.
Sensations of thin wires double-braided over every nerve trunk, molten iron poured in place of blood through every muscle fiber and vessel.
More concisely:
It felt like his heart had gained a second beat.
But
'...I can win...'
That bizarre awareness honed Ariasfil's existence ever sharper.
'Leonardo, I... against you...!'
The newly formed second core pulsed.
"I'll win!!"
Ariasfil's mana blanketed the arena.
[...Can you win?]
The Sage asked cautiously, sensing the mana even in spirit form.
[...Who knows. I'm not certain.]
[Is that so? But then...]
Contrary to his uncertain words, Leo gripped his sword tighter.
[You're grinning like an idiot?]
His smile was far from the face of tension.
Rather, as if delighted by that eye-opening growth, he swung his sword in counterattack.
[But how do you plan to win?]
Originally, he meant to weaken her with his opening strategy, then overwhelm with a barrage.
But with her core now at 2-star, such a soft approach wouldn't cut it.
In aura core count, volume, and intensity alone, she already surpassed Leonardo. That was proof enough of his disadvantage.
But
Not one of those mighty sword auras ever touched Leo.
'...Why... not a single strike lands...!'
The sword's weight, speed—even mana output—all favored Ariasfil herself. Nor was she clumsily controlling the sudden power-up.
Yet that overwhelming sword aura proved powerless before Leonardo.
"...It's not just sharp instincts."
Rios Reinhardt murmured in quiet admiration at Leo's swordsmanship.
"Exactly. It's beyond talent or instinct."
Gladio Reinhardt had encountered and recruited countless talents on his path to Family Head.
Thus, his insight was the most discerning and precise in the room.
"Hard to believe, but that boy has lived through experiences thick with hardship at such a young age. Thirteen years old."
Chris nodded in agreement with the Family Head's assessment.
"I've seen Leonardo's body before. The scars alone make him no different from a grizzled veteran who's danced with death countless times."
Marken, a true veteran, propped his face on one arm at those words.
"...He's still on the defensive, but it's no amateur show."
As he said, Leo hadn't overturned the tide with offense.
[Dragging this into a prolonged fight puts you at a disadvantage. You know that, right?]
As the Sage warned, a war of attrition would turn against Leo. Ariasfil would gradually adapt to her 2-star core, and his 1-star mana reserves would be utterly overwhelmed.
Thus—
[Lightning]
—end it swiftly.
Ariasfil retreated a step from the exploding bolt, evading the heat. While giving ground, she steadied her breath, sword at the ready. Leo, too, briefly recalibrated his breathing rhythm.
This breath's end would bring the conclusion.
[Frontal assault's impossible. Pure power favors her.]
Even head-on, the disadvantage remained. The one with superior speed, strength, mana, and physique held the edge.
[Lightning]
But—
Pzzzt-crackle!!
Leo's style compensated for that shortfall.
The electric current coursed through his body, accelerating him fully.
[This should do it.]
[...Huh? What...]
Ariasfil charged. A straightforward vertical slash—speed and power overwhelming Leo.
Leo gripped his sword.
The second-in-command recalls.
What he had done over five years to shatter that swordsmanship.
The martial foundation he had built.
Sensory calculations complete.
In that instant, the sword flashed free.
No tricks. No gimmicks.
What felled heaven's genius was the pinnacle of fundamentals—the apex of basics.
The refinement of basics cleaved the genius's blade.