Chapter 28

The Swordsmanship Genius Possessed by a God — Chapter 28

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Clang!

Allen's and Hiren's swords collided in the center of the training ground.

Allen's sword, enveloped in sword energy, battered against Hiren's defense. As Allen repeatedly executed the Hundred Lotus Steps and unleashed one technique after another, sweat gradually soaked his forehead.

Hiren's sword narrowly grazed Allen's head.

It was a perilous moment. Had he not quickly bent at the waist, his neck might have been severed.

But Allen paid it no mind and pressed forward.

“Phew—”

Watching from a distance, Mary tightened her fists and exhaled.

Just now, she had truly thought Allen's head was going to be cut off.

This had already happened several times. On more than one occasion, she had nearly screamed.

“There's no need to be so nervous.”

Mary flinched at the voice beside her.

Apparently, she had breathed so loudly that Lucas had noticed her nervousness.

“His opponent is the supreme commander. There's no chance of an accident.”

“That's true, but...”

As a swordsman, one inevitably participated in countless sparring matches.

Mary herself had fought innumerable matches before rising to the position of deputy leader in the Flying Sword Division.

But sparring was, by its nature, supposed to be friendly. It was conducted on the understanding that neither participant would take the other's life.

Yet Allen and Hiren's sparring seemed several steps removed from anything that could be called a friendly match.

“How can he do that?”

What had happened just now was a perfect example.

Even as a sword swept past the side of his head, Allen hadn't stopped attacking.

Instead of retreating, he had used the situation to slip inside Hiren's guard.

That wasn't something courage alone could accomplish.

It required courage that did not fear death, experience, and the ability to overcome such danger.

“Wasn't the squad leader still suffering from the Curse of Mana Deprivation until recently?”

She could scarcely believe it, even while watching with her own eyes.

Was the person fighting the supreme commander over there really the Second Young Master?

It wasn't simply a matter of being stronger than expected. She wondered whether it was even possible for a swordsman who had only just reached adulthood to display such abilities.

And Lucas was thinking the same thing.

“I don't know either.”

“Pardon?”

“For now, I can only assume that the Curse of Mana Deprivation was suppressing his talent. Now that the curse has been lifted, that suppressed talent is finally emerging.”

Although Lucas told Mary that the change was due to the lifting of the curse, he was thinking of a slightly different time.

‘His eyes had already changed back in that bandit hideout. It was the same at the black market.’

But back then, the Curse of Mana Deprivation had not yet been lifted.

‘What happened to you, Allen?’

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Clang!

Allen executed the First Form, Behold.

Scrrrrrape—

The two swords collided, their blades scraping against each other. The distance between Allen and Hiren narrowed.

At that moment, a hand reached toward Allen's collar.

Grab.

“...!”

Hiren lifted Allen bodily into the air and hurled him upward.

The force was so tremendous that Allen flew almost high enough to touch the training ground's ceiling.

Just as his body began falling back down, Hiren's sword came for him.

Flash.

Allen twisted his body in midair, almost folding himself in half, and the sword swept beneath him. At the same time, Allen unleashed Rainstorm in midair.

He had been preparing this counterattack from the very moment he was thrown upward.

Whooooosh!

The wind of sword energy naturally forced the two apart.

Allen landed in a roll and quickly regained his stance.

“Hah, hah.”

“That was a good response. Though if you'd twisted your body even a little later, your head would have flown off. It would have been safer to use a technique to keep yourself suspended in the air.”

“If I'd done that, I wouldn't have been able to counterattack.”

“Hehehe. That's true.”

Whoosh!

Allen executed the Hundred Lotus Steps again.

Closing the distance rapidly, he swung his sword once more. Sparks began flying between them again.

Even as his stamina waned and his breathing grew labored, Allen's sword showed no signs of slowing.

No, it was actually becoming faster and more precise than at the beginning.

‘He's getting stronger as time passes.’

Hiren found Allen fascinating.

‘It's almost as though he's adapting.’

From the moment their sparring match began until now, Allen had continued to grow stronger.

Hiren had likewise increased the strength he used little by little to match him.

After all, this sparring match had never been intended to determine a winner.

Its purpose was to assess Allen's abilities.

However—

Whoosh!

Clang!

Hiren looked surprised as he watched Allen block his sword and retreat.

‘He blocked that too?’

Several times, Hiren had unleashed strikes while thinking, Surely he won't be able to block this one.

But each time, Allen had managed to block his sword, even attempting to launch a counterattack afterward.

Although he knew it couldn't possibly be true, Hiren was forced to reach a conclusion.

‘He's accustomed to fighting opponents stronger than himself.’

“Huff, huff.”

Allen stopped moving for the first time and breathed heavily.

He had been fighting one sparring match after another following the Acceptance Ceremony.

It was only natural that he was approaching his physical limits.

‘And he seems accustomed to fighting in extreme conditions as well.’

Ordinarily, when someone became that exhausted, their stance would be the first thing to deteriorate. Their elbows would drop, or their stride would change.

But Allen was still maintaining the same stance as at the beginning.

Flash.

Narrowing his eyes, Hiren charged toward Allen.

Wondering whether Allen could block this as well, he simultaneously targeted Allen's waist and shoulder.

Clang!

Allen's sword knocked Hiren's blade aside. At the same time, he stepped backward and responded precisely to the sword strike that followed.

Hiren had thought that, having reached his limit, Allen would surely be finished this time.

‘Again?’

At first, Hiren had admired Allen's level of mastery.

But the longer they exchanged blows, the more he came to admire something else.

‘His ability to adapt to his opponent. His courage. His reaction speed and judgment. His experience...’

And all these qualities combined to create a complete swordsman.

‘I thought his fundamentals would be lacking because his mastery had advanced so quickly, but it's actually the opposite.’

“Hah, hah.”

Allen's breathing grew ragged.

His legs were visibly trembling. His concentration, stamina, and mana were all approaching exhaustion.

It was inevitable.

From the moment their sparring match began, Hiren had continuously tested Allen's limits.

Allen had been fighting without rest, constantly pushed to the very edge of his abilities.

In this condition, continuing the match would be difficult.

“Do you intend to continue?”

Seeing that Allen had reached his limit, Hiren clicked his tongue and spoke.

“There's no need to go any further. You've already performed well enough to pass.”

“It's not... huff... over yet.”

“...Is that so?”

The corners of Hiren's mouth twitched.

No matter how hard he tried to conceal it, he couldn't help feeling impressed.

There were plenty of strong swordsmen, but finding one who challenged his limits like this was difficult.

“Very well. Let's see you give it everything you've got.”

“Huff. Yes, sir.”

Hiss. Allen drew a deep breath.

At the same time, his previously ragged breathing steadied.

Hiren realized that Allen intended to burn through everything he had left.

Allen's feet executed the Hundred Lotus Steps.

The distance between them closed in an instant.

But he was no longer as fast as before.

Whoosh!

As though wringing out a dry rag, Allen swung his sword.

Hiren moved his head aside. Allen's sword swept through empty air.

“Your sword and your footwork have both slowed. You're in no condition to fight now.”

Until moments ago, Allen had been growing steadily stronger.

Faster and more precise.

But now the opposite was happening.

With his stamina exhausted, his sword and feet had slowed, and the continuous rhythm of his breathing had completely broken down.

Since the match had never been intended to determine victory or defeat, Hiren had already seen everything he needed from Allen.

“You've done well enough to pass. If you're merely being stubborn—”

Whooooo.

It was then.

An amount of mana incomparably greater than before began gathering around Allen's sword.

Hiren's eyes widened.

Hadn't Allen only recently been freed from the Curse of Mana Deprivation? Wasn't his mana supposed to be insufficient?

Although the Acceptance Ceremony had depleted Allen's stamina, his mana reserves had not yet run dry.

As Allen gathered mana into his sword, he silently recalled the incantation of the Celestial Star Style.

‘Send the mana away from the heart, as though drawing it into a deep embrace. Neither overflowing nor falling short, like water filling a vessel to the brim.’

Time seemed to stop for Allen as he entered a state of complete selflessness.

‘If Rainstorm is a downpour, then Surge is a force that drives forward.’

Concentrate the mana along the flat of the thin blade, then sweep it forward with the swing.

Whoooo.

Allen's sword, which had stopped moving, began to move again.

Celestial Star Style, Third Form.

Surge.

Crash!

The sword energy contained in a single swing drove toward Hiren's chest.

Like a wave crashing over a person, the technique Allen unleashed surged forward and pressed against Hiren.

At that moment—

Whooooosh!

Hiren's sword collided with Surge.

The wave shattered, and sword energy scattered in every direction like mist.

His final technique had been broken.

It was a move into which he had squeezed every last drop of his remaining mana.

Thud.

After unleashing Surge, Allen collapsed to the ground.

Now there truly wasn't a shred of strength left in his body. He didn't even have the energy to move a single finger.

Yet a smile lingered on the fallen Allen's lips.

“Well, I'll be—”

Hiren, who had swung his sword, let out an incredulous sigh.

A faint green sword energy coated Griffin's blade.

Without realizing it, he had used mana to break through Surge.

A mistake?

No.

Allen had deliberately induced him to lower his guard from the beginning.

It was true that his stamina had been depleted, and his trembling legs had been genuine.

He had merely concealed the fact that he still had mana to spare.

‘Did he plan even this far ahead?’

Hiren stared at Allen in disbelief.

He had never imagined he would have to say these words.

“You win.”

But Allen shook his head.

Still sitting collapsed on the ground, Allen raised a hand and pointed toward himself.

He seemed to have something to say.

“What is it now?”

“Your clothes...”

“What?”

It was then that Hiren checked his clothing.

The front of his robe, across his chest.

The very edge of the fabric had been slightly cut.

Not only had Hiren used mana, but Allen's sword energy had also reached him, if only by the tiniest amount.

“Heh. Bwahahahaha!”

Hiren burst into laughter at the sheer absurdity of it.

“So I didn't merely lose. I lost completely. A total defeat, a complete defeat.”

A youngster who had only just become an adult.

Even though he had lost a wager to someone who was merely a squad leader, Hiren showed not the slightest sign of displeasure.

On the contrary, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the situation.

At the same time, a message appeared in Allen's mind.

[You have won the wager against ‘Supreme Commander Hiren.’]

[All stats have increased by 3.]

Suddenly, vitality welled up within his body.

His stamina and mana had both increased, and his utterly drained body felt as though it had recovered a little.

“Haaaa—”

Thud—

Finally relaxing, Allen fell backward and sprawled on the ground.

Although he had won the wager, he still wasn't satisfied.

All he had managed to do was cut the front of Hiren's robe. And even that had happened without Hiren fighting at full strength.

‘I still have a long way to go.’

Lying on the ground and staring up at the training ground's ceiling, Allen's gaze deepened.

‘Still.’