Chapter 52: It Was No Ordinary Swordsmanship

Is a shield a weapon? Or is it armor?

The answer to that is simple.

It depends on how you use it.

I throw my body over the charging shield.

Immediately after the collision.

I rotate my entire body to disperse the impact, and not stopping there, I use that recoil to climb right up the shield.

A straight line can be enveloped by a circle.

A point can be stained by a line.

And a void is filled with points.

…I don’t actually know what that means.

It’s just something I figured out by doing it.

However, I still don’t know specifically what the principle is, why it’s possible, or how it works.

But.

I am not a scholar.

Therefore, I don’t need to be desperate to understand it with my head.

…As long as I can use it.

As long as I can employ it.

Anything will suffice.

“Huh?”

Even though he had rammed into that small body like a bison, why was he the one being pushed back?

Not only that, it was clear that he had landed a hit; the sensation was certain.

Why did the opponent climb the shield as if it were nothing?

That agility, stepping on his forearm as if it were a bridge to sprint forward.

“What kind of pathetic trick is this!”

A misconception.

I have never once treated an opponent as a fool beneath my expectations to the point of using the same move twice.

Therefore, if he thought so, that was a blatant misconception.

However, such a thought becomes an opening.

Pretending to approach logically, I suddenly pivot at the shoulder and sprint along the arm, acrobatically racing between the waist and legs.

Finally, I drive the hand axe right into the groin.

It’s more of a tool or a piece of equipment than a weapon.

But it’s the same.

This, too, depends on how you use it.

“Gwaaaaagh!”

Even if one trains their entire body, the groin is a vital spot, and training one’s genitals is a different story entirely.

No matter how much one tempers their body to be as hard as steel, it is still a body made of flesh, and there are always gaps.

Above all.

Even the strength he used to try and shake me off while I clung to him.

I was able to use that as my own driving force.

Furthermore, the act of disrupting the flow of mana the moment I clung to him to dull his senses and throw off his reactions.

That wasn’t a problem at all.

That is why, even though I could have neutralized and dealt with the axe warrior more easily at first.

I didn’t reveal this.

While they surely suspected that problems arise upon contact.

In an emergency, once a strong impression is ingrained.

Prejudice inevitably forms.

And in trying to prepare for that, they ironically become more clumsy and rigid.

In this way, instinct always seems to protect oneself. Yet, conversely, what destroys oneself are those clumsy, ingrained instinctive responses, gestures, and reactions.

Primal judgment, when you think about it, is the greatest enemy that betrays one’s true intentions.

It blocks courageous actions, makes one succumb to fear, exaggerates nothingness into something terrifying to cause despair.

It hinders even the attempt to challenge all of that, eventually forcing one to their knees.

“Agh! Gwaaa!”

To overcome oneself. That means suppressing and conquering even those prejudices, fixed notions, and instincts, and defeating them.

…It was something the Demon King had babbled on about excitedly.

Whether then or now, I wonder if there could have been any more essential advice.

“Not bad! Quite impressive!”

“…….”

After rotating his sword once, Kariel settled the blade held in his right hand near his flank.

The tip of the sword pointed diagonally forward.

Even for one hand, this was Fortes.

He pulled his left arm tight, placing his hand as if wrapping around his face and chin.

His folded left elbow formed an angle, like an arrowhead aiming for a target.

“What kind of stance is that?”

The warrior, whose spear shaft was tilted halfway, asked with a curious tone.

“…….”

“Right, you’re telling me to check for myself?”

In that case, I should meet those expectations!

“Kryaaa—!”

A piercing shout surged forward along with the flashing tip of the spear.

“—!!”

Immediately lowering my posture significantly, almost in a crouching state, I used only my right hand holding the sword to perform a Betita.

Striking the shaft upward, I barely managed to deflect the spear shaft that was striking with a force capable of not just riding the blade but breaking it.

Simultaneously, I reached out with my remaining left hand and grabbed it.

The spear shaft.

Unconsciously, my entire body was sucked forward.

If the retrieval of the spear had been just a bit faster.

The hand that had managed to grab the shaft would have been turned into rags while clutching the blade.

I am aware that this is a dangerous gamble.

However, one cannot overturn a difference in power without being bold.

If there is overwhelming strength, then technique, knack, strategy, or tactics.

Such things might be completely useless.

But if there is no overwhelming strength.

Ultimately, one has no choice but to employ a brilliant stratagem.

If I were to simply be dragged along, it would be like throwing myself onto a death line.

Like a snake, I climbed up the spear shaft.

“Huh?!”

Watching his bewildered expression, I observed his gaze and presence.

Faster than a glance, faster than a change in expression.

An optimized instinctive movement following a familiar motion.

At the level of muscle movement.

By perceiving the fluidity of the mana swirling through the body beforehand.

Beyond the level of the mind and senses.

Responding to the optimized warning of instinct on this side.

…I dive in.

Along with that, I swiftly threw the sword.

“Mu—!”

The sword rushed toward his face.

At the same time.

I climbed straight up his spear shaft and hand.

I pulled out the hand axe.

Crunch!

“Guh!”

His massive hand.

Between the gaps of those fingers and nails.

I slammed the hand axe in.

It managed to embed itself.

A single-point attack using the power accumulated while climbing the spear shaft.

However, this cannot be the finishing blow.

“Cheap trick—!”

Grabbing the remaining fingers.

Throwing my entire body in a rotation.

I snap them.

Crack!

“—you’re playing— Gwaaaagh!”

Even if fingers are broken, that isn’t a reason for the body to flip.

However, unless the body rolls according to the direction of the break, it won’t end with a simple snap.

Such an instinct leads even that massive frame to voluntarily crouch.

If it had been the wrist, the attempt itself would have been impossible.

Having a large physique means this kind of attack is possible.

If the build had been slightly ambiguous or even larger.

It would have likewise devolved into a meaningless attempt.

I had no certainty, but there was no other way.

Thud!

Even if I roll on the ground, or even if I end up on top of him, it doesn’t mean I gain the upper hand.

How would a child gain the upper hand just by climbing onto an adult’s body?

But.

“You tiny rat! Where do you think you’re go—!”

The sword dropped on the ground.

As he rolled on the ground and I rolled along with him.

Having snatched it up beforehand.

I simultaneously climbed up his arm and clamped his head between both my knees.

As I brought the tip of the upright sword before his eyes.

“Wha—?”

He must have sensed it.

Before he could react.

I stabbed down and immediately pulled my body away.

“Gwaaaaagh!”

If I had hesitated even for a moment, I would have been caught by that hand and finished off.

In a form I would not have welcomed at all.

Kariel, having created a wide distance, picked up his sword again.

Saint Kariel’s Straight Sword.

Unable to even pull out the sword of Elhermina embedded in his eye, the sight of him floundering, unable to even stand properly, might look pitiful at a glance.

But to me, it was a sight that made my blood run cold.

“You crazy bastard! Such audacity for a brat! Where did you leave your liver?! There’s a limit to recklessness!”

He forced himself up, enduring the pain.

Was it too shallow?

The sensation of piercing the eyeball and digging deep inside was clear, but one never knows.

Because I pulled my hand away quickly, I might not have been able to finish him.

However, in that moment, I had no choice.

There was no reason to regret or feel sorry.

Though it may not have been the optimal move, that isn’t a reason to despair.

This isn’t the last opportunity.

“Krrr!”

Do they say a wounded beast is more dangerous?

Then.

Is a healthy predator not scary?

It’s all the same.

It depends on how you perceive it.

If I get scared and terrified, I become infinitely disadvantaged.

Then, if I think the opposite?

Conversely, the number of opportunities increases.

“Ha, hahahaha! Fine! I admit it! You are a bizarre brat, completely different from Kariel! But at least in terms of the grit and bravery to face us! You seem qualified to inherit that name!”

“…….”

“Good. Then it seems you are ready! As you wish, the reproduction of that battle! Let us achieve it together! Overturning the miserable past, and turning it into a glorious battle! Let us achieve it once more!”

What? Ready?

“?!”

Suddenly.

My mind began to grow hazy.

“…….”

My whole body went limp, my consciousness blurred, my throat burned, and no matter how I continued to breathe, the air was infinitely insufficient, and my breathing would not stabilize.

“Yes! He faced us in exactly that physical state! He wasn’t at his best! Why! Why were we helpless against him?!”

The warrior’s shout was nearly a scream.

“…….”

It was hard to even keep my eyes open.

Sounds evaporated, and my vision wavered.

This feeling, this mood, as if all senses were closing.

‘Right.’

Even immediately after his return, he wasn’t given a single sip of water.

He couldn’t even eat properly.

Even in that moment, the most he could do was soothe the anxious village youths.

And then.

Toward the crowd approaching the village from far away.

He moved forward.

…There was no hesitation in those steps.

There was only earnest prayer and longing.

“…….”

But.

How am I supposed to fight in this state?

Just holding the sword is an ordeal.

Furthermore, simply pushing my body up with two legs was an ascetic struggle.

“…….”

But there is nothing to say.

Since when did the world roll according to my wishes?

Unfairness is natural.

No one wants to list the circumstances that are disadvantageous to them.

Even when selecting a battlefield, whether they are brave or weak, everyone hopes to be overwhelming and advantaged.

In that regard, there is no great difference.

If one desires a disadvantageous battlefield, it is because of the reckless courage to write their own glory.

Thinking that they, like the heroes who dominated the era, could stir up the battlefield.

Thinking they could control the battlefield with mysterious troop maneuvers.

Such imagination. Delusions. Misconceptions.

…They intoxicate them and drive them into a cold, dark pit.

It could be a grave, or a cruel disposal site where piles of corpses are buried and burned.

“Now! It begins! Will you just sit there?!”

“…….”

I don’t even have the strength to speak.

My throat was cracked, and the inside of my mouth was completely dry.

But.

I force my body to stand.

“Now, show me. Your limits. If you inherited the same name as Kariel. If you inherited his strength and technique!”

Feel free to rout us!

“That the legend has not ended! That our struggle was not meaningless!”

The Earth Axis shakes.

Everyone watching begins to approach me.

Their meaningless march, treading upon the surface and leaving footprints across the plains, is truly like a fleeting illusion.

But to me now, it felt utterly brutal.

“…Let’s do this.”

A powerless sound of wind, more like a breath escaping the lips than a voice.

But what of it?

I straighten my waist.

If my posture collapses, I won’t be able to use anything I’ve painstakingly learned.

Since my body is lethargic, my will fades like a fire that has lost its spark.

All that remains is instinct.

The enemy is before me, and I must defeat them to survive.

It is truly simple.

Everything becomes monotonous and simple.

“…….”

They approach.

Ten, perhaps dozens.

I can’t even calculate properly.

My head isn’t spinning.

Even though I’m looking, I can’t perceive them properly.

My consciousness cut out for a moment.

I almost dozed off.

The tension is firm, but my body won’t follow.

‘There’s no answer.’

I am different from him.

Saint Kariel consistently trained himself, fought actual battles, and continued to consistently…

‘No.’

There is no need for excuses.

Moreover, self-justification.

Unnecessary thoughts.

Allocating consciousness and cognitive power to that is truly a useless waste.

I exclude negative emotions.

I cast them aside.

Didn’t I insist that I had no emotions, that I was dead, collapsed, and broken?

‘Was even that a part of my vanity?’

I can’t even bring myself to sigh.

I lower my posture.

First, what should I do?

‘I don’t know.’

Defense? Counterattack? Evasion? Preemptive strike?

I don’t know.

Truly, now, I can’t think of anything.

I can’t even see.

Was that why?

“……?”

When that phantom appeared.

I wondered if what I was seeing was reality.

Unconsciously, my gaze was stolen by it.

Compared to the size of the barbarian warriors before me.

His back looked infinitely small.

But his eyes and lips, faintly visible, parted slightly.

‘…….’

Follow me.

Soon, the warriors stormed in.

That momentum and pressure.

Like the virtual heavy cavalry in the dream battlefield manifested by the Demon King’s malice.

The ones who crushed and rammed into me every time.

As they threw themselves with all their might to sweep me away.

In that wave.

Unconsciously, I took a step forward.

The only thing I thought of just before was.

Simply following his back.