After Elenoa's phase 2 began, Deathly Death didn't last long.
Swoosh, thud!
"Ugh!"
Finally allowing a sword strike to his shoulder, Deathly Death fell to his knees from the impact. He tried to get up again, gritting his teeth, but Elenoa's sword tip was already at his neck.
Elenoa showed a slightly surprised expression.
"Impressive. That was a sharp fist technique. Is it martial arts from the world you live in? And some of your movements are accompanied by mana. You seem to call them skills. It doesn't look like you've undergone internal training, is it a technique that diverges from the laws of this world?"
She withdrew her sword and said while turning around,
"Very well. The demons are also beings from another world, perhaps such abilities that defy the laws are needed to face them. Adventurers from the stars, I've understood your strength and its nature to some extent. I've judged that you would be helpful in the battles at the eastern Erins Gorge."
Ding.
[You have gained Elenoa's recognition]
['Roeide Duchy' Friendliness 20]
['Roeide Duchy' Crafting Workshop Opened]
['Roeide Ducal Family' Sub-quest Opened]
Ooooh-!
The faces of the first wave users gathered here lit up. Thanks to their efforts, activities in the next expansion pack's base area, the Roeide Duchy, have gained momentum.
Deathly Death came down from the training ground amid cheers from the Red-White Guild members. But he just scratched his head with an unsatisfied expression.
Chris laughed loudly while patting Deathly Death's back.
"You did well! We got recognition, so the quest is cleared. That's what it was about anyway, right? An event battle where defeat was predetermined."
"I think I could adapt if I had a few more tries."
"Well, there will probably be more opportunities in the future. It seems the area we'll be active in is that knight's territory. Rain, we should also slowly... Huh?"
Chris's voice was heard from behind. It was because I was heading towards the training ground.
Tap.
Standing on the training ground, I chirped towards the back of Master Elenoa, who was about to go down to report to the Emperor.
"Sister, where are you going?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
Elenoa turned around and looked at me.
"It's not over yet. You've had a round with the tanks from two raid parties, so you should have one with me too, right?"
"Young lady."
Elenoa looked straight at me.
"You have already gained my recognition. I think any further sparring would be meaningless."
Why is it meaningless?
"There are some things I'd like to correct about your swordsmanship, sister. It seems problematic."
Elenoa's eyebrows twitched.
She turned her body to face me directly.
"You say there's a problem with my swordsmanship? My swordsmanship is the Roeide family's swordsmanship, your words are equivalent to saying there's a problem with the Roeide family's swordsmanship."
Shing.
And she drew her sword with words:
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
"Of course."
"Adventurers from the stars, I've heard that your strength can't be judged by appearance. Though you have the body of a small girl, you're surely not weak."
Swish.
Elenoa raised her sword, taking a stance.
"Well then, let's see if you have the skill to back up such audacious words."
Clang clang clang clang!
Fast sword strikes flash dizzily before my eyes. I deflected each and every one of them. Not through skill-based blocking. I moved the sword directly, placing it in the path of the sword strikes.
It's been a while since I've fought like this.
The 'system' of Astria Online where you need to use skills to deal proper damage. Until now, I haven't had such a pure sword duel like this. At most, I might have used it as a temporary measure in the fight with the Ancient Hero.
My stats, having reached level 50, are evenly raised. The correction values from accessories are also considerable. With the current stats, although it's just the 'form', it's possible to imitate the swordplay from my hero days.
If mana is added to this, I could fight properly. That is, if I burst the instant death prevention belt and use the hero's power.
I glanced back. Chris was watching me with her hands clasped in front of her chest, looking anxious.
Of course, I have no intention of using it in a place like this. If my body becomes like a tanghulu skewered on a stick, it wouldn't be good for Chris's mental health.
Clang!
Elenoa swung her sword strongly from top to bottom. Clang clang clang! The sound of metal friction echoed. And it pushed me back once.
She seems a bit surprised. She was staring at me with wide eyes from a distance.
"You know how to handle a sword. You're definitely different from the others."
"Well, I know a little bit."
"A little? No, it's at a considerable level. And somehow familiar."
Swish.
"Young lady. Show me all you've got."
Swoosh!
This time, Elenoa rushed in first.
Clang clang clang clang!
A duel of swords, dozens of exchanges were made, and suddenly Elenoa's eyes lit up as she pulled her sword back. A thrust. I raised my sword diagonally. And, against the path of the linear thrust, clang clang clang!
Spin.
As if drawing a semicircle, I deflected it.
"!?"
For a moment, confusion flashed in Elenoa's eyes as her sword drooped down against her will. I naturally raised the sword that had gone down in a semicircle, as if completing the circle, and swung it towards Elenoa's side.
Swoosh! Clang!
But Elenoa quickly regained her sword and blocked my strike by raising it sideways.
Stepping back a bit, Elenoa raised her sword again and looked at me with wide eyes. It's different from before. This time she seems genuinely surprised.
A moment of silence. A standoff. A question burst from Elenoa's lips.
"...Young lady, what's your name?"
"It's Rain."
"What's your family name?"
"Hmm, family name?"
I tilted my head.
What was my family name again?
My full name on the Astria continent is 'Drizzle Rain', but Drizzle isn't a family name. To begin with, names in this world have the family name at the end. 'Drizzle' means light rain, drizzling rain. It's like a descriptor, like Mary of the mountain valley.
In Korea? There's a name Seulbi.
What was Seulbi's registered family origin?
"Umm... Lee from Jeonju?"
I heard Cherni, the Elementalist of the Red-White Guild, chuckling behind me. Right, Uncle Cherni's real name was 'Lee Jaewook'.
"That technique is one of the Roeide family's swordsmanship. It's a technique learned when entering the advanced course of mana manipulation. Why do you, a being from another world with no connection to the Roeide family, know how to use that technique?"
I pouted.
"Why is a technique for deflecting attacks yours? Anyone who has learned swordsmanship to a certain level can use it."
"But still, that sword movement is!"
"Ah, you're noisy."
Swish.
I raised my sword, pointing it at Elenoa.
"Is this all? I've seen enough of your basic swordsmanship, so do what you did when facing Uncle Death. Proper guidance starts from there."
A clear provocation.
Elenoa's eyes turned cold.
Woong.
Seeing it up close, I could tell. Judging from the ominous type of energy faintly rising around Elenoa's body, she was clearly drawing up mana.
"I've heard that adventurers from the stars heal quickly from big injuries, and even death doesn't mean complete rest for them."
"Hmm, that's right?"
I still feel all the pain though.
"Then, I suppose I can face you a bit more seriously. I'll cut off a limb or two, and let it be etched into that body."
Wow, what terrifying words.
Thump thump.
My heart is pounding. The anticipation of the fight is consuming my body.
I guess I really was born a fighter.
Maybe I was destined to live by the sword from the start.
Swoosh! Clang!
Elenoa's sword aims at my surroundings, drawing strange trajectories. It seems to thrust from the left, but then comes swinging from the right. However, my sword moved naturally to block Elenoa's sword path.
The speed has become tremendously fast. But if Elenoa uses mana, I can counter with 'skills'. If I use the hero's power, I'm confident I could overwhelm her with swordsmanship and speed alone, but I have the system.
Feints and real attacks aiming for the blind spots of the response range, even skill blocking that covers 180 degrees in front can't cover everything. But if you can track the real ones with your eyes, it's not a problem.
The movement of the sword slashing towards my left shoulder wavered. It's an illusion. The real one is towards the right waist. I lightly placed my sword there. Clang!
Next is the left thigh. The sword wavers but it's a real attack disguised as a feint. I lowered my sword to block it as is. Clang!
Clang clang clang!
It might seem like I'm being pushed back, but actually Elenoa is in a bad situation. Not a single attack has landed on me, even with her drawing up mana.
Elenoa exclaimed without stopping her offensive.
"What, you can see through everything!?"
Clang clang, clang!
I deflected the sword and pushed back strongly. But Elenoa didn't panic and immediately continued her attack. The interval between withdrawing the sword and swinging it again is less than 0.1 seconds. I watched until the end that sword slashing towards my left chest area from the armpit.
Swoosh. In an instant, my body was moved to the other side of space.
Backward evasion followed by a rush skill combo. If done slowly, it's a technique where you move 8 meters back and then close in again, but if you do that combo simultaneously, you can get an absolute invincibility judgment for about 0.5 seconds on the spot. And in a fast sword fight like this, being absolutely invincible for 0.5 seconds means having a tremendous advantage.
Swoosh! Clang clang clang!
"Huh!"
Confusion flashed in Elenoa's eyes. She must have thought she had definitely cut my body, but my body positioned beyond space wasn't cut. It's understandable to be confused. She thought I was still in the same place without moving, but I wasn't being cut by the sword.
Elenoa was quickly driven to defense. No matter how fast an attack is, it's useless if it doesn't hit. The swordsmanship she uses, mixing real attacks among feints, is not a helpful technique in high-level fights. Because unnecessary movements are created when you're not sure if even faster attacks will connect.
Clang!
I swung my sword strongly, filled with starlight. Elenoa's body, barely managing to raise her sword to block, was pushed back. She seems unable to comprehend the fact that she, who had raised mana, was pushed back. She had a dumbfounded expression.
I spoke in a lowered voice.
"Why do you rely on such tricks when you're supposed to be a Master? What's the essence of the sword?"
"The essence of the sword...?"
"Block, thrust, and slash. When the opponent is strong?"
"...Block firmly, thrust quickly, and slash powerfully."
"You know it well. If you know, why are you doing this?"
Elenoa's body, which had returned the answer, trembled as if struck by lightning.
"B-But those words, our family's...!"
I rebuked with a cold gaze.
"As you are now, you're not qualified to claim the title of Master."