Sword Master With One Strike Kill - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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One-Strike Kill Swordmaster Episode 21

Episode 21. Bertas, the Free City (3)

Pause-.

Adelia, who heard my words, showed an expression of deep emotion.

After staring at me intently for a while, she bowed deeply at the waist and greeted me.

“Thank you, Lord Gaon. To think you would make time for me separately even when you’re so busy….”

Hmm.

It’s fine, Adelia.

I’m not doing this for you, but to test my swordsmanship talent.

Of course, since I couldn’t say my true feelings directly, I put on airs as usual.

“If you understand, then give it your all.”

“Yes.”

Shing-!

Adelia nodded and drew her sword.

Wind blew through the backyard. Adelia’s platinum hair fluttered.

“….”

“….”

A brief silence flowed between us.

Soon, Adelia’s first sword strike cut through the air.

Whoosh-!

Movement so fast it couldn’t be followed with the eyes.

Sharp sounds of cutting air continuously stimulated my eardrums.

‘This is….’

Every time Adelia took a step, hazy dust rose up.

Her weighted lower body left deep marks in the dirt ground.

Whoooosh-!

This wasn’t some leisurely sword dance.

Desperate movements that crossed the boundary between life and death.

Right.

Adelia was currently engaged in fierce combat with an imaginary enemy.

‘…Image training?’

I thought so as I carefully watched each of Adelia’s movements.

Her sword swept like a storm. My dynamic vision still couldn’t perfectly grasp her movements, but I could barely follow the afterimages.

Left, right, up, down.

Adelia continuously blocked various points in the air without rest.

As if she were deflecting simultaneous attacks coming from all directions.

Swiiish─!

Adelia’s sword moved in a smooth arc.

Her posture of lowering her center of gravity while guarding all directions felt strangely familiar.

‘Ah.’

Only then could I picture Adelia’s ‘enemy.’

Attacks targeting six directions simultaneously.

The identity of the creature rushing forward like an asura while wielding a massive greatsword was….

【Peterpan, the Kidnapper of Dawnguard】

【Lv. 82】

‘…So it was Peterpan.’

Flutter-!

Right at that moment, an imaginary enemy appeared before my eyes.

I began to see the scene of Peterpan’s hazy form engaging in fierce combat with Adelia.

Once the opponent’s form appeared, I finally understood each of Adelia’s movements.

‘Hah….’

A hollow laugh escaped me without realizing it.

Movement on a completely different dimension from just a few days ago, when she was merely level 77.

Adelia, who had surpassed her limits in the meantime, was displaying even sharper and more refined swordsmanship.

Whoosh, whoom-!

The sound of her sword cutting through air continued fiercely.

Unlike the past when she couldn’t last even 5 minutes, today’s Adelia was perfectly following Peterpan’s movements.

‘…Incredible.’

I couldn’t help but be inwardly amazed.

Adelia’s growth was surprising, but also because I could clearly read her swordsmanship unfolding before my eyes.

Even though I couldn’t follow each lightning-fast movement in detail….

At least I could fully grasp the identity of the enemy she was imagining and her intentions in facing it.

“….”

At the same time, I could also see another ‘path.’

The sword path.

How to break through the opponent’s sword. Whether there was a slightly more efficient way to move.

All of it began to appear clearly in my eyes.

I couldn’t explain the principle. I could just instinctively realize the subtle flow of the sword and the answers hidden within it.

Right.

Just like how one naturally learns to breathe in and out without anyone having to teach the method.

‘Is this the power of talent with all points concentrated…?’

It was absurd.

After all, my average stats were still scraping the bottom.

My dynamic vision, strength, agility—all were below ordinary human levels.

Yet being able to perfectly understand high-level swordsmanship displayed by a level 80 expert meant….

‘…The growth potential is limitless going forward.’

A thrilling sensation ran through me.

This monstrous talent held far more terrifying possibilities than I had imagined.

If it was already this much now, how much stronger could I become if I raised my stats?

Well. I wasn’t certain yet, but it seemed I could face enemies much stronger than me in terms of level.

‘There aren’t many geniuses in this world setting who possess talent overwhelming enough to surpass level gaps.’

So-called Irregulars.

Such anomalous beings could be counted on one hand, even including Adelia.

It wasn’t that the characters’ talent vessels were small. It was just that level functioned as such an absolute measure.

In this situation, having awakened my sword talent….

I had now become one of the ‘Irregulars’ who break through level limitations.

“Whew.”

Stop-.

Right then.

Adelia, who had been frantically swinging her sword, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Peterpan’s phantom had already disappeared.

Slowly catching her breath, Adelia glared at her new enemy.

‘…She’s probably about to start image training with her next opponent.’

Haaaaaah-.

A breathtaking standoff unfolded.

Adelia took a orthodox yet solid middle stance, aiming the tip of her sword at her opponent’s throat.

Naturally, the enemy’s form began to take shape in my eyes as well…

“…!”

At that very moment, a chilling coldness crept up my spine.

My vision distorted as some ‘being’ revealed itself in Adelia’s imagination.

‘…What is that thing.’

Kuguuuuuu-!

An overwhelming presence crushed the space around us.

Though the form was clearly human, Adelia appeared infinitely small before that ‘being’.

An opponent shrouded in dense darkness that seemed ready to devour all light in this world.

Its majesty emanated an incomprehensible fear and intimidation.

“…Ah.”

Adelia let out a quiet sigh and dropped her sword.

The weapon fell helplessly, rolling across the dirt with a clear sound.

Adelia’s hands trembled endlessly. Her shadowed expression was filled only with despair.

Even in the world of imagination, Adelia couldn’t muster the courage to face that being.

A cold silence flowed.

Though the enemy’s phantom had disappeared, its presence still lingered like an afterimage.

‘Who on earth could that be…?’

A question suddenly arose.

Just who was the final enemy that Adelia had faced?

A presence that made even me, with my ‘MAX’ mental strength stat, freeze up.

It was no exaggeration to call it a disaster approaching cosmic horror.

I racked my brain, but couldn’t recall any character in The World of Loel with such overwhelming presence.

‘…Could it be the target of Adelia’s revenge?’

But even though that bastard is strong, he shouldn’t be to that extent, right?

Was it Adelia’s trauma being projected, making it feel that terrifying?

Questions led to more questions. My head felt like it would explode.

Unable to bear it any longer, I posed a question to Adelia.

“Who was your final opponent.”

Flinch-.

Adelia trembled as if having a seizure.

Having barely escaped from the enemy in her mind, she picked up her sword.

Then she slowly turned toward me and opened her mouth.

“Lord Gaon.”

Adelia called my name.

I wondered why she was suddenly calling my name.

However, the next moment, Adelia’s answer resolved all my questions at once.

“My final opponent was… Lord Gaon, it was you.”

* * *

Tremble, tremble tremble-.

Adelia silently looked down at her hands.

Was it because of the fear engraved in her body? Her arm holding the sword was shaking like an aspen leaf.

“….”

She had finally overcome the high wall that had blocked her path.

Even Peterpan, who had been difficult to face, was now someone she could handle adequately.

In that sense, she had tried to go ahead and engage in mental combat with Lord Gaon as well, but….

‘…I still have a long way to go.’

His martial prowess had reached a realm that her current achievements couldn’t dare approach.

“Adelia.”

Then, Lord Gaon spoke.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Adelia quickly raised her head.

And immediately had no choice but to be flustered.

‘Huh?’

That was because in Lord Gaon’s hand was….

‘…A sword?’

A sword was held there, though she didn’t know when he had drawn it.

“When the opponent you want to face is right in front of you, there’s no need to fight in your imagination.”

“…!”

“Try attacking once. With all your strength.”

Swoosh-.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lord Gaon took his stance with the sheathed sword.

Though the blade was covered, reducing its lethality, and no aura including killing intent could be felt….

Adelia couldn’t let her guard down against the opponent before her.

“….”

Her body wouldn’t move.

The fear she had felt in the mental battle just moments ago hadn’t yet faded.

As if noticing this, Lord Gaon added:

“I won’t attack.”

“…Ah.”

“I’ll only defend, so feel free to deliver your best strike.”

Hearing those words, Adelia finally nodded and took her stance.

She had no intention of wasting this precious opportunity to learn.

“….”

Gulp-.

Swallowing her dry saliva, she gripped the handle tightly.

The distance to Lord Gaon was about 3 meters.

A distance she could close with just one leap.

Creak-!

Adelia’s weight shifted to her legs and….

Claaaang──!

“…Huh?”

A dumbfounded voice escaped without my realizing.

My palm was stinging. The sword I had been gripping tightly had completely disappeared.

Spin spin-!

The sword that had flown into the air before plummeting toward the ground finally came into view at the corner of my sight.

“Wh-what just…?”

Adelia’s eyes widened in shock.

She couldn’t understand what had just happened.

The moment she had resolved to attack, before she could even deliver a proper strike.

The weapon had slipped from her grasp.

“….”

Thunk-!

Before long, the sword stuck into the ground.

With a bewildered expression, Adelia turned her head toward Lord Gaon.

Having defended against her decisive strike so effortlessly, he still stood in exactly the same stance as before.

* * *

Wooong-!

The sword tip trembled. A tingling energy wrapped around my fingertips.

Savoring that pleasant sensation, I smiled with satisfaction in my heart.

‘This is…’

━━━━━━━━━━━━

【Ultimate Auto-parrying】

Grade: ★★★★★★★★★(9-Star – Legendary)

Type: Passive Skill

Cost: None

Cooldown: 24 hours

[Skill Description]

In the moment when an instant meets eternity, swordsmanship breaks free from the shackles of reason and enters the realm of instinct.

To you, the sword is no longer a simple ‘weapon.’ Like a heart that beats on its own, like lungs that breathe naturally without conscious thought, the sword has become part of you.

The mysteries of the human body are wondrous. It mobilizes every means to protect its master. Your sword has now become part of that, detecting and blocking all threats of death.

Ultimate defense has now become your ‘instinct.’

[Usage Effect]

Automatically defends against fatal attacks regardless of Perception stat.

━━━━━━━━━━━━

‘…The performance is far better than I thought?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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