Chapter 49

The coin dances in mid-air, my nerves are sharpened, and the scenery around me seems to slow down.

The coin hits the ground, and the moment the hard sound resonates, I activate the magic.

"【Body Enhancement - Ultimate】"

The magic I activated is the pinnacle of body enhancement magic, which removes the brain's limiter to draw out power beyond the limit. Furthermore, it focuses on the muscles in use and overloads them with magic to enhance physical abilities beyond their limits.

Normally, this would be the final trump card or used for ultra-short decisive battles, but with this rank difference, I can't counter without using it from the start.

A light of magic and a light of healing rise from my entire body as I ready my sword and wait for Clanel.

"Commoner, I've investigated you. You seem to be a spear user. Are you imitating a swordsman, you spear user?"

"Indeed, I am a spear user. Compared to a spear, my sword skills are inferior. But, they are enough to handle you."

Compared to a spear, my own skills are still immature, and a sword is generally inferior to a spear in personal combat.

However, if we focus on defense, a sword is slightly more advantageous.

"I'll make you regret that complacency against me."

Clanel closes the distance at an unbelievable speed. There are few openings, making it difficult to counter.

"Ha!"

I receive Clanel's diagonal slash from above with a raised sword.

Only because of 【Body Enhancement - Ultimate】 was I able to barely withstand it.

We engage in a sword lock. While I can't match his conceptual attack and defense, I can significantly close the gap in strength and speed.

"Your strength is beyond that of a Rank 1. It seems you're using excessive magic to enhance yourself. You're quite skilled, commoner."

"I'm honored by your praise. Should I say, 'Thank you for the compliment'?"

"Hmph. I'll acknowledge your skill. But, I'm not using my full power yet."

Clanel's magic swells.

Indeed, even with my brain's limiter removed and magic concentrated, I can only match Clanel's strength when he's not enhanced. A slight enhancement with magic is enough to overwhelm me.

But...

"What!?"

The moment Clanel exerts his strength, I release mine and adjust the angle of my sword to redirect the force, opening his stance.

This alone causes Clanel to lose his balance and lunge forward.

"First point."

I circle behind him and thrust, stopping just short of his neck.

I stopped because hitting him wouldn't cause any damage.

In the battle with a Rank 2 senior, a full-strength attack only grazed his skin, but against Clanel, a large attack or the shock of a hit would be fatal.

Thus, I can only shake him mentally.

"Commoner, this isn't a match. It's a duel. Are you mocking me with that hesitation?"

"I'm giving you a lesson. You should be grateful."

"You!"

Clanel swings his sword like a backhand punch.

I step back. Clanel's sword passes just in front of my face, and I push it away with my own sword.

This causes Clanel's sword to gain more momentum, and he loses his balance again.

This time, I swing my sword from the front, stopping just short of his forehead.

"Second point. Lucky for you, this would be your second death if we were the same rank."

"Y-You!"

Clanel resumes his attack, agitated. His attacks are basic and precise, showing the high level of fundamental skills he has honed through rigorous training.

However, with 【Body Enhancement - Ultimate】 active, I can handle his attacks without overextending myself.

I look at where Anne is standing.

She is carefully observing my movements, burning both Clanel's sword techniques and my skills into her memory.

What I'm showing now is the soft sword style. I don't force my opponent's sword but wait for it, gently enveloping it and controlling the flow of force to create openings.

By understanding the leverage points and maintaining a favorable position, I can compensate for the strength difference.

Of course, without 【Body Enhancement - Ultimate】, even a favorable position would be overwhelmed.

Then, I deliberately create an opening. I invite a one-handed thrust. Being true to the basics, Clanel accurately targets the opening.

I dodge the thrust aimed at my face by turning my head, grab his extended hand, and perform a shoulder throw. This unorthodox move catches Clanel completely off guard.

Despite the strength difference, his body is flowing forward. The perfect shoulder throw doesn't even allow him to brace himself.

A loud thud resounds as Clanel's body hits the stone ring on his back.

He hasn't taken much damage, but the shock is evident as he drops his sword, which rolls away with a clatter.

I point my sword at his nose and declare,

"Third point."

The audience erupts in cheers.

Clanel's face turns red with embarrassment.

I smile and show my teeth.

Then, I jump back to create distance and deactivate 【Body Enhancement - Ultimate】.

It's about to run out.

I don't have enough magic or healing left.

Judging by the result, Clanel is unharmed, while I have lost most of my magic and healing.

"You can pick up your sword. I'll wait for you."

Laughter from the audience can be heard.

Clanel stands up, clenching his fists. His already red face turns even redder.

"Damn it!!!"

He lets out a long, loud scream, and the audience falls silent.

However, when the scream ends, his face looks as if a weight has been lifted, and he walks to his sword, picks it up, and readies it.

"My head has cooled down. You seem to be provoking me, but I won't fall for it. That's your goal, isn't it?"

"Well, how about that?"

"Admit it, commoner. I've seen your sword skills. You are indeed stronger than me."

"Thank you. Now that you've seen that, will you recognize me as Anne's teacher?"

"I can't do that. I can't stand the idea of Anne being approached by a man like you. Besides, while I acknowledge your sword skills, I dislike you."

As a top swordsman, he understands the skill difference when we clash.

Until now, Clanel has only directed his anger and hatred at me, but now there is a hint of respect in his eyes.

No matter how bad his personality, he is a swordsman.

"Will you still fight after admitting defeat in sword skills?"

"Even if I lose in sword skills, I will win. You held back because hitting me would be futile. Instead, you chose to provoke me with hesitation. To win, you would need to use a grand technique like the 【Divine Spear】 you demonstrated during the entrance exam, hitting a vital point precisely. But, I won't give you such an opening. In fact, it's unnecessary. Just by closing my eyes, you can't beat me. That's the difference in rank."

"Indeed, that's true."

As expected of the son of the Feilarte family. A calm analysis.

It would be impossible to hit a vital point with the 【Divine Spear】 against this man.

If he had become agitated, it would have been easier to handle.

"All I need to do is keep swinging my sword without creating openings. Eventually, you'll run out of magic and won't be able to defend or dodge. I'll crush you."

"Indeed, if we fight as swordsmen, that's what will happen. Did you notice? When I took the third point, it was exactly two minutes. I'm not a swordsman anymore."

Yes, Anne's study time is over.

Now, I'll crush him as a mage.

I transform my sword into a ring and wrap it around my arm, standing still without even a stance.

Perhaps recognizing my sword skills, Clanel doesn't relax or become overconfident, even with such an obvious opening.

He simply closes the distance in a straight line.

"Ha!"

He delivers a beautiful, straight downward swing.

Without a weapon or stance, I can't block or dodge.

The audience begins to cry out in alarm.

However...

"I told you, I'm a mage."

Clanel's mithril sword melts the moment it touches my head.

The liquid mithril adheres to Clanel's face, flowing into his nose and mouth, blocking his airways.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh"

Unable to breathe, Clanel panics and tries to peel off the mithril, but the liquid mithril slips through his fingers, and he can't reach the mithril that has entered his airways.

He will lose consciousness from oxygen deprivation.

"Explorers need insight. I've shown you the transformation of mithril countless times. Did you really think the mithril you were using couldn't be controlled? That's your naivety. Your thinking is limited to that of a swordsman. Your battles are just pretend."

Indeed, 【Mithril Alchemy】 doesn't just apply to the mithril I possess. The moment it touches my body, I can control it, whether it's an enemy's weapon or not.

Moreover, I can control iron, copper, gold, or orichalcum.

Unless someone has better metal manipulation skills than me, no metal can harm me, and there is no swordsman in this world with better metal manipulation skills than me. Hence, the nickname "Swordsman Killer." I was once feared by that name.

The only exception is Anne's myth-level weapon, Gval Besta, whose material I can't control.

"You said I had no chance of winning with that smug look, but you were wrong. While it's almost impossible to defeat someone of a higher rank with external injuries, there's no need to focus on that. I can defeat you by making you stop breathing. No matter how much you improve your rank, you can't live without breathing. Of course, there are other methods. You overestimated your rank."

I raise my voice for Anne and Kuna to hear.

Indeed, Clanel is struggling and suffering.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh"

I feel a sudden surge of explosive magic from Clanel.

Finally, he has thought of using magic to blow away the mithril.

"Cough, cough, cough"

The mithril adhering to Clanel's face is blown away by the excessive magic. The forceful use has crushed his nose and torn his throat.

"Hmm, I thought this would end it, but you're surprisingly resilient."

I smile. If he doesn't fall now, I have one more card to play.

The healing light has started to heal his wounds, but Clanel, who was nearly suffocating, is desperately gasping for air, completely defenseless.

Thus, Clanel doesn't notice my movement.

I close the distance with a powerful stomp, and from there, I deliver a palm strike, twisting my entire body and channeling the force of all my muscles into a spiral motion.

The moment my palm strike touches Clanel's mithril chest plate, a thunderous sound shakes the air, and Clanel's body is blown away like a bullet, embedding itself in the wall of the audience stands.

"Cough"

With that, Clanel loses consciousness.

"【Miasma Shockwave】"

I solemnly announce the name of the technique.

【Shockwave】 is a technique that channels shockwaves into an object's interior.

Of course, that alone wouldn't harm Clanel, who is protected by a blessing.

The secret is the miasma mixed with my magic and the shockwave.

I carry a black orb that absorbs the miasma I remove from magic stones. I used the miasma from ten mid-tier magic stones. This is the optimal amount to nullify his blessing. Using more would kill him with the miasma alone.

I synthesize the miasma with my magic and channel it into his body with the shockwave.

The blessing's power is drained as it resists the miasma, and the shockwave from my magic-enhanced palm strike destroys his insides.

The impact felt now suggests I've broken three of his ribs.

This is the true trump card against high-rank opponents.

Coated with my magic, it won't be obvious that I used miasma from the outside.

"Don't take it personally."

I run to Clanel, who is embedded in the wall, and raise my sword.

He has completely lost his blessing. The lack of healing light rising from his body is proof.

Injuries sustained without a blessing cannot be healed even when the blessing returns. The blessing's power is to restore to a normal state, and it recognizes the injuries sustained when the blessing returns as the normal state.

The outcome of a duel is determined by unconsciousness or surrender. At this point, it would be considered an accident.

If I take his dominant arm, Anne's victory is assured.

I sympathize, but I'm not that lenient.

I reach a position where my sword can reach and swing it down.

However...

"That's going too far. You should stop there. It won't be a clean duel anymore."

My sword is stopped by a sword wielded by a girl with reddish-brown hair, Yurii-senpai.

"What are you doing, Yurii-senpai?"

"Exactly what I said. Attacking an unconscious opponent isn't commendable for a knight, and the audience isn't used to seeing blood due to the blessing. You shouldn't show them something too shocking, like cutting off an arm."

Yurii-senpai smiles.

"You're right. I didn't realize he was unconscious. Thank you for stopping me."

"Sure, he lost consciousness when he hit the wall. It's understandable that you didn't notice during the fight."

"Referee! Oh, there's no referee. Shall I declare it?"

Yurii-senpai grabs my right hand and raises it.

"Winner, Soji! Another big catch after the last one!"

The audience erupts in cheers.

The disappointment and frustration of Feilarte's associates, the anger of those who lost their bets, and the joy of those who won.

Clanel's acquaintances rush from the audience stands, their faces pale, as he is a severely injured person without a blessing. If left alone, he could die.

I exhale a long breath. Yurii-senpai's interference was painful.

I've achieved my minimum goal, so I'll be satisfied. I've shown Anne Clanel's sword techniques, and my movements have set an example.

I've taken Clanel's beloved sword and broken his ribs after he lost his blessing, which won't heal even if his blessing returns. It will take at least a month to heal normally.

During that month, the gap in his sword skills will weaken him.

"Soji, you forgot something."

Yurii-senpai throws me Clanel's sword, now without a blade.

"It's yours now."

"Thank you, Yurii-senpai."

"You're welcome."

Yurii-senpai disappears.

As always, she's unpredictable.

It's unbelievable that she managed to protect Clanel from my view and block my sword in an awkward position with her Rank 1 abilities. I felt an unprecedented chill from her.