Chapter 42

Taking the wooden sword from inside the hut, the old sword saint headed towards a compacted area of ground outside, as expected. He walked with a light, steady gait, his center of gravity never wavering. It was a fluid movement, as if the wind itself was flowing without a ripple. I am aware that I walk in the same manner, but Oakes' form is more refined. His natural movement, as if blending into the surroundings, clearly demonstrated his high standing in the art of the sword. If this old man can move so naturally at all times, he is indeed the monster I had anticipated.

(The state of no thought or desire—this is one of the realms of the sword. To swing the sword as it is, within an immovable mind.)

This is a different philosophy from what the Eternal Divine Flow seeks. The sword of Eternity connects to the divine—our swords of the Eternal Divine Flow are battlefield swords that expand by incorporating everything. By broadening one's field of perception and mastering all within it, one stands as an unparalleled swordsman on the battlefield. The realm of all things—that is what the Eternal Divine Flow seeks in the sword, a realm different from the concept of no thought or desire, where one's thoughts are converged into the sword to become one.

Since the goals are different, the way of being a swordsman naturally differs. In this natural environment, maintaining one's own sword. For him, even living is a form of training. If this is the answer at the end—ah, what a wonderful thing it would be.

"—You are the second person I have faced who has reached this realm."

"Hmm? That's an intriguing story. Who was the first one?"

"My old man. He's a damn old man who pushed all sorts of troublesome matters onto me, but... I respect his skills."

In my mind, the 'strongest' is undoubtedly that damn old man. The strongest swordsman who has reached the realm of all things, embodying the philosophy of the Eternal Divine Flow. A man renowned as the strongest in history, who has mastered all techniques and even created new ones. I once defeated that old man, but honestly, I don't consider it a complete victory. My ability to match him was limited to the art of the war sword, and at that time, he hadn't shown the realm of all things. Apart from that, he was certainly serious, but I still feel that he 'let me win.' After that, he pushed the position of head of the family onto me. I wonder what that damn old man was thinking.

"An opportunity to face a swordsman in this realm is something one can't hope to obtain. I will approach this with all my soul."

"Indeed... It will be good training for me as well."

Taking out a black iron katana from my inventory, I removed the tsuba and wrapped it to secure it. It's not an ideal method, but with no wooden sword available, there's no other choice. Resolving to have a wooden sword made by a carpenter later, I began to practice with the secured katana. Swinging it a few times to get used to its weight, I repositioned myself in a middle guard stance.

"Then, I will challenge you."

"Ah, come at me with all you have."

Hearing those words—I closed the distance to Oakes.

Footwork—Shukuchi (Body Shrink).

Kicking off the ground, I slid my feet to move right in front of him, but I was impressed that there was no sign of surprise in Oakes' eyes. His wooden sword was already accurately swinging down at me, who had suddenly appeared before him. Internally applauding the perfection of his response, which I hadn't seen since my old man, I deflected the blow.

Cutting technique—Gentle Form, Flowing Water.

I caught and deflected the diagonal downward strike with the blade. However, it was extremely heavy. The blow, delivered with tremendous strength, was all I could do to deflect its path. Smirking, I deflected the blow and shifted my body to avoid it. The level difference was clear; I understood that I couldn't win in a contest of brute strength.

(That's what I expected—!)

My consciousness accelerated. In the red-hot awareness, Oakes' wooden sword approached me. With my current strength, it was impossible to significantly alter its trajectory. Therefore—

Cutting technique—Gentle Form, Flowing Water · Floating Feather.

I raised my katana, stopping the blow with the tsuba and habaki, and then moved my body using the momentum of his attack. Utilizing the nature of this technique, I slightly altered my direction to move behind Oakes.

"Hmm—"

Oakes' voice, tinged with admiration, reached my ears. Without visual contact, he must have sensed it. There was no sign of surprise in his voice. Feeling even more elated, I swung my katana down. Oakes, without even looking, took a half-step forward and shifted his body to cleanly avoid the attack. He hadn't accurately read my movement; he must have avoided it by instinct, sensing my killing intent. Shuddering at the combat experience that made this possible, I took a half-step back. A moment later, a sharp sword flash swept through the spot where I had been, aiming for my torso with a backswing.

(—Damn, this guy...)

I thought I had avoided it with ease, but it was a close call. Oakes' movements were so natural and yet so fast. It was difficult to read his killing intent because he was in the state of no thought or desire. His movements were as natural as the trees rustling in the wind. It was as if this was the norm, causing a delayed reaction.

Immediately after that shudder, Oakes was right in front of me, as if it were a joke. It was truly terrifying. Terrifying, but—what an enjoyable opponent!

"Shh"

"Ohh!"

Cutting technique—Gentle Form, Flowing Water.

Deflecting the downward strike, I moved to my left. The horizontal slash for a counterattack was blocked by Oakes' wooden sword.

Cutting technique—Gentle Form, Blade Mist.

In that instant, my katana flipped to aim for Oakes' shoulder. The instant change in trajectory, a strike that even the instructors called invisible, was blocked by Oakes' sword, which also flipped. It wasn't an impossible feat with strength, grip, and wrist flexibility, but to counter it so easily—

"Good, very good!"

"Me too... It's been a long time since my blood has boiled like this!"

Laughing, we struck our swords and stepped back to reset. Of course, this distance was almost nonexistent, but we needed to reset our tempo. Oakes was a difficult opponent who could disrupt my rhythm without even realizing it.

"...I underestimated you. You are a far greater swordsman than I imagined."

"It's not something to praise so easily. I'm just good with a stick."

"Indeed. I, and my old man... in the end, it's just that."

In modern Japan, there is no reason to dedicate one's life to the sword. Yet, we have continued this tradition because it's the only way of life we know. If called foolish, I cannot deny it. But, this is our way of life. Smiling wryly, I noticed a slight change in Oakes' expression. Narrowing his eyes and furrowing his brow, his expression seemed to be a mix of various emotions.

"...Young man, do you have any disciples?"

"Hmm? I have one direct disciple, and I guide four others to some extent."

"I see... I have three disciples. I passed on three sword techniques I created to each of them."

Furrowing my brow at Oakes' words, they sounded familiar. However, he didn't seem to notice my reaction and continued, slightly lowering his sword.

"But it seems I lived too much for the sword... I couldn't consider my disciples' feelings."

"...One of your disciples went mad with the sword, right?"

"What, you knew? It's a rather embarrassing story that even a foreigner knows."

"No, I heard it from one of your disciples. I learned about the Sword of Life and the Sword of Demon Slaying."

Oakes showed a slightly surprised expression at my words. It seemed to be unexpected. I hadn't even considered that the swordsman in question would be in such a place. However, I thought it would be best to inform him.

"Also, one more thing. As a foreigner, I can use the Sword of Seizure."

"Wh... Really?"

"Yes, though I'm still in training."

As I spoke, I activated the Sword of Seizure and struck the ground, dispersing it into mist. Oakes watched silently for a moment, then sighed. There was no hostility in his eyes, only a faded regret.

"...Well, you should be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Watching you, I can tell. Your sword has a nature of self-control. If you were to go mad, I would have gone mad long ago."

I chuckled. During our exchange, he had read my nature. Of course, a swordsman of his caliber would do so. The philosophy of the Eternal Divine Flow is quite unique, and it would be immediately apparent in direct combat.

"Well, what about it—take good care of your disciples. You never know what they might be thinking."

"You make it sound serious... I'll keep it in mind."

Shizuma is still in a sensitive period. As Oakes said, he might be struggling with something. In the game, I've been a bit neglectful, so I should pay more attention. Smiling wryly, I refocused. Let's end the talk about disciples. I just want to experience the sword of a master.

"We've talked enough... Let's finish this."

"Heh... Indeed, I was also thinking of concluding this. It's a waste to talk too much."

We smiled and narrowed our eyes simultaneously. Regrettably, there is a significant difference in basic physical abilities, and even in sword skills, I don't match Oakes. To reach him, I need to catch him off guard, but his remarkable intuition prevents that. Ultimately, I can't beat him now, but there are still techniques to try. They worked on his disciples, but—

"—How will it go?"

Footwork, Secret Technique—■■·■■.

The pinnacle of cutting techniques, striking techniques, and footwork. Secret techniques, ultimate moves—whatever they are called, they mean the same thing. They are the secret and ultimate techniques of each school, designed to surely defeat the opponent—

"—!?"

Surprise flashed across Oakes' face. Naturally, to him, I must have suddenly disappeared. In the brief moment when Oakes lost sight of me, less than a second, the thrust I released was—

—blocked by a wooden sword thrust in at the last moment.

"...You use terrifying techniques, young man."

"I won't deny it... but even this didn't work."

Sighing, I lowered my sword and stepped back. Oakes looked surprised at my actions.

"What, are you giving up?"

"Yes, once you blocked that, I lost. I have no more moves."

Sighing, I acknowledged my defeat. It's regrettable, but I can't beat Oakes with my current abilities. While there might be a way to win, relying on luck means my skills are still lacking. Therefore, it's better to train further and challenge him again.

*Your level has increased. Please allocate your status points.*

*The skill level of 'Katana' has increased.*

Even in defeat, my level increased. Feeling as if my immaturity was being pointed out, I couldn't help but chuckle.

---

**Avatar Name: Kuon**

**Gender: Male**

**Race: Human**

**Level: 15**

**Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)**

STR: 18

VIT: 14

INT: 18

MND: 14

AGI: 12

DEX: 12

**Skills**

Weapon Skill: *Katana: Lv.15*

Magic Skill: *Enhancement Magic: Lv.12*

Set Skills: *Dead Point Strike: Lv.12*

*MP Auto Recovery: Lv.7*

*Sword of Seizure: Lv.9*

*Identification: Lv.12*

*Sword of Life: Lv.9*

*Sword of Demon Slaying: Lv.4*

*Tame: Lv.3*

*HP Auto Recovery: Lv.6*

Sub Skills: *Mining: Lv.1*

Title Skills: *Blessing of the Fairy*

**Current SP: 12**

---

**Monster Name: Lumina**

**Gender: Female**

**Race: Fairy**

**Level: 9**

**Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)**

STR: 5

VIT: 8

INT: 23

MND: 16

AGI: 14

DEX: 10

**Skills**

Weapon Skill: None

Magic Skill: *Light Magic*

Skills: *Light Attribute Enhancement*

*Flight*

*Magic Resistance: Medium*

*MP Auto Recovery*

Title Skills: *Fairy Queen's Servant*