Chapter 71

EP.71 Holy Sword - 3

For a moment, everyone was speechless.

It was a feeling similar to when Leonardo first arrived and won consecutive battles against apprentice knights.

The difference was in the method, the emotions, and even the opponent.

"No matter how talented you are, a magic sword is not something you can use with talent alone."

Leonardo put away his sword and took out the bracelet made of black stone. Until now, he had been using a simple iron sword against Ariasfil.

"No, you can't use it precisely because you are talented."

The black stone took the form of a long sword.

Clang!!

Ariasfil charged forward. Sword strikes followed one after another, pushing the offensive. But even under the fierce attack, Leonardo showed no movement in his lips or eyes.

"Weakness one."

Receiving all the consecutive strikes, Leonardo drew the iron sword with his opposite hand.

"The attack is not only honest but also simple."

A quick guard followed, but Leonardo threw the iron sword. A wind projectile, the magic circle acting as the trigger, was completed.

Whoosh

Using fire to defend, flames surrounded to block the wind attack. But it didn't matter.

Clang!

The black stone moved like a snake, striking Arias from behind.

"Ugh!!"

Arias was thrown back by the impact. With a minimal aura surrounding her body, she managed to avoid being cut, but she couldn't withstand the powerful blow.

"That's why you fall for such crude feints. You have no experience with them."

Feints usually don't work.

Superhuman talent could see through all the slow traps and, even if caught, had the ability to escape.

"But...!!"

However, Leonardo had faced and fallen, and risen again, many times before such superhuman talent.

He had studied every movement, every cautious attack, and every skillful action.

Boom!!

This time, it was a combination of fire and magic, with the fire elemental joining to launch a pillar of fire. The heat and firepower forced Lios to quickly deploy a defensive barrier, thinking that while a knight might be fine, a servant could be in danger.

"Weakness two."

Leonardo only counterattacked, showing no reaction.

"Your innate mana capacity makes your attack range unnecessarily wide."

Leonardo used a thrust, the black spear piercing the pillar of fire.

[Fire Storm]

Then, he immediately redirected the flames to rise into the sky.

"That's why, even if you use a magic sword that requires manipulation and application, it's meaningless. There's a lack of synergy."

A cold response, and then Leonardo took a stance to throw the spear.

"From there, defending against such an attack is difficult."

The fire magic compressed into the spear. Though his mana quantity and purity were inferior to Arias, the density compensated, increasing the power.

"This is how you use fire."

Leonardo threw the spear. A line of heat advanced like a flash, more easily described as a line than a spear.

"Ugh... Ahhh!!"

A scream-like battle cry, barely deflecting the spear of heat.

"Feint."

But it wasn't the black spear. Only a compressed heat mass flew. The real black spear was in Leonardo's hand, who had approached.

Clang!

The fire was deflected, seemingly to humiliate, only disarming her.

"Get up. You said you would defend."

Firm and cold. Those who had seen the kind and gentle Leonardo around Arias subconsciously wondered who was standing in front of them.

"Still...! Still... Not...!"

Smack!

Leonardo struck Arias with the lower part of the spear. It was a harsh attack.

"Weakness three."

Leonardo launched an ice spell, extinguishing the fire and creating a mist of steam.

"Using elemental magic only as an auxiliary, you lack experience."

Arias continued to call on the elements, but the gathered elements were insufficient, and her healing speed was also lacking.

"That's why you don't know that elements are weak against sudden environmental changes."

The courtyard was filled with flashes, explosions, high heat, and rapid cooling, creating an irregular environment. The elements around her couldn't function properly due to these changes.

Thinking about it, she might have known. Her mind, clouded by the attacks, couldn't make a calm judgment.

She only realized the sudden environmental changes when Leonardo mentioned them.

"Most importantly, the biggest problem is,"

Arias stood up again. Her trembling hand holding the iron sword felt pitiful.

Whish! Thud!

This time, Leonardo changed his weapon into a gauntlet. Dodging her wobbling sword strike, he hit her collarbone.

"Weak mental strength."

This time, he hit her jaw. The overwhelming pressure was beyond a duel, feeling more like a beating.

"Because of that, there's a lack of composure."

"...Stop...!! Don't go any further...!"

At Marken's shout, Leonardo answered without turning back.

"I plan to continue. Wasn't it you, Marken, who gave her the fire and encouraged her?"

"Leo...! Why are you acting so unlike yourself...!!"

When Lios also tried to stop him, Leonardo turned around.

"Do you know what being like me means? Do you know why I stuck to Reinhardt like a leech?"

Everyone froze at the question. The murderous intent in the boy's eyes made them stiff.

"Do you think I wasn't genuinely angry?"

The murderous intent was cold and insane.

"Why did you push Arias to the front? Did you think I would laugh it off because of past kindness?"

Anger, a mix of various emotions, poured out in vivid anger.

"Why didn't you use your full strength? I would have delayed the gauntlet's landing with elemental magic at the beginning."

He poured his anger on Arias. The frustration from her straightforward fighting style was overwhelming.

"Why did you accept all the conditions I set? Creating a favorable environment for yourself and fighting is basic strategy, isn't it?"

Strikes flew. Armor fragments scattered. Even the sages shouted.

[Stop. What's the point of going further?]

Is there a point? There was a reason for this now.

"Your weak mental strength stems from there."

He struck her abdomen with a punch.

"You've never felt desperate."

Arias flew back from the impact, scraping along the ground. Just as Silica, not a knight, tried to stop him, the head of the house grabbed her hand and shook his head.

"Being too strong from birth, you've never experienced being overwhelmed or overtaken."

The most outstanding talent in the world, that was the source of Ariasfil's weakness.

"Because of that, the strength to face fear and endure guilt is weak."

Leonardo slowly clenched his fist and approached. Arias, lying on the ground, didn't move.

"Stop!! The match is over...!"

"We're ending it. Outsiders, step back."

The clenched fist was aimed at Arias.

"Gladio...!! Your daughter...!"

"Stay out of it. It's as Leonardo said."

"Dad!! If this continues...!!"

"Right!! Big brother!! If this continues...!!"

At that moment, Ariasfil suddenly drew her sword. Leonardo quickly tried to defend with the gauntlet.

"It's a feint."

Arias, letting go of her sword,

Boom!

struck with a punch. This time, Leonardo was the one flying.

"...That's... "

"Leonardo... "

•Basic Form 7: Punch

The advanced basic form created by Leonardo, now contained in Arias's punch.

Leonardo, flying, had a refreshing expression.

"Finally... did you let go of your useless pride?"

It wasn't the expression of someone who had been caught off guard by a feint.

"Shut up... I've already fixed the first one."

"Is my technique good?"

The murderous intent disappeared, but the fighting spirit flared up.

"...What... is this...?"

All the Reinhardt family members, except the head, had a look of confusion.

"Didn't you find it strange? Why did he list her weaknesses out loud?"

At first, Gladio thought it was to humiliate, like everyone else. But as the battle continued, a sense of unease grew.

"The weaknesses were more like advice than insults. He only mentioned the truly necessary ones."

It wasn't to make her lose, but to point out and fix the weaknesses.

"But the murderous intent... "

"Thinking about it, that's also strange. Would the usual Leonardo show murderous intent when he genuinely wanted to kill?"

The usual Leonardo wouldn't.

He would erase all murderous intent and deliver the fastest and most accurate attack to the vital points.

That was the strength of Leonardo's fighting style.

"But now, he deliberately showed the murderous intent. Even considering his anger, it was too much."

Then, everyone remembered the last weakness Leonardo mentioned.

-You've never felt desperate.

-Being too strong from birth, you've never experienced being overwhelmed or overtaken.

"...Is this all an act?"

Using the murderous intent to evoke desperation, thoroughly overwhelming and overtaking her, it was an act, albeit exaggerated, but not entirely unbelievable.

"I'm skeptical, but it makes some sense. After all..."

Leonardo never used the advanced basic form. If he did, he could have easily subdued or killed her.

"But... your daughter is being hit like this... "

"Of course, I'm angry. But... more than that..."

Leonardo understood his daughter better than he did. The proof was being demonstrated right now.

[You're such a bad-tempered guy. Attacking a woman because you have nothing to do?]

<What's new? I came to the family to do this from the beginning.>

Leonardo joining Reinhardt and the goals he repeatedly mentioned.

That was...

"Finally, it feels like I'm achieving my goal."

Fighting and defeating Ariasfil properly, Leonardo's actions were centered around this goal.

"Beating someone up and saying such a thing...?!"

"Sorry. I'm just too happy...!"

The consecutive strikes followed, the sword was gripped again, and sword energy was unleashed.

•Cutting Form 1: Horizontal Cut

No formalities,

•Cutting Form 2: Vertical Cut

Pride abandoned,

•Cutting Form 3: Side Cut

Only the basics in mind, the boy's sword.

•Cutting Form 4: Rotational Cut

Now imbued in the girl's sword.

"But can a copied technique beat the original?"

Similarly, as they clashed swords in the same form, Leonardo gradually gained the upper hand.

"Try and see...!"

Boom!!

But instead of compressing sword energy into a blade, Arias released it, creating a large sword of mana.

[...Your wrist is a mess, isn't it?]

Arias's sword energy was also cutting Leonardo's arm, causing blood to splatter.

"Ughhhhhh!!!"

The black stone sword, split in two, the shock of the sword energy created large wounds on her chest and abdomen.

"Weakness two... is gone now, right?"

"Cough... "

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and everyone watched in shock as blood flowed from Leonardo's body.

"Leonardo...!?"

"Why...?! It's still not enough...!"

Leonardo picked up the fallen fire and pressed it against the wound.

Sizzle

It was a violent and brutal method, not even a proper first aid.

"This...! This...!"

Leonardo, who had been doing dangerous things, abandoning his parents, had a very simple reason.

"This...! I...! Have lived...!"

Because death had to be close for Leonardo to have the will to live.

"This is...! My...! Life...!"

Leonardo equipped the black stone to the fire. Simultaneously, he connected the black stone to his hand.

《Black Stone - Red Line [5%]》

As the black stone connected to the fire, the red flames turned white, though not as intense as blue heat, they were still intimidating.

"Winning... "

"Defeating... "

At this moment, their thoughts aligned.

"It's me...!!"

"It's my side...!!"

***

******

**********

Pure mana sword energy and mixed fire heat were unleashed.

The talent of a genius and the effort of an ordinary person clashed.

To others, it seemed like an evenly matched power, and they might even think this moment would last forever.

But the two, clashing swords, instinctively knew.

If this continued, the battle would end trivially.

The iron sword Arias held had reached its limit.

From the point where it absorbed Arias's mana without filtering, the iron sword had no strength left to fight.

If this continued, the battle would end ambiguously.

There would be no clear victory or convincing defeat, just a flat conclusion.

They were certain.

To signal the end, a pillar of sword energy and fire shot into the sky. Despite the intense battle, the surrounding civilians were completely unharmed.

It was almost a miracle.

"...Ha... Even a genius... is too much..."

Leonardo dropped the handle of the fire and chuckled. He couldn't help but laugh at the trick masquerading as a divine miracle.

"Already... using the holy sword...?"

Satisfied with the result, Leonardo fell.

"...This sword..."

The divine miracle was in Ariasfil's hand.

The Hero's Sword

The holy sword was firmly held in her hand.

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