By Zephyria 
No wind blew in vain.
Spiritus, who had readily accepted the challenge, immediately stepped forward to choose the battleground. Fortunately, the only things wandering north of the Grimsvein front line were zombies. There was nothing to hinder them from running freely across the wide plains.
All the Knights had come out in a throng to watch, filling the palisade in a black mass.
Witnessing a duel between masters was a great stroke of luck. Though I wondered if they could truly see this duel properly, I hoped they might gain even a small realization, and deliberately had Shayden spread the word.
Seeing the crowd lined up about thirty to forty yards away, Spiritus muttered in a displeased tone.
“I’ve never fought with a swarm of ants like this trailing along.”
“I’ve learned one thing from living twice.”
“What?”
“You only grow by doing things you haven’t done before.”
Instead of replying, the Dragon twisted her long braid up and tidied it so it wouldn’t be a hindrance.
From a distance, I watched Boulder struggle as he tried to erect a shield spell on the palisade. Several Knights followed him closely, helping him by planting Mana Stones in the ground as he directed.
I knew nothing could begin until that was all finished.
As I thought this, Spiritus suddenly raised her right hand to shoulder height. Using her thick-knuckled fingers as a staff, she drew a line from left to right, then wiggled three or four fingers. Instantly, a large, tall barrier of Mana erupted right in front of the Knights.
Everyone present, who could read Mana with their eyes, stared in astonishment, their mouths agape.
I, too, let out a breath of admiration, not bothering to hold it back.
How could one conjure a shield so effortlessly?
Shields were spells I had seen tens, hundreds of times.
Typically, a human’s shield would firmly hold a single focal point and enclose a certain radius around it in a semi-circular shape. The flow of Mana might resemble a spiderweb or a honeycomb depending on the caster and the lineage of the spell, but they all had a clear focal point.
However, the Dragon’s shield was different.
She simply grabbed the Mana floating in the air, wove it into the shield’s unique form, and fixed it there. This was a command laid upon the world. It was then I understood why words like ‘spoken spells’ or ‘dragon tongue’ existed.
After showing off her skill, the Dragon flicked her fingertip, levitating an Ice Spear in the air. A considerable amount of Mana was condensed into the ice arrow, which was only about a handspan long. But its tip was not aimed at me.
“…What is it?”
“Look with your eyes, feel it roughly. This much.”
Since there was no Murderous Intent, I watched at ease. Her index finger drew a swift arc.
Goooooong!
Even with my vision, which had far surpassed human limits, it was invisible for an instant. The Knights in the path of the Ice Spear threw themselves sideways, scrambling to catch each other, causing a great commotion.
The attack the Dragon had launched was easily blocked by the defensive barrier the Dragon had erected. The magic had flown so fast that the sound of the wind being cut only came after it had already collided. The wind that brushed past my earlobe made my cheek feel cold.
She told me to watch with my eyes. I was dumbfounded by an action that clearly hadn’t considered that I might not be able to see. I looked closely at the golden Mana that covered the shattered shield spell formula and asked,
“Can that shield… only withstand this much Mana?”
“Not exactly, but it’s about as much as the people inside can endure. Gano is watching, so be careful not to hurt them.”
“Mm. Yes, thank you.”
The God of Records had taken out a familiar-looking book from his waist, opened it, and was holding it.
If Gano Paquin hadn’t been there, would this Dragon have considered the Knights’ situation at all? Even with the shield erected, there were sensitive Mana users packed tightly inside. It was only natural that I had to be careful myself. I was fortunate to know the upper limit of usable energy beforehand.
Spiritus drew the sword she wore at her hip and rested it on her right shoulder.
I, too, gripped my sword with a heavy heart and aimed at my opponent.
Before we exchanged our first blows, I asked,
“How do we decide the winner?”
“Until one of us can no longer fight.”
“Mm?”
“It means neither of us should hold back. You can still fight even if you lose an arm, right? I’ll help with recovery afterward, so fight with all you’ve got without crying.”
I was being underestimated.
She was a race stronger than humans, a god who had shaped this world since the dawn of creation. The amount of internal energy and Divine Power she could wield was nearly double mine. How could a tiger fear a mantis? I knew well that it was only because I had surpassed the human realm that I barely earned the right to stand before her.
However, having lived in the Central Plains where Provocation Tactics were rampant, I spoke again in a calm tone.
“Limbs… Can you, Dragon, perhaps revive even if your body is cut in half?”
“What?”
“I’m wondering how much I should hold back.”
The Dragon remained silent for a moment.
“…Try if you can. Let’s just avoid splitting each other’s heads. I might not die, but you certainly will. If you truly die by my hand… it wouldn’t be a waste, as the result would be the same even if you fought The Ninth, would it?”
“Very well. Then for the first exchange, let’s use only swords, not magic.”
“Why? Are you scared?”
“Your swordplay shows a long history. As I am a swordsman, I am curious about a god’s sword.”
“…Ha. Fine.”
The day had finally come to unfold the sword I had honed and honed.
Until now, whenever I devised a new sword art, I had only practiced it in my mind, as if in a debate.
It was because I hadn’t met an opponent worthy of receiving my sword.
In my childhood in my past life, I used to play a game of holding on for a long time while riding on the back of a fierce bull. Even the strongest beast would eventually become docile if you gripped its horns tightly and held on until exhaustion.
Fighting monsters was usually like that.
Occasionally, there were those with tougher hides and bones than others, and some who jumped higher and farther to evade my sword, but few were cunning enough to use their heads. Most would fall within ten exchanges at most.
From the moment I entered the Magic territory, I had never once considered defeat.
Therefore, how could I compare fighting monsters to a duel with martial artists? I took a breath to calm my nerves. I absorbed everything into my mind: the unblinking eyes, the opponent’s fingers subtly pressing on my sword hilt, the breath that was neither carelessly inhaled nor exhaled.
No matter how swiftly I drew my sword to strike unexpectedly, it would have no effect on the opponent. I knew that every place within my sight was my Sword Domain, and that I was fully within the opponent’s territory. I had to place each move carefully.
The Dragon’s shoulders were straight, but her waist was bent, and her free hand was like a claw.
Just as her muscular legs pushed off the ground.
Utilizing the essence of speed, I immediately aimed for her neck. She, having quickly noticed, drew her sword from left to right as if to cleave my body in two. Unable to change the trajectory of my sword, I lowered my stance, putting my weight into it. Sliding under her left arm, I clashed my sword against hers, deflecting it.
There was no sound of swords clashing, nor the sound of feet on the ground.
We simply stood past each other.
I had never seen a sword faster than mine since arriving on this land. I had come to fight without holding back from the start. Indeed, there was always someone better. Even after just one clash, my Hundred Meeting Point burned hot.
Our gazes met again, just as they had at first.
Spiritus was smiling brightly, so very brightly.
So was I.
We clashed three times from above and twice from below. Every thrust was blocked.
The ground was churned up, raising dust. Dodging the dust cloud, I sprang high into the air, then struggled to block the continuous thrusts from below. I twisted my body to avoid them by the width of a single hair. It was fortunate that Sierren’s attire differed from that of the Central Plains. If I had worn a long robe, it would have been torn five or six times.
I even managed to gain a momentary advantage by parrying her sword with mine. Though it was said that an exquisite sword was not bound by form, I had not reached this point with a single realization. I poured out all the techniques I had devised.
The eighteen forms I acquired while studying at the Academy were swords meant to protect my loved ones. The seven forms I painstakingly gathered while crossing deserts and traversing seas were swords to cleave beasts. The four forms I gained while witnessing the beasts of the Magic territory struggling in the fierce gap between life and death were…
Swords to cleave gods.
Lightning struck and thunder roared with my outward-striking sword. What I created, in the end, was the sky and the wind, circling back. All the energy pressing down from above onto the land I had claimed as my domain was mine.
Filling the space between was sword energy that resembled soft blades of grass. The silver sword energy that bloomed from my sword, carried by the wind, fluttered in a circular trajectory, then fell, shot out, and collapsed. The swords that had clashed dozens of times hummed so intensely that my grip went numb.
This is enjoyable.
The Dragon’s sword was fast and strong, but honest. I understood why the Empire’s symbol was the Dragon. The upright essence of Imperial Swordsmanship was fully imbued in the Dragon’s sword. Her hand, curved like a hook instead of a shield, blocked me repeatedly.
Trying to counter a straight sword thrust and a freely wielded hand with a single sword made my mind race. Still, after taking two steps forward, I could take one step back, and after taking three steps back, I could advance four steps.
Each and every exchange was a fierce, direct strike. It was a clash of pure strength with no feints. Small nicks began to appear on the woman’s fabric. She blocked the swords I swung in time, but she couldn’t parry all the sword energy swirling around.
After a little over a hundred and forty exchanges, perhaps.
How long had it been since my mouth tasted sweet from exertion? Naturally, my entire body was drenched in sweat.
Still, if it continued like this, I thought I might lose an arm. It was at that moment of confidence. The woman’s hair, which had been flashing fiercely, suddenly puffed out like a lion’s mane.
I leaped back in shock. I retreated eighty paces in an instant and shouted,
“…You said you wouldn’t use magic!”
“I didn’t.”
If I had stayed any closer, my body would have been torn to shreds. A beastly energy descended upon the woman’s not-so-large body. Her eyes, shining with a divine light as if possessed by a general god, gleamed. The stone fragments swept up by her energy shattered with a crisp sound. I drew upon all the energy in my body to resist, not yielding further.
Crackle. Even though I blocked the energy pushing me back with my sword barrier, my feet kept being pushed backward.
“It looked like you did.”
“I told you, I didn’t!”
“Then, what is that?”
She raised both hands high above her head. It felt like I would die if I looked away for even a moment. I stared directly at the woman’s face. I could tell that something suspicious was happening from far away. Her pupils split vertically.
Spiritus whispered, very softly, but clearly.
“I’m going to start now. Receive it.”
Ah.