They say that half of the people who encounter a wild tiger can’t even run away properly because their legs give out and end up getting eaten, right?
I finally understand them now.
That’s exactly how I feel right now.
It’s not that my legs are trembling, but without realizing it, I took a few steps back.
A high-ranking knight.
The aura emanating from a formidable opponent crossing the wall was so intense that it felt like a sword was shoved into my throat just by watching.
Among all the individuals I’ve met so far, the mightiest presence, even when compared to Valfreya, who was sealed away in Banafitza, a high-ranking knight seems trivial.
…Well, I suppose Valfreya couldn’t release her full aura since she was sealed.
If that woman had been able to unleash her full might, we probably would have just rolled on the floor, barely able to breathe.
“You can both come at me at the same time. It wouldn’t hurt to gauge the level of your coordination.”
Sir Veloren said, looking at me with a cold, steely tone devoid of humanity, unlike yesterday.
It’s like night and day when he holds a sword compared to when he doesn’t, right?
It’s similar to how I or Friede show extreme aggression towards confirmed enemies.
“What are you doing? Time is passing.”
As I kept my guard up and did nothing, Sir Veloren frowned slightly, looking impatient, urging me to come at him.
“Let’s count to five. Five, four, three—”
“Haah!”
I lunged forward immediately. My instinctive anxiety told me that if I let him finish the countdown, my head might fly off.
The swordplay of Eisenvalt I had developed through my battle with the Valkyrie. The sword tip that was pointed down shot up like a spring, aiming for his chest.
Ka-gak!
But, as expected, his longsword easily blocked mine. Even though it was an attack filled with strength, that was the case.
Sir Veloren deflected my sword with a spin, knocking it away, and in the next moment, he jabbed the end of his sword into my shoulder.
“Kuh…!”
I quickly turned my shoulder to dodge. If I had been wearing armor, I might have blocked it, but now I was bare. A single hit could’ve broken my shoulder.
Swaaaack!
As if he anticipated my dodge, a follow-up slash came immediately. The longsword sliced through the air, targeting my waist.
“Hah!”
I swung my sword with an intensified strength. The clash of swords rang out like clear metal music, vibrating through my grasp.
“…Hmm.”
Sir Veloren glanced at his longsword, which had been bounced back from our collision, before making another strike with a soundless grunt.
Ka-aaaang!
This time, the sound was different.
Unlike a moment ago, when I was pushed back by his strength, this attack was heavy, nearly equal to mine. Was he trying to match my power?
One thing was certain: relying solely on strength would yield no chances of victory.
“Is this the end?”
“Not yet…!”
Therefore, I released the traits of my Ice Heart and wielded my sword with everything I had.
Emotion chilling to the bone.
Contrasted with my violently pulsating, cold power.
My mind and body transformed into a single instrument purely for the purpose of killing the enemy.
This was my full power deployment. It was at a level equal to the original Brunhilde.
Ka-aaaang! Ka-gak, Kwaduk!
Swords danced violently, throwing off sparks and flashes.
A mistimed thrust pierced the air, while the contact of our blades splintered metallic shards. The sharp metallic sound echoed like a bell signaling the morning.
“That thrust was decent.”
In the midst of it all, the enemy spoke to me.
“But that’s all. Your depth when swinging a sword is shallow. So, you barely penetrate the tip of the blade.”
As she evaded my sword, aiming to slice through her waist with just two steps back.
“The grip technique is vaguely clumsy. The stark difference between thrusting and slashing. Your motions resemble someone who, despite being a spear user, is clumsily wielding a sword.”
She dodged my thrust by twisting her body and simply deflected my following swing, pressing the tip of her sword against my neck.
“And that’s where the moment of transition from thrust to slash falls apart.”
With just a few exchanges, she had accurately identified the essence and weaknesses of my Eisenvalt swordplay.
Though I had somewhat improved through my fierce battle with the Valkyrie, there remained a subtle ruin in my swordsmanship.
“The idea of compensating for that gap with sheer strength isn’t bad, but it’s only effective if you have the upper hand in power. Against someone of equal strength…”
“Hah!”
I tried to quickly twist my body and launch another attack, but—
“…It’s bound to be simply countered like this.”
After just four clashes, my neck was once again targeted by her sword.
“Do you understand?”
I swallowed hard, my head icy and collected as I mechanically analyzed my circumstances, searching for answers to win.
Without much thought, the conclusion came swiftly.
Impossible.
Naturally, there was no way for me to defeat her.
“Remember this. What you’re holding is not a spear but a sword. The usages of the two weapons can become indefinitely similar, but they can never become the same.”
Sir Veloren removed the longsword aimed at my neck and offered advice.
Instead of wasting time twisted around a spear’s technique to wield a sword, it would be wiser to properly learn the art of swordsmanship separately.
I had no words to refute that.
At least, not with my current self.
The original Brunhilde had been able to continuously enhance her Eisenvalt swordplay through countless battles and her own genius, ultimately mastering it as an independent swordsmanship.
However, could I, who was currently at the level of a knight, achieve what she couldn’t at her elite level?
As Sir Veloren said, I might as well learn a proper swordsmanship from scratch.
Then, once I reached a mature level with that newly learned swordsmanship, I could use it as a foundation to reinforce the Eisenvalt style.
And about the swordplay shown by the Valkyries?
Yeah, I could replicate it properly, but… that alone wasn’t enough. It couldn’t entirely compensate for the shortcomings in the Eisenvalt style.
Perhaps, the Valkyries themselves were originally not swordsmen, but spear users too.
Their swordplay was like Brunhilde’s, just with slightly different stances, techniques twisted from spear handling into swordsmanship.
Thus, they shared the same pitfall.
“Do you understand now?”
“…Yes.”
I nodded, withdrawing the power of my Ice Heart.
It’s a bit embarrassing to be suppressed without getting a real try, but at least I felt hard-earned insights on what I needed to do going forward.
“Alright then. Let’s go again.”
…Again?
“Let’s continue. I’ve just pointed out one critical flaw; I haven’t explored the depths of your skills completely yet.”
Sir Veloren aimed his sword at me, reminding me that thinking the spar was over was just my illusion.
“This time, I’ll be more aggressive in my attacks, so respond with all your might.”
Wait, so the sparring wasn’t over, and it was just getting real now?
Now that I think about it, this woman had merely been dodging and countering my attacks without attacking me properly until now…?
A chilling fear flowed down my spine. It wasn’t the power of the Ice Heart. It was pure dread.
“…How long are we going to keep this up?”
I took my stance again, asking with a reluctant tone. Sir Veloren answered, as if puzzled by such a plain question.
“Until you’re too exhausted to stay conscious. Isn’t that obvious?”
…She might just really knock me out.
My vision went dark.
◆◆
I really got pounded hard.
“Cough…!”
“…Your dodging moves are unpolished. You’ve gotten into the habit of absorbing attacks with your armor. How do you plan to fight against enemies that can break through armor?”
That was a comment on my tendency to lean my body into attacks I couldn’t block with my sword when the situation became critical.
My left arm that was thrusting toward the sparring sword felt like it was about to break from extreme agony.
Puhah!
“Auw…!”
“You’ve almost completely neglected grappling techniques. There’s no system to it. Are you going to plead for mercy and beg after dropping your sword?”
The critique on my over-reliance on swordsmanship led to a rather brutal jab from her fist, which didn’t wear a gauntlet, but felt like an iron hammer.
“There’s no need to become a martial artist, but you should at least be able to support your swordsmanship. In close range, that’s much faster and more effective.”
“Ugh… Yes… I’ll keep that in mind….”
I held my stinging cheek and swayed, promising never to underestimate martial artists again.
Once a high-ranking knight showcased martial arts, even with armor, there was no way to block it. It was dizzying for a moment, I tell you!
Of course, I couldn’t faint, so the sparring continued.
“…Are you amplifying your strength in an instant? Impressive and powerful, but relying on it too much is dangerous.”
Keugh…!
Onward it went.
“You were overly confident due to your enhanced strength, which left you with so many openings afterward. If you fail to secure an attack, you’ll be countered and end up dead. Like so.”
Ka-hack…!
And it continued.
For a full two hours.
◆◆
“Ughhh….”
“Are you at your limit? We’ll end the morning spar here. Good job.”
Only after two hours of getting beaten did I finally bring the spar to an end. It felt like the grudge of all those I had killed was manifesting as a curse.
What was Friede doing during this time, you ask?
“Hihieek….”
She flopped next to me, sprawled out on the floor.
She had joined from halfway through the spar, swinging her great sword at Sir Veloren, but she didn’t last long.
“Jumping into the air to attack…? I guess I was pretty underestimated.”
From Sir Veloren’s point of view, Friede’s tactic of jumping and swinging her great sword was so ridiculous she wore a wry smile as she unleashed her longsword like a tempest.
With an overwhelming fury, as if punishing her for some crime.
“Hihya! Higyagyaa!”
As a result of that assault, Friede was pierced eight times in mid-air and crashed to the ground. She was halfway to fainting right then.
“Don’t jump against people. You’ll get killed before you land against an opponent of equal rank or higher.”
Sir Veloren looked down at the fainted Friede and said that line, leaving quite an impression.
