< Apiography 11. Sword Saint (1) >
#A11
The summer breeze was hot. A cumulonimbus cloud as heavy as a battleship was crossing the sky of the Blue Islands. Taking a deep breath, Jaifa opened her mouth.
“It’s been a really long time. “There is no other challenger other than Nabi Rose.”
“Schlieffen Sinivan de Grancia meets the Sword Saint.”
Schlieffen sent his sword. He was dressed in a combat uniform with the family seal on it. Her beautiful dark blue hair was shining under the hot sun.
They stood facing each other in the middle of the vast arena. The circular space covered with pure white paving stones was large enough to fit an entire rural village. It was the Grand Circle, the largest arena in the empire.
“This is the first start since the war.”
“I never thought I would see Zaifa and the Empire’s Morning Star… I feel like I’ve used up all my luck.”
The spectators who had come to watch the unprecedented match were making noise. Despite the increasingly intense heat, the audience seats at the Grand Circle were filled with no room to move. Everyone was there to watch the final battle of the Sword Saint.
“I was expecting it to be you or that kid named Ronan. “Did he lose to you?”
“no. I didn’t participate at all. “It seemed like he wasn’t particularly interested in the position of Sword Saint in the first place.”
“It’s a dustproof guy anyway.”
Jaifa chuckled. Actually, this was also what I expected. Because Ronan didn’t seem interested in an honorary position like Sword Saint in the first place. At that time, an irritated voice rang out from the VIP audience.
“You old man talks a lot. “I’m busy enjoying my newlywed life, so I should be grateful that you came.”
“Were you there?”
Jaifa turned his head and laughed. Ronan, along with Adeshan, proudly occupied the best seat in the Grand Circle. The surrounding area was filled with his friends, including Asher and Marya.
“Now that I think about it, you were married. “It’s the best time.”
“It’s amazing. “You forgot all the alcohol for the wedding reception and left it behind?”
Ronan laughed. He officially tied the knot with Adeshan just a few days ago. In accordance with Adeshan’s wishes, most of the people they had formed a relationship with so far came to the wedding ceremony held in the main plaza of Phileon Academy.
Jaifa was one of the first guests to arrive. After saying a short congratulatory message, he downed all the alcohol for the reception and left. Of course, he sent me a gift of eternal snowflake gold liquor, more than enough to cover the entire cost of the wedding, but that was after the wedding.
“Do you know how much trouble I had to deal with it? “Dragons love drinking so much… If it were the way it was, you would have been killed by Sister Navardose and Orsay!”
“Shouldn’t I have left it alone? “I don’t know about the Mother of Fire, but she wanted to hang out with that demon dragon.”
“Anyway, I won’t say a word. Schlieffen! “Blow that unlucky cat away!”
Ronan put his hand over his mouth and shouted. Nabi Rose, who was sitting right behind him, nodded as if he agreed.
Instead of answering, Schlieffen turned his head and looked at the audience. Iril had her hands clasped together and she was staring at herself. Her deer-like big eyes were filled with worry.
“Mr. Schlieffen.”
Iril chanted. I knew Schlieffen’s skills well, but if the opponent was Seifa, it would be a different story.
The strongest swordsman of all time. He tried to dissuade him, saying there was no need to fight, but in the end, Schlieffen stepped forward to keep the promise he had made to himself. Schlieffen looked back at Seiffa again and opened his mouth.
“I have no intention of losing.”
This was not just for her, but for everyone. At that time, a middle-aged man wearing fancy clothes walked up to the podium. The noisy hall became quiet as if cold water had been poured on it. The emcee in charge of this game was Balon 44, the emperor of the empire.
“Oh, look at all the gray hairs. “It looks like you’ve had a hard time.”
“Ronan, hush…!”
Only Ronan whistled in exclamation. Adeshan, sitting next to him, covered his mouth. The all-white hair hinted at the hardships the emperor had gone through after the war with Nebula Clazier. He slowly looked around the arena and opened his mouth.
“I can’t believe I can see this scenery again. “The emotions are endless.”
“See you, Your Majesty.”
Schlieffen and Seiffa bowed on one knee and showed respect. The emperor smiled softly. After clearing his throat a couple of times, he continued.
“There is no one who does not know your names and actions, so I will not speak at length. “I hope you will do your best as this is the position that determines the Empire’s First Sword.”
“what. “Is that really the end?”
“I look forward to the best match.”
With those last words, the emperor turned his back. Ronan laughed at the absurdly simple speech. The emperor, who had returned to his seat, was flanked by elders who presided over the sword festival.
“Then when does it start…”
It was a moment when Ronan was muttering in a questioning voice. Jaipa’s blurred figure shot forward. It was the moment when Schlieffen reflexively raised his sword. Kwaaaaaaaaaa! A thunderous roar rang out. Jaifa smiled as he saw the scimitar and pale rod fluttering before his eyes.
“Now you don’t get pushed out.”
“Thank you.”
Schlieffen answered. Despite Jaifa’s surprise attack, he was not pushed back even a single step. It was truly a huge improvement compared to when I first received his greeting. The audience, who belatedly noticed the situation, started talking.
“W-what just happened?!”
“oh my god···!”
In their eyes, Jaipa seemed to have disappeared for a moment and then reappeared. At that time, the blades opposed each other and the battle resumed. Kaan-! The high scimitar fell toward the top of Schlieffen’s head.
“Hmph!”
Schlieffen, who twisted his shoulder, avoided the sword attack by just a piece of paper. bang! The heavy blade cut into the paving stone made of special material like tofu. Schlieffen grabbed the hilt of his sword. The bluish blade of the Pale Lord disappeared into the wind.
It was at the moment when Jaipa was trying to pull out the spear blade stuck in the ground. As Schlieffen swung the hilt of his sword sideways, the wind struck Seifa. Do-it-yourself! Wounds that looked like dozens of birds of prey had scratched his body were etched into his body. The wind that Schlieffen handled was like a famous sword with sharp strands. The blood gushing out over the black fur soaked the floor.
“Sweetheart.”
Jaifa’s eyes narrowed. Schlieffen, who scored an effective hit, went on a repeat attack. However, Jaipa did not care about his injuries and pulled out his scimitar and swung it. bang! A heavy blow came faster than expected and struck Pale Lord.
“Ugh!”
Schlieffen gritted his teeth. The knife that was pushed out hit his ribs, making it difficult for him to breathe.
‘The pain of being cut by the wind must have been considerable.’
It was truly the tenacity of an invincible swordsman. But Schlieffen also had no intention of letting go that easily. He immediately regained his stance and snuggled into Jaifa’s arms. Pale Lord’s sword body had already returned to its original appearance.
“hmm···!”
Jaifa frowned. The digging speed was faster than expected. The gap between him and Schlieffen was too narrow for Ritchie to respond with a long scimitar. This was the moment when Schlieffen was about to stab. Jaipa, who was pretending to swing his spear, suddenly threw a kick. Paang-! Schlieffen jumped up as if he had been waiting, then stepped on his knee and leaped again.
“ah?”
Jaifa’s eyes widened. He could only say that he had been predicted. Using her knees as a stepping stone, the weak Schlieffen soared nearly 10 meters.
“Aaaah!”
“Wow, it’s awesome.”
The audience was astonished by the height that exceeded common sense. Jaipa was not embarrassed and adjusted his posture. He was good at reading his moves, but it was difficult for him to avoid attacks coming from below while he was floating in the air like that. Of course, there is no way Schlieffen would not know that much common sense.
“Let’s take a look at your skills.”
Holding this position meant that I would try my hand at it with the sword. Jaipa was cackling and grabbed the spear. Black mana spread out from his hand and wrapped around the blade of the spear. His auror, which cuts through space, played the same role as sword energy. Schlieffen, who had reached his peak, began to fall. He was descending with his feet in the same position, and swung his sword sharply.
“Ha!”
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A cheer rang out. At the same time, two half-moon shaped swords crossed and shot out. It was a long and wide sword, long and wide enough to cross the arena from tip to tip. Nabirose, who was watching the game, expressed a small admiration.
“Have we already reached that point?”
It was almost as big as his own sword energy. The power was also enormous. At that time, Jaifa’s arm, which was just watching the sword, disappeared from sight. As soon as the scimitar that drew the arc returned to its original position, a black line was drawn in front of Schlieffen’s eyes.
“That’s…!”
Ronan’s eyes widened. She had seen it before when they were hunting wyverns together. It was a crack in space that tore apart everything it touched. Schlieffen’s sword energy that touched the black line was cut off in vain. Quagwang! bang! The sword energy that was broken into pieces hit the floor of the arena instead of Zyfa, causing an explosion. Ronan jumped up and shouted urgently.
“You idiot, avoid!”
Probably everyone in the audience would have agreed with that. Unlike Ronan, Schlieffen could not cut mana. But instead of avoiding it, he increased his speed even more. His face was just about to touch the black line. Shriek! A sudden wind blew Schlieffen’s orbit slightly downward. The crack in space narrowly passed by his body and hair.
“It’s complicated.”
Jaifa laughed. I liked the guts of attacking head-on. However, with his devilish vision, he was confident that he could destroy Schlieffen no matter how he came out.
Looking at the grip method, I think I’m planning to fire a short, quick shot. Jaipa, who came up with the answer in an instant, was about to launch a counterattack. Damn it! Suddenly, dozens of cutting lines were drawn on the spear of the scimitar he was holding.
“what.”
Zaifa let out a look of bewilderment. The broken spear fell to the floor. Since the first match, Schlieffen has been consistently causing damage, and the results have only come out now. He threw the spear and tried to respond with his bare hands, but it was already too late. Sigh! The Pale Rod pierced Zyfa’s tail and became lodged in the ground.
“So arrogant…”
Jaifa growled. The cold air that radiated from the extremely cold sword froze Zaifa’s entire tail and the nearby floor. That was the moment when he turned his body with the intention of ripping off his tail. Schlieffen let go of the hilt of his sword and leaned back, muttering softly.
“Storm.”
There was no time to say anything. Quaaaa-! The tornado that appeared as it tore through the ground surged around Jaipa. The sharp wind, each strand of which was as sharp as a razor blade, ended up blowing a huge hole in the clouds passing over the arena. Thunderous cheers erupted from the quiet audience.
“Waaah!”
“Schlippen, you bastard!”
Ronan clenched his fists and shouted in delight. It was an awesome fake. Jaipa’s shape, swallowed by the wind, could not even be seen.
Considering the cases of enemies who had been hit by Schlieffen’s aurors so far, it was unlikely that they would be safe. I was waiting to see if it would end like this. Sigh! Suddenly, a black line appeared above the whirlwind, and the wind tore left and right.
“What…!”
Schlieffen’s face hardened. It was before he felt threatened and took a defensive stance. Zyfa flew like a flash and appeared before his eyes. Kwasik! At the same time, a black fist flew in and struck his abdomen.
“Wow!”
Blood poured out of Schlieffen’s mouth. She had apparently been hit in the stomach and her spine seemed to be crushed. bang! He bounced in a straight line and crashed into the arena wall.
“Mr Schlieffen!”
Iril screamed. Seiffa, who had blown up Schlieffen, stopped in place. When he came out of the tornado, his body was literally ruined. Every time he took a step, a black and red puddle was forming at his feet. Underneath the fur, which had been torn off more than half, black skin was revealed.
Of course, Jaifa didn’t look tired at all. The speculation blooming over his broad shoulders became even more intense.
Before I knew it, the ten claws that had come out were shining on my black fingers. It was Jaifa’s true sword that destroyed even Nabirose. bang! Schlieffen, who had been staggering, got upright as if bouncing. Jaipa saw that and laughed eerily.
“It’s fun. “Isn’t that right?”
