Overpowered Sword Chapter 3

Level up with swords (3)

Huh!

In an empty lot where no one is around, only the sound of the wind blows sharply.

The sword’s trajectory was simple.

There was no flashiness or skill to be found. Top to bottom, bottom to top, left to right, right to left. These were movements that could be said to be the basics of swordsmanship.

Vertical cuts, horizontal cuts, diagonal cuts, stabbing.

The swordsmanship taught at the academy was simply a combination of those movements or slightly modified ones. Esoteric swordsmanship, which contained deep principles, was not permitted to commoners.

So Leon’s swordsmanship training was always a repetition of the basics.

Huh!

I swung it nearly a thousand times, but it didn’t shake. Only the same speed, power, and accuracy as when he was just starting out pushes the wooden sword.

The proficiency in basic skills was already at a perfect level.

In some ways, repetitive training can be considered meaningless.

At some point, Leon focused on sharpening his mind rather than his body or skills during this training. That was a different kind of power than that of an Auror, and it was the driving force that gave him hope that he could defeat Lian.

Even though it was not visible to the eye, the power clearly existed.

Ugh!

succeded.

Unlike the ones swung before, the sound of the wind was faint. It wasn’t a real sword, it was a bladeless wooden sword that cut the wind. It was not something that could simply be said to be good with a sword.

After completing a thousand cuts with that, Leon wiped away his sweat.

‘This is the end of it all, huh?’

Only after the two towels became wet did my body cool down a bit. The cold wind passing through the mountainside dried her damp hair, and the sound of birdsong, which had not been heard while swinging her wooden sword, tickled her ears.

Leon sat down in his seat with a sad feeling.

Curfew must have already passed. Even if I got penalized for today, I wanted to stay in this vacant lot longer.

“ha… .”

Leon, feeling frustrated, let out a long sigh.

Even though I cut myself a thousand times, I couldn’t shake off all my regrets. Well, after years of trying, is it possible for him to clear his mind in one day?

How many calluses were peeled off and how many wooden swords were broken? There is no one in the academy who has been to the training hall more times than him, and no one has broken more wooden swords than him.

Leon asked himself to overcome that feeling of self-destruction.

‘Why should I give up?’

It was because there was no repayment. Some say that effort is beautiful in itself, but that was either a failure’s excuse or the nonsense of a fool who had never experienced real frustration.

And someone else will say.

Except for a very small number of people, most people compromise without achieving their dreams. It’s just that you are like that too.

But while Leon agreed with that, he still had something to say.

‘… ‘If everything is decided from the beginning, what’s the point in trying?’

There is a possibility, but if it fails, that’s fine.

Because we can acknowledge that failure as the value of life.

Some people might laugh it off and say it was a reckless challenge. If only I had tried a little harder, some people might regret it.

But what if it’s a problem that doesn’t even have that possibility?

If someone’s success or failure is determined from the beginning of life, can that life really be given meaning?

Is it no different from an OX game where the process is meaningless?

“Goddess.”

I have never looked for God before. A nameless god. She is a goddess of mercy who from the beginning she has nurtured this world and does not demand worship but simply watches over the free life of life.

Leon spoke to the great being for the first time.

“Are my efforts and my life meaningless?”

Naturally, God did not answer.

The sky, studded with countless stars, was silent as always.

No, that judgment was a little premature.

Flash!

Light exploded in the sky as Leon looked up blankly.

“Wow!”

Leon, who saw the flash of light, reflexively threw his body away. My eyes went blind due to exposure to intense light, but that was probably a good thing.

Swordsmanship is not the only thing you learn at the academy. Humanities such as classical history and etiquette, as well as natural sciences, were part of the curriculum. Therefore, Leon at least knew what a ‘meteor’ was.

A piece of a star.

It is a disaster that falls from the sky far away and crashes down on the ground at an immeasurable speed. Because it is accompanied by enormous heat and shock waves, the entire area is completely devastated, and even a single meteor, no matter how small, is enough to blow away a castle wall.

Leon, who desperately tried to throw his body away, fell flat on the ground.

‘please!’

Hoping he could survive, he squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the explosion and shock.

How many more seconds did I wait?

The shock I had hoped for did not come, and only time passed.

[Get up.]

An unknown voice rang in Leon’s head.

“Who are you!?”

[If you’re curious, shouldn’t you just stand up and see with your own eyes?]

Leon woke up and blinked at those rude words.

My eyes, temporarily blinded by the flash of light, were still blurry. He rubbed his eyelids a few times and spoke carefully.

“I can’t see it yet… .”

[hmm? Ah, wait a moment.]

It was right after that.

Leon immediately felt coolness around his eyes. My blurry vision recovered as if it had never happened before.

But he soon had no choice but to doubt his own eyes.

‘… … knife?’

Just a few steps ahead. Leon gaped at the ‘sword’ shining brilliantly in front of him.

The grip and crossguard protrude long from the top and left and right, and the golden sun burns from the very center of the sword body flowing down from it. A light that burns away all the darkness of the mountain. It was a majesty that would awe even those without faith.

There is only one type of sword in the world with such characteristics.

“Holy sword?!”

[Yes!]

The Holy Sword answered cheerfully, scattering light in all directions.

[And you called me, Leon.]

“Me, me?”

[Yes, your heart led me. The world is inherently unfair, and those who have have more, while those who have not lose what little they have. However, opportunities must be given equally.]

The holy sword shining alone on the mountainside spoke majestically.

[I will ask the one who discussed the absurdity of fate with the goddess.]

Leon raised his head while breaking into a cold sweat at those words.

[Those who do not try have no right to blame the irrationality of life. Only those who have burned their lives fiercely are eligible for it. Leon, do you think you have that qualification?]

The intimidation emanating from the Holy Sword was terrifying.

As if encountering a legendary dragon, the bones and muscles are frozen and do not move. He had the gaze of an absolute being watching him, not allowing even a single lie.

Nevertheless, Leon was able to speak.

Even though I had stopped breathing before I knew it, my soul was spitting out words.

“-there is!”

The strength of my mind that I honed every day became that voice.

“I deserve it!”

[Then I will give you a chance to prove it.]

As if responding to Leon’s answer, the holy sword scattered light.

When the dazzling light faded away, what remained was a sword with a beautiful shape.

A holy sword stuck in a rock, as if waiting to be pulled out.

[Hold it!]

The Holy Sword spoke without losing his intimidation.

He radiated pressure that would make it difficult for an ordinary person to take a single step forward, urging him to prove what he said.

As a rule of thumb, it’s roughly four steps.

What was heavier than anything was that determination. Leon’s eyes widened as he knew what it meant to hold the holy sword.

Was it something that had to go that far?

“Tsk!”

When he took a step forward, the holy sword gave a cold warning.

[Don’t think that just because you get me, you will immediately become stronger. You will have to endure greater trials than the opportunities you receive from me.]

When I took my second step, the Holy Sword gently encouraged me.

[It is not something you should bear. A being with a great destiny must live an even harsher life. The woman you love, the friend you trust, you may have to sacrifice them all. Do you really have to walk that thorny path for your ‘special’ life?]

When I had barely taken the third step, the Holy Sword sweetly made a suggestion.

[If you want to defeat that master named Rian, I will give you a little help. The duty you bear as the owner of the holy sword is to pass it on to someone else and fulfill your wish. Saving this world at the cost of defying fate a little, isn’t it worth it?]

With the last step left, Leon stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. The Holy Sword’s voice shook him with every word.

A ‘trial’ that warns that the holy sword will be harsh.

A ‘sacrifice’ that I had never considered before.

The ‘victory’ that I have longed for even in my dreams for the past three years.

If you stop here, you don’t lose anything. No, you will be able to overcome Rian’s unreasonable strength and experience the joy of victory.

“… but.”

Nevertheless, Leon took another step forward and spoke.

“That’s cowardly… !”

The reason he trained every single day was to crush that irrationality. This was because he was not convinced by the unfair reality of rankings and results that were determined regardless of effort.

If you compromise with the Holy Sword’s words here, your resolution and efforts of the past will become waste worthless.

It was a life of a loser filled with inferiority complex, but it had meaning.

Because Leon stood in front of the Holy Sword to prove its meaning!

[-right.]

When he took four steps and stopped, the Holy Sword raised his voice as if praising the answer.

[You have proven your nobility, warrior!]

The faded light of the holy sword fills up. While waiting for the hand of a worthy owner, the sun engraved on the sword body burned with joy.

That was truly the will of the Holy Sword.

A warrior is not determined by an oracle or something like a noble lineage or family name.

A heart that is not broken even by unreasonable fate.

The will to prove my beliefs rather than covet gold and fame.

A person who possesses all of these qualities is worthy of becoming a warrior!

[Now, pick me!]

As if driven by the Holy Sword’s zeal, Leon reached into the center of the burning light and grabbed its handle.

Then, vitality fills my tired body and courage springs up.

A feeling of omnipotence, as if one could overcome any ordeal!

The Holy Sword, which was already very excited, shouted loudly.

[I am El-Cid! The alter ego of Saint King Rodrigo Caldias El Vivar and the sword that guides the light of this era! Master Leon, let’s subdue evil together with El Cid!]

It was an introduction that some would call shabby.

The story of a holy sword and a commoner warrior meeting in a vacant lot behind the academy was not a story that was likely to sell well.

However, that framework is the enemy that the warrior Leon must defeat.

The moment he held El Cid, a storm began to blow in his life.

It’s a storm so big that it’s okay to have inherent limitations.

* * *

[What, did you call me?]

A frivolous voice echoes in an unknown space.

El Cid, who had gone back to his usual tone of voice without any words of praise for Leon a moment ago, grumbled.

It wasn’t wrong.

El Cid is an alter ego that contains the soul of Saint King Rodrik, so his personality is not much different from his base character.

In a word, the personality shown now was the true nature of Saint King Roderick, and it was the truth covered with praise from historians. It was a case where personality flaws were hidden because of so great an achievement.

[Why did you break the trust? What are you talking about? Leon, that guy’s name also means ‘lion’. Even though it was a prophecy passed down to the Clyde Imperial Family, it did not say that it was only for the Imperial Family. is not it?]

El Cid, wondering who he was arguing with, accepted the criticism with a sly tone.

Actually, it wasn’t Leon who was supposed to be the hero.

[That guy called Rian falls short of my standards. Even though I had both talent and destiny, I couldn’t awaken my ‘will’. It opened.]

El Cid spoke in a tone as if he was criticizing a rotten potato.

[By the way, there is less nagging than I thought. I guess you like Leon a lot too, right? Well, in this era where the system of vested interests has become entrenched, he is a rare person. Even in my time, there weren’t many people like that. Three at most?]

Even after that, El Cid’s monologue became quite long.

We talked for a while, grumbling, refuting, and laughing at what someone said. There was only one being that could speak directly to the ‘Holy Sword’ and that ignored space and time.

Also, at the end, the story seemed quite serious, and he spoke in a voice without a trace of laughter.

[Oh, don’t worry. If I were to use my legacy, wouldn’t it be better than the Sentai Heroes? It’s time for them to repay their debt.]

El Cid’s light is fading in an unknown space.

The end of the story has arrived.

[Then watch carefully from heaven, that’s your job, right?]

With those last words, the light of the holy sword returned to the ground.

To the side of an ordinary hero who was recognized for the first time in 300 years.