Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Thinning (6)

Clang-! The sharp sound of metal. Carlyn barely steadied his shaking center of gravity with Winds.

Dodging the following attack by rolling on the ground, Carlyn took some distance while panting heavily.

It was dangerous. Carlyn being able to block the sword was not a reaction he saw with his eyes, but a bodily reflex.

In other words, it was not that he perceived and blocked it, but more of an instinctual survival response, like ducking your head when you see a flying object.

He had blocked it with the sword in his right hand, but a deep pain rose from his numb left shoulder.

Rudehrn charged again. His famous sword Blue Sea cut across diagonally.

This time Carlyn could grasp that sword path as well.

The reason he had been slow to react to the earlier strike was that it was his first time experiencing the Sword Master’s tremendous speed.

‘It’s not to the point I can’t endure it.’

The deflected Blue Sea swung back peculiarly. It was a phenomenon he had experienced before.

Like waves that retreat leaving foam behind before rushing back roughly.

Since the Sword Master’s Sword Energy was a bluish color, it looked even more so.

Clang-! The collision of famous swords. The metallic sound was clear yet destructive.

Moonlight vibrated heavily after clashing with the Sword Energy. Despite the brief clash, Carlyn’s palms tingled.

Yet he was grateful for today’s fortune.

‘My peak condition and Devil’s Blood.’

If even one had been missing, the combat would have already ended. He was certain of that.

The Sword Master’s full power exceeded what he had imagined.

Thinking that he might be able to hold out a bit on a day he was in good condition during training was a misjudgment.

Even now he was barely keeping up with the Sword Master’s speed.

What enabled that was his peak condition and Devil’s Blood.

Carlyn gritted his teeth and blocked the attacking sword.

‘A head-on confrontation won’t last long.’

His opponent was a Sword Master. His defeat in a sword-to-sword fight was obvious.

Carlyn had to focus on what he could do. The accelerating mana manipulates the Winds.

He shrank the area he controlled and increased the pressure the Winds placed on Rudehrn.

Rudehrn’s clothes flapped violently. The Winds seemed visible.

Tremendous pressure from all directions. Rudehrn was now moving as if inside a storm.

However, the Sword Master’s mana protected his body. His speed decreased but not by much.

‘Even this much should be annoying.’

Carlyn dropped the few smoke bombs he had left onto the ground. With a whoosh from the Winds, the smoke spread.

Boom-! Boom-! Hidden bombs shook the earth.

Using that gap, he again widened the distance. Rudehrn did not blindly charge in either.

His movements were not urgent.

He seemed focused more on capture than killing, which was as Carlyn had expected.

‘It’s confidence rather than arrogance.’

There were no examples of someone other than a Sword Master defeating a Sword Master.

At the widened distance, Carlyn scattered the poison powder he had in a circular motion using Winds.

He didn’t think it would subdue Rudehrn. Poison didn’t work on Sword Masters either.

Though not a complete transformation, going through the process of reaching enlightenment partially reconfigures the body.

It would only blunt his senses a little. He couldn’t knock him down as easily as Ante.

Sensing something ominous, Carlyn rolled on the ground. Sword Energy flew diagonally towards him.

Two timed Sword Energies with a difference. Some cut hair flew into the fog at the end.

‘This is crazy.’

Chills went down his neck. Though he knew it rationally, the incoming Sword Energy was more threatening than he imagined.

It was proof that Rudehrn could clearly sense Carlyn even within the smoke.

Even so, Rudehrn lightly waved his sword. The obscured vision bothered him.

The smoke quickly moved away. It was a transcendent sword wind even when restrained by Winds.

As the vision momentarily clarified, Rudehrn was seen charging in. Carlyn also stomped the ground.

When the scattered smoke gathered again due to the restraint of the Winds, their swords clashed.

Boom-! The shockwave created by the two famous swords scattered the smoke again.

Though it quickly gathered again, the clashing sword strikes were faster.

‘It’s better without it.’

The smoke retreating and returning whenever Moonlight and Blue Sea collided had created a visually splendid combat.

However, since it did not hinder Rudehrn’s vision at all, Carlyn’s intention came to nothing.

Carlyn released the restraint of the Winds. It was an unnecessary waste of power. Instead, he utilized the Winds in another way.

Rudehrn was also aware of the Winds. He had felt the strangeness from the palace.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Mystic.’

The implication was clear. Though he was surprised that it was Schurtafen.

Of course, Carlyn’s current appearance was also quite surprising.

Though some time had passed since their last bout, a person couldn’t develop this much.

He too had gone through the process as a Sword Master.

It was natural to think Carlyn had been hiding his skills. Though there was some doubt.

Hiding your skills in front of a Sword Master was close to impossible.

Added to the empress’ assassination, Rudehrn was determined to capture Carlyn no matter what.

To find out what was behind it for the empire’s safety.

‘Oh no…’

However, not even Rudehrn could maintain an overwhelming advantage.

Though this was Carlyn’s first combat with a Sword Master, the mystic Winds were also a first for Rudehrn.

Carlyn was currently using the Winds against Rudehrn in 3 ways.

Each was trivial, but together they significantly bothered even a Sword Master.

The first was using the Winds to create audiovisual confusion.

Since he could block sound with the winds, Carlyn partially utilized that.

Making attacking sounds from the right be heard only from the left.

Creating a gap between what the eyes and ears perceived.

‘Mismatch between sight and sound is more disorienting than one would think.’

The second was direct attacks using the Winds. Their destructive power had changed due to his condition and Devil’s Blood.

Wind blades and bullets.

The latter was not simple. Compressing air with wind to mimic an air gun.

It was a skill he had been practicing, but the destructive power had been unsatisfactory. So the attacks today were brought about by fortune.

It added more bothersome things besides swordsmanship for Rudehrn to deal with.

The last was restricting movement using the winds. Max pressure had shown no effect.

The Sword Master’s body and mana quickly adapted to the pressure.

‘It’s to create irregularity.’

Applying wind of differing intensities on different parts of the body. Naturally, concentration wavered.

Also, temporarily releasing the pressure when Rudehrn attacked was another method. Since it would change from the movement he had envisioned.

Of course, it required excessive focus. Carlyn’s head was overheating but the situation was satisfactory.

Carlyn’s efforts utilizing all available means had quite an effect.

Added to that, Rudehrn’s desire to capture him made the fight fairly intense.

“Hup!”

Carlyn took in a breath and twisted his body. Rudehrn’s attack sliced through empty air.

It was because Rudehrn’s sword had moved faster than he thought due to the adjusted wind pressure.

It didn’t matter if he moved according to that pressure. He just had to reapply it in an instant.

It was a sort of blind fighting. Now it was Carlyn’s turn.

The wind blades and bullets targeted Rudehrn’s back. Carlyn thrust his sword into the opening.

But he was not successful.

A counterattack followed instantly.

Rudehrn’s Blue Sea wave seemed unavoidable.

‘Now!’

However, Carlyn’s body made an abnormal movement and avoided the wave. It was a motion disregarding bodily inertia.

Using the Winds to support his body and push with pressure enabled actions impossible with muscles alone.

Taking advantage of the opening created that way, Carlyn was able to succeed in an attack for the first time.

The reason for not using this technique until now in his movements was in preparation for this one move.

Since the Sword Master who sees the back and forth would immediately take note of this technique.

Moonlight grazed Rudehrn’s right forearm.

“You bastard!”

Anger and astonishment showed on Rudehrn’s face. When was the last time he had been injured in real combat?

It was over ten years ago. When he had faced another Sword Master.

Reversing the momentum obtained after a long wait, Carlyn pressed on heavily with ragged breaths.

The movements eliminating bodily inertia through wind were also difficult for Rudehrn to adapt to right away.

“Haa.”

Rudehrn’s Sword Energy barely missed the exhaling Carlyn.

It was Carlyn’s win in the blind fighting of adjusting strength in an instant.

To utilize the advantages of his Winds, Carlyn delved in deeper.

The closer distance. Exchanging punches and elbows worked better than sword swings.

After pushing Rudehrn’s right hand away with his left fist, Carlyn aimed his right elbow at the chin.

Thwack- it hit but the impact wasn’t great since Rudehrn pulled his head back.

Rudehrn aimed his knee at Carlyn’s flank. The Winds pushed Carlyn’s body away to dodge.

Extending swords and extended swords. Carlyn backed down first. The Sword Master’s sword was sharper.

Faced with the surging Sword Energy, Carlyn felt like he was about to collide with something.

It was certain it was the next realm his sword would reach. Though it only seemed vaguely so before the surging wave.

‘Haha.’

Carlyn barely held in the laughter bubbling up from within him at the inappropriate time. Even he could not understand it.

Tonight’s mission had not gone according to plan. With things as they were, there were many things to worry about going forward as well.

With many issues scattered about, the concerns were also significant. However, at this moment, those things did not feel important to Carlyn.

‘Yes.’

When else would I get to clash like this with a Sword Master before I become one?

Carlyn acknowledged he was enjoying this.

It was also Carlyn’s first time finding a life-threatening fight this enjoyable.

So for now, there were two regrets.

The sword and injury.

The main reason he could not defeat a Sword Master was the Sword Energy cutting his sword.

‘Just lucky.’

If Moonlight had not been a famous sword, it would have broken on the first clash. It was a miracle it had lasted this long.

No matter how famed, a sword cannot withstand continuous Sword Energy.

Carlyn did not know, but it was a phenomenon occurring because Moonlight Technique’s mana matched well with Moonlight.

The other was the injury on his left armpit.

When killing the empress, such an attack could not even be anticipated. Teme’s Spear was beyond imagination.

Anyway, Rudehrn had also noticed Carlyn’s mood. He did not feel good about it.

“Enjoying it? This?”

At the briefly widened distance, Rudehrn asked in an angry voice. In fact, there were many things he wanted to ask.

Why he had done that, why his expression was like that.

But he thought he would find the answer after capturing him. Verbal fights were futile to him as a knight.

He just did not like this situation.

Rudehrn changed his plan. Originally he had tried to capture Carlyn as intact as possible, but…

Now he decided to cut off at least the limbs.

“Yes. I’m enjoying it.”

Carlyn answered as he steadied his ragged breathing. Such breaks favored him.

Rudehrn’s breathing was not as rough.

In fact, if Rudehrn had not been trying to capture him, he could not have responded like this.

He had not assumed he could win from the start.

Though Devil’s Blood was a variable, it was not enough to overcome the gap with a Sword Master.

The fleeting idea that came to mind before it was too late was also fortunate.

‘Well, this should be enough.’

Carlyn gauged the time. Though this moment was enjoyable, dragging it out too long would look bad.

According to the plan. If it doesn’t work, he could worry then.

“I must be very happy to have bought this much time against you.”

Bought time?

One of Rudehrn’s eyebrows twitched. It was natural for negative thoughts to follow.

Author's Thoughts

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