Chapter 36: Alicia Arden (5)
FwPMy older sister was my aspiration.RMt
Ff0SXBack when I still had passion for the sword, Sister used to be my idol.C0werxA
gyYh2g“Lady Lunia has defeated the Grade 1 demonic beast, Minotaur!”BZDb1
Uh2Va“She is still only 15. That is remarkable!”aKRHGwt
Lrgkofj“Lord Garrand is also keeping a close eye on Lady Lunia!”XNcY
NgPjSister was like a hero from a fairy tale; like a legendary knight who defeated evil monsters. She was a hero like grandpa Garrand, whose tales I had been hearing from a young age.sRI
yux“Sister…!”bXaX
DucI knew what my position was inside the household. A daughter of a concubine – mother passed away during my birth and father considered me a disgrace that was made from his mistake.Xfj
JeoOThe only value I had in his family was that I had the blood of the great Sword Emperor, Garrand Arden, flowing in my veins.83IRl
bjcYe“You…”Q15U0EF
paQ2t“Y, you’re back! Congratulations Sister!”HF2ON
VlQ“You’ve grown quite a lot.”NTagemr
QM35My sister from another mother who was 9 years older than me patted my head a lot more than my biological father.fC5R4rV
AzP6OerThat made me so happy, so rather than my mother whom I had never met and the step-mother who considered me non-existent, Sister was…Yx2YW
RDZk“Ah…”tbJ
mNj7JEverything changed on the day I first cut a person.0Yhx
daQ****3aQM
FVx31OThere was a thing called ‘Sword Challenge’ among the rules of the household.HPcU
2RWVIt was a sort of test to elect captains of the 5 sword squads, who would be taking care of the important matters of the household. However, I now knew that this was just a way to trample on potential competitors as a group. That was why Mr. Korin said he would change this.PoVcuN
D71That was to issue a ‘Dojo Challenge’.zQM2
QbIBy opening an official dojo and challenging the 1st Sword Squad as a newly founded group, we defeated the Five Sword one at a time and led to a 1 on 1 battle against my sister.GTXmP
CKTGvsMr. Korin told me defeating them here and announcing that to the public would make it difficult for Sister and her forces to touch me for the time being.D2Kd31
sTgThe money that went to the registry of the dojo, the purchase of an abandoned dojo and the employment of Mr. Dorron the mercenary all came from Senior Marie’s wallet.I04orL
QIuI should be able to repay her as soon as I received the bounty money from defeating John Doe.qhD
iOpdRTwo days after the official registry as a dojo, we simultaneously attacked the five senior sisters of the 1st Sword Squad.ZqUAXz
kgqrv0And as Mr. Korin expected—JDRCYuu
Bhmk1LD“That’s quite an interesting thing you’ve thought of.”8ImgVbJ
YKrMy older sister came to the dojo I opened.3EP
uEkg“Si,sister…”ntysJz
YIYqLunia Arden – the step-sister, who I admire, glared at me with an icy gaze. I remembered how I used to feel timid all the time from how scary that gaze was.wwg
QejBeF‘Can I really… defeat Sister?’Ibt
zm3yonMr. Korin said that defeating the Five Swords was just a skirmish before the real battle, and that the real deal was defeating the contemporary Sword Master, Lunia Arden.p1DGJTv
VlbQnNBut could someone like me really defeat Sister, who was already a semi-Unique Grade knight when she was my age?3Hl
BjoR7DaShould I apologize here and run away?S1o
UEqMy hands carrying the demon-slaying sword trembled and I felt like it would drop any time soon so I tried my best to hold onto it.MlMDJ5
2qE“You fool. Half-assed judgements are the worst ones to make. If you were going to run, you should have run immediately after seeing me and if not, then stand tall and be firm like a boulder.”jRj
NKjHer sharp gaze pierced through me. It was like this every time – Sister knew everything about me all the time.noInt
WkyV“There is no way a cheeky idea like Dojo Challenge would have come out of your head. As I suspected, was it you, Korin Lork?”9Gt
PyidI carefully turned my gaze over to the side and found Mr. Korin shrugging his shoulders. Even though he was pretty much picking a fight against the Ardens, he was still calm.NIL
ZH0tqIn fact, he even told me off.HQ7QH3
52uhfaF“Alicia. Isn’t there something you need to tell her?”yRy
tBtlh“Uhk…”4vFVbLH
KbhJoDo I really have to say it?hd0dE
VtiI sent him a desperate gaze but he nonchalantly glossed over it.AGpnoTI
FQqAQsPSo mean!ur6K
zqgtiOg“A, as an instructor of a newly founded Arden-style dojo… I request the Captain of the 1st Sword Squad, Lunia Arden, for a practice duel.”2l5
bAdQB“Hmph. Did you register as an official dojo and buy a building just for this stuff?”tnFL
zBywp“I, it’s an official request.”KXHzSr
lk13ySa“Yes. A direct child of the Arden does have the free right to establish a dojo. To think you would make use of that rule like this, even though it was supposed to limit the branch families from gaining too much power.”1ZXS5y
QC6PAwPlus, the instructors of newly founded dojos had the right to request swordsmen of the household for friendly duels. Although it was possible for the swordsmen to turn them down, Mr. Korin assured me that that won’t happen.HhA1U
ygMUojzIt was because a sect of swordsmen was composed of people whose pride had to stand firmer and taller than anything else in the world.SGsJsJ
vJLi“Good. A friendly duel it is,” said Lunia, “But you should know yourself, that we won’t be casting non-lethal spells or using practice swords.”zvnk6aq
Uomk“I am… prepared.”4CM64
Twn6Mr. Korin told me to use the ‘demon-slaying sword’ at all cost, while saying that relying on the sword was the only way for me to win.m8vs
sgS“Arden-style, Head Disciple of Singular Sword, Lunia Arden.”Kriwm
UNLttrG“Arden-style, Grade 2 Swordsman of Singular Sword, Alicia Arden.”KvC
H2mhIt was time to end this war between siblings.UPPT7
5vfAW****9Uf
dYxjpsc“Is this really okay?”TqJLS
7oxaLooking at the serious battle between Alicia and Lunia, Marie asked in concern.Rc9J
QCW“I believe in her. Alicia will do a good job.”OCs
G8Wy“…”Mxab
rbCMarie was puzzled by Korin’s ungrounded confidence.J3Fi
U2URUTAObjectively speaking, Alicia stood no chance against Lunia. She had just become a Grade 2 knight, whereas the opponent was the strongest swordsman of this generation and was at a Semi-Unique Grade.Z2YQg
yJAbThey weren’t even on the same page. Even Marie herself wasn’t confident in defeating Lunia even if she were to use her full potential as a vampire.g4jYsO
UMPNB‘But… Korin won even when he was in a similar position.’RX9q
FTuzYnShe saw him defeating the familiar that had been born from her blood. Even though he was outclassed in physical abilities, mana and everything, he still came out on top.QMn
sDhw5“Nn. It should be okay since you’re the one saying it, Korin.”TOM0
D6ytRight now, the credit Marie Bank had for Korin had reached beyond the maximum limit and was breaking through the roof.ZkJI9dx
5MZ“Take this.”4Bd9d
FRAGdfThat was when Lunia threw a purse at Korin. Judging from the clink of clashing metal, it seemed to be money.Kprn
M3QGb“Is this for repairing the dojo?”dqm
lSXZCw9“No. It’s for building a new one.”lTwMN
aI5nuNAfter saying that, Lunia vanished from where she was in the blink of an eye.SnGi7FZ
13lBuz– Kaang!K9dcx
iCDh“Kuhk…!”A147t
WlF1HFollowing a Flash Step was a sword slash. Alicia somehow managed to block the attack but the building was destroyed behind her back.jXIp
sFEf– Kajik! Kajijik!VwUD
BhIeFCA sharp sword cut was carved on the wall of the dojo but Lunia didn’t stop there.QIKHc
doB– Grit…!RJtUFqD
4br3hdEA sword wrestle immediately began with their blades touching each other. It was a fearsome battle between two swords where one mistake could end up with a cut on either the face or the shoulder.j5UJF
RsdV『For the first attack, take a step back and push her sword to the side.』sFS
cFB4B“…?!”KDLAmZ
ZLVETLunia’s sword fell to the side like it was flowing down a current of water. Lunia was slightly confused by her attack being casually nullified as if it had been predicted, but immediately swung the sword sideways but it was blocked again by the scabbard of the demon-slaying sword.ViRTK
fePcOc‘…Blocking with the scabbard?’twEiZ3L
vNtXO『Lunia likes sticking to the textbook. Even though she is proficient at everything that goes by the book, she won’t be expecting a trick like blocking with the scabbard.』tCS
96MbV“Haat…!”zvb68Vb
SeUpGKoA silver flash burst forth.U8aNCgJ
OzSuAlicia attacked for the first time ever since the start of their battle. That marked the beginning of a fiercer battle between the two swordsmen.l3o
76R0CrK“Hmm…”wIX4
s9XHrMXParrying the attack with the sword and retaliating with an immediate slash – Lunia was a master at it. Alicia threw her body back in an exaggerated manner to dodge the attack.ektAto
8pq“Your footwork is still terrible.”b11
UjdUAlicia retreated easily because she was scared of being cut, and was frightened about being hit. It was the way of cowards and because she knew that, Lunia’s attacks in retaliation were always a step forward.YwoA8YJ
P7rkI– Chiik!AUm
0d0bHuP“Kuhk…?!”z4I
BgyZ5e4A sharp silver flash traveled past the side of her head. The skin got ripped as blood dripped from the lacerated wound.9Sv0V
WbQ6Alicia retreated greatly to the back. Lunia was either relaxed or was trying to maintain her posture, but she did not chase after her.NMj
FaPvLUG『Make use of your speed. Block her vision and stab as fast as you can.』76v1
uklThe ground of the dojo was being covered with footsteps like the cartridges of a minigun – Alicia was circling around the unmoving Lunia as fast as she could. Her feet would soon come to a stop, and that would be the prelude to her charge.qHDQb2
pSa– Tap!rrY
qaJPJ❰Forward March, 3rd Move: Lightning❱ntJaGqj
M7NpFSKAlicia jumped in while trampling on the tiles of the arena of the dojo. In response to that destructive linear attack, Lunia curled the corners of her lips up and lowered her sword and readied herself for an upward slash.1QZyj
Je1Esq❰Upward Slash: Twisting Fist❱lEF1SQ
rqQqA2– Kaang!GgZ1s9
kwVufDRLunia’s sword parried Alicia’s trump card. If she followed this through with a stab, it would certainly pierce through Alicia’s chest.FTjYK
EDoz600“Iyaaaaaa…!”ZyRLE
FeRQWM“…?!”nKewQZ
KjYEven though her sword had been parried away, Alicia wasn’t flustered in the slightest and in fact, she even dashed faster to pounce at Lunia.cEhvJJU
EFbvxThe two swordsmen rolled on the ground of the dojo. Lunia was the first to stand up.Ffq
dsd0v“This stupid fool…!”RUuhKa7
9aDLunia kicked Alicia’s head up with her boot. Due to being both weaker and slower, Alicia was kicked away while spurting blood with her mouth.RzAiMD
ryNtJlB“Ahuk…!”9XqM9
o2DCOAlicia couldn’t disguise the pain and frowned. It was an unsightly thing to do for a swordsman.nd6p
Yi8“Did you think you could win with such petty tricks!?”xuOaT
tTqPhTAs if she was discontent with the fact that Alicia pounced at her body without using the sword, Lunia heavily swung her sword down.u2GQwu
NpL0W– Kaang!sVGbA
wT05“Htt…!”L5nHe7
xeLGIXAlicia managed to block the attack but was being pressed down due to the sheer difference in strength. At last, the sword dug into her shoulder and allowed blood to ooze out but Alicia’s mind was clearer than ever before.ngonz25
wSgsKG3❰Twisting Fist❱UWrx
bLhhf“…?!”zMQ5
EI9DXSKSuddenly, Lunia’s sword slid down the side. Alicia had gently altered the path of the sword to the side like what Lunia had done with Alicia’s attack.D0xbSbS
KayD9hG‘Block the sword, let it fall to the side with Twisting Fist and after that…’M81
X00n4The fearsome stab straight after the block grazed past Lunia’s body.9doKIgP
HjO“Hoh…”vIQ9r
qCR5SThat set of consecutive attacks was relatively fluent. It was remarkable that Alicia had been able to pull off such moves even though she was almost pushed onto her knees with a stab in her shoulder.RBN6RIR
vagqFN‘But it’s still not perfect…’opw99vq
aGCOGLunia drove in an unexpected strike with her elbow at Alicia’s chin right when she was about to carry the momentum through. Her following kick powered through Alicia’s calf and brought her down onto the ground as Lunia continued like a lightning strike.eocGtMT
qt0TMBHeavenly Strike,Reverse KillPSiFQoO
dBYJ– Kaang!Jn3X
Ish7Lunia’s sword came striking down from the heavens and Alicia parried it horizontally, but Lunia immediately kicked her chest with her foot and made Alicia roll across the ground.xI6Opz
O6Di2“Huu…!”BF8553K
pdgInstead of fighting against the momentum, Alicia let her body constantly roll and used that momentum and inertia to quickly raise her body back up while putting a gap between them.LUN
JLZRGO3『Sister! I learned how to draw today!』ohat
tvEjThe child who had been treated coldly ever since a young age only had one person to talk to, and that was her older step-sister.zrNHCo
EeBzInstant Slash, Advancing Fang, Reverse Kill, Soaring Heavens, Lightning.GofGccH
0DxHcTwisting Fist, Three Paths of One Sword, Reverse Heavens, Crushing Steel.KxbrP9T
wzANZqThe sun cast a spotlight on the two as the constant dazzling flash of silver threatened to blind everyone.Pl2u
zoO『Sister! I learned how to use a sword for the first time today! One day I will become an awesome knight like you!』3azrVhS
Kr3VHCThe dojo continued crumbling down throughout the bout of the two swordsmen. The walls and the floor became more rugged than ever as Alicia likewise accumulated similar injuries on her body.xqzL20K
1wsc9NCurrently, it looked like Lunia was forcing Alicia into a corner all the time and in fact, that wasn’t too far from the truth.t8ZsBo
p7lTYNLunia gazed deeply at her step-sister.JFhHN4
ea5q『Uahh… I, it hurts! Please be more gentle!』eUZ
63FCPHer face that usually would have been in tears while grumbling about the pain was turning stiff in real time as if it was sitting under a wintery blizzard.UVbX
OEwTEQFNo – actually, the corners of her lips were sneaking up.kDOEah
cnmpCEven though Alicia was the only one who shed blood during the brief exchange, she smiled like a fiend as if she was bewitched by her own blood.D9tTjU
b2PGnThis was the heavenly gift of Alicia:TaJ
3z6abThe talent of a ghost bewitched by the sword.2M9qEN
odvThe most fiendish talent in the contemporary times that Alicia had been concealing due to fear was about to wake up.sAn6Y
bm6M“Good. That’s what you’re supposed to be like.”TSJhK
HuMeThat was the true Alicia that Lunia had been wanting to see. Lunia had been eager to see her real nature and that shocking talent which Alicia had been turning away from!8WXc00
1YtHyYNThis was a matter of pride as a swordsman. This was not the hierarchical fight between beasts but one that concerned honor and pride as fighters.bVQY
ZjyLunia had been dying to fight her rival when she was in her best condition.tJFedN
bekG“Are you seeing the Domain already?”p8WNtY
hnXhzyz“…”3iT
mFTWpo0Alicia didn’t reply and instead, she drooled from her lips and widened her eyes into circles. The reason she had been wholeheartedly focused on blocking and dodging was to see that one tiny dot – it was to take a step forward in the most extreme level of concentration.CGCV3Vj
0dxX『You can’t beat her in a frontal fight. Block and dodge. You just need one moment to decide the battle anyway.』Z33Z
IkFAlicia had been receiving a constant set of advice from the boy over the past few days. As if he had experienced fighting Lunia Arden dozens of times already, he talked about her habits, forms and postures and told her to focus on ‘dodging at the last second’.bfkTzZ
zvJThe key here was to not die;Y0NbGYJ
3bdIcTo find the one deciding moment during the battle.Mw5
hIjfIq4『A transcendent level of concentration allows knights to enter the Domain and collide once when put in an extreme situation. But your eyes will always allow you to see it. That is one of the two advantages you have over Lunia Arden. The other is ———』rcpNo
5ATOIt was pretty much like a gamble but Alicia agreed that that was the only way for her to win. She also noticed countless times during the fight that she was nowhere near Lunia’s league. In a normal fight, her body would have been cut into two in a matter of a few strikes but here, she was extending that to 30 strikes at the cost of gaining injuries on her body.SvNi
xJFeThat was all to take that one step forward.AU5MOi2
9fU– Kaaangg!!ZTNnrwp
e3uD1SA screeching sound of metal reached her ears. Alicia was feeling the numbing sense in her hands but that was when Lunia flashed her eyes.Qe2H02O
KCvXW“Sister…!!”YgA
GaArRnoIt was coming.kETTUKD
zK0rejMAlicia’s tremendously sensitive senses warned her of the upcoming death. She was about to sheathe her sword in a hurry but realized something before she could.lPE
EusLunia was half a step – half a second earlier than her. At this rate, she would be too late.o32PZV9
P5JN❰Arden First Sword Style: False Domain Severance❱ZOf
a5xHer Eyes of the Boundary flickered open. The black ocean that she had been seeing for a while appeared vividly. She ignored the burning pain in her eyes and glared daggers at the dimension.uZIjXs
4cDiNWOBut Alicia wasn’t prepared enough.gqKS
PRMROne of the conditions of Alicia’s Domain Severance was the Eyes of the Boundary that allowed its user to perceive the Domain, and the other was the sheathed demon-slaying sword.i5bHc
29UTbYThe attack was fast because of the circulation of aura inside the scabbard pushing the sword for an instant acceleration, but it was too late for Alicia to sheathe the sword now. It was also too late to swing now – no matter what she did, Alicia realized that she would be cut first before she could cut her sister.dIDog
8sF———————uP1AHN
qdpIf so, then all she had to do was have better control over the Domain.65tnhS
phpqIt didn’t matter if she was late, or if she wasn’t in the right posture.N0zB
EQOBTThere was no need to defeat her. Alicia’s goal wasn’t to beat her as a swordsman in the first place – what she needed was a win. She had to win even if it may be pathetic and disgraceful.364K
GOCThus, she didn’t need to be faster than Lunia. As long as she could land a strike on her sword–67EZmjB
vjDHK1u『Demon-slaying sword. It’s a masterpiece that can withstand all risk inside the Domain. Don’t forget the ridiculous sword you’re holding onto.』LGAB
LWLWDomain Severance,Alicia Style, Sword Challenge12Arz
tOkY7Against the opponent who was half a step and half a second earlier than her, she took a full step forward and came out even. Their two swords collided inside the Domain.0xkVX
oTJyMp– Kaang…!waJ
zKex1NThe swords screamed as Lunia widened her eyes.5h5gHXJ
Cj1oIt was natural for her to be shocked because the opponent who was trying to sheathe the sword suddenly raised the sword into the sky and swung it down in time. Even though Lunia was aware of her talents, seeing it unravel before her eyes was still annoying.EB4FBUI
vNkhZA– Kkang…!DnX
u8DbOJpHer screaming sword got shredded like paper along with a clear ding. The bisected sword flew through the air and pierced through the walls of the dojo.NnWRl2
tfyKERemaining behind through the Domain was the lofty demon-slaying blade giving off a dark steam and a brilliant luster.ZUmyT
2G7332BLunia Arden,6f1
HjSWas hereby defeated.9RQ
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