~Leona’s POV~
Just who the hell is this lizard guy anyway? At first I thought he just had a few screws loose in his head. But his magic power is incredible. At the same time… it feels like I’m not fighting someone with vast combat experience. It's almost like fighting an amateur… an amateur who just has knowledge.
But this doesn't make sense. Knowledge alone can't compensate for lack of experience. Even during my friendly sparring matches with the Magic Tower Master… his spells are on a different caliber. He’s nothing like Abel, but why are my instincts telling me that this guy is more dangerous?
Is it because I can expect anything to happen? Regardless, this feeling… is thrilling! I can't remember the last time I felt uncertainty. Even so… this is an Anshivita. I won't back down easily.
Now… how to deal with him? It's obvious I’m at a disadvantage if I can't get close to him. However, a mage is only useful as long as he has mana. If he keeps firing high tier spells then he’ll deplete it and once that happens, it's my win. Charging straight is obviously a no go with him. I won't be so careless. There's no way I can lose this fight.
“Let's see how you like this one! Umbral Spear!” (Magnus)
He’s going on the offense? The black spear is approaching at high speed. I could slash through it, but that won't put any pressure on him. So instead…
“Eyiiiiii!!”
Leaping into the air and using the momentum to close the distance quickly.
“Naive. Gravity Bind!”
What? My body was suddenly being pulled towards the ground. I couldn't control my jump anymore and was slammed back on the burned soil.
“I’m not done. Nebula Burst!”
A follow up attack? How is he able to cast spells back to back like that?
“Don't take me lightly! HAAAAAA!!”
I let out a powerful roar to increase my Flame Aura. This gave me enough strength to break through the gravity spell, but I couldn't move fast to fully block his follow up spell.
*Kaboom*
A loud explosion filled my ears as my body was blown sideways from my partial block. Even so, I could quickly get back on my feet. The damage was bearable.
“Hahaha. You're actually a pretty big deal, ain't you? I don't normally give out praise to people I’m about to kill… but you’re something else.”
There's no doubt about it. Despite the clear lack in combat experience he’s someone who is actually really good at spell combat. But his MP must be drying out by the minute. If I can squeeze it all… my road to victory is secured.
“Regardless… playtime is over. I will acknowledge your strength. So… I will respond in the same fashion.”
~Third Person POV~
“Scary…!” (Rusalka)
In that instant, Rusalka sitting in the audience hugged her body. She felt the demonic sword pressure that Leona emitted just by taking a stance, a pressure so menacing it made Rusalka want to avert her eyes.
That pressure was not pointed at her, but even so, her body trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured out.
So far away, it still feels like a sword pointed at her throat. She could feel the blade's icy coldness, and could tell just from seeing the woman the insurmountable difference between them. Leona's red flame turned crimson.
But her beloved master was fighting. She would not dare avert her eyes.
The sight of the Sword Saintess slashing down appeared before Magnus's eyes.
“Fas—”
A white blade swung downward with lightning speed that could not be seen. Magnus could keep the distance between them before, but this time, he couldn't chant a single spell. All of Leona's actions, from stepping in to attacking, were soundless and wasted no energy, spent only on movement.
The instant acceleration from stillness to motion made her swords difficult to see. A slash undetectable by eye and ear. Were he a normal person, Magnus's life would have ended without even noticing the attack. But…
"Gah!"
Magnus’s new body which was now wrapped in the numerous buffs he casted was strong enough to parry that first move. Sword and staff clashed.
“That's a sturdy staff you got there. It should have broken.”
True enough, Leona's attack would normally shatter a weapon to pieces, but the Staff of the Storm Ruler was magically enchanted. It could not break. Even so, Magnus did not have room for relief afterwards.
The instant Leona finished that previous sentence, her left hand had already reached Magnus's nose!
" —Kuh!"
Thankfully, Magnus had predicted the follow-up thrust. Leona was well known for using her bare palm as a blade in itself by wrapping her condensed aura around her palm. He calmly tilted his head to evade, though his cheek was grazed. He even swung his staff in a counter-cut.
In response, Leona also spread her left arm and her sword in her right arm, delivering another attack!
"Ahhhh —!!!"
Crimson slashes and white collided and stuck together, with sparks scattering in the wind. Indeed, Magnus was clashing with her. He wasn't a swordsman. No matter how you look at it, he should not be able to match her in close combat. Yet, Because his staff has a longer reach, just by spinning it and doing his best he could at least defend.
With this, I can at least endure!
"Haa!"
And finally, Leona stepped back from the sword bind.
Yosh. If Magnus could now give chase and fire a point blank spell, he should be able to inflict serious damage on Leona.
Magnus pushed himself forward to chase after the faltering Leona.
“Crap!! No, not good —!” (Magnus )
He should not have done that.
" —Gah!?"
The moment Magnus stepped forward, his vision was stained red. His whole body burned, and his blood sprayed out. Magnus had been cut countless times.
“What just happened!?” (Rusalka)
“This is… a gap in the air.” (Silkzesta)
“Silkzesta-sama?” (Rusalka)
“I've heard about this before but never saw it with my own eyes! The Sword Saintess’s slash is the world's strongest. That speed, sharpness, everything about it is out of the norm! The places her blade passes through are left scarred by vacuum! With her sharpness, even the atmosphere doesn't know that it was cut apart…!”
Silkzesta spoke the truth. The space Magnus had entered to chase Leona was scarred by their clash, as if blades of wind were floating in midair. She had not been pushed back, but was retreating for this purpose, and Magnus rushed into it.
If not for his life saver, the wounds would have been fatal. But Magnus knew he had no time for regret, not when fighting against the world's strongest swordsman. He abandoned all thoughts, and concentrated the precious magic power into his legs. He couldn’t follow his original plan. He had to retreat from Leona's range as quickly as he could. Not a millisecond after, crimson flashed through the space where his neck had been. Even an instant's delay would have left his head dancing in the air.
"Ha! Ha…! Ah!"
“Hmm? You're the first one to dodge that follow up from the first try.”
Magnus took his distance and wanted to resume his long range spell casting, but Leona did not chase him. Instead, she turned the sword around and stabbed it into the ground.
*Katsun*
"Ah —gah!?"
Twenty meters away, blood sprayed from Magnus’s body again, and he felt pain as if every part of his body was pierced by lightning.
This wasn't a magic attack. Leona was not capable of using magic. But it was something as deadly. Magnus had only heard rumors of this technique. The Penetrator Sword.
It was a penetrating sword technique that transmitted vibrations into the opponent's body through the blade, damaging the internal organs. Leona had used the ground as medium, forcing the vibrations into Magnus's body from afar.
Then Leona approached the panicked Magnus to decide the match. Devouring the distance between the two in a flash, she swung down her sword with all of her strength. Despite spasms all over his body, Magnus had to respond, and he held his staff above his head to parry.
"Guh! Haaaaaa!"
Despite this, as if it had been blown away by a truck, Magnus's body was sent flying and crashed into a rock formation.
The impact of what looked like a fatal traffic accident left Rusalka and Silkzesta staring blankly at the carpet-like trail of blood, unable to even scream. Magnus was… lying immobile.