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MT - 61 The Duel
🕑 Added 2024-12-18 06:26:18 +0000 UTCRoy was in a foul mood.
No matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise, educating children was an inherently frustrating task—especially when the child in question was someone like Eris.
After much thought, Roy finally gave up on shaping her into a cultured, well-mannered lady. In fact, she wasn't even close to the level of an average middle schooler.
Well, expecting too much from a child wasn't realistic.
But the thought of Rudeus still made his blood boil. That guy was getting lazier by the day. In the past, Roy could turn a blind eye, but now? Rudeus dumped every little problem on him, leaving Roy to clean up after him. Somehow, Roy had gone from being an older brother to a full-time tutor, while Rudeus had turned into a freeloader.
Then there was the looming crisis—the event that would disrupt their future.
How could he possibly eliminate this hidden threat?
And let's not forget Hitogami that pest who kept gnawing at his nerves.
The worst part? Roy had no way of dealing with Hitogami, at least not yet.
Even the Dragon God, the strongest being in this world, couldn't do anything against him.
Roy couldn't stay in Kingdom of Asura forever. But could he trust Rudeus to protect their family?
Unlikely. For all Rudeus's talents, he was still too weak. And with Hitogami constantly stirring trouble, who knew what might happen?
Roy refused to return home one day only to find withered trees, a crumbling house, and news of his family's demise.
But relying on himself alone wasn't enough.
The only option left was to build his own force—or at the very least, leave his parents and sister with some means of survival.
Roy's mind raced, connecting dots and forming plans. Once he had a clear picture, he began pondering where to start.
Unknowingly, his wandering feet brought him to the Greyrat family's private training ground. Calling it an arena was a bit generous; it was just a spacious patch of grass dotted with practice dummies and training tools.
Nearby stood a rack holding several identical wooden swords.
When Roy arrived, Ghyslaine was already there, gripping a wide wooden blade. Her entire demeanor exuded an icy intensity.
"Good morning, Ghyslaine." Roy greeted as he approached.
Ghyslaine nodded, acknowledging him with a curt, "Morning."
Roy glanced behind him. Those two troublemakers—Rudeus and Eris—were nowhere to be seen.
He waited a bit longer. Just as his patience began to fray, Rudeus stumbled into view, looking thoroughly disheveled, with Eris storming after him like an avenging whirlwind.
Rudeus threw himself at Roy's legs, clutching them desperately. "Nii-san! Stop her, please!"
With a frown, Roy pried Rudeus off, his gaze shifting to Eris.
Eris, still brimming with fiery indignation, hesitated slightly upon seeing Ghyslaine and Roy. Her anger simmered down, though the glint in her eye when she looked at Rudeus remained sharp.
After settling the commotion, Rudeus healed his swollen face with a spell, finally letting out a sigh of relief. His expression, however, still carried a trace of resentment.
Ghyslaine broke the awkward silence. "Let's begin training. Roy, spar with me first. I want to see your level."
Roy nodded, walking over to the sword rack. He picked up a wooden blade that felt just right in his hand.
The sword was like all the others—a slim blade with a slight curve at the tip. Roy swung it a few times, gauging its weight, then turned to Ghyslaine. "Ghyslaine, should we use only swordsmanship?"
"Yes." She replied flatly. "Show me what your sword skills can do."
Eris and Rudeus, momentarily forgetting their squabble, grew quiet, their eyes fixed on the two.
Eris was curious to see Roy's abilities—she wanted to know how far she needed to go to match or surpass him.
Rudeus? He just wanted to enjoy the show.
Roy stepped back, putting about thirty paces—or roughly a hundred meters—between them. For fighters of their caliber, such a distance could be crossed in a heartbeat.
Taking a deep breath, Roy activated his mana, letting it surge through him like crashing waves.
Physically, he was no match for Ghyslaine. She was taller, stronger, and superior in every physical aspect.
To bridge that gap, mana was essential.
Even though this was supposed to be a test of swordsmanship, Roy wanted to gauge just how much ground he could cover with magic-enhanced abilities.
As mana coursed through him, his blood felt like it was boiling. Each breath filled his lungs with searing oxygen, setting his entire body alight with energy.
And then, the bizarre spectacle began.
Originally standing at only 165 centimeters, Roy suddenly surged to a towering 180. His entire frame expanded, his body gaining a muscularity that rivaled even Ghyslaine's. The rapid transformation left his slender, youthful face untouched, creating an almost comical dissonance between his delicate features and his newly chiseled physique.
Eris's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Roy. Gripping Rudeus's arm, she asked with a mix of awe and curiosity, "Your brother… is he really—?"
Rudeus nodded, a bemused expression on his face. "Yeah. He's… something else."
"So cool."
Two voices rang out at once, and their eyes met. Rudeus cast a bewildered look at Eris, who was practically sparkling with admiration as she ogled Roy's sculpted figure.
Even Ghyslaine couldn't hide her surprise. Her keen instincts screamed that Roy's threat level had skyrocketed in an instant.
"A secret technique for enhancing the body?" She mused, her beast-like pupils gleaming with excitement. A battle-hardened warrior to her core, Ghyslaine couldn't resist the allure of facing a stronger opponent.
"Ghyslaine." Roy called out from a distance, his voice still carrying a hint of youthful innocence. "Here I come."
Ghyslaine raised her sword horizontally in front of her. For this sparring session, she had set aside her usual massive blade in favor of the slender wooden sword. But for a Sword King like Ghyslaine, such details were trivial.
Roy stepped forward with his right foot, gripping the hilt of his sword firmly. He positioned the blade horizontally at his waist—his favored starting stance from the Sword God Style.
This was the iai technique: swift, deadly, and packing a punch. Its only flaw lay in the need to build momentum. But with the distance between them, Roy had all the time he needed.
