kscans

Chapter 135 - Sword Saint

"—...So in this regard, she really is from Istia, huh."

Leaving the veranda, I stood on the stone pavement—in the circle at the center of the grounds. I let out a sigh of acceptance, ignoring the gray-haired woman standing quietly a short distance away.

—Well then, shall we have a match?

If she was going to train me, she'd need to see what kind of player I was. I understood that, but to think those would be the first words to follow "I accept"...

Even someone who seemed like the embodiment of gentleness was still the [Sword Saint] of the East.

"Are you ready?"

Her residence, her 'hideout,' was nestled in a deserted bamboo forest. In the silence, where only the gentle breeze made a sound, her soft voice reached my ears clearly.

Though it looked simple, her attire was likely befitting a ranker. She hadn't changed, still wearing her white kimono and indigo hakama. The sleeves seemed like they would get in the way of wielding a sword... but in this virtual world, it wasn't uncommon for things to defy their appearance and not hinder movement, like my [El-Gran Series] or the red cloth on my [Demon Horn Spear: Crimson Valor]. Her attire was probably the same—it wouldn't get in the way of her swinging that odachi.

"Phew...—Yes, I'm ready."

I let out a thin breath and answered her question.

After a moment's hesitation, I summoned two [Parabellum Bullets] into my hands. Seeing the crimson daggers appear from thin air, Ui-san blinked, slightly surprised. Surprised—but not to the point of being shaken.

As if it were nothing, she calmed her expression and shifted the single weapon she'd been holding in both arms to her left hand.

Maybe the odachi only looked excessively large in comparison to her small frame. By my estimate, it was probably about five shaku long. Just slightly taller than her, who was even smaller than Sora. If a woman like her were holding that in the real world, anyone would doubt their eyes.

"Whenever you are ready."

Can she even draw that thing? Shaking off the incredibly rude thought I'd just had about the [Sword Saint], I lowered my stance and prepared for battle.

—My opponent is the second-ranked member. With the first rank absent in the East, she is, in effect, the strongest player.

Even the resolve I had during my match with the [Sword Protector], who was now watching from the sidelines, might not be enough.

In terms of an insurmountable wall, it might be fitting to liken her to—the majesty of 'White' that I once encountered.

"—————————............"

My avatar's body grew hot, my thoughts cooled. As I sharpened my focus, the gray-haired woman, standing serenely with her odachi, must have thought something. She smiled, looking somewhat pleased—

"Well then...—Matsukaze Sub-style, Kesshiki Itto."

No stance, just a natural standing posture. I was captivated by that ultimate state of 'stillness'...

"Here—I come."

In an instant, her presence was right in front of me.

"Hk...!?"

"First Strike—"

No time for words, no time to dwell on my shock. When did she move? When did she get so close? —When did she draw...!?

Her silver steel was already drawn, held in her right hand as it lowered without any strain— Her gray eyes were locked right on me.

[Tremble—

"[Flying Water]."

—Slide]!!

An impact on my left arm, my vision blurred as I slid away, a massive wave of numbness shot through my body, and I grimaced...

"You've got to be kidding me...!!"

I let out a groan, my avatar now lighter by one forearm.

After a brief exchange, we were separated again. My left arm, which had been severed by an unforgiving attack, fell to the ground between us. Leaving the small dagger behind, it dissolved into red phosphorescence, a testament to the fact that I hadn't even been able to properly evade.

I couldn't see it. Not her closing the distance, not the trajectory of her blade that must have been swung—nothing.

"Hk...!"

Her gray eyes turned to me again. As if to announce, —Here I come.

"Second Strike—"

"[Fatal Leak]!!"

I was too late to activate the skill, and yet, just in time. Once again, she was in my face before I could even perceive her movement—but the sword, held behind her body in both hands, had not yet been swung.

Her left hand in a forward grip on the hilt, her right in a reverse grip on the pommel. A stance I had never seen before. A crimson line shot from the horizontally held blade, a straight line aiming to cleave my torso in two.

Image construction in a fraction of a second—[Blink Switch].

The prediction line from my left was blocked by the massive form of the [Angalta, Prologue: Wedge Fragment Singing of Eternity] that I'd just managed to summon—but not a flicker of hesitation appeared in the [Sword Saint]'s eyes.

"[Striking Iron]."

It was a strike as if her entire body had become an extension of the odachi. With her grip fixed, she used her footwork to channel all her rotational power into the blade—

"—Guh... D'agh!?"

It sent both me and my bizarre Terror Armament, which boasted a weight of several hundred kilograms, flying like a piece of paper.

—And then.

"Fifth Strike—"

As I flew through the air, a voice echoed from behind me... and all I could do was laugh.

"[Withered Flame]."

Thump. A slight impact on my neck.

My avatar, which had been staring up at the sky, had its HP scattered in an instant—my spinning vision caught a glimpse of my own body, now separated from my head.

My vision, which last reflected the sky and was dyed in blue, simply flickered and vanished.