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Chapter 29. Soft Sword Technique

"Alright, here I go."

"Yeah... Anytime you're ready."

"Okay."

First, I stepped in normally and made a vertical slash. Ash received it with his sword, seemingly observing me. But the feeling when the swords clashed was strange. When swords collide, there should be more impact returning to me, but... it felt extremely light.

"What's wrong?"

"No... It's nothing."

Unable to understand even after thinking, I decided to try a series of attacks. Vertical, horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal... I directed continuous slashes, but again, all were blocked by his sword. Not deflected or dodged, but uniformly blocked by his sword.

It felt as if I was slashing at something soft that couldn't be cut by a sword. The phrase "driving a nail into sand" or "pushing on a curtain" seemed to fit perfectly.

"Huh!"

Even when I suddenly increased my speed, it was still blocked by his sword.

"Hmm... Your swordsmanship seems self-taught. There were some slashes from angles impossible in traditional schools. I'll use this for my learning."

"Learning?"

If he's learning, it means he's applying it somehow. Applying sword angles... blocking? I thought maybe, and as I mixed in feints, I guided his gaze upward and thrust from a blind spot... Ash's sword spun and easily deflected it.

"Soft technique?"

"Something similar. You could call this my soft sword technique, designed to deflect slashes."

The reason the impact didn't return properly when I slashed was that the force was being deflected skillfully. Even though I had been attacking leisurely, Ash never counterattacked because his stance was entirely built for counters. Ash Guarndi's swordsmanship specializes in countering, deflecting the opponent's attacks, and delivering fatal blows.

Although specializing in counterattacks, it’s not something that can be done easily. It requires a perfect understanding of the opponent’s sword speed and power, and micro-adjusting the speed of one's own sword. This soft sword technique, seemingly impossible for ordinary people, is made possible by Ash’s slender yet well-trained, flexible muscles.

"Indeed, those ranked higher are quite fascinating."

"!"

As I stepped in further, Ash dodged without blocking my slash.

His vision is also good. My current slash was filled with a large amount of magic power, requiring a corresponding amount of magic power to neutralize. In a split second, Ash determined it was impossible to deflect and chose to dodge.

"Jeremiah Frisberg’s words weren't just idle talk. You are... stronger than me."

"It's not clear yet, right?"

Against an opponent who mainly counters, I can either make attacks hard to counter or strike at such high speed that counters become impossible.

I tried a series of high-speed slashes, and he only blocked the final one. This meant he judged and anticipated the number of attacks I would make in that instant. His dynamic vision and quick thinking are extraordinary.

"Abridged Flame!"

"Oh!"

Next, I thought about mixing magic into my attacks, but he cast a spell first. Caught off guard, I was forced to react defensively, wondering if a counter-focused soft sword user like Ash could attack, and he did with a textbook-perfect one-handed magic sword technique. Of course, if someone can perfectly counter one-handed magic sword techniques, it makes sense they can use them too.

"Impressive... nearly perfect offense-defense integrated magic swordsmanship."

"Not really. From that alone, you've noticed my fatal weakness, right?"

Hmm... the fatal weakness Ash mentioned likely lies in his attack and defense being too straightforward. His attacks follow a model one-handed magic sword technique, and his defense relies solely on counters. This makes him weak against tricky weapon users or wild beasts with no predictable patterns. Additionally, his flexible muscles prevent him from making the powerful thrusts characteristic of one-handed magic sword techniques, making him struggle against opponents with a certain level of skill.

His personal grimoire should compensate for such inadequacies. But Ash can't use it.

"I think grimoires manifest more readily in self-centered people."

"Why bring that up now?"

"If a grimoire is an expression of the soul, those who blend into groups and regulate themselves might never be able to use it. Many magic knights can use it because the field attracts individualistic, merit-based people."

It seems Ash lacks that trait. Other acquaintances who can't use grimoires include Princess Elissa and Nina. Despite Nina seeming selfish, she’s actually someone who values meticulous details, likely why she, as an adventurer, is overly concerned with rules. Conversely, Ivy, who executes behind-the-scenes maneuvers despite her polite demeanor, can use a grimoire.

"Is that your excuse for wearing accessories that seem to violate school rules?"

"Huh? This ring? It's not an accessory. But that's beside the point."

It's fine, really. The rules only prohibit unnecessary accessories for academics or magic knight activities, so this is allowable.

"Shall we stop now? Continuing would only confirm I can't beat you. I understand this best."

"Really?"

"Admitting one's powerlessness... is necessary for growth."

Indeed.

"And... I'm curious about the faction you belong to. The people there."

"Oh... It's individualistic. Only Nina and Ivy are there."

"Nina Violet and Ivy Meraldas? An incomprehensible group, but apparently skilled."

Wow, I should have mentioned their names from the start.