25-127

EP.127 [Sword Expert vs Sword Expert]2 

‘Sword aura! Eugene’s greatsword is radiating sword aura! Eugene really is a Sword Expert!’ 

Vivian, watching Eugene Schneider’s battle while holding her breath, saw the sword aura emanating from his greatsword and her eyes widened. 

Having received basic education at the ducal house and being an Awakened herself, Vivian was thoroughly versed in the theory of such things. To run a major merchant guild, interaction with Awakened is essential, so even non-Awakened guild leaders study the traits and characteristics of Awakened individuals. Thus, Vivian immediately recognized the brief flash of sword aura on Eugene’s greatsword and was convinced he was a second-stage Awakened at the Sword Expert level. 

 BUAAAAAAK!! 

Eugene’s greatsword, radiating the blue aura of a Sword Expert, was swung vertically toward Ricardo’s head with a tremendous sound of slicing wind. 

 CHAAAAANG!! 

The clash of metal rang out. 

 PSSSSSSST!! 

And as their sword auras collided, mana sparks filled the air. 

“Kehah! The weight is incredible! A greatsword Sword Expert! That’s a whole different flavor! It’s like giving a beast a sword!!” 

Ricardo, who had blown away Eugene’s dirt attack with a gust of sword aura, now executed a high block and managed to defend against Eugene’s descending greatsword. He laughed in disbelief at the power of Eugene’s attack. Greatsword users are extremely rare, so even the experienced Ricardo had little direct experience fighting them. And Eugene Schneider was a Sword Expert. For Ricardo, this was his first time facing such a type. The way Eugene’s massive sword was wielded, with the weight of a monster, was as if a beast was attacking with a blade. 

“......” 

Eugene silently watched Ricardo, who was so excited he was almost licking his lips. 

“Now it’s my turn, black-haired greatsword wielder!!!!” 

 CHANG! CHANG! CHANG! CHANG! 

Ricardo launched his counterattack. His strikes were precise, direct, and fast, each one driving forward with sword aura. Eugene Schneider defended against Ricardo’s relentless assault with concise mana footwork. 

‘If I have an advantage in this fight, it’s that I’ve fought many with regular swords, but this guy probably hasn’t fought many greatsword users.’ 

Rather than counterattack recklessly, Eugene calmly analyzed Ricardo’s fighting style. 

He could do this thanks to the demonic energy now rising within him. In battle, this energy brings a killer instinct and a psychopath’s calm, allowing for logical, detached thinking. Even Ricardo, a seasoned swordsman, was visibly tense, but Eugene, with the help of his demonic energy, remained calm and calculated. 

‘And more than anything, this guy ’ 

Flash! 

At that moment, Eugene’s eyes sharpened. 

‘He barely pays attention to strikes!’ 

 POW!! 

Amid Ricardo’s continuous attacks, Eugene landed a clean left straight punch to Ricardo’s face. 

“Guhhoooaagh!” 

Ricardo, struck squarely in the face by Eugene’s left, let out a loud cry. 

Sophists are known for their trickery, but their swordsmanship is fundamentally orthodox and clean. Both Lucas and his brother Ricardo adhered strictly to this style. 

 BUAAAAAAK!! 

‘It’s no different from when my father taught me.’ 

Eugene knew exactly why. The Sophists were originally founded to seek enlightenment through the sword, and the one who created their sword style was his father, Ulysses. Eugene recalled this analysis as he swung his greatsword again at the reeling Ricardo. 

“Hm... Father! The sword style you’re showing me now seems different from what you taught the Sophist uncles and older brothers!” 

From a young age, Eugene often sparred with his father, Ulysses. Of course, Ulysses didn’t do this to make Eugene a formal swordsman, but rather to strengthen his frail body and mind through moderate exercise. 

Even so, Eugene learned swordsmanship from his father and practiced diligently. One day, he asked about the difference between the sword style his father used with him and the one taught to the Sophists. 

“Haha! That’s only natural, son.” 

Ulysses, seeing his curious, sweaty son, answered with a warm laugh. 

“You and they have different reasons for wielding a sword. And your physical conditions are completely different.” 

But Ulysses answered Eugene’s question with utmost seriousness. 

“They already have strong bodies. So rather than focus on building their bodies, the Sophist sword style incorporates movements and disciplines that help with mana control and mental training. It’s designed to reduce distractions and is more precise and clean.” 

Sophists are neither mercenaries, assassins, nor soldiers. They seek enlightenment through the sword and use force only to protect themselves. Ulysses designed and systematized their sword style to serve that purpose. 

“Hmm... But the uncles and older brothers just say the Sophist sword style is the strongest...” 

Eugene mumbled, uncertain, because what he’d heard from the Sophists and what his father was explaining seemed quite different. The Sophists believed, “The sword created by the greatest Swordmaster in imperial history is obviously the strongest, and I am learning that strongest sword.” As a child, Eugene may have wanted to become the strongest swordsman like his father because of that. 

“Hm... That’s not so easy.” 

Ulysses stroked his chin thoughtfully. He knew the Sophists trained with that belief. 

“There’s no such thing as the strongest sword style. If anything is strongest, it’s the person, not the style. Passion is good, but when it turns into ego, it becomes a problem. As their teacher, this worries me deeply.” 

As a teacher, this troubled him. 

He pointed at the moon, but they only looked at his finger. He taught swordsmanship to build the body and mind needed to reach the highest level, but they started to believe the sword style itself was supreme. Sometimes, ignorance can help there are times when mindless breakthroughs are necessary but ultimately, one must move beyond that. As the leader of the group, Ulysses struggled to find a solution. 

But before he could, Ulysses passed away. 

‘A very orthodox style good for learning mana, and decent for defense, but offensively, it’s very monotonous.’ 

What had been hard to understand as a child now made sense to Eugene. Especially after gaining memories from his past life, he fully grasped it: Ulysses had approached “strength” with a practical, unfixed mindset. Eugene had come to follow that, while Ricardo, stuck in the old mold after Ulysses’s death, typified the current state of the Sophists. 

‘But the opponent is a Sword Expert just because he took a hit doesn’t mean he’ll allow a fatal follow-up. The answer is to keep chipping away.’ 

Clang! 

That gap was revealed by Eugene’s counter left straight, which broke Ricardo’s attack chain. 

Eugene then prepared for a follow-up on the staggering Ricardo. 

‘Go for the leg!’ 

 WHOOOSH! 

Eugene’s next attack targeted Ricardo’s thigh, now off-balance. 

“T-this!” 

Ricardo expected Eugene to go for a more vital area, but instead, Eugene’s greatsword swung for his thigh a completely unexpected target. Ricardo was caught off guard. 

Slash-slash-slash-slash-slash!! 

But Ricardo, as a second-stage Sword Expert, used expert mana footwork to evade. 

Swish! 

But he didn’t escape unscathed. 

Using mana footwork doesn’t increase defense. Eugene’s deadly sword aura grazed Ricardo’s lightly armored thigh, drawing blood. 

‘Okay, that landed better than I thought. Next time, even deeper!’ 

Flash! 

He’d cut about half a hand’s width. 

And since the wound was on Ricardo’s left thigh, which he’d use for his next step, Eugene figured he could land a fourth attack as well. He lowered his stance and closed in. 

“Watch out, Eugene!!” 

At that moment, Vivian’s warning rang out from behind. 

‘Ah! This isn’t a one-on-one anymore!’ 

Screech! 

Realizing the situation, Eugene stopped abruptly. 

 BUAAAK! SWISH! SWISH! 

As Eugene’s follow-up landed, the other Sophists, who’d been watching, saw Ricardo in danger and rushed in. 

Eugene, focused on his fourth attack, had tunnel vision, and three Sophists quickly closed in for a simultaneous assault. 

‘Damn, I can’t block them all. I’ll guard the vital spots and tank one with my durability.’ 

The best response would have been to dodge with mana footwork, but having just stopped abruptly, he couldn’t create enough distance. So Eugene chose to take some hits with his body. 

The three Sophists’ coordinated attacks came at him with ferocity. 

"!!!!!" "!!!!!" "!!!!!" 

But suddenly, their eyes went wide. 

"!!!!!" 

Eugene was just as surprised. 

 BUUUUUUUUNG! 

A brilliant mana barrier formed between Eugene and the three Sophists. 

KAAANG! KAANG! KAAANG!! 

Their blades were stopped by the barrier.