25-126

EP.126 [Sword Expert vs Sword Expert.] 

"Those people...!" 

"Yeah, they’re Sophists, Vivian." 

Vivian also realized that the ones blocking their path were Sophists. 

"Get behind me." 

Eugene immediately moved to protect Vivian. 

"Trust me. I promised I’d protect you, didn’t I? I always keep my promises." 

He exuded confidence. As a Sword Expert, Eugene Schneider didn’t even consider losing, even though he was up against four opponents and had Vivian to protect. Of course, this was partly to reassure Vivian as his charge. 

"I-I trust you, Eugene. I believe you’ll win." 

Vivian’s eyes were tense, but she steadied her voice, not wanting to show her anxiety and unsettle Eugene. 

‘If Sophists are being deployed for a quest of this level, it wouldn’t be strange if there’s a Sword Expert among them. But…’ 

Eugene kept a poker face, analyzing his opponents in detail. 

‘There are four of them. Would a Sword Expert really bring this many along? Even among mercenaries, Sword Experts are known for being lone wolves, frustrated when their companions can’t keep up.’ 

Eugene had heard that Sword Experts, as elite among elites, have strong egos and prefer duels. Especially Sophists he figured their egos would be even stronger, so it was quite possible none of the four were Sword Experts. 

As Eugene was analyzing the situation  

"Hey, you with demon blood." 

Among the six Sophists, the one in the center, seemingly the leader, called out a sensitive point. 

‘Huh?’ 

A man mentioning Eugene’s demon blood gave him a strong sense of déjà vu. 

"Heh heh... you’ve got a good eye." 

Ssshhh... 

Watching Eugene’s reaction, the man slowly removed his monk’s hood. 

"Revenge shouldn’t be done lightly. You have to make the purpose clear and carry it out thoroughly." 

He revealed his face to Eugene Schneider. 

‘White hair?’ 

The man had white hair. The keywords "Sophist" and "white hair" immediately triggered a memory for Eugene. 

‘Is he related to Lucas?’ 

Lucas was the Sword User with white hair whom Eugene fought in the goblin cave. 

"I heard about my younger brother’s death in Pangaea. And I heard about the Red Fox Mercenary Band. They said a half-demon, the son of a former Jedi, killed him." 

Step, step, step  

The man, now with his hood off, stepped forward. 

His name was Ricardo. He was Lucas’s older brother, here to avenge him. 

‘Demon blood? Sophist, son of a former Jedi?’ 

Eugene and Ricardo, both already possessing much information, quickly exchanged glances and understood the situation without much need for words. 

Vivian, on the other hand, was bewildered by the unfamiliar terms and looked back and forth between the two men in confusion. 

‘I figured someone who escaped back then would eventually come back as a boomerang, but to return like this it’s a real headache. They must have come specifically targeting me.’ 

But Eugene didn’t have the luxury to worry about Vivian’s psychological state. This wasn’t just a chance encounter; these people had come specifically for him, likely with a strategy tailored to his mixed demon blood and status as a Sword Expert. 

"But honestly, as a seeker on the path of the sword, what attracts me most is just that." 

Whoosh! 

The Sophists in front of Eugene and Vivian were wearing two layers of monk’s robes one for disguise. Ricardo threw off his outer robe. 

‘That cloak color…?’ 

Seeing Ricardo’s cloak, Eugene’s eyes showed clear agitation. 

‘A silver cloak he’s a Nagarjuna!’ 

Unlike Lucas’s black cloak, Ricardo wore a silver cloak the mark of a high-level seeker, a Nagarjuna, above the intermediate Claymore class. 

"You, the one who killed my brother, are a Sword Expert, aren’t you?" 

Clang! 

Ricardo, revealing his Nagarjuna silver cloak, pointed his sword at Eugene. 

Ricardo’s expression was as agitated as Eugene’s, but whereas Eugene seemed surprised, Ricardo looked intrigued. 

"Honestly, I didn’t believe it. Swordsmen often exaggerate their opponents after losing, to save face. But seeing you in person, it seems the survivor’s report wasn’t a lie." 

Ricardo had seen his brother’s corpse, but only learned about the goblin cave battle from a surviving Sophist’s report. According to that report, the opponent was a mercenary, likely Ulysses’s son, and seemed to have awakened as a Sword Expert at the end. It sounded unbelievable, but now Ricardo saw it was true. 

"It’s hard for a Sword User to keep form in this situation." 

Now Ricardo saw the report was accurate. Unless you’re a top-tier psychic, you can’t sense a Sword Expert’s unique mana, but with enough battlefield experience, you can feel the pressure. By that measure, Ricardo was sure Eugene wasn’t just a Sword User. 

‘He really looks like him. From what he said about his brother, they must be siblings. That look in his eyes is just like Lucas had.’ 

Eugene, too, gained important information from Ricardo’s confident demeanor. Lucas had looked at Eugene with mad eyes, hoping Eugene would push him to his limits. Ricardo’s eyes held the same feeling. They weren’t just friends they were definitely brothers. 

‘If his little brother was a Sword User and he’s a Nagarjuna, then this guy is probably a Sword Expert too.’ 

Ricardo was looking at Eugene as a rival, so Eugene began to suspect Ricardo was also a Sword Expert. 

‘This just got a lot harder. If he’s a Sword Expert, the others are probably at least Sword Runner level.’ 

Eugene had first guessed there were four Sword Users, which is why he’d been so confident in front of Vivian but now he realized this might be a serious problem. 

"I’ll get my revenge, test my limits against a worthy rival, and complete my mission all at once. Half-demon Sword Expert." 

Clang! 

At that moment, Ricardo took up an attack stance. 

Ricardo wasn’t just talking he knew time was short. Adan, the Tyrannos detachment leader, would soon realize Eugene and Vivian were missing and start pursuit. So Ricardo didn’t have long to accomplish his three goals. 

‘Hmm… that stance actually helps me a bit.’ 

Shing…! 

Eugene also immediately took a battle stance, quickly analyzing Ricardo’s posture. 

‘He wants a one-on-one for a while. If he starts losing, he’ll use tricks or call for help, like his brother did.’ 

There’s a difference between a stance for team fighting and for solo fighting. The more skilled the swordsman, the more obvious the difference. Ricardo’s stance was pure solo, focused on offense. Eugene figured he’d get at least a few exchanges of one-on-one before the others joined in, and planned to either finish Ricardo or do serious damage in that time. 

"Let’s play, black-haired greatsword!" 

 Fwoooosh!!! 

As Eugene expected, Ricardo broke away from his allies and charged alone like a bullet. 

 Fwoosh-foosh-foosh-foosh-foosh!! 

The distance between Eugene and Ricardo was about 15 meters, and Ricardo’s explosive mana steps closed it quickly. 

‘Coming straight at me, huh?’ 

Ricardo’s approach was pure, confident speed and precision, with no feints. 

Eugene, on the other hand  

‘Then take this to start.’ 

Clench! 

Clang! 

Eugene wasn’t one to stick to straightforward methods. 

Watching Ricardo’s headlong charge, Eugene suddenly switched his grip to an underhand hold on his greatsword and widened his stance. 

Shhhhk!! 

At the same time, Eugene slid forward with his own mana footwork. 

 Fwoosh!! 

Then, swinging his greatsword from below, Eugene drove its tip into the dirt. 

‘If you’re coming straight at me, I have to do this.’ 

 Shashashashasha! 

It was the same dirt-throwing move he’d used against Jason in the goblin cave. 

"!!!!!" 

Ricardo, charging straight in, was surprised. He’d rarely fought greatsword users above Sword User level, and Eugene’s unorthodox tactics were unexpected. Even as a Sophist, Ricardo was used to formal duels, so this kind of trick was unfamiliar. 

‘Okay, now let’s see if you dodge sideways or back!’ 

Fwoosh! 

Eugene was even more advanced than when he’d used this on Jason. As he flung dirt forward, he was already stepping in for a follow-up, ready to catch Ricardo as he dodged. 

But Eugene’s eyes widened Ricardo didn’t react as expected. 

 Whoooosh! 

A huge gust of wind blew away all the dirt Eugene had thrown. 

"Lucas must have been really flustered by this." 

Ssshhh... 

Ricardo had created the wind, and blue aura shimmered on his sword the sign of a Sword Expert’s sword energy. 

Ssshhh... 

‘Revealing it already, huh.’ 

Eugene Schneider also summoned blue sword aura to his greatsword.