Chapter 95
“Looks like you both finished your preparations.”
Luke approached the center of the gym as he spoke.
“As I said this morning, focus on disarming your opponent. If the spar gets too intense or an attack comes out that could threaten someone’s life, I’ll intervene and stop it, so keep that in mind.”
“Don’t worry, Instructor. It’s not our first time sparring.”
“Yeah. You two have been bickering and clashing since you were kids.”
At Jason’s words, Luke let out a small laugh.
Then he glanced around the gym once.
“A lot of people really gathered. Far more than I expected.”
“It spread all over the Academy. Isrinbloom and Hawkbat. A duel between the heirs of two ducal families. And… Sara Isrinbloom. Will she be able to avenge the defeat she suffered at the start of the semester against some nameless noble? Well, something like that.”
“Heh. No wonder everyone gathered. Even I’d have come to watch.”
After answering Jason, Luke now looked toward Sara.
“Are you ready to get your revenge on Gideon?”
“Of course I’m ready. But before that, I need to take down this guy right in front of me.”
“Are you confident you can beat Jason?”
“Of course I’ll win.”
“Don’t get too cocky. At this rate, you’ll end up just like last time when you lost to Gideon……”
“That’ll never happen.”
At Sara’s firm statement, Luke simply nodded.
Then, with a serious expression, he continued.
“Alright. Enough chatting, let’s really get started. I’m sure you both know the rules of the duel… Now then, get ready.”
At Luke’s words, the two students prepared for combat.
Sara took the starting stance of the Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship, holding her rapier’s blade vertically and raising the hilt up to eye level.
In contrast, Jason didn’t take any particular stance.
Instead, he summoned his spirit.
“Monsoon, you ready?”
– Of course. But how long are you going to keep calling me that? I am a noble Spirit of Wind without need for such names, yet because of you……
“Just get used to it already.”
Jason laughed lightly as he spoke to the small spirit beside him.
At the same time……
“3, 2, 1. Begin!”
Luke signaled the start of the match.
At that, Sara immediately dashed in toward Jason and swung her sword.
“You’re quicker than before, huh?”
Jason stepped lightly to the side to evade Sara’s attack.
“Guess losing to Gideon really rattled you? You couldn’t grow at all for years, and then suddenly in barely a month or two……”
“Shut up. And I told you several times already, I didn’t lose back then!”
Sara smoothly chased after Jason and swung again, but Jason easily avoided it.
However, her sword changed direction mid-swing and aimed for Jason’s leg.
Startled, Jason still managed to block her attack with his saber.
“Haa. Seriously, you’re one of the people I hate fighting the most. Your swordsmanship is just so damn tricky to deal with.”
“Why act surprised now? More importantly, are you going to fight properly? Don’t just dodge—attack.”
“Hold on. It takes a moment for me to draw power from our Monsoon here. Right, Monsoon?”
– Don’t call me that… haaa, fine. Contractor, preparations are complete.
“Good. Then let’s really go.”
Wind began swirling around Jason.
With that wind, he closed the distance to Sara in an instant.
Clang―!
After their blades clashed, Sara immediately attempted a counterattack.
But Jason jumped high into the air, avoiding her strike.
Then, without giving even a moment’s gap, he unleashed a flurry of consecutive attacks at Sara.
Clang―! Clang―! chae-chae-chae-chaeng―!
The sound of blades colliding echoed across the gym.
Jason dashed to the side while swinging, leapt into the air and thrust downward—.
With a fast yet dynamic style, he pressed Sara hard.
“Tch, seriously……”
With an irritated expression, Sara attempted another counterattack.
Movements like a dance, followed by flowing strikes.
Attacks with a trajectory impossible to predict.
But her blade still didn’t reach Jason.
Because once again, Jason leapt high into the air to evade her strike.
And this time, he didn’t just jump.
Jason moved several steps mid-air.
As if there were invisible footholds beneath his feet.
Then he dropped behind Sara’s back and swiftly swung his blade.
“Kh…!”
Realizing she couldn’t dodge Jason’s attack, Sara dove forward.
She rolled across the gym floor, widening the distance between them.
“Mm, nice. I’m satisfied. If I made that Sara roll across the floor, that’s good enough.”
“Shut your mouth, Jason. And you’re in no position to insult my swordsmanship. Yours is just as troublesome to deal with.”
“That… I can’t agree with. The true strength of your family’s swordsmanship only comes out when you use flames. Come to think of it, why haven’t you used them yet…….”
“I thought I might beat you without them, but yeah, that’s not happening. Seems I underestimated you.”
“So, you’re going to use them now?”
“Of course.”
Sara brushed the dust off herself and stood, taking her stance again.
“To crush Gideon Kyrgram under my feet, I have to beat you no matter what.”
‘As expected of Jason, he’s fast.’
Watching Sara and Jason’s duel from the audience, I thought.
Jason was showing the speed and lightness I had expected.
‘Fast, and insanely dynamic.’
Rotating his body while swinging, leaping sideways—just like in the game.
Jason moved quickly and chaotically, making him one of the toughest opponents in the game.
The Hawkbat Family’s swordsmanship was the fastest in the Empire.
Speed aside, its dynamic movements were also quite a distinctive trait.
‘Swinging fast while using the Spirit of Wind to nonstop jump up, down, left, right—rolling, flipping… He was absolutely chaotic to fight in the game.’
If Sara’s swordsmanship was the type to make you curse in frustration, Jason’s was just pure chaos.
But that was why it was strong.
If you disorient your opponent, they’ll naturally show more openings.
‘But for that same reason, his swordsmanship also has very clear weaknesses.’
Making one’s body lighter with wind was all it did, so it lacked any decisive finishing blow and had many shortcomings in terms of power.
And above all, it was a swordsmanship that consumed an enormous amount of stamina.
Since one had to constantly move to keep the opponent from regaining composure, its user would get tired much faster compared to other families’ swordsmanship.
Jason, who was fighting right before my eyes, was the perfect example.
Barely a few minutes had passed since the spar with Sara began, yet he already looked noticeably tired.
‘And yet he’s still somehow pushing her hard.’
With his characteristic fast and dynamic swordsmanship, he wasn’t giving Sara a single chance to counterattack.
But something felt off.
Jason was fighting with both Aura and the power of his spirit, but Sara was fighting with Aura alone.
Which meant—Sara still wasn’t fighting at full strength……
“…Oh.”
While I continued watching their battle, Jason suddenly leapt into the air and began moving as he stepped on empty space.
Everyone in the audience let out exclamations of awe at the feat he showed.
“Seems Jason mastered that technique too.”
“I’ve heard it’s an exclusive technique of the Hawkbat Family. This is my first time seeing it in person.”
Its formal name in the setting was Air Walk.
It was essentially the Hawkbat Family’s air-stepping technique.
A technique that created invisible footholds of wind in the air, allowing one to walk briefly on nothingness.
‘It was supposed to be a fairly difficult technique to learn. But for some reason, it feels like Jason mastered it faster than in the game.’
Anyway, Jason used the air-stepping to land a proper hit on Sara.
Well, to be precise, Sara dodged it, but she had to roll across the floor in the process.
For him, that alone was…
“Jason’s grown a lot. To think he could push Sara that far.”
“But Lady Lisa, Lady Sara still hasn’t used her flames……”
“Yes, that’s right. Sara still isn’t fighting at full strength. Even so, forcing her to roll like that is a huge improvement for Jason.”
Lisa’s words were correct.
I also knew Jason’s character very well.
He wasn’t gifted in combat, but he became quite strong through effort alone.
Considering Jason’s background… pushing Sara, someone said to be among the more skilled swordsmen in the Empire, to this extent was impressive.
Fwoosh―
While I had that thought, flames rose once more—around Sara as she stood up, and along her rapier.
‘Looks like she intends to fight properly now.’
Along with the flames, Sara rushed toward Jason.
She swung her sword like she was dancing, and the flames followed her movements with elegant motion.
No, rather than “elegant”, they moved in unpredictable ways.
Every time Sara swung her sword, the flames burst in unexpected directions to strike at Jason.
“Now you understand how Sara—no, how a swordsman of the Isrinbloom Family fights, right?”
“Yes, I believe I do.”
I knew very well, having seen it many times in the game.
“Instead of using those flames purely offensively, she seems to be using them to divide the opponent’s focus.”
It wasn’t that the flames weren’t dangerous.
But their true purpose was to divert the opponent’s gaze and create openings.
Drawing out openings through dazzling technique and striking precisely—this was the Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship.
And the flames matched that swordsmanship perfectly.
‘In duels, it was the strongest swordsmanship. There’s a reason it was called that.’
As if to prove that, the moment Sara enveloped herself in flames, the situation reversed.
Jason still moved fast and dynamically.
But because of the flames flying at him from all directions—threatening him and drawing his attention—he gradually exposed openings, and Sara didn’t miss them.
She persistently dug into Jason’s vulnerabilities and eventually succeeded in slashing his leg and arm once each.
Jason dropped his sword, and the duel ended with Sara’s victory.
“That ended faster than I thought. No matter how fast Jason is, it seems he still struggles against a sword style that forces openings.”
“Yes, it certainly looked extremely difficult to face.”
“And now you’re the one who has to face her. Do you think you can win?”
“…I’m not sure.”
I didn’t have confidence that I would win.
But at the same time, I didn’t feel certain that I would lose either.
“Ha, seriously. I told you I hate fighting your family’s swordsmanship.”
Jason sat on the floor, staring at his bleeding arm and leg.
They weren’t major injuries.
But they were clean, precise wounds that perfectly incapacitated him.
“Unless I get faster, it’ll be hard for me to beat you.”
“Probably. But to get faster… does that mean I need to reach my dad’s level?”
“You might have to.”
“It’ll take me decades to beat you then.”
Jason gave a hollow laugh and looked at Sara.
Then he realized she wasn’t even looking at him anymore.
“I’m still not worth your attention, huh?”
“Sorry. There’s only one person I want to bring down right now.”
Sara spoke while looking toward the audience.
A white-haired boy sitting next to a red-haired girl.
Sara had already thought through exactly how she would take her victory from him.