C202 - Vanessa Olsen (2)
The minimum penalty is death...
It was a topic that made him think a lot. Perhaps, in one way or another, Jin won't be killed by Vanessa today.
However, if he couldn't demonstrate skills worthy of recognition to Vanessa, he would pay a great price. The possibility of losing the privileges he had enjoyed as a Provisional Standard Bearer was the highest.
Sliiiing.
Jin drew his sword, Sigmund.
"You make it sound like my life could end today if I mess up."
"That depends on what you do."
"You're not implying that I have to defeat Lady Vanessa, right?"
Then Vanessa burst into laughter.
Despite being so blatantly ignored, Jin showed no shame.
It was true that Jin had recently killed five General-level White Wolves and had demonstrated his abilities against Karl Zipple and Chukon Tolderer. But Vanessa was a monster among monsters, who had hunted Dragons in the Ante Mountains during her youth.
Excluding Cyron, and if she had a proper name in the world, she would be a figure that couldn't be ignored in discussions about the strongest in the world.
On the other hand, Jin was still growing, being a strong outsider beyond the standards at the age of 17. However, asking Jin to defeat Vanessa was simply an exaggerated joke.
"Is that even a plausible story? Your father is not careless enough to do something like that."
"Good to know, then what do you want me to do?"
Vanessa spun her cheap iron sword slightly. It was a blade you could find in any blacksmith's shop.
"Just once, anyway. If you touch me with your sword, you pass the test. Even if you just graze my clothes."
Swoosh!
Before she finished speaking, Jin brandished his sword, Sigmund. They were only about six steps apart, and Jin was performing his Sword of Legends suppression technique while Sigmund crackled with lightning.
"Chit!
Clang!
Sigmund bounced off Vanessa's iron sword. Despite the suppression technique, Jin's Sigmund sword retreated a few steps, but Vanessa smiled as if it was insignificant.
"I didn't think it would work, but you blocked it too easily..."
Although there was a sense of "pull," Jin's suppression technique couldn't overcome Vanessa's extreme strength and momentum.
Ten stars.
That was Vanessa's skill level. There weren't many in the world who could face her one-on-one. Although Jin's suppression technique was impressive, it was just an interesting skill for Vanessa.
If their sword skills were equal, he would have been a threat to her as well, but the gap was too wide.
"I thought you weren't useless, but you turned out to be more or less useless. You unsheathed your sword before I told you to start."
"I thought you were giving me a chance."
"Then you just lost your chance. Hmm, was that the Sword of Legends Technique? That's interesting, it makes me curious about your magic and shadow energy as well."
"My father must have told you everything because I never told him I had mastered the Sword of Legends."
"If you return alive, I want you to find Lord Cyron's spies among your people and hold them accountable."
Vanessa knew everything about Jin's abilities.
This meant creating a variable was difficult.
He had to strike her head-on and make his way through.
"First of all, creating a variable against a monster at the 10-star level is almost impossible, even if she doesn't know me well."
Boom!
Vanessa's sword released a deep rumble. The gigantic aura compressed and infiltrated the blade of the sword.
Just with that, the cheap sword turned into a more dangerous weapon than any legendary sword. The dark desert they were in illuminated with a dazzling glow from the aura.
Pazuzz!
Before the sword could descend upon him, Jin generated a lightning bolt on the flat side of the sword. And just as Sigmund attempted to strike with his sword to bring down the lightning bolt...
From somewhere, a gust of wind arrived. The wind that had been building up in the desert atmosphere was drawn toward Vanessa like seawater in a whirlpool.
"Did the lightning... get twisted?"
Crack, crunch...! The lightning merged with the wind and lost its path. In an instant, the twisted lightning completely disintegrated into blue particles, and in a moment, the gust of wind subsided.
Thud!
As she lifted her sword to strike, the shattered stones beneath Vanessa's feet jumped into the air. And before the stone fragments could hit the ground, a sword aura shockwave like a candle expanded through the sword, engulfing everything in its path as it hurtled toward Jin.
Even without touching the shockwave, the floating rock fragments in its orbit vanished into thin air, torn apart by the force of the aura surrounding the sword.
Jin watched the scene unfold.
Jin observed closely what was happening without even blinking. If he had blinked or not noticed, he could have also disintegrated into pieces like the rock fragments and been swept away by the desert wind.
He dodged the sword with an evasive technique and gritted his teeth in frustration before turning his gaze back to Vanessa.
All he could see was a ground of shattered stones from the power of Vanessa.
Vanessa had already closed in behind the sword projectile that had already been launched, gripping Jin's flank and forcing him to release the Photon Cannon hidden in his hand.
It would probably be the first time Vanessa would see ancient light magic. Even if she had seen light magic before from those mages or dragons she had killed in the past, it would surely be the first time she would see the Photon Cannon.
Despite everything, Vanessa skillfully avoided the flash of light, as if she had already experienced Tzenmi's Photon Cannon many times. It's unknown whether it's due to the senses of a 10-star knight or because she had already been informed about the ability by Lord Kashimir.
Jin suspected it was the former. If she had been fully aware of Tzenmi's Photon Cannon beforehand, she would have had no chance to block the iron sword now.
Clang!
She narrowly avoided the next strike. And then she created two ice spears and shot them towards Vanessa's face and body.
Of course, the three-star freezing magic posed no threat at all. But perhaps if he continued with these senseless attacks, he might attempt a real strike at some point.
Ting, ting-ting, crack! The ice spears burst lifelessly under the power enveloping Vanessa's body.
"She's truly a magic swordsman, interesting, not much different from facing a warrior."
Although Vanessa had control on this battlefield, she felt that Jin was much more challenging than she had anticipated.
In a sense, Jin was like an assassin, as you never knew what would come out of his opponent's hands. In terms of shooting spells big and small from a distance, he was akin to an archer, and his use of "magic" to deceive and provoke illusions was like that of a mage.
But in close combat, he possessed the strength of a warrior, a unique quality of pure-blooded Runcandels, making him more than fascinating, interesting.
"Moreover, he also utilizes lightning attribute technique, so even a 9-star knight would have difficulties with him, and he hasn't even used his shadow energy yet."
Vanessa finally understood why Cyron was so interested in him, but she still wasn't convinced that he could compete with him.
"Gulp!"
Jin coughed up blood and took a step back from Vanessa's final strike, leaving a minor wound.
"You truly are amazing for your age, even compared to Luna back then."
"And what's with the sudden compliment?"
"But she was endowed with less talent than you. A sword, that's all she had. Considering that you have aura, magic, and shadow energy, I find that lacking."
"Could sister Luna compete against my father at the age of 17?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"No, she probably could compete starting from eighteen years old."
"When we return, I'll have to boast to my sister. I mean, I think I'm better."
"You seem to be skilled in battle, but it seems you haven't learned to speak responsibly. It appears that education in Runcandel isn't that good."
Although the battle so far seemed desperate at first glance, Jin couldn't contain his inner pride.
"I still have many cards up my sleeve, but I can still hold my own against a 10-star Knight..."
Of course, even though Vanessa was using a cheap iron sword and regulating her strength, Jin was bravely enduring even considering that.
After leaving Lafrarosa, in the Compass Capture Operation, he couldn't showcase his true ability. He effortlessly killed the five White Wolves and easily deceived the mages.
A man truly knows his place when he's caught between a sword and a wall.
In that sense, Jin realized that his growth had far surpassed his imagination. Not even he, nor his allies, nor his enemies could have predicted it. Just like Vanessa was realizing at this very moment.
Furthermore...
Jin was becoming increasingly convinced.
"If Lady Vanessa keeps fighting like this, I'm sure I'll be able to strike the hem of her robe. The question is how many serious injuries should I be prepared to receive."
As it wasn't truly a life-or-death one-on-one fight, Vanessa wouldn't give it her all.
Jin considered it that way because otherwise, this wouldn't be a "test" anymore.
On the other hand, Jin was thinking differently.
"If by some chance Lady Vanessa manages to land a single blow on me. Where will her sword stop? Will it stop after cutting my neck? Will it stop just in front of my neck? Or will it sever one of my limbs?"
He couldn't calculate that. Since Vanessa had never sworn not to kill him, he had to be cautious of her. Although the chances of her killing him were low, she could still cut off an arm.
Indeed, that was exactly what Vanessa was thinking. If Jin failed this test, she planned to take his right arm.
She believed there should be consequences for "judging" Cyron Runcandel. The suggestion that they might be able to fight was a judgment against Cyron.
Jin soon reached a decision.
"First, I must show Lady Vanessa something even more surprising. Even if she injures me, I can't afford to be fatally wounded. I want her to think that I reached my limit and left it at that."
There was much to show.
Vanessa would wait. That's why she came to seek Jin. And Jin was confident he could satisfy her enough.
Fzzzt!
Sigmund began generating lightning once again.
It was the preparation for unleashing the Battle God's Combat Technique. As expected, Vanessa showed a satisfied smile when Jin generated the lightning.
"If that's a card up your sleeve, then you must play it carefully."
"You can enjoy it at your own pace, there's plenty of that."