Chapter: 152
Huff… I take a deep breath and apply the Divine to my fist.
Whoosh… Just like I trained all night in my mental realm yesterday, the heat-filled Divine gathered in my fist.
Checking the Divine enveloping my fist as if I was wearing a gauntlet, I take my stance as Grandpa taught me yesterday.
He said that when you unleash something with all your might, it’s not just using the strength of one part of your body.
A full-power attack means channeling all the strength of your body into it.
Starting from my step, the force travels up through my waist, into my arm, and finally explodes out.
Now, following the advice ingrained in me, I launched a punch at the training dummy.
As soon as my fist made contact, cracks began to form on the training dummy, and soon it shattered, spilling onto the floor.
The only evidence that it had been standing just moments ago was the heart embedded in the ground.
Wow, the training in the mental world definitely translates to reality.
‘Right?’
I had destroyed training dummies several times before.
The power of my mace, unleashed with all my might, was enough to easily warp iron.
However, this was my first time smashing a dummy with my fist, and that with a single strike.
This is the Divine Sword Technique.
What tremendous power!
Hey, feeling a little motivated now?
‘Yes!’
Asking if I feel motivated? Is that really a question from Grandpa?
I just started, and I’m already pulling off this kind of power. How could I not be motivated?!
Of course, I can’t use this in real combat just yet. The amount of Divine consumed to create that one strike was too great.
I have a decent amount of Divine as an Apostle of Armadi, but I had to use more than half of what I had for that one attack.
It’s clear that practice mode is efficient in such cases. In there, I don’t have to worry about running out of Divine.
But still, I have a long way to go. With my control not being fine-tuned, I can only perform a shoddy Deadly Blow.
‘I’ll practice, I guess.’
After all, from now on, I have to roll around every night without a proper break, right? If I drill hard enough, I’ll eventually get used to it.
“M’lady! Truly impressive!”
Having overexerted my tiring body, I was recovering when I heard Karl’s voice from behind me.
He wasn’t being a stalker like a Sloppy Fox; I had deliberately left him waiting behind me.
For our duel later.
With Karl as my opponent, I could go all out without any worries.
Right now, there’s no one in the first year at the Academy who can counter when I go all out in a 1:1 duel.
If Pley were my opponent, I’d hold back at least a little, but she’s still a rank or two below me. Not someone I can truly give my all against.
However, Karl is different. He is still a much stronger opponent.
I’ve known that Karl is strong since long ago. When we first met, I couldn’t even land a single blow against him, and he was holding back.
But you know, compared to when I first possessed someone, I’ve become incredibly strong now!
Yet even so, I still can’t muster the courage to catch up to Karl.
The more I grow my skills, the clearer it becomes how monstrous Karl truly is.
That guy is just a regular knight in the Allen Family? Their knight order truly is a ridiculous Magical Labyrinth.
I now understand why Grandpa was shocked at this place.
I also get why professors said I had the blood of the Allen Family.
“It’s been a while since I last dueled with you, M’lady.”
Karl stood before me holding a wooden sword he had been using for a long time.
Though he was wearing simple clothing without armor, it didn’t really matter.
That skilled knight knew how to protect himself with his own Magic so well.
Even if I swing my mace with all my might, I wouldn’t be able to hurt him.
Or rather, would it be different if I utilized the Divine Sword Technique?
“You seem worn out. Are you sure you don’t want to rest anymore?”
“Shoddy dog♡ Why would a piece of trash like you worry about your master?♡ Kya-hah!♡ Such a noble effort!♡ Want me to pat your chin?♡ Disgusting shoddy dog?♡”
I provoked Karl before the duel began. This is what it means to go all out.
I’m still overwhelmingly weaker than Karl. I can’t afford to be picky about methods.
“I would definitely appreciate that reward, but let’s postpone it for later.”
However, despite the severity of my provocation, the buffs coming in weren’t that significant. Karl had controlled his emotions despite my taunts.
Having grown somewhat accustomed to my various remarks while being next to me every day, I suppose.
It was within my expectations, so I wasn’t too flustered. I knew soon enough Karl would lose his composure.
Holding a shield made by a dwarf in my left hand and Grandpa in my right hand, I take a deep breath.
In my mind, I recite several Divine spells.
Increasing my physical abilities. Enhancing my vitality. Boosting my luck.
Whatever it may be, I used all the spells beneficial to me right now.
Then I spread the remaining Divine throughout my body.
Like enhancing my physical abilities with Magic, I was boosting my physical prowess with the Divine.
I still have a lot of clumsiness, so I can’t call it efficient, but it doesn’t matter.
My goal right now is singular, efficiency be damned.
I want to land a hit on Karl.
“Are you all set?”
“And what about you, shoddy dog?♡ Have you prepared to get beaten and lose?♡”
“No, sorry, but I have no plans to lose to M’lady just yet.”
Karl pretended to be calm, but this provocation had definitely pushed his buttons.
Unlike earlier, I could feel the buffs gradually coming in.
The preliminary work was roughly complete.
Let’s see what you’ve got, shall we?
“Shall we begin, shoddy dog?♡”
“Anytime you’re ready.”
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.
The distance between Karl and me had closed.
With just one step of my short legs, I could connect.
However, Karl didn’t allow my approach easily.
He deliberately struck my shield to maintain the safe distance.
As a result, my first charge was completely neutralized.
Geez. So fast.
He really didn’t want to lose! That shoddy dog!
The speed of his sword was entirely different from our previous duels!
While I tried to block his relentless strikes, I bit down on my lips.
“You really want to win against your master, huh? Desperate, aren’t you?♡ So dirty,♡ pathetic, shoddy dog!♡”
“Haha! Better than losing, isn’t it?”
Did my initial use of the Divine Sword Technique make him a little nervous?!
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have tested it like this!
Moving my feet amid the flurry of Karl’s strikes was extremely difficult.
The bigger problem was that he kept frustratingly maintaining distance.
Every time I tried to step forward, he would retreat!
Whenever I tried to create space for an opening, he’d pursue!
This duel is really disgusting!
Stay calm, young lady.
‘I’m trying!’
The fact that your opponent is keeping his distance means there’s always an opportunity for an attack.
Grandpa had said to hide behind the shield and observe the opponent’s attacks.
Well, it’s easier said than done! I thought automatically.
But following Grandpa’s training, I did as instructed.
Having rolled around last night and felt his greatness firsthand, I figured there had to be some meaning in his advice.
“When do you plan to keep just watching, M’lady?”
“Are you that dumb, shoddy dog?♡ I’m just messing around!♡ Don’t you get it?♡ Did your brain get switched with a dog?♡”
Much faster than during our previous duels, his sword became challenging to track at first. But as the encounters increased, I began to adapt.
Initially, I relied solely on the feeling of the Iron Wall Skill to move my shield when blocking Karl’s sword, but as I got the hang of it, I began to mix in my own judgments.
The long periods of moving my shield gave me a sense, combined with my high Shield Proficiency and Grandpa’s advice.
The moment all three fused perfectly.
“Hm?”
For the first time, my Parry activated.
As Karl’s sword made contact with my shield, its power diminished significantly, causing his sword to bounce off, giving me a moment of breathing room.
However, that respite did not last long.
Karl, being experienced in countless real battles, quickly adapted to the shift.
The moment I took a step forward, he unleashed three swift strikes that pushed me back.
Damn, this is tough!
Is it really okay for a knight to be this desperate just to defeat his master?!
He should be reading the situation and know when to let up! That’s just common sense!
Of course, if I were in his shoes, I’d be clenching my teeth too.
I can’t imagine the kind of words I’d hear if I lose to Lucy.
But Karl, you love being abused and treated like a dog!
So just take a step back already!
As our standoff continued, the instances of successful Parrys gradually increased.
Initially, it was by luck I managed to parry once during a flurry of strikes.
Soon, I could bounce his sword off quite often, bewildering Karl.
Ultimately, at last, I could deliberately create the timing for a Parry.
“Is this the extent of your pride?♡ A cute little girl’s shield can’t break through?♡ Pathetic swordplay!♡ A lousy knight!♡”
Of course, I didn’t forget to mix in some jabs amid all that.
In games, being in a state of rage isn’t much, but reality is different! Forcing my opponent to lose their calm is a huge advantage!
Sure, there’s a drawback of Karl’s attack intensity increasing as he gets angry, but that can be mitigated by the Mesugaki Skill buff!
I think it’s time to attempt a counterattack.
Just when our one-sided offensive from Karl turned into a fierce exchange, Grandpa spoke.
‘Is it time to show my teeth, then?’
Do you have a plan?
‘Of course!’
While blocking Karl’s more serious strikes with his wooden sword, I was contemplating just one thing!
How to land a hit on that shoddy dog, who’s keeping a relaxed act even though he’s furious!
Hmm. Good. Then show me what you’ve got.
‘Yes!’
Watch closely, Grandpa!
Your taught young lady is about to smash a mace into that shoddy dog’s face!
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.