Ariel climbed up the ridge behind the Academy again today. This time, he wasn’t with Iria but with someone else.
CLANG! The sound of two swords clashing echoed around. It was the blades of those who had surpassed a certain level. Each sword strike SLICED through the air and SPLIT the ground.
It was the place where such things poured out. The influence of those transcendents was not to be ignored. Just by meeting swords, the surrounding terrain was being CARVED away.
Trees that surrounded the area were being chopped down one by one, and the ground was flooded with dense starlight.
Ariel exhaled a rough breath from the latest sword strike. He somewhat expected it, but it truly held nothing back.
His opponent, Freya, pressed Ariel with movements that were definitely different from before.
Was this her full power? Even Ariel, who had faced countless Sword Saints, had never seen this before.
Before her full power, even Ariel, who had transcended, was slightly pushed back. But if the Empire’s top swordsman was genuinely treating him as an equal, then Ariel had indeed reached that level as well.
Today, for the first time, he was recognized by his mentor.
Ariel wrapped a veil of thick starlight around his sword, swinging it mixed with the techniques he learned from Freya.
It was an overwhelmingly strong strike for a human to wield, but he held an absolute trust that his mentor would somehow catch it.
A great arc of one sword strike SWOOSH smacked against Freya’s sword. For a brief moment, Freya TWISTED the blade’s direction, diverting it.
However, it was not enough to deflect the massive amount of starlight pouring out from one sword. A faint wound marked her pale cheek.
Freya brushed her hand against the wound in a daze. Blood stained the hand that swept across her cheek.
“I’ll call it a day here.”
With those words, she sheathed her sword. As soon as she finished speaking, Ariel collapsed to the ground. That was his last strike, squeezing out his remaining stamina.
If it were the usual Freya, she would have left the spot immediately after the duel ended, but today was different.
She seemed to be resting on the stump of a cut tree.
“I was lost in thought. Is something the matter?”
Freya’s eyes, as she swept her sweaty hair back, turned toward Ariel.
At her words, Ariel appeared to sink into thought for a moment.
He recalled something that had happened just a little while ago. The fact that he unintentionally hurt Iria.
Just because eyes are red doesn’t guarantee someone isn’t human. It’s also possible they have a peculiar constitution or a rare illness.
It was an accident born out of impatience upon hearing the whispers of the stars. He felt a little sorry.
But it was not something to bring up with his mentor in the current situation.
After changing his expression, Ariel shook his head as if to say it was nothing.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Freya, maintaining a formal tone, turned her gaze toward Ariel. Her expression wasn’t the usual stiff one, but one genuinely surprised.
The growth of a boy that until recently hadn’t been able to compete at all. Is it really possible to grow this fast in such a short span?
It was hard to believe that this was the same person who struggled to receive even a single strike.
“You’ve gotten stronger. More than I expected.”
“I’m still lacking to reach you.”
“No, I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to show results like this.”
Now, Freya understood the words Sertia had spoken about having high hopes for this generation.
Freya was recognizing Ariel as a being on the level of transcendency.
“Was it perhaps triggered by what happened last time? I can only feel sorry for not being able to step in.”
“It couldn’t be helped.”
On the day the Academy was attacked by monsters, Freya had rushed to the Academy as soon as she received news of the incident.
However, she couldn’t enter. The dense barriers prevented her.
It took a long time to breach the layers of barriers. By the time she broke through and entered, most of the chaos was already over.
Thus, the reinforcements leading by Freya managed to tidy up the remaining monsters, bringing a close to the incident.
Even though she took the best possible action, she seemed to feel a bit of responsibility. This is because she has a strong sense of duty.
Ariel shook his head, as if to say there was no need to worry.
“This was a disaster that no one could prevent in advance. It wasn’t your fault, Freya.”
“······.”
Freya didn’t say anything.
While Freya was naturally a quiet person, Ariel felt the silence she had swallowed was deep. Surely, she was criticizing herself for not being able to do anything that day.
At this point, Ariel tried to change the heavy mood by shifting the topic.
“By the way, may I ask how the scar on Freya’s face came to be? I don’t think I’ve seen it before.”
Ariel had been close with Freya since childhood but had just recently re-encountered her.
When he entered the second year, he met Freya again, and she looked different from her past self.
She had scars he had never seen before.
Was there a being in the Empire capable of making the strongest swordsman of mankind look like that?
That’s why he asked.
“Who gave you that scar?”
“······.”
At that question, Freya was unable to answer for a while. She simply looked up at the sky as if recalling the past.
And then.
“Have you heard of the Back Alley Monster?”
“Yes.”
“The rumors about the Back Alley Monster aren’t just simple gossip. It likely still exists somewhere within the Empire.”
Whenever the scar on her face hurt, the events of that day would float to her mind. Vivid battle memories she could never forget.
Yet for some reason, she couldn’t recall the monster’s appearance. She remembered the fight, but not the physical characteristics.
Perhaps it was something she had lost in memory.
“It was one of the most bizarre beings I’ve ever seen. With such vast strength, its movements were almost amateur-ish. Its actions were clumsy as if it was doing combat for the first time.”
“······.”
“As you know, Ariel, just because one has great power doesn’t always mean they are strong. That’s why the battle with it became one-sided where I inflicted damage.”
It possessed remarkable regenerative abilities, but that was all it had. Freya thought she would be able to slay it, since it surely couldn’t regenerate infinitely.
However.
“I couldn’t slay the Back Alley Monster.”
“Why not…?”
“The more I continued fighting, the more the Back Alley Monster grew exponentially. Its overwhelming combat talent was sharpening as if it was learning to fight.”
With each strike she received, its movements became more refined. It felt like it had instinctively learned what movements were effective in battle.
This couldn’t just be attributed to having good talent. It was a monster. It was learning and assimilating at an alarming rate.
What had started as a one-sided fight led by Freya was slowly becoming balanced, and in a bit more time, it began to shift toward the monster.
In the end, it exhibited movements that seemed to mimic Freya’s strikes.
It had seen and replicated. It was like witnessing a living battle weapon.
“Be cautious of the Back Alley Monster.”
Freya said.
“If you truly wish to slay all the seeds of the Demon King, you will inevitably encounter it someday.”
It had already been over a year since they had neglected the monster, which was growing stronger over time.
Freya seemed to worry about just how strong the monster had become.
“Remember this well. The target you must surpass is not just that one.”
Today, Ariel received recognition from Freya. And now, the hope of humanity must aim for something beyond, not Freya herself.
The Sword Saint left counsel for the next hero. Perhaps advice that may be the last.
For if Ariel grew a little more and surpassed Freya, she wouldn’t be able to offer guidance as a senior.
*
This was the sight of the Academy, which had crumbled but was now being rebuilt.
There were regular classes being held, and students who had finished their treatments were attending those classes regardless of their year.
A significant number of professors had also become vacant. There weren’t many subjects that could be taught.
As a result, an unusually large number of students gathered in one lecture room.
And then.
“Speaking of which, did you hear? There was a student walking in a different direction when monsters poured out of the Academy.”
“I heard he had eerily red hair; does anyone know him?”
“They say that huge monster was killed by that person. Looks like Iria from the first year.”
“Isn’t that Iria herself? Who among the students besides Ariel and Iria could have that kind of strength? Since it was said to be a girl, it can’t be Ariel. It really looks like Iria.”
Iria, sitting in the middle of the lecture room, had to endure the overwhelming gazes and attention.
“······.”
Today, she felt like going home early.
