Chapter 63 Is That Your Real Power?
The onlookers watching the battle between the 2 were left agape, their eyes fixed upward.
Aaron Gale was moving at high speed, using the Aura Swords floating in the air as footholds, striking at Fiona one moment and creating distance the next. His incredible speed, as if he were cutting through time, left the onlookers in awe.
Fiona, on the other hand, was not just on the defensive.
She was moving through the air with ease, using her own Aura Swords as footholds, and defending against Aaron's attacks with her dual swords. And whenever Aaron created distance, she would swiftly counterattack with a Flying Slash.
The 2 of them were engaged in a fierce battle, moving freely through the air, leaving the explorer onlookers speechless for a while.
Eventually, words began to spill out.
"Expert explorers are this strong, huh..."
"They can even fight in mid-air..."
"No way! It's not like all expert explorers can do that!!"
Another explorer chimed in, looking stunned.
There were also murmurs about Fiona's fighting style.
"Who was it that said the 'Sword Dance Maiden' was on the decline?"
"No, wasn't it because they started calling her the 'Wooden Sword Princess' that things went downhill?"
"What's with her using a wooden sword now, anyway?"
"Is she really getting stronger by using a wooden sword?"
"What's going on? I don't get it at all!!"
The voices were filled with surprise and confusion.
There was a reason for this.
Recently, Fiona had been spending a lot of time crafting wooden swords, and after receiving 2 Black Radiance swords from Aaron, she had also increased her training time in the labyrinth, fighting against monsters.
However, that had started with her using the Black Radiance to fight against shallow-floor monsters.
At first glance, Fiona's Black Radiance didn't seem like a wooden sword. But to those who knew, it was obvious that it was a wooden sword. The strange rumor that the "Sword Dance Maiden" was fighting with a wooden sword spread quickly.
Moreover, the fact that she was fighting in a place like that added a hint of malice to the rumor.
After all, the "Sword Dance Maiden", an Expert explorer, was fighting with a wooden sword in the relatively shallow [God's Remains Labyrinth] single-digit floor. It seemed like a mere eccentricity, and it was only natural that people would start to view Fiona with suspicion.
And even though the "Sword Dance Maiden" was an idol-like figure, not everyone liked her.
There were, of course, those who harbored ill will towards Fiona due to jealousy and other reasons.
It was those people who spread the rumors, along with the mocking nickname "Wooden Sword Princess".
They said, "The Sword Dance Maiden has fallen."
They said, "The Sword Dance Maiden has given up on being an Expert explorer."
They said, "The Sword Dance Maiden has a mental disorder."
They said, "The Sword Dance Maiden was captured by a weird guy and lost her way" ―― and so on.
But.
If one saw the intense battle unfolding before their eyes, they'd realize that those rumors were just baseless gossip.
On that day, the malicious rumors surrounding the "Sword Dance Maiden" were dispelled, except for a few.
In front of the stunned onlookers, the battle between the two became even more intense.
Fiona started to destroy the Aura Sword floating in the training area, and Aaron's footing began to crumble. In response, Aaron used some kind of skill to kick the air and move around, and then he started to manipulate the Aura Sword he had been holding still, targeting Fiona from all directions.
The one with the upper hand was Aaron Gale.
No, rather than that, He was attacking with a cheerful smile, giving off an air of composure. That's why――
"What a demon..."
"He's demonic..."
"What kind of guy is he..."
He gave off that kind of impression to those who saw him.
That's because the two of them fighting was extremely contrasting.
Aaron Gale, who toyed with his opponents with overwhelming power like a demon, and on the other hand—
"A war maiden..."
"No, an angel..."
"Dear Big sister was an angel...?"
Fiona, who somehow managed to withstand Aaron's fierce attacks. On her back, 6 radiant aura swords floated, following her. From a distance, it looked like she had 3 pairs of 6 wings growing out of her back.
For Fiona, it was simply a matter of creating aura swords in advance as footholds and keeping them floating on her back so they wouldn't get in the way of her fighting.
However, to those who saw it, it looked like angel wings.
So, if one was to describe the impression of the 2 of them fighting, it would be like this.
A war maiden or angel fighting against the fierce attacks of an evil demon――and.
"Hey, hey..."
Lion, who was watching the 2 of them fight, also furrowed his brow and muttered.
"Maybe, Missy Fiona...is stronger than me?"
He stroked his eye patch, feeling a sense of unease.
Compared to his prime before he lost an eye, he felt that she was clearly stronger.
As if picking up on Lion's muttering, Io, who was next to him, let out a sigh of admiration and opened his mouth.
"Even now, Lady Fiona might be able to put up a good fight against Logan."
For Io, that was the highest praise.
"And――."
Then, with a sparkling gaze, Io looked at Fiona and asked Glen, who was watching her with shining eyes.
"Glen, what do you think about Aaron?"
"――Huh? About Master Gale?"
Glen was taken aback, as if waking up from a dream, and turned to face Io beside him.
"Ah, ah...Master Gale? No, I mean, do you think Aaron is the real deal, the ≪Extreme Sword≫?"
"That's right..."
Glen thought for a moment, then answered without hesitation.
"I don't know."
And.
"Don't you know?"
"It's not like Master Gale's combat ability is bad or anything, even if he's ≪Extreme Sword≫... but..."
"...but?"
"When we saw ≪Extreme Sword≫ back then, including me, none of us could confirm its appearance... there's a reason for that, isn't there, Mr. Io? You know, don't you?"
"Hmm... even with your eyes, you couldn't see it, huh?"
Glen's Job is a unique archer-type Job――'Spirit Archer'.
With her Job's performance, Glen's eyesight is extremely high compared to other explorers. Even Glen, with her exceptional eyesight, doesn't know ≪Extreme Sword≫'s appearance.
That's because, even though she saw ≪Extreme Sword≫ fighting, their appearance was "invisible"――that's why.
Glen has been reporting this to the Explorer Guild, the [Council], and the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
≪Extreme Sword≫'s body emits a strong light, making it impossible to confirm its appearance, she says.
And that light is completely different from the skills like [Aura Armor] that cover the entire body with aura, found in jobs like Shield Knights.
Glen looks back at the 2 fighting and says,
"I've seen Master Gale fight many times, but that's an overwhelming strength, isn't it? However..."
Then, her cheeks flush with excitement, and she looks back at Io.
"Compared to the strength of ≪Extreme Sword≫ I caught a glimpse of back then, this is still pale in comparison."
Lion, who was listening nearby, couldn't tell if that was a denial of Aaron being ≪Extreme Sword≫ or not.
"No, maybe ≪Extreme Sword≫ isn't human. It was that... god, after all."
* * *
I kick the air and dash through the sky.
Fiona and I exchange swords multiple times.
This battle has lasted longer than I imagined, but I can feel it's about to come to an end soon.
That's because the 6 Aura Swords on Fiona's back have decreased to only 2.
It's not just that she has been used up as footholds. Fiona had been replenishing her Aura Swords from the start. However, she can't do that now――that's the situation.
In other words, it means her magical energy is running low.
She no longer has enough magical energy to create new Aura Swords.
But Fiona isn't one to silently accept her magical energy running out.
So――,
"――――Let's go!!"
Fiona jumped towards me using an Aura Sword as a foothold.
The Aura Sword she used as a foothold was just one. The remaining one flew ahead, trying to hinder my movement.
I deflected it with Black Radiance and waited for Fiona's approach.
"Come on!"
I knew what Fiona was planning to do.
She'd probably unleash a powerful attack with all her might.
And my prediction became a reality.
"――Aaaaahhh!!"
She screamed, twisting her body in mid-air.
The aura beam shooting out from her dual swords rotated her body rapidly in mid-air, as if she had no foothold.
Sword Dance Maiden skill――[Dance of Final Flash]
The massive buff effect accumulated from [Sword Dance] and [Dance of the God Offering] was reconverted into aura, transforming into an extremely powerful slash.
Multiple flashes of light, like a strobe, became sharp blades that slashed through space.
To counter this rapid series of attacks head-on, I had no choice but to unleash a powerful blow of my own.
But if I used my ultimate technique, it would be too strong, and I didn't have enough time to charge up my aura anyway.
And just like [Flash Blade], there wasn't enough time either. With [Flash Blade], even if I tried to counterattack, its power wouldn't be enough. [Dance of Final Flash] requires a considerable amount of preparation before it can be activated, and its power is extremely high, making it a technique that's not easily countered.
So, what should I do?
Use [Aura Blade] to deflect it, and then counterattack?
If this were on solid ground, that might have been possible, but in mid-air, where there's no foothold, deflecting an attack of this density is extremely difficult. The power of the deflected blade is too high, and if I don't deflect it perfectly, my body might end up getting deflected instead.
Maybe [Continuous Blade Barrier] could have blocked it, but by the time I activate the technique and take form, there wouldn't be enough time.
Therefore, I needed a sword technique that could be activated in an instant and had enough power to counter [Dance of Final Flash].
What's good? What's possible?
No, I won't choose any of those. I've discarded all existing options.
Without deeply thinking about it, without hesitating, my body moved naturally. There was no anxiety about failing.
My unique sword technique, [Flash Blade], [Flash Blade]――Super Technique [Splitting Light Flash].
Maybe [Heavy Blade] and [Flash Blade]'s combined technique, [Heavy Flash Blade], would have been good too.
But I've never tried overlapping the same sword techniques before.
That's why I thought, "Let's try it!"
Fiona has shown incredible growth up until now. As her opponent, it's not bad to show her something new.
From the top to the bottom, I swung my sword straight down.
A flash of light that seemed to leave a trail in space. A sharp, piercing slash that pursued sharpness, not weight.
My single flash clashed with Fiona's consecutive attacks, and I cut through them.
The shattered fragments of the aura danced around us.
"Whoa, I did it!"
It was a reckless, all-out attack, but it was good that it worked out.
Well, I thought it would work out anyway.
"~~~!? Wh, what is that?!"
And then, Fiona, who had lost her magical energy, opened her eyes wide and fell towards the ground.
* * *
After Fiona landed, I landed a bit later.
Since the one who touches the ground with their foot first loses, this standoff is my win.
Fiona put her hands on her knees, repeating rough breathing. The intense battle and exhaustion of magical energy must have made it hard for her to breathe. Yet, she refused to sit down on the ground, still standing tall.
When she noticed I was approaching, she lifted her face, which had been looking down, and said,
"Haah, haah... how was it?"
She was asking about our battle just now.
I thought for a moment, "Yeah, that's right," and then praised her sincerely,
"Your control over your aura was stable from start to finish, and your fighting style... especially at the beginning, it was quite impressive, with a nasty, vicious attack that felt like it was fueled by your personality."
This was the first time I had praised her so excessively in a standoff with Fiona, but... for some reason, she was giving me a dirty look with a scowl on her face.
Then, she took a deep breath, or maybe it was just a sigh, and said,
"What do you mean by 'nasty personality'?... Well, I'll take it as a compliment, anyway!"
She said with a cheerful smile.
"Ah, that's good....It seems like the audience is satisfied too."
I nodded, looking around at the onlookers.
Fiona also looked around, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Woohooooo! 'Sword Dance Maiden' was amazing!!"
"'Wooden Sword Princess' is so strongggg!!"
"Big Sister Fiona!! Hug meeeee!!"
"Step on me, pleaseeeee!!"
"Is this... something to be happy about...?"
The gathered explorers, who had been watching the battle, were also cheering and praising Fiona's bravery.
Fiona herself, however, looked puzzled, her face mixed with strange words amidst the cheers.
"Just be happy about it."
I replied. After all...
"≪Extreme Sword≫!! You should hold back a bit more!!"
"This demon! Heretic!"
"If you had hurt Little Fiona, I would have killed you!!"
"On nights without a moon, you gotta watch your back, got it!!"
For some reason, there's no praise for me, but instead, I'm getting a lot of criticism. What's up with that? Am I some kind of demon or outcast or something?
Anyway, the cheers were loud and echoing.
"...Well, I guess this weird rumor will disappear now."
"――Huh? Did you say something?"
As Fiona turned to face me, I shrugged and replied.
"Nah, nothing."
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