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nLysithea witnessed Liam confronting the Sword Saint.

n(How can he face the Sword Saint unperturbed?)

nIn front of the Sword Saint who wielded his sword, even a trained individual like her could not help but feel intimidated.

nSword Saints were beyond first class; they lived for the sake of arriving at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

nTo her, it seemed like Liam was at ease against an existence who had set one foot outside the boundaries of humanity.

nLiam swirled his katana around before grinning at the Sword Saint.

n“Iyaa~~, I had been anticipating our meeting ever since my subordinates mentioned you. Although it’s unbecoming for my age, I’m really excited to fight you, Sword Saint.”

nWas he unaware of the huge difference in their powers?

nSuch were Lysithea’s honest thoughts, but the Sword Saint’s reaction was unlike before.

nThe smile on the Sword Saint’s face was more ferocious than Liam’s, and he held the handle of his sword so tightly that Lysithea heard his grip from a distance.

nHe had completely lost interest in Tia.

n“You’re Liam?”

nThe Sword Saint approached Liam.

nWhen they came near each other, it became apparent that their heights were like that of an adult’s to a child’s.

n“Add honorifics at the end. I am an upcoming Duke.”

nLiam stared at the Sword Saint and addressed him as if he was talking to a subordinate.

nHis attitude was so bold and brazen that he had to be one of either an ignorant child who lacked awareness of how wide the world was or a truly important person.

n(No matter how strong he is, he won’t be the Sword Saint’s opponent. Sword Saints are known to be capable of overwhelming a group of Swordmasters. Against someone like that, Count Banfield stands no chance.)

nIt was uncertain how effective the rumored One-Flash would be against a Sword Saint.

nHowever, even the talented Tia had lost.

nHow long would Liam last while facing an opponent of such high level?

nLysithea couldn’t help but grow concerned.

nThe Sword Saint held his sword in front of Liam.

n“Little boy, you’re from the school of the One-Flash, correct? Who is your master?”

nLiam didn’t bother changing his stance in front of the Sword Saint who had a serious expression on his face.

n“My master is Yasushi, the strongest man in the world.”

nThe Sword Saint squinted his eyes.

n“Yasushi? Never heard of him.”

nLiam’s expression finally underwent a change when he heard that.

n“There is no need for you to remember the name of a person you would never meet. After all, you will be departing from this world today.”

nA big spark flew between them.

nTheir movements were so fast that only their afterimage was visible.

nEvery time their swords collided, a spark bigger than the ones from Tia’s duel was generated.

nThe aftermath of their swords being swung around at a close distance caused breezes in the room.

nLysithea watched in disbelief as Liam battle the Sword Saint without losing his grounds.

n(Unbelievable. His enemy is a Sword Saint who was recognized by the Empire. How is he still standing!?)

nCleo called out to Lysithea who wasn’t in her right mind.

n“Elder sister, go treat Tia’s injuries!”

n“O-okay.”

nAfter being told so by her younger brother, Lysithea started to approach Tia who was buried in the walls.

nShe peeled Tia off from the walls, only to notice that the latter was staring intently at Liam without minding her wounded body.

n(What is this girl thinking? Does she not understand our current predicament?)

nShe had thought that Tia was a serious female knight, but she was disillusioned by how engrossed Tia was in Liam’s appearance in spite of this state of emergency.

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nEven so, Tia pulled out a vial from her equipment pouch and drank a little from it before spraying the rest on her injuries.

nShe then opened her mouth to speak.

n“Lysithea-dono, do you see Lord Liam’s dignified appearance?”

n“W-what are you even spouting in this situation? Unless we do something soon, we’ll all be killed!”

nIt was no wonder that Lysithea was angry.

nKnights with great abilities had entered the facility after defeating the guards that were stationed there.

nMoreover, they brought along a Sword Saint with them.

nThe chance of their survival was slim.

nIt was also strange how no help was arriving despite the ruckus.

n(It’s not only Elder Brother Linus. It should be safe to assume that someone higher up is also involved in this. To think they want Cleo dead so much!)

nShe didn’t think Linus alone was enough to convince a Sword Saint into action.

nThere was a possibility that someone above Linus — perhaps Calvin or even a figure above Calvin — had a hand in this.

nWould they make it out of this place alive?

nLysithea had already half given up.

nHowever, Tia, who had healed from her injuries, picked up her weapon and said,

n“There’s no need for us to panic. Please continue to watch their fight. I know not of anyone who is more powerful than Lord Liam.”

n◇

nThere’s one thing I’ve learned from clashing head-to-head with the Sword Saint.

n“You proclaim yourself a Sword Saint with just this? In that case, I shall henceforth be known as a Sword Saint!”

nHearing my mockery, the huge man in front of me clenches his teeth.

nAlthough it may appear that we are exchanging swords equally, there are scratches appearing on the Sword Saint’s arms and legs.

nOf course, I’m totally uninjured.

n“You’re just a brat who hasn’t lived a hundred years yet!”

n“And you’ll be defeated by such a brat! You’re only worth that much! Have you realized the power of the One-Flash? Be glad that you can die having witnessed the strongest swordsmanship!”

n“Bull**!”

nOne-Flash is a wonderful sword technique.

nIt’s probably the best in the world.

nIt’s the world’s misfortune that a fine technique like One-Flash has been bestowed to me, a villain.

nEven so, how long has it been since I last fought with a sword?

nWas it when I played around with Kurt during our training?

nIt was really difficult to hold back that time.

nIf One-Flash has a weakness to speak of, it is that the technique does not allow its user to hold back at all.

nDrawing the sword is equivalent to killing the opponent.

nIt would have been problematic if I had accidentally cut off my opponents’ limbs during matches.

nThose amateurs wouldn’t have known how to deal with the invisible slashes.

nNow, as for why I bothered pulling out my katana at all, it was simply to go easy on him.

nIf I hadn’t, victory and defeat would have been decided the moment my katana was pulled out of its sheath.

nThat is how One-Flash works.

nI’m going along with the Sword Saint to test his abilities out.

nAside from that, I’m also checking how strong I’ve become.

nSuddenly, the Sword Saint jumps back to widen our distance.

nThe thin-eyed man expresses astonishment at the Sword Saint’s behavior.

n“Sword Saint, stop playing around!”

nUnexpectedly, the Sword Saint screams back at the thin-eyed man.

n“Shut the hell up! — Some blood has rushed to my head, but I never thought there would be someone who could match me to this extent. It has been a while since I had this feeling. This is the best. You are the best!”

nThis man is the type of person who enjoys fighting.

nThere are times when knights like these appear.

nHow strong can I become?

nI want to have more thrilling battles.

nAre there stronger opponents?

nThey are pitiful beings that are controlled by these kinds of desires.

nPersonally, I don’t understand them at all.

nAnyway, the Sword Saint takes on the hassō stance, and for a moment, my intuition warns me of its danger.

n“I didn’t think there would be another person that would make me unleash this technique. Please don’t die on me straight away!”

nThe Sword Saint unleashes a slash, but it is awfully crude.

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nHe unleashes a flurry of slashes in an instant, overlapping them and forming a net.

nIt’s probably an attack that is meant to directly suppress its enemies from the front.

n“What a terrible thing.”

nThe Sword Saint roars in laughter.

n“A slash that carries victory! Nobody can escape from this!”

nHe shoots several more of such slashes.

n—It’s terrible in the truest sense.

nI must be an idiot. To think I was wary of this kind of attack.

nAs a license holder of the One-Flash technique, I’m too ashamed to meet my teacher.

nI blow his slashes away, stopping the Sword Saint in his track.

n“You sliced this down as well?”

n“What a letdown. Are you actually considered strong?”

nI’m growing suspicious.

nIn the first place, would a Sword Saint do this kind of dirty job?

nIs he a fake?

nI’m beginning to doubt him.

nSuch a disappointment.

nThe Sword Saint changes his stance again.

nHe holds his sword with one hand and stands naturally before proceeding to exhale for a long period of time.

nThe muscles on the Sword Saint’s body swells up for a moment before shrinking back down.

nI thought he’d swell up, but he shrinks until he’s thinner than he originally was.

nHis clothes do not fit him anymore, so the Sword Saint cuts them into a pan-ichi style.

nAlthough his looks are ridiculous, there is steam coming out of his body like some characters in animes and mangas.

n—Is releasing steam necessary? Couldn’t you have done the same thing with magic?

n“Your appearance changed.”

nThe Sword Saint is laughing, but he looks to be in pain.

nHe must be burdening his body right now.

n“This is the extremes of my swordsmanship. This is where my pursuit of absolute power brought me! A forbidden art which provides me with explosive physical abilities in exchange for my life-force!”

nThe Sword Saint takes a step forward.

nThe very next instant, his sword crashes down on where I was a moment ago.

nThe ground where the Sword Saint is standing has sunken down, and the part of the floor which his sword has struck explodes out in a burst.

nHaving avoided the attack, I open my eyes wide.

nHe has just swung his sword downwards, but it’s already approaching me from the sides and is targeting my torso.

nI dodge this as well, yet another slash comes my way from another direction.

n“How’s this, brat! You still think I’m weak? As I am now, I can bisect a mobile knight! This is strength that surpasses humans!”

nWhen I receive one of his blows with my katana, my feet sink into the ground.

nIt’s very heavy.

nNevertheless, my heart remains calm and tranquil.

n“Extremes, huh… Maybe you were aiming for the wrong thing.”

n“Ahh?”

nMy katana becomes tattered after parrying the flurry of blows from the Sword Saint.

nIf I knew this would happen, I would have brought my prized katana and finished him off with a single blow.

n“You can’t even retaliate, much less seize victory! If you’re waiting for me to tire out, I have unfortunate news for you! Even in this state, I can last a whole day!”

nEvery time the Sword Saint swings his sword, a portion of his skin gets peeled off and a little bit of blood flows out.

nHe can persist for a day? I gotta say that I’m impressed, but—

n“A pity. I thought it could serve as reference, but your swordsmanship is too crude.”

nAll of his movements rely on brute force.

nThere’s no beauty in them.

nI was testing the water to check if there’s anything worth noting, but there’s absolutely nothing.

n— It’s not worth referencing.

n“Brat, you dare scorn my swordsmanship!?”

nI lower my sword and cease all resistance.

nThe Sword Saint’s sword swings down — but fails to hit me.

nThe sword of the Sword Saint, whose eyes are threatening to pop out from the shock, has been snapped from its ricasso.

nThe broken blade spins in the air and imbeds itself on the ground as it lands.

nThe blade is slightly red, suggesting that it has been exposed to a moderate amount of heat.

nI pull my legs out of the ground, return my katana back to its sheath, and stretch.

n“Thanks for your hard work. From today onward, I’ll be calling myself a Sword Saint in your stead.”

nThe Sword Saint is glaring at me.

n“Not yet. It’s not — over —yet.”

nHis head is decapitated, prompting his huge body to collapse while spewing out blood.

nThe large amount blood that is spurted out lands squarely on the thin-eyed man.

nHe’s observing me with murderous eyes.

n“What? You aren’t going to beg for your life?”

nThe thin-eyed man tries to go for his sword as I draw near him, so I slice off both his arms.

nThe thin-eyed man chuckles.

n“When I first heard about the One-Flash technique, I laughed because it sounded like some trick from a street performance — Now that I’m experiencing it for myself, I can’t help but laugh again.”

nInvisible slashes.

nThe essence of One-Flash lies in the fact that the enemies cannot even tell when it was that they were attacked.

nThe thin-eyed man stops resisting.

nWithout turning to look at me, he initiates a conversation.

n“Do you want to know who the mastermind is?”

nI doubt this man will tell us the truth.

nIt’ll just be a waste of time.

n“Unnecessary.”

n“Even if your enemy is the entire empire?”

nThe thin-eyed man raises his face and smiles as if nothing has happened to him.

nHis face right now makes him look like the good guy.

nI chop off his head.

n“That’s precisely what I want.”

nThe empire itself is my enemy? So what?

nThis world is my playground.

nI’ll crush anyone that stands in my way.

nSensing that the battle is over, Lysithea rushes over to me.

n“Hey! Why did you kill him? We might have obtained some information if we conducted an interrogation!”

nYou’re right, but it’s my principle not to do anything meaningless.

n“How will knowing our enemies’ identities help? Don’t forget that we’re still surrounded by enemies.”

n“Y-you’re right.”

n“In the first place, do you really think this guy would have told us the truth? He would’ve just spouted lies to throw us into confusion. This kind of person is not easy to handle.”

nThe guards never arrived despite Cleo being ambushed.

nFor many reasons, it’s hard to believe that only His Highness Linus is behind this.

nIn fact, I doubt he has the authority to mobilize a Sword Saint.

nThat means that my true enemy is either Calvin or the Emperor — to be honest, I’m relieved that they’re being openly hostile.

nLysithea quiets down.

nNext, Tia comes near me and kneels.

n“Lord Liam, I’ve shown you something unsightly.”

nWell, she has done her part by dragging things out against the Sword Saint.

nWith this, I can claim to be a Sword Saint.

nSword Saint — yes, it has a nice ring to it.

n“Considering that it’s you we’re talking about, you’ve done your best. I shall praise you. Besides, I feel good today, so I’ll forgive you. After all, I was able to become a Sword Saint.”

n“Oh, Lord Liam! What a benevolent lord you are!”

nYou’re right.

nThe fact that I’m hiring you is enough proof of my benevolence.

nTia is looking at me with joint hands and shiny eyes.

nIt truly feels nice.

nHigh Highness Cleo who was listening to what we were saying shakes his head.

n“Sword Saint? Count, are you not aware of it?”

n“Huh?”

nCleo gazes at the fallen Sword Saint.

n“Within the empire, only His Majesty the Emperor can appoint Sword Saints. Of course, we can nominate candidates who’ll undergo His Majesty’s examination, but it’s not a title which can be earned by defeating a Sword Saint. ”

nWhen I hear that, I despair over the lack of benefit that comes with killing a Sword Saint.

nA match with nothing to be earned…

n“—You’re kidding, right?”

nWatching me wallow in disappointment, Tia’s cheeks turn rosy.

n“Lord Liam who has missed his mark is also. so. cool.”

nSomehow I don’t feel motivated anymore.

nGuess I’ll head back home for today.

n“Whatever. We’re leaving.”

nLysithea stops me from returning back home.

n“Are you going to do nothing about the situation!? We must secure Cleo’s safety first!”

nYou don’t get it, do you?

nWhy do you think I was horsing around until now?

nIt’s obviously because everything’s already over.

n“The enemies outside have been annihilated, and my men are standing guard. I’ve also reported to the higher-ups. Everything’s already over.”

nAt times like these, it’s convenient to have connections with the higher-ups.

nI’ve contacted the Prime Minister and asked him to take action.

n“I-it’s over?”

nBefore going easy on your enemies, you must make sure that all the hassles have been taken care of.

nIt only makes sense to go easy when you’re certain of victory.

nGoing easy before victory or defeat has been decided is equivalent to being careless.

nYou shouldn’t go easy when you have work left to do.

nIn my case, all that was left was to fight against the Sword Saint.

nThat’s why I went through the trouble of going easy on him.

nGo easy on your opponents only when your victory is guaranteed! – It sounds like a wise saying.

nLet’s have it as my maxim.

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