Chapter 180

Chapter 180

After Cedric disappeared into the distance, Leon finally sheathed his sword and let out the breath he had been holding.

“

Phew

...!”

The exhale carried the thick stench of blood. His abdomen throbbed with internal injuries, his hands had split open again and again with no time to heal, and his eyes—abused to their limits with Rodrick’s Vision—burned as if they might fall out.

In other words, Leon was in ruins. If his body hadn’t become tougher after ascending to the Master’s realm, he would have lost his grip on his sword midway or fallen out of rhythm entirely.

What saved him was the lingering light of Solaris within the Holy Sword and the moon hanging in the sky above, accelerating his regeneration. His palms, crushed so badly that even the lines had been erased, swiftly mended back to a spotless state, leaving behind only faint stains of blood. Internal wounds, too, eased with a few breaths until his bloodstream calmed and his body returned to normal.

Without the Stigmata, I’d have been suffering for at least half a month.

And that was without even taking a direct hit. The shocks that bled through during the exchange of blows, the force spilling past the swords, had shaken his very Aura and churned his organs. A direct strike would have been instantly fatal.

The Sword Demon, Cedric. Leon felt the full weight behind that name.

Karen, after inspecting him up and down several times, growled with a savage look.

“Leon! Are you alright? That lunatic! He clearly never cared about the evaluation in the first place!”

By Guild principle, even an S-rank test usually ended with verifying the authenticity of the Aura Blade or gauging the candidate’s abilities through a brief spar. Cedric had thrown those rules out the window without a second thought.

Leon didn’t deny it, so he only let out a wry smile and said, “He didn’t carry killing intent, but he was plenty ready to cut me down.”

“The Guild really is useless! To send a maniac like Cedric as an examiner when they can’t even take responsibility for what happens after? What are they thinking? Actually, are they even thinking at all?”

Karen fumed as if she were angry on his behalf. They were fortunate it ended before either of them was gravely injured. Just a bit further, and things might have turned fatal.

Cedric’s Aura Blade’s cutting power was beyond guessing. If it had touched flesh, armor or no armor, it would have sliced through and severed bone without doubt.

Leon ignored the goosebumps prickling up his neck and continued to soothe her until her fury began to ebb. Karen then shifted the topic.

“Still, it’s incredible that you snapped the Sword Demon’s blade! From what I know, it was an adamantium alloy. That’s supposed to be the hardest of all special metals!”

“That wasn’t me. It was the Holy Sword...” Leon trailed off, looking down at the blade.

From halfway through, he stopped aiming at me and went for the sword. Otherwise, he had at least three clear chances to strike my vital spots...

He had a guess why. Aura Blades were born from the inner desire of their wielder. Al Razzaz revered the giants of desert legend; Varg longed for the storm-wielding might of his grandfather. Leon’s Sun Sword, too, had been profoundly influenced by El-Cid—the Sun—he’d glimpsed in his inner world.

So then, what was Cedric the Sword Demon’s desire?

—A sword that can cut through anything,

huh

? For a swordsman, that’s as pure as it gets. He hasn’t reached the level of cutting through concepts or space yet, but even special metals must fall like paper before him. You won’t overpower him with pure Aura output alone.

That’s what I figured.

Cedric’s Aura Blade was a sword that could literally cut through anything. Before that blue-grey blade, paper and adamantium were no different. That was why he inevitably burned with spirit when faced with a Holy Sword whose steel stood unbroken.

It was the very embodiment of paradox. An unstoppable spear against an unbreakable shield. In the end, the shield had proven stronger.

—

Eh

, even if he could cut through concepts or space, the Holy Sword would’ve stayed unscarred all the same.

Really...?

—Yep. I tried it myself. Tried to cut it with dimensional severance, only for the recoil to shatter my wrist. That technique once split a grand duke demon across his thirty-eighth barrier, yet against this sword, nothing.

At El-Cid’s words, Leon was struck dumb. If that was true, then Cedric’s challenge had been sheer recklessness.

Had he not wasted strokes looking for inefficient attack routes to pound against the sword, Leon wouldn’t have lasted even twenty exchanges once Cedric breached his range. The Sword Demon’s swordplay was that terrifying, and his Aura Blade was all but a natural counter to the Sun Sword, which specialized in destructive, wide-range output.

The Sword Demon. That moniker was the man’s very essence. That was Cedric’s truth and strength.

This wasn’t a victory I earned with my own power.

Leon clenched his teeth, realizing it anew. He could come up with excuses. If they’d fought in a wider space... If he’d had room to unleash Icarus Wing or Grand Chariot... If he’d kept Cedric at bay and worn him down...

No, I can’t think like this.

After running through a string of ifs, Leon let out a long sigh. Just as he had cards he hadn’t played, Cedric surely had ones he kept hidden.

Though his own attitude hadn’t been the coldest, Cedric must still have treated this as an “evaluation.” Had it been a true fight to the death, he would’ve dropped Leon’s head before ever sparing a glance at the Holy Sword.

I need more real combat experience against people. El-Cid was right—I’m the type whose weaknesses show most clearly against a single strong foe.

He had fought monsters more than men, climbing too quickly to temper his technique. It was a flaw born of that path, and also a flaw that a generalist carried.

He could handle any situation above average, but against a single-minded breaker like Cedric, he was vulnerable. The only way to patch that weakness was through experience.

Reaching that conclusion, Leon turned his head to look at Karen.

“Mr. Hero? What is it?” she asked.

“Just looking.”

“

Uh

...”

For some reason, Karen froze stiff at that, while Leon’s mind drifted back into other thoughts.

Karen alone isn’t enough. Elahan is exceptional in close combat, but she’s not a technician like Cedric. So, who else could I ask to spar with for practice against people?

Al Razzaz and Varg would have been suitable opponents, but leaders of entire factions couldn’t be tied down for such personal requests. They were likely spending sleepless nights already handling the aftermath of the battle in the desert.

Seeking out his brother under Rodrick, Kasim, was another option, but that would delay his departure for the Empire too much. Leon’s problem wasn’t easily solved. And then—

“Looks like the promotion evaluation went well.”

From the entrance of the training hall appeared a towering figure in a priest’s robes, smiling kindly. It was Irexana.

Neither Leon nor Karen had expected him, so they rose immediately. He was supposed to be far too busy repairing the Holy Weapons. Had he spared time out of concern for Leon? Seeing the question in their eyes, Irexana quickly explained.

“The restoration of a Holy Weapon is divided into two processes. One is reforging the metal frame and physical form, the other is infusing Holy Power and reconstructing the formulas within.”

“Then, is Elahan...?”

“Yes, the Saintess herself is handling the latter part. Even among cardinals, few can rival her in working with the relics.”

Irexana smiled sheepishly, but it was only natural. Elahan’s gifts were such that she was hailed as the mightiest Saintess in history, and the Holy Power she carried exceeded her predecessors several times over. Even Irexana couldn’t keep up with her in this craft.

Having given his explanation, Irexana then asked in return, “It seems the evaluation concluded well, but I see worry on your face. Will you share it with me? I’d like to help.”

“

Ah

, in fact, I was hoping to ask you something.”

The thought had struck him just moments earlier. Cardinal Irexana, despite his calm demeanor and gentle nature, possessed combat ability that was among the three strongest Leon had ever faced. Other than Kasim, no one could confidently claim victory against him, with even Al Razzaz and Varg a few steps beneath him.

If Leon wanted to speak about what he had learned from his clash with Cedric, there was no better person.

“I see. A lack of experience in fighting people. Considering most of your battles have been against non-humans, that’s understandable.”

The raid in the desert had forced him to reach the realm of Aura Master, defeating Nephren-Ka in the process. It wasn’t strange to assume that his Aura Blade had taken shape suited more to fighting monsters than men.

After a moment of thought, Irexana nodded and said, “If you’re willing, I have an idea.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“While you remain here, I’ll personally devote myself to assisting with your training.”

“You mean...”

Irexana nodded with a smile and answered, “Yes. I would make a fairly suitable sparring partner for the Hero, don’t you think?”

“You must already be busy with the repairs. We’d hate to impose further.”

“Not at all. Both the Saintess and you, the Hero, are blessings the Goddess has bestowed upon this world. No clergy would ever consider it a burden to serve such a cause.”

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“I-I see.”

Leon wasn’t especially devout, and he was weak against such earnest words. Still, it was a welcome outcome.

“I’ll help too, Mr. Hero!” Karen chimed in.

“Thanks.”

Karen, too, still had things to teach him. Though her Twilight Waltz style was an assassination art rather than a formal school, its roots lay in the techniques pioneered by Rodrick himself. Refined by years of real combat and assassination, it could never be dismissed.

If Leon ever crossed blades with an Assassin Master somewhere on the continent, his spars with Karen would prove invaluable.

“The restoration will continue as it does today. By day, I’ll reforge the frames at my forge, and by night, the Saintess will recharge the relics and reweave their formulas. That way, the Saintess and Karen can spar with you by day, and I’ll face you at night.”

“All three in a single day?” Leon, startled by the brutal schedule, asked again, but Irexana seemed to interpret it differently.

“Sparring with the same person all day builds habits. What works against one may fail against another. That’s why you should alternate between the three of us.”

“Understood...”

Seeing the Cardinal’s greater enthusiasm, Leon gave up on excuses and simply agreed. After all, harsh training was nothing new to him.

Irexana. Elahan. Karen.

None of them were opponents to take lightly. Each was strong and unique: the cardinal with monstrous strength and twin axes, the saintess who swung her massive hammer like a reed, the Assassin Master who had mastered Rodrick’s original art. He would gain combat experience in abundance.

“By the way, Cedric hasn’t changed at all. Ten years ago or now, his temperament is the same,” Irexana muttered.

At those words, Leon’s eyes went wide, and he asked, “You know him?”

“He challenged me ten years ago. I defeated him. His talent was astounding—I wondered if his skill with the sword was something innate.”

“Ten years ago? That man is truly reckless.”

Leon couldn’t help admiring his audacity.

Irexana, whose lifespan far outstripped humans, hadn’t grown much stronger in those years, but back then, Cedric had only been a few years into his life as a Swordmaster. His Aura Blade and his sword skills both must have been far inferior to what they were now, yet he had dared to challenge Irexana.

“Reckless as it was, that audacity shaped the Cedric we see today. Say what you will of his character, but in many ways, he’s remarkable.”

Even Irexana, who rarely spoke ill of others, couldn’t fully excuse Cedric’s nature. Leon and Karen chuckled, and he scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.

And so, the night in Jugend passed on.