TWEM Vol. 6 Chapter 17 Part 1
Chapter 17 – Duel with the Princess
As soon as the starting signal was given, Charlotte moved in front of me in an instant. She probably used Ground Shrink.
“Haaaaah!”
With a spirited voice, Charlotte swung her sword at me.
But I parried it with my sword.
“What!?”
Charlotte was surprised that her sword was deflected.
That momentum caused her to lose her balance, and I unleashed a shockwave of magic power on her.
“Damn!!”
Charlotte was unable to resist the impact and was blown backward.
She managed to adjust her stance mid-air and landed on her feet, but fell to her knees on the ground.
She was directly hit by the shock wave, and the damage was not negligible.
“It’s not over yet, is it?”
“Of course not!”
Charlotte sheathed her sword.
At that moment, Charlotte’s mood changed completely and her eyes became sharp.
Once again, Charlotte moved in front of me in an instant.
From there on, it was a storm of sword fighting.
Charlotte’s sword and mine collided over and over again.
The knights probably couldn’t follow the movement of the swords, and all they could see were the sparks that were generated when the swords collided.
“This is getting us nowhere, isn’t it?”
Charlotte muttered and took a large step back, taking a breath, and then she drew closer again using Ground Shrink.
I didn’t panic and tried to deflect that sword like last time, but―
“Got you!”
Charlotte, perhaps seeing through my attempt to deflect the sword, stopped just before it collided with the sword.
The fact that the sword stopped meant…
“I knew it.”
I avoided the kick by taking a step backward.
“I’m not done yet! —Yamabuki!”
Charlotte’s sword glowed gold.
I had a bad premonition and tried to keep my distance, but I noticed that my legs were not moving and lowered my gaze.
“What!?”
Then, to my surprise, a thin branch of a plant was wrapped around my leg.
I could see that this was the reason I couldn’t move.
Interesting. It really was an interesting magic sword.
Speaking of Yamabuki, I remember there was a plant like that. If I remember correctly, the kanji was Yamabuki*. (TLN: Also known as Japanese rose bush)
As I looked closely, I could see that the plant that was wrapped around my leg was exactly the said Yamabuki.
“—Bloom! Yamabuki!”
The next moment Charlotte said that, countless golden flowers –Yamabuki flowers– were in full bloom in the air.
And as soon as Charlotte swung her sword down, the flowers of Yamabuki attacked me.
Unable to move from the spot, I counteracted by unleashing a technique.
If that was Yamabuki, this would be cherry blossoms.
After sheathing my sword, I got into the stance of drawing the sword.
“—Disordered Cherry Blossom.”
A blizzard of cherry blossoms and countless wildflowers.
The sight of crimson and gold clashing with each other and decorating the training ground looked fantastic.
But it was only for a moment.
When both of our techniques disappeared, Charlotte had a look on her face as if she was about to say something.
“Did you guess wrong?”
When I said that in a provocative manner, Charlotte silently approached me.
And without saying a word, she unleashed countless sword strikes.
However, I was not in a hurry, and I dealt with all of them with my sword, sometimes taking advantage of an opening to counterattack.
“Even with this, I was still unable to reach him…!”
I heard Charlotte mutter as such.
“Let’s finish this now.”
“Not yet! —Bloom! Yamabuki!”
The Yamabuki flowers were in full bloom again.
I quietly sheathed my sword while looking at it.
“No, it’s over —Enmity Cherry Blossom.”
A crimson trail raced horizontally.
At the same time as the sound of the sword being sheathed, all of the blooming wildflowers disappeared.
This technique called Enmity Cherry Blossom was something I just created.
The target’s coordinates were determined by space-time magic, and a slash with the power of absolute severity was delivered to the target through precise Magic Power Manipulation, causing it to vanish.
This technique, which cuts even through space, could be called the best technique I could use.
I felt bad for Charlotte, but she was the perfect opponent to try out new techniques on.
I cut away the branches restraining my legs, and using Ground Shrink, I approached Charlotte in an instant and thrust the tip of my beloved sword at her throat.
Charlotte was stunned and seemed unable to believe what had just happened.
But after a moment, Charlotte regained her composure, lowered her sword, and raised her hands.
“As expected of an adventurer with two titles: ‘Demon King’ and ‘Annihilator.’ It was my complete defeat.”
“I don’t like those two titles.”
The duel ended with Charlotte’s surrender.
The knights’ applause and cheers echoed through the training ground.
A voice like this was also heard from among them.
“I never thought he would defeat Lady Charlotte…”
“Is this the strongest adventurer?”
“Right. I couldn’t help but notice it.”
“I didn’t see the first attack. When did she move?”
“In any case, both of them were incredibly talented.”
“That’s right.”
They were constantly praising the match between me and Charlotte.
I opened my mouth to Charlotte while listening to the words of the knights.
“You’re also very strong, Charlotte. I didn’t think you would be able to block my movement with a plant.”
“It’s a bit embarrassing to be praised like that, but it makes all the training worth it.”
I never thought she would be able to move so well. Her level must be very high.
.
|
Name: |
Charlotte von Galzio |
|
Level : |
87 |
|
Age : |
17 |
|
Race : |
Human |
|
Skill : Sword Arts Lv10 |
Sword Arts Lv10 Ground Shrink Lv8 Physical Boost Lv9 Intimidation Lv8 Tenacity Lv7 Detect Presence Detect Mana |
|
Title : |
Second Princess of Galzio’s Empire Warrior Princess |
.
Even though she has no unique skills, she was quite strong.
She also had a good sense of battle that lived up to her title of “Warrior Princess”.
And what I was more interested in than her status was the sword that Charlotte was holding.
.
|
Name: |
Sword of Yamabuki |
|
Rarity: |
Phantasm |
|
Remarks : |
It is said that a single flower was bathed in a large amount of light and became a sword. By praying to this sword, you can freely control plants within a radius of 50 meters. The user is immobilized, and increases the power of physical abilities and combat skills by three times. |
.
This effect of “manipulating plants freely” is powerful.
I decided to ask her one question.
“Where did you get that sword?”
“This sword?”
“It looks like a pretty good sword, so I was a little curious.”
“I feel more power from that thin single-edged sword that you hold than mine though…?”
Well, she did have a good eye for seeing through things.
“This is Black Katana Benizakura. It’s not a sword, but a weapon called a katana. Do you want to know about its rarity?”
“Katana, is it? I would love it if you could tell me its rarity. Is that okay?”
“Are you going to tell me where you got that sword too?”
“Of course.”
Seeing Charlotte nod, I opened my mouth.
“The rarity of this weapon is Divine.”
“Oh, it’s a Divine weapon!? May I ask how you got it?”
“I made it myself. It was originally a Legend weapon, but various things happened and it became what it is.”
“I’m surprised that you made it yourself, but I see…it’s a weapon worthy of being held by the most powerful adventurer.”
Charlotte nodded in agreement, then told me about her own sword.
“I was given this sword by my father when I was very young. I heard that it came from a country in the east. It is said that a flower called Yamabuki, which blooms in that country, was exposed to so much light that it became a sword.”
I see, it’s an eastern country. The lore is also in line with the appraisal results.
“Anyway, it’s a very beautiful sword.”
“I think so too.”
Charlotte said that and smiled as if a flower had bloomed.
And just like that, the duel between me and Charlotte ended.
～