When I was training my magical power with Amy, I accidentally discovered a book.
That book had strange symbols; it was written in the elven language.
She read it and said there was something very interesting for me.
It was called [Astral Equipment].
This equipment is something like materializing a phantom weapon.
It requires a lot of concentration. So for an entire year, I was practicing it.
At first, I couldn't maintain it, and it would vanish.
But thanks to my inner peace, I was able to learn it without problems.
In my right hand, a sword with a blade black as night was manifesting.
Its hilt was similar to a Japanese katana.
But the saber was Western-style.
Small electric sparks ran through the saber.
I named it. Gram.
In honor of the last good game I played before I died.
It was a sword that measured the same as the leg of a person nearly two meters tall.
I can wield it without problems.
Once it was fully materialized, I observed Lambert with his sword.
The blade was white with golden edges.
The hilt was decorated as if it were an ancient statue.
A green gem was in the center; it looked like a French sword.
Our eyes met.
Hatred and bloodlust were visible in both.
Then...
◇◇
The Attley Household is a margraviate that has served the empire for centuries.
When the last king of the Arklight Kingdom was in crisis, because an alliance called the Unified Kingdoms, formed by the current seven dukes, decided to attack them.
I don't know the reason, but what I do know is that the first ally remaining for that kingdom was a man named Lyonnet Attley. That is, my ancestor.
One by one, they defeated the alliance, which wasn't very united to begin with.
According to the king, he offered them a truce so as not to destroy them.
The deal was that they would unite into a single state; that's how the Arklight Empire was born.
I, the next head of my family, was truly happy to have such an honor.
The first emperor asked my ancestor if he wished to be a duke. But he refused out of modesty.
In the end, the emperor made him the empire's first sword saint.
The title of saint, unlike the [Holy Kingdom], comes from my ancestor's honesty and values.
Joy coursed through my body. That's why I wanted to live up to my ancestors' expectations.
I didn't want to be the only Attley who was a weakness.
But, as time passed. No matter how much I trained with the sword, I could do something right.
My father always practiced with me; he was very rough, but it was for my own good.
The son of a margrave must be strong, and even more so for us who protect the emperor and one of the borders.
My skills were weak, but one day it changed.
My aunt brought me to the birthday of a person I didn't know. It was the third prince, Regulux.
I was scared; my family belonged to the imperial family's faction.
I must show my best and not embarrass them.
I was too nervous to speak.
So much so that I secretly went to the bathroom to vomit.
Once I came out, I walked down a long hallway.
I got lost.
This place is enormous.
I tried to return to the bathroom, but I didn't find it, nor the maid who showed me the way.
I was about to cry.
(I am weak.)
(Even if I am a child, I was very weak.)
I was about to get on my knees and call for my aunt when a kind voice called me.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Turning around, a well-dressed boy with blonde hair and green eyes was talking to me.
His arms behind his back made him look very harmless.
"... No. I..."
"You're lost, aren't you?"
I was terrified to say yes. So I just lowered my head in shame.
"No problem!" He said. With a smile on his lips, he said. "I used to get lost a lot too, but with practice, I would find my way back."
"Huh?"
(He spoke as if he knew this place. So there could only be one answer.)
"Uhm... are you His Highness Regulux?"
He puffed out his cheeks like a balloon.
"I don't like being called that!"
"I'm sorry..."
"It's okay. It's just that all the adults around are very annoying."
"Really?"
"Yes. Hey, would you like to be my friend?"
"Huh?"
It was the first time in my life that someone asked me if I wanted something. They never had; they only said things like 'do it' or 'it's your obligation'.
But never if I wanted something.
"Umm... yes, please."
"Great!"
His Highness grabbed my hand and then pulled me to follow him.
"Since we're friends, let's go play in the garden!"
"B-But, what about the party?"
"Forget that. They only use it to meet."
That's how I met my first friend.
We became close, so close that we called each other by short names as a symbol of our friendship.
I was happy, so much so that I made a vow to myself.
"I will protect him."
"I will dedicate my sword to protecting him, and thus, one day become a sword saint like my ancestor. Because I am sure that Lux will become emperor."
He always tells me there are problems with faction matters between his older brothers. So something like a dispute between them wouldn't be strange.
That's why he wants to be emperor. To end those annoying family disputes.
His resolution made me happy, to the point where, for some strange reason, I felt a tingling in my stomach.
(I think I shouldn't have eaten so many sweets.)
One day, Lux told his fiancée some truths. I always told him not to meddle in his personal affairs, but a strange boy and his half-brother, the fourth prince, did something stupid like picking a fight with Lux.
He accepted the duel, and that's how we ended up here.
I lost in a very cowardly way at the hands of the useless prince. Then Lux forgave me for losing despite having sworn I would win.
He's undoubtedly a great man; I wish I had a little sister so she could be engaged to him.
That way we would be real family.
When Lux fought that weird face, he ended up beating him. The result was normal.
But then an annoying creature appeared; that creature hurt my best friend.
But why did this happen?
The answer, like the culprit, is simple.
(That weird face is responsible for Lux being unconscious!)
(I will not allow him to escape!)
(I will use this opportunity to kill him and thus eliminate a future problem for him!)
I pointed my sword, the inheritance of the first sword saint, at him.
Our battle began.
◇◇◇
Razel and Lambert were ready to fight.
Both of their swords were ready; their feet gathered magical power to rush off instantly.
But at that moment, they forgot that Xerxes was present.
It seemed to be fighting the ships of the people who came to see the duel.
It used its technique again.
Great Stomp.
The area where both were standing was right next to it.
They were lifted by the impact, then hit when they fell, but it didn't end there.
The earth fractured in two.
One part was sunken, and the other was lifted like a staircase.
Razel tried to grab onto a tree to avoid falling.
But Lambert didn't give him a chance.
Using the speed of the fall, he aimed for Razel's neck.
He realized what his opponent was plotting, so he let go so he wouldn't get cut.
Lambert's sword attack was so sharp that it cut the tree in half like butter.
But it didn't end there.
Seeing that Razel was heading to a less steep area, he decided to follow him.
Both of their magical attributes were the same, lightning.
Razel activated the ability he used against Squall. God of Lightning Speed.
His body shone with a beautiful light blue as he ran.
Lambert wasn't going to let him escape.
As a practitioner of the Lyonnet Style, learning footwork was normal. But the footwork he learned was different.
It involved his magical attribute.
He called it. Phantom Feet.
Leaving a residual illusory figure, Lambert approached Razel at great speed.
Debris of earth and trees fell towards both of them.
Razel cut through trees, and after cutting the last one falling in front of him, he observed Lambert moving his sword from top to bottom to finish him off.
"You damn cheater!" Razel shouted as he defended himself.
Left and right, up and down.
Strikes of metal against metal and blue sparks resonated in that great roar.
A blue light from Razel's sword left a dazzling shadow each time he defended.
He couldn't attack; in the situation he was in, he had to observe his surroundings so as not to trip or crash into a tree.
The moment his eyes weren't on his opponent.
Lambert used a special attack.
"Lightning magic: Great Catastrophe!"
A bright light emanated from his sword; it approached Razel, and he dodged it.
A great explosion occurred.
Razel jumped directly to one side and now rolled downhill.
Lambert ran towards him, leaving a shadow of himself that vanished almost instantly.
When he made the same move again, Razel prevented it by striking his sword upward.
But Lambert didn't care; with the same force it was thrown, he brought it down.
Razel dodged it. His sword now headed towards Lambert's side.
A slight jump allowed him to avoid the blow.
But the fall didn't stop them.
The great column of earth that was now the area they were on split into pieces.
Large fractions of land flew out.
They used that to fight there.
Razel jumped to different places so Lambert would follow him.
He waited for him on a very large one, the size of a basketball court.
Once Lambert arrived.
They resumed their battle.
Razel approached, left to right. He retreated and advanced to strike his opponent.
The bloodlust from both was so great that anyone could tell those strikes were meant to kill the other.
They were classmates from the same academy. Even if they didn't know each other or were friends, trying to kill each other was wrong.
Lambert struck Razel with all the force he could muster.
He shouted as sweat fell from his forehead.
"Why?! How is it possible? I am stronger than you!"
"Why can't I defeat you easily?"
Lambert couldn't understand. Being one of the swordsmen who had surpassed the master level, he was having trouble with a nobody.
In practice, he would look at those who had potential. But none of them were worth it.
Then...
Why was Razel so strong?
The strikes of their swords resonated more and more.
Lambert got so angry that he purposely destroyed the ground they were on.
All the fractions of earth were still flying, but the one they were both fighting on began to fall.
In the middle of that fall, Lambert tried to kill Razel.
The two fell at great speed towards the ground.
Razel pushed Lambert to go to a piece of land that was still in the air.
But he didn't allow it.
Savagely, Lambert grabbed Razel by the collar of his clothes to push him to the ground.
They were getting closer and closer to their deaths.
But they didn't care about that.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"
From the depths of their throats, they fought intensely; just before hitting the ground, they both pushed each other to fall in different places.
Lambert fell onto some branches that broke at great speed, while Razel fell directly against a tree, splitting it in half.
Upon realizing this, Lambert laughed.
"Hahaha, you deserve it!"
He celebrated victory against his opponent.
"I win! Now, to take care of his broth—!"
Immediately, the words were cut off. Not because he bit his tongue.
But because his face was hit by an electrified rock.
It was thrown at great speed.
His cheek was red.
Blood dripped from between his teeth.
In front of him was Razel with scratches and blood dripping from everywhere.
But even with that, he was in perfect condition.
Lambert's face was euphoric.
His white teeth were covered in blood.
"Why don't you just die?! Huh?!"
Once again, the attack began.
Lambert lunged in a straight line to cut Razel.
Moving back, he dodged it.
It was all thanks to the activated Eagle Eye.
"One more time!" Said Lambert.
His sword moved diagonally or horizontally.
No matter which direction it took.
Razel dodged it without problems.
He even stopped Lambert's sword with his own.
Lambert trembled because of what he witnessed.
His own sword trembled, but Razel's did not.
Then, for the first time in the fight and in his life, he retreated.
"Wh— What was that?"
His sword trembled; no, it was his hand that did.
Lambert observed something he had never seen in his entire life.
Razel... was emanating a strange black aura.
That aura took the form of a skull with red eyes.
It was laughing in a gruesome way.
Lambert looked into that skull's eyes, and a message appeared in his head.
Instant death!
That's what he saw.
His own death was being announced if he continued fighting this opponent.
Lambert had various thoughts as he panted.
(What is this?)
(Why? Why do I feel afraid of this guy?)
(I don't understand... he's just a normal guy who made the worst mistake of his life. Fighting those three shouldn't have been a big deal. But this is out of this world!)
A blow came to his intact cheek.
It was his own hand.
"Don't fuck with me!"
He looked fiercely at Razel.
"A guy like you!"
"An individual like you!"
His teeth were pressed together so hard that blood came from his gums.
"A guy like you will never be able to defeat me!"
"I don't care about that anymore."
Lambert never realized that Razel had moved right behind him.
While slowly, as in a horror movie, he turned around. Razel struck his cheek with the hilt of his sword.
Lambert was sent flying several meters in a straight line.
Gradually, he descended until he crashed.
Like a car accident, he left a trail of destruction where he fell.
He was briefly unconscious.
But he lifted his head.
Blood dripped from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.
He couldn't understand what was happening.
He was supposed to be strong.
He was part of the 12 candidates to become the next sword saint.
Part of the Three Swords, those who are better than a master swordsman.
Then, why was he losing?
Lambert didn't understand anything; his head was still spinning.
Razel slowly approached.
Lambert used all his strength to stand up.
His legs trembled.
His sword, which was a family heirloom, had cracks and seemed about to break in two at any moment.
One of his eyes was stained with blood.
No one could have imagined that his condition could have been caused by a nobody.
Lambert murmured.
"You... aren't a simple human, are you?"
Shadows covered Razel's face.
For a second, Lambert remembered the mysterious criminal named Licht that had been talked about lately in the palace.
He burst out laughing.
"No, it can't be. That would be absurd."
The laughter resonated at the same time as the destruction behind him.
Lambert smiled.
His smile was calm, but it gave a sinister feeling.
"This is the first time in my life I've tasted my own blood. It's just like chewing iron, very disgusting."
Razel didn't respond.
Without hesitation, Lambert's sword lifted to point at him.
"You are dangerous, very dangerous. I will not allow you to approach His Highness... to Lux. Here and now, I will finish you."
Lambert smiled with his teeth covered in blood.
"This is a battle to the death between the two of us!"
"If you beat me, I will acknowledge that you are stronger than all the candidates combined!"
"In this country, power is everything; for that reason, the empire is a glorious nation that prides itself on its warriors!"
"Someone like me... losing to an insignificant rat like you... would be worse than death!"
"I will no longer do it for Lux, but for myself! I, Lambert von Attley, acknowledge you, whoever you are, as my true rival and sworn enemy!"
"The blood of one of us will bathe this earth!"
With those words, Lambert began to glow.
"Admire the move with which I can equal a sword saint! Lightning magic!"
Magical power gathered in his feet now.
Something similar to wings materialized.
"God's Walk!"
Lambert disappeared.
No.
He jumped.
He jumped from his spot to a tree near Razel.
Razel didn't even look.
Then, he repeated that pattern, leaving a bright trail.
Tree after tree was struck by his feet, leaving a blue trail.
He shouted at Razel while almost touching him.
"This move allows me to leave residual images of myself! No matter what you see, you'll never guess which one is me!"
An army of Lambert clones jumped here and there.
Trying to cut Razel and failing.
This was the final move he learned in the game.
Razel knew it perfectly.
He sighed a little and then said to Lambert, who was approaching from above to cut him in half.
"You know, I used to be like you?"
For a moment, Lambert lost concentration.
Razel directed his face towards him.
A sinister smile was reflected; the blood didn't help remove its sinister nature.
"Just kidding~ idiot~"
"I just wanted to try that phrase and see how effective it was. It seems it only works on guys with complexes like you."
Lambert, seeing himself mocked, shouted with all his might.
"Aaaahhh, you miserable son of a—!"
He was stunned by what he observed.
"Let me show you a true secret technique to finish your enemies. Lightning magic."
Imitating a move from an anime he saw long ago.
Razel's arms shone; they seemed to move slightly and then...
"Super Speed Strike Barrage."
Both arms disappeared.
No.
The arms moved at a speed similar to a swallow's fluttering.
They were so fast that only the palms of the fists could be seen.
Those fists headed at great speed towards Lambert.
Hundreds of them were inches from touching his body.
Ribs, kidneys, heart, intestines, and above all, the face.
Little by little, they sank from the force of the impact.
Before he could feel anything, Lambert murmured something Razel didn't hear.
"... Lux, I—"
"I guess... I can be a sword saint, can't I?"
"Huh?"
At that moment, a new world of pain opened up for Lambert.
"Afajafahajakajafahagada!"
Lambert's body was ground down by blows that traveled at a speed that, without exaggerating, could be said to be the speed of light.
His eyes were white; only strange sounds came from his mouth.
Only 20 seconds passed before Razel stopped.
But before doing so, he threw one last strike at his jaw, sending him flying straight into the sky.
Lambert was no longer conscious, but Razel didn't care about that.
He just wanted to vent some violence.
He also jumped into the sky; his right fist aimed for Lambert's stomach.
Everything was going to end right now.
"With this, I guess I shouldn't expect them to defeat any demon king, should I?"
The fist impacted the stomach in such a way that Lambert bent into a V shape as he fell straight to the ground.
The impact was so strong that the layer of earth bent like a hospital bed.
There, covered in earth, blood, and missing a few teeth, with eyes white.
Lay the strongest capture target, and also, the next sword saint.
With this, Razel could verify that he doesn't need any of the capture targets, only Lily.
Although he wishes she truly doesn't need them.
Falling slowly over the large hole, Razel thought.
(Now what the hell should I do about this?)
Upon landing, he took Lambert in his arms to leave him in a safe place.
His sword was already broken, so he didn't care.
Even if he's a bastard, I can't leave the heir of an important house lying around.
If anyone found out about this, they'd surely send me to the gallows.
While checking where to leave the badly injured Lambert, he remembered there was another threat.
Looking towards the direction where Xerxes should now be.
Razel shouted.
"Wh— What the hell!"
And unintentionally, he dropped Lambert.
Because of what he saw.