"What's wrong?"
"What's going on?"
"Is someone fighting?"
"Who is it? It's so loud!"
At this moment, everyone in the Twilight Manor was startled by the sudden sound of clashing blades.
"In the courtyard!"
As soon as someone shouted these words, everyone inside the manor immediately rushed to the windows or ran to any spot where they could see the courtyard, peering outside with curiosity and alarm.
Among them were Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Loki in the office, as well as Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya, who had just recovered from her petrified state and had been gossiping with a group of female members.
"What's all the noise about?"
Even Bete, who looked irritable and was clearly in a foul mood, poked his head out of his room to look toward the courtyard.
And when he saw what was happening, everyone froze.
"Is that... Mr. Riezel and Miss Ais?"
Lefiya's small head pressed up against Anakitty and Alicia as all three stared at the two figures in the courtyard—the very two people who had been the center of their conversation just moments ago.
Lefiya's delicate face was filled with shock and disbelief—the same went for Anakitty and Alicia.
"They're sparring?"
"Their sword dances are so... intense!"
Indeed.
At this very moment, Riezel and Ais were crossing swords in the courtyard, and the clash between them had already become an incredibly fierce battle.
===
Several minutes ago, just as the members of the Loki Familia began murmuring among themselves about the two's relationship, Riezel, who had led Ais into the courtyard, suddenly stopped walking and spoke.
"Wanna spar?"
It was the same question Ais had once asked Riezel many times before.
He remembered well how, when his level had still been low and his strength rather weak, Ais would often ask him that same question, helping him train.
Especially whenever he leveled up, she would always make that suggestion.
Why?
Simply because each time Riezel leveled up, his body became noticeably desynchronized, as the rapid surge of strength caused slight mismatches between body and mind, resulting in an uncomfortable lack of coordination.
For this reason, every time he leveled up, he would ask Ais to spar with him, using intense combat to adjust his senses, synchronize his mind with his newly strengthened body, and regain full control.
Such a routine had continued all the way until he reached Level 5, before he left this world.
In other words, before he became Level 6, it had always been Ais who helped him—teaching him magic, swordsmanship, and using duels to help him adapt to his growing power, restoring harmony between body and mind.
For that very reason, Ais, having witnessed his inhuman rate of growth firsthand, was deeply inspired, and when she later found herself stuck at a bottleneck, that same obsession drove her to take a desperate risk—venturing deep into the Dungeon's 37th Floor to challenge the Floor Boss Udaeus alone.
Fortunately, that decision ended well.
Ais successfully defeated Udaeus, advanced to Level 6, and her body once again grew stronger—awakening a new stage of potential.
And as Riezel spoke with her now, he keenly noticed that Ais, much like his past self, was struggling with a similar imbalance.
Even though several days had passed since her level-up, Ais hadn't gone to the Dungeon nor trained properly, so the physical and mental disharmony of her advancement still lingered.
Knowing this, Riezel immediately brought her to the courtyard and made the same offer Ais once made to him.
"...Can we?"
Ais looked surprised, but not shocked—only a little hesitant.
It couldn't be helped.
Before her last level up, she had been overtaken by Riezel, who had reached Level 5 faster than her.
For a time, she had fallen behind him in strength and had been completely surpassed, but now, she herself had leveled up, advancing from Level 5 to Level 6, making her power now far exceed that of her former self.
Besides, even if her body and mind coordination weren't perfect yet, she could easily overpower several Level 5 First-Class Adventurers.
In this situation, she had once again surpassed the Riezel she remembered—the one who had just reached Level 5 back then.
In Ais's mind, if they sparred now, things might go wrong since she was still struggling to control her new strength, so if she accidentally struck too hard, she might seriously injure Riezel.
At least, that was what she feared.
But what Ais didn't know was that, for Riezel, the 'few days' since they last met had actually been about a year and a half.
He was no longer the same Level 5 novice she remembered but a Level 7 veteran adventurer.
No one in Orario yet realized that the city, which had only ever had a single Level 7 Adventurer, now had a second.
"Don't worry." Riezel said as he stepped calmly to face Ais, then drew Fool from his waist and smiled. "I haven't been wasting time out there. If you still think I'm the same as before, you're in for a nasty surprise."
Hearing this, Ais quietly held her breath.
If anyone else had said something like that, she would have brushed it off, but Riezel was different.
Just look at his achievements.
In seven days, he had gone from Level 1 to Level 2.
In fifteen days, from Level 2 to Level 3.
In thirty days, from Level 3 to Level 4.
In forty-five days, from Level 4 to Level 5.
In just ninety-seven days, a little over three months, he had grown from an ordinary person—one who had never even received a Falna—into a First-Class Adventurer. And not just any First-Class Adventurer, but one who, upon reaching Level 5, had defeated Orario's strongest swordswoman, Sword Princess Ais Wallenstein.
For someone like Riezel, even a few days could bring an earth-shaking transformation.
Now, seeing him standing there with Fool in hand—the sword he had once deemed too precious to use lightly—Ais suddenly felt a suffocating pressure rising within her.
'He's gotten even stronger...'
Not knowing how much Riezel's body had changed, Ais could only take a deep breath, focus, and draw her own sword, Desperate.
They locked eyes for a moment, and then, as if sharing a single thought, both raised their swords and pointed them at each other.
*Whoosh—*
A gust of wind swept across the Twilight Manor, lifting Ais's golden hair and the hem of her skirt, while Riezel's black hair fluttered in response.
A solemn tension filled the courtyard, and then—
*Swish!*
With a roar of wind, both figures vanished from their spots and reappeared at the center, swinging their swords at one another.
*Clang!*
In an instant, the sharp clash of metal echoed throughout the Twilight Manor, startling everyone within.
By then, Riezel and Ais were already locked in fierce combat.
*Clang!**Clang!**Clang!**Clang!*
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
Continuous collision of their swords rang through the air as countless sword flashes burst forth between them, like a storm of slashes crashing toward one another.
Both fighters instantly reached full power as they unleashed a breathtaking sword dance—swift, sharp, and beautiful—each of their blades colliding dozens of times per second.
Fool and Desperate, both imbued with the Durandal attribute, drew trails of silver light through the air, slicing the wind with cold precision as they exchanged relentless attacks and defenses.
Even among First-Class Adventurers, such intensity was rarely seen.
Everyone who peeked out from the manor froze, mesmerized by the dazzling storm of swordlight.
For a moment, the courtyard was filled with flashing silver arcs, the two swords weaving a storm of strikes too fast for the naked eye to follow—slashing, deflecting, countering, each move becoming a deadly dance of precision.
Before long, the battle suddenly shifted.
*BANG!*
With a muffled impact, Riezel's afterimage vanished, revealing his form as he kicked hard against Ais's hastily raised Desperate, sending her flying backward with tremendous force.
"Watch yourself!"
Riezel smiled faintly as he darted forward, unleashing another storm of strikes—faster, sharper, more aggressive than before.
Ais barely managed to block a few blows before one of Riezel's sword flashes grazed her forehead, slicing off a few strands of her golden hair.
"You—"
Ais leaped back without hesitation, flipping several times gracefully to widen the distance, her eyes fixed on Riezel with a changed expression.
"Your swordsmanship..." Ais said in astonishment as she finally noticed the shift in Riezel's movements. "It's... not the same as before, is it?"
"Not quite." Riezel replied with a calm smile.
Ais nodded silently.
Riezel's swordsmanship truly wasn't the same anymore.
In the past, his swordsmanship had been identical to hers—he had learned directly by watching her, mirroring her every move until there was no difference at all.
But now, the swordsmanship he displayed was completely unfamiliar to her.
It was a swordsmanship she had never seen before.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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