Chapter 231 - Is this your True strength!?
"Regret?"
Hearing Roy's words, Kuraudo was puzzled. He took advantage of the pause after Roy flicked Orochimaru aside to step back and regain his stance.
He didn't attack immediately. Instead, he stood still, frowned, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Let me ask you a question," Roy looked at Kuraudo with calm scrutiny. "Was that messy flailing just now your actual level?"
"You got a problem with it?!" Kuraudo snorted coldly, sensing the disdain in Roy's voice.
"I see." Roy sighed. "If I had known you were an amateur who knew nothing about swordsmanship, I wouldn't have wasted my time agreeing to a sword duel."
Roy had hit the nail on the head: Kuraudo didn't understand swordsmanship at all.
From a technical perspective, Kuraudo ignored the basic mechanics of handling a sword. He relied entirely on the brute strength of one arm to swing the sword.
His movements were full of flaws, his stance was open, and he failed to utilize the leverage advantages a greatsword should offer.
This was the source of Roy's disappointment.
Possessing the system replication, Roy could easily analyze and replicate other styles. He had chosen a pure sword duel hoping to see what merits Kuraudo's style held, perhaps to learn something new.
However, the result was underwhelming. In Roy's eyes, Kuraudo was simply a brawler holding a sharp object.
He swung wherever he pleased without skill or discipline..an extreme waste of energy.
"Hahaha! So that's what you meant!"
Kuraudo realized Roy was telling the truth, but he didn't care in the least.
He laughed unscrupulously and admitted it openly. " You're not wrong! I really haven't learned any formal swordsmanship!"
The corners of Kuraudo's mouth curled up in disdain. "But... what does that matter?"
"As long as I'm fast enough! As long as I'm strong enough!"
"I can crush any opponent with Orochimaru in my hand!"
There was no skill in the way Kuraudo wielded his blade, only the wild instinct of a beast. He relied on naked coercion.
"There is some truth in what you say," Roy admitted, not refuting him entirely.
In the world of superpowers, there is a saying: In the face of absolute speed and power, all techniques are useless. As long as one's physical attributes far surpass the opponent's, skill becomes irrelevant.
Kaito Ayatsuji's swordsmanship had been superb, arguably among the best in Japan. However, Kuraudo had defeated him simply because his Marginal counter allowed him to move and react faster than Kaito could physically counter.
To suppress Kuraudo, one needed a level of swordsmanship that could bridge that physical gap, something only a handful of people possessed.
"However," Roy said, his gaze locking onto Kuraudo, "the speed and strength you are so proud of... give you no advantage over me."
At that moment, Kuraudo felt a chill run down his spine. It was as if a sharp blade were pressed against his eye.
The next moment, Roy moved.
He stepped lightly on the ground. With a casual wave, he swung Ascalon.
It looked like an ordinary, unassuming strike, yet Kuraudo felt an overwhelming sense of inevitability.
BOOM!
Kuraudo hurriedly raised Orochimaru to block, but the force of the blow knocked him back several steps.
"This... is your strength?"
Shock filled Kuraudo's face. His arm felt numb, his strength momentarily failing him. He looked down at his sword... and found a crack running along the surface.
"Kuraudo's Device... it cracked!"
The thugs on the sidelines gasped in horror. They stared at the damaged weapon, unable to believe their eyes.
A Device is a construct of the soul, far more durable than ordinary steel. It should be comparable to the highest quality weapons in the world.
Yet, Roy had cracked it with a seemingly random, casual blow.
"You really are strong!" Kuraudo praised him sincerely, the shock turning into adrenaline.
That blow was Roy's first active attack since the duel began. Before this, he had only been defending.
Kuraudo hadn't expected that once Roy showed his fangs, the gap in power would be this vast.
Roy had shown speed equal to his, and now he had demonstrated superior strength.
Kuraudo understood that if this continued, he had zero chance of winning. He was inferior in all three pillars of melee combat: Speed, Strength, and Skill.
"Hey. You said earlier that it didn't matter if I went all out, right?" Kuraudo grinned ferociously.
"Suit yourself," Roy shrugged nonchalantly.
"Then I won't be polite. After all—"
Kuraudo made his decision. He pushed his Marginal to the absolute limit, straining his nerves and muscles to their breaking point.
"I don't like losing either."
Kuraudo let out a sinister grin and unleashed his true technique.
"Orochi!"
With a roar, the Orochimaru in his hand deformed.
The bone segments unlocked and extended, twisting and writhing in the air like a massive skeletal serpent.
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