Shirou's time in the Holy Land of Swords passed quickly. Soon, he had been there for over a month.
During this month, he exercised his body every day and tried to swing the Longsword of Light while controlling the armor he was wearing.
But this step was too hard, and he couldn't do it with just a month of hard work.
However, Shirou's Water God Style and North God Style had improved a lot, further strengthening his foundation and gradually developing special moves that could be used in real battles.
During this time, he sometimes practiced swordsmanship with Eris.
When wearing the armor, if Shirou didn't use projection and relied purely on swordsmanship, sometimes he wouldn't even be Eris's match.
This showed that Eris's talent had gradually blossomed thanks to the training during the Great Transfer and the personal guidance of the Sword God. Even the Longsword of Light was almost completely mastered.
Shirou was naturally very happy about this.
After all, Eris also had the mission of saving the people of the Boreas family, and the stronger she became, the more she could ensure her future safety.
While Shirou and Eris were practicing swordsmanship together, he occasionally met Nina, the Sword God's daughter, and Jino, who was also a disciple of the Sword God.
Jino seemed to admire Shirou and Eris's swordsmanship very much.
Although Eris had defeated Jino with just her killing intent, Jino didn't feel unhappy about it. Instead, he really respected Eris.
Also, when Jino woke up after the fight, he witnessed the second half of Shirou's battle with Ghislaine and was amazed by Shirou's mastery of various fighting styles.
In short, because Jino himself was too humble and sometimes seemed to lack confidence, he often came to Shirou and Eris to ask about swordsmanship or have sword fights.
Nina also came along with him.
On the surface, Nina seemed to be there to take care of her cousin Jino.
But after arriving, Shirou realized that she didn't pay any attention to Jino's affairs at all. Instead, she kept asking about Shirou's situation and even made arrogant comments about his swordsmanship.
Because her attitude was too sharp, Nina often had conflicts and arguments with Eris.
Since Shirou couldn't resolve the situation, the two of them just had sword fights to settle their differences.
Although Eris hadn't fully mastered the Longsword of Light yet, she made up for it with skill and willpower, so she was able to keep up with Nina.
They each won and lost, and eventually, their initially hostile relationship turned into a friendly rivalry.
Shirou also developed a good relationship with Jino.
He also realized that Jino's talent was truly amazing. He could master many sword techniques just by looking at them once, and even a single sentence could lead him to a breakthrough.
This was a true genius, Shirou thought after seeing Jino's abilities.
He also realized why the Sword God had been so critical of him, thinking that he wasn't talented at all.
Compared to those with natural talent, he was just an ordinary person who relied on hard work to compensate, and there was a huge difference between them.
People are not born equal.
But Shirou didn't care about this inequality because he had already decided to become the strongest through his own will.
Time passed like this for a few more days.
Shirou continued to practice swordsmanship with Eris, Jino, and Nina.
One day, while Shirou was practicing swordsmanship as usual, he suddenly noticed a man in dirty armor in the distance, looking at him.
The man had plain features, black hair, and wasn't particularly tall, but he was much stronger than average. Most importantly, as someone who had come to the Holy Land of Swords, he didn't have a sword, the symbol of a swordsman, and looked like a beggar who was passing by.
This was undoubtedly very strange.
The Holy Land of Swords was located in the far north of the continent, covered in snow all year round, and full of monsters. Only swordsmen with a certain level of strength could survive in such an environment.
So, the Holy Land of Swords was a natural screening ground. Swordsmen without strength couldn't even reach the Holy Land of Swords, let alone become disciples of the Sword God.
In such an environment, there couldn't possibly be any roadside beggars.
Moreover, the Holy Land of Swords was a place with nothing to offer. Even if someone wanted to come here to ask for something, it wouldn't be possible in such a harsh environment.
The only people willing to come to this place were swordsmen, those who wanted to reach the highest peak of swordsmanship and become stronger.
So, what was the deal with this man?
He didn't have a sword, which meant he wasn't a swordsman, but he was able to reach the Holy Land of Swords, which meant his strength was definitely not weak...
In confusion, Shirou noticed the dirty man in the distance walking towards him with a faint smile on his face.
Shirou thought this smile looked familiar. After thinking about it carefully, he realized he had seen a similar smile on someone before: the Sword God.
Only those who had reached a certain level and had a free and easy personality, who didn't care about external things, would show such a natural smile.
"..."
Shirou became alert.
At the same time, the man in the distance had come in front of him.
"Are you Shirou?"
The black-haired man said his name right away.
Shirou was confused and wary, and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am Shonder von Grandor, a swordsman from the Contested Lands."
"Swordsman?"
Shirou couldn't understand what the man called Shonder was saying.
Because he wasn't carrying a sword, and he was just wearing extremely ragged and dirty armor.
Of course, this was very much in line with the style of the Contested Lands.
The Contested Lands were located west of the Central Continent, an area separated by the Red Dragon Mountains. Disputes occurred there all year round, and there was never a stable government. Slaughter, disease, theft, robbery... all crimes happened in that chaotic area. The people lived in pain, which meant that the Contested Lands had almost no stable resources. Most people were unkempt and dirty.
Shonder's appearance and the fact that he came from the Contested Lands did match.
However, why would a self-proclaimed swordsman from the Contested Lands know his name, and why would he want to meet him?
While Shirou was confused, Shonder was carefully looking him over. Then, he suddenly said, "Shirou, I've heard about you and I'm very interested in you, so let's have a sword fight."
"?"
Shirou couldn't understand how he had come to that conclusion.
And the main thing was, the other person clearly wasn't carrying a sword, so why would he say he wanted to have a sword fight?
Although in the Holy Land of Swords, sword fights were as common as everyday meals, it wasn't like he would have a sword fight with someone who didn't have a sword, right?
"Are you sure you want to fight? But where's your sword?"
"Ah, I always carry my sword with me."
As Shonder spoke, he pulled out a folded metal stick from his chest. The stick spun in his hand, showing extreme skill.
A stick?
That was a sword?
With this thought, an idea flashed through Shirou's mind, and he realized what the situation might be.
And Shonder had quickly distanced himself from him, ready for a sword fight.
"An inch longer is an inch stronger, don't underestimate my swordsmanship."
"I know that, of course. I also use the North God Style."
"Heh, you really do understand it quickly, just like Gal said."
The name Gal came out of Shonder's mouth again.
Before Shirou could ask if Gal meant the Sword God, the man in front of him was already waving the stick and rushing towards him.
Shonder's movements weren't fast, his speed was slow, and could only be said to be at the upper level of the Sword God Style.
But Shirou didn't let his guard down.
Because he keenly noticed that although Shonder's speed was slow, the stick was incredibly flexible, and could almost instantly reach any distance.
"Clack!"
As soon as they exchanged blows, Shirou was even more sure of his idea.
Shonder was an incredibly strong person.
Although he wasn't giving off any pressure, with his pure skill, Shirou even suspected that he was no less than the Sword God.
"Clink,"
"Clink," "Clink,"
Shirou and Shonder exchanged a few simple blows.
It looked evenly matched, but Shirou clearly realized that his space to live was being compressed little by little. The stick in Shonder's hand was like a chain, constantly limiting the space he could dodge in.
Left with no choice, Shirou realized that he couldn't escape Shonder's limitations with pure swordsmanship, so he first used the Water God Style to block Shonder's attacks, and then, in the next second, projected a bow and arrow, and shot several arrows at Shonder's face.
"Clack!"
Shonder swung the stick in his hand, creating a flower-like pattern, and easily deflected the arrows. Then, he said in surprise, "Water God Style? Archery? This is really unexpected."
"..."
Regarding Shonder's words, Shirou was the one who was even more surprised.
He could almost be certain that the man in front of him wasn't some so-called swordsman who was just passing by. Even if his strength wasn't at the God level, he was at least a top-level Emperor level powerhouse.
From the battle until now, neither of them had used fighting spirit, but Shirou was already being suppressed to the point of almost not being able to breathe, which was enough to show the other person's strength.
Left with no choice, Shirou didn't hide anything, and directly activated projection, creating Kanshou and Bakuya, and holding the twin swords in his hands, he used the swordsmanship of his favorite Servant Emiya.
He had already prepared himself for a desperate battle.
Who knew that Shonder's eyes would light up when he saw this? He said excitedly, "Just like Gal said, you really have the potential to learn the North God Style, Shirou."
---
Read 55+ advanced chapters on patreon.com/yeyeqiu