Chapter 136: Act 69 – Brendel’s Swordsmanship (Part 2)
“There’s no doubt you’re qualified to fight me.” As the battle word was just uttered, Bud’s giant sword swept overhead like a silver chain, crashing down. There was a distance of about ten meters between him and Brendel, which seemed both far and near—yet in an instant, the heavy sword was already hovering over Brendel’s head.
Brendel didn’t need to look up to understand how perilous this sword strike was. It felt as if the mountains were collapsing, with thunder roaring down from above; the sword had yet to arrive, but its momentum had already claimed the scene.
This sword was at least on par with the highest tier of gold, but unlike Test’s glaring swordplay of the same rank, Bud’s sword had a weighty force; when he executed the strike, it evoked a feeling of insignificance and unavoidable dread.
Brendel had already experienced such a sword before; although not firsthand, he had felt that kind of overwhelming force, akin to a tsunami.
He simply closed his eyes, raised his sword above his head, and positioned his forehead, shoulder, and left arm to form a solid defense line—this was a profound parrying technique from Erluin military swordsmanship (Level 9 Erluin Military Swordsmanship). Brendel hoped this technique, which had a deflection efficiency of over twenty-seven percent in past games, would yield the expected results—he had to remain calm facing Bud’s giant sword.
The giant sword descended, and the two swords clashed, sending a dazzling shower of sparks flying. The metal emitted a wailing sound as Brendel’s steel longsword bent back with all its might.
Just before reaching its critical point, the young man adjusted the pressure in his hands, but Bud’s sword felt as unyielding as a giant rock positioning itself above him—the incomprehensible force pressed into his arms inch by inch. He quickly realized he had nowhere to retreat, no way to evade.
There was no escape.
A flash of insight struck Brendel’s mind; his understanding of the warrior profession surged back to him in that moment. Or rather, it seemed like an instinctive response. He leaned back slightly and slid sideways—Bud’s giant sword missed its mark, crashing onto the ground instead, causing five wooden planks to buckle and splinter like butterflies spreading their wings.
Bud hadn’t put forth his full strength; Brendel suddenly realized this. This future sword master exposed his cards the moment he initiated the strike. Bud had already awakened his Element; his was ‘Earth,’ at a notably high tier, else he wouldn’t have comprehended such expansive sword intent.
Breathing heavily, Brendel reflected on this.
The hall had become completely silent.
Though everything that had just transpired felt like a fleeting image, almost no one had observed what had actually happened during that exchange. But they saw the two separate; it seemed Brendel hadn’t suffered a significant loss. The astonishment that was on the tip of their tongues was abruptly swallowed, leaving them unsure of what to say.
Bud’s seventy percent strength strike had actually been evaded by a swordsman who was only at the upper tier of black iron. What was going on? Those mercenaries who thought they possessed strength similar to Brendel’s couldn’t help but imagine themselves in that situation and what they would have been capable of facing such a formidable attack.
It seemed like they would just have to sit and wait to die.
“That attack earlier, the Deputy Commander must have at least used seventy percent of his strength, right?”
“Yeah… just lucky, I suppose?”
“Such intricate swordsmanship. How could that be?”
Whispers spread among the crowd; the onlookers exchanged various glances filled with astonishment. But the two combatants remained oblivious, Bud lifting his head in surprise, not in a hurry to retrieve the giant sword from the floor, instead studying Brendel up and down with interest.
At first, he thought Brendel was merely a somewhat talented youth. Having seen the exceptional talent of Aike in their group, he didn’t hold others in high regard. Yet now, Bud realized this young man was far from simple.
That previous slide had clearly shown high-level technique.
Bud wasn’t mistaken; Brendel’s skill stemmed from the lost sword techniques of the Fallen Elves—specifically, the movement techniques of the Shadow Sword, which emphasized agility and nimbleness, allowing for attacks while the enemy was unprepared. Thus, employing it against Bud was indeed the most appropriate choice.
Unfortunately, Brendel now dared not hope for that set of sword techniques. Based on his past experiences in the game, the current timeline in Vaunte should be in the first chapter, ‘The Birth of the Empire,’ detailing Madara’s rise, while the exploration of ancient scrolls would have to wait until the third chapter, ‘Ancient Heritage,’ during which those ancient sword techniques would resurface.
Seeing Bud pause his assault, Brendel exhaled a sigh of relief. He shook his arms and found little soreness or numbness, indicating that Bud had maintained his strength at a level comparable to his own—suddenly, Brendel felt a jolt; since his opponent viewed this battle merely as a test, he might have a chance to turn the tables.
Brendel felt a surge of eagerness; if Bud was trying to maintain his absolute strength equal to his own while attempting to defeat him solely through the understanding of swordsmanship and sword intent, that would be a fool’s errand.
Who was he?
Though level 130 wasn’t among the very top characters in Amber Sword, he was certainly on a level beyond what Bud could contend with at this moment. Throughout nearly a century in the game, Brendel had practiced seventeen types of swordsmanship, with more than half exceeding level ten. As for the sword techniques he had witnessed and faced, they were countless.
Bud’s swordplay derived from the knightly swordsmanship school of Sien, characterized by broad, sweeping movements. His title of ‘Cross-Hand’ came from these techniques. Coupled with his profound understanding of ‘Earth’ sword intent, that overwhelming power combined with his formidable presence could intimidate before the sword even left his hand.
Regrettably, this approach had little effect on Brendel; he even understood that he wouldn’t fall into Bud’s rhythm. Thus, before Bud could draw his sword, Brendel initiated his attack.
The move was simple, merely a thrust from Erluin military swordsmanship.
But this thrust caught everyone off guard—
Especially those who had already learned Erluin military swordsmanship. The thrust was merely a basic technique of the discipline (Level 0 Erluin Military Swordsmanship); many had practiced it repeatedly, yet they couldn’t fathom how one thrust could so swiftly cover five meters.
Brendel noticed a hint of surprise flash in Bud’s eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. It seemed this future sword master, although he practiced intermediate swordsmanship, hadn’t attained a sufficiently high level in the swordplay itself. After all, at this point in time, Bud was likely only fifty or sixty years old, still in his prime; it was reasonable that his swordsmanship hadn’t reached the master level yet.
However, with that much being the case, he didn’t realize that once sword techniques surpassed level ten, the terrifying enhancements provided by master-level swordsmanship would materialize.
The basic thrust of Erluin military swordsmanship has an effective range of one and a half meters; with a master’s enhancement, it can reach three and a half meters. However, Brendel also knew some small tricks; five meters was a result of him concealing his true strength. Otherwise, thrusting for seven meters wouldn’t be out of the question.
Of course, reaching level twenty in swordsmanship would yield even more monstrous enhancements with master-level swordsmanship. Beyond that lay the legendary thirty-level threshold, though Brendel had only heard of it, never witnessed it firsthand.
In any case, his strike had been rapid as a shooting star. So surprising was it that the surrounding mercenaries temporarily forgot to cheer—at this moment, Bud hadn’t even managed to retract his weapon; he stared in shock after realizing Brendel’s intent and couldn’t help but smile. In his view, a swordsman shouldn’t rely on such clever tricks to confront an opponent.
However, since Brendel was intent on this course of action, Bud instinctively prepared to teach this young man a lesson.
Unfortunately.
Bud quickly discovered that it was not the case he had assumed. Brendel’s sword seemed to come alive; despite being merely a simple thrust, its follow-up should have been a further advance, using the hilt to strike the opponent. Then, turning around for another strike, it indeed seemed that was what Brendel intended, but Bud noticed at the last moment that he changed direction three times in succession, directly thrusting toward his chest.
Bud was taken aback, forced to retract his sword hand and sidestep. But it was as though Brendel anticipated his next move; his sword awaited before him. The future sword master was startled and could only retreat. Yet retreating only intensified the onslaught, as Brendel thrust again—another thrust.
A thrust after another thrust; Bud could no longer contain himself. He was very familiar with Erluin’s military swordsmanship—but he had never seen it used in this manner. Yet Brendel executed it flawlessly, with resounding flair. Bud swore that no infantry manual in the country would describe the usage of this sword technique in such a way, but at this moment, this young man was showing him it was feasible.
These were techniques and patterns summarized by countless warriors.
Their skills had long surpassed the basic attacking routes and patterns promoted by most NPC instructors of Erluin military swordsmanship; over thirty to forty years in past games, players had begun summarizing the essence of tactics. They ultimately discovered that they need not blindly follow the attacking routes provided by the system.
A revolution in technique had begun.
And at this moment, Bud was facing the foundational principles established thirty years later by players—a new form of Erluin military swordsmanship. Furthermore, it contained Brendel’s own insights and experiences as a master warrior. Thus, as Bud entered Brendel’s rhythm, he immediately felt the pressure.
This young man seemed to know his every move, while he himself felt completely lost, akin to a novice facing a top master. Bud found himself reminiscing about his early days as he learned swordsmanship.
It was not merely a difference in strength.
It was an absolute chasm in technique.
In an instant, this future master of swordsmanship was pushed back seven or eight steps by Brendel, barely grazing the edge of his own sword. Ultimately, he could no longer hold back; if this went on, there would be no conclusion. He had no choice but to unleash his true strength and directly employ the power of his ‘Element’ to block one of Brendel’s sword strikes.
The sound of a loud clang rang out.
At that moment, Brendel finally found himself unable to resist, being sent backward ten meters, crashing into the crowd of onlookers.
Silence enveloped the hall.
No one even remembered to cheer for that strike. In the hearts of these mercenaries, only stupefaction lingered:
What kind of swordsmanship was that? Was Erluin military swordsmanship like this? To what extent had this young man’s swordsmanship talent reached that Bud had nearly failed to block one round of onslaught? Could it be that I’m still dreaming?
No, this must be a dream.
(PS. Although it’s embarrassing, I still ask everyone for their monthly votes.) (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in and read the official version!)
