Chapter Fifty-Eight: I Recognized You
Zzzzzzzz——
A dazzling arc of blue, crackling with sparks, flooded my vision in an instant. I blinked and squinted as twisted lightning zipped across my face.
Amidst the blinding light, the female swordsman lifted her head, her eyes filled with fierce intent, frost still trickling down from her hair like a melting icicle. At that moment, I realized the rampant lightning was erupting from the long sword she gripped tightly in her right hand, its blade shining like a beacon—too bright to look at directly.
Oh no…
In the blink of an eye, the woman’s wrist flipped, and with two resonant clangs, thunderous bolts of lightning slashed toward the surrounding melting ice, overwhelming in power. The dazzling streaks moved with such speed that they were almost invisible to the n*ked eye, and the dozen or so thick ice shards holding her captive were instantly sliced to ribbons.
Crash boom boom boom…
As shards of ice scattered everywhere, even more lightning arced out, seemingly intent on lighting up the entire night. I wanted to take a moon step back, but suddenly, my body went numb. My limbs stiffened as if my soul had detached from my body, drifting through the raging storm of thunder, and I briefly lost consciousness.
Clatter clatter clatter——
Countless ice chunks flew up and fell to who-knows-where, and my vision blurred. It felt like the electricity was tearing at my very being, and I caught a faint whiff of something burnt.
This all felt slow, but in reality, it lasted less than two seconds. In a daze, the female swordsman was freed, landing on a broken ice ledge. She then bent her knees and leaped, her blade surrounded by crackling lightning, drawing a half-circle in the air as she came crashing down toward my head!
…Bring it on, Abyss Mud.
Bam wham wham wham wham——!!!
In the split second her blade came down, a deafening hum echoed in my ears, like metal clashing. Her full force struck my head, but it was like hitting an ultra-hardened rock; countless bolts of lightning surged, yet the blade could not penetrate an inch, not even managing to give me the faintest twinge of pain.
Thud, thud…
A rush of black Abyss Mud slid down my forehead, solidifying the next moment into an irregular shape, but one that was as tough as iron, encasing my head and most of my face. The black mud blocked my view from the left side, leaving only my right eye exposed, locked onto the woman plummeting toward the ground.
“Hmph…”
My vision cleared…
That numbing sensation was starting to fade.
…Not too shabby.
You little squirt…
The female swordsman seemed quite shaken by the previous blow; she staggered back a few steps after landing, barely managing to stay upright, stumbling like she was tipsy. But her reflexes were still sharp. As her long sword flew from her grip, she spun and caught the hilt that had landed behind her with her left hand…
But that spin caused her already unsteady stance to reveal a fatal flaw.
Moon Step——
Bang!
Dust erupted beneath my feet, vanishing like smoke in the wild electrical currents, while the scene of shredded grass opened up before my eyes. In the next instant, I had appeared right in front of the female swordsman, stretching out my right hand to clutch her neck and slamming her down toward the ground—
Thud!
“Cough, hack…”
With a muffled thud, the entirety of her back crashed into the soft earth. At the moment her head met the dirt, her face turned beet red, and she coughed up a mouthful of bl**d. Then, as if seized by a spasm, her limbs stiffened, the sword fell some distance away, and her body tightened. The lightning wrapping around her blade dissipated in an instant, leaving the world dark once more.
I immediately loosened my grip and straightened up.
Zzzz——
A harsh hissing sound came from my neck, chest, and various parts of my body as wisps of black mist steamed out. I looked at my arm, which had just been plunged into lightning; a good chunk of my sleeve was now tattered, riddled with burnt holes. Even my cloak was in tatters, but to my relief, my arm’s burns, glowing red, were rapidly healing at an alarming rate.
“Sigh…”
I let out a long breath.
Guess I’ll have to buy new clothes and a cloak…
“I say—”
Just as I was about to speak, the female swordsman, who should have been incapacitated by the blow to her head, suddenly scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground and hurled it at my face.
“Ugh…”
I instinctively shut my mouth, suddenly realizing I was wearing a mask, so why was I worried? But the dirt still went splat all over my face, with some tiny bits getting down my collar. While it didn’t really do anything, it made me take a step back.
In the next second, the arcing light around the female swordsman burst forth again, and with a thunderous roar, the intense bolts of electricity crackled around her. The tiny figure seemed to be magnetically drawn back to her feet, rising up without any hesitation and with no need for a runway.
“Aaahhhh!”
Boom zap zap zap zap zap——!!!
She let out a mighty roar, bl**d speckling from her mouth, as fierce lightning accumulated in her pulled-back right fist, illuminating half her body with blinding blue light. That punch, bearing the force of a gale and the sound of thunderous roars that nearly pierced my eardrums, came barreling toward me.
At the same time, I shot my right palm up like lightning and, at the moment she threw her punch, I aimed for the top of her head and slammed down with all my might!
Bang!
“Oof…”
My palm landed square on her crown, and I could have sworn I heard a strange, sorrowful noise, akin to a small animal whining after biting its tongue in pain. The swordsman was knocked face-first into the dirt, the ground echoing as her forehead met the earth. This time, she lay there motionless, her face buried in the mud.
But I wasn’t about to let my guard down.
This little squirt sure can take a hit…
And her fighting style? Come on, throwing mud like some street punk? Disgusting! Why not just grab my hair and poke my eyes out while she’s at it…
…Uh, oh wait, I think I’ve done that too.
Never mind, never mind…
In any case, she seemed like an amateur. While her swordplay and footwork were ruthless, they lacked cohesion… It was really a bit like street brawling.
But I had to admit, sometimes that unpredictable style could be more effective in real combat…
Is she a Pope Knight?
She’s got the skill…
But that cape doesn’t have any light gold Iris on it.
“Hey.”
In the smoky chaos, the Abyss Mud slowly seeped back into my body. I tilted my head and thought for a moment before kicking her in the side.
“Ugh…”
This kick wasn’t particularly forceful, but it sent the female swordsman flying half a meter into the air with a painful grunt. She landed in a tangle, teeth clenched, her dirt-smeared face so muddy it was hard to make out her features, but those bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at me.
“Phew, phew, phew…”
“I… recognize you…”
The female swordsman gasped, forcing the words out between labored breaths, struggling to get the air out, possibly from my earlier kick.
“You aren’t an owl… I know… who you are…”
“Oh?”
I tilted my head, a smirk creeping onto my face as I grew intrigued. “Well then, who do you think I am?”
“Hilvigia Rabithermos… Like me, huff, huff… used by the Church and then heartlessly tossed aside… pitiful thing…”
