*Spot! Clang! Clang!*
After a fierce clash, Melissa forcefully pushed my sword back, widening the distance between us. She lowered her stance.
*Flash Slash.*
The chill of impending danger ran down my spine, and I immediately activated a backward evasion.
*Whoosh! Boom! Boom! Clang!*
I wanted to take advantage of the delay after her *Flash Slash*, but there was no time to reposition. Melissa’s *Flash Slash* was invisible to the eye. The explosive power unleashed from her firmly planted feet, followed by the forward shot of blue light, was like a bullet—too fast to see and dodge. Her movements had to be predicted before they even happened.
The blue light grew rapidly in my field of vision, and just as the invulnerability from my backward evasion wore off, I met the incoming attack with my sword. If I hadn’t dodged, my body would have been shredded into dozens of pieces.
Honestly, fighting an *Ancient Hero* or a Legion Commander would be preferable to this.
*Spot!*
Melissa’s fierce thrust grazed just under my arm. I couldn’t block everything. Even though the system registered a "block" as being able to stop all frontal attacks, half of Melissa’s strikes were unblockable. If my twist to the right had been even slightly delayed, it wouldn’t have been empty air beside my armpit that got pierced, but the heart beating inside my small body.
I parried the sword strike, watching the blue light emanating from Melissa’s sword with every clash, and I grumbled to myself.
Every collision with that blue light was like walking on thin ice. The blocks that had protected me from all attacks up to this point were useless here. Facing an opponent with the same swordsmanship as mine—only on a higher level—was unlike any previous battle. The boost in mana from my holy sword wasn’t enough. I was outclassed, even in raw power.
Attempting to exploit post-attack openings didn’t work. Melissa’s movements flowed seamlessly, like water. Even when I risked everything with a reckless swing of my sword, aiming for a mutual strike, she effortlessly blocked it.
At least when I fought the *Ancient Hero*, there were openings. He relied on his protective shield and counter-swordsmanship, mixing in large attacks that left him vulnerable. But Melissa... this was an entirely different battle.
How do I even approach this?
*Swish.*
Melissa's sword radiated a blue aura as it drew a circle around her waist. The trajectory was aimed directly at my neck. It was fast. It was powerful. I couldn’t block it.
*Tap, tap!*
*Whoosh!*
Gritting my teeth, I activated a backward evasion again. I wasn’t too late. But as soon as the distance widened, the blue sword energy shot out from Melissa’s blade, targeting my entire body.
Should I counter it with *Starlight Slash*? No, the cooldown wasn’t ready. Should I use a cooldown reset? No, not yet.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The spot where I had just been standing was engulfed by a storm of sword energy. I darted around, moving in a zigzag, like a deer running through a battlefield, carefully avoiding the gusts of sword energy.
If this world weren’t a game, there’d be no way for me to beat Melissa right now.
But this world *is* a game.
With the system, there’s definitely a way to land a hit.
Just like when I defeated Eleonora, I needed to create a situation where I could attack without being touched—where my body was sent beyond space.
First, I had to close the gap again.
*Shwing!*
Taking advantage of a brief lull in her sword energy, I dashed toward Melissa, blocking the blow aimed at my waist. *Clang! Clang!* If I didn’t block properly, the blue sword energy would tear me apart. Steadying myself after the forward rush, I immediately activated a skill.
*Swipe.*
*Reversal Strike*—a skill that positions me behind the opponent. During the movement, my body resides beyond space. After the recent patch, *Reversal Strike* granted me 0.5 seconds of invulnerability.
In a battle like this, 0.5 seconds was an eternity.
In this state, I attacked.
*Slash! Slash! Slash!*
Ignoring the fact that Melissa’s sword grazed past me, I swung my own. *Clang! Clang! Clang!* But as expected, it wasn’t easy. It was as if she had eyes on the back of her head—Melissa blocked the space-cutting slash aimed at her from behind with ease.
If once wasn’t enough, then twice.
Left *Reversal Strike*, then right *Reversal Strike*. *Clang! Clang!* I didn’t give her time to react. I triggered Astaroth’s cooldown reset, retreating and then charging again. I linked together skills to maintain my invulnerability. *Spot! Clang!* It was blocked again. One more time—left *Reversal Strike*, then right *Reversal Strike*. If that didn’t work, I’d use the cooldown reset from my bracelet.
*Slash!*
I felt it this time. My final *Flash Slash*, combined with the right *Reversal Strike*, clearly slashed through Melissa’s waist. Gritting my teeth, I twisted my body to avoid being caught by the post-attack delay.
Melissa’s movements stilled. Blue light emanated from the protective aura around her waist.
But the conditions for a successful hit had been met.
*Thunk.*
I lowered my stance, gripping my sword tightly.
Now, onto phase two. What would she do?
*Shwing.*
Melissa’s blue figure blurred.
She vanished.
"!?"
No, she hadn’t disappeared—she had begun moving at an incredible speed. My eyes barely managed to track her movements.
*Whooosh!*
Winds howled from all directions. Accompanied by a storm of mana, Melissa’s phantom began using the entire battlefield. In the wide, circular space of the *Sword Graveyard*, she moved around me in a ferocious circle, like a predator closing in on its prey.
She was going to attack from somewhere—either by charging at full speed and cutting me down or...
*Whoosh!*
The first strike came from my rear flank. It was a powerful thrust accompanied by a deafening sound.
Sword energy. Straight. A thrust.
I barely twisted my body in time to avoid the terrifyingly fast attack.
*Whoosh!*
Before I had a chance to recover, the second strike came—a crescent slash. I ducked, narrowly avoiding it as it sheared off a few strands of my long hair.
The third. A thrust aimed at my chest from the front. The fourth. A thrust aimed at my neck from behind.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
They came at me from all directions. I couldn’t dodge them all. *Buzz!* I summoned my sword energy. Starlight wrapped around my blade.
I had five chances. If I used a cooldown reset, I’d have ten?
Within those attempts, I had to catch Melissa’s fast-moving figure and strike her with my sword. At the same time, I had to block the incoming blue sword energy from all sides.
I grumbled internally.
Melissa, this training is way too hard. Did you treat the high-ranking demons you fought like this, too? I’m your cute little sister, you know—this is too much.
My childish complaints would never reach her, so I quickly swung my starlight blade, aiming at the crescent sword energy targeting my waist from the left.
*Boom, boom, boom!*
Once, twice, three times.
The incoming sword strikes from all directions didn’t let up. During a brief opening, I tried to catch Melissa’s movements and strike, but I couldn’t reach her.
The pattern didn’t stop. Even using every cooldown reset, I was barely hanging on. This was relentless. Could I really not win?
I bit my lip.
If it came down to it, I’d give up some flesh. With the strength of a hero, I could chase after Melissa’s fast-moving phantom.
*Slash!*
I halted my evasive maneuvers as a sword strike pierced toward my abdomen.
It was going to hurt.
But this was the only way.
For a moment, Chris’s worried face flashed through my mind.
Rain.
How long will you keep relying on your past power?
The power of the past—so sweet and yet so painful. Rain could simply log out and be done with it. But the backlash of that pain would be borne by Iseul in the real world. The heartbreak would be shouldered by Chris.
Rain, this is irresponsible.
I had promised Chris today that I wouldn’t get hurt—that I wouldn’t make her worry.
Wasn’t there something I could do with my current power?
---
In the haze of distant memories, I saw my younger, more timid self.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
I looked down at my blistered hands, tears welling in my eyes.
“It’s too hard. It’s too difficult.”
“Our little hero, this technique is worth learning.”
“But I have my golden aura—it protects me.”
“What will you do when you face a power strong enough to rip through that aura? Will you cry out for Elena while you’re seriously hurt?”
“But...”
I was discouraged. Melissa had been right.
She couldn’t maintain her stern expression for long, though, and eventually pulled me into a hug.
“How could a small child like you end up with such a heavy burden? If that goddess had been in front of
me, I wouldn’t have let her off so easily.”
“....”
I snuggled silently into Melissa’s embrace.
“You don’t have to do it right now. But, you know, it would be good to practice swordsmanship every once in a while. What did I say a sword is for?”
“To block, stab, and cut.”
“That’s right. This can be considered blocking. Pure sword energy is the power to cut through and pierce anything. If sword energy is used defensively, what force in the world could break through it?”
Melissa drew her sword.
*Swish.*
Melissa’s sword danced beautifully in the air.
The blue light surrounding her was stunning.
I watched in awe as the graceful dance unfolded.
The blue lines of light cut through the air.
The "lines" converged and became "surfaces."
---
With the sword I had wielded since the beginning, the current me would...
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
I swung my sword in all directions—up, down, behind—without missing a beat.
Straight lines of sword energy, making sure not to overlap the areas I had already covered.
Tightly packed, yet swift as if I were cutting down an enemy.
Starlight enveloped my body.
Around me, starlight fell like an impenetrable barrier.
---
[Sword Barrier]
[Invulnerability while active]