The girl leaned closer to Roa and smiled, "Did you see the duel just now? Even if three, no, four Rudeuses came, I could still knock him down."
Rudeus: Can we not keep beating a dead horse?
Eris crossed her arms, her fiery red eyes fixed on Roa, displaying her unique posture of wanting praise from others.
Compared to Claire, the girl in front of her was much more straightforward, and it was this straightforwardness that made Roa like her even more.
Straightforward people don't have so many twists and turns; they like what they like and dislike what they dislike. Eris, just like her swordsmanship, was direct and to the point.
Roa smiled and reached out to pat Eris's head, praising her, "Impressive, but Eris, just knocking down Rudeus isn't enough; you need to become even stronger."
That not-so-rough hand ruffled Eris's fiery red hair, and she instinctively showed an expression of enjoyment, like a spoiled fire cat.
Rudeus's eyes widened; he had never seen Eris display such an expression, to be precise, he had never even thought about it.
Was this still the girl who had been so fierce, ready to beat him down?
When Eris heard the first half of Roa's sentence, she looked pleased, but upon hearing the latter half, her brows furrowed, and she directly asked, "How strong do I need to be? To be able to take down ten, no, a hundred Rudeuses?"
Rudeus: …
Roa also felt a bit embarrassed this time; constantly using Rudeus as a measuring stick made Rudeus lose face.
Roa coughed a few times and defended Rudeus a little, "Rudeus is a magic user; you can't use your strengths to counter his weaknesses. Eris, you also need to see others' strengths and weaknesses clearly. If you only feel proud because you defeated Rudeus in swordsmanship, you'll suffer a big loss when you face a real expert."
Eris looked up in confusion and asked Roa, "Then who should I aim for?"
Roa smiled and said, "Isn't Ghislaine a great target? Haven't you always respected her?"
"Wow." Ghislaine, who had been watching from the side, raised an eyebrow, not expecting Roa to bring the topic back to herself.
However, she didn't say anything. In a way, Ghislaine indeed cared a lot about Eris, almost treating her like her own daughter. It's just that as a beast warrior, she wasn't good at expressing herself and quietly guided from behind.
"Yes, I will work hard." Eris's fiery red eyes sparkled as she nodded her little head with a serious expression.
Roa patted Eris on the shoulder, giving her an encouraging look.
"Now that we've finished discussing trivial matters, it's time to talk about serious business," Roa said.
Rudeus and Eris both showed confused expressions, and Rudeus curiously asked, "Serious business?"
Roa's lips curled up as he picked up a wooden sword from the ground not far away, waved it, and smiled, "Ghislaine, I want to have a match with you."
Rudeus and Eris's eyes brightened simultaneously, especially Rudeus, who swept away his previous dejected demeanor, his eyes sparkling with an undefined light.
Previously, although Roa had not defeated Ghislaine, their exchanges had been back and forth, unlike Ghislaine, who would let them win during practice. This was Ghislaine without holding back.
And after three months, he was curious to see how much stronger his big brother had become.
For Rudeus, the stronger Roa was, the happier he felt.
Unlike those who envied and resented others' talents, Rudeus could be said to prefer to lie back and let the world's child lead the way; he just needed to cheer from behind.
Now, Rudeus was also very curious about Roa's strength, and not just him; Eris felt the same way.
Ghislaine was almost the highest level of combat power they could access. In fact, from a certain perspective, there were probably not many who could be stronger than Ghislaine within the borders of the Asura Kingdom.
Ghislaine was strong, that was beyond doubt.
And being able to witness the clash of two powerful figures up close was undoubtedly exciting.
However, they seemed to forget that the previous match between the two had been almost unbelievable. They could watch, but that didn't mean they could see clearly, especially since both were top-tier masters of the Sword God style.
Ghislaine showed no surprise at Roa's challenge. The beast warrior nodded, a scar on her right cheek looking somewhat fierce, and said to Roa, "Let me see your progress."
Taking a wooden sword from the weapon rack, the two walked to the center of the arena.
Rudeus and Eris shifted their positions, standing at the edge of the grass, their eyes fixed on the two standing opposite each other in the center.
Roa waved the wooden sword, activating his sword heart. In an instant, he grasped the weight, length, and texture of the wooden sword.
Nodding at Ghislaine, he assumed a starting stance of the Sword God style.
Ghislaine said nothing more, placing her wooden sword horizontally at her waist, her muscles bulging, looking like a female leopard ready to pounce. Ghislaine's beastly eyes narrowed, her gaze aggressive as she stared at Roa.
Ghislaine stepped forward with her right foot, and with that step, she created a deep pit in the ground. At that moment, Roa sensed a powerful flow of energy coursing through Ghislaine's body.
No, rather than magic, it was more appropriate to call it Battle Aura.
That violent aura even made Roa feel a bit taken aback.
Despite Roa's Sword God level having reached the Sword Emperor, if he were to face a Sword King at the peak of their power and let his guard down, he would inevitably suffer a big loss.
Of course, the premise was that Roa did not actively enter Moment.
Gripping the wooden sword with his right hand, lowering his body and shifting his center of gravity forward, Roa placed the wooden sword at his waist, assuming the same stance.
The only difference was the vast disparity in their auras.
However, the next moment, both moved almost simultaneously.
A violent wind swept around them as they both took large strides forward, turning into afterimages that collided almost instantly.
The long swords clashed, and a series of afterimages flashed by. The violent sword intent crushed against each other. Ghislaine towered over Roa by nearly a head, her muscles like rock, while Roa appeared small and slender, making it hard to believe he could possess much strength.
Yet, it was precisely this Roa who effortlessly blocked Ghislaine's attack.
Roa's lips curled up as his divine might began to spread. In an instant, the wooden sword shifted, and a circular slash cut through the air, aiming for Ghislaine's neck.
"Dance"
The slash did not take effect, as Ghislaine easily blocked it with her sword. At the same time, her beast-like eyes narrowed sharply, and her muscles exploded with power, allowing her to almost teleport to the right side of Roa, bringing her sword down fiercely towards the wide-open target that was Roa.
Ghislaine's movements were quick, and her speed in both striking and seizing the opportunity was impressive.
To be honest, the "Dance" was merely a technique from the Breath of the Sun. Isolated from its context, it was not perfect, but the ability to exploit even the slightest flaw in it was enough to affirm Ghislaine's strength.
As Ghislaine's long sword approached Roa, the howling wind stirred Roa's dazzling golden hair. It seemed that victory was at hand, but Ghislaine's instincts screamed at her, warning that if she continued with the strike, she would be the one in trouble.
Beast warriors are sharp, and this intuition had saved her life multiple times. Without hesitation or doubt, Ghislaine swiftly retreated.
Roa's eyes widened in surprise. At the moment Ghislaine withdrew, the wooden sword passed so close to her body that Ghislaine could feel the rough texture of the sword's blade.
Roa's long sword was faster than Ghislaine's, having already adjusted his position, ready to deliver a significant blow at any moment.
If Ghislaine had committed to her strike, Roa's long sword would have descended even faster, incapacitating Ghislaine first.
The thought was appealing, but it was clear that Roa had underestimated Ghislaine.
With the long sword missing its target, Roa sheathed his sword and sidestepped to avoid Ghislaine's potential counterattack.
The two distanced themselves significantly, though this distance could be crossed in the blink of an eye.
"Master Ghislaine, I've actually been wanting to experience your Sword of Light again."
"Oh, come and try it."
After a brief exchange, both grasped the hilt of their swords simultaneously.
Roa's eyes narrowed slightly, his crimson-gold irises sparkling. The connection between his sword and the transparent world enhanced his perception, making his thoughts sharper. Every movement of Ghislaine was vividly present in Roa's mind.
With his right hand firmly gripping the hilt, he visualized the distance at which his sword could instantly slay his opponent.
This was the distance of a single strike; as long as he was within this range, Roa could unleash a strike so fast that it would quickly end the fight.
Neither moved. They faced each other, waiting for an opportunity—one that could instantly conclude the battle.
At this moment, Ghislaine truly felt the pressure.
The brief exchange had already been enough to astonish her.
The clash between swordsmen was not as simple as it appeared. Just that last strike was enough to demonstrate that Roa's speed surpassed hers.
For Ghislaine, who only practiced the Sword God style, being slower in speed meant she had already lost half the battle. Now, all she could rely on was her strength and experience in swordsmanship. She could only pray that Roa's sword skills had not reached that level yet.
However, the moment Roa gripped the hilt of his long sword, Ghislaine's hopes were dashed.
A strong sense of crisis enveloped her, making her hair stand on end. It felt as if the long sword was hanging over her neck, a constant reminder that whenever she attempted to strike first, that overwhelming sense of danger would almost overflow her mind.
An absurd thought flashed through her mind, growing larger by the moment.
This feeling was akin to facing her master.
The two spectators exchanged glances, recalling the scene from their last encounter.
Their lack of strength brought significant trouble; they clearly wanted to glean something from this battle, but in their eyes, Roa and Ghislaine had already crossed that not-so-short distance in a flash. Not only were their movements unclear, but even the timing of their sword strikes was impossible to discern.
Rudeus's mouth twitched, and he wanted to shout to the heavens: "What am I supposed to learn from this?"
The battle did not stall just because the two could not comprehend it. Seeing that Ghislaine had not attacked, Roa smirked, a playful expression on his face, and said to Ghislaine, "Aren't you going to attack? Master Ghislaine, if I strike first, you won't even have a chance to retaliate."
Ghislaine remained silent, taking a deep breath to suppress the intense sense of crisis, then suddenly surged forward, erupting with power.
"Sword of Light!!!" The roar echoed.
In an instant, Ghislaine had vanished from her original position. The distance that could be crossed in just a few steps was now the distance between two Sword God masters.
Ghislaine had never called out the names of her techniques, but this time, she rarely shouted the name of her sword move, as if doing so could suppress the fear rising within her.
Ghislaine's figure silently appeared within Roa's attack range, and almost immediately after Ghislaine's appearance, a violent wind pressure followed, crushing everything in its path.
Ghislaine's robust and muscular body seemed to swell to its limits, towering even higher than before, showcasing a savage beauty.
However, as Ghislaine drew her long sword, preparing to strike down her enemy at supersonic speed, her beast-like eyes narrowed to pinpricks.
Roa had already drawn his sword, and Ghislaine had entered Roa's attack range, so it was normal for him to draw his sword.
What shocked Ghislaine was that Roa's speed had matched hers, and before Ghislaine's arm could reach its maximum speed, Roa closed the distance and struck with near-light speed.
This was the essence of the Sword God style, a technique designed to counter the Sword of Light—[Light Reversal].
Ghislaine felt a tremendous force strike her hand, causing her wrist to go numb, and the wooden sword flew uncontrollably away. Then, a powerful force hit her abdomen, sending her flying backward, concluding the battle.
Eris's face was still filled with shock, hardly believing that Ghislaine would show such an expression.
Rudeus and Eris exchanged glances, both displaying a look of confusion.
"Is this really the end?" Rudeus asked, somewhat incredulous.