Chapter 311: Aria vs Stella

Stella took a deep breath as she held the wooden sword she picked up from the crate…

It is quite heavy and it suited her preference.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~

She made a couple of swings before she felt satisfied with its builds and its center of balance.

"This is quite good for a training sword," Stella commented.

"Of course. They all came from the bark of the only Beacon Tree located at the Wailing Forest. It's very tough and if it was crafted like a sharp blade instead of being blunt, it would even pass as a beginner's sword."

Chrisome explained after seeing Stella's fascination with the sword.

Aside from that, he also realized that the charismatic lady is actually a dual sword wielder. He can't be mistaken by this... The way she held and swing those swords were definitely those of the professional.

"I would like to use these two swords instead of fighting with our Arcana…" Stella announced. Their original plan is to have a fight like true Arcanists and use their Arcana. But she realized that she was unaware of Aria's limit. It means that using her Spectral Vambrace might result in a dangerous situation. 

"Is that so? Then I guess I'll use a sword as well." Aria said.

"Oh, I'm fine even if you don't use that. You can bring your Arcana to fight against me." Stella replied.

Aria then smiled as she reasoned out.

"Don't mind me. I'm also confident with my sword skills." 

"Fine, do as you want. So, what are the rules?" Stella asked as she dropped her hands. The tip of the swords was pointing to the ground similar to her Mu no Kamae.

"Hmm… Let's try to minimize the injuries we can get. How about getting three clear hits or perhaps, even disarming the opponent?" Aria offered as she stepped forward to the middle of the room.

Since they are using weapons made of wood, at most, they can only get bruises which are not something uncommon between warriors.

"That's fine by me…"

As soon as Chrisome confirmed that both parties are ready, he guided them to have at least a 5-meter distance before he finally announced the start of the duel.

Yasmin and Lyrei stood at the side as they watched the two ladies commence in battle. It is quite exciting since Aria shouldn't be an expert in swordsmanship. Her palms are smooth, her stance doesn't look good, and her choice of sword looks unbalanced. 

She has selected a two-handed sword but using only a single hand to lift it. She definitely needs some kind of Arcane Magic to enhance her physical skills like this.

Anyway, it's not like they can't use Arcane Magic. They just decided not to use their Arcana in the battle.

Stella stood comfortably as she remained on her Mu no Kamae… On the other hand, Aria's sword was also lowered but instead of pointing it on the ground, its tip is actually aiming at Stella's feet.

'You're not going to attack? Very well. Let me initiate the fight for you.'

Stella smirked as she walked towards her opponent. She didn't use any Ashisabaki at all at this point.

After several steps, Stella stopped approaching the unmoving Aria… If she stepped once more, they would be in their sword's range already…

Thud!

Aria suddenly moved as the sword pointing at Stella's feet immediately repositioned and aimed to stab Stella's body…

Pah!

One of Stella's swords parried the two-handed sword, she's planning to use her other sword to strike Aria but she was surprisingly pushed back by that strike!

Stella was moved two steps back but she regained her position by immediately following up!

Pah! Pah! Pah!

Three sword exchanges immediately occurred as the two finally started heating up…

Bam!

Aria was suddenly pushed back by five steps after receiving Stella's stab or Tsuki!

Now, the latter already stopped using her Mu no Kamae and used her Shizentai form for her Zangetsu no Kamae!

This crescent moon stance appears quite defensive and she doesn't normally use this form. It is just that she recognizes Aria's explosive force which is many lacking from her previous opponents. 

"Good… Let me see more of your sword skills!"

Stella said as she excitedly moved forward. 

Most of the skills that Aria used are just the basics. Her slash, stab, and footwork were all quite predictable. She makes a lot of openings as well and Stella could actually make use of it…

Her only concern is that Aria doesn't seem to mind getting hit at all when she's trying to strike as well.

It feels like she wanted to have her counterattack hit no matter what. 

It means that Aria is most likely possessing a defensive Arcane Magic that could minimize the damage that she receives. 

The fight continued as they both showed their sword arts beautifully in this match…

Chrisome who had been closely watching them was very impressed with their battle. 

She can tell that Stella hasn't been showing her real strength and was really comfortable with their exchange. As for Aria, he can also confirm that she's been using her Magic Item continuously to fight her opponent on equal grounds. 

As expected, Aria isn't an expert with the sword. 

Nevertheless, she really is doing good for someone who had only learned swordsmanship within a Training Hall meant for the sons and daughters of nobles. 

'Let's end this…' Stella decided to finally use a proper Ashisabaki to surprise Aria!

This time, Stella decided to bait Aria into attacking her in panic… She wanted to use an Oji Waza or counter technique.

Whoosh!

Her prediction was successful!

With her current position, Stella performed a Kaeshi Waza using her left sword to pressure Aria… 

The latter jump back as she realized Stella's plan to stab her with her other sword. However, Stella followed her swiftly and performed Maki Waza as she positioned her sword perfectly and removed Aria's swords disarming her completely!

As Stella thought that she won the fight, she realized that her two swords suddenly broke in half!

'This…' Stella was impressed as she analyzed what had just happened.

Apparently, Aria wasn't targeting her from the beginning so she didn't feel any killing intent or pressure… All Aria was doing was destroying the durability of her dual swords since she can't see their status at all!

It is such a sneaky way to deal with her opponent.

"I lost…" Aria said with a smile as she was also impressed by Stella's sword techniques. Although she managed to break her swords, they can still be used since they are still in her hands while she dropped her heavy sword on the ground. 

Chrisome then announced Stella's win to end the match.