Chapter 1617: Duel of the Saints

Chapter 1617: Duel of the Saints

Sunny held his odachi lightly as he watched Nephis take unhurried steps in his direction. The familiar white flames were dancing in her eyes...

But what was this?

As he walked, the same sparks ignited in the eyes of the seven Fire Keepers. A moment later, their bodies shone with a soft white radiance, and the bruises and contusions left on them by his restrained blows disappeared without a trace. Expressions of gratitude and relief appeared on their faces, and at the same time, Neph's own face grew colder.

'Since when can she heal others from a distance?'

Before he could consider the implications of that unexpected turn of events, her sword left the enchanted scabbard with a quiet murmur. Its mirror-like blade was as black as the night sky, the light of the magical lanterns reflecting in it like distant stars.

He knew that sword well... or rather, he had known it once.

The silver blade was a Transcendent Memory of the Seventh Tier Nephis had received after slaying Soul Stealer. It was a mighty weapon, and had been made mightier still by Sunny himself. He had transplanted a Supreme soul shard as one of its nodes, augmenting the fundamental enchantment of the silver blade..

But now, it was different.

Sunny frowned behind the mask when he noticed a familiar symbol branded into the mystical steel just above the crossguard. An anvil pierced through by a sword...

Had one of the forgemasters of the Clan Valor deemed themselves competent enough to improve on his own work? No, they wouldn't have been able to.

That left only one person, then.

The King of Swords himself.

That bastard. Who gave him the right to taint the gift I gave her with his dirty hands?

Suddenly, Sunny felt displeased.

And since he did, the shadows drowning the great hall of the Nameless Temple moved, overcome by the same displeasure.

The Fire Keepers, who had been retreating to give the two Saints space to fight, suddenly paled.

Nephis sensed the change in the atmosphere, too.

What is the matter, Lord Shadow? Do you not wish to fight me?

'Sunny smiled darkly.'

...I am a peaceful man. I hate fighting.

'Now... how do I lose without having Nephis realize that I threw the fight...'

There were two problems.

First, Nephis was too good of a swordsman, so weaving any kind of pretense in front of her was not easy.

And secondly... Sunny was having too much fun.

He didn't want their fight to end so quickly.

'Shall... shall we make it more interesting, then?'

Grinning behind the mask, Sunny suddenly shifted his weight and switched to an entirely new technique. The battle style of Clan Valor was sharp, domineering, and fatal. But this new technique... it was flowing, unpredictable, and supremely adaptable.

It was the battle style taught to Nephis by her family, and then by Nephis to him.

'There. Finally!'

The mask of indifference that she wore finally cracked a little, and he could feel her blade waver for a split second.

That split second was all that Sunny needed.

Breaking through Neph's defense, he delivered a swift strike. And yet, no matter how swift his attack was, she still managed to compose herself and evade it by disengaging.

Nephis took a step back, and the tip of the black odachi hissed angrily past her breastplate, separated from the polished white steel by no more than a centimeter.

She lingered for a moment.

"...Who taught you that style?"

Her voice was even, but Sunny knew Nephis well enough to recognize a somber undertone within it.

He pulled his odachi back and answered in an even tone:

"Nobody."

With that, Sunny lunged forward once again.

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