CH 203

C203 - Vanessa Olsen (3)

The energy sword of twisting lightning, as if distorted, transformed into a beam of blue light that scattered through the air.

Dozens of small columns of lightning energy emitted a divine light in the midst of the dark desert. The unstable twisting lightning energy was nowhere to be found, and the columns of lightning energy were arranged as if someone had molded them.

As a starting point, Jin chose the Fourth Movement of the Battle God's Combat Technique: Erosion.

Boom!

Jin's sword pierced the ground. At that moment, all the floating lightning columns fell to the ground.

Vanessa attempted to attack with her sword as well. In the moment Jin thrust his sword, Vanessa wanted to show the skilled young man what would happen if he left his weapon on the ground and deployed his technique. However, instead of attacking, Vanessa was forced to retreat.

Because out of nowhere, a strong electric shock ran through the ground. No, it wasn't just the ground. Even as she breathed, the piercing electricity stabbed her throat.

The blue columns that had formed around where Sigmund was lodged were covering both of them in a field of lightning energy.

For now, Vanessa had no choice but to keep her distance.

Although it might be possible to advance, it was uncertain what would happen within that "field of lightning," and that made her feel uneasy.

In the area outside the field of lightning, the option to strike a sword blow presented itself, and there was no need to join to demonstrate the gap.

"This feels more like magic than a sword technique."

Although the electric currents she felt when breathing were worrisome. Internally, Vanessa hoped that Jin's Sword could unleash a destructive attack filled with his own determination, like his final blow. After all, that was the sword technique of those who once ruled the world 5,000 years ago, but by its appearance, it seemed more like the technique of a typical mage.

"You said there was more, so for now, I'll keep observing. If it continues like this, the disappointment will be even greater..."

Vanessa's sudden thoughts came to a halt as her gaze turned downward.

Crackle, crackle.

Small waves of lightning moved rapidly like a narrow channel. It had definitely come out of the area where Sigmund and the Lightning Columns were eroding.

The lightning waves beneath Vanessa's feet were as weak as embers, and they seemed to have no relation to the fierce and rough lightning current eroding the land.

But her instincts told her: Dodge it.

On reflex, Vanessa took a step back. After all, her instincts never failed.

Koozzz! Kajijijik!

The gathered lightning energy around Jin was launched toward the small channel of lightning waves. Absolute speeds that not even a 10-star Knight could avoid without foresight.

Like a giant serpent passing by, a deep hole appeared where Vanessa had been standing.

'Even if I blocked it with my body alone, it wouldn't have much power.'

She thought that and turned her head. But at that moment, Vanessa's eyes were filled with a piercing thunder. Quite literally, thunder came crashing down from the sky and struck the hole once again.

After the loud thunderous sound pierced her eardrums, even Vanessa couldn't help but shudder.

"Was that... an earthquake?"

Right after the thunder fell into the hole, there was a slight earthquake on the ground where they stood.

And it was thanks to the tremor that Vanessa realized that the small waves of lightning that had "caused the thunder" had actually spread throughout the entire area.

There were small lightning sparks sprouting from everywhere. If all those small sparks could summon thunder...

She imagined that for a moment. It was enough to give her chills.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

'Of course, there can't be such an absurd technique. It would be like having a god summoning thousands of thunders. If that were the case, I would be in a challenging situation with Jin.'

On the other hand, Jin was thinking this: 'The Sentence I developed last time, and now Erosion. It is infinitely insignificant compared to what the sister Battle Goddess showed me.'

The Erosion of the Battle God, Vahn, was exactly what Vanessa had imagined: a thousand thunders at her complete disposal, an electrical storm that few below the ninth star could even think of stopping or evading.

Even if he couldn't unleash thousands of lightning bolts like Vahn yet, dozens were within his reach.

Kajik, kajik, kajik!

The small waves of lightning started to burst near Vanessa.

Vanessa was, indeed, someone whom Cyron could trust to have his back.

Although the countless scattered small waves of lightning were numerous, she identified them accurately and eliminated them before they could invoke the thunders.

It was a skill that went far beyond common sense, which civilians called 'peripheral vision,' and warriors called 'internal vision.'

It was an expected result even for Jin.

'Lady Vanessa will probably try to avoid the Thunders of Erosion. She must have judged that it would be dangerous to sever them.'

Therefore, after planting Sigmund in the ground, Jin had already prepared to summon Tess. After the electrical attack, if flames were to suddenly appear with a strong pressure, Vanessa would have no choice but to be taken aback for a moment.

Boom!

Tess's blue wings emerged from the dimensional portal above Jean. As soon as Tess was summoned, Jin retrieved Sigmund and charged at Vanessa at full speed.

He planned to attack while she dodged the Thunders of Erosion. Even a 10-star Knight would have openings when retreating hastily.

But at the moment Jin closed in.

Did you think I would escape?

Vanessa didn't say those words out loud. But that was because there wasn't enough time before the Thunders fell, and Jin could tell from her expression that she was saying that.

She was saying that she would show the true power of a 10-star Knight.

Kurrrr...

As Jin's Light Core* burned intensely, Tess's Pressure Flames completely enveloped Vanessa (Note: Previously referred to as Berserk Core).

The sky tore apart.

Dozens of Erosion Thunders rained down towards Vanessa.

She could have easily dodged them. Although she might not have been able to avoid them all due to Tess's Flames, she could have repelled the Thunders that she couldn't dodge.

Instead, Vanessa strengthened her sword with her power.

"Do you really think you can block all of this?"

Jin involuntarily swallowed saliva.

A single sword light gleamed white in her slash and struck. But for those who hadn't reached a high level, it only seemed like a single line, but in reality, dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sword auras danced within the sword light. Some had caught the Thunders, some had shattered the flames, and some had surrounded Jin.

This time, Jin's spine shuddered. The sword light spread, and he didn't blink once, but Jin had already seen the future in an instant.

"Lady Vanessa will eliminate everything without leaving a trace... perfectly!"

Even the Erosion Thunders and Tess's Pressure Flames would be swept away by her sword, without even touching the hem of her clothes.

In other words, Jin's calculation was wrong. He had to admit that he had dared to underestimate a warrior who could have shaken the world if she had wanted to.

"Kaaaah!"

Vanessa screamed, and a shockwave spread.

Before he realized it, the Blue Flames and the Erosion Thunders had been crushed by the sword aura and extinguished, and Tess was exhaling to protect Jin.

Even with everything destroyed, the remaining sword aura kept flying towards Jin.

Fortunately, the momentum had been slightly slowed down, but Tess couldn't protect him forever. Plus, Jin hadn't been able to attack Vanessa's body yet.

He had no intention of retreating despite his miscalculations.

"If this fails too, I will admit my defeat."

Sriiing, Whooong...

When Bradamante emerged from its sheath, energy flowed. In the desert filled with a deep blue and white color, ink-like black energy spread, causing a sense of discord.

First Movement of the Shadow Sword.

Jin crouched down and assumed his stance.

Soul Cut, a technique he had been perfecting even before going to Lafrarosa.

As always, Jin was reciting a spell... Then, the auras awakened by the spell darkened the body of the sword.

"Will this be the last one?"

"Have you enjoyed yourself so far?"

"I'm excited about it."

Vanessa's iron sword was missing a tooth. It was imbued with the aura of a 10-star knight, but that was the limit of a cheap iron sword.

"I should have brought a better sword. This is incredible, jojo."

With that said, Vanessa admitted her defeat. With this cheap sword, she couldn't withstand Jin's final direct blow, and this was no longer a trial duel but a confrontation.

Even without her sword, it would be easy to kill Jin, but Vanessa had already decided that he had passed the test. His clothes were intact, and his body had not been touched, but Vanessa had pushed the limits of her own strength while blocking Jin's powerful attacks.

Furthermore, receiving this final attack from Jin head-on was like giving an extra point in the test. Or it could be a compliment to the young Runcandel who was growing very well.

Jin's body moved forward.

He hadn't reached the realm of "directly cutting the soul" yet, but the First Movement of the Shadow Sword that he had perfected in Lafrarosa was very stealthy.

The ghostly sword was merely passing through the opponent, and with enough faith, there was nothing in the world that couldn't be cut.

And once again, Vanessa intuitively understood the nature of the Shadow Sword.

She wasn't a Solderet contractor and hadn't experienced this kind of power before, but she could see what was close to the tip of the sword—it was the depth of all actions performed through a sword.

"It's wonderful," Vanessa thought.

Bradamante, imbued with dark aura, grazed Vanessa's cheek. Drip, drops of red blood spilled, and Jin was reveling in the joy of victory as he passed by her.

As a warrior, if he had to compare himself to all the great warriors in the world, he would feel disappointed. But as Cyron's son, he was proud of himself for living up to his father's expectations, especially since this trial had shown that he and Cyron could "compete."

Ching...!

Vanessa's sword shattered into pieces. It didn't just break, but shattered completely and fell to the ground.

That was the most exhilarating sound Jin had ever heard in his life.

"Jin Runcandel, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead, Lady Vanessa."

Vanessa shrugged and looked back at Jin.

"If I had used a little more force, would you have achieved the same result?"

In Vanessa's opinion, Jin had nothing to envy Cyron in terms of skill. That's why her curiosity was as pure as a warrior's.

Could it even be possible to compete?

"...Well, actually, there is one more thing."

"What, do you mean you had one more card up your sleeve, besides what you've shown me so far?"

"But it can't be called a sword technique or magic, so it doesn't have any significance."

"It can't be called either a sword technique or magic?"

Jin smiled without answering.

It meant that he couldn't explain it in detail. Vanessa could do nothing but shrug in the face of the mysterious young Runcandel.

"Well, anyway, you've defeated me. Your father told me that you should receive some kind of punishment, but if this is the outcome, I suppose you deserve some kind of reward."