"Well, alright then." Roland took a proper stance. The beginning of the
Wait.
My eyes widened a fraction when I recognized it.
"That stance..."
Roland smiled, his sword resting casually over his right shoulder. "If you take me lightly, it won't end well, even for you, my friend."
That wasn't what he should have right now.
Did he derive it on his own? Or did he get more from that last scenario than I realized?
That seemingly reckless stance was the precursor to the final techniques of the
The first stances were meant to attack first and eliminate weaker or equal opponents. But the one he took now was for those you expected to be stronger, faster, or more skilled than you.
"...I'm flattered." I shifted my training sword into a basic fencing stance. "You think I'm stronger than you."
"I KNOW you're stronger than me, Friend. And I know that there's something you're chasing right now that even you cannot handle. So." Roland's blue eyes sharpened, fixing me with a serious gaze. "Show me. The power you've been hiding until now."
A small uproar echoed in the audience stands at Roland's words.
But I didn't pay them any attention. Instead, I focused on Roland.
...He was serious.
Then again, he was always that sort of person.
Although I didn't say anything about Eve's situation, both he and Marisa could tell something was up. Their keen intuition was telling them that danger was arriving, and that I was preparing for it.
So Roland was here as a test. Both for me, and for himself.
No matter who lost today, it would be priceless experience for the danger to come.
So...
I stared into Roland's sharp blue eyes and let out a soft smile. "You're a good friend, Roland. I thank myself every day for your presence in this life. So... Prepare yourself. You can heal, so I won't hold back on lethal blows."
And with that single warning, I stepped forward, steel flashing silver as it pierced towards Roland's neck.
===
Roland's neck prickled as Alex attacked.
The attack was slow. Executed well, yes. Precise, also yes. But slow.
Roland had already broken through to Rank 5.
While formidable, Alex's physique was only on the level of Rank 4.
But Roland knew that. His friend had always been one to rely more on magic, techniques, and tactics to gain the advantage in battle. Pure swordplay like this, especially to Roland, who possessed the Talent of
'Useless.'
Roland easily evaded the thrust aimed at his throat and countered with a slash to Alex's now outstretched arm.
At least, that was what he planned to do.
But-
'What?'
===
My thrust missed.
It had been precise, timed perfectly, and well-executed.
But that just meant that Roland could see it coming. To a guy whose very Talent was
That was the point though.
> An incredible synergy! 1000 SP has been rewarded for the inconceivable combination of Traits and personal knowledge that leverages the skill gap!
My sword flowed like water around Roland's outstretched sword as I closed the distance and continued my attack, sword point unerringly aimed at his neck.
All around me, the crowd broke into an uproar.
"What?"
"Did the commoner just use his own inexperience as a feint?!"
"That wasn't a feint! That was precognition!"
Oh, interesting. The last person wasn't right, but he wasn't completely wrong either.
Roland immediately disengaged, leaping back while staring at me with wide blue eyes. "That was..."
I casually swung my blade and rested it on my right shoulder, mirroring what Roland did at the start. "Combat logic taken to its extreme. Dictation of the opponent via deliberately predictable actions and collapsing the decision tree to a single outcome." I smiled calmly and said, "You might have incredible intuition, talent, and technique, Rolo. But none of that matters when I know the move you will make."
===
"...You truly are incredible, Friend." Roland laughed and then calmly assessed Alex's stance, reassessing the situation.
It was similar, but not the same.
Although it wouldn't surprise Roland if Alex knew of the sword style Roland's grandfather had derived...
After all, Roland's dear friend seemed to have a habit of being surprisingly well-informed about obscure topics and details.
But while it wouldn't have surprised Roland if Alex had either learned the stance just now or knew it already, Roland could tell that wasn't it.
The way Alex stood was similar to how Roland had opened this clash, but ever so slightly different.
Roland's feet positioning, spacing, and overall structure of his stance with his sword over his right shoulder was all to facilitate a counterattack for an advancing enemy. With the right foot backwards and the blade positioned so that the left shoulder was in front of the handle, it allowed a strike the moment the foe crossed the critical threshold and entered Roland's range.
At the moment before the opponent's weapon hit him, Roland would attack from above, claiming either the opponent's arm or head while freely evading by taking a backstep with the left foot.
It was effective. And if you were confident in your sword arm, it would undoubtedly defeat most encounters. If not, it would give you time to assess the opponent as you could easily perform a retreating step at the same time that you countered.
...But that wasn't how Alex was standing.
'What is that stance?'
Like Roland, Alex had his sword rested on his right shoulder.
But that was where the similarities ended.
'...There is no structure.'
Roland's trained eye easily picked apart Alex's stance. And the more it did, the more it didn't make sense.
The grip on his sword was too hard. It should be loose to allow for maneuverability.
His feet were planted too firmly to the ground as well. Not only that, but he was leading with his right side, hilt pointed directly at Roland.
But what was the most confusing was his left hand.
Instead of being held low to maintain structure , or held behind the back to maintain balance, Alex had placed it on his chest.
'Magic? No, if Alex intended to use that, he would have said so.'
Roland was sure of that much, at least. If Alex intended to refine his magic, he would have asked Marisa for a spar.
The fact that he had asked Roland meant that there was something that Alex was trying to refine in close combat.
But Roland couldn't see what it was.
The stance Alex was using was all wrong for wielding a sword. And it defied even the basic swordsmanship that the academy taught them in drills.
'...Nothing for it but to test.'
Alex was waiting for Roland to make the move. Whatever he was planning, he clearly wanted to test it against a skilled swordsman like Roland instead of a random classmate.
And as if to confirm that...
"Well?" Alex smirked and said, "Are you going to leave me waiting all day, Sword Saint?"
Roland smiled back. But instead of responding with words, he advanced.
Sword lowered to the ground, right shoulder leading, steps and structure all primed to transition into a blinding upward slash faster than Alex could react.
It was the only move. The best move against such a flawed sword stance.
...But because it was the perfect move, Roland almost missed it.
A flash of silver. Steel, slashing out for an attack far beyond the range that Alex could have been capable of making with his blade.
Roland's eyes widened and he instinctively tilted his sword into a parry. But then-