Chapter 81: Just a magic trick
{TL: By Creed}
"Well now..."
Hearing Sofia's words, the bodyguard curled the corner of his lips.
A crooked smile.
In that expression, you could see his confidence that he held an absolute advantage.
An invisible slash.
Sofia hadn't sustained any fatal injuries yet, but it was only a matter of time.
It was impossible to continue dodging these attacks, and even more impossible to read them.
Eventually, she would fall to the invisible slashes.
Believing this, the bodyguard moved to attack again.
"Your turn will never come. I'll always be the one in control."
He said confidently and swung his sword at an angle.
The speed and sharpness weren't particularly impressive.
Sofia turned her body slightly to avoid the slash.
Right after that, an alarm went off in her head.
There was something strange in the flow of the air.
Something was approaching from both sides.
She quickly glanced around, but, as expected, she couldn't see anything.
This, too, must be the invisible slashes of the bodyguard.
However...
"It's nothing to worry about."
Having figured out the trick, there was no longer any problem.
She twisted her body and dodged the invisible slash from the right.
Then she stepped back to avoid the invisible slash from the left.
"What? How did you avoid that!?"
Seeing his supposedly lethal attack completely dodged, the bodyguard was visibly shaken.
Sofia laughed, as if finding his reaction quite amusing.
"The true nature of the invisible slashes is ultra-fine wires that are hard to see unless you look closely, right?"
"Ugh..."
"You're not a swordsman; you're a wire manipulator. All the sword attacks were just a feint, while manipulating the wires was the real trick. It was quite a clever setup, but once the secret is out, it's nothing special. In the end, it's just a magic trick."
"Don't be ridiculous! Even if the trick is revealed, my wires aren't something that can be avoided easily! Do you know how many years and how much effort it took to master this technique...!?"
"That's unfortunate. However... I am, after all, a Sword Saint. I'm not fragile enough to be beaten by mere tricks like these."
"Damn it... arghhhhhh!!!"
The situation had reversed without him even realizing it, and he was now cornered.
The bodyguard screamed like a beast, unwilling to accept this fact.
And then, he made a desperate charge.
Skillfully manipulating the wires, he launched a full-on attack.
The wires came from every direction—front, back, left, right, and even from above. A multi-directional attack that was supposed to be unavoidable.
It was his ultimate technique, the one that had brought down countless enemies.
However...
"I've already seen through that trick."
"What!?"
A multi-directional attack that was supposed to be unavoidable.
There shouldn't have been even a sliver of space to escape.
And yet...
It was as if she'd used magic—the way Sofia avoided all the attacks without even a scratch.
The bodyguard's eyes widened in disbelief, but this was no illusion; it was reality. Sofia, who'd so easily overcome the obstacle, closed in on the bodyguard and struck him hard with the flat of her sword.
A sickening crunch as several bones shattered. The pain was unbearable, and the bodyguard lost consciousness.
"No way..."
The hired bodyguard, who'd been paid a handsome sum, was considered the strongest in the region as far as anyone knew.
Yet, he'd been taken down in an instant, leaving Falz in shock.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The plan was to eliminate the interference and gain favor with the Doctor. From there, climb to the top and eventually control everything in the Adventurers' Guild.
That was the ambition he'd envisioned, but now it was all falling apart, crumbling like a house of cards.
"Well then."
Sofia, with her sword still drawn, turned to face Falz.
"Eek!"
Falz trembled in fear. It was like facing a bird of prey. No, that wasn't right. It was like a dragon was glaring at him, giving him a feeling of overwhelming despair.
Sofia smiled sweetly, but her eyes were completely devoid of any warmth.
"Relax, I'm not going to kill you. However, I can't forgive you for trying to harm Fate, and especially for what you did to Aisha. I'm interested in getting to know her better. Therefore... I have a lot of questions for you, and I need your testimony. I'm not going to kill you, but be prepared to give up everything else."
...It is said that after that, Falz's screams echoed throughout the mansion.
TL Note: So much for sword aura just to be a trick of wire manipulation.
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