Chapter 119: To reach a higher level
{TL: By Creed)
The next day.
Sofia and I moved to the outskirts of town.
At the edge between the town and the outside. There are no buildings in such a place. There’s nothing but a plot of land covered in weeds, maybe earmarked for future development.
"This place will allow us to fight to our heart's content," Sofia said.
"But if we can't use the dojo at your house, what about the training grounds at the Adventurers' Guild?"
The Adventurers' Guild typically has training grounds available. Any adventurer can use them freely, but...
"Those are a bit too small. I need to go all out, and if I'm not careful, I might end up bringing the building down with me."
"I see..."
In other words, I would have to fight Sofia at her full strength.
My body trembled. I was honestly scared. But it wasn't just fear—I was excited, too.
By fighting Sofia at her full strength, I might be able to become even stronger. No, I will become stronger.
That thought kept me facing forward.
"Until now, I've been giving you advice on what to do, what might be better... but this time, there will be none of that."
Sofia said this as she readied her sword. Not a practice sword, but the holy sword Excalibur.
Just by drawing her sword, an overwhelming pressure assaulted me. The air buzzed and I found it hard to breathe.
If Aisha or Licorice were here, it would have been disastrous, but they weren’t.
Since this was serious training, there was no way I could let Aisha see it. So she stayed behind. Licorice was asked to keep Aisha entertained.
"If I were to teach you about the Divine Dragon King, I'd give you careful advice and we'd build up practice gradually... but what Fate needs now is simple strength. The power to survive and push through battles."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then fight me at my full strength, feel it with your body, and learn."
"It's all up to me, huh?"
"Yes. Whether this becomes a meaningless battle or valuable training... it's all up to you, Fate."
"......"
"I will fight seriously, but I will hold back just enough not to kill you."
"Ugh...!"
As if her words were a signal, Sofia's body released fighting spirit.
What... what overwhelming fighting spirit. It even had mass, and if I didn’t stay focused, I might lose consciousness.
This was just from her assuming a fighting stance. What would happen when the fight actually started...?
My fear grew. But so did my excitement...
"Here I come."
"Please do."
I readied my sword as well.
By the way, the sword I used was a disposable one I had bought at an armory in advance. I initially wanted to use the Snow Crystal Sword, but Sofia told me, "It will break, so please use another sword."
This wasn’t her overconfidence or overwhelming self-assurance. It was just... a simple fact.
"Then," Sofia said as she pulled out a coin and flicked it into the air.
The coin spun around... and the moment it hit the ground with a sound, the battle began.
"Ha!"
"Haaaah!"
We both kicked off the ground...
BAM!!!
"!?!?!?!"
Suddenly, an immense shock coursed through my entire body, and I found myself flying through the air.
I belatedly realized that I had been blasted away just from exchanging a single blow with Sofia...
"Ugh!?"
I crashed into the trunk of a tree and finally came to a stop.
There were no cuts or wounds. She must have held back...
Sofia's sword speed was astonishing, generating shockwaves. I was hit by one of those shockwaves directly, and it felt like I was blown away without being able to do anything.
I was genuinely terrified. To think that even with her holding back, she could unleash such power. I was rendered helpless and defeated in an instant.
But... I didn't even have time to be afraid now.
"Ha!!!"
"Kuuh!?"
Can you still go on?
It felt like Sofia’s follow-up attack was asking that. Despite the considerable distance between us, Sofia closed the gap in a single step. Then, she swung the holy sword horizontally.
"Take this!!!"
There was no way I could block the holy sword with an ordinary blade. So, I tried to deflect it by striking from above...
"Augh!?"
I couldn’t intercept her sword properly and was once again blasted away. I flew tens of meters...
Rolling across the ground multiple times, I finally came to a stop.
Since she was holding back, it must have been the shockwave that threw me so far. There were no cuts, but my whole body ached. It was probably due to both the shockwave and the damage from being thrown.
"Haah, haah, haah...!"
This is Sofia’s true strength.
The power of the Sword Saint, said to stand at the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
...It’s terrifying.
TL Note: Sofia is scary.
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