Chapter 299

After responding to Tatsuro’s telepathic message, Ai and Andoni clashed with their respective blades.

Ai swung her thick blade, composed of eighteen claws, down at Andoni from an overhead stance.

As expected, Andoni couldn’t keep up with her speed, but perhaps having grown accustomed, he managed to slip his blade between Ai’s and his own body, parrying without letting her touch him.

“Haha! My Beast Spirit Technique got chipped! Amazing! First time I’ve seen that!!”

“Just chipped!? Impossible—but if that’s the case…”

He had intended to slice through all eighteen claws, but all he managed was to nick the blade’s edge by a few centimeters.

The Mantle is indeed a Beast Spirit Technique, but it’s a step above ordinary ones, too powerful to be countered by standard techniques. Yet, Ai’s Beast Spirit Technique was holding its own against the Mantle.

This could only mean one thing: a fundamental difference in the quality of their Beast Spirit Techniques.

(I wondered why I received a divine revelation to come here, but could it be to show this little girl the Mantle?)

Andoni, with his Ki Manipulation skills advanced enough to perform the Mantle, could infuse his Beast Spirit Technique with maximum power. Yet, despite Ai’s Ki Manipulation being no less refined, and her manifesting a splendid Beast Spirit Technique, she was resisting a technique a step above.

This led Andoni to a realization: Ai must possess a skill superior to his initial skill, Servant of the Sword God.

The Servant of Sword God skills, in terms of hierarchy, are outranked by the Beast Spirit, which is considered divine. Thus, the Beast Spirit lends its power to the user, but it’s merely on loan.

However, if the skill were not Servant but directly Sword God—in this case, Sword God—it would be on par with the divine Beast Spirit governing the skill derived from the Martial God. In such a case, the power isn’t merely lent; it’s shared as equals, a state one step higher.

(If that’s true, does this little girl possess Sword God…?)

In this elevated state, the quality of the Beast Spirit Technique improves accordingly, which would explain the current situation.

For further clarification on hierarchy:

Servant of the Sword God < sword="" god="Servant" of="" the="" martial="" god="">< martial="">

Thus, Ai’s skill was actually two ranks above Andoni’s.

The equivalence of Sword God and Servant of the Martial God stems from the fact that the Beast Spirit is the same for both.

However, in terms of overall skill strength, Sword God < servant="" of="" the="" martial="">

(To think a human could possess a legendary skill like Sword God…)

Andoni, who had considered himself a genius for mastering Ki Manipulation over decades, suddenly felt ordinary compared to this young girl, who matched him despite her superior skill.

In truth, Ai’s Ki Manipulation was being optimized and calculated by her Magic Brain, achieving ideal results. Without it, even with her Dexterity skill, Ai’s Ki Manipulation wouldn’t come close to Andoni’s.

Andoni was indeed a genius in his own right, though he’d likely never realize it.

(But if that’s the case, this is bad. I can’t afford to lose this sword!)

He had taken the bet because he thought he could win. That’s why he so casually wagered his precious sword. A blade forged with perfect craftsmanship from Crimson Oni Stone would require immense effort to obtain again in this country.

(My Mantle still has the edge, just barely. I have to end this quickly!)

With that, Andoni resolved to face the girl with his full strength.

Meanwhile, Ai was deeply impressed that her Beast Spirit claws, which had sliced through everything until now, had been chipped for the first time. Simultaneously, she restored the chipped claws in an instant.

Looking ahead, she saw Andoni radiating an intensity that discarded all traces of composure, even exuding killing intent. Realizing she might suffer if she underestimated him, Ai decided to fight with her full strength as well.

“What’s that…?”

“Poipoi, umm, let’s see, more of this!”

Just as a serious clash was about to begin, Ai spread out equipment from her Item Box on the ground—gear capable of withstanding her full power.

The Celestial Gear spear, Justina; the Celestial Gear fan; the Celestial Gear hammer, Kachikachi-kun. She had the robotic arm of the Celestial Gear bow, Gundari Myoo, grab them all. Aside from her Gem Sword and her own body, nothing else could withstand her full power, so she limited herself to these.

“Here, take this too.”

“Handing over your sword? What are you—wait, no way!”

She equipped the spear, fan, and hammer, and even had the bow’s arm hold her precious Gem Sword.

Andoni might have dismissed it as madness and furrowed his brow, but when Ai’s body donned monochrome white and black scales, with a black dragon head on her left fist and a white dragon head on her right, both formed from Ki, he realized his thinking had been shallow.

A trident spear, a navy-blue leather fan embroidered with red flowers, a short-handled hammer with a large striking head, and an arrow of Ki nocked in the bow—all were imbued with Beast Spirit Techniques.

“Not a sword, but martial arts!?”

The Sword God skills only enhance swordsmanship. Yet Ai manifested a tiger’s three yellow fangs on the spear, peach scales of a fish on the fan, an elephant’s brown legs on the hammer, and a bird’s blue wings on the arrow.

Such a feat was impossible without a skill tied to the Martial God.

Recognizing Ai’s growing danger, Andoni aimed for a quick resolution. He gripped his Lion’s Mantle blade with both hands, assumed a thrusting stance, and charged forward in a single leap.

“Tchaaaaaaa!”

“—Hmph, ho, choi-ya! Teryaaaa!”

Moving so fast it seemed like teleportation to an ordinary person, Andoni reached Ai and unleashed a flurry of thrusts too quick to follow. Ai dodged effortlessly without blocking, swinging Kachikachi-kun, cloaked in the brown Ki of an elephant’s leg, down at him.

Andoni twisted his body to evade, thrusting a fourth time before sweeping sideways to cleave Kachikachi-kun. But just before his blade reached, an arrow with bird wings and a trident with fangs closed in, forcing him to retreat.

Ai’s multitude of attacks overwhelmed his single blade.

“—Ngh!?”

In the brief moment he diverted his attention, Ai closed the distance. Before he realized it, her fist grazed his right cheek. He rotated his head to lessen the impact and swung his blade at Ai’s left side.

The blade should have sliced her abdomen—but it dissipated into mist.

“Too bad, that was a clone!”

“—Gah!”

As confusion filled his mind, Ai’s palms, cloaked in White Dragon Ki and black dragon Ki, struck his back, slamming him into the floor.

Ai followed up, raising Kachikachi-kun to smash him with the elephant’s leg. Despite the damage, Andoni struck the floor with his sword’s hilt, rolling sideways to escape—but then:

“What!?”

The elephant’s leg stomped through the floor, freezing the surroundings and pinning Andoni with ice, halting his movement.

Using his blade that could cut only what he desired, Andoni sliced through the ice without harming his body or armor, breaking free and retreating from Ai.

“Damn it, I can’t land a hit!”

“It really can cut only what you want. The pinnacle of slashing—huh?”

As Ai briefly shifted her focus from Andoni, she looked down. At that moment, a blinding inferno and thunder roared across the ceiling.

Like Ai, Andoni averted his eyes from the brilliance, looking up only after it subsided.

“The ceiling’s gone… What the…? Someone’s flying…? Did he do that? Eduar, what are you doing…?”

“Got time to worry about others?”

“…Shut up.”

Acknowledging he couldn’t afford distractions, Andoni endured the pain in his back and resumed his thrusting stance.

Simultaneously, Ai retrieved the Gem Sword from Gundari Myo-o and assumed a proper stance.

(I feel like I’m getting the hang of it.)

Having observed Andoni’s Lion’s Mantle blade from every angle and taken its blows directly, Ai felt she grasped its essence. Normally, her skill wouldn’t suffice, but the Gem Sword’s advanced computational device aided her.

With a vague sense of “this is how it works,” Ai channeled Ki into the Gem Sword.

“—I won’t let you!”

Sensing Ai had grasped something, Andoni saw no reason to wait. He aimed the Lion’s Mantle’s tip and charged.

“Ugh, don’t you know it’s standard to wait in moments like this? Read some battle manga!”

“No way I’d wait!”

Struggling to maintain her fading mental image, Ai dodged the thrusts with footwork alone. Holding the Gem Sword in her right hand, she had Gundari Myoo pass the Celestial Gear fan, Phantom Flower, to her left.

“Tei tei!”

“What’s that!?”

The Phantom Flower’s basic ability was to send slashes in directions different from where it was swung. But against an opponent of this level, who could counter by tracking the slash’s trajectory, it was child’s play.

So, while maintaining Ki flow to the Gem Sword, Ai poured even more Ki into the Phantom Flower. A sweet-scented white smoke began to drift from it. Though wary of inhaling the suspicious smoke, Andoni, fighting at close range, couldn’t avoid breathing it in.

“Wha… What’s this…? My body feels… floaty…”

“It seems my Ki transforms it to cause this. It’ll wear off without aftereffects or addiction, so don’t worry.”

As Andoni inhaled the smoke, his mind grew hazy, his body sluggish as if drunk, and a euphoric feeling lifted his spirits, making him grin involuntarily. Eventually, he began seeing people who weren’t there, laughing uncontrollably and drooling.

“Gyahaha, hek, what’s with that face! Gahaha, bababa!”

“Uh, is he really okay… Leah…?”

Thanks to Leah’s All-Seeing Eye, they discovered a new ability of the Phantom Flower. By infusing it with large amounts of Ki, the embroidered flower—named after the real flower—could induce its narcotic effects on creatures inhaling the Ki smoke.

This effect was less potent against creatures biologically resistant to drugs, like monsters, making it most effective against humans. Unlike real drugs, the effect was illusory, and Leah claimed it would fully wear off… but its intense impact on humans made Ai want to confirm with Leah immediately.

While panicking, Ai saw Eduar dash past her and Andoni, heading for the door. He crashed through the entrance and collapsed, unconscious and near death.

“Looks like Tatsuro’s side is done. Guess I’d better wrap this up too. —Ha!”

Calming her rattled mind, Ai stored everything except the Gem Sword, ignoring the delirious Andoni. Gripping the Gem Sword’s hilt with both hands, she held it before her chest.

The Beast Spirit Technique activated instantly, and a red lion’s form appeared on the sword.

(Like… sticking tight, and snap!)

Unable to articulate her understanding, Ai fed the vague image to her Magic Brain. In a single second, it ran hundreds of trials, fully grasping her hazy thoughts.

“—Done!”

Looking at the Gem Sword, Ai saw a red Ki membrane enveloping it, with a lion’s red crest etched on the blade’s flat. Instinctively, she understood it had mastered the act of cutting.

“So this is it… incredible.”

She felt an omnipotent sense of cutting from the Gem Sword, something beyond the concept of Beast Spirit Technique. Now, she truly understood.

“Alright, here I go. Since you’re like you’re under anesthesia, it shouldn’t hurt, so I won’t hold back.”

Ai held the Gem Sword sideways, standing before Andoni, who sat on the floor, laughing and drooling. She swung the sword from just below his right shoulder, across his chest, to below his left shoulder.

Normally, such a strike would have bisected him from the shoulders up. But Ai cut only the muscles and bones of both upper arms, leaving every blood vessel untouched, rendering his arms useless.

Under the Phantom Flower’s influence, Andoni felt no pain, his limp arms dangling as he continued laughing.

“Ugh… this is kinda creepy. Tatsuro—Help me!!”

“What’s wrong?”

Andoni was freed from the Phantom Flower’s effects by Tatsuro’s Life Magic. But as a result, he writhed in agony from the intense pain, as expected.