Edelweiss—"Twin Wings." Without a doubt, this woman was the second person Charles had encountered in this world that he wasn't confident he could defeat. The first was the Grand Elder of Shindou Temple, someone Charles had never fought seriously against, and thus couldn't gauge their full strength.
But now, facing Edelweiss, Charles felt a pressure he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Charles had arrived in this world by accident, and the reason he had stayed so long was to study the martial arts of this world. Just like when he learned magic, Charles knew that the fastest way to refine his skills was through combat. And to climb the highest peaks, the battles had to be fought with everything on the line.
The problem was—Charles had become too strong. Even at Shindou Temple, there were only a few who could offer him that kind of fight.
Even among those with the strength, none had the will to ignite Charles's fighting spirit.
That was why Charles had chosen to mentor Kurogane Ikki. Ikki had the potential—and more importantly, he had the will to stoke that fighting flame within Charles.
But now, Charles had met Edelweiss. Feeling the pressure she radiated, the fire in Charles's heart blazed even higher.
Ikki turned to Charles. "Let me go first. It'll only last a minute, anyway."
Charles nodded, stepping back to leave the battlefield to Ikki.
Though they'd encountered Edelweiss, she clearly wasn't aligned with Akatsuki Academy. As the world's strongest swordsman, she wouldn't lie about such things.
So it was true—Edelweiss was simply here to obstruct them. Nothing more.
That meant escaping was impossible, even if they teamed up. So there was no point in overthinking it now—they had to devote themselves entirely to this duel. And if it was to be a duel, then it would be one-on-one.
Ikki's body flared with magical light as he activated Ittou Shura the moment the battle began.
He understood very clearly just how vast the gap was between him and this valkyrie. Without Ittou Shura, he didn't even qualify to stand before her.
One minute. That was both the time limit of Ittou Shura and the countdown for this battle.
"Seventh Secret Sword—Raikou!"
Ikki opened with his most prized technique. The blade, turned into a bolt of lightning, stabbed toward Edelweiss.
Her counter, even to Charles's eyes, was nothing more than a flash of white light.
It wasn't a special move. Just a simple swing of the sword. But that swing was too fast—unthinkably fast.
Ikki's blade, Intetsu, was knocked aside by the flash, and his entire body was sent retreating backward.
He had no choice but to retreat. He couldn't read Edelweiss's sword path—much less block or counter it.
And it was the right decision. At that exact moment, a blade of light had slashed across the space where his throat had just been.
Charles frowned. Even his own senses hadn't kept up with her movement.
Charles prided himself on his dynamic visual acuity. Even if Edelweiss's sword speed reached several times the speed of sound, he was confident he could still track it.
But Edelweiss's attacks surpassed the limits of sight.
She stepped forward, unleashing ten strikes in a blink.
She was a dual-wielding swordswoman, and in terms of sheer attack speed, she had an obvious advantage. Facing her seemingly "normal" flurry of attacks, Ikki had no choice but to grit his teeth and meet them with his fastest technique—the Seventh Secret Sword.
Charles sighed. The gap was just too wide. Ikki was already being completely suppressed. Though he managed to block all ten strikes, the muscles in his arms were likely trembling from the strain.
And Edelweiss, despite wielding her blades with one hand, had more power than Ikki did with both hands on his sword.
Charles wasn't surprised. Even if Ikki could wield all his strength, it couldn't compare to hers. Because Edelweiss had achieved something theoretically impossible—and Charles had seen it in her very first swing.
Edelweiss's sword made no sound when it moved.
Sound is caused by vibration—by energy dispersion. So a completely silent motion meant zero wasted energy, achieving 100% speed and power.
But such a thing was inhuman. Even Newton would protest—"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Ikki had realized this as well. But all it did was deepen his sense of helplessness.
Speed. Power. Sword paths. Edelweiss had simply refined these most fundamental aspects to perfection. And precisely because of that, Ikki couldn't find a single opening.
He couldn't let her keep pressing the attack. He had reached the limit of his defense. He had to act.
Ikki took a large step back—and as expected, Edelweiss followed up with a pursuit.
"Fourth Secret Sword—Shinki Rou!"
While moving forward, two images of Ikki appeared, both swinging toward Edelweiss.
The intent was to bait her into attacking a phantom. When her blade missed, it would create an opening—that was the opportunity Ikki needed.
But… too naïve!
If Touka used Raikiri to create an invincible overlapping domain, then Edelweiss had built an even more untouchable domain with her swordsmanship alone.
The moment he was about to step into that domain, Ikki sensed the danger and immediately aborted the attack.
A flash of light sliced past—had he hesitated even slightly, he would have been decapitated.
"First Secret Sword—Shigeki!"
Perhaps realizing tricks wouldn't work, Ikki chose his strongest, most straightforward technique to try and break through.
Clang!
To Ikki's disbelief, Edelweiss's blade tip struck the very tip of his own sword—no more than a pinpoint.
Such judgment, such precision—it was beyond belief.
And that surprise on Ikki's face was all the opening she needed.
Even the tiniest lapse was enough for Edelweiss to strike. This time, Ikki wasn't able to dodge.
The wound was on his forehead. Not deep—but the blood running down obstructed his vision.
Thankfully, Ikki didn't rely solely on sight. His "Perfect Control" ability and the aura techniques he'd learned from Charles gave him another path.
Through his heart's eye, he had already analyzed Edelweiss's sword style, rhythm, personality, and even her thought patterns.
Using this mental vision, Ikki managed to block her next attack.
But Edelweiss remained calm and unshaken. Ikki was performing admirably, but the gap between them remained immeasurable.
All she needed to do was continue pressing him with her overwhelming speed and strength. At this rate, she would break through before Ittou Shura's time limit ran out.
Ikki understood this as well—but he had spotted his one chance at victory.
Perhaps due to her confidence, Edelweiss had never dodged an attack since the battle began.
Because there was no need—Ikk's attacks simply couldn't penetrate her domain.
"Sixth Secret Sword—Blade of the Poison Moth!"
A strike that delivered shockwaves internally through the blade. As long as it landed, it would work—perfect for someone who never dodged.
Edelweiss didn't dodge this time either. The dark blade and the pure white sword clashed directly.
But then—blood exploded from Ikki's body.
Edelweiss had used the exact same technique, and her shockwave overpowered Ikki's, reversing the force back into his body.
Heavy internal damage.
Ikki thought he had read her sword—but it was a delusion. He should never have assumed such a thing.
Even going all out, he couldn't even touch her hem.
And yet Ikki had not given up. Bloodied from head to toe, he still held his sword high.
Charles called out. "Ikki. Just recognizing the gap is enough. You're not yet at the point to gamble everything."
Ikki said nothing. Intetsu faded away from his hand. As Charles said, he wasn't yet worthy of pursuing victory—acknowledging the difference was enough for now.
Charles stepped forward. "Then it's my turn now."
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