"Audacious trespasser—"
The cold gauntlet pressed tightly against her skin. Her torn sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of her snow-white forearm marred by scrapes.
His fingers tightened slightly, the chilling metal pressing into her flesh and rubbing against those fine bloody scratches.
Su Cheng let out a soft groan.
They stood face to face. The stark difference in their sizes left her completely overshadowed. Right in front of her eyes was an exquisitely embossed breastplate, and the signet chain hanging from his cloak almost brushed against her hair.
She tried to pull her hand back, expecting it to be unmovable. Unexpectedly, the man's arm was pulled along, and his entire upper body even leaned forward slightly.
Su Cheng: "?"
How did she have so much strength?
The battle aura in her body seemed to have been completely drained. She originally thought there was some kind of rule in this illusion, like fighting purely with physical strength—
Judging from their physiques, the other party could knock her down with a single punch so she couldn't get back up.
But that didn't seem to be the case?
Right now, it looked like their strength levels were on the same tier.
"Is this your choice?"
The silver-haired man sneered.
The large hand gripping her wrist flipped, twisting Su Cheng's arm behind her. She was forced to spin half a circle, the back of her head crashing into his breastplate.
Su Cheng saw stars from the impact, but she still had her wits about her and immediately drove her elbow backward.
The man's right hand still clasped her wrist, but his left hand had already slid down to her waist. With a seemingly casual upward lift and a spin, he threw her.
The world flipped upside down in her eyes as she was thrown to the ground with a shoulder throw. Just as she was about to scramble up, the back of her knee was stepped on.
Su Cheng took advantage of the momentum to bend her other leg, attempting to lock his ankle.
The silver-haired man imperceptibly turned his ankle, the sole of his boot grinding against the tendon behind her knee.
He didn't move any further, allowing her leg to wrap around him like a vine. The moment she touched his ankle, his knee pressed down elegantly like a snapping branch.
His kneepad dug into the hollow of her tailbone, pinning her firmly to the ground.
Su Cheng gasped, feeling like she was being crushed into a pancake.
Su Cheng: "..."
If the other party was truly a person, or some kind of creature, then she deserved to be beaten for offending him.
But what exactly was his deal?
"Sword!" she hurriedly yelled. "I need to get a sword!"
The silver-haired man rose silently, the hem of his battle robe swirling in the air. He stepped back twice, allowing her to stumble toward the weapon rack.
He slowly and methodically drew the rapier from his waist.
The movement was quite beautiful, carrying an unhurried elegance, yet it also concealed a suffocating sense of oppression.
Su Cheng took a breath, having no time to admire it too much, and quickly looked at the weapon rack.
Her gaze swept over numerous long and short blades, hammers, and axes, landing on a heavy sword.
The sword was nearly as tall as a person, only slightly shorter than her height. The blade was very wide, with an alternating black and silver surface flowing with water-like gray ripples.
Su Cheng lifted the sword with one hand.
—In this illusion, her strength seemed to have been elevated to a rather exaggerated level.
She couldn't even feel the weight of the weapon right now.
The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow slightly. The slender rapier twirled lightly at his fingertips, its cold gleam like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Su Cheng made a quick comparison. Her weapon was a segment longer than his, and since she had no strength limits, she wouldn't get tired after swinging it a couple of times.
She gritted her teeth and launched the first attack.
The blade tore through the air with a strange hum, slashing down fiercely from above.
The silver-haired man turned slightly. With a light flick of his rapier, the tip accurately struck the front end of the heavy sword's blade.
The moment the metals clashed, Su Cheng felt a shock through the webbing of her hand. The trajectory of the heavy sword was actually deflected by half an inch from that light flick.
She hurriedly adjusted the angle backhanded, sweeping the heavy sword out horizontally and stirring up a strong gust of wind. The silver-haired man stepped back half a pace, dodging it with precision.
Then, in the moment before she could retract her stance, he closed in again, his rapier tapping against the spine of her sword like lightning.
Su Cheng felt the long blade in her hands tremble violently, nearly dropping it.
She tried to steady her weapon, but the person in front of her rapidly approached, thrusting a sword toward the center of her brow.
—Even knowing this was an illusion and this body was highly likely not real, she was instinctively frightened by the move.
Su Cheng leaned back. The silver-haired man smoothly raised his leg, hooking the tip of his boot around her ankle and pushing backward.
At the same time, he entangled the heavy sword's crossguard, the metal wings locking together, and then gave a gentle pull.
Su Cheng lost her balance and stumbled forward.
He struck the back of her neck with the pommel of his sword, letting her fall at his feet.
The young woman's dark curly hair scattered completely, brushing against the cold, hard iron of his battle boots.
"...Unbearable to watch."
The silver-haired man flourished his sword and walked a half-circle around her. "I thought your courage to choose a challenge came from your strength—"
Su Cheng gritted her teeth, pretending to be furious, and suddenly hoisted the heavy sword, slashing at his ankle.
He easily dodged it. Just as he was about to take the opportunity to strike, she retracted her movement, turning the blade to smack horizontally at his knee.
The tip of his sword, originally aimed at her wrist, thus crashed into the body of the heavy sword.
Su Cheng hoisted the heavy sword to block for a moment, using the momentum to scramble up, shifting to a two-handed grip.
The silver-haired man did not speak. In those eyes where blue and green blended, there was still nothing but sheer arrogance and mockery.
His rapier seemed like a living creature, like a venomous snake slithering through the forest. It nimbly bypassed her defenses, rapidly striking her shoulder, wrist, and knee—
Every touch left no severe injury, not even harming her bones or tendons; only narrow cuts oozed beads of blood.
Su Cheng stumbled. Because of the accumulated injuries, her arms grew increasingly painful, every exertion pulling at her wounds.
A cold gleam flashed past the corner of her eye, and severed strands of hair fluttered in the air.
"...Clumsy."
The silver-haired man commented coldly, lightly slapping her wrist with the flat of his blade.
Su Cheng felt her hands go sore and numb, almost letting go and dropping the heavy sword on her foot. "...I'm a beginner, hey!"
The tip of the sword stopped at her throat, tracing slowly upward along the lines of her neck until it rested against her jaw.
"Oh," the silver-haired man said coldly, "then yield."
Su Cheng jerked backward. Taking advantage of the barely opened distance, she swung the heavy sword from the bottom up, slicing diagonally toward his wrist.
The man stood perfectly still. With a lift of his wrist, his sword tip accurately pierced into the gap of the heavy sword's crossguard, twisting and flicking!
The heavy sword flew out of her hands, crashing at the edge of the dueling arena.
Su Cheng stumbled to the side and crashed into the weapon rack, sending all the weapons clattering to the ground.
She gritted her teeth to prop herself up, but her fingers unexpectedly touched another weapon.
A rapier, silvery-white as frost, with a wing-shaped crossguard, slender and ornate.
Su Cheng: "..."
She grabbed the rapier. The hilt was icy cold, and its weight was ridiculously light; holding it in her hand felt almost like it didn't exist.
This awful battle had lasted for quite some time. She couldn't remember anything else, but she could remember his movements when wielding the sword.
The angle of his wrist, the distance of his footwork, the trajectory of the sword tip—
Imitating him, Su Cheng raised her arm and abruptly thrust the sword forward.
Light, precise, with no wasted energy.
The tip of the sword rapidly closed in on her opponent.
And just as it was about to be blocked, it retreated like lightning, barely knocking aside the other rapier.
Su Cheng: "?!"
Su Cheng: "Did I block you? Did I just block you?!"
This was completely different from when she used the heavy sword before!
Moreover, she had merely been imitating his movements, relying on her intuition to adapt at the critical moment.
The silver-haired man frowned at her and swung another sword strike her way.
She hurriedly tried to block it but missed. Her entire sleeve was torn open, and blood spread from her wrist to her elbow, dripping onto the ground.
"Impulsive," he glanced at her. "You don't—"
The silver-haired man paused, suddenly stopping his words.
The black-haired girl was imitating his posture. Holding the rapier in one hand and standing slightly sideways to face him, she actually looked somewhat formidable.
Yet her arms, chest, and abdomen were almost entirely covered in sword wounds; at a glance, not a single inch of intact skin could be found.
Even so—
Those amber eyes still sparkled brightly, devoid of any resentment or anger, but rather full of anticipation.
"I've improved, right?"
She ignored his criticism and asked happily.
Then she showed a hint of confusion. "Wait, are you human? Uh, I mean, you must be a remnant left behind by someone—"
The silver-haired man swung his sword again.
The two sharp blades clashed in mid-air, striking a dazzling line of sparks, like two silver snakes with intertwined necks, biting and coiling around each other.
The silver light shone like ripples, dancing and whirling in the air, shredding the blood-red moon.
Whenever she barely managed to block a strike, he would immediately point out her flaw with another sword thrust.
"Wrist."
"Footwork."
His blade swept past like a feather, leaving wounds that were neither too light nor too heavy, and did not hinder her movements.
Furthermore—
As time passed, Su Cheng noticed that those wounds had disappeared.
Her fatigue was gone, too.
This illusion seemed to have some sort of mechanism: after a certain amount of time, it would restore a person to their peak condition.
She herself did not know how long had passed.
In short, her mind was completely filled with sword techniques—how to strike, block, and evade.
Su Cheng no longer had the mind to think about anything else, such as whether her opponent was a man or a ghost, or whether she could still enter the city.
She just threw her entire heart and soul into the battle.
And she had to.
Because the interval between the illusion's physical resets was quite long. If she got distracted, the injuries he left on her would be severe.
She could only force herself to concentrate, keeping up with his rhythm without daring to relax for a single moment.
Also, because she would not truly get exhausted, this could continue indefinitely, and she gradually developed some muscle memory.
"...Passable."
The silver-haired man sheathed his sword and stepped back, looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Regardless," Su Cheng panted, "thank you anyway, um, Mr. Montagne...?"
She noticed that the eagle carving on his armor was exactly the same as the crest on the city gates, so it was highly likely he was a member of that family.
The silver-haired man nodded coldly. "It is 'Your Grace'."
After saying that, he turned and left.
The entire dueling arena was enveloped in an overwhelming black fog. Su Cheng's vision went dark, and when she woke up again, she found herself sitting on a street.
It was a gloomy, long street floating with smoke and dust. Everything around was dim, and the air felt as if it had solidified.
The surrounding buildings were all in a state of collapse, or mostly burned down. Dust hung suspended in the air, as if frozen by some unseen force.
She looked around and saw the silhouette of a temple in the distance, along with more clock towers and high spires, as well as the dust-covered windows of shops.
She was in!
This was the interior of Mytheros!
At the end of this long street was the collapsed city wall, upon which corpses impaled by spears and lances could still be seen.
Su Cheng blinked, realizing that her battle aura had returned.
She looked down at her hands and could not find a single scratch. Her tattered clothes were also in the same condition as before.
Although there was some damage, it was the result of being beaten by the bronze eagle, not from the sword duel.
It seemed the previous illusion was entirely fake.
Perhaps it had only occurred in the mental realm.
At the street corner ahead, there was a dilapidated little tavern. A wooden signboard, broken in half, lay on the ground, and a figure was kneeling at the entrance.
Looking at its posture, it seemed to be holding something up, yet its hands were completely empty.
Su Cheng looked closely and realized it was actually a ghost!
It was her first time seeing a spirit separated from its physical body.
It looked silver-gray and translucent, and the outline of a human body could still be made out.
Gathering her courage, she walked over, avoiding a small, splintered wooden board that read Stewed Mutton and Sticky Rice Cakes, the prices behind the words already blurred.
The spirit remained kneeling on the ground, its head tilted toward the sky, seemingly muttering something.
Su Cheng suddenly realized he was actually praying.
She stepped a bit closer before she could hear his murmured words.
"O Ageless One of eternal immortality, please grant sanctuary to your devout believer and punish these blasphemous villains—"
Su Cheng observed carefully and noticed a gap in the spirit's body. It was torn starting from the left shoulder, the slash angling down toward the right side of his waist and abdomen.
His entire upper body had been cleaved in two just like that.
Now, it looked as if he had been pieced back together, with only that faint fissure vaguely revealing what he had once endured.
Su Cheng was unsure of what might happen and dared not get any closer, so she kept her distance and continued walking forward.
The entire street was shrouded in smoke and dust. Everything was a hazy gray, as if a great fire had once burned here, covering the surroundings in a dark, veil-like shroud of smog.
Navigating the dead silent road, she suddenly saw another ghost.
It lay face down at the intersection ahead, its body severed at the waist, with a distinct gap visible around its middle.
The ghost seemed to be trying to crawl forward. Near its hand lay a mottled, worn hardcover notebook.
Su Cheng picked up the notebook and found it filled with trivial information and all sorts of mundane matters.
But there were also some unique entries.
"The Grand Magister sent from Highgarden is said to be here to recover from his injuries. They say he was cursed by an evil god, and not even a tenth of his power remains."
"Some say his surname is Montagne? Isn't that the surname of the Lord of Mytheros?"
"...I only just learned that this place is actually his territory. His ancestors have ruled Mytheros for generations. Good heavens, to think that such a great noble would also..."
"Today I saw the Grand Magister. He has silver hair and green eyes, a majestic build, and looks as handsome as a deity, yet the words he speaks are like sharp swords. But he is so damn strong, so strong that it extinguishes any feeling of jealousy. I recalled those rumors, but I dared not ask if he was truly cursed. Nor can I imagine just how powerful he must have originally been if the rumors of the curse are true—"
Su Cheng continued flipping through the pages, skipping over various trivial family matters.
"During training today, he walked past me and disarmed me with a flick of his weapon. He stood there sneering, saying, 'That is a sword, not a sewing needle.' I felt frustrated. My parents are both tailors, so I know better than anyone how to hold a needle, and it is definitely not like that. I talked back and asked him how I should do it. I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth, thinking he might beat me to death. But as it turned out—he actually taught me."
"It is unbelievable! He is the Grand Mentor of the Black Knights. He is the only one in the entire church to hold this title, and it is said that he was personally blessed by His Holiness. Right now, only the legion commanders and the great envoys are qualified to listen to his teachings, and I am just a member of the patrol..."
"Incredible! He is the most excellent teacher! He only said a few words, and I defeated Lila. She just beat me yesterday..."
The handwriting that followed was completely soaked in blood.
Su Cheng slowly put the notebook back and looked at the ghost slumped on the ground.
A few weapons were scattered by the ghost's hand. She bent down and picked up a rapier, carefully examining the carved handguard and the dried blood on the blade.
Su Cheng casually flourished the sword, weighing it in her hand, and found that it still felt heavier than it did in the illusion.
...Probably because her strength index had dropped now.
She casually thrust the sword forward.
Amidst a sharp whistling sound piercing the air, a wisp of black fire faintly flashed across the blade, followed by a shooting burst of sword aura.
A dilapidated low wall in front of her was instantly pierced through.
Su Cheng: "?"
Su Cheng: "???"
Right.
Things were different now compared to the illusion. She had battle aura.
But attaching battle aura to a weapon and releasing aura outward were feats that exceeded the power limits of a Tier-1 warrior.
Su Cheng looked at her hand in shock.
She truly did not have much battle aura. Just that one move had consumed quite a bit; a few more times and she would probably be completely drained.
But...
"This isn't right, is it?"
She said in disbelief, "Normally, I would have to accumulate enough battle aura and strengthen my physique to a certain level before I could do this kind of..."
"That is only 'normally'."
The lazy voice of a vampire sounded from behind her.
Sasha walked over silently, looking down at her sword-wielding hand, a hint of amusement revealing itself in his crimson eyes.
"When humans learn various skills, they always like to establish boring rules about what must be done first and then what next. They even suppress those who refuse to follow the rules, claiming that they 'want to run before they can walk.' In reality, rules are only needed by the incompetent. As long as your comprehension is high enough and you meet a decent teacher, you can start running directly without ever learning to walk."
"Of course, not having enough battle aura just means you won't be able to run for very long," he said with a smile. "The commander has already given you a bit of a foundation, and his battle aura is special to begin with. As long as you receive the proper guidance, perhaps you will be able to run or even fly."
The vampire paused for a moment. "It seems you really did have a fortuitous encounter?"
Su Cheng hesitated to speak.
"...Or a romantic encounter?"
