Sara’s POV
What was this man? What was his deal?
Initially, I pegged him as the weakest man I’d ever laid eyes on. I mean, all the men I’ve encountered were pretty proficient in either strength, magic, or academics. Take my brother, for example. He excelled academically and had a knack for manipulation. His swordsmanship was decent, but nothing extraordinary. His magical abilities were top-notch, although still trailing behind mine—I had a knack for magic, though I preferred the blade.
But even with that, I figured my brother could still easily best this man. Handsome as he was, he seemed unremarkable in every aspect. And observing him now, I still held that opinion.
The man appeared devoid of skill, relying solely on a mana blade for defense. Typically, such reliance on a mana blade would leave one vulnerable in a sword fight. Yet, the way he manipulated that mana blade was astounding. The precision and concentration he exhibited were truly perplexing. Moreover, while I didn’t detect any defensive enchantments, he left no openings either.
“You…” I growled, fixing him with a glare that dripped with my bloodlust. But the man just stood there, unaffected by my menacing aura. “Who the fuck are you, really?” I demanded.
“I’m sorry, Miss Shredica, or whoever you are masquerading as Miss Shredica right now, but I can’t exactly divulge that information, can I?” he replied calmly. “And frankly, it’s irrelevant, since you won’t be alive to share what happens here.”
I chuckled incredulously. “You… kill me? That’s absurd,” I scoffed. “You don’t have the capability, you skillless bastard!”
“Let’s put that theory to the test,” he replied coolly.
***
Leon’s POV
I focused all my concentration on infusing more mana into my hand, intensifying the sharpness of the mana blade. With each surge of mana, the blade grew sharper and more lethal. I could feel my mana flowing out of me, but oddly enough, I didn’t feel drained.
Yet, as I concentrated, I sensed it—a warmth calling out to me, enveloping me like a mother’s embrace. My mana grew louder and more potent, coalescing to such an extent that it was visible to anyone on the island, and perhaps even beyond.
“What an immense amount of mana,” the woman remarked. “No ordinary human could wield such power. You’re no mere mortal. You’re a monster.”
Yes, I was a monster. In this world and even back on Earth. A monster capable of killing without remorse. And even if I were reborn, I couldn’t change that. So I’ll gladly embrace my monstrosity.
The woman trembled beneath the weight of my mana. But then, she stabbed her leg, seemingly to steady herself.
“Hehe…” she chuckled. “Oh… I’ve never felt this scared before. What is this? Ahh, this kind of fear makes me want to cum!”
Clearly, this woman had some serious mental issues if she found pleasure in being scared.
She repeatedly stabbed her leg, as if trying to ward off her fear. The way she looked at me while doing so, with that menacing grin on her face, was chillingly unhinged. In an instant, I caught a glint of light—no, it was the reflection of her blade. She used it to momentarily blind me, hoping for an opening. But no opening presented itself. Still, she lunged at me, sword swinging, aiming for my neck.
My reflexes kicked in before I could fully process her intentions. My right hand moved instinctively, blocking her attack just in time.
A loud, high-pitched clang echoed through the forest as I successfully deflected her slash. The woman immediately stepped back, clutching her elbow in pain.
“Ngh… What the…?”
I looked at her and inquired, “Is something the matter?” I asked.
“What’s wrong with your mana blade? How is it so strong?!”
The shock from her attack must have numbed her right arm up to the elbow.
“Well, it’s because you put all your strength into it. When you hit my blade, all that force transferred to your blade and numbed your elbow in the process. You should consider how much force your opponent can withstand when parrying your attack, so you can gauge whether it’ll hurt you in return.”
“Shut the crap! I don’t want lectures, much less from a skillless like you!” she growled, dashing toward me with even more crazed determination than before. I couldn’t help but wonder what she actually looked like, but it didn’t really matter.
As she closed the distance between us, she swung her blade sideways. I countered with a sideways slash of my own, blocking her attack. Without missing a beat, she followed up with an aerial spin, bringing her sword down overhead. I raised my mana blade to block the attack once again, successfully thwarting her efforts.
This back-and-forth continued for a few minutes until she suddenly seemed to realize something. With a shocked expression, she leaped backward to a safe distance.
“I haven’t landed a single hit… Why can’t I hit you…? And all you’ve done is block my attacks this whole time?” she exclaimed, her trembling betraying her shattered pride. “It’s unforgivable… No one should be able to withstand my attacks… This is unforgivable.”
Her tremors grew more violent, fueled not by fear but by anger. She was furious that I had withstood all her assaults and denied her the opening she sought. It dawned on her that I had been solely on the defensive, never once launching an attack of my own. That realization must have dealt a blow to her pride.
“Heh… Hehehehe… Hehehehehe…” she cackled in a strange manner, her laughter reminiscent of the evil female villains from superhero movies. “This is ridiculous… Defeated by a skillless… Don’t toy with me… Don’t fucking toy with me!”
Suddenly, she reached into her pocket.
“I don’t want to die! But I have no choice!” she declared. Then, swiftly, she brought out a pill from her pocket and popped it into her mouth. I moved to strike and kill her before she could fully awaken, but her transformation was quicker than I anticipated. As I swung my mana blade at her neck, it seemed to pass through her without leaving so much as a scratch.
Suddenly, her skin turned purple, and she radiated an overwhelming aura of mana. The mana surged wildly within and around her, forming a massive tornado of energy. The swirling mana whipped up gusts of wind, dragging everything in the vicinity into its vortex.
I quickly leaped back to safety, but before I could react, her fist was inches from my face. In the blink of an eye, I was sent flying into the distance, crashing through several trees before finally coming to a stop against another tree.
“My, oh my,” I remarked, assessing my situation. Thankfully, Guardian protected me from any serious injury, but without it, I would have been torn to pieces. “Looks like this is going to be troublesome.”
I stood up and brushed the dirt off my uniform. Thankfully, I hadn’t showered yet, so getting a little dirty was no big deal.
Suddenly, I sensed something approaching rapidly.
Reacting quickly, I conjured a mana blade and blocked the incoming threat. Before me stood a muscular woman with purple skin and red eyes. The mana swirling around her was thick and palpable, like smoke from a fire, coalescing violently around her.
“Grrrr!” she growled, her veins pulsating with red, threatening to burst forth. She resembled a monstrous creature, and I couldn’t help but be baffled by the existence of such awakenings in this world. It seemed akin to using drugs, like steroids or doping in sports.
Without hesitation, she launched a barrage of slashes after my block. I managed to block, dodge, and parry her attacks, but with each exchange, it became evident that her power was rapidly increasing. It appeared that whoever was behind this drug was making the user more and more formidable.
It seemed like it was time for me to put an end to this…
I summoned my Guardian to block all of her attacks. At first, she was shocked to see me using a skill since she knew I was supposed to be skillless. But she kept on attacking. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t do a thing to my Guardian. It was renowned as the strongest barrier out there, and only one person was known to have it—Gabrielle. Her skill was seriously overpowered, making her one of the most famous women in the world.
This woman didn’t realize I had it too, so she kept on trying to break through, thinking maybe it was just another barrier skill. Little did she know, my Guardian was way stronger than Gabrielle’s.
My Guardian wasn’t just strong enough to block her attacks—it could bounce them right back at her. So, I unleashed it, and bam! The woman went flying, launched all the way to Wednesday. She tumbled through the air, crashing through trees like they were twigs until she finally slammed into a rock with a thud. But I wasn’t done yet. While she was mid-flight, I was zooming right after her. The moment she came to a stop, I decked her square in the face with my Guardian-coated fist.
