Raising the Elf’s Genius Slayer

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Chapter

Enlightenment is like a mirage that seems graspable yet elusive. There are times when one manages to seize it, but often it slips away within one’s grasp.

Thus, talent signifies the ability to firmly grasp that enlightenment. Talented individuals gain more insights and hold onto them tightly.

And Rionne was a talented swordswoman.

However, even she found the enlightenment necessary to ascend to demigod status was no mere toy that could be easily obtained. To fully grasp the enlightenment dangling at her fingertips, she needed to concentrate solely on it.

“So, for now, I’ll try to limit the use of power as much as possible. If you use your power in the familiar way while possessing enlightenment, you’ll just end up stuck in the same old path.”

“Really? That’s a bummer.”

Enok couldn’t help but feel a bit gloomy since he had been secretly looking forward to a duel with Rionne after she became a grandmaster.

Just when Rionne was about to comfort the downcast Enok, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

The door opened, revealing an elf he recognized somewhat vaguely, yet he couldn’t remember her name.

“What brings you here?”

“Oh, Rionne!”

The woman beamed, then raised an eyebrow upon spotting Tsukiyo, who was crouched in a corner of the yard.

“Tsukiyo disappeared without a word! Do you have any idea how much I searched for her?”

“Hmph! Wherever I go, it’s my freedom.”

“Oh dear.”

Tsukiyo huffed and pointed at the elf with her hand.

“This is Deru. She’s responsible for guiding me while I’m in the alliance.”

“Oh, Deru? I’ve heard of you. You’re Delphina’s daughter, right? She used to brag about you every time we chatted; I had no idea it was you!”

“Did Mom really go around saying that? Ugh, I told her not to!”

Deru awkwardly scratched her head at Rionne’s remark and shot a sulky glare at Tsukiyo.

“Anyway! When you go somewhere, please say something first. I nearly went insane when I heard from a ranger that you went to Tetika.”

Tsukiyo, being a formidable warrior, was an important figure, and her guidance was a significant duty. A slip-up could earn stern reprimands from the elder folk.

“Oh, Deru. It seems this cat has no intention of going back anyway, so I’ll just keep her with me.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah. She’s too busy clinging to our Enok to act her age.”

Tsukiyo perked up her ears sharply.

“Who can’t act their age?”

Swoop, when Enok made a sound, Tsukiyo flattened her cat ears.

“…If it’s Dad, you should be on my side.”

Whether Tsukiyo was sulking or not, Deru, freed from her duties, beamed brightly.

“Then I’ll come visit often! I need to bring snacks for Tsukiyo too!”

As she pulled out some candy from her pocket and shook it, Tsukiyo rushed over and snatched the candy eagerly.

“Do as you please.”

Tsk tsk, elf candy was delicious.

*

With his duel with Rionne falling through, Enok continued training without any direction.

Since meeting Rionne, he hadn’t missed a day of training unless absolutely necessary. Thus, training had become as natural as breathing—sometimes, he would find himself training without even realizing it.

Knock knock—

Today seemed to have a lot of visitors. Enok reached out, pushing the external energy away.

Clunk, the door opened smoothly. A technique distinct to grandmasters, unlike telekinesis. Unlike before, he could now do it effortlessly.

“Here again? Is Rionne out?”

He thought he heard something about a ranger captain. Staring intently at the well-groomed elf man, he noticed the guy grimaced.

No, was he smiling?

It was such a strange expression that he seemed to struggle to pull the corners of his mouth up.

“She’s inside, but wanna call for her?”

“Hmm, that’s fine. I came to see you anyway.”

“To see me?”

The elf man strode over, extending his hand with confidence.

“Remember me from the last time? I’m Piloti, the ranger captain, an honor I don’t deserve.”

“Enok.”

As they clasped hands for a shake, Piloti wore that same odd smile again.

“What’s with that expression?”

“…Is it really that strange?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re blunt.”

Piloti chuckled ruefully. He was quite tall, and as he stepped closer, Enok had to tilt his head back to see his face.

“Honestly, I came because my heart urged me, but I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do now.”

“What’s that mean? Do you need something?”

“Not really… I just wanted to see the young hero again.”

Young hero? That was quite a compliment out of nowhere. He might actually be a decent person.

Enok nodded eagerly at that.

“If you’ve got nothing to do, how about we spar?”

“Spar?”

There was a strange fire in Piloti’s eyes.

“Would that be okay?”

“Of course. If you want to, you just do it.”

Piloti stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought, then smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“It’d be an honor.”

This time it was a somewhat genuine smile.

*

The sudden spar began out of Enok’s pent-up frustration.

The anticipated duel with Rionne had fallen apart, leaving his eager body looking for an outlet.

“How will we do this?”

“With Rionne out, no blade slashing.”

“Anything else?”

“Not really, I don’t think.”

Piloti nodded, drawing his sword. Enok, after a brief hesitation, pulled out his sword too.

“A sword? Weren’t we using techniques?”

“Right now, I just feel like doing this.”

Holding the sword felt a bit constricting, but not impossible.

Rionne had been a lover of swords, and he had learned a bit as well—really, it was just an extension of his arm, so there wasn’t much challenge.

“Sounds a bit absurd…but since it’s you, who knows?”

Piloti awkwardly laughed, taking a stance. His left hand stretched forward, while his right hand held the sword back, pointing its tip toward Enok.

Enok gripped his sword with both hands and raised it above his head. No signal needed—the duel began the moment Enok stepped forward.

Boom–!

As Enok pushed off the ground, invisible pressure bore down on Piloti.

“Ugh…!”

Is this what it feels like? He’d seen it used by Kyle’s clone, but experiencing it firsthand was beyond what he had imagined.

As Piloti staggered, Enok brought his sword crashing down.

Boom, boom—!

At a distance not reachable, yet the overwhelming magical flow converging on his sword fell upon Piloti with a crushing force.

“Gasp…!”

Gulping in a breath, Piloti attempted to swing up his sword, staying low due to the pressure.

Boom—!

The unexpected ease with which his sword was deflected caught him off guard.

‘Huh?!’

By the time Piloti realized what was happening, Enok had charged right at him, eyes wide open.

Kiiing—!

Two rings enveloping his pupils started to spin. The strange pressure made Piloti grit his teeth and swing his sword quickly.

Clang—! The sound of steel clashing rang sweetly. In the rapid exchange of blows, Piloti realized he was continuously retreating.

It felt as if all his moves were being read. Whenever he aimed his sword, Enok’s blade was already there. The moment he sought to advance, he found himself constantly rerouting his blade against Enok’s, and any disadvantages in their jousting limited his movements.

Boom—!

As Enok kicked off the ground, the invisible pressure weighed down on Piloti again. Each swing of his sword struggled against the pressure; if he forgot about it even for a second, it would immediately encroach upon him.

“Haha…!”

There was no special reason Piloti found himself overwhelmed. Just pure tactical struggle. That alone led to such a decisive disadvantage.

“I can’t lose so helplessly!”

Piloti squeezed his left eye shut. His field of vision narrowed in an instant. Amid that darkness, he swung his sword.

『Dark Sword』

Enok’s eyes shot wide open in response to the sudden onslaught of intense pressure.

With the two of them having established their mindsets as grandmasters, he could sense through their swords the name of this thrust.

Dark Sword, huh? The space around the blade dimly glimmered and surged—such an unworthy name.

“Interesting!”

With a smirk, Enok infused his star into his sword.

Heavenly Kill.

As that malevolent energy seeped into the blade, it became shrouded in pitch-black electricity, and Enok swung with the intent to annihilate the dark sword.

Rumble—!

The sword tore through space like a bolt of lightning. The dark sword was ripped apart along with it, and Piloti swallowed the backflow of blood as he locked eyes with Enok’s blade.

Squeal—!

From below to above, he realized just as he tried to block the strike.

Clang—!

‘Blocked…!’

At the moment he thought he had blocked it, Piloti recognized the blade twisted at a bizarre angle against his neck and let out a hollow laugh.

Did he draw in external mana with that? Easy to say but exceedingly difficult to achieve. It sounded like someone’s vision turned reality.

“Whose technique is this?”

“Dunno. A demon used it in the dungeon.”