LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 89
Chapter
Enok strode boldly towards the Duke, sword drawn.
“Tsk.”
The Duke clicked his tongue and quickly unsheathed his sword, aiming for Enok’s shoulder.
Even if he was weaker than the Marquis, he was still a high-ranking noble. His fierce sword strike was launched in an instant.
Kaaang-!
But that was all. Enok easily parried and rolled his eyes.
The other knights seemed to think it obvious that the Duke would win, wondering if they should jump into the duel or just watch.
Enok imbued his sword with Ki and thrust it towards the Duke’s chest.
Kaaang-! Clang-!
In the blink of an eye, dozens of sword strikes exchanged. The Duke’s expression twisted in confusion. Enok felt he had a good grasp of the situation.
“So that’s how it is?”
Slowly, the form of his swordsmanship began to change. The techniques he had learned from Rionne morphed, layered over the Duke’s style.
“Sky Piercing Sword…? How are you—!”
The Duke’s contorted face emitted a surge of blue Ki from his sword.
Sky Piercing Sword, indeed. As the name suggests, the blue Ki was reminiscent of the sky.
Enok recalled the various forms of mana he had seen so far.
Magic, Spirit Power, Divine Power.
Compared to that, the blue mana wasn’t much different from nature’s mana.
“Hm.”
Individual mana is derived from one’s heart. By loosely combining the flow of mana within the Duke’s body with the image of the blue sky, Enok summoned it at his fingertips.
Whoooosh──────
Blue Ki enveloped Enok’s sword. The only difference from the Duke was the purple lightning that the sky held. The Duke’s face twisted in horror.
“You…! You are a relative of Irwin! I wondered where the long-lost illegitimate child of my ancestors vanished to!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Having secured the mind and Ki, the rest was easy. The higher the sword technique, the more it corresponds with the heart technique, so by using the known heart technique, one can easily shape the sword path.
“From Sky Piercing to this Sky Piercing Martial Arts…!”
The Duke swung Enok’s sword away and retreated. Biting his lip and contemplating something, his eyes suddenly widened as if he had realized something.
“The Elf Union has set this up…! How dare they steal the martial arts of Irwin’s offshoot?”
“Oh dear….”
Enok looked at the Duke, lost in his delusions. His heart technique and sword technique were quite good, but because the gap in levels was significant, copying them wasn’t particularly difficult.
And at this point, it was hardly inappropriate to claim it as his own.
He shifted the direction of the Sky Piercing Sword to suit his taste.
“Shall I just call it Sky Arcane Blade?”
The blue sky stretched endlessly, covered by clouds containing purple lightning, casting the sky in a gray hue.
“That skill at that age. I will acknowledge that. However, to leak Irwin’s martial arts without permission is a serious crime. You should work under Irwin and repay this debt.”
The Duke took a stance with sunken eyes, his sword held behind his right shoulder. The flickering blue Ki at the sword tip aimed at Enok’s chest.
Enok merely chuckled and drew his sword behind his waist.
“Etch this into your heart. What you face today is due to your ignorance.”
For misjudging a person he barely knew, Rionne.
But killing him seemed a bit extreme… well, whatever; it was just how he felt. He might as well let it slide.
With a crack, the sound of thunder echoed as Enok traced a line with his sword.
Reacting, the Duke swung his weapon aiming for his head. Enok didn’t bother to respond. He raised the sword he had drawn at his waist and struck straight.
Thunder rumbled──────!!
A thunderous sound rang out. Silence enveloped the Banquet Hall as the severed arm fell to the floor.
Enok sheathed his sword and turned to face the Duke.
“Ugh…!”
The Duke groaned, clutching the severed end of his arm in pain.
“I’ll let you off easy this time.”
Enok lightly tapped the Duke’s head with his sheathed sword and turned away. He spotted a lady knight struggling while Eri teased her as if having the time of her life.
[Dad, is it over?]
“What, what? My lord…!”
The lady knight, aghast at seeing the Duke’s severed arm, attempted to rush over. However,
Thud-!
She fainted after being hit by Eri’s wagging tail.
“Protect the lord!”
Now realizing the situation, the other knights launched themselves forward, but what difference would it make?
With just a snap of his fingers, Enok sent them sprawling on the floor.
“Hmm.”
Enok pondered for a moment. He wasn’t some psychopath; he wouldn’t calmly slice cakes in a situation like this.
Is it fortunate or unfortunate? He didn’t really need to fret over what to do next.
“What in the world is going on!”
The lord of the territory where this gathering was happening came rushing in, face pale, though his name escaped me.
By the looks of his expression, he seemed aware of the situation. He must have brought all his knights along as well.
“How do you intend to deal with harming Duke Irwin! I heard you’re the Swordmaster’s disciple, but still…!”
The lord seemed frantic, pounding his chest like a gorilla.
“Oh dear.”
“See, Dad? That guy also calls himself the Swordmaster’s disciple. This is a bit problematic.”
“What kind of problem could that possibly be?”
Rubbing his chin, Enok stared fixedly at the lord.
“I’ve still been quite forgiving. Losing an arm is indeed generous. I won’t even mind if you take him and reattach it.”
“Ugh….”
“If it really comes to it, should I ask the king?”
“What, what did you just say…?”
Just as things turned out nicely.
Seeing Rionne cutting through space, Enok thought he might be able to do it now that he had ascended to Grandmaster level.
Keeying-!
Fixing his gaze on the air before him, Enok waved his hand.
Kawash-!
With the sound of space cracking, something peculiar and neither black nor white emerged into view. What was that? With my Ki Eye, I somehow realized it wasn’t going to end well if I approached it.
“Is this not the one?”
As Enok pondered, Zikfrein, who had been casually observing the surroundings, approached stealthily.
“Enok.”
“Oh, oh…! Zikfrein! By the way, you brought the guest! Please, do something about this!”
With the lord’s desperate cry, Zikfrein awkwardly smiled at Enok.
“Have you used the sword before? This is my first time seeing it.”
“…No! That’s not the point right now…!”
Enok, effectively silencing the excessively loud lord, replied.
“Well, I can’t say I can’t use it.”
“I heard Duke Irwin is a Grandmaster as well, but I was surprised it ended quickly.”
“Grandmaster? I don’t think so.”
Glancing back at the groaning Duke in the corner, Enok shook his head.
“Master’s tail end? Hmm… It feels vague. It’s definitely not a Master, but also not quite a Grandmaster.”
“Is that so? That’s a problem.”
“Why?”
As Enok tilted his head, Zikfrein pointed to the surroundings.
The kingdom’s promising talents were quietly eavesdropping on their conversation with sealed lips.
“It seems the Duke was hiding this fact, now it’s all out in the open.”
“Well, I don’t care.”
“Haha, that’s true.”
Zikfrein laughed heartily. While Enok was lost in thought, he caught a glimmer of a lead amidst feelings of ambiguity.
“Oh, it might work.”
His eyes whirled, spinning as they searched for the thread of space leading to the kingdom’s capital.
Enok didn’t even know which direction the capital was, but he found one line achieving what he wished.
“Ah, it’s done.”
Simultaneously, as Enok waved his hand, space ripped apart. The moment he locked eyes with the king through the torn space, the king blinked.
“…What’s going on?”
“Is that the king?”
The king felt a sense of familiarity. It wasn’t just his appearance but also the way Enok regarded him created this déjà vu.
“…Enok Estor?”
“Oh? How did you know?”
‘Just like the Swordmaster, your demeanor matches perfectly, you little brat.’
The king smiled brightly.
“I’ve heard word from the Swordmaster.”
“From Rionne? Well, that makes sense.”
The king’s hands trembled slightly.
Meanwhile, Enok had noticed a perfectly intact muffin amidst the mayhem and popped it into his mouth, gesturing towards a corner of the Banquet Hall.
“That, uh… what’s it called again? Anyway, some Duke. I went ahead and severed an arm.”
“…Wait a moment. I think an explanation is needed…”
“Well, it turned out that way, so just know. I was going to slice his neck but only took an arm, so I was quite forgiving, wasn’t I?”
“No, wait—”
Having said his piece, Enok reattached the torn space.
In the blink of an eye, the king’s figure appeared and vanished, leaving Zikfrein gaping in astonishment.
“…How perplexing.”
“Hmm? What’s bothering you?”
“Nothing, just….”
“How bland.”
Having settled the situation, Enok yawned slightly and beckoned Eri.
“Did you have fun?”
[Hmm…, it’s a shame I couldn’t fight that guy, but I at least got to tussle with that lady knight, so that’s good.]
“If you’re disappointed, you can fight now.”
As Enok glanced at Karten de Pearson, the latter shook his head with a pale face.
“Ha, haha…. I’d prefer to decline…”
“But you said you’d accept a duel whenever I challenged you!”
“That’s dependent on the opponent. I’m an opportunist, you see.”
“Right, Eri? What a letdown.”
[Eri doesn’t mind either way.]
Eri lightly shook her head. Enok perched atop the spirit. While ripping space wasn’t overly taxing, it did wear him out a bit trying to find the method.
“Still, I’m relieved.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Tsukiyo, who had adhered herself tightly behind Enok, asked.
“The king feels impressive. I was a bit disappointed in the Duke, but the king definitely stands apart.”
At least among all the humans he had seen so far, he was the strongest—probably even stronger than that Nameless swordsman who had taken one of his eyes.
“Of course. Power is not solely determined by force, but a king of a nation must be close to the strongest.”
Agreeing with Tsukiyo, Zikfrein nodded.
“I had a feeling there’s been some misconception all along. Not every high title automatically means strength. Usually, that’s true, but plenty of exceptions exist.”
While high-ranking nobles were typically strong, capability wasn’t divided strictly by rank.
“Is that so? Well, I don’t really care, though.”
After all, as long as he learned gradually, it was all good. If he just matched up against the king and the baron once, he’d get the general gist, right?
“…Haha, the kingdom will turn upside down.”
“I’ll just flip it gently.”
“Much appreciated.”
“Oh, it’s nothing to be thankful for.”
Enok gave a thumbs up.