Rudeus awkwardly knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands. The wooden sword had long been knocked aside. Roa walked up to Rudeus and asked, "Are you okay?"
Rudeus couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. How could he be in a place where nothing was wrong?
Gal nodded, looking at Rudeus lying on the ground, and began to comment, "Kid, you lack courage. Your swordsmanship just now was average."
The evaluation was brief, consisting of only a few sentences. As for the Sun Breathing being rated as average by the Sword God, Roa felt no surprise. While Yoriichi Tsugikuni was a genius, he was still considerably inferior compared to the generations of Sword Gods that had inherited the legacy of Mushoku Tensei.
The foundation was there; the Sword God lineage was not merely the insights of a single Sword God. It had been passed down for hundreds of years, and each generation of Sword Gods, while not necessarily a once-in-a-millennium prodigy, was still a rare talent among the best.
With such a foundation, Gal also had his pride. The Sun Breathing indeed had its merits, but he was qualified to rate it as average.
Roa shrugged at Gal's evaluation, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Gal's gaze shifted to Eris, and he nodded at her, saying, "You're next."
Eris stepped forward, taking a wooden sword from the nearby rack. The girl gripped the wooden sword in her right hand, showing no fear as she looked at Gal.
Gal asked Eris, "Are you ready?"
Eris nodded seriously. Looking at the red-haired kid in front of him, Gal's lips curled into a smile, revealing a row of sharp white teeth. A familiar pressure began to emanate, but unlike the previous pressure Eris felt, this one was directed solely at her. Eris truly felt the overwhelming sense of oppression.
As an observer, she felt uncomfortable, but this time she was not just an observer; she was genuinely standing in front of Gal.
Unlike Rudeus, this pressure made Eris feel irritable.
Different people face the same challenge with different emotions. If Rudeus felt intimidated by the powerful aura of the old Sword God, Eris felt an overwhelming sense of agitation.
Eris perfectly exemplified the saying "a young calf is not afraid of tigers," her red eyes fixed intently on the old Sword God's face.
Sensing Eris's aura, Gal's lips curled into a provocative smile.
"Nice aura you've got there, looking like you're ready to take me down at any moment. If you can do it, then give it a try!"
And then, Eris charged in.
There were no flashy moves, nor did she gather strength like Rudeus; she went straight in.
Her fiery red hair stood on end, her breathing quickened, and she exuded a wild, beast-like aura.
Eris's movements were swift, faster than Rudeus's, as her mind was solely focused on knocking down the person in front of her. Even when she struck, she showed no signs of hesitation.
In a flash, Eris was already in front of Gal, swinging her wooden sword down without any sense of elegance—direct and straightforward.
Gal sidestepped to avoid her attack. Eris's performance could only be described as impressive, but a kid who hadn't even surpassed an intermediate swordsman could hardly pose a threat to Gal.
Eris's sword struck nothing but air, but the girl showed no hesitation. Since she missed, she would swing again; surely one of her strikes would hit.
That was Eris's thought process, and she acted accordingly.
And then, there was nothing more.
A figure flew backward at a speed faster than it had come, rolling several times before crashing to the ground.
Eris's face met the ground, making intimate contact with the earth.
"Tsk." Roa clicked his tongue.
Fighting wasn't something that could be won just by having a strong aura.
However, this time, Eris was injured much more severely than Rudeus.
Eris lay on the ground, her fingers trembling slightly, and the wooden sword she had been holding had long since flown away.
Roa walked over to Eris, helping her up. The girl's face was flushed from the impact, covered in dust and dirt.
Eris opened her mouth but couldn't say a word.
The injuries she sustained weren't severe; the wooden sword was a blunt weapon, and while it would hurt for a while, she would recover soon enough.
Even though Gal had struck a bit hard, he had avoided hitting vital areas, so she wouldn't be bedridden for two or three months.
However, it seemed she would need to rest for a day or two.
Roa thought for a moment and then used his magic to guide Eris's meridians, providing simple treatment without anything special, before setting her aside and walking up to Gal, nodding, "Well then, it should be my turn now."
Gal still maintained his nonchalant old man demeanor, but the glint in his eyes became sharper.
"Then get ready."
Gal didn't directly call for the start; the old Sword God straightened up, his hawk-like eyes narrowing. The old man took a stance, ready for action.
Gal assumed an Iaido stance, which was his most commonly used technique to counter an opponent's attack.
No matter how the opponent struck, Gal would respond with a faster and stronger move, swiftly intercepting their attack and knocking their wooden sword away.
If this were a battlefield, it would mean severing an arm and then instantly taking the opponent's head.
The distance between the two wasn't far; the area was limited, and the distance between them was merely a moment's matter. Even if it were several feet or dozens of feet more, it would make no difference.
For the old Sword God, the distinction was whether he could reach the opponent with a swing of his sword or if he needed to take a few steps to do so.
Roa stepped forward, taking his stance.
He placed the wooden sword at his waist, leaning slightly to the side, shifting his weight forward to be ready to strike at any moment.
The aura around him coalesced, hidden yet powerful, as he concealed the overwhelming pressure. The second stage of his sword heart activated, and the two elements complemented each other. In an instant, Roa could see through Gal's movements.
With his right hand gripping the sword, he assumed the Iaido stance, his weight on his right foot, seemingly preparing for a strong attack. Gal showed no intention of dodging.
Roa's lips curled into a smile. Did the old Sword God really think he was faster than him?
Without activating Moment, the dragon blood within him began to boil.
The scorching dragon blood surged from his heart to every part of his body, and a violent aura emanated from Roa. Even the transparent world couldn't completely conceal the brutality etched into his bones.
His dazzling golden eyes radiated a cold chill in the crisp morning.
Gal's brow furrowed, and he tightened his grip on the wooden sword in his right hand.
Roa's breathing quickened, and then he struck suddenly.
"Sword of Light!" Roa silently chanted in his heart.
In an instant, Roa's figure vanished from his original position. In Gal's perception, a figure appeared at his right side with an almost teleportation-like speed, just outside the range of his sword.
The opponent had ample experience and understood what this distance meant.
As long as he crossed this distance, Gal could swiftly take down the kid in front of him with a speed that would leave no time for reaction.
And it seemed the opponent was aware of this, deliberately positioning himself just outside the attack range to test the waters.
So the question arose: should he strike now?
The distance wasn't sufficient; it was not a secure position.
If he struck, he would definitely be noticed, and the opponent would be able to respond with an appropriate sword technique.
Thinking of this, Gal couldn't help but click his tongue and curse, "Cunning little brat."
But it didn't matter; let the opponent have his way. In the face of absolute strength, everything was an illusion.
Gal thought this way and believed it.
The kid in front of him looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old (actually fifteen). At this age, even with great talent, he could only reach the peak of the king level at most. As long as Gal was a bit faster, this kid would definitely not be his opponent.
With this thought in mind, the old Sword God gripped his sword and stepped forward, drawing it from its sheath.
His senses heightened to the extreme, a figure appeared at Roa's right side almost at teleportation speed. With the enhancement of Roa's Sword Heart, a shadow rushed toward him.
He wanted to counter strong attacks with strong attacks?
As this thought crossed his mind, Roa's wooden sword had already swung out.
There was no sound, the wind swayed, brushing against Roa's brilliant golden hair.
This strike was so fast that it seemed even the wind didn't know when it was cut.
Gal focused intently on every move Roa made, and the moment Roa swung his sword, he recognized the nature of the attack.
"Is that the Sword of Silence?"
Just as the thought arose, the long sword had already reached its peak height, descending toward his waist.
"No, it's much faster than that! When did he master this technique?"
As Gal's mind raced, he retracted the previous hints of underestimation. The long sword altered its original trajectory, and Gal's right arm swelled in that instant, the muscles bulging as he swung with a speed faster than Roa's.
A glint of excitement appeared in Roa's eyes. In his perception, Gal's long sword had vanished. Roa activated his mental world, his magic extending outward, enveloping the surrounding area with the four elements, enhancing his perception and projecting his mental strength outward.
Gal's speed was fast, but the speed at which Roa's domain expanded was not slow either. The two completed this exchange in the blink of an eye.
Roa's alarm bells rang loudly, an invisible sword pressure bore down on him, and a strong sense of danger enveloped his heart. The dragon blood within him became even hotter and more turbulent, almost instinctively wanting to respond to the impending crisis with a word spirit.
Roa suppressed this instinctive urge; now was not the time.
He wasn't here to defeat the opponent; his main goal was to break through the Sword God lineage.
The old Sword God's strength was merely that of a lower-tier powerhouse, not even on the same level as the three upper-tier powerhouses.
Moreover, he wasn't without a chance of winning.
His "eyes" had already "seen" the opponent's sword, but his body couldn't keep up with the opponent's speed.
Time stretched infinitely in that moment. For anyone else, it was less than a thousandth of a second, but Roa managed to think through many things.
Should he evade?
There was no way to evade; unless he activated Moment, that sword would inevitably land on him.
Then he could only forcefully interrupt the opponent's attack.
Facing the fierce strike from the opponent, a wild look appeared in Roa's eyes. The boy didn't retreat but advanced, channeling the power in his right arm like a flood into the long sword.
Fast speed?
Indeed, Roa couldn't match that speed, but he possessed a terrifying strength.
He never thought he could surpass the opponent in speed.
The wooden sword trembled under the immense force, showing signs of breaking, and the elements gathered around the wooden sword to reinforce its durability.
Gal had no idea what Roa was thinking. When he saw Roa not retreating but advancing to meet his strike, a cold smile crept onto his lips.
If the opponent had taken a step back, with Roa's speed, he might have been able to avoid the strike due to the distance. Although he could easily defeat the opponent with a second strike afterward, at least the opponent would have taken his attack, and he could boast about it for a whole year afterward.
But now, Roa chose the most foolish path, deciding to clash head-on with him, which made Gal inwardly sigh, "After all, it's the temper of youth."
Always thinking that adversity could turn the tide of battle, but reality was never like those novels.
As expected, Gal's wooden sword struck first, descending with the force of thunder toward Roa's wrist.
However, the timing wasn't great. Roa reacted, unable to knock down the opponent's long sword, Gal changed his target, aiming for the weak point of Roa's wooden sword.
Gal thought it was settled. The skinny young man in front of him, no matter how strong he was, could never surpass him, an old man who had trained for nearly fifty years.
Gal himself was born with great strength, and after years of sword training, he could easily take down someone like the Red Dragon with a single strike.
Even if his physical strength wasn't as formidable as those non-human beings at the top of the pyramid, he was certainly not weak.
But when the long swords clashed, Gal's expression changed.
A tremendous force surged, intertwining the long swords, and the terrifying power forcefully pushed back the lightning-fast strike.
The wooden sword was still just a wooden sword, and Roa had used some tricks to enchant it.
The Sword God indeed had some skills; in terms of normal speed, Roa was not the opponent's match. However, he could compensate for that in other ways.
For instance, as long as he could keep up with the opponent's speed, even the Sword of Light was not unbeatable.
Unbeatable it may be.
But even the enchanted wooden sword could not withstand that strike.
In the moment the two swords met, they were locked in a stalemate for a second before shattering with a loud crack.
Gal fell silent, his right arm trembling slightly as he looked at the broken wooden sword. For the first time, he found himself at a loss for words.