[Check Out My P4treon For +50 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]
===
A blade's gleam flashed.
It cut through the wind.
Ripples disturbed the air.
Then vanished within crimson eyes.
A tachi.
Silent.
Yet emotions had a tangible form.
The young lady immediately grew excited, her eyes widening as she snapped her head toward Allen, her gaze burning with fervor.
"I can see it! The feeling of the swing! Yes, I can see the feeling!"
Rudeus was still immersed in the sight—Allen's signature silent tachi, something he could never grow tired of watching. Countless words of praise bubbled up in his heart.
Yes, Allen's silent tachi was completely different from Paul's.
The latter was fierce, rapid, a flurry of petals, an unrelenting onslaught.
There was no denying it—Paul had talent in swordsmanship.
Flashy.
But Allen's silent tachi was the polar opposite of his Sword God-style teacher.
Not fierce. No overwhelming, rain-like barrage of strikes.
Instead, it carried a refined elegance.
Like a falling leaf.
Or a spring breeze.
The breeze passes—
And heads roll.
That was the essence of Allen's silent tachi.
However!
The young lady's words—"I can see the feeling!"—such an abstract, baffling description, forcibly yanked Rudeus out of his admiration.
What kind of description is that?!
What kind of hopelessly illiterate cry of excitement is this?!
Rudeus helplessly rubbed his face.
Then, with a sigh, he turned to look at Allen, who had just finished his demonstration.
Contrary to his expectation—that Allen would gaze at Eris with a doting expression—
Allen's face was stiff, his eyes fixed blankly on the blade in his hand.
Was it just his imagination?
Rudeus could've sworn he saw a flicker of confusion in Allen's expression.
Before Rudeus could ponder further, Ghislaine, standing nearby, immediately reacted—exactly as he had predicted.
Her usual tone of admiration.
Her words, whenever swordsmanship was involved, became sharp, logical, and articulate—a verbal manifestation of Rudeus' earlier praise.
It was clear she held a deep fondness for Allen.
Which was ridiculous.
They'd only known each other for a few days!
"An exceptionally mature silent tachi. Completely unlike the slashing style of most in the Sword Sanctum. Hard to believe Paul taught you this."
"You've preserved only the essential 'power', discarded excess battle aura, and instead concentrated all the saved energy into 'speed'. The blade moves lightly, yet fast enough."
"And you've suppressed killing intent to the greatest degree."
"A silent tachi with strong personal flair—almost as if it's not one at all, but rather something closer to your Water God style."
"Impressive."
After delivering this uninterrupted stream of praise, Ghislaine paused briefly, glancing at Allen—who was still staring at his blade—with a faint trace of puzzlement in her eyes.
She continued.
"At this stage, with continued practice, there's still room for refinement."
This lengthy evaluation snapped Rudeus out of his 'What's up with Allen's expression?' thoughts. He let out a discreet sigh.
Seems Eris has successfully avoided theory lessons today.
Ugh. Feels like ants are crawling all over my skin.
So uncomfortable!
"You… ugh. Fine. Whatever."
Eris shot Rudeus a displeased glare, snorted, then grabbed both Allen and Ghislaine by the hands, dragging them excitedly to an open space.
She planted them firmly on either side.
Then pushed them apart, creating a perfect five-meter distance.
After that, she skipped back another ten meters.
Turned around!
The setting sun's rays filtered through her hair, dyeing her usually vibrant red locks a deep, wine-like crimson under the twilight.
Like red wine spilled into the air.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
Her small leather shoe tapped sharply against the brick pavement.
She stared at Allen, beaming.
"Silent tachi! I want to see it!"
She swung an imaginary blade through the air with one hand.
"Begin! Allen! Ghislaine!"
Having been so efficiently arranged by the whirlwind that was Eris, Ghislaine could only sigh in resignation before glancing at her opponent.
Allen gripped his sword, head lowered, lost in thought.
A flicker of surprise passed through Ghislaine's eyes. She narrowed them slightly.
"Allen? Are you alright?"
Allen looked up, his expression smoothing over.
"...Just thinking. A silent tachi spar? Or are we doing attack-and-defense drills?"
Ghislaine studied his face. For the first time that afternoon, her stoic demeanor shifted—her eyebrows rose slightly.
She glanced at the blade in Allen's hand.
"No need. Free sparring, as long as we both use silent tachi. At this level, even if something unexpected happens, you can always fall back on your Water God style. After all, if you can fully counter a Saint-ranked Light Reversal, then silent tachi shouldn't be a problem. No need for wooden swords if there's no risk of injury."
"It's getting late. Let's begin."
"Alright."
Allen took a deep breath, raised his blade—the one with a visible notch—and slashed the air!
The wind rippled, fluttering his sleeves.
Flap—flap—
"So… should I take the first move?"
Ghislaine nodded.
"Go ahead."
The moment the words left her mouth—
Allen's eyes locked onto Ghislaine's neck. He stepped forward.
Dust stirred at his feet—before it could even settle—
His figure vanished into thin air.
The next instant, a sharp shing! tore through the training ground!
Sparks erupted in front of Ghislaine!
Allen's blade had already reached the space just fifteen centimeters from her neck!
Why?
Because Ghislaine's sword would also be there.
That was inevitable.
That was the reality unfolding before them.
Otherwise, how else would those sparks have scattered?
The clash of steel against steel screeched as momentum forced the blades to grind against each other.
In that split second—
Their eyes met.
Ghislaine's gaze was calm as still water.
Allen's, however, was filled with utter bewilderment, as if he couldn't comprehend the situation.
Ghislaine's eyes flickered. She twisted her wrist, repelling Allen's blade—
Then countered with her own silent tachi!
Fierce, overwhelming—just like her Light Reversal!
A crimson arc split the air, appearing instantly before Allen's constricted pupils.
Allen hurriedly swung his own silent tachi, attempting to parry.
But in that fleeting moment, his blade felt heavy, as if dragging through water.
His pupils shrank to pinpricks!
No! Too slow!
Flow Sense! Mind Reading!
Ghislaine's Fierce Moon hadn't even touched his neck yet, but the killing intent was already palpable—
Right against his skin!
His wrist twisted, angling his blade to intercept—
But how could a last-second adjustment be fast enough? Smooth enough?
So—
His sword barely managed to block.
The tip of his blade barely grazed the trajectory of Ghislaine's slash.
Not even the right angle for Flow Sense!
BANG!!!
A brutal metallic shriek!
Allen's sword shattered mid-air! Ghislaine instantly retracted her blade—
But the force of her strike had already landed.
The shockwave of compressed air!
The vibrating atmosphere!
It formed a devastating impact.
Allen's body was hurled backward—
At that moment—
In Eris' horrified eyes, the two figures moved faster than she could track. Two flashes of steel—
And Allen was sent flying like a cannonball!
He crashed through the mansion's front gate—
Bounced—
Dirt sprayed from the gaps in the pavement. Dust billowed.
Finally, he collapsed limply onto the steps outside.
"ALLEN!!"
Everyone except Ghislaine cried out in alarm—
Including two voices that hadn't been present earlier.
The dust hadn't even settled yet—
But someone had already rushed out from inside the mansion.
Within the swirling haze—
Allen sat up, supporting himself with one hand.
His clothes were torn in places, his face lightly scraped.
Yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, staring blankly at his palm.
In it—
Lay half of a broken blade.
Then, a familiar, soft voice reached his ears.
Distant.
Yet close.
"Allen! Allen! Are you okay?!"
A silent healing spell glowed. Under the protection of battle aura, his wounds closed rapidly—but Allen only felt dazed.
He numbly looked up.
Dust drifted downward. The evening sun's rays pierced through, casting scattered "sunbeams" through the haze.
Like a thin veil of mist.
It fell upon a moon-white dress—one he had never seen before.
Familiar reddish-brown eyes.
White hair, still fluttering as always.
The sight instantly reminded him of two scenes:
—A crimson sea at sunset, a single glance across a chasm.
—A rainy dawn, cold skin against his in the damp air.
That moment.
Was exactly like this one.
Allen blinked.
He understood now.
The second reason he had been unable to counter Ghislaine's strike.
The second source of his hesitation.
It was right in front of him.
And why had his once-perfected silent tachi felt so clumsy this afternoon?
Simple.
It wasn't that Ghislaine was too strong.
It was that his blade had slowed.
The spring breeze scattered the dust, swirling past Sylphiette's face, brushing against the hem of her red dress.
It spiraled once—
Then slipped through the classroom window beside them.
Rustle—
The wind flipped over two sheets of paper on a desk.
Words written during a literacy lesson—Rudeus' assignment:
"Write the first ten words that come to mind."
—
"Perseverance." "Protect." "Allen." "Reject." "Mimic." "Stand." "Them." "Beside." "With." "Me."
—
"Teleportation." "Soon." "Save." "Choice." "Demon Continent." "Battle Zones." "Mother." "Headache."
"Roxy."
—
The breeze grew stronger.
It lifted the second page entirely—
Revealing the final word written there.
"Sylphie."
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 215 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 80 power stones I will publish the next chapter.