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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Dakia Style ultimate technique.”
As Transylvania grasped Dakia’s single-edged sword, her aura shifted dramatically. The feigned clumsiness vanished, replaced by a surge of power.
Enlightenment, transcending the limits of swordsmanship, coalesced at the tip of her blade.
Yerina’s eyes widened.
She had thought Transylvania was just an ordinary blood ghoul, a mediocre being who had merely used the passage of time to master some weak swordsmanship. She’d never imagined that Transylvania’s long years of effort had already shattered the wall of talent.
‘This might not be the ultimate technique Dakia envisioned, but it’s the path I forged. It’s not a fake! It’s another ultimate technique!’
To provoke the Frost Queen and force her to reveal the true power of the Frost Style, a half-hearted display wouldn’t be enough. She had to overwhelm her from the very beginning with the ultimate technique.
As Transylvania took a step forward, the ground beneath her feet caved in, forming a large crater.
“Iron Blood Storm Slash!”
Wheeeeeeeeeesh…!
Transylvania’s sword danced in all directions, weaving a dense formation of wind. It was a technique meant to mimic Yoo-jin’s ultimate technique, but while the form was similar, the essence was completely different.
Yoo-jin’s Iron Blood Storm Slash unleashed a net of straight, unavoidable sword beams.
Transylvania’s wind, however, interacted with itself, each gust influencing the others, ultimately coalescing into a chaotic mass that flew in a strange, unpredictable trajectory.
“Kuh…!”
The massive whirlwind grazed Yerina, shattering the carriage behind her into pieces. Yerina gasped in shock, her mouth agape. Transylvania, however, wore a bitter, disappointed smile.
‘As I thought, I can’t replicate Iron Blood Storm Slash with my own ultimate technique.’
She had managed to create a semblance of it, unleashing an intriguing attack. But the power and speed were underwhelming, considering the strain on her body from hundreds of sword swings in such a short time.
It seemed it would be better to unleash single, focused strikes rather than trying to imitate Yoo-jin.
‘She’s coming at me without hesitation!’
Yerina’s surprise at the Dakia Style ultimate technique was short-lived. She charged towards Transylvania without a word. It seemed she had already discerned the inefficiency of the wide-area attack.
Transylvania responded by unleashing a three-part combo, each strike infused with her ultimate technique, to keep Yerina at bay.
‘How can she generate such sharp wind with her sword?! Is this really not magic?!’
The technique, its range and trajectory baffling, was unlike anything Yerina had ever seen. Yet, in that brief exchange, she had grasped the general characteristics of the Dakia Style ultimate technique and was counterattacking.
It wasn’t a conscious decision; her innate combat instincts guided her body before she could even think.
Then came a two-hit combo, faster, sharper, and invisible to the naked eye. But Yerina, closing her eyes, focused on the sound and the shifting air pressure, and parried both attacks flawlessly, without a scratch.
‘Hmm? She’s truly worthy of being called a genius. I’m not sure if she’s a superhuman yet, but…’
Transylvania had never seen a swordsman react to unfamiliar swordsmanship and techniques with such speed and precision. It could only be achieved by someone whose five senses individually transcended human limitations. She wondered if such a person, with such heightened senses, could even function in everyday life.
As Transylvania was pondering this and lowering her sword, she realized Yerina had already closed the distance.
“Did you think you could win in close combat? Show me what your precious Frost Style can do! Block this!”
“Ugh…!”
In that instant, Transylvania’s movements explosively accelerated. Yerina, now forced onto the defensive, used her steel-plated shoes, her bracers, and her ring to block the onslaught of attacks.
Transylvania’s strikes were a relentless storm, devoid of any discernible pattern or consistency. Like a novice wildly swinging a sword, there seemed to be no order.
Yet within that chaos, her attacks flowed beautifully, seamlessly combining and linking with each other. It might have looked like random, haphazard swings, but it was anything but.
‘How am I supposed to block this?!’
It was impossible. While their physical speeds might have been comparable, the difference in their mastery of technique was vast.
Yerina’s mistakes multiplied, and cuts, from attacks she couldn’t fully deflect, accumulated on her body. Had even one of those unblockable attacks landed with full force, Yerina would have been fatally wounded.
Transylvania was clearly holding back, toying with her. And that fueled Yerina’s rage.
“Hahaha! How is it?! What’s it like to experience the history of the sword firsthand?! You’re the first person I’ve seen block these attacks for so long! Ah, well… You’re getting hit by about half of them, so maybe ‘blocking’ isn’t the right word. Ahahaha! But I’m avoiding your vitals, so you can still fight!”
“This isn’t going to work…”
“What?! Are you giving up already? I haven’t even seen the ultimate technique of Frost Style yet! Show me what you’ve got! Surely there’s more to your beastly swordsmanship!”
“Let’s end this, Murderer.”
“Huh?”
Yerina let out a soft sigh. Her eyes, once human, were now the eyes of a beast. And in a blink, she vanished.
“Huh? What? Huh?”
Lying amidst the undergrowth, Transylvania struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Then she heard the sound of someone pushing through the bushes, approaching.
“Damn you, blood ghoul. You cost me an hour. I lost Alicia…”
“Haha.”
Yerina emerged, hair disheveled and fuming with rage. Her elegant clothes were torn and bloodied. The being that stood there was not the Queen of Palana, but a beast, a warrior.
“Round two…!”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Crunch!
As Transylvania reached for her fallen sword, Yerina stomped on her hand, crushing the bones.
The tip of Yerina’s sword pressed against Transylvania’s throat. Transylvania closed her eyes.
“I yield.”
Defeat. A crushing defeat. There was no room for argument.
“Ha… I never expected this.”
It had seemed like such a good idea. Too lazy to travel all the way to Palana, Transylvania had jumped at the opportunity for a spar when she heard the Queen was nearby.
She’d even managed to provoke the Queen into a one-on-one duel, just as she had hoped.
But defeat had never been part of her plan. Transylvania had believed herself unmatched in this generation. She was the living embodiment of the sword’s history, having mastered even techniques lost to time.
She could counter any skill, penetrate any defense. And her body, honed by centuries of magical training, moved with impossible speed.
No one could be her equal, unless they had transcended the limitations of the sword and awakened to an ultimate technique.
Or so she had believed.
But when Yerina had exhaled, when the human intelligence vanished from her eyes, replaced by the bestial gaze of a predator, everything had changed.
For the first few seconds, Yerina’s speed had been too great to even track. Transylvania had felt the sting of a cut on her neck.
Yerina had stopped her blade just short of Transylvania’s throat, smirked, and backed away, as if toying with her, as if avenging the mercy Transylvania had shown earlier.
Transylvania had been forced to unleash her full power, not just her usual strength, but the reserves she held for emergencies, pushing her body past its limits.
Yet even then, she could only react defensively against Yerina’s bestial onslaught. After less than an hour, she crumbled, her body giving out.
“So she wasn’t a ‘beastly woman’… but a beast itself…”
“Shut up. I never imagined I would have to show such an unsightly side of myself just to defeat a blood ghoul. Tsk.”
“Unsightly?! You were magnificent! Like a wolf dancing with its sword!”
“Shut your mouth before I tear it off.”
Yerina, her face flushed with embarrassment, tried to cover her torn clothes with her arm.
Seeing this, Transylvania was certain.
Beast Mode.
The ability to temporarily unleash the primal power of a beastman. A rare talent that only manifested in a select few.
She’d always considered it a legend, but having witnessed it firsthand, she couldn’t deny its reality.
‘This is why I lost!’
Yerina was a superhuman, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy. And yet, she hadn’t even mastered an ultimate technique, her swordsmanship still unrefined.
Her raw physical strength alone was monstrous. Transylvania was eager to see what heights she would reach once she refined her technique.
But that was a future Transylvania would only witness if she survived this.
“You have wasted my time, and that is a grave offense! Are you prepared to pay the price?!”
“Kuh… G-Gah…!”
Squeeze.
Yerina straddled Transylvania, her hands tightening around her throat. She fought the urge to snap her neck then and there.
Too much time had passed, the faint traces of Alicia’s magic all but dissipated. Tracking her was now impossible. And in the hour they’d fought, Alicia, with her Wind Magic, would be long gone, beyond pursuit.
She had lost them because of this blood ghoul. Alicia. And Yoo-jin.
The thought made her blood boil.
“This is unacceptable. You will pay with your body, Murderer.”
“Huh?”
“You’re my slave now. My sword, my slave. I’m chasing a rabbit and a man. From now on, you will help me hunt them down.”
This was unacceptable.
She had lost Yoo-jin because of this blood ghoul, so she would use them to hunt him down.
Yerina gritted her teeth, placed her hand over Transylvania’s heart, and cast a spell. A chilling frost spread outwards, forming the inscription of a slave contract, embedding itself within Transylvania’s heart.
All that was needed now was Transylvania’s consent for the contract to activate.
Of course, Transylvania wasn’t likely to agree willingly. Yerina would have to beat the consent out of them.
She balled her fist.
“Agree, or I’ll kill…!”
“Yes! Yes, yes! This is wonderful!”
“…?”
Transylvania, with a wicked grin, completed the slave contract.
“This is exactly what I wanted!!!”
An opportunity to observe the swordsmanship of a superhuman up close! Slavery was a small price to pay for a chance to witness such a spectacle.
Her insatiable curiosity about the sword had overridden her pride.
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I’m just glad she didn’t say harder when she was getting choked.