The screech of clashing steel rang out as their blades ground against one another.
"Hmph. This is but a simple iron sword, yet you have done well to block a strike infused with my mana. Quite a girl you are," Ganjit said.
His killing intent swelled. In that same instant, Sylpha's eyes snapped open and her twin blades flashed. Countless sparks danced around the two of them as a storm of swordplay erupted, moving at a speed far too great for the naked eye to follow.
"Ren! Shiro! Take Master Lloyd and the others and get back! Now!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"Woof!"
At Sylpha’s sharp command, Ren and Shiro hurried to lead us away. We took cover behind a nearby rock. If we moved too far, Sylpha wouldn't be able to provide cover, so it was a sound tactical decision.
"L-Lloyd! These Four Heavenly Kings are incredibly strong, aren't they?! Shouldn't we go help her?!"
"It’s impossible," I replied. "Stepping into the middle of that storm would be suicide. Besides, I've lost almost all my mana for the time being."
Because the Demon Sealing Vessel was successfully suppressing my mana, I couldn't use any significant magic. Ganjit had likely timed his attack to exploit this very opening.
"You say that, Master Lloyd, but you have a plan, don't you? You're far too calm for this to be a crisis," Grimo noted.
"Now that you mention it," Jiriel added, "you were performing all sorts of experiments while your mana was suppressed on the way here."
Since a complete lack of mana was a rare condition for me, I had spent the journey testing how magic reacted in that state—what I could still do, how to bypass the restrictions, and what exactly happened inside my body. As a result, I had discovered that by forcibly altering the frequency of my mana, I could still utilize magic to a limited extent. It would be inconvenient to be completely powerless, after all.
However, I was only at a level where I could "barely" use it. Both output and control were significantly diminished. If I tried to cast magic in this state, I would almost certainly catch Sylpha in the crossfire.
"For now, it's wiser to leave this to Sylpha."
"I-I see... I hope she’ll be okay..."
Ren watched on with worry, but from my perspective, the battle wasn't going poorly at all. Ganjit was currently possessing a human body. Unless that host had a specifically trained physique or special abilities, his physical performance was bound to be severely limited. Furthermore, there was the disparity in weaponry; he was infusing an ordinary iron sword with mana, but it could not compete with Sylpha's dual-wielding magic swords.
Slowly but surely, Sylpha began to push him back.
"Ngh... Kah! Tenma Itto-ryu: Zazamushi!"
"Langris Style: Mirror Ape."
Ganjit unleashed a flurry of high-speed thrusts. Sylpha knocked every single one aside with identical thrusts of her own. She didn't stop there; a strike that slipped through the barrage sliced Ganjit's skin, sending blood spraying.
Mirror Ape was a technique that relied on extraordinary observation to mimic the opponent’s moves but execute them slightly faster. It was a psychological strike designed to break an opponent's spirit by demonstrating that her skill was superior.
"...Phew. Any further resistance is futile. Leave that man's body at once."
Sylpha had only one objective: to drive Ganjit out of Duncan. Blood had flowed from the man during her last attack, meaning the host was still alive. If she acted now, he could still be saved.
"Sylpha-san...!" Ren’s voice trembled as she clutched her chest.
Jade, the leader of the Assassin's Guild she once belonged to, had similarly had his body stolen by a Demon and was never returned. Seeing Ren’s distress, Sylpha clearly refused to let a similar tragedy repeat itself.
"Kah! How very kind of you. Indeed, if I left this vessel and fought in my true form, I could move much more effectively."
"Then—"
"But I have no intention of doing so. As long as I am here, this man serves as a hostage to dull your blade. Besides... though you might take this as an excuse..."
Ganjit thrust his sword into the earth. The ground buckled and groaned.
"I have yet to show you my true strength."
Ganjit vanished as if melting into the undulating soil. Sylpha scanned the area, having lost track of her foe, only for a sharp thrust to lunge from her blind spot.
"?!"
As she moved to parry, the ground beneath her feet warped, throwing her off balance. The blade lunged for her heart. She twisted her body at the last second to dodge, but a shallow gash opened across her chest, and blood began to seep out.
"Noooooo! Sylpha-tan's skin! And her chest! What a tragedy! What an atrocity!"
"Mana enough to manipulate the earth itself! Ganjit the Verdant is finally showing his true colors!"
Ganjit continued his assault, hiding within the waves of earth. Sylpha seemed to have no way to counter attacks coming from the shifting terrain.
"Ngh... Langris Style: Flying Swallow!"
"Ho ho! A flying slash? Useless."
The earth rose up like a shield to intercept Sylpha's attack. It was difficult to mount a counteroffensive; the ability to manipulate the environment was a nightmare in close combat. Furthermore...
"L-Lloyd... it might be my imagination, but Sylpha-san's movements are getting slower, aren't they?"
Ren was right. The effects of her enhancement were beginning to fade.
Hidden Langris Style: Bushinjutsu.
It was a technique that used specific breathing to control the flow of Ki, drawing out power far beyond one's natural limits. Sylpha had used this to overwhelm Ganjit initially, but the technique had a fatal flaw: using it for too long would erode the user's bodily functions. That was why she had used Mirror Ape to try and force a quick surrender.
"Huff... huff..."
Sylpha's breathing was ragged. Ganjit sneered.
"Kah-kah-kah! I knew it! You were using a technique that exceeds your limits! Can you even hope to block this with a body in such a state?"
The ground beneath Ganjit's feet rose high into the air, while the earth around Sylpha sank into a deep pit.
"Tenma Itto-ryu: Sword Demon Ichimonji."
Ganjit held his sword in a high guard and leaped from his perch. He brought the blade down on Sylpha with all the momentum of his descent. An explosion of sound rang out, and a thick cloud of dust billowed into the air.
"Sylpha-san!" Ren cried out in pain.
As the dust settled, the two figures were revealed. Ganjit had swung his sword with crushing force, and Sylpha had caught it.
"Hidden Langris Style: Bushinjutsu—Twofold."
The veins on Sylpha's skin were bulging, and her eyes were bloodshot.
"Ngh... Y-You released even more power?!"
"Hah!"
With a sharp exhale, Sylpha threw her strength into her arms. Ganjit's entire body, along with the sword he held, was launched backward.
"Langris Style: Two Tigers: Twin Fangs."
Slashes delivered at invisible speeds caught Ganjit mid-air. He managed to react and block, but the impact sent him flying far across the field. He spun and landed vertically against a pillar of earth he had raised, but Sylpha was already beside him.
"Langris Style: Lion's Roar!"
She unleashed a heavy strike with both swords swung wide.
"Gugh...!"
Ganjit was sent flying again, only to be met by a relentless barrage. He tried to raise the earth to defend himself, but Sylpha was simply faster.
"—Flying Swallow Twin Blades!"
The flying slashes struck.
"—Wolf's Fang!"
The high-speed simultaneous high and low slashes hit.
"—Eight Thousand Birds!"
A flurry of thrusts from every conceivable angle carved into Ganjit's body. Sylpha moved like a whirlwind of blades, her momentum absolute. Ganjit was forced back step after agonizing step.
That was Bushinjutsu: Twofold. Her movements were incomparable to her usual self. Just as it seemed she would finish him, Sylpha came to a sudden halt.
"Cough!"
She coughed, and blood flecked her lips. She had been pushing her physical limits at double the output; the burden on her body had also doubled. Her fingertips trembled, and sweat poured from her.
"Hmm. It seems you are finally at your end."
In contrast, Ganjit's wounds were already closing, and even his notched blade was restoring itself. A Demon's regenerative ability was staggering; as long as they had mana, they could heal almost instantly. This remained true even when possessing a human.
"Your swordplay was truly magnificent. But as I thought, the human body is fragile. It cannot compare to us, who can regenerate indefinitely. I have a proposal: if you kill that brat and revere me as your new master, I shall spare your life."
Ganjit casually dodged a weak swing of her sword as he continued.
"Is it not a fair deal? As my disciple, your swordsmanship could reach even greater heights. It would be a tragedy for such a master to die here. Come, take my hand. Let us seek the pinnacle of the blade together."
Sylpha glanced at the offered hand and spoke with a hollow voice.
"...Could it be that you were speaking to me?"
Ganjit stumbled in surprise. "Who else would I be talking to?!"
"Oh, I'm sure you weren't. There is no one here who would ever betray their master."
Her voice was quiet, but it vibrated with absolute rage.
"And yet, you uttered such a thing. Ah... it must be because of my own inadequacy. I have fought so poorly that I made you believe I was a servant capable of betrayal."
The air grew cold enough to freeze. Ganjit caught his breath, and Ren, standing beside me, shivered.
"It infuriates me. That you would speak those words... and that I allowed myself to fight with such hesitation that you thought them worth saying. I fought while worrying for my own well-being. You are strong. Therefore, I shall give my all. I shall offer every ounce of my life to the master to whom I have sworn lifelong loyalty."
I felt Sylpha's gaze linger on me for a fraction of a second. Though her body should have been broken, she radiated an overwhelming aura of resolve.
"Kah! If that is your choice, it's a pity, but you must die!"
Ganjit unleashed a full-power strike. Sylpha didn't move. She simply took a deep, deep breath.
"Bushinjutsu—Threefold."
The moment she exhaled, the area seemed to explode with the force of a shockwave. I barely caught her movement—Langris Style Twin Sword Arts: Rising Twin Dragons. Ganjit was launched through the dust and high into the sky.
"I see!" Grimo shouted. "In the air, he can't touch the ground to manipulate it! His power is sealed!"
Ganjit manipulated the earth by flowing mana into it through physical contact. While airborne, he was helpless to change the terrain.
"Kah! But what of it?! You are a swordsman of the earth! You can do nothing to me from—"
Ganjit's eyes widened in horror. Sylpha was already right in front of him, running through the empty sky.
"Langris Style Running Arts: Sky Walk."
Sky Walk was the pinnacle of the Langris running arts. By kicking the air with such speed and force that the right foot moved before the left could fall, she was literally running on nothingness. Even with Water Walk, I could barely manage ten meters. Sylpha was truly a monster among humans.
"A human running on water is one thing, but running through the sky makes no sense at all!" Grimo yelled.
"Uwoooooh! Sylpha-tan running through the heavens! Truly, she is a celestial maiden! Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!" Jiriel was ecstatic.
However, using a high-drain technique like Sky Walk while maintaining Threefold Bushinjutsu was a massive burden. Even for Sylpha, this couldn't last more than a few moments.
"Don't mock me! The Tenma Itto-ryu has its own aerial arts!"
Ganjit sheathed his sword, waiting for Sylpha to enter his range. The moment she did, he moved.
"Tenma Itto-ryu: Mantis!"
His blade flashed like a bolt of lightning. The ultra-high-speed slash should have cut her down, but it passed through her as if she were a ghost. She had rotated her body at the exact speed and angle of the blade—transitioning from absolute power to absolute fluidity. That was the level of movement Threefold Bushinjutsu allowed. Maintaining her rotation, she unleashed her own strike.
"Langris Style Twin Sword Arts: Flying Dragon Celestial Dance."
The slashes created a vacuum, which grew into a whirlwind and then a tornado, dragging Ganjit even higher into the clouds. He was being carved to pieces by the storm of blades.
"Amazing... she's still rising while she slashes him...!"
"She's dealing massive damage, but he'll just heal again!" Jiriel pointed out.
He was right; unless the actual Ganjit within was destroyed, he would eventually recover. But Sylpha wasn't one to act without a plan. She rose above Ganjit and swung her swords down for the final blow.
"Langris Style Twin Sword Arts: Descending Flying Bird: Pair."
A bundle of sharp slashes, moving like twin birds of prey, drove Ganjit back down toward the earth. He slammed into the ground directly in front of us with a thunderous boom.
"Gnugh... a powerful strike... but I will not die from this!"
Ganjit focused entirely on defense and recovery. His wounds were deep, but he was already beginning to knit himself back together. Yet, in that brief moment where he was completely occupied with healing, someone else moved.
"Yaaah!"
Ren lunged forward, her Poison-Refining Blade catching Ganjit in a shallow but precise strike.
"Hmph. Poor swordplay and a weird blade... Did you lace it with poison? I see, so the little girl was the true backup. How foolish. No poison can work on one of the Four Heavenly Kings—"
Ganjit tried to stand, but his leg buckled.
"Ngh...?! Mmh... hup!"
He tried to regain his balance, but his body refused to obey. He collapsed to his knees.
"I-Impossible... No poison should affect me! Why won't my body move?! Why are my limbs numb?! My heart is racing and I cannot stop vomiting! What is this?!"
"It's medicine," Ren muttered, supporting the battered Sylpha on her shoulder as the dust cleared. "A medicine designed to kill only the Majin possessing a person. The medicine I couldn't use... back then."
She was referring to Jade. Using the regret of her past failure as fuel, Ren had spent her time researching a way to kill a possessing entity while leaving the host unharmed. Harmless to humans but fatal to a magic body, and with its potency increased by the Poison-Refining Blade, it was finally capable of bringing down even a member of the Four Heavenly Kings.
"Medicine?! This is clearly poison! Look at how I am suffering!"
"It kills things that harm people. That makes it medicine," Ren said firmly.
"It's medicine," Sylpha agreed.
"Definitely medicine," I added.
Poison and medicine are two sides of the same coin, after all, and something so beneficial to humanity couldn't possibly be called a poison.
"Inconceivable... inconceivable..."
With a final, weak cry, Ganjit's presence vanished from within Duncan.
Hmm. Bushinjutsu to multiply physical ability, and medicine that can kill even a high-ranking Demon. Truly fascinating. I think I'll have to try experimenting with those myself sometime.