07

Its claws and chest were covered in skin as hard as metal, and its specialties were charging attacks that threw its full weight forward and slashing strikes with razor-sharp claws. Its total length averaged around three meters, but despite its appearance, it moved with surprising agility.

For a mage, it could close the distance in an instant during incantation and tear them apart with its claws, so the basic approach was to deal with it in coordination with a swordsman.

“Ains-sama, I’ll restrain the Armor Bear’s movements. While I do that, please prepare your magic.”

It was a formidable opponent even for swordsmen.

Its tough hide repelled thrusts and sword blades alike, making it a magical beast that was difficult to cut down without a truly fine sword.

“Is it something you can’t handle on your own, Sophia?”

“I can handle it, but with the sword I’m carrying, it will take quite a lot of strikes.”

“I see. Then leave it to me. Sophia, watch from a distance.”

That’s ridiculous, Sophia thought.

She wasn’t worried that Ains couldn’t defeat it if he used magic, but he was approaching the Armor Bear—said to be the natural enemy of swordsmen—while holding his sword.

‘It would be impossible without Sword Saint–level skill or an exceptionally fine blade. And from what I can see, Ains-sama’s sword is minimally maintained, but it doesn’t go beyond the level of a cheap weapon.’

But it was an order from the lord to whom she had sworn loyalty.

Here, she had no choice but to step back and watch it through.

“May fortune favor you.”

Sophia leapt backward.

“It’s not an opponent worth praying over, though.”

After confirming that Sophia had retreated, Ains provoked the Armor Bear with the tip of his sword.

“You can come at me from anywhere, you know?”

The Armor Bear facing him had a body that reached nearly five meters in length. It was clearly battle-hardened, having devoured many swordsmen. It already recognized Ains as prey and drooled openly.

It happened in an instant.

At the same moment a thunderous boom echoed, the ground was gouged out beneath the Armor Bear’s feet.

With sheer explosive force, it erased the distance between itself and Ains. It was already within the range of its claws.

It casually swung its right claw sideways.

The long, sharp claws, combined with the strength of its arm, would shatter anything that tried to block them with a sword.

With Ains’s cheap blade, the outcome was obvious.

Even the Armor Bear, which had seen countless swords wielded by past opponents, understood the moment it swung.

-I’ve got him.

Whether it split Ains’s torso in two along with the sword, or failed to cut him cleanly, the next swing would finish the prey. The only concern was the woman behind him. Her sword was clearly superior to the man’s. Dealing with her would be troublesome.

The Armor Bear’s attention had already shifted to what came next.

However—

“Letting your guard down isn’t admirable.”

With a loud clang as metal collided, the Armor Bear’s claws were stopped by the cheap sword.

Sophia gasped from the rear.

The Armor Bear was also stunned by what it saw before it, unable to move into its next action.

“I’m not your food. Rethink your decision and come back another time.”

With his slender left arm holding the sword, Ains knocked the Armor Bear’s thick right arm high into the air, then planted his right leg and kicked the Armor Bear’s hardened abdomen with his left prosthetic leg.

The kick itself wasn’t sharp.

It made only a light tapping sound, like gently striking metal with a wooden stick.

And yet—

The spot struck by the prosthetic leg caved in by about five centimeters, and the Armor Bear was blasted backward, smashing through trees before tumbling across the ground and finally stopping.

Blood spilled from the Armor Bear’s mouth.

“Ains-sama… what was that?”

Sophia called out from behind, unable to hide her shock.

“That was just simple mana manipulation. Not swordsmanship.”

Using the mana within his body to increase physical strength. Enhancing the durability of the sword. Simply slamming condensed mana from the tip of the prosthetic leg—nothing more than mana control.

It wasn’t magic.

“I think even a swordsman like you, Sophia, could do this much.”

Please don’t judge things by Ains’s standards, Sophia thought frankly.

Still, this was a technique she had never seen before.

Mages demonstrated their power only through magic.

Swordsmen demonstrated their power only through sword techniques. The idea of combining swordsmanship with mana had never truly existed. Of course, it was possible that swordsmen or Sword Gods currently performing astonishing feats on the front lines were unconsciously doing the same thing.

“Has your understanding changed? Next, I’ll combine it with swordsmanship, so be prepared.”

In the next moment, Ains’s fighting spirit overflowed.

Struck by that pressure alone, the Armor Bear couldn’t even twitch.

Ains slowly leaned forward.

Sophia realized it was a preparatory stance to dive into the enemy’s guard. From there, she imagined he would close the distance to zero with explosive speed like the Armor Bear itself.

But there was no sound.

It was just barely fast enough to follow with the eyes. Yet because of the natural motion and the complete absence of sound, it felt even faster. At this point, there was no physical enhancement through mana.

Just a simple shift of center of gravity and footwork.

In the next instant, he was within range to strike the Armor Bear with his sword.

Panicking, the Armor Bear raised all ten claws on both hands, swinging them down as if to impale Ains’s torso.

Ains wrapped mana around his sword.

“No matter how hard the hide is, there have to be weaker points.”

Like the tendons between muscles.

He ran the blade through that exact spot without the slightest deviation.

However, while Ains was cutting into the Armor Bear’s torso, the ten approaching claws would still pierce him.

He needed to sever both the magical beast’s right and left arms at the same time.

“Abbreviated incantation: ‘Simultaneous Reenactment.’”

As Ains’s left arm slashed into the torso, two translucent arms emerged from his shoulder, each holding a translucent sword.

This magic moved by “imitating” Ains’s actions, just as its name implied. How effective it was depended on the extent of that imitation.

The simpler and smaller the movement, the higher the fidelity and effectiveness. The more complex and larger the movement—such as motions involving the whole body—the duller the blade became and the less sharply the movement was reproduced, reducing its effectiveness.

Three arms cut into the Armor Bear.

Both arms were severed and fell uselessly to the ground, while a deep gash was carved into its chest. An enormous amount of blood sprayed from three places at once.

“Gah…”

Groaning, it collapsed forward.

A single horizontal slash took its neck from the side, severing the head.

“That’s roughly how it goes.”

Turning toward Sophia, Ains flicked the blood from his blade.

“A-amazing.”

Sophia stared wide-eyed.

“To manifest magic or sorcery, you need a deep understanding of the movements and rules that correspond to it. Without knowing swordsmanship, the magic ‘Simultaneous Reenactment’ wouldn’t be very effective. That’s why it’s always better to know more.”

He tried to sheath the sword after shaking off the blood, but the blade had reached its limit from the intensity of the battle and snapped cleanly in half.

“I’ll have to buy a new sword somewhere.”

Saying that, Ains tossed the broken sword and its scabbard aside without the slightest regret.

Seeing his lack of attachment to the blade, Sophia reaffirmed that he truly wasn’t a swordsman at heart.

“I heard a loud noise just now—are you okay!?”

Parting the grass, a red-haired girl emerged.