The clear ring of steel on steel echoed relentlessly. Against the backdrop of the towering castle walls, the two boys fought, spinning with massive swords, their battle as spectacular as an artist’s sword dance.
’CLAAAAANG!’
The impact of blocking Jull’s weapon sent Simon sliding backward, his hands trembling around the hilt. A blister must have burst, because the rough grip stung his raw skin.
"Excellent," Jull praised him without reservation, raising his sheathed longsword. His expression was calm, his sword still undrawn.
’Why is he fighting with the scabbard on?’ Simon wondered. ’It doesn’t feel like he’s holding back.’
"Be careful, Simon!" Dick yelled from behind him. "Jull is a Demonic Sword user!"
A Demonic Sword. A cursed blade, just as the name implied. It was said to grant its wielder immense power in exchange for blood, death, and endless misfortune. In the past, even the most valiant knights refused to handle them, but in the new age of necromancy, those accustomed to curses had begun to take up such weapons.
’A Demonic Sword user... There really are all kinds of necromancers,’ Simon thought, clicking his tongue.
With a soft click, Jull slid the scabbard into his belt and took a stance, his hand resting on the forward-facing hilt. The moment his fingers tightened—
With a piercing shriek, a massive, straight slash carved itself into the castle wall behind them. The wall shuddered as if on the verge of collapse, raining down fragments and kicking up a cloud of dust. Simon, who had dodged by arching his back, stared at Jull with wide eyes.
’A quick-draw?’
But he hadn’t seen any movement at all. Was Jull drawing the sword, unleashing the attack, and sheathing it again with such impossible speed? If he truly possessed that kind of power, he could have overwhelmed Simon easily without resorting to such a technique.
"Simon! That’s the ability of his Demonic Sword!" Dick explained.
According to Dick, it was indeed a type of quick-draw. Jull performed the full sequence of drawing, striking, and sheathing, but to an observer, the action was simply skipped, becoming an event that never occurred in this world. It just looked as if Jull were standing still, merely gripping the hilt.
This wasn’t a cheap trick like an optical illusion; it was a power closer to causality reversal or reality manipulation. The opponent could not see the Demonic Sword being swung. Only Jull performed the action, but the world registered only the result.
’An absurdly powerful ability,’ Simon thought, catching his breath and raising his greatsword. ’Fortunately, it seems to consume a lot of jet-black, and there’s a delay between uses.’
As if to confirm Simon’s theory, Jull pulled the sheathed sword from his belt and charged. Simon gritted his teeth and swung to meet him.
’Clang!’
They exchanged a frantic flurry of blows. Simon’s enchanted, pitch-black greatsword clashed violently against Jull’s red scabbard, sending sparks flying.
"Excellent!" Jull exclaimed, looking thoroughly pleased. "To be so skilled in swordsmanship as well!"
But Simon’s attention was elsewhere. With Jull’s arrival, his allies had given up trying to scale the walls. Dick was wisely directing them toward the inner castle’s south gate.
"Dick! Get to the inner castle! I’ll handle Jull somehow!"
"Right, got it! Be careful!" Dick called back as he led the soldiers away. "And by the way, if you get cut by the Demonic Sword itself, you’ll be cursed! Don’t let it hit you even once!"
’Easier said than done...!’
’Clang!’
Their weapons collided in a shower of sparks. Jull planted his right foot forward, using his scabbard to force Simon’s greatsword upward as he reached for the hilt.
Simon’s eyes widened in alarm.
Seeing the motion, Simon instantly let go of his greatsword and threw himself aside.
A piercing shriek filled the air as a straight slash erupted where he had just been, striking the castle wall. With power still to spare, it traveled up the stone face before exploding at the top, sending a brilliant shower of sparks into the sky.
’Whoa.’
Simon broke out in a cold sweat. A massive crack now marred the castle wall.
’If he really wanted to, he could probably destroy the wall all by himself.’
He might be Special Admission No. 5, but the rumor that he was Kizen’s strongest on a good day was clearly no exaggeration. Jull stepped on the greatsword Simon had dropped.
"A quick dodge, but what do you plan to do now that you’ve abandoned your weapon?"
Jull raised his scabbard and charged. Simon silently extended his right arm, a magic circle glowing on his palm.
’A curse!’
Jull’s attention was momentarily diverted by the magic circle. He spun just in time, parrying Simon’s greatsword with a sharp clang as it flew toward his back.
’So close!’
It was a feint he’d put his all into, but Jull’s swordsman instincts were too sharp. The spinning greatsword curved through the air and landed perfectly back in Simon’s hand.
’I got the idea from Pier’s Greatsword of Ruin.’
He had attached a piece of a skeleton’s bone to the hilt beforehand. As Simon readjusted his grip, Jull charged again. The two boys clashed, their fight growing fiercer, neither giving an inch.
"Haaaaah!"
"Ngh!"
Simon’s hands trembled. It was nearly impossible to predict his opponent’s attacks.
With a sickening crack, a blow landed on his side for the first time. A huge chunk of his barrier gauge vanished, and Simon gagged. Even if it was just the scabbard, a direct hit would shatter his ribs. As he staggered, Jull took a step back and assumed his quick-draw stance.
’Dodge!’
Simon threw himself sideways.
As expected, a piercing slash shot straight ahead. But then—with a deafening clang—a second, red slash collided with the greatsword Simon had instinctively thrown up to block.
’A double strike with a quick-draw?’
The power of the Demonic Sword was terrifying. His eyes and ears gave him no clue as to where the attack would come from; he had to rely solely on his sixth sense. If that sense failed him, even for a moment, he’d be cut in two.
"It has been a pleasure to cross swords with you," Jull said, readjusting his grip. "But I fail to understand why you, a Summoning major, insist on fighting with a blade."
He paused, his gaze intense. "Show me your true strength. You have no chance of victory unless you summon your famed ‘Royal Guard’."
’So that was his goal.’
Jull had been targeting him from the start, likely on Elisa’s orders. If Jull won, great. If Jull lost, Simon would be left drained of jet-black and blood from using his Royal Guard. Either way, it was a win for their side.
’There’s no need to play into Elisa’s hands.’
If he used any more jet-black, he wouldn’t even be able to command his Skeleton Mages.
’I have to run!’
The decision was made. Simon summoned a skeleton from his subspace and donned its bone armor. Jull watched with a satisfied smile, assuming the real fight was about to begin.
But instead, Simon hurled his greatsword at him. While Jull was busy blocking it, Simon turned and fled.
"What!" Jull exclaimed, his expression a mask of bewilderment. "H-how can you turn your back in the middle of a duel! Stop!"
Simon ignored him and sprinted for the castle wall. Jull scrambled to give chase.
’Come back!’
He retrieved the greatsword and, with jet-black flaring at his feet, began to run straight up the vertical wall.
Jull followed, his feet finding purchase as he scaled the wall right behind him.
"I told you to stop!" he yelled. "As a swordsman, are you not ashamed to flee with your back turned!"
’Sorry, but I’m a necromancer,’ Simon thought.
Soldiers on the wall spotted them.
"Squeak squeak!’ It’s the Commander-in-Chief!"
"The one-eyed man is an enemy! Fire!"
Archers rained arrows down on Jull, but he effortlessly deflected the volley with his scabbard and finally caught up to Simon.
’He’s really going to follow me all the way up here?’
Simon leaped onto the top of the inner wall, and Jull landed right behind him, swinging his scabbard without breaking stride.
’Clang! Clink! Clang!’
The weapons of the two boys running along the ramparts clashed repeatedly.
"Hup!"
Jull paused his assault to grab the hilt of his Demonic Sword. Simon quickly brought his greatsword up to defend.
’CLAAAAAAAAANG!’
Jull’s slash slammed into Simon’s greatsword. The blade finally shattered, and the force of the impact sent Simon flying off the wall.
"Squeak!"
"Co-Commander-in-Chief!"
Even as he fell, Simon shot out his hand. A turquoise Cloud flew like a rope and latched onto the base of the wall. The line went taut, pulling him back toward the ramparts.
"Pests, get out of the way!" Jull roared, shoving soldiers aside. He shattered their weapons with his scabbard and closed the distance just as Simon landed.
’He’s relentless!’
Simon pointed his index finger.
’Sickness’
The curse of nausea shot out like a flash of light, but Jull simply raised his scabbard and blocked it. The moment the curse made contact, it shattered as if hit by a ’Cancellation’ spell.
"The Demonic Sword is the king of curses!" Jull declared. "Such attacks are useless!"
He charged like a berserker. Scratches appeared on his skin from the soldiers’ desperate attacks, and his barrier gauge dwindled, but he paid it no mind. Contrary to his unassuming, exotic appearance, his obsession with battle was every bit that of a Demonic Sword user.
"Hah!"
Finally, Simon leaped down from the wall. He was now in the core of the city, the heart of the castle that could only be reached after breaching the inner wall.
’Surely Elisa wouldn’t order him to chase me this far...!’
But Jull followed him down with a rush of air. Simon let out a hollow laugh.
’If he’s going to follow me this far, then I have no choice.’
Simon dashed down a sloping staircase, Jull hot on his heels.
Jull touched the hilt of his scabbard. With a tremendous crack, a fissure appeared in a residential building above them. It collapsed with a deafening roar, sending a cascade of bricks and debris down to block Simon’s path.
As the ground rumbled, Simon dodged the falling fragments, his form disappearing into a thick cloud of dust.
Jull swung his scabbard, clearing the air. In his line of sight, he saw Simon lying face down on the ground.
"Caught you!"
He charged, but an emerald sword light suddenly shot out from the front, deflecting his scabbard.
Jull flinched and took a step back.
"From now on," Simon’s voice echoed.
’Simon Original – Royal Guard’
As the dust settled, a unit of skeleton swordsmen in fluttering turquoise capes surrounded Jull.
"I’m going all out," Simon declared, an emerald crown materializing on his head.
A true smile finally graced Jull’s lips as he gripped the hilt of his Demonic Sword.
"The skills of Special Admission No. 1," he said. "I look forward to learning from you!"
"Before that happens—"
At the signal of Simon’s outstretched hand, the twenty-three members of the Royal Guard charged like flashes of light.
"—I’ll end this in an instant."

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