Golden Cross - Chapter 16

.  Bertha, the Sword Spirit 4

Holding the sword with both hands, Eugene took Pflug posture.  Being true to the swordsmanship’s fundamentals, he took this posture as he didn’t know much about the opponent.  On top of that, as this position enhanced piercing maneuver, there was also a potential for a single attack that could end the battle.

“You must be true to the basics of swordsmanship?”

The man showed interest, and drew his double sabre.  His thick eyebrows dancing, he appeared to be excited before a battle.

‘Nebenhut form.’

Eugene cringed at the unfamiliar response of his opponent.  In Nebenhut form, the left shoulder is placed forward, and the tip of the sword is hidden behind the body and pushed back over to the right, so it was a good posture to launch a surprise upward slicing or mid level slicing attack.  Certainly, the man was unique in many ways.  The Brotherhood thought of the Nebenhut form as a naturally forming posture, after a slicing attack, so it was hard to see this particular posture from the beginning of the battle.

“Are you scared?”

The man’s eyes were covered with his long, bushy hair, and they were filled with madness.  After assessing many aspects of the opponent, Eugene thought that he might be a member of a non-certified swordsmen’s guild.

“Alright!”

He was certainly an opponent which Eugene wanted to keep at bay, but he could not remain still, endlessly.  Eugene rushed forward using the lion’s walk.  Instantly, there was a flash of light, and he moved forward, almost invisibly.

Chang!

Sparks flew as their swords collided.  By using powerful offense, Eugene wanted to break the adversary’s defense, and look for an opportunity.

“Hahaha!  Not bad for a young lad!”

The man seemed delighted.  Chang!  Chaang!

Both of them were at the top of their provost level, so this fight was a sight to behold.  As if his training with Bertha wasn’t in vain, Eugene maintained a competitive fight against this unordinary man.

“Here, take this!”

The man appeared to execute a down swing, but then he skillfully raised his arm and attacked with an upward swing.  Eugene was surprised by it, but he was able to barely dodge that sword attack.  It was rare to find someone who was well versed in upward swing, so Eugene has, almost, never met someone who had such sharp attack.

‘I almost lost it.’

Dry sweat covered him, and goose bumps filled his body.  Seeing Eugene is such a state, the man laughed out loud.

“You must have been very surprised.  Kkkk.”

Eugene was agitated by the man’s demeanor, and so he subtly cited a poem after deciding to deliver one powerful attack.  [As the waves rushed toward the beach, your life, too, will rush toward the end.]  As the poem, learned from the Brotherhood, was cited in its unique rhythm and pace, magic force began to gather up.  Soon, it became sharp after coagulating with Eugene’s murderous spirit, and it spewed out in forward direction.

“Damn it!”

Even the man who was overconfident spat out vulgarity.  However, rather than dodging it, he simply swung his sword upward.

Kwaang.

With the sound of an explosion, there was a flash of light.  It was due to the effect of crashing magic forces, rather than simply metals colliding.  In no time, the man has already overlaid his sword with murky, purple energy.  Seeing that, Eugene realized who his opponent was.

“Secret Society of the Den of Orcs.”

“Kk.  You, finally, made me to make a move, you’re not so bad, after all.”

The Secret Society of the Den of Orcs was an uncertified swordsmen’s guild, and was being shied away by the government, the aristocrats, and the certified swordsmen’s guild.

‘Cut them.  Take them.’

Which was their motto, and they went around committing evil deeds.  On the surface, they appeared to be swordsmen’s guild, but they were, in fact, thugs that went around performing dirty jobs like contract killing, assassination, and kidnapping.

“Now you know, I can’t let you live.”

“I, too, cannot let you go, having found out my Brotherhood’s identity.”

Suddenly showing his bare chest by pulling his clothes apart, he revealed a huge scar.

“This is the sign of shame I’ve been carrying since one of your Brotherhood’s bastards had shamed me, one day.  Since that day, I’ve been waiting to take revenge.  For now, I will take solace in your demise.”

The circumstances weren’t clear, but it seemed that he had been hurt by a maestro of the Brotherhood.  Fitting a swordsman of the Den of Orcs, he held grudge for it, and he figured on getting even on Eugene.

“Wasted too much time than necessary!  It’s time for you to die!”

The man rushed in, executing upswing, as he violently screamed.  Very shockingly, at that moment, his double sabre grew longer, and targeted Eugene’s wrist.

“Uhhh!”

Surprised, Eugene quickly and successfully retreated, using crouching leopard skill.  He nearly lost his wrist at the sudden change in the distance between them.  However, the fact that the man’s sword has grown longer was more surprising.

Incredibly, the sword, engulfed in purple energy, has changed its material characteristics, and that was the secret skill available only to the Orc Den.  As Eugene has had heard of it before, he was able to dodge the impact due to his readiness.

‘I had my doubts, but surely did not expect he was going to use such a skill.’

When the man threateningly hit the ground with the sword, it made ‘chick-chick’ sound as if it was a whip.  It looked quite menacing even at a single glance.

It was a specialized weapon, having the characteristics of both whip and sword.

“Die!”

As the length of the weapon elongated like a whip, the distance separating them grew by two folds.  Yet, the man was able to launch a series of attacks against Eugene.

“Gosh!”

Eugene was kept pushing back with the sense of difficulty that he was being attacked by a spear.  In a battle, the side with a weapon which could reach further had the upper hand.  Even in a bare knuckle fights, the side with longer reach had the advantage, so it wasn’t even worth mentioning for a sword fight in which a single smash could end the battle.  Eugene was continually pushed back as he took on injuries.

‘I will lose if this continues.’

He was soaked with dry sweat while he barely maintained status quo.

In his anxiety, the attack continued, and Eugene’s concern grew deeper.

“Eugene, you’re not fighting a sword, but the opponent.”

Bertha shouted wildly as she watched the fight.  As a result, Eugene recognized his errors.  As he was fighting against the man’s elongated sword, the distance kept growing between himself and his foe.  Having thought that, Eugene was no longer a pushover as earlier.  Although he took damages, he desperately fought back.

OF course, the danger has grown, but because of his mindset, he was able to take back some offensiveness.  As Eugene no longer was moving back, the man, who was confident and overpowering, realized that he, himself, was one step closer to danger.

‘How can I take him down.’

His body was covered with wounds, but Eugene became calmer.  And watching the man closer, he thought about what he learned about moving forward and moving backward.

At that moment, Eugene understood something strange.

‘In order to move forward from moving back, I must be on the offensive.’

Eugene thought about having taken the offensive position, in this fight, as he took a step forward despite the danger.  The whip like sword became fiercer, but the opponent’s expression grew harder.

‘What if I was to take another step forward at the right pace?’

As Eugene wrestled with the idea, he realized that he has already learned the skills to defend against such irregular attacks while he was at the Brotherhood.

‘Right.  I already knew it all, Good.’

He took another step forward, and at the moment, his opponent was shook.

“Damn bastard!”

The man was able to maintain the distance between them by moving backwards, but he didn’t want to lose the offensive mode which he was in.  It was because as a provost swordsman, he knew that even a miniscule step backward in trying to maintain the distance would be an opportunity, as well.  Eventually, he felt more rushed, and he kept wildly swinging his whip like sword.  Purple lines of energy were visibly drawn up in every direction.  Looking at it with a normal vision, it was hard to fathom that Eugene could have survived.  However, Eugene, who was the target of the attack, found more confidence in the opponent’s faltering.  And, in the following moment.

Eugene took another step forward.  This time, he used the Brotherhood’s boastful lion’s dash skill.  Flash.

To the man, it was as if Eugene had disappeared at once.

“Damn it!”

He gritted his teeth, and swung his sword in forward direction.  He did that in the hopes that he will be able to slice his lost opponent when he was to reappear.  However, that small hope was short lived.  Eugene’s sword was already penetrating the man’s neck.

“Auuk, Auuuuhk.”

Although it was only a spirit form, the pain and shock were all the same.  The man could not open his mouth as his neck has been pierced through.  Eugene murmured before such a man.

“One who runs from offensive maneuvers can’t execute his own skills.”

He was being sarcastic about the fact that the man’s offensive maneuver had become sloppy as he felt rushed.  Eugene smiled, and pushed the man’s head with his finger.  Kuuang-.

The man’s body fell to the ground, and shattering, it dispersed.  The spirit form which has been jolted was returning to its physical world.

“Eugene!”

Bertha’s expression changed, and he flew right next to Eugene.  Based on her looks, she must have been quite nervous.  That aspect has made Eugene happy.

“What is it Bertha?  You were worrying, a lot?”

Bertha turned her head, blushing, at Eugene’s playful tone.

“Heeung!  Come on.  Why do I worry for you.”

Pouting and complaining, she looked quite cute.

On top of that, flying around as a tiny fairy, right before his eyes, was also a sight to behold.  When Eugene offered the palm of his hand, Bertha landed on it after a short hesitation.

“Well, it was embarrassing to see you barely win, but congratulations, none the less.”

“Thanks.  Hahaha.”

Bertha relaxed her face and added one comment as Eugene laughed happily.

“I should call you a maestro, from now on?”

“What?”

Eugene was completely taken a back..

“Didn’t hear?  Ma.

Es.

Tro.

Maestro Eugene.”

E.

S.

E.

S.

E.

S.