The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War - CHAPTER 368 – 16 YEAR OLD INGLIS AND THE MEANING OF MATCHMAKING (20)

“Yes. Here I go—”

Inglis began to close the distance, sliding her feet on the ground and planning to maintain her pace until she was just one step away from the Duke of War.

Determining which weapon held the advantage in terms of destructive power, durability, or speed would be impossible until they actually clashed. However, it was clear that Inglis was at a significant disadvantage regarding reach. Whether it was the length of their arms or their weapons, Inglis was completely outmatched.

To land an attack on Jeldegrīva, she would need to parry his blow at least once. While it wasn’t beyond her to exploit a weakness in Jeldegrīva’s stance and strike with unreactable speed, the Duke of War had proven to be a formidable opponent, keeping pace with Inglis even when her Ether Armor was fully activated. It seemed futile to rely on speed alone, and if Jeldegrīva couldn’t respond to her, Inglis would be left disappointed.

Both Inglis and Jeldegrīva were kindred spirits, finding enjoyment in each other’s company without the need for reason or calculation. Inglis wished to prolong their thrilling, toe-to-toe battle as much as possible.

Moreover, she did possess a technique to penetrate Jeldegrīva’s defenses without giving him a chance to react: Divine Feat. This divine maneuver allowed Inglis to leap through space, placing herself as close as she desired. If she chose to appear behind him, he would have no chance to intercept her. But such a tactic felt unsporting to her. Victory without testing the full strength of her opponent was hollow and did little to advance her mastery of the martial arts.

So it was that Inglis found herself just outside the reach of Jeldegrīva’s mighty sword. Then, she crouched, pushed off the ground, and launched herself into a sprint.

The ground shattered beneath her, but even the noise arrived too late to alert Jeldegrīva. Inglis’ small frame was already bearing down on him with divine speed. Despite knowing her weapon’s disadvantage in reach, she leaped fearlessly into the battle. Jeldegrīva found her audacity invigorating.

He admired her. He simply admired her. It had nothing to do with her potential beauty as she matured or any superficial qualities. Jeldegrīva couldn’t have cared less if Inglis was a young boy or an old man. He respected her solely as an individual and as a fellow warrior.

“I like your guts! SORYAAAAAahhhh!!”

As Inglis had anticipated, the Duke of War responded to her advance by bringing down his enormous sword. Inglis found herself caught just inside the reach of Jeldegrīva’s blade, half a step and a foot closer than expected. Though the margin was minuscule, she had proven herself faster.

The massive golden blade descended squarely at Inglis, its shadow casting an ominous presence over her head. Yet, her warrior’s instinct compelled her to catch the swinging blade.

“HAAAAAAaaaaahhh!!”

Inglis crossed Eris’ twin swords above her head and braced her legs with all her strength, ready to meet the colossal sword known as Caraldo.

Crash!

The swords collided with such force that the sound thundered throughout the entire Ymir. The sheer impact of the clash felt like it might crush Inglis, and she even felt a bit diminished by it. Though she withstood the blow, the ground beneath her gave way, expanding the crater even further.

“You did well receiving that, Inglis!”
“I am honored by your praise…!”

Inglis began to push back against the crushing force of the sword, gradually gaining ground. While she wielded twin swords with both hands, Jeldegrīva used only one. That was the difference.

“Hmmmm??! What sheer power from such a young girl…! Why you littleee!”

Laughing heartily, the Duke of War placed his other hand on his sword, evening the match.

But then—

Snap…

A fine crack appeared in the blades of Eris’ twin swords, originating from the point of contact, and evident in both swords.

“Miss Eris…?!”
“UUuughh…! I-, it’s fine, I’m fine…!”

So the Hyrule Menace claimed, but the voice that echoed in Inglis’ mind was clearly in agony. When the twin swords were harmed, Eris seemed to suffer as well. What might happen if they were completely destroyed? Inglis wouldn’t dare to find out.

Although Eris could slice through Prisma as if it were butter, this giant sword had managed to damage her. Its power was truly astounding.

Crack, crack…

The cracks widened.

“AAauuuuughhh?!”
“…Oh no!”

Inglis knew she couldn’t continue this stalemate; Eris wouldn’t be able to endure. She couldn’t force her to fight like this any longer.

However, breaking away from this contest of strength wouldn’t be easy. That meant she had to act.

—Divine Feat!

In the next instant, Inglis’ figure vanished from beneath the giant sword and reappeared right behind Jeldegrīva.