On Floor 18, near Loki Familia's encampment, dozens of eyes watched the ongoing sparring match. The silence was palpable, but whispers of awe were inevitable.
"Seriously? Am I seeing this right? That guy's outmatching Ais?"
"It's hard to believe. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it even if someone beat me half to death."
"He's not even moving from his spot, yet he's parrying and countering all of Ais's attacks… What was his name again?"
"He's Charlie Avalon from Hera Familia. The one who broke Ais's level-up speed record and holds the title for the fastest level-up in history."
"So that's him? The guy everyone's been talking about lately?"
Loki Familia's members were stunned.
Ais Wallenstein, dubbed the Sword Princess, was unofficially considered the world's strongest female swordmaster. Even among men, few could surpass her in swordsmanship. Now, seeing Ais struggle in a swordsmanship duel against a young man whose name and reputation had only recently risen was truly shocking.
"Finn, Gareth, what do you two think?" Riveria asked, turning to her two comrades.
As the world's strongest mage, known as Nine Hell, her expertise lay in magic, so she wasn't well-versed in warrior or swordmaster matters. That's why she sought her companions' opinions.
Biting his thumb, Finn gave an honest evaluation.
"Unless Ais uses her trump card, I can see she's already giving it her all. Even so, she hasn't shaken Charlie. If we're talking pure swordsmanship, only Leon could match him."
"Isn't that an exaggeration, Finn?" Gareth expressed his doubts. "I admit the young man's swordsmanship is extraordinary, but comparing it to Leon's…"
Gareth disagreed. After all, he knew how formidable Leon was.
The individual Finn referred to was Leon Vardenburg, headmaster of the School District and captain of Baldr Familia, a Level 7. The world regarded Leon as the closest to becoming the Last Hero, the one destined to slay the One-Eyed Black Dragon.
"Gareth, have you forgotten Charlie is only Level 5, while Ais is Level 6? Technically, though it's just one level difference, the gap between them is vast. As a Level 6, Ais's physical abilities far surpass a Level 5's. But look at Charlie—he's completely relaxed. That shows his attribute parameters upon leveling up are at least Rank B or A, making him exceptionally strong. So, the speculation that Charlie leveled up with Rank D attributes is debunked." Finn explained his analysis.
"I see… If you put it that way, it might be true. Looks like I've been underestimating that young man. Haaah… We're really getting old, huh…" Gareth sighed, watching Charlie still sparring with Ais.
"Don't say 'we,' you drunken dwarf. I'm only 99 years old—I'm still young." Riveria retorted, offended.
"Who're you trying to fool, old elf? Except for you long-lived elves, 99 years is the end of life for other races!"
"Who're you calling old?!"
"Who else but you?"
Riveria and Gareth traded sarcastic remarks, but there was no real hostility. The discord between elves and dwarves was just their way of communicating.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
Ais attacked fiercely again. Her rapier, Desperate, flashed with blinding speed. Attack after attack—vertical, horizontal, diagonal, combined—came at a pace even a Level 6 adventurer would struggle to match.
*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*
But whether it was a feint or a false strike, Charlie parried them effortlessly. He stood firm, not moving a single step, like an unshakable rock.
"Ais, you're losing your composure. You're getting anxious because none of your attacks are landing, aren't you?"
Hearing the question, Ais halted her assault. Beneath her expressionless face, a hint of bitterness lingered.
"Mm."
Just one syllable. But it was an admission. An admission from a swordmaster who rarely spoke, let alone acknowledged weakness.
Behind her porcelain-like, expressionless face, something cracked. Bitterness. Not from losing—but from failing to understand. After reaching Level 6, she felt she'd touched a new peak. Strength, speed, reflexes—everything had grown exponentially.
That joy was short-lived. Ais saw that Charlie had grown stronger too.
"Sigh… Let me give you some guidance."
Charlie felt pity seeing Ais question her existence. He knew his girlfriend's obsession with pursuing strength bordered on paranoia. So, he decided to help.
For the first time since the spar began, he took the initiative to attack.
*TAP!* *TAP!*
One step, two steps. Then the world seemed to stop.
Charlie struck.
Not with brute force or blinding speed, but with precision. Every movement was an expression of a deep understanding of swordsmanship—not just technique, but philosophy, rhythm, even the opponent's desires.
*SWOOSH!*
His sword swept from the right, not toward Ais's body but to the empty space in front of her—disrupting the natural balance of her fighting stance.
*SWOOSH!*
Ais reacted, swinging her rapier to parry, but Charlie had already vanished from that spot, appearing on her left with a movement that didn't disturb the airflow—as if he'd never moved.
"You rely too much on speed and physical strength. But you forget—every attack creates an opening. Even a fraction of a second is enough for me."
In that motion, Charlie pointed out Ais's flaws and guided her to correct them.
"You attack in patterns. Three quick strikes, then a brief pause to assess. It seems random to others, but to me… it's an open book."
As he spoke, Charlie pushed Ais's rapier aside, then tapped the tip of his sword against her wrist—a simulated instant death in a real fight.
"Ais, you focus too much on physical precision but neglect the flow of energy. Your sword is strong, but its movements are rigid. Like a machine without rhythm. Swordsmanship isn't just about cutting—it's about flowing. Like a river. Like the wind."
*SWOOSH!*
Charlie raised his sword and, with a single swing—using only his wrist, not his body—sliced through the air.
*ZZSHHH!*
A sharp, slicing sound echoed.
For a fraction of a second, a tiny crack appeared in the air—not a physical crack, but a vacuum crack. The air was cleaved by such perfect concentration of force that it created negative pressure.
Only those at Level 5 and above noticed the spatial rift caused by Charlie. The proof was in the serious expressions of Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Tiona, Tione, and Bete, while the other Loki Familia members remained oblivious to the extraordinary scene unfolding before them.
"…"
To others, Ais's swordsmanship seemed perfect and impressive. But Charlie had an extraordinary perspective.
Three factors made his swordsmanship exceptional:
First, after his epiphany and gaining the Mind's Eye as a swordmaster, Charlie could analyze battle conditions calmly, even in danger, and take precise actions after considering all possibilities.
Second, his Six Eyes granted him unmatched visual acuity and energy control down to the atomic level.
Third, his Prodigy Swordsman skill gave him extraordinary intuition and insight, maximizing his latent talent in swordsmanship and combat knowledge to a level achievable by only a select few.
The combination of these three aspects allowed Charlie to reach new heights in swordsmanship. It wasn't an exaggeration to claim he was the world's strongest swordmaster.
What swordmaster could create a vacuum crack with a mere sword strike? None, except Charlie. At least, in the Planar World: Danmachi.