'Such a fast blade!'
Facing a series of sword flashes approaching like fine rain, Phryne instinctively took a step back. For a moment, she thought a hostile Lv.5 had appeared before her and launched a sneak attack.
"How did he get so strong?" Phryne's eyes widened.
She had only been locked up in confinement for a month and had even gone out several times during that period. How could this beautiful boy seem like a completely different person after just one month?
Wasn't he just Lv.1?
Facing the sword flashes coming straight at her, Phryne kicked out, striking a nearby iron door with a loud clang that collided against the continuous sword strikes.
Although greatly shocked, her reactions as a Lv.5 were not weak.
Only—
"Tch, no weapon!" Phryne clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Her weapon was left in her room, and she hadn't brought it with her. She didn't expect a fight to break out while she was in confinement. She glanced at the nearby open space, and while the iron door blocked Ryoji's vision, she took a step and dashed forward like a human missile, stirring up a gust of wind.
By the time Ryoji had knocked the iron door flying away, he saw Phryne pick up a halberd from the ground. It was the weapon of an Amazoness guarding the dungeon, now collapsed on the floor, clueless about what had happened.
"I don't know how you got so strong, and I don't care about your thoughts either."
Phryne tossed the halberd lightly in her hand. Though light, it was barely usable. She looked at Ryoji, the corners of her mouth slowly curling upwards, and her eyes narrowing sharply.
She smiled like a theatrical beauty.
"Anyway, I just want to have some fun with you first. After knocking you out, I'll deal with things later!"
"You wish, ugly monster!" Ryoji once again took up his kendo stance.
Even facing a weapon longer than his own, he showed no fear and actively swung his sword forward. He held his Vrring sword vertically in front of him, his eyes fixed on Phryne's right side. His feet stepped rapidly, closing the distance, trying to get in close.
"So fast indeed!" Phryne was inwardly shocked.
Incredible.
His agility was by no means inferior to hers; if anything, it was slightly stronger, which made no sense.
But as a Lv.5, she was definitely not someone to be taken lightly.
As Ryoji closed in, she gripped the halberd tightly with her right hand, waiting for the right moment to swing it horizontally.
With a strong gust, she swung the back of the halberd at his waist.
Clang!
Amid the fierce clash of steel,
Ryoji's arms trembled violently, almost losing his grip on the sword.
Phryne was a power-type Adventurer. Judging from her physique, every time she leveled up, her power surpassed her agility by a large margin. It was unwise to clash directly with her.
But short weapons had to close the distance to suppress longer weapons.
Even if it meant getting into a disadvantageous position and clashing head-on, it had to be done.
If the opponent controlled the rhythm of the attack, it would heavily suppress the short-weapon user, and it would be very difficult to turn the tables.
While the two fought at close quarters, Ryoji lowered his body as much as possible.
There was a big height difference between them. For Phryne, her horizontal sweep was near the chest area for Ryoji.
So after lowering his body, the weapons didn't clash directly face-to-face.
The hit from the back of the halberd landed on the upper part of Ryoji's blade, very close to the sword tip, causing the blow to slide off.
Thanks to this, Ryoji was not swept away by Phryne's strike.
At the same time, he adjusted his body, rapidly bending down, passing under the halberd to the other side, and slashing diagonally at Phryne's front.
Phryne's halberd swung with large, sweeping motions. While its length gave her weapon superiority, it also meant it was hard to retract quickly, its dexterity was far inferior to that of a short weapon.
She swung the halberd forcefully to the right. Unable to pull it back quickly, she had to retreat the shaft and raise the handle to block Ryoji's incoming sword strikes.
In the blink of an eye, countless sword flashes flickered nonstop, the Vrring Vrring sound effects flying chaotically.
Ryoji continuously slashed, rapidly seizing the initiative, ruthlessly cutting at Phryne's vital points again and again.
The speed of his sword was astonishing!
Moreover, the power behind each slash was incredible, like unrelenting waves, and each strike stronger than the last, as if the battle was escalating!
He was approaching Lv.5 strength on all fronts!
Phryne was horrified. Under his fierce assault, she had no time to retract her halberd and could only move the weapon up and down, blocking Ryoji's slashes.
But blocking the slashes was the easier part. Among his attacks, there were also thrusts.
The slender shaft of the halberd was completely inadequate against thrusts, forcing Phryne to keep retreating, trying to create distance to avoid the thrusts and to pull her halberd back.
But Ryoji didn't give her any chance. Whenever she stepped back, he stepped forward, relentlessly pressing on so she could never open the gap.
Long weapons have the advantage over short weapons only if distance can be maintained.
If a short-weapon user closes the distance, the long weapon instantly falls into a disadvantage.
"How is this possible? Just one encounter, and I'm being suppressed?"
Phryne's big, round eyes widened in disbelief.
Vrring~!
"So annoying!"
The narrow dungeon corridor left little room for maneuvering, and Phryne quickly retreated into a corner. The ear-piercing sound effects blared like a Death God's horn, pulling out all her inner frustration, causing her to angrily shout.
Her eyes darkened with cruelty. She raised her left arm as a shield before her, while recklessly extending her right arm.
Shing!
A sword flash flickered past.
The ear-piercing sound of blade cutting flesh rang out, and Phryne immediately felt sharp pain in her left arm.
Looking down, she saw her left arm was gone, cut off at the elbow, blood spraying from the stump, draining her complexion pale.
"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!"
Her scream was mixed with rage.
She swung her right arm violently, furiously sweeping her halberd out.
Theoretically, Ryoji, who just severed Phryne's arm, should not have been able to avoid this strike; at the very least, he had to take a hit. But with a slight misstep, his body miraculously slid aside, moving faster than her swing, and Phryne's attack missed.
Using this strike, Phryne successfully forced Ryoji to retreat.
But the price she paid was high.
Her left arm was cut off at the elbow, leaving only one arm usable.
"...Why did this happen?" Phryne panted, her eyes stunned and horrified.
"Could it be that you became Lv.5 in just one month?"
Otherwise, why would she be so thoroughly suppressed?
Even if she wasn't using her usual weapon, her power was real; no one below Lv.5 should be able to beat her.
"Huff... don't talk to me, ugly monster, or you'll drag down my style!"
Ryoji was also panting.
The continuous aggressive offense was extremely draining. Fortunately, he had already upgraded to Lv.4, and his stamina was vastly improved compared to before, able to sustain this consumption easily.
"Next wave, I'll finish you."
A dangerous smile appeared on Ryoji's face.
(End of Chapter)
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