"Slash!"
The blue-and-gold holy sword was gripped in Elise's hands as she struck forcefully at the opponent before her—a wild spirit!
But that spirit suddenly lunged, gathering power within its mouth.
That was the prelude to an attack!
Since obtaining Est, Elise had yet to use her power in combat. So she wandered into the forest, intending to find a worthy opponent for practice.
Yet most of the forest spirits leaned toward peace and tranquility. When they saw Elise, some even greeted her kindly. How could Elise bring herself to attack them?
Though she didn't see herself as a good person, picking fights without cause when there was no conflict of interest…
It just didn't feel right.
Not to mention, these little spirits were so cute!
But just then, from deeper within the forest, an unsettling sound echoed.
Many small spirits fled from that direction. Clearly, something was happening there!
"Est, get ready!"
Elise reached out her hand toward Est. As their palms touched, Est's hand transformed into a sword hilt, her body and toes becoming the blade itself!
It was the true form of the Demon-Slaying Holy Sword!
Gently stroking Est's blade, Elise's gaze shifted toward the source of the noise.
There stood a wolf, its entire body a dull earthy yellow!
Judging from its appearance, it didn't belong to the forest spirits at all.
"That's a desert wolf. How could it appear in a forest?" Est's voice rang out, clarifying the situation for Elise.
So it was an invasive species?
Many small spirits were hidden among the bushes, peeking out at Elise and the unfamiliar wolf.
Some even waved their tiny hands, as if cheering Elise on!
"You really leave me no choice, huh."
Elise sighed softly, then tightened her grip on Est, pointing the sword's tip at the wolf.
"Sorry, but I'll have to defeat you here!"
The wolf's strength wasn't particularly high, but it was enough to serve as Elise's sparring opponent.
She had already decided on her destination for the next world. For that, she needed to be ready for situations where she couldn't rely on faith power.
A perfect opportunity to train herself!
The wolf fixed its gaze on Elise, lowering its stance to prepare for attack.
"Here I come!"
Elise gripped the sword with both hands and, in an instant, appeared before the wolf, slashing horizontally.
Don't think Elise was slow—on her Lord God Space panel, nearly all of her stats hovered around C+, with only her constitution a little lower.
Based on Elise's understanding of different worlds, a C-level strength marked the pinnacle of ordinary strong individuals. B-level and above were already beyond normal human scope.
Someone like Fan Xinglou, capable of influencing the world itself, would rank between A and B.
As for Elise's fusion with Sylvia, that had reached the level of A—hence why she could easily handle Fan Xinglou.
Was there a level beyond that?
Elise wasn't sure. She hadn't met other reincarnators, nor reached that stage herself.
If such a realm did exist, it would probably mean shattering planets—or even entire star systems!
At least, the wolf before her was only around D-level in Elise's eyes—though that was just in terms of physical attributes.
But to Elise's surprise, the wolf had no intention of dodging. Instead, it charged head-on and bit down directly onto Est's blade!
Fortunately, Est was in sword form, her body extremely durable. Had it been one of the little spirits nearby, they would have been bleeding from such a bite.
Though its fangs clamped on the blade, the wolf's claws were not idle—they swiped straight toward Elise's calf.
Boom!
But to its shock, the strike was blocked by a barrier of shimmering light particles!
A Prana Barrier!
This was the first ability Elise had learned after obtaining Prana—shaping starlight freely according to her imagination.
Prana could form into grasping hands or barriers for defense—it was a very convenient skill!
Without using faith power or Sacred Speech, Elise's main methods of attack were Prana and swordsmanship.
As for this world's unique Elementalist abilities, she could technically use Est's Divine Power, but since the effect was far too weak, she had given up on it.
The desert wolf before her was far beneath Elise's level. Even without Sacred Speech, she could completely overwhelm it.
So, Elise twisted the sword hilt and yanked Est's blade free from the wolf's jaws, then—
Whirlwind Slash!
Splurt!
A deep crimson gash appeared beneath the wolf's neck as blood sprayed forth!
Its body collapsed, convulsing on the ground. It wouldn't be long before it died.
In short, it was an absolute one-sided crush. With just a single exchange, Elise had ended the battle.
Yet even in this easy victory, Elise still noticed an issue—her way of using Est.
She had studied basic swordsmanship. While nothing compared to those who specialized in it, for Elise it was more than enough to fight effectively with a blade.
But this was also precisely her problem.
In the past, she had always fought with ordinary swords, even wielding energy blades like Lux weapons.
Those swords were nothing more than tools—so long as they were sharp enough, Elise could cut down her enemies.
But Est was clearly different. She possessed her own will, her own thoughts, her own abilities, and could even transform into a white-haired loli!
This was no longer in the realm of weapons at all.
Est was more like a partner fighting alongside Elise, not a mere blade.
Yet Elise was still treating her like an ordinary sword. This not only failed to draw out Est's true strength, but also drained Elise's stamina far faster!
What's more, Elise had only used Prana for defense. But what about offense?
If she applied Prana into her attacks, even if the wolf bit down on the sword, she could still channel the energy through and cleave its head open!
"For a magic swordswoman like me, I shouldn't rely only on the sword!"
Like in certain games, where swordsman wield blades that unleash massive light cannons—swordsmanship itself playing only a minor role.
Or in other games, swordsman carried a blade in one hand and a gun in the other, shooting as they fought!
Could those still be called swordsman?
Of course!
Why should swordsmanship ever be considered such a limitation?