"What a terrifying ultimate sword... As expected from a Second-Class Knight..."
What was I getting so full of myself about? Sure, I am probably strong among F-ranks, but that is just the lowest rank. There is always someone stronger above me. I am still just an amateur.
I need to stay focused.
I spread my feet to shoulder width, lowered my stance, and took a proper guard.
This opponent is not one I can let my guard down against.
That earlier rough yet delicate irregular sword technique was impressive, but I managed to dodge it.
However, Angelica had set a trap.
She used 'Instant Step' but moved slowly on purpose. She is called "Flash," so her true speed must be far beyond that—probably too fast for my eyes to follow.
But she deliberately slowed down to make me careless and land her ultimate sword. It was a meticulously calculated way of fighting.
Angelica pulled her sword from the wall with both hands. She turned back toward me and took her stance.
"...You reacted to my thrust earlier. It has been a year since anyone perfectly read my movement like that—back when I sparred with a Special-Class Knight."
She is probably pretending her serious thrust was dodged to create an opening in me. She acts like a reckless muscle-brain, but she fights with shocking cleverness.
"But that does not matter! If you can read me, I just need to go faster—much faster—until my speed is impossible to track!!!!!"
She is fully committing to the muscle-brain act. If I relax, I fall right into her trap. She is not an opponent I can take lightly.
"Prepare yourself. What I use next is my ultimate high-speed movement technique. I can only do it three times a day because of the strain on my body. But the speed is on a completely different level from before!"
Angelica pointed her sword at me and poured stronger magic into her legs than before.
Is she finally dropping the tricks and showing her real speed?
"'Instant Step: Rin'!!"
Angelica's body accelerated to top speed in an instant. It was about three times faster than before. As declared, it was incomparably quick.
But.
(Still... too slow... Wait, is this really her full power?)
Sure, it is faster than earlier, but I can dodge normally and counterattack...
No, no. This is probably another trap.
If I carelessly counter, that sharp ultimate sword will come flying like before.
I pulled back the hand I was about to attack with and dodged her charge with a large sidestep.
Damn! I cannot make a move like this.
But staying defensive forever will not work... All right, I decided. The next next one.
On her third charge, I will counter with a punch focused purely on speed over power!!
Meanwhile, Angelica, having her fastest thrust dodged, barely killed her momentum and dropped to one knee.
"No way... He dodged even that."
A sharp pain shot through her thigh.
'Instant Step: Rin' used magic to contract her leg muscle fibers to their limit in an instant. The strain was huge. That was why her body could only handle three times a day.
Yet even her maximum speed was dodged easily.
So, what now?
Observe his reactions? Use a clever trick to catch him off guard?
No!
Absolutely not!!
That is the way of a brute. For the proud second daughter of the Dilmutt family and Second-Class Knight "Flash Angelica," such options do not exist!!!
(A noble must fight nobly. The matter is simple and clear!!! If one dodge happens, just unleash continuous maximum speed!!!)
Angelica gathered magic in her legs.
(This is uncharted territory for me too... Here I go—continuous 'Instant Step: Rin'!)
Angelica dashed forward.
But Rick jumped far to the side and easily evaded.
"As expected, you dodge. But..."
Angelica braked hard with her right foot.
Her bones and muscles creaked under the insane acceleration.
It was her body's warning signal. This is too much. This is dangerous.
But Angelica ignored it.
"With... grit... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"
With a massive shout, she pushed past her body's alert and poured even more magic into her right leg.
Her body decelerated sharply, stopped, then accelerated at top speed in the opposite direction the next instant.
In this moment, Angelica broke her own limits. She achieved two consecutive maximum speeds in actual combat—something she had never done before.
(Got you!!!)
But, unfortunately...
In the spot where she planted her second step after the turnaround was the same stone she had tripped on earlier.
"Ah."
Angelica fell spectacularly once again.
"Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
With full acceleration momentum, she skimmed low across the ground (thankfully her chest was flat, or it would have hurt a lot more) and flew straight toward Rick's feet.
After dodging Angelica's second 'Instant Step: Rin,' she immediately changed direction and charged a third time.
Well, neither was really that fast. They were probably fakes disguised as 'Instant Step.' I had read them and planned to counter the third with a punch.
As she leaped toward me, right when I was about to strike...
"Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
With the same intense shout as her earlier ultimate sword, Angelica's body vanished from my sight.
"!?"
I immediately looked down.
Angelica skimmed the ground like a flying swallow and rushed straight toward me.
What an unrestricted, irregular movement—perfectly using her own physical traits.
She had timed it to perfectly avoid my counter timing. She must have read my intention.
I lost sight of her for only an instant. But that instant threw off my strike.
(Kuh...)
In desperation, I redirected the punch I had prepared for a straight hit downward.
But in that awkward posture, there was no way it would hit this knight lady properly. My timing was slightly off, and my punch slammed into the ground where she had passed.
BakiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!
With that sound, a huge cloud of sand and dust rose up.
(As expected, she dodged... A Second-Class Knight after all... Sorry, seniors. I might have to break the hold-back promise.)