Chapter 15.1: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ (๐๐)
Chapter 15.1: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ (๐๐)
Karamaf drew his weapon, a drab, dark-colored longsword without any decoration. It seemed too plain for a knight of Karamafโs stature.
ใ ค
โ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ซ๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐?โ
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ, ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฌ?
ใ ค
โ. . .๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ? ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ง.โ
ใ ค
Ordinary swordsmanship didnโt mean instant death for someone unfamiliar with the technique.
ใ ค
Swordsmanship is ultimately about how one wields the sword in combat. Itโs about how to stab, slash, and parry. Itโs not about suddenly unleashing an unthinkable move. A master of one technique could somewhat counter an unfamiliar one.
ใ ค
However, the techniqueโs vision was different.
ใ ค
If you donโt know them, youโre at a disadvantage!
ใ ค
Theyโre skills that defy conventional wisdom, leaving first-timers vulnerable. Knowing even one or two of these could mean the difference between life and death in a split second.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐, ๐ข๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒโ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ค๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐.โ
ใ ค
Fitting for an assassin, Kaegalโs swordsmanship specialized in ending the fight with a first strike. This was fortunate for Johan.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ.โ
ใ ค
One step further.
ใ ค
Karamaf raised his longsword, immediately creating an overwhelming pressure. It seemed ready to respond instantly in any direction.
ใ ค
โ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ? ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐. ๐๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐, ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ-๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐.โ
ใ ค
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ?
ใ ค
โ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐๐๐ฅ๐. ๐๐จ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ญ! ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒโ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐๐.โ
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฎ๐ฎ. ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.โ
ใ ค
Contrary to Kaegalโs words, thatโs exactly what he was doing.
ใ ค
Karamafโs plate armor felt like a fortress. The only seemingly vulnerable spots were the helmetโs slit and the neck, but Karamaf, being no fool, would defend these well.
ใ ค
๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐๐กโ
ใ ค
Johan gripped the longsword tightly, feeling it scream in his grasp.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ค๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข๐ต.โ
ใ ค
One step further.
ใ ค
Johan completed his calculation and his step.
ใ ค
It was time to strike.
ใ ค
A technique called <๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌโ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐> from the guild unfolded beneath Johanโs feet. It was a unique gait that seemed to glide over the ground.
ใ ค
Karamafโs eyes widened at the sight of a technique usually used by assassins, wondering how a knightโs son could use it.
ใ ค
But that was all. Karamaf was too experienced to be surprised by this. He immediately prepared to counter Johan as he closed the distance, ready to strike at any moment.
ใ ค
Then, Johan vanished. He accelerated again in an explosive movement that genuinely shocked Karamaf.
ใ ค
โ๐ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ!โ
ใ ค
Itโs said that a first-class swordsman senses their defeat before it happens. The trained mind and senses make the judgment before the blade even touches the body. Thatโs what Karamaf was experiencing now.
ใ ค
For him to lose track of his opponent in a duel between swordsmen was unbelievable.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ข๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. . .!โ
ใ ค
Though defeated in the bout, Karamaf did not panic. This wasnโt a duel under equal conditions. It was a fight where lives were at stake.
ใ ค
From the beginning, Johan couldnโt win against Karamaf, no matter how many times he probed his weaknesses.
ใ ค
As long as this armor remains intact.
ใ ค
Karamaf only needed one hit to win, but for Johan, a win was impossible without striking several times to penetrate vital spots. The fight was so uneven it could hardly be called a fight. Karamaf never thought he would lose.
ใ ค
โ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ. ๐๐ฐ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฅ๐ฐ? ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ต, ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐น๐ต. ๐๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ง๐ข๐ด๐ต, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฉ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ธ๐ข๐บ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ.โ
ใ ค
Karamaf guarded his neck and face, waiting for Johanโs attack. It didnโt matter where Johan struck. The moment he did, his feet would be stopped, and Karamafโs counterattack would begin.
ใ ค
๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ก๐ค!
ใ ค
There was a heavy sound of air being sliced. Johan swung his sword with tremendous force, aiming for the side. He was attempting a horizontal slash. Karamaf scoffed at Johan.
ใ ค
Trying to cut plate armor with a longsword. Such a foolish act, not even a fool would attempt. His lack of proper knightly training was his downfall here. Once his meaningless sword strike ended, his neck would be severed.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ.โ
ใ ค
Then there was a sound.
ใ ค
It was the sound of Karamafโs armor being ripped apart.