I Killed the Player of the Academy

unia as fast as she could.
Her feet would soon come to a stop, and that would be the prelude to her charge.

 

  – Tap!

 

 ❰Forward March, 3rd Move: Lightning❱ 

 

  Alicia jumped in while trampling on the tiles of the arena of the dojo.
In response to that destructive linear attack, Lunia curled the corners of her lips up and lowered her sword and readied herself for an upward slash.

 

 ❰Upward Slash: Falling Books❱ 

 

  – Kaang!

 

  Lunia’s sword parried Alicia’s trump card.
If she followed this through with a stab, it would certainly pierce through Alicia’s chest.

 

  “Iyaaaaaa…!”

 

  “…?!”

 

  Even though her sword had been parried away, Alicia wasn’t flustered in the slightest and in fact, she even dashed faster to pounce at Lunia.

 

  The two swordsmen rolled on the ground of the dojo.
Lunia was the first to stand up.

 

  “This stupid fool…!”

 

  Lunia kicked Alicia’s head up with her boot.
Due to being both weaker and slower, Alicia was kicked away while spurting blood with her mouth.

 

  “Ahuk…!”

 

  Alicia couldn’t disguise the pain and frowned.
It was an unsightly thing to do for a swordsman.

  

  “Did you think you could win with such petty tricks!?”

 

  As if she was discontent with the fact that Alicia pounced at her body without using the sword, Lunia heavily swung her sword down.

 

  – Kaang!

 

  “Htt…!”

 

  Alicia managed to block the attack but was being pressed down due to the sheer difference in strength.
At last, the sword dug into her shoulder and allowed blood to ooze out but Alicia’s mind was clearer than ever before.

 

  ❰Falling Books❱

 

  “…?!”

 

  Suddenly, Lunia’s sword slid down the side.
Alicia had gently altered the path of the sword to the side like what Lunia had done with Alicia’s attack.

 

  ‘Block the sword, let it fall to the side with Falling Books and after that…’

 

  The fearsome stab straight after the block grazed past Lunia’s body.

 

  “Hoh…”

 

  That set of consecutive attacks was relatively fluent.
It was remarkable that Alicia had been able to pull off such moves even though she was almost pushed onto her knees with a stab in her shoulder.

 

  ‘But it’s still not perfect…’ 

 

  Lunia drove in an unexpected strike with her elbow at Alicia’s chin right when she was about to carry the momentum through.
Her following kick powered through Alicia’s calf and brought her down onto the ground as Lunia continued like a lightning strike.

 

Heavenly Strike,Reverse Kill

 

 

  – Kaang!

 

  Lunia’s sword came striking down from the heavens and Alicia parried it horizontally, but Lunia immediately kicked her chest with her foot and made Alicia roll across the ground.

 

  “Huu…!”

 

  Instead of fighting against the momentum, Alicia let her body constantly roll and used that momentum and inertia to quickly raise her body back up while putting a gap between them. 

 

 『Sister! I learned how to draw today!』  

 

  The child who had been treated coldly ever since a young age only had one person to talk to, and that was her older step-sister.

 

  Instant Slash, Advancing Fang, Reverse Kill, Soaring Heavens, Lightning.

 

  Falling Books, Three Paths of One Sword, Reverse Heavens, Crushing Steel.

 

  The sun cast a spotlight on the two as the constant dazzling flash of silver threatened to blind everyone.

 

『Sister! I learned how to use a sword for the first time today! One day I will become an awesome knight like you!』   

 

  The dojo continued crumbling down throughout the bout of the two swordsmen.
The walls and the floor became more rugged than ever as Alicia likewise accumulated similar injuries on her body. 

 

  Currently, it looked like Lunia was forcing Alicia into a corner all the time and in fact, that wasn’t too far from the truth.

 

  Lunia gazed deeply at her step-sister.

 

 『Uahh… I, it hurts! Please be more gentle!』  

 

  Her face that usually would have been in tears while grumbling about the pain was turning stiff in real time as if it was sitting under a wintery blizzard. 

 

  No – actually, the corners of her lips were sneaking up.

 

  Even though Alicia was the only one who shed blood during the brief exchange, she smiled like a fiend as if she was bewitched by her own blood.

 

  This was the heavenly gift of Alicia:

 

  The talent of a ghost bewitched by the sword.

 

  The most fiendish talent in the contemporary times that Alicia had been concealing due to fear was about to wake up. 

 

  “Good.
That’s what you’re supposed to be like.”

 

  That was the true Alicia that Lunia had been wanting to see.
Lunia had been eager to see her real nature and that shocking talent which Alicia had been turning away from!

 

  This was a matter of pride as a swordsman.
This was not the hierarchical fight between beasts but one that concerned honor and pride as fighters.

 

  Lunia had been dying to fight her rival when she was in her best condition.

 

  “Are you seeing the Domain already?”

 

  “…”

 

  Alicia didn’t reply and instead, she drooled from her lips and widened her eyes into circles.
The reason she had been wholeheartedly focused on blocking and dodging was to see that one tiny dot – it was to take a step forward in the most extreme level of concentration.

 

  『You can’t beat her in a frontal fight.
Block and dodge.
You just need one moment to decide the battle anyway.』 

 

  Alicia had been receiving a constant set of advice from the boy over the past few days.
As if he had experienced fighting Lunia Arden dozens of times already, he talked about her habits, forms and postures and told her to focus on ‘dodging at the last second’.

 

  The key here was to not die;

 

  To find the one deciding moment during the battle.

 

  『A transcendent level of concentration allows knights to enter the Domain and collide once when put in an extreme situation.
But your eyes will always allow you to see it.
That is one of the two advantages you have over Lunia Arden.
The other is ———』 

 

  It was pretty much like a gamble but Alicia agreed that that was the only way for her to win.
She also noticed countless times during the fight that she was nowhere near Lunia’s league.
In a normal fight, her body would have been cut into two in a matter of a few strikes but here, she was extending that to 30 strikes at the cost of gaining injuries on her body. 

 

  That was all to take that one step forward.

 

  – Kaaangg!!

 

  A screeching sound of metal reached her ears.
Alicia was feeling the numbing sense in her hands but that was when Lunia flashed her eyes.

 

  “Sister…!!”

 

  It was coming.

 

  Alicia’s tremendously sensitive senses warned her of the upcoming death.
She was about to sheathe her sword in a hurry but realized something before she could.

 

  Lunia was half a step – half a second earlier than her.
At this rate, she would be too late.

 

  ❰Arden First Sword Style: False Domain Severance❱

 

  Her Eyes of the Boundary flickered open.
The black ocean that she had been seeing for a while appeared vividly.
She ignored the burning pain in her eyes and glared daggers at the dimension.

 

  But Alicia wasn’t prepared enough.

 

  One of the conditions of Alicia’s Domain Severance was the Eyes of the Boundary that allowed its user to perceive the Domain, and the other was the sheathed demon-slaying sword.

 

  The attack was fast because of the circulation of aura inside the scabbard pushing the sword for an instant acceleration, but it was too late for Alicia to sheathe the sword now.
It was also too late to swing now – no matter what she did, Alicia realized that she would be cut first before she could cut her sister.

 

  ———————

 

  If so, then all she had to do was have better control over the Domain.

 

  It didn’t matter if she was late, or if she wasn’t in the right posture.

 

  There was no need to defeat her.
Alicia’s goal wasn’t to beat her as a swordsman in the first place – what she needed was a win.
She had to win even if it may be pathetic and disgraceful.

 

  Thus, she didn’t need to be faster than Lunia.
As long as she could land a strike on her sword–

 

  『Demon-slaying sword.
It’s a masterpiece that can withstand all risk inside the Domain.
Don’t forget the ridiculous sword you’re holding onto.』

 

Domain Severance,Alicia Style, Sword Challenge

 

 

 

  Against the opponent who was half a step and half a second earlier than her, she took a full step forward and came out even.
Their two swords collided inside the Domain.

 

  – Kaang…!

 

  The swords screamed as Lunia widened her eyes.

 

  It was natural for her to be shocked because the opponent who was trying to sheathe the sword suddenly raised the sword into the sky and swung it down in time.
Even though Lunia was aware of her talents, seeing it unravel before her eyes was still annoying.

 

  – Kkang…!

 

  Her screaming sword got shredded like paper along with a clear ding.
The bisected sword flew through the air and pierced through the walls of the dojo.

 

  Remaining behind through the Domain was the lofty demon-slaying blade giving off a dark steam and a brilliant luster.

 

  Lunia Arden,

 

  Was hereby defeated.