The "Master swordsman” who was reincarnated, wants to live freely - Chapter 64

Translator: Darling | Editor: Nebosuke

Iris’ blade, Purple Lightning, also enveloped the user’s body with thunder, causing damage to them as well.

Iris overcame this feature and learned to use the blade – However, it’d only been a short while back since she had been able to do so.

Before that – Before she became the “Strongest Knight”, she had doubts about wielding the blade.

But now it was all different.

Now that her best friend was standing in front of her, she wasn’t going to have any doubt in her technique.

No, it was precisely because she was fighting Alia that she couldn’t hold back.

Their eyes met. Alia was quick on her feet and knew she had to create distance between herself and Iris who was enveloped by the purple thunder.

Alia knew the blade Iris swung all too well. Still, Iris’ blade and Alia’s  Pitch Black blades clashed.

“..!”

The moment they did, Alia seemed to be in pain.

Iris’ electricity attacked Alia without pardon.

Iris too was quite shocked by Alia’s expression. However…

“…Don’t lower your guard.”

“Wha…!?”

Though she was struck by Iris’ lightning, she didn’t slow down her movement whatsoever.

She even sped up the attacks of her two short blades.

There was a certain overbearing strength in this flurry of attacks, and Iris had to seriously try to fend off what Alia threw at her.

“However…”

They had been together for years.

They’d grown together because of it.

No matter what Alia planned, Iris was able to predict what she was up to.

Alia wouldn’t stop moving even through all the thunder attacks that were being cast at her. 

It was clear that she was going for a “quick settling”.

She knew that if the fight went on for too long, Iris would win with her stamina.

From the flurry of attacks from Alia, Iris tried to look for an opening to counter her.

The time to do so had nearly come.

Alia’s fierce attacks were bound to leave an opening.

That was Alia’s pattern. No matter how quick her flurry was, there was bound to be a big gap somewhere.

And Iris certainly wasn’t going to let that chance slide by the moment she took a step forward to attack. That was when…

“——-“

Iris felt a certain uncomfortable feeling coming from her blade.

She then looked at her blade as it pointed outwards.

At the hilt section, she could still see a thread attached.

“…This is…!”

It was the same as what had restrained Iris before – No, if that were the case, then Iris’ blade couldn’t be stopped.

It wrapped around more tightly as she actually swung her blade.

That small fraction of a moment – Alia took her chance to close in onto Iris.

“I told you so. Don’t lower your guard.”

“!”

Black holes formed around Iris.

In the spots where Alia’s short blades didn’t appear, knife-like weapons did.

The thread was also pulled from one of the black holes.

In order to make Iris immobile, Alia attacked Iris’ feet with these knives.

“These are….!”

Iris’ blade was still caught by Alia’s thread.

However, Iris stuck her blade in the ground beneath her so that it couldn’t be used, and jumped up herself.

With this movement, she jumped in Alia’s direction in an attempt to kick her. 

Alia protected herself by moving closer to the ground.

“This isn’t you. You can’t move like this.”

“…Wrong. We’re totally different, Iris.”

“What ha—“

“Everything. Up until now, every fight we’ve had – You’ve not once fought all out. Your lightning is still weak, ye?”

“! That’s…”

Iris became a bit flustered by what Alia had said.

She wasn’t wrong though – It might be an unconscious decision, but Iris never really showed her true strength during their fights.

Though she was serious about stopping Alia, she was still- 

“We’re different. I am able to kill “those I hold dear”. That’s where we are different, Iris.”

“….!”

Alia prepared a short blade, and once more she was ready to fight. 

Unable to hide her agitation, Iris also picked up her blade.

Hesitation blunts the sword… Even though she knew this, it wasn’t easy to actually cut someone down. 

They dashed at one another once more – But then, from a different direction, one more person showed up.

“…! Reinforcements..?!”

Iris put herself on guard.

They had the same clothing as Alia did, so she figured they must be allies.

The figure called Alia over with their hand gesture.

“…That’s it for today.”

“What are you saying?”

“It’s over, I said. Iris… You should do your job. Then I will do what I must. Just – don’t interfere with this.”

“Alia!”

Iris called Alia back.

However, Alia sped up her movement – Together with her ally, she ran.

Iris wanted to give chase, but she then noticed Mersche from the corner of her eye.

“Mersche!”

Iris went over to her and kneeled down. Mersche held up her hand as if to tell her to stop.

“Don’t worry. The one on my end also fled…”

She had a few wounds but seemed fine beyond that.

Iris looked in the direction Alia had fled to.

“Why would you…”

No one could really answer that question.

The other thing that she didn’t have an answer to was that Alia clearly had become an enemy of hers. 

… It was only a little bit after that Alta and Eina arrived here.