The "Master swordsman” who was reincarnated, wants to live freely - Chapter 116

Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse

On top of the lighthouse, you could really feel the salty wind of the sea well.
At the same time, the strong wind would bring in a wind that felt and smelled very nice in the morning. … However, right now wasn’t the time to enjoy such things.
As I held the Blue Shell Blade in my hand, Riglus too prepared himself by taking on the sword that hung on his waist.
The blue-whiteish blade shone in the sunlight.
As he held it on the same line as the horizon Riglus stopped all his movement.
I too strongly gripped the hilt of my blade and prepared for battle.
The sound of the waves was heard. As they splashed against the shore three or four more times, Riglus made his move.
He took one big step forward and swung his sword as if he was going to let it slip out of his hand.
In response, I too swung my blade.
The first attack. As our swords clashed we canceled each other’s attack out.
The second attack. I managed to barely be quicker with my strike,  but Riglus managed to block my attack just barely.
Riglus then moved his blade towards me and struck.
I lost my posture and fell, but from there I struck at what seemed like an opening.
Riglus’ blade was quick though and then came after me as if to kill me.
I took a step backward and managed to catch his attack.
I then completely took his attack and both of us came to a halt.

“Not going to use your magic?”
“I’m the same as Ruino. I can use magic, but I’m not good at it. I’m more of a pure swordsman type of guy. It is you who should use his magic instead”
“No, I am a Swordmaster after all. If you don’t use cheap tricks, then neither will I”
All that we had was our swordsmanship and the techniques that came with it.
There was no room for magic in a place like this when what Riglus wants is a fight of beliefs.
So I have no choice but to answer him with the same.
This is just what a former Swordmaster also hoped for.
A sword battle area – A place where I won’t use my Silver Soul blade, where just my body and my blade are what decides the outcome of the battle. 

“Fuu”
Riglus left out a sigh, as he repelled my blade.
And then, he took his distance.
This time I would make my move. I covered the distance and came down with my sword.
And the moment Riglus took that hit – My assault began.

“…”
What I threw at him was a simply quick attack.
One by one the attacks were weak, but these attacks just scrapping him causes his flesh to be scrapped, and if they hit right even hit his bones.
Just barely Riglus was able to take this assault.
— The power that he had gained by willing revenge was enough to withstand my sword techniques.
…But it was nothing more than that.

“Ha!”
Riglus strongly repelled my blade and moved backward.
Right to where he would fall down if he took one more step.

“… I see. So this is what had brought down Adyl and the others, huh. Zenas told me that I might be able to win this, but it seems that that’s not really a possibility after all.
“This is the road you chose.”
I had no intent anymore to ask him whether he’d like to surrender now.
Because he knew that this wasn’t the path he should’ve chosen.
With another big sigh, he prepares his sword again.
This time was different than how he held it before. He pointed his blade downwards —  It was just as Ruino did before, with a sort of beastly posture. I’ve seen this stance on the battlefield before.
The Beast Blade – Souki Tomura. The man I once called a friend, both his son and his granddaughter.. took on the same pose as he once did.

(Souki… Your technique has been inherited it seems, however, your heart – That seems to not have been inherited at all huh)
I too strongly gripped my own blade and prepared for battle. I held the hilt with both hands and put my right foot forward. I slanted my blade down to the ground and felt that my hands had lost their power.

“Even if I keep fighting here… There is not a single chance of me winning. That’s why I will put everything I have into this one strike. With this one attack – I will kill you.
“Come then”
Riglus put strength into his legs. He then used them as springs to leap at me.
In a moment’s notice, he covered the distance between me and him as he struck with his blade horizontally.
I took one step forward and swung my own blade.
Kiin – And the sound of clashing metal rung throughout.
His one strike. With the momentum of his jump, he ended up behind me.
Ruino would’ve created a magic wall at this point and come with a follow-up attack most likely.
And though they use the same sword technique – That attack never came to be.

“…”
I let my eyes fell upon Blue Shell Blade.
It was fractured from the middle on out, and its tip was chipped off.

“Whahahhaahah! Now this.. is this what all my hard work has led to?”
Riglus laughed loudly.
I turned around and met with his eyes.
Riglus didn’t face me yet.
In his shaking hand – he held his broken blade’s hilt.
The flow of fresh blood didn’t stop, as Riglus stood there knowing that he was about face death.
This because my strike was stronger than his.

“I managed to break his blade. This is amazing, isn’t it? I… I did it! I managed to break the blade of the man that could even kill Adyl!
“True, you did break my sword”
But whether this satisfied him, I would not ask.
To get this amount of power by willing revenge… The only person that could know this feeling was Riglus himself. There was only one thing that I wanted to ask of the man that was on the verge of death.

“Do you want me to tell Ruino – Your daughter anything?”
“Tell Ruino something? Ruino eh… Well..”
Full of thought Riglus looked up at the sky.
Followed by a brief moment of silence he said,

“The very last strike. That one is most beautiful—”
He fell to the ground where he stood.
The silence of our battle was the silence with which we ended it.
After Riglus had died I was the only one left there.

“I am sorry. Souki… I killed one of your family members. However, there is still one…”
“Mr. Schweiss!”
“! Iris?”
As I looked in the direction of where her voice came from I saw Iris climbing up the ladder of the lighthouse.
As she saw me standing, she seemed relieved,

“I’m glad you’re, alright…”
“!?”
As she let go of her hands on the ladder she seemed to be losing her balance.
I quickly moved over towards her.
Right before she fell and almost slipped off the ladder I managed to grab her hand.
…Truly in the nick of time.

“…I am sorry. I was so relieved I lost my strength… I saw that your blade broke so..”
It seems that she saw Blue Shell Blade’s blade had broken.
Before this, I had watched her fight until the very end. It really didn’t seem as if she had any strength left, so there is no way she could’ve come here…

“…You know how worried I was, right? I was never as impatient as I was today”
“… I-I’m really sorry”
“Let’s get down from here first”
I gathered my strength and helped Iris off onto the lighthouse. Iris sat down immediately.
Coming all the way here really seemed to have taken its toll.

“Thank you, very much…”
“Unbelievable … You should’ve waited downstairs. I would’ve arrived soon enough”
“I never figured you’d lose. Still, I came all the way here Mr. Schweis..”
“It’s very much like you, I’ll give you that. But just like you said, there is no way I’d lose. I promised you I wouldn’t”

As the Kingdom’s Strongest I had promised her so.
If I were to lose as long as I am knight, my promise to her would be in vain.
— Until Iris becomes the strongest, I will have to continue to be.

“I watched you fight from here. It seemed like you really went overboard huh”
“… I gave it everything I had. I am sorry for going on my own behalf”
“All you’ve been doing is apologize huh”
“Oh, that’s…!”
I put my hand on Iris’ head as she goggled at me with surprise.
She really did her best today. I too understood that very well.

“There is no need to apologize. You really did your best today”
“Uh…? I really don’t like how you treat me as a child…”
“Oh, did I pull the wrong string? I really just wanted to compliment you, that’s all”
Isn’t she kind of childish for liking to be patted on the head?
As I pulled away my hand from her head she quickly grabbed it again and put it back on her own head.

“Well… You can do this for a little while”
Iris said with eyes that looked like they would fall shut any moment.
I nodded whilst smiling.

“Yes, you really did your best this time around huh. Thanks to that it was a lot more fun this time around”
“It feels like you really want to protect me… But you’re really just my bodyguard, huh?”
“Ahaha, that’s true. But this time you really managed to master the sword and prevail”
“I don’t like the way you put it. But still, it did allow me to take a step closer to my dream”
Iris said as she was laughing.
For now, the battle was over – Was not really true though.
There is still the issue of what to do with Ruino, and then there are still two more Swordsman Gang members left.
But even so – I enjoyed Iris’ growth for the time being.