The dust slowly settled and the mercenaries all cheered. Even though the strike shook the earth, Paz didn't even budge an inch as his aura absorbed the entirety of the impact. However, his black cloak had been completely burned off and even his armor had burnt marks spread throughout the previously shiny metal armor.
Suddenly veins started to bulge from Paz's body and he roared with his battle cry. Suddenly a formless blob started to surround Paz's shortsword. Leon almost fell down from astonishment.
'Sword intent!'
-Three months ago-
While Erik looked at Leon practicing his sword movements, Erik spoke nonchalantly.
"Hey Leon, have you ever heard of intent?"
Leon couldn't be more confused as he raised one of his eyebrows.
"Intent?"
Erik looked a little shocked but then started to slowly nod his head.
"To think you'd be so obsessed with adventuring, but not know what intent is...I guess it'll be better to explain and show it to you afterward."
Walking closer to Leon, Erik started to talk while he gestured with his hands.
"Intent is something that a person can achieve once they reach… I guess the right word would be enlightenment with a weapon? Intent is something that doesn't have a required power level like other powerful techniques, but usually, a user who learned intent is quite powerful due to the required comprehensive ability."
Erik continued to walk forward towards Leon until he stood within a meter.
"Although I guess, a person could stumble upon an incredible encounter or gift and perhaps luckily achieve intent. Intent is hard to categorize, but so far all I know is that intent can be categorized into beginner's intent, then amateur intent, regular intent, and original intent. Even I'm barely in the realm of regular intent with my hands. As for how powerful it can be, watch and learn."
Erik gracefully raised his two fingers towards the sky and the moment he swung his hand at the sky. A primal bloodlust that most animals could only shiver at. For a moment Leon could see an almost red aura that looked similar to magic from mana, yet infinitely different.
At first, nothing happened in the sky, but suddenly a floating cloud high in the sky started to spread out from the strike. Leon gasped in shock. Erik had only used the motion of his hands and intent with no magic and it already disturbed the clouds. Inwardly, Leon could only imagine one thing.
"What would happen if you combined magic and intent? Leon could only shiver in fear, but also excitement at the concept."
Erik started to walk out of the door, but casually mentioned one last thing to Leon.
"If you ever see a person use intent."
Erik paused before he continued to walk out.
"Don't interfere, even beginner's intent is something that could kill you with a wisp at the moment."
-Present-
When Paz showed his sword intent, most of the mercenaries didn't show any special reactions as it looked like regular magic to them, but more knowledgeable people like Arulo had a complete change in expression at the sight of intent.
Arulo used a mystifying movement skill and he suddenly put a good amount of distance between the two of them, before he squinted in fear and curiosity.
"You learned sword intent? I guess even old farts have cards up their sleeves...but this won't change things!"
Although Arulo was denying it, Leon could tell that a trace of hesitation and doubt had been planted in his mind. Paz on the other hand looked calm. His intent radiated a different feeling compared to Erik's blood-thirsty intent, Paz's intent was the complete opposite and felt like a calm tranquil lake.
Paz calmly walked towards Arulo with a casual stroll, but in Arulo's eyes, each slow step felt infinitely more dangerous compared to when Paz had fought earlier with his full speed. Arulo's eyes narrowed and he once again summoned lightning to his sword and lunged with full speed.
"It won't matter if you have intent! CLAP OF LIGHTNING"
Like lightning, he lunged towards Paz in an instant and stabbed his lightning rapier towards the old man, but unlike this time Paz didn't stand still or aggressively swing. Like a feather gracefully floating down, Paz swung his short sword down and Arulo lunged past the old knight.
However, instead of Paz falling to the ground, Arulo started to let out an anguished howl as he looked down at his hand.
"M-my-MY HAND!"
Although Leon hadn't seen exactly what happened since the fight was simply beyond his comprehension and ability, he had a relative idea of what happened. Paz merely swung his shortsword down with intent and it overpowered the lightning empowered strike that Arulo had sent and made Arulo lose his hand during the process.
Arulo had cauterized his hand with magic but squinted his eyes in rage at the old man.
"You god damn bag of old bones!"
Shouting at his men, who were watching the Holmgang ensue, a vein started to bulge on Arulo's head.
"ATTACK HIM! KILL THAT PIECE OF SHIT!"
The spearmen looked torn and one of them even spoke up slightly.
"But sir, the Holmgang. It wou-"
Arulo interrupted the man mid-sentence with such fervor and anger that spit had started to spray everywhere.
"I couldn't care less! They'll all die anyway and no one will find out!"
Still, the spearman continued to hesitate.
"Bu-"
Arulo started to radiate bloodlust.
"You think I won't just kill you fools? Or perhaps I'll brand you as traitors and we all know what'd happen to your families..."
Although most of the men would submit to Arulo with just their lives at stake, the older ones who were usually strict with observing tradition winced at the thought of having their families mercilessly slaughtered and their reputation dragged through the mud.
At this point, Arulo looked more like a crazed Lunatic with one of his hands missing and the various veins bulging out from his skull in anger. He shouted at his soldiers who still hadn't done anything.
"What are you shits doing? ATTACK!"
The spearmen started to advance and the magic users flung the exact same fire magic that Leon had almost died to at Paz, who started shouting himself.
"Yo-you-you dare violate the Holmgang!?!"
But he couldn't finish his thought, the combined attacks from the soldiers, magicians, and an Arulo who had picked up his rapier started to overwhelm him. However, Leon wasn't going to sit by and let the knight die so he drew Ensis and pointed towards the fight.
"Save Sir Paz!"
The mercenaries who had been encouraged and inspired by Paz's power and bravery instantly started charging forward as the two sides would soon clash completely.