I walked up to Anna who was in her element. Her movements reminded me of the ballerinas I used to see during plays, fluid and elegant. What's more, the sword she's using isn't something like a two-handed sword like most people I've seen use.
If I were to say which style is better, her's or Sean's, I'd go for her because of my personal bias. The common sword style mainly used by knights is optimized to produce the greatest efficiency possible in combat.
However, it is designed to be a base form that the knight can use to improve or even make his own style from. After which, he can make schools that teach said individual's sword style.
Well, that's at least the method used in my previous world. However, in this world, the sword style used is standardized. As Sean said, it's possible to add touches here and there and say that 'it's your family's sword style,' but it merely edits the methods and does not completely revise it.
According to Sean, although it is technically allowed, duels between two people aren't really something looked upon. Instead, the way they duel is in a form of a competition of who gets how many kills of chimera beasts or beasts.
With an environment that doesn't acknowledge fights against one another and caters solely on the opposition dangerous to the race, I can't really say that their sword styles are bad.
Which is why I'm really surprised with how Anna wields her sword. It wasn't the sword style that I've seen from Sean, nor was it the sword style I used to see from Mr. Renard and Kayla.
It was as if she's imagining fighting an opponent that only she can see. And said opponent is also wielding a sword, fighting against her.
I slowly approached her, slightly diminishing my presence while munching on the breadsticks I got from the kitchen so that I wouldn't ruin her concentration. However, I think that was a mistake as, at the next moment, a crystalized red blade made of condensed blood darted towards my face like an arrow.
If I hadn't dodged that by slightly turning my head, I would probably have that stuck between my eyes. "Who's there?" Anna called out, wariness filled her eyes, but she remained calm with a serious expression.
"It's me, White. Sorry for sneaking up, but I got curious about your sword style," I calmly said. I wasn't one to get flustered and lose calm quickly, and if I acted like that, it would probably look suspicious.
"What's there to be curious about?" Anna asks as she sheathed her blade back to one of her rings before folding her arms, eyeing me for an answer. "It just seems different from what I've seen," I answered, "actually, I also have a peculiar sword style."
Anna raised a brow at my words. To be honest, even when I talk to someone calmly, I always would rather not if they aren't close to me. But since I can feel the original White's emotions of trust towards this person, it seems that it has affected my own.
"Then, would you like to have a match with me?" Anna said with the ends of her lips slightly curving upwards. Although I'm used to battling maniac people, I didn't really expect someone who appeared to be as refined as her to be one as well.
"Please go easy on me," I responded, drawing my own sword from inside my storage bag. The way I drew it kind of felt embarrassing, so I decided that I should purchase a storage ring like these guys instead of storage bags for travel use whenever I get the chance.
I decided to test her out first, so I just used a two-handed defensive stance. She probably got the meaning of my stance as she charged forward preparing to do an overhand strike, I prepared to redirect the attack by angling my sword to brush her attack off and prepare a counterattack.
In the last moment, however, she swung her overhand strike down, too early for my expectations, before slashing upwards. Because of my angling, I had trouble adjusting to her feint and my countermeasures for her initial slash were abolished.
Instead, I kicked the ground, making a distance between me and her strike, but she did the same and closed the distance. 'what quick reaction time,' I thought.
I would have had a quicker reaction time if I circulated and infused my mana, but I refrained since doing so would stain this duel of pure skill.
With her attack closing in, I released one hand away from my sword and twisted my upper body whilst lowering my center of gravity, avoiding her strike and opening up a window to attack. But her reaction time kicked in and she twisted in the air to gain some distance.
Normally, that would have been a window enough for me to strike, but I refrained since I thought her mid-air spin was kind of funny and that we were using real swords. Of course, I kept the first part to myself.
With the distance in check, I looked at her expression. It didn't look like she was still in a bad mood as an amused smile appeared on her face. I think I somehow get now what my old world's teacher was telling me.
I didn't really have the chance to fight someone properly since they're either too flawed against my sword style or just plain instinctual beasts. However, Anna's style posed a challenge against my own which actually makes this fight enjoyable.
Anna charged once more. As if calculated, the way she closed the distance between me and her feels like there's no opening. My sword style mainly focuses on precision and redirection, so I'm not really that strong if we're talking about long-lasting duels.
Don't get me wrong, I can block, but why use something like that when you can just redirect and counter-attack on the opponent's weak spots. This is why I didn't fully use that sword style and used the one I used when I was training with Mr. Renard and Kayla.
A mixture of this world's main style, as well as my own's.
The sound of clashing metal echoed through the garden. With every move, every feint, every slash, and thrust, the time seemed to move slower than usual as we both predict and use our skills to one-up one another.
However, the duel was cut short. Just as when Anna dashed towards me, I dashed at the same time in an attempt to intercept her strike, but she suddenly lost balance. It wasn't a feint, which got me confused, destroying my focus as well.
With that window of hesitation and Anna's collapsing balance, her momentum lead her to crash into me. "I'm at my limit," Anna was huffing from exhaustion as she turned her head back to her leg where holes started to appear again.
I heard Sitri was able to stop the bleeding with her attribute, but it looks like they weren't able to fully heal the wounds. I would have told her to move away so that I can stand up, as she's currently above me, but because of her wounds, I decided to be courteous and take the initiative instead.
"You all right?" I asked. Though I should probably be the one who's supposed to answer that as her full weight is above a child's body. Even if I'm an 8 yrs old with an appearance of an 11 yrs old, I don't think I have the muscle power to carry someone who looks like a 15 yrs old.
I think she heard my inner thoughts or something as she looked back up to my face with a scary expression before sighing and pushing herself up. "I'm fine, but can you please get that wheelchair over there? and also the gauze. I'm too exhausted to walk."
'Exhausted? that's one way to put it,' I thought to myself as I got her wheelchair. Her skills were the real deal; precise, quick, and powerful. Although not as quick and precise as mine, she was pretty balanced. If so, then she's actually the perfect vanguard we're looking for.
Although I myself am joining the dungeon expeditions, I'm trying not to gather much attention as I have already done with the strategy meeting earlier, luckily I made a mistake because I was unaware of some facts, but if I didn't, the attention would be worse.
If I showed my true sword skills, then that would be no different than asking to be taken in by these nobles. I already know that they don't seem too bad, but generalizing that for the whole of the nobility sounds like a fallacy I'd be doomed with.
With that in mind, I sighed heavily whilst pushing Anna's wheelchair. "What is it?" Anna asks. She probably thought that I don't like pushing her wheelchair for her as her expression looked a little chilling.
"Nothing, really. It's just a shame. Your style would have been perfect for a vanguard as were also lacking in one who specializes in close-quarters combat for the dungeon expedition," I said, easing her worries, at the same time saying my concern.
"I could just go along with you guys," Anna commented indifferently. "You're injured aren't you?" I asked. She probably forgot as she looked at me as if wondering before changing to an expression that almost says, 'Oh, that's right.'
I honestly thought it looked kind of cute, so I unconsciously let out a chuckle. Hearing that, she looked at me as if she wants to say something before clearing her throat, "Since I don't want to be a dead weight, I've decided to help with whatever I can. If it's just a dungeon exploration, then I can obviously tag in."
Leaving my worries about her condition and the dungeon exploration, what does she mean by being a 'deadweight?' But her next words connected the pieces, "I've talked to Sitri earlier, and it's decided that I'm going with you guys to Ius Viride."