Carlo had no intention to argue or argue with Leah and the others. As Leah's swordsmanship teacher and life mentor, he knew very well that whatever he said now would not sway Leah's resolve.
In that case, he could only choose to fight.
Brandishing his longsword, he closed in on Leah like a black bolt of lightning.
With a 10% increase in strength, speed, and stamina, his attack speed was far faster than before. In his opinion, even if Lia had made a prediction based on their previous sparring experience, it would be impossible for her to block this strike of his!
And then, he was blocked by the guard beside Leah.
"Carlo, I won't let you hurt Her Highness!" The guard bellowed.
"Boris … and here I thought you'd be smarter than the others as the second-in-command of the guards. Looks like that's all there is to it."
Carlo sneered disdainfully.
He was the one who trained the Tierra Imperial Guards, and he knew every single one of them and what kind of martial arts they had.
Although Boris was the second-in-command second only to him among the surviving guards, that was because he was adept at handling various matters and could better assist Princess Leah. In terms of ability alone, he was probably the weakest amongst the imperial guards!
He might as well use Boris to intimidate and crush Leah's fighting spirit.
Having made up his mind, Carlo swiftly repelled Boris with elegant swordsmanship. Taking advantage of the moment the latter lost his balance, he smiled viciously and slashed at Boris' sword-wielding right wrist!
"It's over!"
As long as he cut off Boris' right hand, he would be a toothless dog without a weapon, no threat at all! When that happens, his pitiful, crippled appearance would definitely make the princess lose her will to fight.
"It's not over yet!"
In the end, Boris kept clanking against Carlo with his rather clumsy swordsmanship …
Carlo:???
That's not right. I've clearly cut off his hand, and even if it wasn't completely severed, it would at most be attached to a layer of flesh. Why is his hand still attached to his wrist?
"Upward Slash!" Boris shouted.
"Are you trying to make me laugh to death by using such laughable swordsmanship against me, the best swordsman in the Empire?! Boris, I didn't expect that not only did your swordsmanship not improve, it even regressed … F * ck?! "
Before Carlo could finish his sentence, he was knocked into the air by Boris, whose wrist strength was obviously inferior to his.
Carlo was dumbfounded. This swordsmanship didn't make any sense!
Still, he was once one of the best champions in the Kingdom of Tierra. He quickly readjusted his center of gravity after being flung into the air, turning around to repel Boris who was taking advantage of the momentum and landing stably on the ground.
However, after the two consecutive accidents, Carlo no longer dared to underestimate Boris.
Carlo, who was going all out, got serious and quickly defeated Boris. But the more he fought, the stranger Carlo felt.
Boris had already been struck several times during the battle. Although it did feel good when he was struck, and the wound on the opposite side would spurt blood, the wound would disappear in the blink of an eye. It was impossible to cripple the opponent's mobility by severing the opponent's tendons.
Moreover, the intense duel just now had left Carlo panting and feeling tired despite his 10% increase in stamina. Boris, however, was the same as always, without a hint of exhaustion!
All of this was too strange! What did that fellow go through in the last three days?!
What worried Carlo even more was that Lia had yet to make a move.
Leah's talent in swordsmanship was quite high, and she was one of the best even amongst the royal guards. Although she had been a little lazy when it came to learning swordsmanship before Tierra was destroyed, she never slacked off after shouldering Tierra's vengeance. She had been training diligently, making her second only to him among the royal guards.
If it was three days ago, Carlo was ninety percent confident that he could easily defeat the girl, which was why he had been trying to provoke her. Now, however, Boris' unusual change had shaken his confidence.
— Although he didn't know the reason, if Boris had become so powerful, wouldn't Her Royal Highness's power skyrocket?
"Stand down, Boris."
The girl suddenly spoke.
"Your Highness …" Boris pulled away from Carlo, a little reluctant. Carlo could not tell what Lia was thinking at the moment, nor did he seize the chance to ambush her, and simply stared at the impassive girl.
Unlike Carlo who could not see clearly, Lia could see Boris' stamina bar in party mode.
Once his entire bar was used up, Boris would be inflicted with the debuff 'Fatigue', and his body would rapidly deteriorate. Coupled with his low HP to begin with, Carlo would probably take his life with a single swing of his sword.
Although they could be resurrected, the young lady did not want to watch her loyal subordinates die.
After understanding Lia's determination, no matter how unwilling he was, Boris had no choice but to obey.
"Now, it's my turn."
The girl gently twisted the hilt of her longsword and swung it forcefully. The silver-grey longsword instantly turned into a whip that resembled a snake's tail!
Carlo sighed. "I've never taught you to use such a sensationalist weapon …"
"Whether it's sensationalist or not, you'll know once you try!" The girl swung the hilt, and the long snake sword whizzed at Carlo with an ear-piercing hiss!
Carlo immediately tried to block the attack, but he was sent flying. He only managed to stabilize himself after taking a few steps back.
His expression was one of utter shock. I've already strengthened my strength by 10%, and yet I can't even block a single blow? Since when did the princess become so powerful?
Lia followed up with another attack, but Carlo, who was already prepared, managed to evade her.
"Once you familiarize yourself with it, you'll be able to evade it as a whip! Compared to your swordsmanship, this attack is too simple, Your Highness. " Seeing that Lia's sword whip had no other way, Carlo began to taunt her again, attempting to disrupt her attack rhythm with words so that he could find a chance to retaliate.
"Then have a taste of my swordsmanship, Carlo!" Lia retorted calmly.
"— Blood Cross!"
Twisting the hilt lightly to change the snake sword to its longsword form, the girl swiftly swung it twice through the air. A blood-red cross appeared on the blade's trajectory, and as she cried out softly, she swung it at Carlo!
Seeing that it was difficult to evade, Carlo braced himself to parry again, but was still cut by the blood-red glint that spread.
You call that swordsmanship? This was clearly magic, okay?!
"Sh * t …" Due to his injuries, there was a flaw in his movements. Carlo reacted immediately, but he was still a step too late.
Lia had already rushed up to him, and used the swordsmanship that Carlo had once taught her to pierce through his heart!
"This power … where … did you get it …"
Carlo asked with an almost inaudible voice as Lia pulled out her longsword and fell to the ground on his back.
"It's a gift from the God of Games, the deity you've betrayed," the girl replied.
"Really … so I was a step too late …" Carlo's eyes were slowly losing their luster as he stared at the sky, but he still said unwillingly, "Lia, I'm sorry … I just wanted revenge … I hate it …"