Chapter 9: Surviving in the Family (4)
In truth, being called the most promising talent of an Arie branch doesn't mean much—we're all still just unchosen rookies.
Of course, not being a Regular doesn't automatically make someone weaker than one, but still… we're all more or less in the same league.
"Ugh! Draw your sword already! How long are you going to keep fooling around like this?!"
"Calling ranged suppression fooling around? The Wave Controllers would be heartbroken to hear that."
I formed a Bang and fired—again and again—without rest.
Lune, for all his talent, occasionally broke through the bombardment and closed the distance, but every time, I'd leap back to widen the gap, then resume my Shinsu barrage.
His blade hadn't so much as grazed my sleeve.
At this point, shouldn't he realize the gap between us?
Neither this arrogant guy nor the smug guest who brought him seemed to have a clue.
"You—five points off for poor judgment."
"I don't care!"
Hm. Yeah, he's definitely weaker than Vicente.
Maybe around 0.9 Vicente, if I had to rate it.
It pains me that Vicente has basically become my personal power scale, but honestly, I don't have anyone else to compare to.
Though, even Vicente's probably stronger than his original counterpart now.
I planted my feet and continued firing Bangs in rhythm.
Most people would get exhausted or suffer headaches from handling Shinsu so recklessly, but I didn't.
One of the family physicians once said I was "blessed by Shinsu," and maybe he was right—I must have a natural affinity for it.
Form, fire. Form, fire. Form, fire. Form—Oh. I could feel it this time.
The Bang I just created had taken on a much clearer shape.
Hm… this form…
"You bastard!"
Lune had forced his way through the bombardment again, slashing diagonally at me.
I twisted my body slightly, dodging with ease—
but his pressure felt different now.
"If you're truly an Arie, then fight me with your sword!
I'll make you draw it if I have to!"
Shrrk—
The arc of his blade curved unnaturally, defying physics itself.
So this was it—Arie-style swordsmanship.
Didn't expect him to already know it.
There was no avoiding that strike with movement alone.
I had to take it head-on.
With Shinsu reinforcing my body, the impact didn't hurt much, but it was the first time I'd actually been hit—and that fact alone was notable.
When I glanced up toward the viewing room, I saw the guest from the other fortress smirking, as if this was the outcome he'd been waiting for.
"Hoaquin, was it? I'll admit—you're skilled overall.
But as long as I wield this sword art, you won't last without one of your own."
And the look on his face said the rest:Even if you do draw your sword, unless you've mastered the Arie style, you'll still lose.
Funny.
That last strike?
I could've blocked it easily if I'd drawn my sword.
But I hadn't—for two reasons.
First, because my pride refused to give in now.
And second…
"Because I just finished this."
"…What?"
"If you're so desperate to see a sword, then feast your eyes."
Lune gave a twisted grin, no doubt imagining me finally drawing a blade.
Too bad—we were thinking of very different kinds of swords.
As he charged again,
I formed two Bangs at once.
"Didn't you say you were going to draw your sword?!
Don't tell me your pride's—huh?!"
The Bangs shot forth—far faster than before.
Lune barely managed to block one, but the second struck him square in the chest.
"Satisfied? That was a sword."
Shinsu Blade.
That was my manifested Shinsu Attribute.
Technically, it was a condensed Shinsu construct shaped like a sword—but its speed far exceeded that of an ordinary Bang, and it carried true cutting power.
And honestly, as an Arie whose affinity turned out to be "sword,"
I couldn't have asked for anything better.
The barrage resumed.
This time, instead of firing single shots, I unleashed two at a time, my intent finally showing.
Against Arie-style swordsmanship, complacency meant death.
Lune was fighting desperately now, his blade dancing in the Arie family's fluid, deadly rhythm, but even that wasn't enough to keep up with the newly formed Shinsu blades.
He could only defend, never advance—a stalemate tilted heavily in my favor.
I fired the Bangs not simultaneously but in staggered succession, creating gaps that ruined his rhythm.
He might block the first strike, but the second always caught him mid-swing.
When I'd used single Bangs before, the process of forming and releasing them created slight delays—
enough for him to break through occasionally.
But now, firing two in rapid sequence eliminated that weakness.
The Shinsu blades were much faster thanks to the attribute's nature, and the Shinsu Blade itself had incredible energy efficiency— it required far less Shinsu to produce greater power.
In short, I no longer needed to waste time gathering energy for each shot.
Which meant—there was almost no delay left at all.
To prove just how far I'd come—before my Shinsu Attribute awakened, I'd always had to retreat whenever Lune charged.
But now, I stood perfectly still.
The fact that I could stay rooted in place meant one thing: Lune had no chance of reaching me anymore.
Boom!
It seemed he'd finally made up his mind.
Relying on the absurd physical resilience and Shinsu endurance of the Ten Great Families, Lune began charging straight through my barrage of Shinsu Blades, taking each hit head-on.
He must have decided that if he could just close the distance and unleash his Arie-style swordsmanship,
he'd have a chance.
"Yeah, that's the right answer."
At last, he was acting like a true Arie.
If I kept firing the Shinsu Blades, he'd collapse before he ever reached me—but seeing that resolve, and that he was finally showing the spirit befitting an Arie, I decided to respect it.
I reached for the sword hanging at my waist and drew it slowly.
Lune didn't look pleased—there was no satisfaction, only unyielding determination in his eyes.
He charged at me with everything he had.
Now that was more like it.
"HRAAAAH!"
As he closed the distance, Lune roared, swinging his blade with every ounce of strength he could muster.
Just like before, his sword arcs defied physics,
cutting through the air in impossible trajectories—
but this time, the strikes were heavier, fiercer, radiating a monstrous killing intent.
There are, I think, two main ways to counter Arie swordsmanship.
The first is a method only those outside the family can use—like the other Ten Families or Jahad's princesses.
Take Khun Ran, for example—absorbing the blow head-on, then retaliating with overwhelming force.
But when an Arie faces another Arie's sword?
There's only one answer—
To break through and cut everything down.
Utterly.
The Arie sword is not merely a weapon that slices through matter—it is an extension of the Shinsu space that we control.
Whenever an Arie wields their sword, they must remember that the very space around them bends to their blade.
I swung my sword, radiating white light. It didn't matter where or at whom I swung— what mattered was simply the act of swinging.
My blade and Lune's both curved into impossible directions, colliding midair, repelling one another.
We both unleashed strike after strike.
Sometimes clashing directly, sometimes deflecting bizarre trajectories with equally bizarre counters.
The training hall rang only with the violent, metallic clash of blade against blade—a symphony of sharpness and fury.
"He's… impressive."
Instead of tiring, Lune's speed only increased.
Each swing carried more weight, more pressure.
At first, I couldn't understand why he and that pompous guest had been so confident—but now I saw it. He was the type who grew stronger the more he was cornered.
Still, I'd seen enough.
It had been fun, but it was time to end this.
I lifted my sword and brought it upward—a simple upward slash, no different from the dozens before.
But this one was different.
The upward slash I swung forward—appeared from behind.
Lune, following instinct, twisted his own blade to intercept it—just as he had with every previous strike.
But this time—
Shraaak—
He thought he'd blocked it.
He hadn't.
It wasn't one slash—it was dozens.
Dozens of blades of light erupted simultaneously,
from every direction—above, below, left, right, front, back, diagonal—from every conceivable angle.
Lune managed to parry only one—the one coming from behind.
The rest cut him down mercilessly.
Dozens of slashes carved across his body,
and he collapsed to the floor, bleeding and broken.
This technique—a sword art transmitted only to direct descendants of the Arie bloodline, and originally meant only for Arie Hon's own children.
I'd… made a few improvements.
See? That's why self-study and independent learning are so important.
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