Sasuke observed the course of the battle from the side.
The Sharingan in his eyes had been locked onto the movements of Elisvaria's ice swords from the very beginning as they continuously clashed against the aura blades of the enemies.
Not a single trajectory escaped his sight.
Every swing of the sharp blades colliding in midair, the various attack angles, directional shifts, even sudden thrusts, all moved according to the sword principles of their respective controllers.
Sasuke saw everything clearly.
And he copied the techniques he found interesting.
Their sword techniques might come in handy someday.
Even so, he maintained full awareness of his surroundings. His perception remained extremely sensitive to enemy movement. No matter how small the positional change, nothing slipped past his attention.
The knights nearby began murmuring, whispering, and speaking among themselves. They were captivated by the high level battle unfolding before them, a realm of power they had only ever dreamed of reaching.
"Wooww...!"
"Look at those ice swords... their strength feels like real blades being held directly."
"That's incredible!"
One gray-haired knight spoke to his companion.
"The Duke is truly extraordinary. How can she control dozens of ice swords with that level of precision?"
"You wouldn't understand. Her realm is far above ours. It's hard to comprehend how she moves those blades in the air with such accuracy."
A black-haired knight beside them joined the conversation.
"I agree. A senior knight I know said controlling aura swords requires extremely high concentration. The limit on how many you can create and control depends on each person's realm."
Another knight whispered curiously.
"What about Dame Nyra?"
Several knights immediately stiffened.
"Tch... watch your mouth. What if she hears you?"
"...!?"
The gray-haired knight chuckled, then glanced toward another knight who had been silent until now.
"You idiot! Hey... Rudeus, you need to teach this newcomer not to speak carelessly. We could all get into trouble."
"Huh... me? Do it yourself, bastard!"
"That's exactly why we never get along."
"Hehehe."
A few others laughed quietly.
Rudeus did not respond again. His eyes returned to the battlefield.
The knight who had asked about Nyra looked confused.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Bhahaha... this kid really knows nothing. Alright..."
The knight paused briefly before continuing.
"You're not wrong if you're alone. But because we're here, it becomes wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Never, ever use the word Dame when addressing Sir Nyra. You might get away with it when you're alone, but don't say it in front of us. Got it!"
The knight nodded quickly.
"Ack... I understand, senior."
For the knights here, Nyra was like a nightmare whenever she came to the barracks. The woman was like a tigress who would not hesitate to report them to Duke Velmora over the smallest mistake.
If the Duke ignored her request, she would not stop. She would find another way and punish the knights for making her displeased or offended.
Calling her with that title would only provoke her anger.
Another knight then spoke in a warning tone.
"Quiet! Sir Nyra can hear you if you keep joking around here!"
"... you're right."
Several knights immediately returned to serious expressions. Others had never joined the joking in the first place, remaining focused on the battlefield without even glancing away.
Back to the battlefield.
Clang!
The trajectories of various sword disciplines split the air overhead.
Chachachacha!
The sharp blades formed from the true energy of Aura Intent practitioners continued pressing against the ice swords.
A vertical slash attempted to shatter an ice blade, only to be countered by a rapid diagonal trajectory.
The swords clashed continuously without pause, generating bursts of wind from repeated shockwaves.
Erwin's face tightened. Sweat dripped down his forehead, contrasting with the cold air of the snowy forest.
Not from heat.
But from the strain of maintaining such intense concentration, fear building from the possibility of making even the smallest mistake.
His palms trembled slightly. He tried to steady them.
His gaze shifted toward the woman at the center of the formation.
Did we miscalculate?
The woman showed no sign of fatigue at all.
His eyes moved toward his companions.
The situation was worsening. Everyone was beginning to show signs of mental exhaustion.
What tactic could be used?
Yet finding another solution seemed nearly impossible except continuing this pressure.
The Ice Sword Goddess was far stronger than they had anticipated.
Krring!
Erwin once again watched the sharp blades colliding intensely in midair.
Every movement between their aura swords and Elisvaria's ice swords appeared evenly matched. There was no opening to advance even slightly, let alone deliver a fatal wound.
We need to become more aggressive.
A follow-up plan began forming in his mind.
The problem was their defense would open up.
The remaining aura swords were supposed to be used to block the woman's counterattacks.
Then what strategy?
"Damn."
Erwin muttered under his breath. A companion beside him heard it.
"Leader, how long are we going to keep this up? Think of another tactic!"
Erwin fell silent for a moment.
Another tactic?
Unless the final strike…
Nothing felt truly convincing right now.
He considered his trump card for a moment, then shook his head slightly. It could not be used yet.
A surprising decision rang out clearly to all his companions.
"Increase the attack! Use every weapon!"
All the bandits nodded without a word, as if they had been waiting for that command from the start.
The remaining aura swords trembled more violently.
Then.
Fiuussshhh!
Dozens of sharp energy blades shot toward the woman from every direction at once.
Wrrsh!
A steel sword slid free from the sheath hanging at Elisvaria's waist.
The weapon rose into the air before she caught it.
Her grip tightened around the hilt, ready to swing at any moment.
Fiusshh!
One aura sword from behind targeted her back.
Elisvaria stepped swiftly to the side.
Wssshhh!
The sharp blade split the air with a rough trajectory.
Krring!
The aura sword lost its balance when its tip was struck hard. The energy weapon fell, slicing into the snow-covered ground.
Ice crystals immediately flowed from Elisvaria's palm, freezing the sword in an instant.
Its user's control was severed at once.
Krring!
Another attack came almost simultaneously, targeting multiple parts of her body.
The sword in Elisvaria's hand moved rapidly.
Chachachacha!
Slash after slash collided against the enemy's energy blades. The pure energy of the aura swords attempted to erode the aura layer enveloping her steel weapon.
Elisvaria's feet shifted two light steps. A fast thrust from an aura blade pierced empty air, missing her abdomen.
The next trajectory targeted her calf.
She jumped.
Her body spun midair, the sword swinging like a rotating propeller that shielded her from attacks coming from multiple directions.
Elisvaria smiled faintly.
A clash occurred right before her eyes. The aura sword was knocked away.
Slash!
The steel blade's trajectory split the air again with a heavy, decisive swing. The aura sword aimed at her neck was driven back.
Elisvaria could feel her blood heating.
I enjoy this level of intensity.
Two days without training are finally paying off now.
I can feel my muscles pulsing, tightening, warming.
I really do enjoy battle.
Because I grow stronger through real experience.
Over the past few years, I have endured countless assassination attempts and kidnapping plots.
At first, I hated all of it.
But gradually, everything became something ordinary.
A routine.
Then I realized one thing.
My strength always increased every time I faced them.
Not because I crave blood.
But because every battle gives me enormous returns.
Experience.
Insight.
New understanding.
I want more.
Especially…
That man.
I do not want to become a burden to him.
Her sword swings became more brutal.
Chachachacha!
Elisvaria's movements sharpened dramatically, her speed creating layered afterimages as she cut down every incoming blade trajectory from multiple directions.
"Impossible!"
A man's shout rang out clearly.
One of the bandits stared in shock at the woman moving so freely, deflecting every attack without showing the slightest pressure.
"How can she move that freely? It's like controlling that many ice swords isn't a problem at all."
Another voice responded in disbelief.
"Damn it! This woman is far stronger than anyone we've ever faced. She's controlling dozens of ice swords while still fighting against dozens more of ours."
Another voice emerged, unable to hide its anxiety.
"What do we do now?"
"Leader, is she just going to stand there until we run out of stamina first?"
"Bastard!"
Their voices kept rising, some praising the woman's ability, others complaining that their attacks felt useless. Questions about their leader's next move surfaced repeatedly.
Erwin heard everything. Even from a distance, his hearing remained sharp.
Miscalculation.
This woman is not being pressured or exhausted. She is enjoying this fight.
Are all Aura Master practitioners really equal?
That question echoed again in his mind.
Careless.
I was too foolish to accept a mission that would most likely end in death.
People were right.
Regret always comes too late.
Damn it.
Erwin then stepped back dozens of meters, keeping distance from the center of the energy collisions.
Let's gamble.
The final decision was made.
He shouted loudly to all his companions ahead.
"Primary Formation!!!"
The shout caused all the aura swords to halt almost simultaneously.
Fssshhh!
The bandits immediately moved closer to Erwin's position, then lined up neatly into a structured triangular pattern.
Aura swelled out of their bodies, rising toward the energy swords in the air.
Srrsst!
The pressure increased drastically as dozens of different auras touched and resonated with one another.
Then.
Twenty-four aura swords moved closer.
The energy blades merged into a single massive sword.
The weapon continued to grow as aura flowed endlessly into it, its size expanding longer and wider until the surrounding air itself felt heavy with pressure.
But it was not finished.
The massive sword, roughly forty-five meters long, then split into three parts.
Each formed a giant aura sword over ten meters in length, vibrating violently, arranged in a formation ready to launch toward the woman before them.
Elisvaria watched with clear interest.
The three massive swords hovered directly in front of her, radiating energy pressure that could not be underestimated.
"I see."
The ice swords in the air moved.
The dozen blades merged into a single ice sword that was not particularly large in size, yet its energy density was extremely high, even comparable to one of the opponent's giant aura swords.
Elisvaria then stepped onto the surface of that ice sword.
Her body slowly lifted and floated into the air.
Erwin's brows immediately furrowed.
Did this woman read my mind?
How could she know the weakness of this formation?
Ascending into the air to match the height of the attack?
It would be impossible to lift dozens of people without destabilizing the formation.
From above, Elisvaria could still hear her opponents speaking among themselves.
She ignored them.
At first, she had intended to kill them all.
But her thoughts changed.
They were not mercenaries without principles.
Their unity of movement and discipline proved that.
For that reason.
I need to test the limits of their formation's power.
Ice Dew Sword Technique.
Cold white frost began flowing along the blade, covering the entire surface until it appeared dense and thick.
The surrounding temperature dropped drastically.
The sword then lifted into a horizontal position.
Ice Arrow Slash.
Slash!
The air split with a sharp hiss caused by the extreme temperature shift along the blade's surface. The trajectory of the strike went straight toward the three giant aura swords below.
Then.
Sssrrrttt!
Hundreds of solid ice glaciers formed instantly, each resembling a sharp sword that fell like a rain of arrows from the sky.
Fast.
Precise.
Lethal.
The hundreds of glaciers shimmered like stars in daylight, reflecting a cold light that pierced the eyes.
A terrifying sight.
Erwin stared upward with a mix of awe and dread as the rain of ice swords descended. His command came out immediately without hesitation.
"Strengthen the formation! Channel your aura!"
"Yahhh!!!"
A loud, spirited roar echoed from his companions.
The three giant aura swords then moved closer together, locking into one another until they formed a massive energy shield that protected them from the deadly rain of attacks.
Then.
Krring! Krring! Krring!
Collisions erupted repeatedly without pause.
The sound of metal clashing mixed with reverberating energy filled the air, so intense that anyone's focus could collapse if their concentration faltered even slightly.
The giant aura swords trembled violently from the continuous impacts, as if they could crack apart at any moment.
Krakk!
Everyone flinched.
Breaths stopped for a moment.
Then relief returned when they realized it was not the aura swords breaking, but chunks of ice shattering from the collisions.
One bandit broke the tension.
"Hahaha! You scared me for a second."
Another joined in, their laughter echoing amid the pressure of battle.
Ice fragments fell onto the snowy surface like crystal rain. Even as the relentless impacts struck their defense, the group's resolve did not waver.
"Are we about to be added to the list of people who died at the hands of the Northern Ice Sword Goddess?"
"Heh… maybe. Not so bad dying at the hands of a woman like her. That kind of power isn't embarrassing."
A dark brown-haired man immediately cut in with irritation.
"I'm not even married yet, damn it! Why are you all talking like dying is better?"
"Just accept it if you've got a girlfriend or a fiancée. Pray she marries another man."
"Bastards!"
Laughter burst out among them, even Erwin laughing along with his subordinates.
Then his voice rang out again, loud and firm.
"Alright! Don't lose heart. Wait until that woman gets tired."
Instead of a serious response, someone answered honestly.
"Leader, if you want to comfort us, try something more convincing."
"Buahahaha!"
Laughter erupted once more.
Erwin only gave a wry smile. His gaze slowly lifted toward the sky.
The rain of ice swords had stopped.
But the woman in the air was not finished.
He saw once again the sword in her hand swing.
Looks like I need to use my hidden card.
What's the point of waiting now?
Just do it.
Living a few minutes longer is far more valuable than surrendering to death.
Up above, Elisvaria looked down like a ruler ready to deliver judgment upon the creatures beneath her.
Their defense is strong enough.
Elisvaria ignored the conversations below. Her sword moved again.
Energy output needs to be increased.
Ice Arrow Slash.