Rosa couldn’t hide her shock as an unexpected person blocked her sword. Metallic clashes echoed in succession as Yeny’s swordplay severed Rosa’s sword and slashed through her combat uniform.
“Damn you!”
Rosa pulled a knife from her clothes and threw it with murderous intent, but all of them were effortlessly cut down. Despite her hatred, Rosa had to admit it.
Yeny Daum’s swordsmanship was superior to her own.
When investigating Jared, all involved parties had been thoroughly examined. Yeny was no exception. However, her abilities with a sword beyond self-defense were not found in the investigation. Yeny’s swordsmanship, which precisely targeted vital points, undeniably exceeded the scope of self-defense. Every movement, from her breathing while wielding the sword to her footwork, was that of someone who had trained for years.
Rosa couldn’t determine if her subordinates had made a mistake in their investigation or if Yeny had deliberately hidden her skills. But she knew that the situation was dire.
Rosa changed her target. Instead of Yeny, who stood in her way, she threw several knives at Jared, her original objective. Even as the surroundings turned to sand, the knives hurled at Jared, who had stopped moving, were mostly cut down by Yeny. The rest turned to sand before reaching Jared’s body.
“What the hell are you two?!”
Rosa was a cautious woman. Although she had accelerated this plan more than anticipated, it had been meticulously crafted. She had investigated Jared’s combat methods and weaknesses, intending to immobilize him by taking his family hostage. However, the tables had turned, and she was the one being cornered. Jared’s unknown power and Yeny’s swordsmanship were both completely unexpected.
As a daughter of Waahash, the leader of Waalthe and one of his successors, Rosa’s pride was deeply wounded. She couldn’t let the two of them leave. She resolved to kill them with all she had, her eyes sharpening.
She raised her broken sword and moved to close the distance with Jared, but Yeny intervened once more. Rosa clicked her tongue in annoyance. Though she hated to admit it, Yeny was not only superior in swordsmanship but also in speed. But this was for the best. She knew Yeny would defend Jared if she attacked him.
Grateful to the devoted girl who had taken the bait perfectly, Rosa kicked Yeny in the abdomen. Yeny, who had recoil slightly, faltered just enough to create an opening. Without missing a beat, Rosa swung her sword.
“You underestimate me too much.”
However, Rosa’s sword once again failed to reach Yeny.
“Impossible…”
To her disbelief, Yeny had caught the blade with her left hand, not holding her sword. Though blood flowed, a slight miscalculation would have cost her all her fingers. Normally, one wouldn’t take such a high risk. After all, victory couldn’t be achieved without protecting oneself even more than defeating the enemy. But Yeny had abandoned her own safety. At least, that’s how it seemed to Rosa.
“Your swordsmanship is splendid. It’s a powerful sword, imbued with conviction. But to me, who grew up watching my Grandfather’s swordsmanship… it’s slow and light.”
Then, with a flash.
Yeny’s slash diagonally cut through Rosa. Fresh blood gushed out, staining Yeny. However, Rosa had pulled back just before the strike landed, narrowly avoiding a fatal wound. Yeny, sensing the shallow impact, pressed her attack. Rosa, wielding her broken sword, focused on defense, but was hit by a kick launched in the brief pause between offense and defense and sent flying. She crashed into a wall that had become brittle, half-turned to sand, and was thrown outside.
“Older Brother!”
Yeny, having removed the danger that was Rosa, called out to Jared, but he still showed no signs of movement, the surroundings continuing to turn to sand. As Yeny hesitated on what to do, she noticed it. The wound on her palm, pierced by the sword, had disappeared. There was no trace of a blow, as if she had never been injured in the first place. The building groaned and tilted. Furniture fell from the second floor, but as soon as it neared Jared, it all turned to sand. Even Yeny, who had admired Jared as an Older Brother for years, was unaware of such power within him. She didn’t know when or where Jared had obtained such strength.
“…Yeny, get away from me.”
With a faint voice, Jared, who asked her to distance herself, was met with Yeny shaking her head.
“Older Brother, but!”
“Please! If this continues, I’ll get you caught up in it too! Please, just get out of here, hurry!”
“…Understood.”
Though she didn’t want to leave her suffering Older Brother, Yeny turned her back on Jared as he wished and ran out of the mansion. Outside, Rosa was collapsed, clutching her wound. Yeny approached her and kicked her away once to prevent her from resisting. Grasping Rosa’s arm as she coughed, Yeny dragged her away from the mansion. The next moment, Jared’s roar echoed from within the mansion, and the entire building collapsed into sand.
