Chapter 133: Boundless Sky

***Arc 6 One Who Pierced Through, Chapter 133 Boundless Sky***

A moonlit snowfield.

Confronting each other was a young man with brown hair, Aleha Sarchenka, a general who once obtained the title of Holy Knight at a young age.

And a petite silver-haired girl who was no taller than his chest.

She was the kingdom's strongest Alberinea, Krische Christand.

The two readied themself and faced each other――not .

"...umm?"

Aleha was perplexed by the girl who held her curved sword in her right hand and continued to stomp the snow beneath her feet.

She really didn't want to get snow in her boots.

The girl was absorbed in her work without paying any attention to Aleha.

"...? Anytime is fine, you know?"

"Even if you say so, how do I say it..."

It's hard to do anything about it.

When Aleha called out to her, Krische tilted her head curiously and continued her work.

"Krische doesn't particularly have any stand, so anytime is fine. Krische wants to get back to the carriage as soon as possible."

She bit off a small yawn and didn't even have a shred of motivation.

She was dealing with Aleha as if she was dealing with a child.

In fact, that's probably what she was thinking.

Excessive attitude——as expected of the mild-mannered Aleha, felt a slight irritation.

He had a certain amount of pride in his sword, which he has trained since childhood.

He knew that this girl had easily slain the elite led by Waltza, but she was too careless.

"...Then, without reservation."

His sharp eyes narrowed and he readied his sword.

His left stance with his left foot forward, and both hands above the head——Daijodan (overhead swing stance, the one usually seen on anime; kendo stance).

He was of medium build and height, and could be said to be average height for a man, but his slender arms and legs were long, and when he stood up like that, he was accompanied by a certain intimidating feeling.

The distance separating the two was three ken (~5.5m). The distance of one swing.

Her brown-gold hair and sand-colored cloak swayed in the wind and powdery snowflakes danced in the air,

――At that moment, Aleha stepped forward.

He creates a white storm, ignoring the snow up to his knees.

The complete opposite of his usual calm demeanor, a step towards liberating his violent fighting spirit.

Without even a blink of an eye, he was in front of Krische, swinging his blade down.

Step in and swing down from overhead.

The daijodan was an easy-to-read stance, but by eliminating the upswing action, the thing that could be obtained was a tremendous sword speed.

Speed and weight, one wouldn't even be able to receive a single stroke that has received the benefits of both.

A normal opponent would be cut in half without even being able to react.

However, Aleha was convinced that this girl would surely dodge it.

Therefore, this was not a swing to bring her down.

A follow-up attack with an upward slash――that was what Aleha was aiming for.

With this two-stage attack, Aleha had cut down many fierce fighters.

A scream-like voice rose from those who were watching, but.

"!?"

At that moment, Aleha saw Krische's back spinning around.

Why――Before he could think further, the feel of the sword disappeared from his hand.

A dull metallic sound echoed, and what he saw was the right heel of her boot.

It was a backward roundhouse kick that was twisted from her hips.

She kicked away Aleha's fastest sword with her heel from the side,

"...Geez, the snow has gotten inside now."

Before he knew it, she had switched to her left hand and had the curved sword crawling down Areha's neck.

"T-the sword I just bought is...!"

"Yes, yes, sit down."

Mia's screamed voice echoed, but it did not reach Aleha's ears.

Krische flaps her cloak, removes snow from scarves and hat, and looks at Aleha.

There was no surprise in her violet eyes, but rather, they had an emotionless, cold gleam in them.

"It's fairly fast, but that it's too easy to read is the problem. Aleha-sana may have intended to decide with a subsequent slash or sweep, but Aleha-sana should consider the possibility of being matched from the side. Even if it's not with their feet like Krische like Krische some peoples... Hmmm, sometimes there are people like that."

Aleha was stunned by surprise, but soon recovered from his loss.

"... I see. You seem to be out of my imagination."

"That's right. You lose because you can't imagine your opponent's ability."

Krische said as if it was a matter of course and adjusted her hat.

It's not that she moved terribly fast.

Rather, it appeared relaxed and minimal.

She saw through Aleha's sword and just matched it.

Accuracy of movement and insight.

She is so far above the rest that she could easily match her heels with the sword as it was being swung.

"For a small opponent like Krische, it would be better to swing the sword more finely at the very edge of the range. Like hooking the tip of the sword... You're too forward, rushing the match too much."

"What if I stepped in even further? With the momentum of hitting your body."

"Hmm, then it's like this."

Passing through the left side of Aleha.

The blade was perfectly aligned with his neck.

"From the left stance in front of the left foot, the sword swings inevitably from the upper right to the lower left, so before that, pass through the left side and take the neck. If you switch legs, do the opposite. If you step in that much, you won't be able to kill the acceleration and you won't be able to stop it."

Krische puts her finger to her lips and thinks for a moment.

"Even though they possess magical powers with excellent athletic ability, they cannot defy the laws of physics and the human body structure, including joints. If you determine the opponent's maximum speed, maximum acceleration, and the width of the blade range, you will inevitably find an answer as to what to do."

It's all calculated, Krische continued.

"The sword swing was pretty good, so Aleha-san might want to use your head a little more in that area. You don't have to be decisive, but rather calculate and execute the best move on the spot. That is the most important thing after learning how to swing a sword.

The words he spoke were simple and clear, but that was the ideal of the sword――a mindset that could be called a secret technique.

Determine everything in a moment's time and take the lead.

It was easy to understand in words, but difficult to implement.

But she was precisely in that state.

"......Can I ask you one more time?"

"Eh...?

Krische looked at the carriage and blatantly showed she wanted to return, but Aleha picked up the sword regardless.

Feeling an overwhelming difference in power――it was the first time except for when he was a child.

It wasn't that I was mad, but something inside him just boiled over.

"please"

He raised his sword and fixed his eyes on the girl.

"Oh dear, a complete defeat, Waltza. To think she was that strong."

Inside the tent, Aleha announced with a fresh smile on his face.

After that, they had seven matches in a row, and personally he wanted to continue, but Krische seemed to want to return to the carriage as soon as possible, so he had no choice but to give up.

Still, one could say it was a rewarding time for him.

"Compared to when I saw it before, it looked like her movements were even more polished. If that battle had happened a little later, I wouldn't have been able to get by with just my arms either."

Walzta laughed gleefully and slapped his severed left arm.

Aleha nodded saying it was a fortune and Kilik, who had been listening to the story, said.

"But still, it was a really brilliant swordsmanship, if it were not Krische-sama, there would be no one who could match Aleha-dono."

"I'm proud of myself, but there are still many warriors in the kingdom. I once had a fight with Kolkis Agrand, but...against such a splendid warrior, I still have much to go."

"... With Agrand Corps Commander"

Aleha nodded.

Back when he was also leading a single corp, Aleha launched a surprise attack on Bogan's left flank and pierced his flank.

He cut his way through the mighty ranks of the Second Corp, where he met with Kolkis.

It was a battle that could be said to have been evenly contested as it was not clear which side would fall, but if they kept fighting like that, Aleha would probably have lost.

"Not to mention his military drill, he also can freely swing his full-body steel war spear... On the battlefield, he is like a giant. I was unable to approach the main camp, and the main camp on my side was destroyed by the Nozan Verreich——the First Corps, so I withdrew."

He casted his eyes down as he thought back.

"I have not achieved my purpose, they have achieved their purpose. Considering that it was a surprise attack, it must have been a complete defeat for me. If the timing was just a little bit different, we would have been cut off from retreat and killed."

"It's nostalgic, it's rare that a Young Master would drown in alcohol."

"Kuku, it was a close call. Putting my own incompetence on display and showing an ugly appearance."

――Rather than spectacular victories in various places, what comes to mind was the battle with Christand.

He could remember every battle as if it had happened only a few days ago.

"The thunder and the hawk is the strongest in the kingdom——the unrivaled army led by the Hero Christand. To me, they were a hateful opponent who had humiliated me countless times, and a goal to overcome...at the same time, they were also my admiration. With the loss of General Christand, I felt like I had lost my way, but..."

Long silver hair. Jewel-like purple eyes.

A petite and lovely——a fairy-like girl was drawn in his mind.

"But I'm honestly elated to know that's not the case. Christand's Alberinea will make the thunder and falcon crests shine even brighter. ......Just as the height of the sky is unknown, I cannot measure it with my ruler."

He clenched his fists in glee.

He then looked at Mia, who was eagerly looking at the sword to see if there were any scratches on it.

"I'm sorry about the sword you lent me."

"N-no, it's okay."

Mia jumped up and answered.

Kalua looked at Mia sideways, exasperated.

Sword is a consumable item, she sighed as she wondered what to do with minor wounds.

"But it looks like you've got a good sword. The center of gravity is in your hand, and the thickness is thick enough to swing lightly. Even with your physique, it's easy to use."

"Right! It's a good sword, isn't it!"

"Y-yeah..."

He smiled wryly while pulling back at Mia who bit the topic eagerly.

"It's about when I was a child, but I understand how you feel. The first sword you hold in your hand looks like a jewel. ...you can rest assured, it had been sent flying so spectacularly, but even like that she held back."

"...... Is that so?"

"Ah, though you could also say that there was that much of a gap between me and Krische-sama in terms of ability."

Aleha laughed happily, and Kalua, who saw that, pricked her lips, looking bored.

"Even though you lost that badly to Usa-chan, you don't seem to be vexed huh."

"Of course I'm vexed. But more than that I'm glad to see that there's still a long way to go."

He returned Kalua's sarcasm with a refreshing smile and looked at his own hand.

"I've been wielding a sword and learning tactics for 30 years since I was able to hold a sword. I thought I had put in as much effort as I could, and I had a certain amount of pride in what I had built up. Someday I think I will be able to reach a higher place than anyone else."

Blessed with talent.

He worked hard and gained a lot of experience.

So he thought he would eventually make it.

"But the sky is more boundless than I imagined, and I may never reach the moon or the stars, even if I bet my whole life on it. She taught me that I still have to work hard and that I can go even higher. I guess it should be something to be happy about."

"Haa...what a strange person——oh no, what a great hard worker!"

Mia hurriedly apologized, and Aleha smiled wryly.

Kalua also looked at Aleha in amazement and put her hands behind her and bent back.

"Thirty years huh... it looks like there's still a long way to go."

"You look young... how old are you?"

"Twenty... three or four."

"I see, but for your age, you're pretty good at it. I'm sure that if you work hard and don't cut corners, you will be able to reach even greater heights."

'Kuku', laughing, Kalua looked outside over the tent——towards the carriage.

"Even so, Usa-chan... it seems that she is quite fond of her."

"Well, she's a bit strange, but he's a good child, and as a commander, there's nothing she lacked. The ideal superior——some people are scared of her, but she's a very kind child you know."

'As you can see', Kalua continued, Aleha nodded.

"She certainly doesn't look like a soldier. ......A kind child, huh?

Aleha smiled and turned his face to Waltza.

"It probably won't go smoothly, but my heart is made up. If she seeks my power, I will pick up the sword for the Kingdom. You don't mind right, Waltza? "

"Of course, Young Master, the purpose of the trip is there after all.... I can't go to the front line anymore, but please let me assist you even if it's just a little."

"Oh, I'm counting on you. You're worth a thousand soldiers even with just one arm."

Aleha laughed and said that, looked at his palm, and grasped it.

Putting something that he obtained earlier than he imagined along with various emotions.