The Elf leaped to the side, swinging his sword down to strike at the Giant Sword held on the centerline.

Just as Colin put his strength into stabilizing his defense, the Elf’s Long Sword instantly retracted and came slashing from another direction. The movement was seamless, leaving almost no time to react.

At this point, Colin no longer held back.

Disregarding everything, he gripped his sword with both hands and thrust directly at his opponent’s body.

The Elf, however, changed the direction of his swing and parried the blade at the last possible moment.

’This life-for-a-life tactic is working!’

Colin pressed his attack, raising his Giant Sword high and chopping down at his opponent again.

The Elf raised his Long Sword to block the attack and retreated once more.

’He got away just like that?’ Colin wondered, panting heavily as he watched the Elf, who still seemed to be fighting with ease. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

This was, without a doubt, the toughest opponent he had ever faced.

The others had either been beasts with no fighting technique or Cultists and Evil Demons who simply traded blows.

Although they had brute strength, Colin could always find an opportunity to inflict some Damage. Even against the Frostland Druids, he could use his Magic Equipment to get the upper hand.

But this Elf before him was completely different.

He was like an intangible Ghost.

Colin felt like he was just swinging his sword in an empty field. No matter what he did, he couldn’t effectively deal with this enemy and could only watch as the number of his wounds increased.

’Trading blow for blow, equipment advantage...’

As he recited this in his mind, Colin nudged the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist with his elbow. He kept his Giant Sword pointed at the centerline, maintaining a defensive stance.

The Elf adopted a similar stance.

The blades of the Long Sword and the Giant Sword scraped against each other in mid-air, testing and probing like two tigers in a standoff.

Colin deliberately lowered the tip of his sword, feigning an opening.

The Elf’s knees bent slightly, and his shoulders dipped.

Watching his opponent’s movements, Colin used his [Attack Prediction] Specialty and instantly understood that the Elf was about to thrust.

It all happened in an instant.

Colin threw all his strength into dodging to the side. The blade of his opponent’s Long Sword scraped past his Chain Armor, sending a shower of blinding sparks.

He countered with a horizontal slash, but the Elf seemed to have predicted his move as well. Retreating half a step with the grace of a butterfly, he precisely parried with his blade.

Colin feigned a forward thrust.

Just as his opponent leaped back to dodge, he drew the Hand Half Sword from his waist and threw it directly at the enemy.

’Now!’

Seizing the moment his opponent swung his sword to block the Hand Half Sword, Colin charged forward recklessly, swinging his Giant Sword in an upward diagonal slash and forcing his opponent into a hasty block.

The blow was immensely powerful.

The blades crashed together.

The Long Sword in the Elf’s hand trembled like jelly, and even his arm began to shake slightly. Despite this, he still managed to block the blow with his Sword Guard. Once the initial momentum faded, he even managed to pin the Giant Sword’s blade and counter with a thrust of his own.

The two once again pulled apart.

’Finally, he doesn’t look so relaxed anymore,’ Colin thought, watching his opponent’s heaving chest.

’Then again, this opponent doesn’t seem to have any ability to learn.’

’It feels like his patterns have been the same from the very beginning. He doesn’t adapt to my attacks or equipment at all.’

’The most obvious example was when I threw the Hand Half Sword. He was completely unprepared, even though the sword was hanging plainly at my waist from the start.’

Colin tightened his grip on the hilt, staring intently at his opponent, trying to lock onto every minute movement.

The outcome would be decided in the next exchange.

’And I can win... I can definitely win!’

Feeling his breathing steady, Colin shifted his feet, slowly adjusting the distance between himself and his opponent.

The Elf lowered his Long Sword, its tip pointing to the ground, leaving his upper body completely exposed. While it looked foolish, a Swordsmanship master would never adopt such a stance without reason.

Colin took another deep breath.

—Now!

He suddenly strode forward, raising his Giant Sword high and bringing it down with the full force of his body.

The moment the blade swung out, the Elf stepped forward and raised his Long Sword, intending to block Colin’s weapon with his Sword Guard just as he had done several times before.

The two swords collided, sending sparks flying.

Colin gritted his teeth and twisted his wrist, using the wide body of his blade to force his opponent’s Long Sword to the outside.

His opponent hadn’t expected this move at all.

The Elf’s Long Sword was pushed aside by the Giant Sword’s attack, leaving his center wide open.

Although Colin managed to push aside the enemy’s blade, he also lost the opportunity to attack with his own. Normally, the two would simply separate after the brief exchange.

But at this very moment,

he let go of his Giant Sword and, with all his might, stepped forward while drawing the Dagger from his lower back.

’When that Jackal Wolfman tackled me to the ground, even the shorter Hand Half Sword was useless!’ Colin roared in his mind. ’Now, that Long Sword in your hands is nothing but a decoration!’

In a flash,

Colin rushed into his opponent’s arms, and they both tumbled to the ground.

He grabbed the back of his opponent’s neck with one hand while his other, clutching the Dagger, struck repeatedly at the Elf’s jaw and throat like a venomous snake.

Colin could feel something striking his back.

Due to the limited space, the Elf couldn’t put any force into his blows. Protected by his Armor, the attacks felt like little more than a scratch to Colin.

A bloom of blood silently blossomed.

A moment later, the Elf lost all strength. Without any resistance or struggle, he lay motionless on the ground.

Surveying his surroundings, Colin got to his feet and flicked the blood from his Dagger.

’So what’s next? It’s about time they let me out, right? I wonder how Kase and the others are doing.’

’Speaking of which, this trial is really devious.’

’First off, the [Silent] ring shows no signs of being a Magic Item. Even a craftsman like Donkexes couldn’t identify it.’

’If not for my Golden Finger and the Great Druid who treated Kase, I would have been clueless. Therefore, only a Mage with powerful Casting Ability could tell something was off with the item.’

’But the trial here actually pulls people in one by one for a Swordsmanship duel in a place where Casting is impossible. Although the opponent’s physical attributes are similar to the challenger’s, his superb technique is far beyond what an ordinary person can handle.’

’Those people who died next to the statue were so unlucky.’

’Only a combat-focused Mage like me would have a chance of winning.’

As he was thinking, a brilliant flash of light burst from behind him.

In that instant, the ground beneath Colin’s feet began to crumble. A strong wind tore countless motes of dust into threads of gray, while the surrounding stone walls started to break apart and scatter on the wind.

Looking back, the intact statue had returned to the ruined state he had seen before. It was as if a Bomb had gone off in the middle of the Divine Hall... ’No, an explosion really did happen inside the Divine Hall,’ Colin thought. ’I just wasn’t affected by it.’

Yet, this entire process remained utterly silent.

Colin looked up and around, trying to take in the changes happening to his surroundings.