Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race-Chapter 156 - Birth of a New Sword King and Reida’s Decision

Chapter 156 - 156 - Birth of a New Sword King and Reida's Decision

In those four days that passed, the Sword Sanctuary fell into an uproar.

All the Sword Saints were training with redoubled dedication; some of them, realizing their chances were low, focused on helping others in their training, playing the roles of partners and instructors.

The atmosphere was one of tension and excitement, as if the entire Sword Sanctuary were breathing in time with the training.

Eris Greyrat, in particular, stood out.

In the first three days, she did not even sleep.

She wanted to ensure that she would be the chosen one.

Despite already being considered "the strongest" among the Sword Saints, she wanted to make this unquestionable.

Since Isolte had been named Water King, Eris had harbored the burning desire to also attain the title. Above all, to show Rygar that she had evolved.

Years of brutal battles and relentless training had molded her into a fierce warrior, capable of taking down dragons and giant beasts alone. An intense presence even in the Sword Sanctuary, where swordsmen from all over the world gathered to seek growth.

Eris trained incessantly with Rygar, Ghislaine, and even with Badigadi, pushing her body and mind to their limits.

However, Rygar, recognizing the risk, forcibly made her rest on the last day.

He knew that healing magic could restore the body's fatigue, but not the exhausted mind. It was vital that she be in her best state for the upcoming selection.

Nina and Jino also devoted themselves with fervor.

The two young ones were practically tied in strength and skill, an impressive feat considering that Jino was only twelve years old — four less than Nina.

Their growth was evident.

All the rest of the apprentices and swordsmen of the Sanctuary followed suit, training with more vigor than ever.

Meanwhile, Rygar, even as he supervised Aisha and trained Eris, was silently working on something personal: the development of a special technique.

A technique deeply inspired by Orsted's Dragon Saint Battle Aura.

It was an idea that brought together all the knowledge he had acquired about the use of touki in combat and how it interacted with the body, absorbing influences from all the styles he had studied — Sword God Style, Water God Style, North God Style and, of course, the Beast God Style he was forging.

If it worked the way he was thinking, it would be the supreme technique of his own style. But that was still a bit distant.

Finally, at the end of the fourth day, Gall Farion returned.

He did not seem different; he had the same overwhelming presence and the same cutting gaze.

But to those who knew him well, there was something different, a subtle change in the depth of his eyes. Something had changed.

Without saying a word, he took his position in the training field and began to observe.

His gaze was sharp, analyzing every movement, every stance, every breath of the Sword Saints.

After some time, he finally chose four swordsmen.

They were Eris, Nina, Jino, and Vezal, a veteran swordsman considered the best before Eris's meteoric rise.

He called them to follow him.

Without saying another word, Gall Farion led the four into the Ephemeral Hall, dispersing all the others.

The moment of final decision was approaching.

Four Sword Saints—Nina Farion, Jino Britz, Eris Greyrat, and Vezal—were gathered in the Ephemeral Hall of the Sword Sanctuary.

In front of them stood the Sword God, Gall Farion. He was standing as he calmly observed his pupils, who held wooden swords at their hips. He spoke slowly:

"Your abilities have already surpassed the level of Sword Saint. It is time to recognize the next Sword King since Rygar."

He paused and looked at the four swordsmen, serious and calm.

"Before we do that, I have a question for you."

Everyone waited silently.

"What do you think is the difference between a Sword Saint, a Sword King, and a Sword Emperor?"

"Strength?" Nina blurted out.

The expression on everyone's faces made it clear they had no other answer.

However, at the same time, they also knew that it was not something so simple. The Sword God wanted to know what was beyond strength; what else separated them.

"You have all been training for some time and already know how to perform a Longsword of Light perfectly, as perfectly as that of a Sword King or Sword Emperor."

Fencing was based on cutting a moving object.

Anyone would easily dodge a frontal attack, so swordsmen attacked from below, from the sides, or from diagonals; they made unpredictable movements to catch the enemy off guard.

However, it had been different with the first Sword God.

He did not need those tricks. Instead, he simply cut down all by moving faster than his opponent could react.

Gall lightly tapped his fingernail on the hilt of his sword.

"The Sword Gods of all generations endeavored to slowly unravel the inexplicable techniques the first Sword God had cultivated. That is what led the Sword God Style to its current form. That is what has brought us to the era in which the Sword God Style is considered the strongest."

His fingers tapped on the sword's hilt again.

"The Longsword of Light is the best technique of the Sword God Style. Practitioners of other styles could even see it as our secret technique. However, there are some who understand its essence better than others. There are the Sword Saints, the Sword Kings, the Sword Emperors, and the Sword God... We all do the same thing, but some are stronger and others weaker."

Gall turned to Vezal.

"What do you think makes us different, Vezal? Answer me."

The Sword Saint thought deeply and said:

"Dedication?"

Gall just nodded, saying nothing.

Without reacting, Gall called:

"Jino?"

Jino, who had a serious expression, lifted his face.

He was not sure what answer Gall Farion wanted, but training with Rygar these last years had made him think for himself about what drove him forward, and he finally answered:

"Talent and purpose."

Gall Farion murmured:

"Talent and purpose, huh..."

The Sword God was not blind; he had long ago noticed that Jino and Nina spent a lot of time together, but he said nothing further.

"Good, Nina, your answer."

Nina thought carefully about her answer. The question was probably about what separated them from those above them.

Upon reflection, she realized that most people in the higher positions had a romantic partner. She wanted that too: a boyfriend or a husband...

Suddenly, a word she heard the Sword God say from time to time came to her mind.

"Is it 'desire'?"

Gall nodded and said:

"What is your answer, Eris?"

"Determination."

"Determination...?"

Eris had grown stronger since the time she confronted Orsted. Her strength and her speed had increased drastically.

After training for years, Eris already had some notion of the limits of her abilities.

She knew that she still had room to grow, but no matter how much she trained, she would never reach Orsted's level.

This was no exaggeration; she knew she would never be able to defeat him alone.

But from the beginning, that was not her goal. No. She only wanted to help Rygar.

If even Rygar said he wasn't sure he would win, how could she? Still, Rygar believed in her talent, and so she trained incessantly, so that she could at least be useful.

The Sword God looked at the five for a time, reflecting on their answers, neither refuting any of them nor saying which was correct.

In fact, if one analyzed him deeply, they would see that even he was not so certain which answer was correct. He murmured:

"Well. Eris and Vezal will fight."

The two warriors went to the center of the training field and, after a brief fight, Eris came out on top.

Then the Sword God said:

"Now Nina and Jino."

After another confrontation, Nina came out on top. The two Sword Saints, Jino and Vezal, left the Ephemeral Hall after losing.

"To the two victors, whoever wins between you will be named Sword King."

Eris and Nina faced each other.

They all wielded wooden swords. Although they did not appear to be lethal weapons, they could easily be used to end an opponent's life in the hands of Sword Saints.

Eris smiled and said:

"No hard feelings, Nina..."

Nina replied confidently:

"You are counting on victory too early... this time I will be the winner."

Eris unleashed her bloodthirst, but Nina did not even blink.

Then, all of Eris's hostility disappeared, and the girl simply smiled at her.

Nina felt an instinctive fear grow inside her when she saw Eris's calm. She had already lost to Eris several times during training.

Of course, she had also won some times, but the strongest memories in her mind were of her defeats, which were also more numerous.

Without waiting anymore, Nina was the first to move, stepping forward and using the Longsword of Light.

Nina's technique was impeccable. Anyone who saw it would be impressed by its excellence. But...

"Graaaaah!"

A strong impact struck Nina's stomach, sending her flying backward and causing her body to slam against the wall before falling to the ground.

Her uniform had torn, causing her toned stomach to become visible and allowing a red mark to slowly appear on her skin.

At the same time, she felt as if her body was burning.

"It's over!" declared the Sword God.

Nina stared at Eris, confused. She was no longer smiling either; she was simply standing honorably, as the victor.

"Ugh..."

Nina understood what had happened: Eris had stepped forward at the same time Nina had moved and, while Nina delivered her overhand strike, Eris crouched and applied her own Longsword of Light from the side.

What Nina could not understand was how this had happened. Her technique should have hit first, since it had acted before Eris.

Furthermore, she had delivered the overhand strike, which was the fastest attacking position.

Even if some small miscalculation was taken into account, her attack should have landed before Eris's attack.

However, their battle did not even end in a draw. Why had she been thrown against the wall while Eris remained standing?

"Using overwhelming force is not the only way to defeat someone," said Eris, very softly.

Nina did not understand what she meant.

Eris had used a North God Style technique to modify the Longsword of Light.

Originally, the Longsword of Light had excessive power. But instead, Eris had transformed the power into speed.

She had reduced the power to the point where it would only knock out her opponent, which made the execution faster. She had not relied on brute force, but on the distribution of her Battle Aura.

This was a technique she had learned in her training with the North Emperor, Auber.

Compared to the power she had sacrificed to use the technique, the extra speed generated had been, honestly, insignificant.

But even if the difference was smaller than the width of a hair, it was that which made her win.

She was faster than Nina even when using just the Longsword of Light, but there were a few times that Nina managed to beat her in a direct confrontation, so she chose this tactic, which would make her win for sure.

"Magnificent, Eris. I give you the title of Sword King."

Nina got up slowly. Her face contorted with the throbbing pain in her stomach.

She completely surpasses me.

Because they had used wooden swords, she was only thrown back and wounded. If Eris had used a real sword, she would have been able to strike Nina's heart.

It had been a relatively weak attack, considering that a normal Longsword of Light would split the opponent's body in two, but this power could kill nonetheless.

Since Eris did not have a single scratch, that was enough to qualify her as the winner.

It was a complete defeat for Nina.

Nina sighed and lay down on the cold floor of the hall. Her eyes fixed on the high ceiling, without really seeing anything. She had lost — in every respect.

The first move was hers, the initiative was hers, and yet she had lost. 'I lost completely. It's over.'

The thought echoed in her mind like a heavy drum. A suffocating, bitter weight settled in her chest, as if she were being crushed from the inside out.

"Are you frustrated, Nina?" asked the deep, imposing voice of the Sword God.

Nina turned her head slightly to look at him. Her pride still wanted to resist, but there was no denying it.

"Yes," she answered, her voice trembling.

Silent tears began to run down her cheeks, wetting the stone floor beneath her.

She had dedicated so much to that moment, to that title... and yet, it was not enough.

Gall Farion remained silent, simply observing her. There was no criticism in his gaze, only understanding.

He knew better than anyone that true defeats were essential to forge true warriors.

"You still have potential. Cheer up," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle for someone so severe.

Nina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to control the shame that burned within.

"Alright, Father..." she replied softly.

It was rare for her to call him that in the dojo. The word carried a weight that seemed to relieve a bit of the pressure in her chest.

Gall remained silent, letting her tears take their course.

Eris, who had remained by Nina's side the whole time, watched without many words.

As soon as Nina stopped sniffling, Gall turned to Eris and spoke:

"Come, Eris. I will give you one of my seven swords as proof that you are a Sword King."

Eris replied:

"Alright..."

-----

POV Rygar Adoldia

While Eris and the others were in the Ephemeral Hall deciding who would be the new Sword King, I continued my training.

Reida was watching me practice one of the techniques necessary to perform the Deprivation Sword Realm, her secret technique, when she suddenly said:

"Rygar."

I looked at her, sweaty and with heavy breathing.

"Hm? What is it?"

Reida crossed her arms, her expression serious.

"I have nothing more to teach you."

I was surprised.

"What do you mean you have nothing more to teach? I have only fully mastered two secret techniques!"

The old lady let out a soft laugh as she stood up, adjusting her simple clothes.

"Hehehehe... if the old Water Emperors in the capital heard you say that, they would probably convulse with rage! Even I only master three of them, boy!"

I remained silent. freewёbnoνel.com

Reida continued:

"You may only master two of them, but I have already taught you everything about them, even about the Sixth Secret Technique."

She walked to a bag left next to the dojo, taking out a thick, worn-covered book.

"In terms of knowledge, you already know as much about the Water God Style as I do... and I know that, with your talent, it is only a matter of time until you master each of them."

She walked towards me as she spoke.

"But if you have any doubts or forget something, I wrote this book with everything about the Water God Style during my time here."

She approached and handed me the book. I took it with great care.

She continued, "I had already been looking for an opportunity to leave... With a new Sword King emerging, that is more than enough to motivate Isolte, and she already has all the experience I think necessary."

I looked at Reida and asked, with some caution:

"Are you sure this has nothing to do with Badigadi...?"

Reida's expression closed for a moment. A bitter wrinkle crossed her brow, but she did not answer. Without saying a word, she turned and left the training hall.

"In one more week, I will conduct your graduation... be ready by then," she said, her firm voice echoing in the empty environment as she headed towards Gall's house, where she was staying.

I stood watching her as she walked away, feeling a bittersweet mixture grow in my chest.

'At least she left only a few months before me... what a pity.'

I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, and then returned to practice my techniques, now with a new weight in my hands and heart.

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