In the long course of history, the swordsmanship in the world of Rigar - or the martial arts used in combat, has essentially evolved into two inseparable branches.
Nobles with rich assets have enough money to purchase complete armor, and more than those seen in duels, lance contests, and frontal battlefields, they pay attention to playing steadily and reaching a balance between attack speed and defense.
Many of the swordsmanship skills of the nobles wearing heavy armor abandon some aspect of defense, and most even pay attention to "suffering a few attacks" as the cost of moving forward and killing the enemy with one blow. The existence of the armor provides them with excellent all-round protection, but it also limits their actions and prevents them from making quick maneuvers - and this is another way of fighting with the vast number of poor mercenaries and ordinary soldiers. The methods are quite different.
Fast, accurate and ruthless.
With or without a professional foundation in swordsmanship, the fighting styles of most mercenaries and ordinary soldiers can be summarized in these three words.
Attacking the calf, attacking the throat, stabbing the chest, cutting, slashing, these sword skills evolved for light armor units of the same level will often fall into disarray when they encounter a knight in full plate armor, except for a few Some people who have really reached the top level can use their quickness, accuracy and ruthlessness to attack the weak parts of the plate armor. If ordinary mercenaries encounter a fully armed knight noble, they will almost die - but then again, this kind of The fast, accurate and ruthless swordsmanship without armor has reached the top level and can deal with swordsmen at the level of fully armed knights. In fact, there are many who can still have superb combat effectiveness wearing plate armor.
The words return to their original place.
The red-haired mercenary standing opposite Henry is about 1.78 meters tall. The color of his skin is not very dark. It is a bit lighter than that of the prairie people and even the local aborigines. , to be honest, he looks more like a tanned northerner with fair skin.
The orange mercenary card hanging on his waist indicates that this person's strength can be regarded as a mainstay - but perhaps it is more than that. Mira can notice the strange eyes of this man, and Henry can naturally do the same - the sage directly looks at He dodged to one side, opened the distance, and at the same time drew out the sword from behind.
The sun was shining brightly, and he deliberately caused the reflection of the sword blade to shine on the opponent's face.
"..." The red-haired swordsman tilted slightly to avoid the dazzling reflection, but this action failed to escape Henry's eyes. 'Isn't it completely invisible?' The sage narrowed his eyes slightly, and then began to control his position.
Next to her, Mira noticed that her teacher had chosen a position with his back to the sun. Apparently, he was using the strong light during the day to prevent his opponent from seeing her clearly. She did not have this ability in the past. But now Mira is paying more and more attention to Henry's use of the surrounding environment when fighting.
"Joshua..." The young girl with long blond hair panted and muttered worriedly as she stood aside, and this orange mercenary - the red-haired Joshua - was obviously well-known in the local area. Character, because he had just started dueling with Henry at the entrance of the crowded mercenary guild, he immediately attracted countless people to stop and watch.
"Wha--" Henry deliberately guided the situation. The opponent immediately realized this. Joshua took a step forward and stabbed Henry with his sword, forcing Henry to turn.
"Ding——" The sage waved his sword horizontally, gold and iron clashed, and sparks flew everywhere. The two sides clashed for just a moment. The blades of the swords did not bite together, and many discerning people among the mercenaries who were watching immediately judged the fact that the swords used by the two collided with each other.
"Master!" As we mentioned before, Joshua is well-known locally. Therefore this exclamation was obviously addressed to our sage. But at the moment, Henry has no time to pay attention to the applause around him - in fact, given his character, he probably won't be able to manage money at any time - he holds the sword in one hand and then turns to defend and attack, taking advantage of his arm length and the length of the big sword. He directly swung a horizontal slash arbitrarily.
"Whoops!" This sword was so lightning-fast, and the blade was only a few millimeters thick and was at eye level. If you were a swordsman who relied solely on your eyesight, you would be in trouble even if you were undefeated at this moment. Unbearable - but not Joshua.
"Ta-cha-" The cowhide boot soles slid across the dirt ground. He extended one foot forward and leaned his whole body forward to avoid Henry's sword and at the same time shorten the distance. ——This is not over yet. The red-haired swordsman held the sword in both hands and rushed forward while holding the long sword to the side of his waist, and then stabbed straight towards Henry's right hand holding the sword.
——This is an action often chosen by sword masters with a fast, accurate and ruthless style. Young people who are unable to let go and lack confidence often choose to block and counterattack, because it is more efficient to judge the opponent's attack trajectory and then defend themselves. A safe way, but for swordsmen who have reached the level where man and sword are one, they are more inclined to do it.
It is to directly attack the opponent's sword-wielding hand, abolishing force.
"That blue card is finished." Many mercenaries made this judgment, but only the two who were actually at the scene understood that their judgments were all wrong.
In some places, under some circumstances. There is an old saying that "Those who are in authority are confused, but those who are onlookers are clear" will be very applicable. However, in this situation, it is exactly the opposite.
The mercenaries who did not have enough eyesight could not appreciate Henry's ease. Joshua's thrust came from the blind spot of the perspective and was fast and hard. However, the sage only deflected the sword slightly and used Clay again. Merle's sword clashed with the opponent.
“Dang——Chang!!”
Like the gorgeous double dance that existed in the court of Sivalier, these two high-level swordsmen who were supposed to be meeting for the first time jointly performed a gorgeous and dazzling dance in broad daylight. Sword show - but it's not over yet.
There were some reasons for drawing swords at the beginning, but by this time it was no longer important.
For people who also make a living with swords, there is no need for words in the movements of dodging from the opponent and the method of exerting force in swinging the sword between fights. You can understand what kind of person this is.
Joshua had already judged that he had wrongly blamed others from the first fight.
However, he still wouldn't stop, because the swordsman's blood was boiling in his body.
A drop of early morning dew on the calm lake bent the overwhelmed leaf, flowed along its edge to the tip of the leaf, and then dripped.
Like ripples rippling round and round. The movements and steps of Henry's sword swing are calm and orderly, precise and powerful but not angry - like spreading ripples, with a gentle force that keeps you from getting close to the center point. The swordsman himself.
Only many, many, many years, countless battles. Only then can we develop such a mentality and technique.
Let such people act as your opponents. It makes people's blood boil.
"You are smiling." The sage said, but even he himself. There was also a trace of curvature hanging from the corner of his mouth.
"No more holding back." His eyes still seemed to have no focus. Joshua said this and accelerated his movements in the next second. "Qiang - Cang -" He thrust towards Henry's vitals with a "long style". This move would expose his attack range. Joshua naturally understood that he did not intend to use this move. Just win. Because he understood that Henry was not a weak hand to this extent.
"When - Clang -"
"Iron Gate Guard!" Someone among the surrounding mercenaries exclaimed. Before the flash of lightning, the sage turned and took a step back. At the same time, he deflected the sword in front of him and successfully blocked Joshua's sword. This move obviously comes from regular sword skills, but many people only know the general appearance but don't know the exact way to use it.
"Wha—" The gap between the level of the red-haired swordsman and the people around him was obvious. When they were sighing and surprised, Joshua didn't even hesitate and took a big step forward with his left foot while releasing his original grip. The left hand on the weighted ball position grasped the blade of the sword and approached.
"Half sword style!" More and more mercenaries onlookers became the best commentators. The move that was originally used to deal with the knights in full plate armor was used by the orange mercenary with great proficiency. He grabbed it with his left hand. A half-hand sword was about thirty centimeters back from the tip of the sword, and then it was pulled back a little bit and then stabbed straight towards Henry's face.
The Claymore in the hands of the sage is like the plate armor of the knights that although has excellent defense, it limits their movement to a certain extent.
Its size brings powerful attack power and attack range that exceeds all other weapons used against people. However, it is also this size that changes when it is so close that the weapon in hand is used like a dagger. It has become a shortcoming that hinders one's performance.
It seems. Joshua defeated Henry this time.
Even Mira, who had always had full confidence in her teacher, clenched her little fist.
But as we have been saying - this is a battle in which bystanders are obsessed, but it is the authorities who know the truth.
"Clang--!" Henry crossed the sword between the lightning and flint, raised the tip of Joshua's sword with an inverted V-shaped guard, and thrust it toward the sky. At the same time, he twisted his body to close the distance with the other sword. He directly hit the red-haired swordsman in the face with his elbow.
"Pa-ta-" Joshua let go of his right hand, held the sword blade in his left hand, and swung the sword away from the other direction. At the same time, he slapped Henry's elbow with his palm. He took a small step back but did not act like It was the mistake of other mercenaries to choose to directly distance themselves - Henry's sword could not be used. Joshua understood this truth deeply. He moved forward again. Henry was still keeping his sword at the moment. The posture of the long sword leading to a higher place - in other words, the sage's hand is raised high in the air.
Joshua's height disadvantage became an advantage at this time. He raised his right hand and pushed it straight towards Henry's sword hand, blocking the sage's movements and preventing him from attacking. At the same time, the left hand that was still holding the sword blade turned over without changing and used the guard to attack Henry's abdomen.
"It's done!" The inexperienced mercenaries watching said it was too early again.
"Wha-" With a bow, Henry missed Joshua's attack towards the abdomen.
The red-haired swordsman leaned to the right, knowing that his sword failed. Therefore, he did not control this strength and planned to take this opportunity to distance himself. However, Henry could not let him succeed. The sage also followed the bow to dodge the attack and stepped back at the same moment. Then he took a step forward, stabilized his waist and twisted his calf. He exerted his strength and swung out a big diagonal move from the other direction.
"Tsk——" Joshua finally showed his nervousness for the first time until now. He hurriedly adjusted his posture instead of retreating and instead moved forward to avoid the front three-thirds of the blade where all Kramer's energy could be transmitted. In the object-attacking part of the first chapter, his right hand grasped the hilt of the sword, and the palm of his left hand pressed against the sword surface, "rubbing" Claymore's sword blade and swung it backward.
"Dang——Clang——!!" Even though the sun was shining brightly, the sparks were clearly visible. Flying in the air.
Joshua used his forward momentum and friction to successfully relieve part of his strength, making up for his physical disadvantage with skill and barely sliding away from the sword. However, the excessive consumption of physical strength was like a sage with endless energy. Failure is a foregone conclusion.
"Haah...haah...haah..." The red hair tied into a single ponytail and side hair stuck to the side of his face due to sweat - he was going to fail. In fact, he had already done it in the third fight. , it was already judged.
——One thing that needs to be pointed out is. The few attacks he had just made had no intention of stopping.
In other words, if Henry's ability has not reached a sufficient level, then he has just. It's true that you will die.
In other words, Joshua attacked with all his strength.
——Not only that, in fact, it is the reason why he consumes so much physical energy. It's because he almost gave up defense and focused on attacking at the highest speed.
When a swordsman of his level chooses to do this, the severity and density of the attacks should be able to be overwhelmed to the point of failure.
However.
- Calm.
The battle with Henry reminded Joshua of the past when his mentor was still alive. It was not like he was fighting an equal opponent. In fact, during many battles, the red-haired swordsman even You can feel that the other person is even reminding you what you shouldn't do.
——Henry’s several attacks were all aimed at Joshua’s empty goal.
He has an advantage in physique, weapon size, and even an overwhelming advantage in swordsmanship. However, he did not use fierce attacks to unilaterally suppress Joshua and obtain a complete victory - this person - from the beginning, it was as if he was exchanging insights on swordsmanship with him. Constantly use attacks and positioning to remind yourself which aspects should be improved.
The sweat that oozed out was not only due to physical exertion, but also maybe some of it was the cold sweat from waking up.
——If you meet someone else on a frontal battlefield and the other party catches this weakness, what will happen to you?
The red-haired swordsman does not lack a solid foundation, he just lacks some understanding of the ever-changing situation because of his youth - and during the battle between our sages, he was like a sponge that touched the water. ——No, perhaps it should be described as dissolving like salt sprinkled into a pot of soup. Stir until blended.
"Clang-dang-"
Sweat splattered everywhere. This was the last sword used by Joshua. Henry took advantage of the fact that he was weak and used Claymer to shake the sword in small steps from two directions in an instant.
A half-sword flew out of his hand.
"Dong - Cang -" The tip of the sword was inserted into the soil. And it fell flat to the ground due to its own weight.
"...Ah" The crowd of onlookers had already crowded the entrance of the entire mercenary guild. "Huh-" Henry flicked the big sword and then put it back into the scabbard behind his back.
"Just kidding..."
"Blind swordsman Joshua...lost..." Except for the two of them, everyone else had dull faces. However, unlike others who were surprised by Joshua's defeat, our white-haired Luo An The girl was shocked because it was the first time she saw someone fighting against the sage so many times.
"Ah!" The blond-haired girl with him seemed to have just reacted at this moment. She directly missed the horses of the two people who were holding the book and ran to Joshua's side to support him. Start observing with concern.
"I'm fine. Emonica, I'm fine." The red-haired swordsman smiled at her, while Henry on the other side walked to the short registrar with a calm face.
"Hello, where can I store the horses?" the sage asked, and the staff who were still immersed in this wonderful swordsmanship performance that was complicated to describe in words and actually lasted only a few minutes just used dumbfounded expressions. She looked at him with a dumbfounded expression and said nothing.
"..." Henry frowned, and there were footsteps behind him.
"Huh... If you want to store your horses, you can lead them in. There will be stables in front of you. There is no charge for temporary storage. Although riding horses is not allowed, it is no problem to dismount and lead them in." Henry turned around and was full of emotions. The sweaty red-haired swordsman put his sword back into its sheath and said with a smile in his general direction.
"Well...if you don't mind, how about we do it together."
"I feel like we are quite compatible." Joshua showed a sincere smile on his face, and Henry responded with the same expression: "I think so too."
He stepped forward, the red-haired swordsman stretched out his hand, and the two held it together.
"Please give me some advice. I am Joshua and this is Emmanica." He pointed at the girl next to him and said.
"Trouble and Mouth Organ, what a good name. I am Henry, and the one over there is my student, Mira." The sage said with a smile, and the white-haired Luoan girl next to him also walked over. . (To be continued.).
