「Then, let’s start the fight at once. Please guide me well.」
Inglis took that one step and strode towards Eris. 1
Just how strong a Hyrule Menace was? Inglis was only too excited to find out.
Eris’ swordplay that she displayed before was tremendous. This was a perfect opportunity for Inglis to measure her own strengths.
Rahal and his business could wait.He must’ve been sick of waiting for Inglis to arrive just so that he could assault her.
Letting his desire cook for a little while should get him even more excited.
Inglis honestly couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
She was sure that if she had asked for a match with Eris formally in a normal circumstance, she would not be taken seriously or she would be refused.
However, with the current circumstance at play, Inglis could pull out Eris’ serious side.
「F-, fool! What are you thinking, now of all time…!?」
Eris was impatient.She was convinced that Inglis would leave the place if she was at swordpoint, even if there was no intent to fight behind it.
Instead, Inglis was coming at her, smiles and all.
And she was just a Runeless little girl?
Just what was going on in her head?
「Aren’t you the one who said it?」
「Yeah, but… geez! Don’t blame me for this!」
Eris changed her mindset.
Since it was like this, she’d tie her up and then bring her home.
The girl was just a bit confused.
She couldn’t blame her. Such a young girl, forced to be disgraced by a person she didn’t even like.
It was no wonder for her to lose her reason.
After Eris had made her resolution, she bent her body and kicked the ground.
From her perspective, she had slowed down quite a bit to slip into Inglis’ attacking range.
She would surprise Inglis by slashing just the tip of her nose, then using the chance to pin her down.
That was what Eris planned, however…
The right hand that was meant to deliver the slash was caught instead.
And since Inglis was capable of such a feat, it could only mean she had seen through all of Eris’ movement.
「!?」
「Haa!」
Inglis took ahold of Eris’ arm, putting it over her shoulder without a moment’s delay.
Then, using her own body as the leverage, she flung her over!
With great momentum, Eris’ own body was thrown towards a wall.
As it was, she would have collided with the wall, but of course, Eris’ body wasn’t really built like common humans either.
Eris adjusted her body midair, and as soon as her feet touched the wall, she launched herself towards Inglis.
「As I expected of you!」
Inglis turned her body and evaded Eris’ attack with a breadth of a hair.
Eris landed on the ground while raising a cloud of dust. Before long, she turned over and plunged back in.
Her speed as she charged, her flexibility to instantly kill her momentum, her agility to change her trajectory.
All of those qualities were ones Inglis couldn’t find within the knights of Ymir.
And the cherry on top was that Eris hadn’t shown her full potential.
If so, Inglis only needed to pull it out!
「Why are you having so much fun…!」
Eris’ twin swords waved as though they danced, drawing near Inglis.
「I like it! Fighting against someone strong!」
Inglis unsheathed her own sword to receive those blows and warded them off.
「That’s one hell of an annoying quirk!」
Every time the swords locked with one another, a rigid metal clank echoed in the dark of the night, leaving only a trail of sparks.
Amidst the intense sword fight, Eris shuddered.
Inglis’ foothold mostly hadn’t moved from its spot.
Inglis had been repelling Eris’ swordplay without moving.
Eris had two swords while Inglis only had one. Just by the number, Eris should have the upper hand. 2
A Hyrule Menace’s ability when they’re in a human form was as high as that of a Holy Knight’s. In addition, the twin sword was Eris’ forte. There was no doubt that, in regards to her sword skill, she was considered the cream of the crop.
And Inglis warded Eris’ attacks with plenty of room to spare.
What an exceptional sword handling, observation, and flow reading.
No, that still doesn’t add up. That won’t even explain it.
So what if her skill was outstanding, skills didn’t directly relate to one’s own physical capabilities.
Eris’ physical capabilities greatly exceeded that of an ordinary human.
When a knight with a rune wielded an artifact, their physiques would be enhanced. But Eris was an artifact with the soul of a human, a Hyrule Menace. The makings of her body greatly differed from any ordinary human.
And now she was being withheld by a mere human who, not only didn’t use an artifact, but also a Runeless? There had to be something up Inglis’ sleeve. However, Eris didn’t know what that something was.
It was not like Inglis used sorcery like the Highlanders did, either.
「Please, put in some serious effort!」
「I’m damn serious!」
At least, on the swordplay front.
However, soon after, a chance to win was given to Eris.
CLAAANKK!!!
Inglis’ sword blade was broken in half.
This was due to the difference in the quality of their weapons.
Eris’ weapon was one that was tailored for a Hyrule Menace like her.
Inglis’ weapon was a mass-produced, commonly used sword for knights of a suburban region.
The difference between them was literally Heaven and Earth.
「 ！」
「HAAAaaa!」
The slight chance of victory blinded Eris of her initial aim as she went for the attack.3
