Power in the Shadows 71-90

At the very start, her dream was already an impossible one. Rose hangs her head and laughs.

That moment, a soft sound reaches Rose’s ears.

Is it the sound of a pursuer?

But the sound is too gentle and beautiful to be footstep. When she strains her ears, she recognizes it as the sound of a piano.

“Moonlight Sonata……?”

As someone well versed in music, she knows that song. This song that had been exceptional well received even in Oriana the country of arts is now coming from the tunnel in front of her.

“How beautiful……”

The performance is so deep and perfect that it is as if the performer is pouring everything of his whole life into it.

Rose begins walking towards the source of the sound, as if led by moonlight.

This place is called the Royal Capital Underground Labyrinth, but Rose feels that it’s more of a historic site than a labyrinth. The ground is properly paved with stone, and there are carvings of reliefs and ancient letters on the walls.

On the way here, she’s come across several doors in the walls, but none of them could be opened. Either a key was required, or some ancient mechanism had broken down.

The sound of piano grows closer.

Then Rose turns a corner, and sees a big, broken door in front of her.

The sound is coming from beyond.

Rose ducks through the large hole in the door, and finally arrives.

The space she finds herself in is a cathedral with fantastical light shining through. The sky high stained glass depicts the three heroes and the defeated demon.

Radiant light is falling from the stained glass.

And in the middle of the light is a single grand piano.

“Shadow……”

In this long forgotten cathedral, he is here, playing Moonlight Sonata by himself.

[REAL GOOD AT PIANO]
- CHAPTER 73
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Three more attacks, four more, five more, Annerose’s sword is met by Jimina’s again and again. Until finally Jimina’s posture becomes unstable.

I’ve won!

So Annerose is assured while stabbing Jimina’s chest.

Her stab is indeed going through, but……

“Eh……?”

There’s no feedback on her sword.

Rather than that, Jimina’s figure has actually completely disappeared from her line of sight.

“…… It’s an after image.”

His voice emanates from behind her.

Annerose’s shoulders quiver.

Calm down.

She purposely turns around slowly.

She is indeed shaken. But she must not let him know that. So she tells herself.

“You’re faster than I thought……”

Her voice is absolutely normal. At the very least, that’s what she thinks.

[SID BLITZING A KNIGHT WHO CAN FIGHT AND REACT AT FTE SPEED]
- CHAPTER 79
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The crucial key is timing. After that she’ll merely have to cut him down with all the skill that she has amassed.

Annerose silently sharpens her focus to the absolute limit, and waits.

Then.

Without any warning.

Jimina’s figure vanishes, then in the next instant…… no, even before that, Annerose swings her sword.

There is no one where her sword is slashing towards.

But the next moment.

I’ve won!

Jimina reappears.

Annerose is assured of her victory.

Her sword is perfectly in line with Jimina’s path of movement.

At this speed, there is no way he can evade in time. So she thinks.

“Eh……”

Annerose simply gazes at him with a dumbfounded face.

Because he has stopped.

As if this had been decided from the very start, he has stopped exactly beyond Annerose’s maai.

Annerose’s sword barely misses his nose, cutting nothing.

This is no coincidence.

This is maai management to the absolute limit.

He possesses an unbelievable eye for spatial awareness.

Annerose had thought that she had adjusted her strategy to him. But in actual fact, it is he who had adjusted his strategy to her.

“Ah, I see……”

That instant, she finally understands.

With that split second of exchange, everything has been clarified.

He, Jimina Sehnen…… possesses skill that is also on a completely different dimension.

Then Jimina’s sword approaches the demoralized Annerose.

That strike is the slowest one today.

However, that sword…… is so sublime as to bring ‘skill’ to the level of ‘art.’

“Ahh……”

How beautiful indeed.

With that being the last thing she sees, Annerose’s consciousness fades to black.

[SID HAS GOD LIKE SKILL AND SPATIAL AWARENESS WHEN IT COMES TO HIT OPPONENTS RANGE]
- CHAPTER 79
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“Iris Midgar vs. Jimina Sehnen!! Battle start!!”

Immediate rush.

Along with the start of the match, Iris steps forward, then stops.

“……eh?”

A tiny utter of doubt escapes her lips.

Why does Jimina’s figure feel so far away?

Did she mistake the distance between them?

But she double checks—she is not mistaken. However, it’s her feeling that is telling her that Jimina is far away.

She does not know the reason why. Perhaps she is just nervous.

But that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that she had stopped moving.

She refocuses, readies her sword, then throws in a feint.

The instant she confirms that Jimina’s eyes have been drawn by the feint, she rushes in.

But.

“……?!”

Once again, her feet stop.

She jerks her upper torso as if to evade something, then leaps backward.

She saw a sword.

She saw Jimina’s sword severing her head.

But Jimina’s sword had not moved at all.

Naturally, her head is still connected.

“Why……?”

She could not help murmuring out loud.

She clearly saw Jimina’s sword.

The instant she rushed in, Jimina’s sword had slashed with overwhelming might and cleanly severed her head.

She had thought everything to be over.

Her loss…… no, she had been sure of her death.

But apparently that was a mere illusion. Jimina doesn’t even have his sword raised, and is just standing there in place.

Iris cannot comprehend what had just happened.

[HIS BATTLE PRESENCE INFLICTS THE ILLUSION OF INSTANT DEATH ON HIS OPPONENTS (IRIS IS THE STRONGEST FIGHTER IN THE COUNTRY)]
- CHAPTER 83
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She’s got to do something.

Agitation and fear thrusts her into motion.

That same instant, Jimina’s eyes move.

As if he is reading the future, his eyes and the tip of his sword both flick to a position in front of Iris.

At which, Iris hallucinates her arm being cut off.

“Ah, aaaa……”

Finally, she understands what is going on.

She understands that Jimina has only been feinting her the entire time.

He completely reads her movements, then sends her warnings with only his eyes and the tip of his sword.

That if she doesn’t stop——she would die.

With just that alone, Iris has been hallucinating his sword.

The visions of her being cut were almost indistinguishable from reality.

Past words from her master raise up in Iris’ mind: “A master’s ‘lies’ feel like reality.” True to those words, her master had led the young Iris around by the nose.

But what Jimina is doing now is “reality” far beyond what her master had been capable of.

Is something like that even possible……?

Iris does not claim to be the strongest in the world. She understands that there’s always someone better out there. However, from an objective point of view, her strength as a magic swordsman should be within the top ranks of the world. That’s what she had believed.

And such a person is being led around the nose by mere feints?

If that is true, then Jimina’s true strength——he would indeed be the strongest in the world, hands down.

And that would be in a dimension that not a single person can even come close to.

Is that actually possible?

Really?

[SID'S BATTLE READING AND FEINTS ARE SO ADVANCED THAT THEY CREATE ILLUSIONS OF INSTANT DEATH]
- CHAPTER 83
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“Your fight is not yet over……”

Shadow thrusts his jet black sword.

As a result, a large hole appears in the arena wall.

“Go……”

“Thank you!”

Rose picks up her rapier, then jumps through the hole without hesitation. She still has much left to do.

“St-, stop right there!!”

“None shall pass……”

So saying, Shadow stands before the hole.

[A CASUAL SWING BUSTS A HOLE IN THE WALL OF AN ARENA BIG ENOUGH FOR SOMEONE TO RUN THROUGH]
- CHAPTER 85
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“What are you all doing?! CHASE HER!!”

Doem’s rage-filled roar rips into the air, and his subordinates that had been merely observing the situation all leap into motion.

After positioning themselves to surround Shadow, who has taken up position in front of the hole, they all rush towards him at the same time.

However, the next instant.

A single flash of jet black mows them all down.

A single stroke. All these magic swordsmen that Doem had carefully hand-selected were all knocked back, and are now rolling on the ground.

“How can this……”

So this is Shadow. Just as the rumors had indicated, any run-of-the-mill person would not even be his opponent.

Doem clutches his bleeding stomach while backpedaling.

[TAKES OUT A GROUP OF HANDPICKED SWORDSMAN WITH ONE STROKE]
- CHAPTER 86
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Shadow’s sword lengthens as if to match Beatrix’s.

Then, a flash.

Shadow’s jet black sword mows.

The rain is slashed.

For a brief moment, an area devoid of rain is created by the trajectory of his sword.

Indeed, Shadow’s sword had missed.

“Hou……”

Beatrix had retreated half a step instantaneously, thus evading Shadow’s mowing attack.

[SHADOW CREATES AN AREA WITHOUT RAIN DURING A STORM THROUGH HIS SWORD STROKE]
- CHATER 86
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A razor-sharp thrust rushes towards Shadow, just like a spear.

Behind the mask, Shadow seems to be smiling.

Shadow dodges that by turning his body half around, and uses the momentum from that motion to release another slash with his sword.

But Beatrix withdraws her sword in time.

Even while drawing back her sword, she crouches, thus evading Shadow’s attack.

Then she shifts into counterattack again.

The two are only tearing apart raindrops.

More than ten moves are exchanged in the blink of an eye, slicing the rain again and again.

The severed raindrops turn into small sprays drawing beautiful arcs illuminated by lightning.

Everyone is watching with bated breath.

This is exactly a dance.

The sword movements that no normal person can follow with their eyes leave their traces in the air, painted with rain and lightning.

A breathtaking sword dance.

[SHADOW TRADES TEN ATTACKS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE]
- CHAPTER 86
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“I shall show you my true sword.”

So saying, Shadow returns his jet black blade to its original length.

That is his original maai.

“I’m coming.”

At the same time he speaks, he’s already stepped in.

Then, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world, he closes their maai.

“?!”

Then an impact.

The instant Beatrix realizes that her maai had been breached, she abandoned offense and focused solely on defense. However, she could not see Shadow’s sword at all.

Not only her, no one else in the venue could see it.

That single stroke…… did not cut rain.

“——Kuh!!”

Knocked back by the impact, Beatrix rolls inside the rain.

Though she could not see the sword, she was able to defend through her intuition alone. However, it was barely by the skin of her teeth. She was unsightly knocked back far away, unable to even initiate a counterattack.

She immediately leaps back to her feet in preparation for a follow up attack.

Thunder roars, and Shadow disappears along with the fading lightning.

That instant, Shadow is already standing before her.

Brandishing his invisible sword.

She concentrates on Shadow’s sword with all of her nerves, then again is assaulted by an impact.

“——!!”

She truly could not see it.

Ignoring the dirt smeared onto her face, Beatrix stands up and immediately jumps back to take a distance.

Once again she had blocked in time, but it was only due to intuition and luck.

There is no guarantee that she’ll be able to block the next one too.

But no follow up attack is forthcoming.

Beatrix stares at Shadow underneath the lightning and racks her mind.

Why can’t she see it?

It was not merely fast. Shadow’s sword is somehow…… different.

Through her experience of fighting accrued over her long life, she finally reaches the answer.

Shadow’s sword is——nature itself.

During a fight, while dealing with many swords at the same time, a fast sword is indeed a threat. However, even a fast sword requires a preliminary movement. Even if she doesn’t see that preliminary movement, her fighting experience can tell her when the attack would reach. As long as she pays attention, dealing with it is not impossible.

But the sword that is the greatest threat during a fight is the one beyond her awareness. Speed is not needed there. The key lies solely in being beyond her awareness.

Shadow’s sword is natural.

Without killing intent, without hesitation, without strength, possessing only naturalness.

People do not pay attention to what is natural.

Just as she does not pay attention to the falling rain, Shadow’s sword slips out of her awareness.

“That’s amazing……”

Beatrix can only stand in wonder before the depth of Shadow’s sword. His technique is a bottomless abyss that no one can ever reach.

And thus, she resolves herself for her defeat.

[SHADOW CAN BLITZ BEATRIX, WHO HAS PRETTY CASUALLY SUBSONIC REACTIONS (ABOVE FEAT) AND HIS SWORD STYLE SPECIFICALLY COUNTERS MOVE READING AND KILLING INTENT READING]
- CHAPTER 86
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A exceptionally loud peal of thunder prompts Iris to leap forward.

Immediately closing the distance, her longsword aims for Shadow’s neck.

However, Shadow evades it by stepping back a mere half-step. Anticipating her sword to miss, he moves into the next motion.

However, Iris’ sword stretches.

She has apparently let go of her sword to forcefully increase her reach.

Shadow instantaneously alters his movement. The sword that he was about to counterattack with returns in time to deflect Iris’ sword.

So ends Iris’ attack——or at least, that’s what she wants him to think.

In actual fact, she is still rushing towards him, riding the momentum and reaching out to tackle his torso.

She has indeed demonstrated her resolve to stop his movement even at the cost of her own life.

There’s no time for evasion.

“Well done.”

The next instant, Shadow’s knee hammers into Iris’ face.

There was no way she could have known.

Barehanded combat is actually Shadow’s most proficient style.

Iris’ body crumples.

[SHADOW IS BETTER AT H2H THAN HE IS AT SWORDPLAY]
- CHAPTER 87
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Beatrix’s longsword smashes against Shadow’s jet black sword with every ounce of strength that she can muster.

Along with an incredible crash, Shadow’s sword, hand, and arm are blown back with force.

Shadow has lost his posture.

This is the most ideal opportunity.

Beatrix seizes this moment perfectly to make a follow up attack.

However, Shadow is even faster at letting go of his sword.

In a split second, he had decided to discard his sword.

Then he disappears.

To a place beyond Beatrix’s view.

“Below?!”

He is stooped over so low that it seems like he is crawling on the ground. Before she can react, he has already grabbed her waist. In sharp contrast to Iris, his movements are levels apart in polish and elegance.

He is too close for Beatrix to use her longsword.

Shadow handily shoulders Beatrix, then slams her body onto the floor.

“Gahah!!”

The stone floor cracks from the impact. All the air inside her lungs is expelled.

But at that moment, the distance between them is just enough for her to swing her longsword.

Beatrix brandishes her sword even as her consciousness is fading away.

Shadow pays it no mind, proceeding to pick Beatrix up again and slamming her against the grou——or not, instead letting go halfway through.

Beatrix’s longsword cuts nothing, as she herself crashes into the wall of the arena.

With a violent sound, her body sinks into the wall.

Then a sound of something cutting the air can be heard as something falls from the sky.

Shadow reaches out a hand to catch it, revealing it to be——a jet black sword.

As if everything had been according to his plan from the very start……

The lightning illuminates the two motionless bodies collapsed on the ground.

Beatrix and Iris had challenged him together but could not get even a single hit in. This shocking truth has filled all the spectators’ hearts with disbelief and terror.

“…… So it’s over.”

After one last glance at the two of them, Shadow turns his heels.

“St-, stop right there……”

That voice stops his feet.

“I, I can still fight……”

With shaky footing, Iris stands up.

In continuation, Beatrix also pushes aside the debris from the wall, getting up.

[SHADOW INSTANTLY MOVING INTO H2H TO TAKE SOMEONE DOWN AFTER BEING DISARMED AND BOTH CRACKING THE FLOOR AND CRATERING A WALL WITH HIS HITS]
- CHAPTER 87
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The next instant, the entire fighting arena is stained with violet light.

“Wh-……?!”

“!!”

A devastating torrent of magic.

It flows out from Shadow’s body, drawing out a spiraling whirlpool.

The rain is being swallowed and erased by the magic.

“Don’t tell me…… you really……?!”

“This…… cannot be won.”

The overwhelming strength beyond anything that Iris and Beatrix has dreamt of causes the two of them to become petrified.

If he brandishes this strength, this entire arena would be erased.

Iris, Beatrix, and the audience——in the face of this strength, all of them are equal. Equally powerless, that is.

“Where is the need for me to run away?”

No one can stop him. Every single person is forced to swallow this fact, regardless of whether they are willing or not.

[SHADOW WAS MASSIVELY HOLDING BACK AGAINST BEATRIX AND IRIS, AND HIM UNLEASHING FULL STRENGTH WOULD DESTROY THE ENTIRE ARENA THEY'RE IN]
- CHAPTER 87
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Shadow looks meaningfully at Iris, then draws all the roaring magic into his sword.

“Who your real enemy is…… don’t lose sight of that.”

Then, the violet magic is released into the sky.

The blinding light stains the arena, the royal capital, and the sky, completely blowing away the rain clouds.

When the light subsides, the only thing left is a clear, blue sky that stretches from horizon to horizon.

Shadow’s figure is nowhere to be seen.

The clouds, the rain, the lightning, and Shadow himself…… it is as if everything just now had been a mere dream.

“‘Who your real enemy is, don’t lose sight of that’…… Shadow, exactly who are you……”

Iris looks up at the cloudless sky, murmuring the words that Shadow had left behind.

His aim…… and the real enemy……

“…… How pretty.”

There is a huge rainbow hanging in the sky.

[HIM UNLEASHING HIS MAGIC PARTS STORM CLOUDS FROM HORIZON TO HORIZON]
- CHAPTER 87
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