Among the numerous devils in history, there was one who was known to be the strongest⌠the one called the âDemon Dragon Kingâ. The creature, whoâs head this man had cut off by himself with no help.
He was the reason why the Lindsay family was considered as the best swordsmanship family despite its relatively short history of 400 years.
And now, that person was standing in front of her. With his silver hair fluttering⌠like it was the symbol of her family. He gave off a familiar yet unfamiliar energy.
ButâŚ
ââŚreally, are you the first LordâŚ?â
Ilya Lindsay was skeptical.
It was because Dion Lindsayâs appearance was different from what she had thought.
âA little⌠No, a lot.â
400 years ago magic wasnât as developed as it was now, so there were no magic pictures taken. However, since there were many famous painters, the face of Dion Lindsay had been splendidly captured and widely known to this day.
However, this old man in her eyes, no matter how good he might be, looked mediocre.
Despite his age, he had a dignified air, but that was all. She looked at him and said,
âSo, UmâŚâ
âRight.â
âUh?â
âThe portraits left in the family, well a little⌠I made them do it so I look a little handsome⌠huhuâŚâ
ââŚa little?â
Ilya had a shocked expression. She wanted to ask if this man had any conscience. As a matter of fact, even though she hadnât said anything, those thoughts were conveyed through her eyes.
But Dion Lindsay didnât feel discouraged.
Rather, with his chest puffed up, he said.
âIt couldnât be helped.â
âWhat?â
âDid you know that even the same person looks different depending on the mood, emotional state and their achievements?â
âWhat are you suddenlyâŚâ
âAnswer the question. Am I wrong?â
ââŚYes⌠but no.â
Ilya nodded her head; Dion Lindsay was right.
On the days when she felt she was in good shape, her reflection would looked better in the mirror, and on the other hand, there were times she looked like a mess if she thought otherwise.
It was the same when she saw others as well. Bratt, who usually spoke nonsense looked like an idiot, but at the Warriorâs festival he looked like a hero with a dignified appearance.
As it was, there was a clear difference in appearance depending on the mood she had.
But how was that relevant here?
As if reading her thoughts, the old man continued.
âI am a hero.â
ââŚâ
âA great hero who appeared in the most difficult of times. A great hero.â
âUm, yes. ButâŚâ
âIn other words, there needs to be a natural charm that a hero exudes. However⌠unfortunately, there was no painter who could completely transfer that into a painting, at least not in my time.â
ââŚâ
âAnd this is it.â
âWhat is it?â
âIt is as you said⌠the reason I look a little more handsome in the portraits.â
âNo, what are you even saying?â
âIf the full charm of Dion Lindsay, the greatest hero of all time, couldnât be captured, it means that I had no choice but to make my appearance look a little more handsome to make up for the loss of it.â
ââŚâ
ââŚâ
ââŚâ
âYou donât seem to understand, huhuâŚâ
It was a pity, if only I was a few years youngerâŚ
Seeing the old man mumble, Ilya shook her head.
This was a mess. The respect she had for this man until now was crushed in an instant. However, that wasnât the only thing.
â⌠obviously, the first Lord is right.â
The momentum that spread just from him talking was unreal. The more she looked at him, the more his sword resembled her fatherâs⌠the more his aura embraced the wind.
Dion Lindsay was right.
She finally cleared her doubts and nodded.
âIlya Lindsay greets her ancestor.â
âHuhu. Right. I greet you too. I am Dion Lindsay, one of the greatest heroes in history that was powerful enough to remove the darkness of the continent.â
ââŚâ
ââŚâ
âWhat is with your eyes?
âNo. Nothing.â
Ilya rubbed her eyes and spoke.
âSo, what is the quest I have?â
âHmm.â
âDo I have to defeat the first Lord?â
Whoop!
Ilya Lindsay asked with a confident expression as the aura engulfed her body.
It wouldnât be easy, but she didnât think it would be impossible
âI am strong.â
What she told Lulu wasnât a bluff.
She was stronger now.
Of course, that didnât mean she could take it easy against Dion Lindsay. He was the creator of the Sky Sword after all
She felt enlightenment⌠it was something gained through a much richer and deeper conversation than the content that was conveyed through books.
But.
âI cannot leave Airn alone.â
This was more important to her. Ilya Lindsay nodded and said.
âI think that is right, letâs get started right away then.â
And she took a charging stance. There was no fear nor hesitation.
Ilya Lindsay didnât waver, even when she came face to face with the man who was known to be one of the best in the history of the continent.
For her lover.
For Airn Pareira.
She couldnât fall apart here.
âQuestâŚ. Defeat Dion Lindsay.â
If she achieved that, Lulu would no longer be able to separate her from Airn. Thinking that, the silver haired swordsman gained some confidence.
It was that moment.
The other silver haired swordsman took a leisurely pose.
Shh
ââŚ!â
She didnât even know the wind was coming towards her until it touched her skin. Such was the skills of the first Lord. Even though it wasnât fast, he abused Ilyaâs gaps too easily during the match.
Of course, she wasnât victorious.
She grasped the situation even if it was late and swung her sword.
Swish!
A hundred times, a thousand times, a million times. It was an oblique cut which had the effort of numerous years melted into it.
And it wasnât a result of mere effort. One of the best talents of the continent was doing it, and the history of her family only proved to raise the fame she had.
The sword strike which gathered all of it, was sophisticated and powerful enough to elicit a sense of ecstasy beyond admiration.
Kang!
And it reached her opponent.
However, it didnât work, and was intercepted right away.
Ilya had a stiff expression as she looked at the opponent who seemed to be a lot stronger than she expected.
Dion Lindsay smiled.
He retrieved the sword and said.
âWhen do I get to see the skills of my descendant?â
âHowâŚâ
Pung!
Before she could speak, he stabbed his sword forward. Ilya quickly retreated as she saw the incoming stab which seemed like it wanted to pierce through space itself.
She frowned. A few strands of her hair were cut and flew in the wind in front of her.
If she had been a little⌠just a little slow, a brutal hole in her head would have been waiting for her.
It was something which struck awe in the young heroâs heartâŚ
âWas this the first time since the Warriorâs Festival?â
But it didnât happen.
Rather it was the opposite.
She had practiced for a long time.
And had remained stressed for a long time.
But now, she was feeling a sense of excitement and exhilaration after a long time!
Along with that, came the responsibility that she could never lose and a little desire to win was also added. Because of all of this, her senses were activated to an unknown level.
At last, the talented girl of the Lindsay family found her original mindset.
Pung!
â⌠who!â
A stab was fired at a speed which was as powerful as the previous attack. Maybe it mightâve been even more powerful than that. Dion Lindsay admired it as he saw it.
His eyes shone as he stepped back but Ilya didnât stop.
Tung!
The amount of aura coming from her was enough to crack open the ground itself, and a powerful hit followed that.
Then two more and then even more!
The first Lord of the family also quickly swung his sword. If someone saw the force with which she swung the sword⌠it was as if she was wearing the wind itself on her body.
Bang!
Whoop!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dozens more strikes were carried out in the blink of an eye. But they were all defended against.
It wasnât just a simple fight with just attacking and defending. The two would move in the most unpredictable directions⌠left and right, backwards and forwards⌠and the land around them was being terribly damaged.
Gigantic boulders were being crushed because of their force.
Apart from themselves, absolutely nothing around them could withstand the aura and the enormous force that was coming from their bodies.
And a minute passed. It was very short time.
But the number of clashes they had exchanged was innumerable.
Pat!
Pat!
As if they had discussed beforehand, both of them put distance between themselves.
And then there was silence.
Amidst the silence, Ilya stared at her opponent who was still relaxed.
ââŚa lot easier for him than me.â
That was very much true.
She was sure that he didnât seem too different from when she first saw him.
Although she was inferior regarding the aura she could produce, the situation shouldnât be that desperate considering she was superior physically because of her age.
YetâŚ
âI never shouldâve thought I could win over him easily.â
Phew
Ilya sighed.
She couldnât beat her opponent straightforwardly. She had to use a more powerful technique.
But she didnât like it.
The inevitable gap that was between that that forced her to use her best ability.
But she couldnât miss the chance.
Knowing that, she didnât change her choice.
Wong!
Woong!
Woong!
The last resort of Sky Sword.
It resembled Joshua Lindsayâs aura when he was trying to take down Airn Pareira.
The technique that let them rule over the sky. But the momentum from Ilyaâs body right now was more terrifying than that. However, the momentary instability it had was clear to the eyes of the one who was higher than her.
âHmm.â
ââŚâ
Dion Lindsay looked at her. He nodded as he waited.
Despite the intense aura from the opponentâs body and sword, and the vicious wind caused by it, he was relaxed.
Ilya Lindsay didnât like it, but she endured it and didnât stop.
If she had to let go of her pride for a win, she would do it.
And if she could solve the quest, she could return to Airnâs side again.
If only she couldâŚ
â⌠I can do anything.â
Woong!
A storm raged.
It was a much bigger storm than Joshua Lindsay had summoned. It was like intense and huge windstorm which seemed to swallow everything around, and it was lifting Ilya Lindsay to the sky.
She looked down.
The first Lord.
The old man still seemed relaxed, and the young hero was fixated on breaking that attitude.
After a while.
A more powerful blow than anything from before unfolded from Ilya Lindsay.
ââ!
The wind rose.
A roar followed it.
The womanâs power was unstoppable. Everything in her path was being crushed way too easily.
Nothing⌠not even a single boulder could stand in front of it unscathed.
But Dion Lindsayâs sword was an exception.
Woong!
Wong!
WoooongâŚ.
ââŚâ
The wind stopped.
The fierce wind which swept through the heavens and earth lost its strength and Ilyaâs charge to destroy her opponent lost its speed too.
And then came silence.
But it wasnât complete silence. The Lindsay familyâs child stared at the sword she had witnessed.
Woong!
It was a silver sword with a brilliant aura.
But it wasnât in Dion Lindsayâs hands.
She saw an incomprehensible spectacle of a sword emitting a sharp force while floating solidly without any extra support.
Ilya Lindsay unable to contain her curiosity, asked
âWhat is this?â
âWhat what is?â
âHow⌠can the sword move without you holding it? And to block the last form of the Sky SwordâŚâ
âHuhu, that wasnât the last one.â
â⌠then?â
âWhat you are seeing now. Being able to wield the sword without using our hands.â
Dion Lindsay glanced at his sword.
The sword that was brilliantly shining in silver moved in air with a graceful path.
It was a scene completely different from her sword. And this man looked more free than any swordsman she had ever seen.
The old manâs words resounded in her ears as she looked at the sword.