Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 198 The Hero's Sword

In the center of the camp, a completely unequal contest is underway.

"Snapped!"

The little girl with white hair pushed off the ground with both feet and swung her long sword fiercely.

The girl swung her long greatsword, swinging it sharply from bottom to top, using centrifugal force to create an arc of light.

The ferocity and outburst at that moment were like a vicious wolf pouncing on its prey, or a sand shark suddenly leaping out of the sand.

Her opponent, the middle-aged knight, was also somewhat surprised by the ferocity of her swordsmanship; it wasn't the kind of swordsmanship a child should possess.
"Snapped!"

With a slight turn, he used the blade of his dagger to deflect the sudden attack.

The force of the counterattack was not great; it was merely a basic level of parry. And this kind of power, without the flying girl's sword, allowed the battle to continue.

"Ha!" After a slightly childish shout, the attack returned.

Lana suddenly lunged forward, this time aiming for the middle-aged knight's neck!

"Snapped!"

However, the overly direct sword strike was gently pressed back by the opponent's sword hilt.

Even at this moment, the girl's sword did not leave her hand; if it were Rean, the first strike would have already been completed.
"Knight Commander Kahn is truly amazing; his technique for generating power is absolutely perfect."

The fact that Lana was able to keep fighting with her sword wasn't because she was so good, but because her opponent, Kane, was so good.

In real sword sparring, simply using the side of the sword and the hilt to parry and minimize the recoil from one's movements is a technique that minimizes the force exerted, which is much more difficult than large, sweeping movements.

Therefore, the competition can continue, and the little guy can grow rapidly through practical training.

"This girl is really something, she's practically a wild beast. Once she grows up a bit more and makes up for her lack of strength, we might all lose to her."

"Hehe, you seniors are too modest."

Rean certainly didn't take it seriously. The little guy was doing very well, but it was too early to talk about his future before he was fully mature.

This is an empty area of ​​the temporary camp, and the knights, having some free time, naturally look for something to do.

Practicing with her partner has become a daily routine. The little one even asked to go up for a practice session herself.

The knights had a very good opinion of the little girl; for her age, her swordsmanship was quite amazing, however…
"I'm not saying this, but this kind of fighting style really makes it easy to die young."

“Yes, I’ve told her repeatedly, but she just won’t listen.” Rean sighed, shrugged, and acted like a helpless parent whose child was repeatedly unrepentant.

"No, I'm talking about you. How did you even survive to this day?"

Claire Frode, the leader of the Radiant Guard and known as the "Red-Haired Demon," had met Rean once before.

At this moment, she felt somewhat helpless; she had truly seen something new today.

She herself was known for her wild and fearless fighting style, but after seeing the little guy and Rean's swordsmanship, she realized that she was still inferior to them in terms of being reckless.

“Generally speaking, swordsmanship style is a balance of offense and defense. Two-handed swords are considered offensive weapons. Excellent swordsmen are 70% offensive and 30% defensive. That kid is about 90% offensive and 10% defensive, always targeting the opponent's vital points. Yours is even more outrageous.”

The Grand Knight sighed; she truly hadn't expected that Rean had survived with such a fighting style.

"You're almost 100% offensive and 0% defensive, just relying on your armor to tank the damage. Let's see who dies first."

Rean only sparred with four or five people before he couldn't continue. In a real sword duel between equals, his fighting style was too pure, a purely battlefield killing sword technique.

"He's becoming more and more like that person." Dania, who was watching from the sidelines, hadn't noticed it before, but now, looking at Rean's swordsmanship style, he was becoming more and more like that heroic uncle who wielded a door panel greatsword and killed indiscriminately.

Why should I defend if I can cut through everything?

As long as I can trade blows for blows, even if it means you get your armor pierced and you're more seriously injured, why should I defend?

The Holy Sword, devoid of forgiveness and patience, embodies a pure, head-on combat style, where the victor naturally survives.

Perhaps I am destined to be covered in scars, but even in the end, my back will remain clean and unharmed.

"Uh, I'm confident in my armor."

Rean patted his black armor and could only grin foolishly.

Dania, standing to the side, inexplicably turned her attention to Lana. The little one was trying very hard; even when facing opponents she couldn't defeat and her hands were numb from the shock, she still gritted her teeth and persevered.

"How strange, why do I always feel like I've seen this kind of swordsmanship before?"

"Hmm, the more I look at her, the more familiar she seems. Who is she? It looks like she's the sister Lena I've seen in the last few years? Hmm, probably not. Maybe I'm just imagining things." Rean was unaware that some rather terrifying changes were taking place on Dania.

What caused all of this was actually his own gift.
[The Deceiver's Ring (Unknown Level): It is part of something else, the embodiment of a deceitful person.]

[The Deceiver's Privilege (Unknown Level): Call upon it, and any agreement made under its witness will be nothing but a lie and a joke. The adjusted oath will only apply to the ring itself.]

The snake wasn't lying; that characteristic was real, but as always, it only told half the story.

This ring, which has been torn in half, naturally has far more functions than just this one.

[The Deceiver's Intuition (Unknown Level): Your words are more believable; you are more likely to see through lies and deception; you are more likely to see the truth beneath lies and illusions.]

The lack of specific details only proves how terrifying this ring is; it is a purely "passive rule," impervious to any magical fluctuations or detection spells.

Wearing it makes Dania's words more easily accepted, and leaves no trace of influence.

Previously, Rean was vaguely suspected of having a connection with Sue and Rex, also due to the effect of this ring. Now, she inexplicably connects Lana with the hero Lena, which is also due to her enhanced "Deceitful Intuition".

This is just the beginning. From now on, Dania will become more and more perceptive, and no lies or traps can deceive her. Her words and proposals will always be persuasive.

This completely imperceptible "normal effect" has led people to praise it as a divine artifact.

In reality, only magical artifacts have such completely unreasonable "self-defined rules".

It shattered the limitations of reality and the material universe, yet it seemed as if it were meant to be, without any fluctuations of extraordinary power.

And that's not all the ring's functions.

[The Fraudster Doesn't Die in a Car Crash (Unknown Level): After the holder dies, they will undergo a "snake molt" and be resurrected in a safe area (maximum one charge, charging time is ten years)]

[Usage Requirements: Dragonborn of the Thousand-Faced Dragon (Female Only)]

[Ha, had a son? Get lost, men should go and work hard themselves.]

In a sense, snakes really do favor daughters.

This means that even if Dania is really stabbed, she can return from the underworld. As long as she doesn't die twice within ten years, she will be truly immortal.

The ring has three functions that you wouldn't normally notice, but they can be very helpful in crucial moments.

The snake's thinking was straightforward: since it needed to tear off a part of itself to interfere with the gods anyway, it might as well do it properly to avoid wasting time.

"This child has suffered a lot, and it's all Li Ensu's fault!"

Snake sighed. Perhaps he and Lex were both bastards, but they were still quite good to their own people. As for Lex, he could just consider it a way of making up for his other self.

"what!"

On the field, the little guy was still working hard, while Rean had already become one with the knights. On a physical level, they quickly established a close connection.

“Lex? Uh, I know him, but unfortunately his face was erased by an evil curse. How should I put it, the real him is slightly different from the legend, slightly.” Knight Commander Kahn’s expression seemed to suggest that the scope of this “slight” was a bit far-fetched.

It seems that the real hero Lex Luthor is quite different from the one portrayed in official records.

After failing to find any information about that year in libraries or official reports, Rean naturally turned his attention to these veteran knights.

Considering their ages, they might have experienced that war back then, and could even be among the participants.

Now it's another Radiant Guard's turn to go on stage. Knight Commander Kahn wipes his sweat while chatting with the other knights.

Rean then steered the conversation towards Lex's side.
“Rean, you also use the Hero’s Sword style, no wonder you’re interested in him. Actually, it’s not that I can’t say his sword is very beautiful.”

In the eyes of Knight Commander Kahn, the one thing that cannot be deceived most about warriors and knights is a sword. With such a sword, the little guy and Rean are destined for greatness.

He hesitated for a moment, for he and another Radiant Guard Knight Commander both saw the extremes in their swordsmanship.

Extremes are not necessarily bad, but dying before reaching maturity is not a good thing.

Seeing that Rean was interested in the former hero, he followed suit and mentioned it as well.

"What I'm about to say might overturn your understanding: the Hero's sword is more insane and extreme than yours."

His gaze fell on Rean, and he felt more and more that the two were similar in some ways.

"He's not only all-out offense, but he's far more extreme than you; he seems completely oblivious to life, death, and fear."

(End of this chapter)