It's so hard being a hero!

Samira drew her longsword.

It was a dark red one-handed sword with intricate flame patterns engraved on its blade, gleaming with a faint red light under the moonlight.

Sophia stood opposite her and drew her silver magic sword from her waist.

The blade shimmered with a pale blue light under the moonlight, a stark contrast to Samira's dark red longsword.

"Let's begin then."

As soon as she finished speaking, Sami pulled it.

Her footsteps were very light, making almost no sound as she stepped on the sandy riverbank.

But he was incredibly fast, like a black lightning bolt, and in the blink of an eye he was in front of Sophia.

The dark red longsword slashed upwards, its tip aimed straight for Sophia's chin.

This sword strike was swift and ruthless, without any unnecessary movements.

Sofia did not back down.

She dodged to the side, and the silver longsword slashed down from above, aiming for Samira's right shoulder.

Samira sheathed her sword to parry, and the two swords clashed in mid-air, producing a crisp metallic clang.

Sparks flew everywhere.

Both of them took a step back at the same time.

Samira's eyes lit up.

"The response is good."

"You too."

Sofia smiled, pushed off with her feet, and launched the first attack.

Her sword was fast, but not in a brute way; rather, it was a rhythmic kind of fast.

Sword after sword, each aimed at Samira's vitals, but each sword changed its move just before it was about to strike.

This style of play is very frustrating.

You defended against the first sword, but the second sword came; you defended against the second sword, but the third sword changed direction.

Samira parried and retreated, leaving a trail of deep footprints in the sand.

But instead of panicking, she looked excited.

"His swordsmanship is indeed superb."

She whispered something, then suddenly changed her tactics.

His right hand, which was originally used for parrying, suddenly exerted force, deflecting Sophia's sword. At the same time, his left hand pushed on the hilt of the sword, and the dark red longsword stabbed towards Sophia's abdomen at a tricky angle.

This move was quick and sudden, with almost no warning.

Sophia's pupils contracted, and her body instinctively leaned back. The tip of the sword grazed her clothes, cutting a gash in her waist-cinching coat.

She steadied herself, glanced down at her torn clothes, then looked up at Samira.

Samira charged at him again.

The opponent's swordsmanship became faster and sharper, each strike carrying an indomitable momentum.

But the more Sofia looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

This fighting style, this rhythm, this way of changing tactics...

She seemed familiar.

Sofia parried the attacks while her mind raced.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

Vic.

That's right, that's Vic's fighting style.

That kind of fighting style that seems open and expansive, but actually hides deadly intent; that habit of suddenly changing tactics during an attack, making it impossible to defend against.

This is clearly Vic's swordsmanship.

Sophia narrowed her eyes.

While parrying Samira's attacks, she carefully observed her opponent's every move.

The more I look at it, the more certain I become.

Every detail bears Vic's mark.

But Sofia didn't ask.

She's just a twelve-year-old girl; she shouldn't know someone as powerful as Vic.

Saying it out loud would only cause trouble.

Sofia gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, deciding to no longer passively defend herself.

The silver longsword transformed into a streak of light under the moonlight, piercing straight towards Samira's chest.

Samira raised her sword to parry.

But just before the collision, Sofia's sword suddenly changed direction, from a thrust to a slash, the blade cutting towards Samira's wrist.

Samira quickly withdrew her hand and took a step back.

Sofia gave her no chance to catch her breath, taking three quick steps and thrusting her silver longsword out from three different angles in succession.

Samira retreated three steps, each step barely dodging Sofia's sword tip.

But the expression on her face grew increasingly serious.

Because every sword strike from Sofia seemed to anticipate her reaction.

She dodged to the left, and Sophia's sword veered to the left as well.

She dodged to the right, and Sofia's sword followed suit to the right.

It was as if Sophia had seen through all her tricks and knew what she would do next.

This is not normal.

Samira gritted her teeth and decided to change her tactics.

She no longer fought in her usual way, but tried to fight Sofia with a completely new rhythm.

But it didn't work.

Sofia's sword was like a persistent leech, always following her every move. No matter how she changed her tactics, she could never shake off the feeling of being seen through.

"you?"

Samira couldn't help but speak, but she swallowed the words back.

Sofia didn't respond, but continued her attack.

The silver longsword drew an arc in the air, slashing towards Samira's neck from the side.

Samira instinctively raised her sword to block.

But Sofia changed her move again just before the sword was about to collide.

The sword tip bypassed Samira's sword and pierced straight into her shoulder socket.

The sword strike was too fast; Samira didn't even have time to react.

The tip of the sword stopped less than an inch from her shoulder.

The cold blade pressed against my skin, carrying a chill.

The riverbank fell silent instantly.

Everyone was stunned.

They all looked like they'd seen a ghost.

Their leader, Samira, actually lost to a twelve-year-old girl in a swordsmanship contest between people of the same skill level.

And they lost so decisively.

"I...I lost."

Samira looked at the sword tip at her neck and reluctantly sheathed her sword.

Sophia also sheathed her sword, took two steps back, and grinned.

"Hehe, you flatter me."

Samira stared at her for several seconds, then took a deep breath.

"Your swordsmanship is excellent."

Her tone was very serious.

"At the same level, I can't beat you."

Sophia smiled awkwardly, thinking to herself: Using Vic's swordsmanship to fight me, there's no way he can beat me.

Samira stared at Sofia for a long time before turning and walking back to the camp.

Bart came closer, his expression still blank.

"Commander, did you really lose just now?"

Samira paused, turned around and glanced at him.

That look in his eyes was so cold it could freeze you to death.

Bart immediately shut his mouth, shrank his neck, and dared not say another word.

Chapter 57 A Bloody Baptism

The night passed just like that.

But ever since the sparring session that night, everyone's attitude towards Sophia has clearly changed, and they have become much more polite.