Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

Such a disadvantage.

An ordinary person would have panicked long ago.

But Wilhelm the Sword Demon is still Wilhelm the Sword Demon.

Not only was he unaffected, but his gaze became even more focused, as if he had entered a state of constantly approaching the ultimate.

clang!clang!clang!

The sound of swords ringing out in unison filled the hall.

The two fought their way from between the broken pillars to the steps, their cold glints flashing as pebbles flew from their feet.

Wilhelm's form has improved incredibly quickly!

Just moments ago, he was retreating step by step, but after only a hundred moves, he was already able to directly withstand the Heaven-Hateing Sword Technique.

Natsuki Subaru wasn't annoyed at all; on the contrary, he became more and more excited as the fight went on, his mouth almost stretching to his ears.

"Okay!"

He raised his sword to block the oncoming thrust, using the force of the two swords clashing to close the distance by half a step.

"Old hero, we knew we hadn't misjudged you!"

"Yes, that's the spirit!"

"If you continue to back down like before, even if we win, it will only be a victory over a decrepit old man. Now, let's have a real spar!"

Wilhelm still did not answer.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Could it be that once the old hero starts fighting, he only recognizes the sword and not the person?"

Natsuki Subaru kept talking, but his sword didn't slow down at all.

"Very well! Today, I'll settle things with my sword!"

As the swordplay continued, Subaru Natsuki gradually began to feel it.

Wilhelm was not silent; rather, he poured all his words into his swordplay.

Since that's the case, Subaru Natsuki simply stopped talking.

He poured all his emotions into his sword.

The clash of their swords grew more and more frequent until, in the end, their arms and swords became almost afterimages.

This is a sword fight, and also Wilhelm's comfort zone in interpersonal relationships.

Many people in the world can conceal their true feelings and fabricate their origins, but the sword in a person's hand is hard to lie.

What did you sacrifice when attacking? What did you instinctively protect when retreating? What were you willing to give up for the next strike when facing a desperate situation?

Wilhelm believed that these choices were closer to a person's true feelings than words.

But besides Theresa, only Subaru Natsuki could connect with him on a swordsmanship level to this extent!

Wilhelm was carefully sensing it.

Subaru Natsuki's sword is fierce; every strike is aimed at taking the person in front of him down with him.

But whenever the battle circle shifted towards Aiko's direction, he would always step forward half a foot ahead, blocking the men and women behind him from his sword circle again.

This is protection.

Just like the reason Natsuki Subaru once told him...

His sword was drawn to protect...

The swords clashed once more, and through the force that made his wrist ache, Wilhelm felt as if he had vaguely touched something even deeper.

Subaru Natsuki's goal always seems to be further away.

His sword slashed at the person in front of him.

But the hatred it contained had already transcended the opponent before him, heading all the way towards an untouchable enemy.

This hatred has accumulated so deeply with each loss that it has become irreversible.

Why was Wilhelm able to touch it so clearly?

Because he was very familiar with this kind of sword.

After Theresa died in battle, he gripped the sword hilt in the same way, dedicating the rest of his life to hunting down the white whale that had taken his wife.

However, Natsuki Subaru's sword, honed by hatred, grew increasingly fierce in battle.

And his sword, tainted by hatred, grew increasingly dull...

As they passed each other once more, a faint smile appeared on Wilhelm's aged face.

Not only did they have the same reason for picking up the sword...

It turns out that at this very moment, the reason you and I are wielding our swords is the same...

Subaru, you really are my best friend!

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the last trace of hesitation that had been pressing down on his sword was shaken off.

Wilhelm's back straightened slowly, and his next breath was longer than before.

His white hair still hung down his forehead, but the man holding the sword seemed to have returned to the years when he galloped across the battlefield, his footsteps so light that they were almost silent.

The dull, clumsy blade was sharpened on the sword-wielding figures, who were almost identical to each other...

"happy!"

Wilhelm was feeling Natsuki Subaru's presence.

Wasn't Subaru Natsuki also experiencing Wilhelm's feelings?

Noticing the change approaching, Subaru's eyes shone with an astonishing light.

He also realized that Wilhelm might be the person he was looking for!

The person who could help him reach the level of the 'Heart-Hating Sword'...

"I've traveled through the Three Kingdoms for many years and seen countless heroes! You're the first one who seems to grow younger with each battle!"

"Come! Let me see again just how fast the old hero's sword really was back then!"

The sword accelerated and disappeared from Subaru Natsuki's sight.

Clang!

Subaru Natsuki instinctively swung his sword back, but just as his wrist caught the attack, a second sword light was already pressing down on his chest.

He blocked with his sword again, and a cold line of flesh rose on his shoulder. If he hadn't reacted in time, it wouldn't have been just his clothes that were cut open.

From that first sword strike, Subaru Natsuki began to gradually fall into a disadvantageous position.

Reinhard stood outside the battle circle, his eyes fixed on the two swordsmen, so that he could intervene if anything irreversible happened.

Fortunately, it seems that even if Subaru Natsuki is willing to be injured by Wilhelm, he has not used his trump card to instantly defeat Wilhelm.

Arigato, Subaru, you are such a kind person!

Reinhard was deeply moved.

The next second, as if sensing something, he tightened his grip on the dragon sword slightly.

The scabbard is vibrating.

The movement was extremely slight, yet it could not escape his grasp. A word entered Reinhard's mind from the Dragon Sword.

Wilhelm's sword strikes grew faster and faster, and a certain sharpness dormant within his aging body awakened, touching the earth once more...

"grandfather……"

Reinhardt's voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the sword.

Russell Ferro stared intently at the battle, then asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"Grandfather is approaching the Heavenly Sword."

"Heavenly Sword?"

"The highest level that swordsmanship can reach."

"If the Sword Saint's blessing allows me to see a line when I swing my sword, I only need to follow that line to slash, and I can become a sword master in the eyes of the world."

"Those who reach the Heavenly Sword will be able to see even more lines..."

As Reinhard's voice faded, the game began to become increasingly one-sided.

Subaru Natsuki had been forced back several steps by the chaotic swordplay, and each time he raised his sword only halfway, Wilhelm's sharp edge would block his path in advance.

The old man, who had been struggling to breathe under the pressure of the Heaven-Hating Sword Technique, became increasingly agile as the battle progressed. In contrast, Natsuki Subaru's arm grew heavier and heavier with each successive clash.

"What a fine old hero!"

He narrowly dodged a sword that grazed his brow, but instead of being discouraged, the excitement in his eyes intensified.

"That's true..."

"We have occupied the palace and seized the prime minister today, and we are at the height of our power! It is normal for us to lose."

"So our family has become arrogant too!"

Before he could finish speaking, Wilhelm's sword pierced through his hastily erected defense, leaving another gash in his chest.

Natsuki Subaru glanced down, his laughter undiminished, and his movements remained unchanged despite the pain. He raised his hand and returned the sword to its original position.

As Wilhelm deflected the attack, he also understood the meaning behind the sword strike.

Natsuki Subaru accepts that he has already lost.

Losing doesn't mean the sword stops!

This is Subaru Natsuki's sword!

You can kill me, but you can never make me stop swinging my sword!

Wilhelm's eyes deepened. Was it a swordsmanship that would fight to the death?

This does indeed closely resemble the expression in Subaru Natsuki's eyes, conveying the feeling of having faced death countless times.

Is killing the only option...?

The two fought to a stalemate.

Unbeknownst to anyone, on the other side of the hall, Capella was also coldly watching the battlefield between the two.

But there was no smile on her face.

Even when she saw Wilhelm force the dark-haired boy back for the third time and leave bloodstains on him, her teeth were grinding together.

She rolled her eyes and gave a cold glance at the girl who was holding her.

"Use your power to break the seal on me."

Clarissa shuddered and nearly let go of her hand.

She looked down to meet Capela's gaze, her already scabbed nails biting into her teeth again.

"But...but Daddy..."

"Can't you hear what I'm saying? Or..." Capella's voice changed:

"Have I been too gentle with you all the time?"

Clarissa's already fair complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.

He quickly and gently placed his hand on Capella's neck.

Fine cracks burrowed into her skin from her fingertips, creeping outwards along the point where the seal connected to her flesh.

The seal wrapped around Capella's remains was extremely intricate. If it were to be dismantled normally, one would need to understand the connections between each layer of the spell, and an ordinary sorcerer might not be able to break it even after a year.

However, Clarissa herself is not a sorcerer, but her [Shatter] ability is able to bypass this problem.

A solution is needed to resolve this.

Destruction only requires finding the place that holds the seal.

A dark purple light flashed continuously on Capella's body.

Before the second flash had fully illuminated, cracks had already pierced through the entire seal.