Chapter 163

Peregrie.

Right, Peregrie was a being who controlled storms.

I knew that fact—and I knew that Peregrie’s power was the power to command storms.

But at some point, I forgot that.

I merely used a part of the storm—the wind—through Peregrie’s power, summoning only lightning.

I never thought of drawing out more of that power, nor did I feel the need to.

Because, until now, controlling the wind and summoning lightning had been enough.

So I was simply content with that.

Leaving behind the most powerful, the most fundamental force.

‘Wind and lightning—they’re good, sure. But now… I understand. I haven’t even been using half of the power Peregrie gave me.’

I’d experienced only a fraction of the power granted to me and, satisfied with that, never studied it properly.

Had I done proper research—or even thought about it once—I would’ve realized it sooner.

If the power Peregrie granted me was 100, I had only been using about 20 of it.

That truth… I realized it just now, as I drew forth the power.

Rumble—

The dark clouds above the arena grew thicker.

As I glanced up, I saw that only the sky over the arena was turning rapidly gray.

Beyond it, the sky remained clear.

“What’s that? Why’s the sky suddenly—?”

“Wait, Gideon—did that student just change the weather?”

“But how could someone possibly control the weather…?”

As the clouds began to swirl overhead, countless spectators in the stands reacted with confusion and alarm.

Kafka, who had been beside Nazar, also rose abruptly to protect him, her face stiff with tension.

“The atmosphere’s quite different from earlier, isn’t it?”

Standing before me, Eisen tilted his head slightly.

Perhaps the lightning strike earlier had affected him; his movements had noticeably slowed.

Before he could recover… I had to draw out Peregrie’s power completely.

“You’re not just trying to summon one bolt of lightning, are you…? Maybe several at once—”

“No. I’m still far from being able to call down multiple bolts at once.”

“Then what are you planning to do?”

“…Because of your lava, Lord Eisen, I’ve found myself at quite a disadvantage. You’ve covered the arena with magma—meaning the entire terrain favors you now.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Nothing much… Let’s make this fight fair.”

With those words, I pulled sharply on Peregrie’s power.

‘Peregrie, the one who controlled the storm. And I… am the one who inherited that power.’

I murmured the words inwardly without realizing it.

Moments later, a raindrop fell from the sky.

Drop— Plop—

One drop became two, then three, then four… until they fell faster and faster.

“…Rain?”

At Eisen’s startled expression, I couldn’t help but smirk and raise my hand higher toward the sky.

The mark of Peregrie engraved on the back of my hand glowed brighter.

Then the light drizzle grew heavier and heavier—until, in an instant, it became a torrential downpour.

The rain poured so hard that visibility dropped to almost nothing.

“Whoa?! What’s with all this rain all of a sudden?!”

“Come on, get inside, hurry!”

As the deluge drenched the arena, most of the spectators rushed to find shelter.

Still, there were those who stayed, determined to witness the finals to the end.

And among them—of course—was Lisa.

Her clothes and hair were soaked through, but she still looked at me with anxious eyes.

‘…For Lisa’s sake, I have to win this.’

After exchanging a quick smile with Lisa, I turned my gaze back to Eisen.

Because of the downpour, the fierce flames surrounding him were almost all extinguished.

Some embers managed to burn through the storm, but they weakened continuously, unable to spread further.

And the magma that had flooded the arena… had already begun to harden into stone.

Of course, lava was still lava—it couldn’t all be solidified by rain alone.

But with this much of it turned to rock… it was enough.

“…I see. I’m definitely at a disadvantage in terms of elements.”

Eisen nodded as he watched his flames sputter and fade.

“With that power, you could completely seal the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Family.”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“But Gideon… you look exhausted.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah.”

Just as he said, summoning this storm had drained an enormous amount of stamina and focus.

I could barely maintain my aura.

But beyond that—I didn’t think I could use any more strength.

“Hm?”

A red mark appeared suddenly on my leg.

The moment I noticed it, Eisen moved.

I could’ve dodged his attack if I’d wanted to.

But an idea suddenly came to mind—a test I wanted to try.

So I didn’t move.

“Ugh.”

Eisen’s rapier, which had seemed aimed for my arm, suddenly shifted its trajectory.

And just as my Attack Prediction Skill warned, it slashed across my leg.

A sharp pain shot through me—but only for an instant.

The pain vanished almost immediately.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“…Huh?”

Eisen’s eyes widened as he glanced between my leg and my face.

And no wonder—because the leg he had just cut, the one that had been bleeding, had already healed completely.

“That level of regeneration isn’t normal… What trick did you use?”

“There’s a Water Rune engraved on my body. You could say it’s the power of that rune.”

Yes, the Water Rune.

Just like my swordsmanship, it was something I’d obtained in Muktaba—essentially a defensive rune.

A rune that created a barrier of water and could heal its owner’s wounds when water touched them.

‘And as long as I stay in contact with water, my overall physical abilities improve.’

I gave a faint smile.

Summoning the storm drained my mind and focus in real time.

But in contrast, my body—continuously soaked by the rain—felt healthier and stronger than ever.

“Lord Eisen, I believe you’ve assessed the situation by now.”

“Yeah. Because of this rain, I can’t use my fire magic or lava properly anymore. But you’re barely maintaining your aura because of the same storm you called down.”

“Correct. Which means this rain has sealed nearly all of our abilities.”

Still smiling, I lifted my sword.

“In this situation, there’s only one way for us to settle this match, wouldn’t you say?”

For a moment, I might have imagined it—but I thought Eisen also gave a faint smile.

“Do you think you can beat me in swordsmanship?”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

“…You’re quite an interesting man, Gideon. And this power… I’m certain now—you are the one I’ve been searching for.”

With those words, Eisen raised the hilt of his rapier before his face.

It was the opening stance of the Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship.

“So defeat me, Gideon Kyrgram. Surpass me.”

“Yes. From here on, let’s fight only with the sword, Lord Eisen.”

The rain did not stop.

Within the fierce downpour, Eisen continued his battle against Gideon.

‘…How irritating.’

The swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Family—

It was a technique both elegant and intricate, deceiving the opponent with dazzling precision, luring them into exposing a gap, then exploiting it for a fatal strike.

In other words, the core of this style was to mislead the opponent, create an opening, and capitalize on it.

Which meant—if the opponent showed no openings at all—the very foundation of the technique would collapse.

But that almost never happened.

Since the opponent was human—or rather, any being with instincts and senses—it was inevitable that they would eventually reveal an opening before the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Family.

But for the first time, Eisen was facing an exception to that rule.

‘He’s got no openings at all. It’s frustrating. How the hell is he blocking everything?’

When Gideon used all sorts of abilities, Eisen hadn’t realized it.

But once they began to fight using only swordsmanship, Eisen started to truly feel it—how incredibly solid Gideon’s defensive swordsmanship was.

“…Tch.”

Eisen moved irregularly.

He swung his rapier as if he were dancing, making it impossible for Gideon to predict where the next strike would land.

Then, with a swift motion, Eisen aimed his rapier at Gideon’s unguarded right flank—

Clang—!

—but Gideon blocked it.

As though he had anticipated the attack, he had already brought his sword to guard his waist.

Eisen felt not just frustrated, but genuinely astonished.

‘Is he seeing the future or something? How is he blocking every single attack?’

Eisen kept swinging his rapier.

But no matter what kind of movement he tried, Gideon blocked everything flawlessly.

At that moment, Eisen was suddenly reminded of Sara.

When he’d heard that Sara had lost to Gideon multiple times, he thought it was because she was still too weak.

But now that he was facing Gideon himself, he realized—it wasn’t that Sara was weak.

‘Gideon Kyrgram… There can’t be many people in the entire Empire who could break through this man’s swordsmanship.’

His defense was flawless.

So firm, so unyielding—it was enough to make one furious.

And Eisen instinctively understood.

That he would never defeat Gideon through swordsmanship alone.

Logically, he knew what he should do—wait until Gideon’s strength ran out.

‘He can’t keep this rain falling forever.’

From observing Gideon earlier, Eisen had realized that controlling the weather consumed tremendous energy.

So the method to win was actually simple—wait until the rain Gideon had summoned stopped, then overwhelm him again with fire magic.

A simple strategy… but Eisen’s pride couldn’t allow it.

He, too, took great pride in his swordsmanship—in the swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Family.

So he couldn’t accept that he was being outmatched in swordsmanship.

‘I’ll win here and now. With the sword.’

Eisen began to grow emotional.

A surge of competitiveness, and a suffocating sense of frustration.

In that moment, Eisen began to resemble his younger sister more and more—exactly as Gideon had intended.

‘He might deny it with words, but blood really doesn’t lie.’

Gideon thought to himself as he watched Eisen.

Even if they didn’t get along, siblings were siblings—when placed in the same situation, their reactions were eerily similar.

Just like Sara, the brilliant finesse in Eisen’s swordsmanship began to fade.

Overwhelmed by frustration and his desire to win, Eisen pressed forward with brute strength.

He swung his rapier violently, trying to crush Gideon’s defense through sheer power.

But of course, Gideon did not falter.

‘…Now.’

Once Gideon confirmed that Eisen’s precise technique had collapsed—

Clang—!

Gideon blocked Eisen’s attack and pushed him back.

Then, he shifted his stance.

Raising his sword with both hands above his shoulder—the stance of the Balmuth Family’s swordsmanship.

Gideon then brought his sword down toward Eisen with all his might.

Boom—!

Eisen barely dodged the blow, startled by the sudden shift.

And as he did, he quickly ran through his thoughts.

‘If it’s the Balmuth Family’s swordsmanship… it’s a slower style. Especially after a strike—that’s when it’s most vulnerable.’

The Balmuth Family’s swordsmanship was poorly matched against that of the Isrinbloom Family.

Because it relied on slower, heavier blows, it inevitably left many openings.

The moment Eisen saw Gideon using the Balmuth Family’s technique, he moved.

He immediately targeted one of the apparent openings—

Clang—!

Clang—!

Clang-clang—!

—but Gideon blocked them all.

The Balmuth Family’s swordsmanship should have been at its weakest right after a strike.

Yet Gideon had overcome that vulnerability with his own mastery.

Eisen couldn’t help but feel both impressed and increasingly frustrated.

He lashed out wildly, thrusting and slashing his rapier in a frenzy.

Naturally, Gideon blocked every one of those attacks too.

“Just… fall already!”

Eisen, now completely overtaken by emotion, swung with all his strength.

His aggressive motion widened his stance—and in doing so, created a fatal opening.

That was the very moment Gideon had been waiting for.

“Guh—?!”

Gideon drove his elbow straight into Eisen’s chest.

Thud—!

Caught off guard by the sudden counter, Eisen staggered backward, clutching his chest.

But he quickly recovered his balance and steadied his posture—

‘…That’s Instructor Luke’s swordsmanship.’

He saw the blade already in front of him.

Gideon was right there—closing the distance in an instant and swinging his sword down.

His feet were planted shoulder-width apart, fixed firmly to the ground, his posture aggressive and strong.

Eisen immediately raised his rapier to counter—

“…Huh?”

—but Gideon suddenly vanished from his field of view.

And in the next instant, he appeared out of Eisen’s sight—on his left.

Eisen instinctively brought his rapier to guard his left side—

Clang—!

Barely managing to block the strike.

But his eyes were trembling.

Because the technique Gideon had just shown—

‘That’s… one of the highest forms of our family’s techniques…!’

But his thought didn’t finish.

Because Gideon’s sword was already slicing toward his right leg.

Eisen moved his rapier down to block his leg—

“Arghhh?!”

—but Gideon’s blade suddenly changed direction mid-swing, cutting across Eisen’s right wrist and inner elbow.

He had been struck by one of the most basic movements of the Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship—his own family’s technique.

And Eisen realized that immediately.

“How the hell did you—Aagh!”

The moment Eisen dropped his rapier from his right hand,

Gideon spun, adding momentum, and slashed across Eisen’s left leg.

Then, with a kick to Eisen’s right leg, he sent him tumbling to the ground.

“Ugh… ughh.”

Driven by sheer determination not to lose, Eisen tried to reach for his fallen rapier with his still-functioning left hand.

But at that instant, he felt the chill of cold steel resting against his neck.

“Lord Eisen.”

Gideon, breathing heavily, spoke at last.

“For the tournament finals… shall we call this my victory?”

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