小婕子的第一次好紧

Chapter 89

Kane walked out of Mikhail\'s workshop and headed straight for the western gate. His destination was the demon forest where Sara was training.

"Kane, I can smell Sara and Camilla from this direction," Blata sniffed the air and led the way. The distance between Kane and Sara was quickly closing.

"The western hinterlands’ hidden territory... It must be those mutated frost creatures," Kane thought, recognizing monsters of similar strength to the Flame Golems. While strong, their low intelligence made them suitable for training.

"There they are," Kane said after walking for about five minutes, spotting a group of women in a dire state—Sara and her maids.

On the side Camilla looked equally worn out.

"You must\'ve had quite the ordeal," Kane commented. As soon as he appeared, Sara immediately drew her sword and charged at him without hesitation.

"Not a chance," Kane murmured, drawing his weapon,.

Clang!

In one fluid motion, Kane reversed his grip, spun past Sara, and landed behind her, his blade tracing her waist.

"You\'ve lost again," Kane said calmly. His blade was still touching her waist, a reminder that if this had been a killing blow, Sara\'s waist would have been severed. Kane\'s swift, clean movements made Anna\'s eyes widen in surprise.

"I thought I wouldn\'t be taken down so easily... but I was wrong," Sara admitted, realizing how challenging it was to subdue someone without causing any harm unless there was an extreme difference in skill levels.

"Young Master has grown even stronger, I see," Anna remarked. Kane sheathed his weapon and replied, "I haven\'t been idle."

"But your growth is too fast," she observed.

"Don\'t you think Sara\'s growth is even faster? It\'s only been two weeks, and she\'s advanced from a high-tier 3rd class to a Beginner-tier 4th class. Isn\'t that remarkable?"

This rapid improvement was thanks to Anna\'s harsh training, which pushed Sara to her limits through life-or-death situations, forcing her to elevate her skills.

"Sara was born with everything. Her mana channels are stronger and broader than those of people considered geniuses, and more importantly, the ‘Breath of the Blue Tiger’ flows more powerfully in her than even the Young Master," Anna explained, and Kane nodded.

Sara had inherited an extraordinary lineage. Not only did she take after her father, Duke Carl, but she also possessed the talents of her late mother. The only reason she had remained at 3rd class was the lack of proper instruction.

For her to have grown this much on her own was already impressive.

If she had been trained systematically from a young age...

"She would’ve easily claimed a spot among the Twelve Young Stars of the Continent," Kane mused, thinking of the monster she could have become.

In his past life, Sara had received proper training only long after her family had fallen, and by then, it had been from Joseph, not from Anna. Yet even then, Sara had managed to hold her own, which made her current monstrous growth all the more understandable.

Sara\'s development was truly astounding.

[4★ Camilla Einrich (Lv.17)]

"Camilla must have risked her life during training... yet her strength remains at the same level I had advanced her to— Beginner-tier 4th class."

The last time Kane saw her was before heading to the Shadow Isles, her level was 5. Now, it was 17. She had raised her level by 12. Though Camilla had grown a lot, the gap in natural talent was evident here.

[3★ Sara Rehinar (Lv.59)]

A 3-star character\'s max level is 60, and Sara was still 1 level short. In fact, after training against the mutated monsters of the 4th class, she should have already reached max level. However, the fact that she hadn\'t meant her experience pool was that much larger.

"I\'ll need to promote her to 4-star," Kane murmured.

Blata roared in excitement. "Raaagh! We\'re going to see Kane\'s power again?"

Blata’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Anna, let\'s delay our return for a bit."

"As you wish, Young Master," Anna replied.

Kane moved to an open space. Though it was called a clearing, there were trees all around just a bit further away.

"Sara, there\'s something I need to teach you," Kane said, taking out the two swords Mikhail had forged: [Water’s Hundred Edge] and [Ice’s Hundred Edge]. Simultaneously, he opened Sara’s status window.

[Your relationship has reached \'Trust\'.]

[You can transfer skills to the target.]

[Would you like to pass on the Guardian Family’s signature technique: Twin Swords of protection to Sara Rehinar? (Y/N)]

\'Accept.\'

[Alert! The success of the skill transfer depends on how well the recipient can reproduce the skill.]

Since Kane had done this before, he put his utmost effort into it.

[Breath of the Blood Tiger (SR-) has been activated.]

Water mana swirled around Kane.

"Watch closely. This is the Twin Swords of protection that Father used."

Steam and droplets of water rose into the air and disappeared. Kane was perfectly recreating the Guardian Lord’s technique—a skill that once made the continent tremble in fear.

***

Anna\'s pupils trembled violently. She was a ghost warrior, and it had been a long time since she had lost her composure like this.

"Is that... ‘Zanbi’?"

‘Zanbi’ was part of the Twin Sword of Protection of the Rehinar Family—a magic technique that caused rain to fall using mana. It was a skill that only Duke Carl had been able to use.

"For the users of ‘Breath of the Blue Tiger’ to mimic this, one would need to be at least a high-tier 6th class knight."

The Twin Sword of Protection was a majestic skill that combined both swordsmanship and magic combined. ‘Zanbi’ was the fourth technique in the sequence. Kane had used it immediately, without any preparatory motions, which naturally left Anna astounded.

"This is just the beginning," Kane said.

The whirlpool of water mana surrounding Kane\'s body intensified, spinning with such ferocity that the air and ground around him seemed to tear apart. The water mana was compressing and expanding in perfect harmony. Then, with a sudden pop, the protective mana shield exploded. Water mana spread out in a circular wave.

Water streams touched the surrounding trees, and dozens of them collapsed in an instant.

"The second technique, Wave of Water…"

The bases of the trees were sliced cleanly, blades of water had done the job. Kane had flawlessly unleashed dozens of water sword strikes.

"The mana distribution is flawless. Not a single strand is overflowing or lacking," Anna remarked in awe.

As she marveled, Kane flicked droplets of rain.

"Water Droplet bomb! Is he controlling all those raindrops at once?"

The raindrops shot out, shattering the standing trees.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The massive explosions engulfed the area. Amid the dust and noise, Kane\'s soft voice echoed.

"Void of Water."

The rain that had been pouring down was now being absorbed into Kane\'s hand. Moisture from the trees, grass, and even the air itself gathered into his palm. Anna let out a gasp.

"So this is the power the citizens witnessed... He truly has mastered the Lord\'s strength."

But it was still too early for complete awe.

The collected water mana in Kane’s palm began to rise, slowly drifting upwards into the sky.

Anna caught sight of it.

"Impossible!" she gasped.

Most believed that Duke Carl\'s ultimate move was Void of Water. However, this wasn’t his true ultimate technique.

Anna immediately flew toward Sara. "My lady, stay close to me. Whatever you do, don\'t take your eyes off that scene!" Anna fiercely summoned her mana, creating a large water barrier that enveloped Sara and the rest of their party.

Soon after, Kane\'s final words rang out.

"Rain of Soul-Kill!"

Kane\'s elegantly tailored uniform whipped wildly in the wind, and with it, a torrential downpour descended from the heavens. But unlike the explosive sound of Water Droplet bomb, this was a sound of utter devastation, different in quality.

A storm of unimaginable power had begun.

Each raindrop shook the ground.

As if an earthquake had struck.

The earth split wide open.

In some places, puddles formed.

Each drop made these puddles even larger.

The deafening roar showed no signs of stopping.

“Oh, my god!”

Camilla’s mouth hung open.

That sight left her speechless.

The world was falling apart.

Camilla had thought she knew Kane’s power better than anyone.

But she was wrong.

A thought flashed through her mind—what she knew of Kane’s strength was only a fraction of the whole.

“Anna... What kind of magic is that!?”

“A rain that even kills the soul… It’s the final power of the Twin Swords of Protection.”

“Ha, how is that swordsmanship… It’s magic.”

Sara couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief at the sight before her.

Magical swordsmanship was common.

But magic was always secondary.

It could never be the main focus of swordsmanship.

Anna agreed.

“I understand how you feel. Everyone, including myself, reacted the same way.”

“But... when will this magic end?”

“The rain will keep falling until the caster’s mana is completely drained.”

“Brother really intend to turn this whole area into a wasteland.”

The lush trees had long since disappeared.

All that was left were fragments.

Even those were barely recognizable.

The raindrops erased every trace—trees, stones, and the very ground itself.

Yet the rain continued to pour.

Anna found it curious.

“H-His mana... it’s higher than mine.”

“What’s your level, Anna?”

“Beginner-Tier of the 7th Class.”

“Whaaaaat!?”

Sara exclaimed in shock.

She finally realized Anna’s true ability.

She had always known, even vaguely, that Anna was strong.

But not this strong.

Why?

Because she never would have imagined someone at the 7th Class was merely a head maid.

No matter how well someone hid their identity.

“To control rain like this with mana, a 7th Class would be overexerted already.”

As Anna’s words faded.

The world finally grew silent.

The rain, too, disappeared without a trace.

It felt like the passing of a sudden storm.

Even the darkened sky slowly cleared.

* * *

[Field Boss Monster ‘Tarantula’ has been defeated.]

[Field Boss Monster ‘Frost Queen’ has been defeated.]

[Field Boss Monster ‘Curse of Saha’ has been defeated.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

……

……

……

Kane’s notifications were flooding in like crazy.

It seemed every mutant monster in the area had been wiped out.

‘Well, after using a total annihilation skill, who could survive that?’

It wasn’t the Breath of the Blue Tiger.

He was using the higher-level Breath of the Blood Tiger.

Only monsters above the 6th Class would’ve been able to withstand it.

‘These messages just keep coming.’

Warnings started popping up too.

[Warning! Mana has dropped below 1%.]

[Warning! You have pushed ‘Pure-Blooded (UR)’ to its limit.]

[Warning! Mental strain is significant.]

[Warning! Fatigue has reached its peak.]

……

……

……

These were the consequences of using the Twin Swords of Protection at full power.

Rain of Soul Kill was also known as Soul-Slaying Sword, it was a skill that even Duke Carl uses as a end resort.

It was practically a last resort.

If the enemy could withstand the Soul Slaying Sword, it would mean Duke Carl’s death was inevitable.

To make matters worse, he was passing on the Skill: Twin Swords of Protection to Sara.

Collapsing with fatigue was inevitable.

‘Still, I can’t let myself fall like this. I’ve got my pride.’

Though standing was nearly impossible, Kane forced his legs to hold him up.

‘Anyway, what’s the result?’

He scrolled through the flood of messages, looking for the one he wanted.

[Replication Rate of the Twin Swords of Protection: 99.9%]

[You have perfectly replicated the technique.]

[The Twin Swords of Protection have been successfully passed on to Sara Rehinar.]

The moment he saw this message—

“Huh!?”

Sara’s body became enveloped in light.

In the air, the Emblem of Rehinar appeared.

Seeing this, Anna reacted even more intensely than when Soul Slaying Strike had been used.

“Ma-Magic inheritance!?”