Just a few minutes ago.
The Knights gathered at the Rivera Arena were each wearing excited expressions as they predicted the outcome of the upcoming duel.
“Wow, the Deputy Commander’s swordsmanship? I can’t miss this.”
“Right? If he does well today, we might get to see the Deputy Commander’s Five Continuous Strikes!”
“Honestly, the result’s a foregone conclusion. There’s no way some ordinary girl can hold her own against the Deputy Commander…”
“Anyone up for a bet? I’m putting one gold on the Deputy Commander winning!”
“…Only one gold? Give up your knight’s badge, man! I’m betting half my salary this month on him!”
Not a single Knight doubted the Deputy Commander’s victory.
‘…Well, that makes sense.’
It was natural for the Rivera Knights to support their superior, the Deputy Commander.
Moreover, the difference in physical build between the Deputy Commander and Jan d’Arc was clearly evident.
Beyond that, everyone acknowledged the Deputy Commander’s strength.
I glanced sideways at the Knights, who were quietly observing, then turned my gaze back to the arena.
“…One! Two! Soi! Noi! Heya! Sei!”
The Deputy Commander had been warming up noisily on the arena floor for ten minutes before the scheduled duel time.
Every muscle tightly bound beneath his skin revealed how meticulous he was about self-discipline.
At that moment, the Deputy Commander shouted, as if to be heard clearly.
“What is a Knight! What is chivalry! I’ll teach you clearly this time, daughter of a farmer! You will never become a Knight. For two main reasons! First, you sully the holiness of the Creator’s name by acting as if you are His apostle! Second, you, a lowly farmer’s daughter, dare to covet the Knight’s path, which is reserved only for the chosen and noble!”
[…….]
Jan d’Arc didn’t reply but slowly drew her sword and stepped onto the arena floor.
The Deputy Commander smiled confidently and raised his sword in response.
For fairness, they each wielded the same short sword taken from the Knight Order’s armory.
From shape to length, age, and maker, the weapons were identical in every detail.
A tense silence fell between the two as they faced each other on the arena floor.
“…It seems both are ready.”
Lord Gilbert spoke, and the Commander nodded before addressing them solemnly.
“Though it is slightly ahead of schedule, we shall begin the duel now. I will personally judge the outcome. This is the sacred arena of the Rivera Knight Order.
Both of you must conduct this duel honorably and in accordance with chivalry!”
No sooner had the Commander finished than the Deputy Commander lowered his stance, bringing the short sword near his waist.
His slightly bent knees and horizontal blade formed a posture characteristic of Southern Swordsmanship, which specializes in horizontal slashes and swift combinations.
In contrast, Jan d’Arc spread her legs slightly and gripped her short sword with both hands in a neat, modest stance.
Her reserved posture was a perfect foil to the loud and flashy pose of the Deputy Commander.
“Hahaha! What a ridiculous and unheard-of sword style! Daughter of a farmer! This is how you wield a sword!”
With that, the Deputy Commander slammed his foot fiercely into the ground and charged forward.
In the blink of an eye, a razor-sharp blade rushed toward Jan d’Arc.
Chae-aeng~!
The sharp clang of steel meeting steel rang out.
Jan’s short sword traced a graceful curve, deftly parrying the Deputy Commander’s strike.
At the same time, Jan immediately flicked her sword upward.
And then.
Dtak~!
The pommel of Jan d’Arc’s sword struck squarely in the middle of the Deputy Commander’s forehead.
“Gkuwuck?!”
A red mark, shaped like a pommel, appeared on the Deputy Commander’s forehead.
Quickly putting some distance between them to recover, the Deputy Commander soon wore a relaxed smile.
“…Haha, lucky you! You certainly didn’t read my sword’s trajectory! You must have been so startled you swung blindly and got hit instead! But beginner’s luck won’t strike twice!”
Chae-aeng!
Cha! Chaeng!
Chae-aeng! Chae-aeng! Chae-aeng!
Southern Swordsmanship focuses on quick slashes and fluid combinations.
The Deputy Commander was a prodigy of Southern Swordsmanship.
But not a single one of his chained strikes landed cleanly.
Every attack was perfectly blocked by Jan d’Arc’s short sword.
‘…Of course. Haedong Kumdo also specializes in swift combination attacks.’
And that wasn’t all.
Every time Jan deflected an attack, she mercilessly struck the Deputy Commander’s forehead with the sword pommel.
Dtak!
Dtak! Dtak!
Dtak! Dtak! Ddak!
The scene looked like she was stamping the opponent’s attack as a fail on his forehead.
Before long, a large, swollen bump had formed on the Deputy Commander’s forehead.
He was dumbfounded, seemingly unable to process what was happening.
Only then did Jan d’Arc glance at him coldly and add one word.
“…Weak.”
Jan d’Arc’s single word hit its mark.
Flushed red from head to toe, the Deputy Commander trembled and shouted.
“Y-you…! How dare you insult the Deputy Commander of the Rivera Knight Order?! Unforgivable! I didn’t want to use this…! Don’t you dare blame me if you die!”
The Knights watching began cheering loudly at the Deputy Commander’s declaration.
“Finally! The Deputy Commander’s Five Continuous Strikes are coming!”
“She did hold her ground well, but now that the Deputy Commander’s showing his true skill, it’s over!”
“Damn it, that’s what I came to see! Deputy Commander! Finish her off!”
“Yes! Show that country bumpkin the might of the Rivera Knight Order!”
‘…Five Continuous Strikes?’
The Deputy Commander’s stance had clearly changed.
He pulled one leg far back, lowering his body, and held his sword closer to his waist.
He looked like a sprinter ready to launch at any moment.
“Take this, Five Continuous Strikes!”
With a powerful push off the ground, the Deputy Commander darted toward Jan d’Arc like an arrow.
I thought to myself,
‘Wow… people really do shout out their technique names…’
But before my stray thoughts could take hold, the Deputy Commander’s attack was fierce.
Sha-aak-!
His strikes came at an entirely different speed.
The first blow slashed diagonally toward Jan’s left shoulder.
…!
Chae-aeng!
A spark flew as their short swords clashed.
Jan quickly raised her sword to block the strike.
Her gaze was serious now, unlike before.
“…You’re still far from winning, daughter of a farmer!”
The Deputy Commander spun and followed with a second strike.
Then a chained third strike in the blink of an eye.
…And a fourth!
Chaeng! Chae-aeng! Chae-aeng~!
With each chained attack, the Deputy Commander’s movements grew faster and sharper, his strikes heavier as well.
Though Jan blocked each attack perfectly, her body was slowly being pushed backward.
Her short sword vibrated violently with the impact.
“…Not bad! You’re the first to so easily block my Five Continuous Strikes since the Commander! Ha!
Now it’s over for you!”
The Deputy Commander poured all his weight into a final downward strike.
Jjeo-eong~!
Jan d’Arc barely lifted her sword to parry the blow, but the recoil sent her flying backward.
The chained attacks were not only fast but devastatingly powerful.
“To parry my secret technique… you must have some knowledge of swordsmanship, daughter of a farmer! But the impact will make your arm tremble so much, you won’t be able to hold your sword properly for a while.”
The Deputy Commander grinned confidently as he watched Jan d’Arc.
He clearly assumed the duel was already decided.
Then Jan’s tightly pressed lips moved slightly.
“…Five times…”
“What?”
The Deputy Commander raised an eyebrow, and Jan smiled calmly as she continued.
“…So that’s why it’s called Five Continuous Strikes—because it’s five consecutive attacks.”
“Haha! You’re clever, daughter of a farmer! Looks like you even know your addition! So what if you just figured that out? Does it change anything?”
Despite the Deputy Commander’s rude words, Jan simply smiled and said,
“Then I’ll go with… Twenty-Linked Slash.”
“…What?!”
Taat-!
In an instant, a cloud of dust rose where Jan had been standing.
At the same time, the smile disappeared from the Deputy Commander’s lips.
Saa-ak!
With a sound like the wind slicing through air, a sharp strike flew toward the Deputy Commander’s left side.
“Ku, kuwuck?!”
Chaeng!
The Deputy Commander barely blocked Jan’s short sword with his own.
But Jan’s attack did not stop there.
Chae-aeng! Chae-aeng-! Chae-aeng! Chae-aeng! Chae-aeng~!
Five consecutive strikes flew toward the Deputy Commander in the blink of an eye.
Their speed far surpassed the Deputy Commander’s Five Continuous Strikes.
“A-are you kidding?! What in the world…?”
“Is she copying the Deputy Commander’s secret technique, the Five Continuous Strikes?”
“No! Look carefully, her swordsmanship is clearly different from the Deputy Commander’s!”
“Isn’t she even striking more than five times? There are already over eight strikes in a row!”
“That girl is definitely strong! She’s on par with or even surpassing the Deputy Commander!”
The Knights, who had been watching casually until a moment ago, now swallowed hard and gripped their hands with sweat as they focused on the duel.
Da. Da.
Chae-aeng! Chaeng! Chae-aeng!
Jan’s continuous strikes had long since exceeded the number of the Deputy Commander’s Five Continuous Strikes.
After the tenth consecutive strike, the Deputy Commander’s face began to pale noticeably.
Meanwhile, his short sword groaned loudly as if it might snap at any moment.
Finally, Jan d’Arc’s blue eyes gleamed as she drove the twentieth strike into the Deputy Commander.
Jjaeng-gang!
The Deputy Commander’s short sword shattered into pieces as it took the twentieth blow.
The Knights stood agape, unable to believe what had just happened before their eyes.
Only the Commander remained calm, slowly raising his hand to decide the winner… but then, suddenly, the Deputy Commander raised the broken short sword high.
“…Invalid! Commander, this duel is invalid! My short sword was defective!”
The Deputy Commander spun his head irritably toward the Knights watching and shouted,
“Who brought this short sword from the armory? What were you thinking bringing such a shoddy weapon?”
“W-well… it was perfectly fine when it was inspected this morning…”
“Silence! This short sword is defective! It’s clear it wasn’t properly maintained! Otherwise, it wouldn’t have broken so easily!”
[…….]
Under the Deputy Commander’s fierce scolding, the Knight who had fetched the sword hung his head in shame.
Meanwhile, Baron Gilbert and the Commander exchanged a quiet glance.
“Hmm…….”
The Commander sighed softly and looked at the Deputy Commander, while Baron Gilbert silently observed Jan d’Arc.
At that moment, Jan looked at the Deputy Commander as if nothing had happened and said,
“…Then shall we resume the duel immediately?”
Baron Gilbert’s eyes glimmered faintly at Jan d’Arc’s spirited words.
But the Deputy Commander frowned and shook the broken short sword mockingly.
“Can’t you see this defective short sword is broken? Use your head and think before you speak! How do you expect to continue the duel while only you have a sword?”
Jan d’Arc nonchalantly tossed her short sword out of the arena.
“…Is that all right now?”
“W-what…?!?”
Baron Gilbert smiled and nodded as he watched her.
Then the Commander called out in a deep voice,
“…Since neither side has a weapon, the situation is fair. The duel will now resume!”
And so, the duel resumed as a bare-handed fight in round two.
The Deputy Commander’s confident expression returned as he rolled his shoulders and smiled widely.
“You might have learned a little swordsmanship somewhere, but you seem to carry your brain as a decoration. Besides, there’s a physical difference between men and women. Unlike you, I’ve trained in martial arts every day! This time, I’ll make you regret it!”
The Knights watching clicked their tongues sadly as they looked at Jan d’Arc.
“Tsk, tsk, her swordsmanship was amazing, but now she’s putting her sword down herself.”
“Fighting bare-handed? That girl made a foolish choice.”
“How could she possibly win? Just looking at their builds, the Deputy Commander’s a sure winner.”
“She should have brought another short sword to resume the duel. That would’ve been her chance.”
The Knights unanimously predicted the Deputy Commander’s overwhelming victory.
Of course, if the muscular Deputy Commander and Jan d’Arc fought bare-handed, everyone would say the Deputy Commander would win, a hundred to one.
But a confident smile played on my lips.
‘…She has a secret weapon of her own!’
Similarly, a faint smile appeared on Jan d’Arc’s lips.
I looked at her and spoke quietly.
“Remember what I taught you? Now is the time to use it.”
“God, I thank you for always guiding my path.”
Jan nodded gently, then slowly raised both hands and took her stance.
At the same time, I pulled out my smartphone and murmured to myself.
‘Okay, Mutube recording ON! The title of this content is…’
Jan d’Arc raised her hands to eye level and spread her legs slightly.
A stable stance with balanced offense and defense.
It was a perfectly upright boxing stance.
‘…Saint Jan d’Arc takes on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)!’