Otaku Witch

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"Hiss, is this what you call not skilled in swordsmanship, Your Excellency the Clown?"

Outside the Arena, Miss Ghost Mask, overlooking the entire battle situation, clearly saw the entire process of that earth-shattering sword strike.

She had clearly witnessed how His Excellency the Clown, who had previously claimed his swordsmanship was mediocre, drew his sword, sliced through the torrent of light, strode forward, moved against the current, and ultimately, with a gentle swipe, slit the resurrected Holy Knight's throat.

It was an indescribable swordsmanship, a sword that should have been faster than the speed of light, and should have exceeded the limits of her vision, but incredibly, she witnessed the entire process of unsheathing the sword, as if everything was in slow motion.

If she had to make a comparison, it was somewhat akin to the special close-up CG of a character executing a sure-kill technique in a game. Under that sword strike, His Excellency the Clown briefly transcended the world, standing outside of it—he was no longer in the current space-time but had caused a space-time turbulence and thus created a sensation where a swift strike seemed like slow motion.

What a terrifying sword strike it was.

As a Japanese Witch, Miss Ghost Mask had been learning the ancestral swordsmanship from her shrine maiden teacher since childhood. Their village's swordsmanship was always famous in the Witch World, and her talent in swordsmanship was unparalleled in the village. At sixteen, she had awakened her sword soul, becoming the youngest Sword Saint in the village.

Her shrine maiden teacher had said that as long as she didn't slack off and kept practicing diligently, she might reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship before the age of one hundred and become the first Sword God since the establishment of their village.

But precisely because Miss Ghost Mask's swordsmanship was outstanding, she could understand the terror of His Excellency the Clown's strike more than others. It was the most frightening sword strike she had ever seen in her life.

Could this be the ultimate realm of swordsmanship recorded in the Sword Manual left by the ancestors—striking "Without Thought or Desire"? Could it be that it wasn't a legend, but a reality?

Miss Ghost Mask was immensely shocked. Before today, she had always thought of that technique as something theoretical, not practical.

After all, their village had been established for twenty to thirty thousand years, yet, in such an extended period, no one has ever reached the realm of "Without Thought or Desire" and become a Sword God.

Although it was said in the Sword Manual that in the Eastern Universe there existed unparalleled Sword Immortals who could split the heavens with one sword and divide the seas with their sword light, the younger generations took these stories as mere legends.

And now, the legend was unveiling as reality before her eyes; a Sword God stood before her.

"I'm such a fool, a real fool. I knew that His Excellency the Clown loves to play the fool to catch the wise, so why did I believe his deceitful words that he wasn't adept at swordsmanship?"@@novelbin@@

Miss Ghost Mask ridiculed herself, feeling she was the clown at that moment.

She had always known that His Excellency the Clown was hiding his true abilities—after all, she perceived that His Excellency the Clown had only a little over 30,000 in Mana. But could such an amount of Magic Power make him the Grand Inquisitor? That's impossible just by thinking with one's feet; he must be using some Secret Technique to mask his true power.

Therefore, when they had first met, she had lamented in her heart about the profundity of an expert's schemes. She never expected to fall for it herself eventually; it just goes to show how impressive the guise of an expert really is.

However, with a living Sword God right in front of her, how could she just watch and do nothing?

Remembering that awe-inspiring sword strike, a sense of eagerness stirred in Miss Ghost Mask's heart.

....

Meanwhile, on the other side, atop the Arena.

"So, the true Swallow Return requires only one strike, after all. My past one-breath triple strike was merely a trick due to inadequate realm."

Dorothy, too, was savoring the sword strike she had just unleashed, coming to a realization in her heart.

Swallows are birds with impressive flying skills that glide with the wind and are incredibly sensitive to its changes. Hence, no matter how fast that strike is, swallows can always sense the change in the wind in advance and avoid it.

Therefore, the Secret Sword Swallow Return invented by Sword Saint Sasaki is actually a sword technique that seals the opponent's movement—a single strike aimed at the swallow, and two strikes to seal the swallow's path. Facing the three strikes unleashed in an instant, even the most agile bird cannot escape, and it would inevitably be cut down by one of them.

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Of course, the human limit is three strikes in a fleeting moment, but witches are capable of easily surpassing human limitations. Previously, Dorothy could, at most, achieve nine strikes in a blink, but this doesn't actually have much significance. After all, if three strikes can't kill an enemy, nine strikes are just as futile.

It seems like great progress, but in essence, there's no qualitative change.

But after attaining clarity of mind and comprehending 'Without Thought or Desire,' what three strikes or nine strikes? One strike is enough for her. What point is there in thinking so much about blocking and positioning? Just slash and be done with it.

The enemy is right before my eyes, so I slash, and if it connects, everything is that simple.

"Indeed, swordsmanship is quite simple; it's the people who overthink it. That's probably what 'Returning to Simplicity' means."

Although her sword was not stained with blood, Dorothy still habitually performed a Blood Shake. Then, with a spin of the sword hilt, she sheathed the great tachi that was over a meter long.

Clang...

Accompanied by the sound of the sword guard colliding with the sheath, Home Martial Soul turned and then looked back at the Succubus Holy Knight who was still maintaining her sword-wielding stance from before.

"You lost."

Dorothy said quite happily.

This time, she finally didn't end in a mutual destruction like before. She won squarely against Madeline, the Armed Society President.

"Yes, you won. You truly are a monster,"

the Succubus Witch admitted her defeat quite readily, also recalling the sword strike she had faced.

No one probably understood better than she, the victim, just how terrifying that strike was.

She clearly saw her opponent's entire sword-drawing process, which appeared as if in slow motion. She should have had the chance to change her move to defend or dodge in time.

But in the end, she could only watch helplessly as she was beheaded with a single strike, unable to make any response.

A change in defense? That strike only appeared slow, but it was actually a sword strike that could be considered godlike in speed. She had just begun to move her sword in defense when the attack was already upon her.

To dodge? It was an undodgeable strike because in Madeline's perception, the young lady didn't seem to be slashing at her, but at the entire world around her.

As that strike neared, everything else disappeared in the perception of the Succubus Witch except for the young lady who seemed to turn into a giant standing tall between heaven and earth, and the great tachi in her hand as formidable as a mountain. Facing this strike that felt like a mountain bearing down, full of oppressive force, she had nowhere to hide and could only endure.

Heh, you're truly remarkable, Miss. Can a person's growth really be so immense in just one short month?

Madeline remembered how a month ago she could still overwhelm her opponent with martial arts, yet now she had exerted all her strength and still couldn't block that one strike, a myriad of feelings stirring in her heart.

However, a fine line of blood appeared across her smooth and delicate neck, and then, a beautiful head fell gracefully.

Indeed, she's the woman I set my sights on.

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In the end, the face beneath the Succubus Witch's mask broke into a smile, resigned to her fate.

That strike was really too fast, so fast that her body hadn't yet realized it was already dead.

...Madeline faded into light...