CHAPTER 682: ALLURING SWORD DANCE

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There wasn’t much time for him to think. He also wasn’t expecting Cedric to just outright tell him how he remained fine after all that. So, he could only press on.

Faceless Blade dashed and moved faster this time. His swords flashed with even more intensity than before, and their latent elements howled in response.

His sword art went up a notch, going on a crescendo. And to add an extra layer of lethality to his moves, Faceless Blade’s Sword Intent finally revealed itself.

A prickling sharpness whistled on the blades of his swords. The edges were so sharp and clean that they sliced the earth like a piece of tofu.

Cedric’s assumption was indeed correct. His opponent was, in fact, a swordsman. This was confirmed with the reveal of this sword’s intent.

Facing swordsmen in the virtual arena was rare for some reason. There are many challengers who uses the sword as their weapon but only a few actually had the sword intent, and thus, considered to be an actual swordsman. Cedric had been in a lot of matches, but the number of swordsmen he faced could be counted on one hand, and the previous ones were just outright disappointing.

That’s why he was looking forward to what this Faceless Blade will display next, because it will determine whether he’s impressive in Cedric’s opinion or not. And more importantly, there’s anything he could learn by fighting him.

The sharpness of his sword didn’t seem to deter his enemy in the slightest, Faceless Blade realized through his senses. And neither do his increased speed and lethality.

The tempo has definitely increased since their previous exchange. The rhythm of the fight was more frantic and overwhelming than before. It’s as if the song has already reached the climax.

But even with all of the added bonuses to his abilities brought by his achievements, Faceless Blade still couldn’t see any real chance at victory.

His opponent was keeping up with him. In fact, he might even be a step ahead.

All of his attacks were either blocked or parried with utmost efficiency. His enemy wasn’t using a deadly sword art like him, but his basics were incredibly solid and sufficient to deal with whatever he was faced with.

A trace of admiration bloomed within Faceless Blade’s heart, alongside a sense of frustration and inadequacy.

He didn’t want to acknowledge the fact right before him. How could he when he spent an ungodly amount of time mastering this sword art to perfection? Is somebody actually telling him that he did all of that just to be blocked by somebody who has a firm grasp of the sword’s fundamentals?

Where do his pride and effort go after that? Isn’t that essentially telling him that he did all of that hardwork for nothing? If that’s so, then how could anybody expect him to accept that?

Yet despite not liking the truth placed in front of him, it’s a reality that he can’t erase, pretend not to notice, or run away from. It’s there, and he’s forced to deal with this knowledge. It truly was a bitter pill to swallow.

He’s trying his best. His sword art, called the ’Alluring Sword Dance,’ was something he learned by staking an arm and a leg. He had personally seen what it can do. He knew its full potential. He perfected it to the point where he could be mistaken as its creator. He’s even better than the one who taught him this sword art.

Faceless was so good at it that even the 3rd place in the Immortal League Ranking had to acknowledge his prowess and rely on other indirect ways to defeat him.

Because while his sword art wasn’t as explosive and brutal as other sword arts out there, in terms of pure dueling advantage, only a few could ever match it.

This, along with the swords he’s using and his very own sword intent, was enough to propel him into high ranks. The only reason why he hasn’t entered the top 10 of the Immortal League Rankings is because he’s not as active in the arena matches as he’d like. He’s usually very busy in the real world.

But even so, Faceless Blade certainly wasn’t a pushover. He was publicly acclaimed as a top 10 ranker unofficially. Many knew of him this way.

Yet, none of that matters right now.

His opponent didn’t care about his achievements nor his prowess. He didn’t care about the time and effort he put into his sword art. He didn’t care about what’s at stake here. Hell, this guy doesn’t even seem to know him at all because from the start up to now, he’s yet to even say a word to him.

All Faceless got from his opponent this time was a pair of clear and bright golden eyes ’seeing’ him.

The enemy didn’t just ’look’ at him and analyze what he could do. He truly ’sees’ Faceless as who he is beyond the strange person he created. If somebody were to tell him that his opponent could see through his thoughts, he might even be inclined to believe them because he could feel it.

As for how his enemy remains fine despite the hundreds of stacks of elemental effects he should’ve dumped on him at this point? Well, how was he supposed to know? The dude wasn’t even talking!

This has been a frustrating yet also an enlightening match so far. He still didn’t want to acknowledge that the enemy was repelling him using the bare fundamentals of the sword, but it’s a reality that won’t go away no matter how much he wants to make it go away.

The only real way for him to change this reality is by slicing it, with his swords and sword art, no less. That’s the real message behind this fight. It’s a battle of belief in sword arts.

’This is a true Sword Master. There’s no doubt about it’ Faceless Blade thought to himself.

However, that realization wasn’t of any help right now. If anything, that just made it worse because it’s more personal now, even though they’re complete strangers.

That’s just the way it is for sword wielders.

’Come on, self.’

’Don’t see this as a bad thing entirely.’

’Although it looks bad, it’s also a very rare opportunity.’

’Treat him as a whetstone. Sharpen your conviction. Observe and realize your flaws! ’

’If there’s a time for a breakthrough, it would be now! ’

This is what he told himself, and what kept him pushing. Victory or defeat was no longer important at this point. This match has turned into an opportunity that he simply can’t miss.

And so, he danced like his life depended on it. Literally.

Faceless Blade had only ever been like this to a select group of people, and each one became an important factor in his growth. Now, this person, this stranger, was no different.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Push, retreat. Pushed and forced to retreat.

That’s the cycle that Faceless Blade had to endure time and time again. His enemy was like an immovable object standing in his way, and no matter how frantic his dance got, or how sharp his sword became, or how many ailments he imposed upon the enemy, he remained grounded and unmoved by anything.

If Faceless Blade’s Sword Art was like a chilling slaughter technique disguised as a form of art and an alluring dance, then his enemy’s sword art was like an undeniable marble of reality that couldn’t care less about deception.

The golden-eyed blonde man only ever displayed the very basics of sword wielding, yet he did it with such mastery and efficiency that could make any sword master blush in shame. Watching him could make others feel inadequate about their abilities because they certainly can’t use their fundamentals any better than he could.

And that’s the most frustrating part of all of this.

But then, all of a sudden, Faceless Blade suddenly sensed a shift in the air. More specifically, it’s coming from his enemy. The force was enough to interrupt his rhythm despite not seeing any actual action happening.

Then, under his shocked and wary gaze, a second sword appeared in his opponent’s hand. He then watched as his opponent went into a very familiar stance.

The very same one he’s using.

’No! It can’t be...! ’

Alas, it was. It is indeed what he feared and didn’t want to happen. And unfortunately, he wasn’t given the mercy to adjust because the golden-eyed man was already in front of him.

What happened next could only be explained as a very enlightening experience for Faceless Blade, as his enemy not only displayed the very same sword art he used, but also showed him the future of what this sword art could be.

That elusive stage, that realm of sword art that he had been chasing all this time but couldn’t grasp no matter how hard he tried, was easily performed and accomplished by his enemy.

And it was as disheartening as it was exciting.

He knew that the enemy wasn’t interested in teaching him, and he’s expecting him to. Showing that realm to him was already more than enough.

It’s just a pity that he died before he saw everything.

’Dawnbringer, huh? ’

’I’ll surely remember that name.’