Chapter 22: Sword Saint
"Do you still want to continue?" Reinhild looked toward Elsa, who had stood back up, and asked.
"Of course. But aren't you going to use that dragon sword at your waist? I'd like to taste the sharpness of a legendary blade."
Elsa pointed at the sword Reinhild carried.
Her voice held no fear—only desire.
A desire to fight Reinhild at her most serious state.
"This sword only draws when it deems the time appropriate. Since it hasn't unsheathed, that means now is not the time." Reinhild shook her head and denied her request.
In that moment, Subaru suddenly wondered—just how strong would an opponent need to be for that sword to finally draw itself?
"Looks like I've been underestimated." "Personally, I find it a troubling judgment as well, but..."
Reinhild suddenly averted her gaze and looked around the storage warehouse, noticing an old two-handed sword leaning against the wall.
She kicked the hilt, caught it as it spun midair, and gave it a few test swings to check the balance.
"I'll fight you with this sword. Any complaints?" "None at all. Ahhh, how wonderful. Let me enjoy this to the fullest!"
Facing Reinhild now holding a weapon, Elsa was visibly thrilled.
She launched the first strike. Subaru clearly caught the flash of motion in the opening moments—Reinhild responded with an exquisitely refined counterattack.
The crude, makeshift sword in her hand shone like a mythical divine blade.
That was because Reinhild possessed the swordsmanship to fully draw out the potential of any weapon she held.
Their weapons clashed.
When Elsa landed, only the hilt of her weapon remained in her hand.
Even Subaru could hear her gulp, though she quickly smiled again, seemingly intoxicated by excitement.
She drew another two curved blades from her body.
Seeing this, Reinhild's voice took on a note of irritation.
"Would you only be satisfied if I broke every weapon you have?" "Even if the fangs are gone, I have claws. If the claws are gone, I have my bones. If the bones break, I still have a tenacious life. That's the way of the Bowel Hunter." "In that case, I'll just have to destroy your reputation."
Elsa moved again.
Her maneuverability, as if defying gravity, showed itself in full force—darting wildly through the room.
Her movements became nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
Elsa's capabilities may have already exceeded human limitations.
But even so, Reinhild's strength far surpassed hers—she was a warrior worthy of being called a legendary hero.
Curved blade and battered sword crossed again and again.
The intense clash of steel created bursts of sparks.
Elsa launched attacks from every angle, but all that remained behind were shattered pieces of her blades.
A fierce battle unfolded before Subaru's eyes—he could do nothing but hold his breath and watch.
"Reinhild, don't worry about me!" Emilia suddenly shouted, and the next moment, the two combatants broke apart.
"Are you going to show me something?" "A strike from the Astrea-style swordsmanship!"
To Elsa's eager question, Reinhild answered curtly. At that instant, Subaru felt like the very space inside the storeroom had distorted and warped.
"...What?" The air in his vision seemed to slant.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the room dimmed.
Not just that—the temperature plummeted.
Subaru began shivering without realizing it.
Beside him, Emilia collapsed to the floor completely.
Subaru rushed to her side.
Her breathing was shallow and rapid.
She looked like someone burning with fever, writhing in pain.
"What's going on?" "Reinhild is absorbing the mana from the air... You get what I mean?" ——Not at all!
He wanted to cross his arms and say that flat out, but the atmosphere didn't allow it.
The air in the room had changed.
Standing in the center, Reinhild lowered her stance with the two-handed sword.
Though she had already exchanged dozens, perhaps hundreds of blows with Elsa, Subaru's instincts screamed that this was the first time the girl worthy of the Sword Saint title was truly preparing to attack.
"'Bowel Hunter' Elsa Granhiert." "Descendant of the 'Sword Saint,' Reinhild van Astrea."
Elsa licked her lips and stated her name.
Reinhild nodded solemnly in reply.
The sword pressure between them filled the room—their very killing intent seemed to shake the air.
Their postures shimmered with brilliance—it was like a chapter out of a heroic legend.
Then Elsa made her move.
She leapt to the ceiling to circle around into Reinhild's blind spot—but in that instant, her instincts detected the killing intent from below.
Reinhild, sword glowing in hand, was beneath her.
What she had been staring at was only an afterimage, left by Reinhild's high-speed movement.
——Monster.
That was the only word in her mind.
And in the face of an attack that could genuinely kill her, Elsa grinned with excitement.
She swung her twin blades down at Reinhild.
In turn, Reinhild swung her longsword upward.
A beam of radiance tore through the storeroom's roof—a sword flash that split even the sky in two.
The world misaligned.
That's all Subaru could think.
Seconds stretched out into eternity.
Blinding light filled the room.
Then, once it faded, the world had been completely transformed.
The twisted space began to compress and return to normal.
The residual force, powerful enough to warp the air, turned into a storm that rampaged through the room.
The raging gale picked up stolen goods, furniture, and scrap and flung it around.
Old Man Rom threw his large body in front of the three to shield them.
From behind his frame, the others watched him steadily pushed back by the force.
"What the hell—hey, hey, hey—!!"
They didn't know what it was, but they knew the cause.
The Sword Saint, simply by swinging a broken sword with full strength, had released a shockwave with such terrifying power.
Soon the storm weakened.
The crashing of debris and the rumble of the collapsing building echoed in a chain reaction—until it all fell silent.
"What do you mean hunting monsters is your specialty!? You're the real monster here!"
Felix shouted what was on everyone's mind, brushing off some fallen debris that looked like part of a curtain rod.
Subaru confirmed that everyone near him had only suffered light injuries.
"If you put it like that, even I might get a little hurt, you know," Reinhild replied, looking back over his shoulder, steam rising from her body.
As for the glowing two-handed sword——
"You've done more than enough. Rest now." Reinhild's voice carried a hint of sorrow, and the sword in her hands began to crumble.
It had been a crude, junk sword, but one strong enough to endure even Elsa's blade-destroying attacks.
And yet, it couldn't withstand a single serious swing from Reinhild.
That is the power of a Sword Saint.