Overpowered Extra Noble in a Novel

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A handkerchief fluttered and touched a puddle.

As small ripples spread out, Cain and Ildan propelled themselves off the ground.

Click!

The sound of wooden training swords clashing rang out sharply.

Ildan pressed forward with determination in his eyes, while Cain calmly defended. The two momentarily locked in strength, then stepped away from each other.

They moved slowly, maintaining distance while pointing their swords at each other.

The gap in strength revealed in the previous exchange was clear. Ildan attempted to push forward with his wooden sword, but Cain remained completely unmoving.

The difference in muscle strength was evident.

Entering into a pure contest of strength would disadvantage Ildan, who couldn’t use mana.

Recognizing this, Ildan regulated his breathing and moved first.

“Huff!”

At the sight of Ildan rapidly approaching while shouting a short battle cry, the spectators’ eyes widened in surprise.

He dashed like the wind, leaving afterimages behind, and his wooden sword was already thrusting forward.

A movement to pierce through from the side, preventing any counterattack. With no other choice, Cain leapt backward and swung his wooden sword in a wide arc.

In response to Cain’s counterattack, Ildan was helplessly deflected. However, only stumbling for a moment, Ildan took advantage of the rebound to push off the ground again, extending his arm.

Whoosh!

The spectators, who had been watching the duel, gasped in admiration at Ildan’s renewed attack.

“Cleave Sword!”

A high-speed series of consecutive thrusts that seemed to split one attack into many.

The sword technique that symbolized the Bradden family was unleashed by Ildan.

The tip of Ildan’s wooden sword, which had been subtly vibrating, split instantly into two.

Like an arrow released from a bowstring, the tip of the sword shot forward.

The doubled attack targeted Cain’s legs and head.

If Cain blocked one, the sword would immediately pierce through from the other side. A situation where both attacks had to be blocked simultaneously. However, the range of the thrusts was relatively narrow.

If the target could accurately perceive the destination, it could be relatively easily avoided.

Though avoiding the path of the attack could lead to a counterattack, Ildan had anticipated this.

This current thrust was merely a feint.

The moment Cain adjusted his stance to evade.

An accelerated second strike would pierce through diagonally, piercing his body.

While Ildan’s eyes followed Cain’s eyes and feet, Cain instead charged forward.

“What…!”

Cain suddenly twisted his waist while thrusting his wooden sword.

The sword, arcing like a whip, struck Ildan’s wooden sword strongly, and the tremendous impact transmitted through the sword caused Ildan to lose his balance.

“Keh!”

Thrown off by a sudden kick that came out of nowhere, Ildan rolled on the ground.

Due to landing in a small puddle, a large spray of water was thrown up.

In the chaotic situation where his vision was obscured by mud and water spray, Ildan swung his wooden sword swiftly without time to regulate his breathing.

WHOOSH!

Cain’s wooden sword, slicing through the water spray, collided with Ildan’s sword.

Though an absurd amount of force was transmitted through the sword once again, Ildan utilized it to create distance between them.

Dripping with muddy water and breathing heavily, Ildan’s figure caused the nobles to exhale the breath they had been unconsciously holding.

“Remarkable. Can any of you see the movements of these two?”

“Not at all. Despite not neglecting my own training, the duel of knights is truly different.”

“Knight Ildan is remarkable indeed, but…”

“Viscount Cain is no ordinary individual. He’s overwhelming them. Who taught him?”

Forgetting their factional differences, the nobles watched the duel between the two youths with interest.

Hearing the nobles’ conversation, Royal Knight Milene nodded unconsciously.

Ildan Bradden.

Among those considered to be the next Swordmaster of Altain, he was a young knight whose skills could match the capable ones under Sylvester.

The dazzling swordplay through high-speed thrusts that were difficult to follow with the eye—his Splitting Sword had few who could withstand it in the Empire.

Fortunately, Milene had had the opportunity to cross swords with him due to her membership in the Royal Knights.

The result was a defeat.

Though she didn’t use mana, she was overwhelmingly defeated, being unable to even land a proper attack, and was only able to defend until she was downed.

‘If Knight Ildan had used mana, it would have ended in an instant.’

Even his rapid swordplay, which struck opportunistically, was already problematic. But when it suddenly divided into multiple lines of attack right before your eyes, who could withstand it?

The Splitting Sword unleashed by Ildan was such a potent sword technique.

However…

‘Viscount Cain… just what is he?’

Cain’s movements were as fast as Ildan’s.

In fact, “fast” alone wouldn’t fully describe it.

He didn’t employ any notable sword art. He merely defended, swung, deflected, and slashed.

It would appear rather monotonous and seemed like he was simply overpowering his opponent.

But, thanks to her focused observation from afar, Milene managed to catch the details of Cain’s movements.

‘How is this possible?’

Every one of his attacks pierced through Ildan’s center, disrupting his balance.

Since the duel began, Cain’s gaze had been steady.

His cold eyes continually swept over Ildan’s body, and the wooden sword he wielded would occasionally become blurred. The next moment, it struck Ildan.

Occasionally, he preemptively blocked Ildan’s attacks and struck his openings without any hesitation.

His movements, which intruded into dangerous situations with certainty, were as if he knew the weaknesses of Bradden’s techniques.

‘Could it be…’

A noble from an unheard-of frontier town called Ruben.

The oppressive aura she felt in their earlier standoff was something she had attributed to his size and appearance.

He was an absurdly skilled individual who had overpowered Ildan and radiated a momentum befitting his strength.

Recalling the standoff in Ruben while watching Cain kick Ildan in the side, Milene shook her head and turned her gaze back.

Had he drawn his sword then…

Milene shook her head again and refocused her attention.

The duel between the two youths was nearing its end.

“To think such a skillful swordsman was hidden in the frontier. The world truly is vast. Sigh… Unfortunately.”

With mysterious words exhaled while breathing heavily, Cain quietly pointed his wooden sword, signaling a wordless demand to continue the duel.

Ildan responded with a slight smile.

Ildan concentrated his strength throughout his body to unleash the Splitting Sword once more.

This time, he aimed for five consecutive splits. This was his maximum output without using mana.

‘The most I’ve managed to split it was three. He won’t expect five.’

He pushed off the ground with all his strength. But…

“Keh! Just my luck…”

Seeing his vision narrow, Ildan stepped into the mud and lost his balance, unable to unleash the Splitting Sword.

Cain didn’t miss this opportunity.

Though Ildan reflexively raised his wooden sword, a shockwave far stronger than before struck it.

The pain of his grip tearing nearly caused him to lose his weapon.

At the same time, his hair was grabbed roughly, and a knee surged forward.

“Khuff!”

Tossed aside amidst flashes of light and intense pain before his eyes, Ildan rolled across the muddy ground and fell into a puddle.

As he struggled to rise, bracing his wooden sword against the ground, his body lacked the strength to support him properly.

Wiping the blood streaming from his nose with a trembling hand, his body was already battered.

Despite receiving only a few hits, the cumulative shocks to his body were beyond imagination.

Struggling to hold onto his fading consciousness, a fiery scolding echoed in his ears.

“Ildan! What are you doing? Pull yourself together!”

His blurred vision cleared as Ildan turned his head.

His father, Norman Bradden’s twisted face.

Recalling their previous conversation, Ildan closed his eyes.

Struggling to stabilize his trembling body and disordered breathing, he firmly gripped his wooden sword.

“…”

A sudden, bone-chilling sensation swept through his back.

Milene recognized this feeling well.

The subtle tingling sensation. It was the unique aura one feels when facing someone who manifests mana.

“Could it…!”

Turning her head hastily, Milene saw Ildan already charging toward Cain.

The blue flames that burned in his eyes. A faint light flickered from Ildan’s wooden sword.

A characteristic of a mana manifestor unleashing superhuman strength.

“Knight Ildan! Stop!”

As Milene’s shout rang out, the shocked Royal Knights rushed forward.

Surrounded nobles watched in shock as well.

Ildan’s figure disappeared in an instant.

People didn’t even perceive the attack that followed.

Ildan and his thrust wooden sword had already reached Cain suddenly, materializing as if by teleportation.

Everyone perceived his presence only after it became clear that this sudden strike by the mana manifestor should be fatal.

Milene clenched her sword and sprinted with all her might, praying the attack would miss the vital points.

Then, she had no choice but to stop in her tracks as the unfolding situation unfolded.

BOOM!

The wooden swords, leaving behind faint afterimages, soared into the air.

A boom that couldn’t merely be described as the collision of wooden swords resounded. Ildan rolled along the floor.

Cain, stepping back a few paces, casually shook his hand.

The incomprehensible scene silenced everyone present.

At the moment when everyone was silently watching the two individuals.

In a flash, Ildan recovered his stance and vanished once again.

The ground beneath where he had stood cracked as a shockwave erupted.

At a speed beyond the eye’s ability to track. Ildan reappeared behind Cain, having vanished from sight.

The long streak of light that pierced through the air was aimed directly at Cain’s heart.

Not splitting into several strikes this time.

A single, momentary flash containing all of his power.

A handful of individuals who somehow managed to interpret Ildan’s movements believed with certainty that Cain would die this time. But…

“Huff…”

In an instant…

Cain disappeared from people’s sight.

Their wooden swords collided in mid-air just as suddenly, causing an explosion that sent both flying apart.

At the absurd scene that unfolded, there was a momentary outcry from the audience.

Still standing with a gaping mouth, Ildan was charged by Cain. Milene, horrified by the scene, rushed forward to try to stop Cain.

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