Chapter 198: The Hero

In the center of the camp, an utterly uneven match was underway.

"Snap!"

The small white-haired girl kicked off the ground and swung her longsword with fierce force.

The girl swung her massive blade from bottom to top, using centrifugal force to carve a glowing arc through the air.

In that moment, her ferocity and outburst resembled a wolf lunging at prey, or a sand shark erupting from the dunes.

Her opponent, the middle-aged knight, was slightly startled by the brutality of her swordplay—this was not the style of a child, yet

"Snap!"

He merely turned slightly, using the flat of his dagger to block the surging strike.

The counterforce was slight, merely a basic parry; this lack of forceful redirection allowed the duel to continue.

"Ha!" came a high-pitched cry, followed by another spinning thrust.

Laina surged forward—this time, targeting the knight's throat!

"Snap!"

But the overly direct strike was gently pushed back by the opponent's hilt.

Yet even now, the girl's sword never left her grip—if it had been Li En, the first strike would have ended it.

"Knight-Captain Kain is truly impressive—this technique of force application is perfect."

The fact that she could keep holding her sword and fighting wasn't because Laina was strong, but because her opponent, Kain, was.

In real blade sparring, merely using the blade's edge or hilt to parry, minimizing recoil—this technique of compressing force to its lowest possible level—is far harder than flashy, open attacks.

That's why this duel could continue, and why the little girl could grow rapidly through live training.

"This girl is also quite remarkable—she's like a wild beast. Once she grows a bit and fills her strength gap, we might all lose to her."

"Hehe, you seniors are too modest."

Li En didn't take it seriously—the little girl performed excellently, but to speak of her future before she matured was far too early.

This was an open area of the temporary camp; the knights, having nothing else to do, naturally found something to occupy themselves.

Sparring had become routine. The little girl had volunteered to spar.

The knights held high praise for her—given her age, such swordsmanship was astonishing, yet

"I'm not saying this to be harsh, but this fighting style really makes you die young."

"Yeah, I've told her repeatedly, but she won't listen." Li En sighed, shrugged, appearing like a helpless parent dealing with a stubborn child.

"No, I'm talking about you—how the hell have you survived this long?"

Claire Flood, the "Red-Haired Demon," squad leader of the Radiant Guard, had met Li En once before.

Now she too felt helpless—today had opened her eyes.

She herself was famed for her wild, fearless combat style, but after watching the little girl and Li En, she realized she still fell short in sheer recklessness.

"Usually, swordplay balances offense and defense; two-handed swords are offensive weapons. Top swordsmen use seven parts offense, three parts defense. That little girl is about nine offense, one defense—always targeting vital points. You're even worse."

The senior knight sighed—she truly couldn't fathom how Li En had survived this long with such a fighting style.

"You're nearly ten offense, zero defense—just relying on your armor to tank damage and seeing who dies first."

Li En had sparred with only four or five people before he couldn't continue—in true blade duels, his style was too pure: pure battlefield slaughter swordsmanship.

"He's becoming more like that man," thought Dainya, watching from the side. Until now, she hadn't noticed it, but now, seeing Li En's sword style, the image of the giant-sword-wielding hero uncle grew unmistakably familiar.

If I can cut through everything, why should I defend?

If I can trade blows and my armor absorbs more damage than theirs, why should I defend?

The Holy Sword that knows no mercy or patience is pure, head-on combat—only the victor survives.

Perhaps I'm destined to be scarred, but even at the end, my back remains clean and unblemished.

"Uh, I have confidence in my armor."

Li En patted his black armor and could only grin foolishly.

Beside him, Dainya's attention drifted to Laina—the little girl worked hard, even when facing opponents she couldn't beat, her palms numb from the shocks, yet she gritted her teeth and kept going.

"Strange… why do I feel like I've seen this sword style before?"

"Uh… the more I watch, the more familiar it feels—who was it? Was it Heroine Laina I saw these past few years? No, that can't be… maybe I'm imagining things." Li En didn't know that something terrifying was unfolding within Dainya.

And the cause of it all was, in fact, his own gift.

【Deceiver's Ring (Unknown Rank): It is a fragment of a certain being, the embodiment of deception.】

【Deceiver's Privilege (Unknown Rank): Call upon it, and any vow made under its witness becomes nothing but a lie and a joke. The adjusted oath binds only the ring itself.】

The serpent had not lied—this ability was real—but as always, he told only half.

The ring, torn from a part of it, naturally had far more functions than just this one.

【Deceiver's Intuition (Unknown Rank): Your words are more easily believed; you more easily discern lies and deception; you more easily see the truth beneath lies and illusions.】

The lack of detailed explanation proved the ring's terror—it was pure "passive rule," undetectable by any magical fluctuation or sensing spell.

Wearing it made Dainya's words more readily accepted, with no trace of influence.

Earlier, Li En had been vaguely suspected of ties with Su Er and Lex, due to this ring's effect. Now, Dainya inexplicably linked Laina to Heroine Laina—also due to the enhanced "Deceiver's Intuition."

This was only the beginning. Later, Dainya would grow increasingly perceptive—no lie or trap could deceive her, and her words and proposals would always move others.

This completely imperceptible "normal effect" made it worthy of being called a divine artifact.

In truth, only divine artifacts possessed such utterly unreasonable "self-defined rules."

They shattered the limits of reality and the material universe, yet seemed entirely natural, with no trace of supernatural energy.

And this was not the ring's full function.

【Deceiver Never Dies by Failure (Unknown Rank): Upon the holder's death, they undergo "Molting," reviving in a safe location (maximum one charge, recharge time: ten years).】

【Requirement: Dragonblood of the Thousand-Faced Dragon (female only).】

【Ha, gave birth to a son? Get lost—men must earn their own luck.】

In a way, the serpent truly favored daughters.

This meant that even if Dainya was truly stabbed, she could return from the underworld—as long as she didn't die twice within ten years, she was truly immortal.

All three functions of the ring were imperceptible in daily life, yet proved invaluable at critical moments.

The serpent's logic was simple: since he had to tear off a part of himself to interfere with deities, he might as well make it worthwhile.

"This child has suffered—and it's all Li Ensu's fault!"

The serpent sighed. Perhaps he and he were both bastards, but he treated his own kind well—and as for Lex, let him be a small compensation for another self.

"Ha!"

On the training ground, the little girl still struggled, while Li En had already bonded with the knights—physically, their connection had quickly deepened.

"Lex? Uh, I know him. Too bad his face was erased by a cursed evil. How to put it… the real him differs slightly from the legend. Slightly." Knight-Captain Kain's expression suggested that "slightly" was wildly understated.

Likely, the real Heroine Lex differed greatly from the official records' glorified portrayal.

After finding no records of the past in libraries or official reports, Li En naturally turned to these veteran knights.

Considering their ages, they might have lived through that war—perhaps even been participants.

Now another Radiant Guard knight took the field; Knight-Captain Kain wiped sweat as he chatted with other knights.

Li En casually steered the conversation toward Lex.

"Li En, you also use the Hero's Sword style—no wonder you're interested in him. Actually, it's not forbidden to speak of it—his sword was beautiful, incredibly beautiful."

In Knight-Captain Kain's eyes, for warriors and knights, the sword never lied. A child wielding such a blade, and Li En—both were destined for greatness.

He hesitated—he and another Radiant Guard Knight-Captain had both noticed the extremity in their swordsmanship.

Extremity wasn't necessarily bad, but dying before reaching maturity was no good.

Seeing Li En's interest in the former Hero, he spoke up.

"What I'm about to say might shatter your perceptions—the Hero's sword… was even more insane, more extreme than yours."

His gaze fixed on Li En, sensing more and more similarity between them.

"He wasn't just all offense, no defense—he was far more extreme. He seemed utterly oblivious to life, death, or fear."

(End of Chapter)