~ Chapter 120: A moment of enlightenment in both combat and history ~

[Seryanna’s point of view]

 We departed from On’Asher as soon as we finished our breakfast, which was far more extravagant than the one we had in Ledmerra Kingdom. They added various fruits and deserts as well as some type of omelets made from monster eggs. It was delicious, but this... was certainly something Duchess Alve’Yahna Desterus prepared especially for us.

It was actually so tasty that we requested for a copy of the recipe. When he heard this, the chef was delighted and overjoyed.

The carriage moved at the same pace as the soldiers did behind us. The two Royal Knights, Cassius El’samar and Jovark Cas’ardar, were the only ones marching ahead of the group, keeping the road safe from any potential enemies. There were, of course, the scouts who patrolled the perimeter, making it highly improbable for anyone to get in or out without being noticed, well... unless you were a Breakthrough-er dragoness.

Bored with the journey, Kataryna took flight and went to stretch her wings for a bit. The Duchess did not even have time to try to change her mind. The dragoness jumped up and in the next moment she was too far to hear our calls. We explained as politely as possible that we, draconians, sometimes felt the urgent need to take flight.

It was more or less the truth, but it was better than trying to explain the delicate and at the same time complicated official position of the silver-scaled dragoness within the Albeyater Kingdom. Princess Elleyzabelle managed to turn the sudden commotion into a glorified compliment addressed to our elven escort.

“Sir Kataryna simply feels that your protection is more than sufficient and that her minor presence won’t be felt at all.” was what she said, which the Duchess took with a smile on her lips.

As expected, we stopped at a designated campsite between On’Asher and Amir’Dalla, where another group of soldiers could already be seen. By the time Kataryna returned, we were ready to have our dinner and sit down to talk.

“Where did you fly off to?” I asked her.

“I flew around for a bit, looked at the scenery, hunted a monster or two, killed off a bandit group... You know, the usual.” she replied with a shrug.

“Did you spot anything interesting?” I asked her.

“Hm, well, I don’t know if you can call it interesting, but I felt that the nature on this continent is rich and healthy far more so than the one on the Dragon Continent. I don’t know if this is because of the way they take care of their fields or because of the elves themselves, but I think it might be something worth looking into.” she replied with a nod.

“What about unusual things?” I asked in a whisper.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. So far, the elves are no dagger in the tail.” she replied.

As night settled in, we gathered around the campfire to share a few words with the Duchess and her two knights over a cup of warm tea. Her Highness took the initiative and asked about what their opinions were regarding their empire, or more specifically, what they found fun and praise-worthy about it.

The first to speak up was the Royal Knight Cassius El’samar, who told us about bountiful grain fields near the capital. His family owned a good plot of land a bit to the west from here, where they prided themselves with the bread they made from the grains they raised with their own hands. Of course, being a knight family, this implied that they were nobles, so most of the work was done by the hired workers. This, however, did not mean that his parents and siblings were completely uninterested in farming, from time to time, they went to the fields together with their servants and worked side by side with everyone else.

“My grandfather, despite being a Duke and a General in the army, would sometimes pick up simple farming tools and head out to help the farmers in their fields. The land he owned was always worked on by the many dragons and dragonesses who wished for this sort of life. From time to time, he would also train the local guards so that they wouldn’t be too afraid of the local sheep.” I said with a soft smile on my lips as I remembered the times during my childhood when I saw him laughing in fields while my father was stressing over whether or not he finished his paperwork.

Truth be told, he used the act of working in the fields and training the local guards to escape annoying nobles who kept pestering him with favors. Grandmother took care of most dragonesses who still thought they were eligible for his hand in marriage.

“Sheep?” the Duchess raised an eyebrow.

“Monsters with Power Number over 250 that usually hunt wolves instead of grazing the grass like those on the Human Continent.” explained Kataryna.

“What peculiar beasts you have over there, but I also heard that your horses are also very powerful. They were called Khosinni, right?” the Duchess asked.

“Yes, they are powerful beasts that can’t even be compared to the ones you have here. Very aggressive too if they aren’t properly trained.” I nodded.

“It would be very interesting if we could import such impressive monsters from the Dragon Continent.” said the Duchess, and this caught the Princess’ attention.

“I see no reason why it shouldn’t be possible.” she declared with a smile, but one which held a deeper meaning.

The Duchess just told us that the Anui’Yahna might be interested in a trade deal with the Dragon Continent if we had the goods that interested them, now we just had to find some goods that would interest us as well, but I believed that her Highness was already thinking of some.

“But do tell us more about the bountiful nature on the Elf Continent, I’ve noticed that the plants here are quite lively when compared to those on the Relliar Continent, for example.” Princess Elleyzabelle said.

“The elves and el’doraw are known since ancient times for being able to commune with the nature around them.”

“Like talking?” Kataryna asked raising an eyebrow.

“No, that’s just an outlandish myth some human nation used to make us sound more mythical and inhuman, it made it easier for their people to kill us.” she shook her head.

“Oh, interesting. So, the humans did something like that... Hm, I wonder what weird rumors they spread about the draconains?” Kataryna said as she smiled and wagged her tail, showing that she was quite eager to start trouble over this subject if possible.

“Of what I have heard, they speak of you as uncivilized monsters that know only violence. You discriminate among each other based on scale color to the point where you would forbid marriages between certain colors. They also say that your might is borrowed from the Underworld Gods and use forbidden contracts to boost your abilities.” the Duchess began to enumerate a few of them without showing the slightest sign of being worried that she might offend us.

Kataryna laughed and her Highness giggled. I was the only one who refrained from making a sound and instead spoke out.

“The part about the scale colors... is partially true.” I raised my hand and touched my face where my red scales had formed after my Awakening. “Scale color represents the element we are most attuned with, and depending on the country or even location, it can determine the future job prospects of the individual. Marriage between certain types of scale colors, opposite elements for the most part, are not exactly forbidden just extremely rare... The chances of having an egg with someone of opposite scale color is minimal at best, so many parents would rather guide their children towards another potential partner instead of suffering from being eggless.” I said and then thought back to Thraherkleyoseya.

She was a dragoness who found herself in exact situation, and with elements that were considered to be absolute extremes... I hoped that and prayed that her happiness would not be cut short because the gods chose to keep her womb barren. My sweet little sister, as mischievous as she was sometimes, had all the right, just as anyone else, to a happy family life, to a child whom she could love and care for... and in the future, maybe nephews and nieces too whom she could spoil.

“I will keep that in mind if I happen to meet other draconians in the future... Rumors are rumors, after all, and they are not worth to effort to pursue or accept as concrete fact in any situation.” the Duchess declared, trying to reassure us that she was not the type to blindly listen to what others said.

“Right now, the situation between our two continents is... delicate, mostly thanks to the Human Continent.” the Princess said with a nod.

“I would like to point out the fact that the Insect Continent might also pose a problem. In the past decades, we have seen some of their ships sailing towards the Dragon Continent, although our sailors had barely spotted even one of them in recent years.” she said.

This might have something to do with that insect army Alkelios destroyed in the Northern Desert. I thought when I remembered the tale of his journey into the Seculiar Forest and beyond.

“How many other continents are the elves aware of?” Kataryna then asked, shifting all of the attention to her and then back to the Duchess.

With a smile on her lips, she then replied “Most likely of the same ones the draconians are aware of, which are: the Elf Continent, the Human Continent, the Relliar Continent, the Insect Continent, the Dragon Continent, The Dwarf Continent, the rather elusive and mythical Continent of the Dungeon Builders, the Monster Continent, and according to our legends, there should also be a Shattered Continent somewhere out there, from which all the evil in this world is presumed to originate.”

“So, you have also heard of them...” Kataryna said and then stretched her arms and tail “I’m tired, I think I’ll head off to sleep now. So, if you will excuse this tired ol’ dragoness, I’m going to bed now.” she then got up and left for the tents.

“Did I say something wrong?” the Duchess asked as she was taken by surprise by her sudden departure.

“No, she must really be tired and simply asked that question on a whim.” Princess Elleyzabelle said with a polite smile.

I looked back towards the tent and wondered if that was really it.

“This vague question sort of reminded me of something, but...” the Duchess said and then looked at us.

“Of what?” the Princess inquired tilting her head to the left.

“Well, a few months ago, while I was attending one of the regular social gatherings organized by the upper nobles, I happened to meet Prince Xardun. We talked about various things, but at one point, he mentioned something rather odd.” she said.

“If it’s something someone of the Prince’s status said, a Human Hero at that, are you certain you wish to tell us?” Princess Elleyzabelle asked before she continued.

“Please take this a sign of good will and trust from my part in the hope that the future will hold a splendid collaboration between our two great nations.” she replied with a smile.

“I understand, please continue then, Duchess.” she nodded.

“As it stands, he said that the name of not only mountains, seas, plains, and rivers, but also that of continents and stars are given in accordance with a deep mythos that is ingrained within all the civilizations on the planet. The fact that each continent is named after the species that created a civilization there, he finds it not only weird but also unnatural.”

“How is this odd?” I asked.

“Well, the reason he gave me, and I found it to be quite sound at that, is the fact that boats didn’t exist from the dawn of time, especially vessels capable of sailing across the seas to the far reaches of the horizon, so then... how did our ancestors knew that each of those continents held that species’ civilization? So then, he asked me, what did we call our land before Anui’Yahna and before our ancestors sailed the seas in the powerful ships that we build now, because, as far as he knew, none of our vessels was capable of such long voyages.” she stopped and then looked at the fire “I couldn’t answer this question... this land’s name... before Anui’Yahna... or why our ancestors knew of the existence of the other continents.”

“That is indeed... intriguing...” Princess Elleyzabelle said.

About this... there was only one thing that I knew, and without even realizing it, I let it slip from my mouth “My friend, Dregarya, once told me that during her search for a new metal, she found out that there is no knowledge of how our civilization came to be, however, we do know that the first kingdoms began to form more than 17000 years ago, maybe even more than that, but... we have little to no knowledge about it. Draconians, especially Breakthrough-er ones can live almost indefinitely, yet... why aren’t there any Breakthrough-ers that go past the age of 20000 years?” I then realized that I was talking on my own and stopped “I apologize for rambling on like that.” I told the two.

“Do not worry Duchess Draketerus, what you have just said was enlightening, after all... there are no Starscryers older than 20000 years either, and I have yet to hear of anyone that goes past that age.” Duchess Desterus said with a polite smile.

“Hm... When considering the recent events with the Human Heroes, I am tempted to wonder what our hidden history holds. Maybe... it is not so unimportant as our predecessors thought, after all?” Princess Elleyzabelle said as she tossed another piece of wood in the fire, causing a few embers to rise up in the air.

“Indeed, and I think this conversation might bring a new focus for this alliance you are suggesting, Princess. I believe that if Sir Kataryna never asked that question, and Duchess Draketerus here did not tell us about what her friend told her, we might have continued to be oblivious to this rather odd discrepancy in knowledge, yet which appears to be the same in the history of nations from different parts of the world. Maybe sharing and trading the knowledge gathered from our history and culture could also prove to be a rather valuable option, don’t you think so, Princess Elleyzabelle?” the Duchess asked as she looked at her.

“Indeed, I was thinking the exact same thing. By sharing knowledge, our strength as allies could only deepen in the years to come.” she declared with a smile.

The two of them continued to talk and share ideas and thoughts about possible trading goods. The elves appeared to be eager to open up a trade route and weren’t shy about the knowledge they held. The information that the Duchess offered us as well as what I had mentioned wasn’t something that could be considered a state secret, it was something so common, so ridiculously simple, but at the same time so elusive that it skipped the minds of the best scholars from both our nations. The Human Hero Prince of Anui’Yahna had shown to be a rather wise man if he spotted this tiny detail.

It made me wonder if maybe Alkelios was aware of this as well, and if he was, did he not find it relevant at all or could it be that it simply slipped his mind?

The following day, I got up at an early hour and proceeded to do a bit of training. Recently, I felt as though my sword skills were a bit lacking in comparison to the brute strength and speed that my body was capable of achieving right now. In the past, I used to maximize the potential of my abilities and take note of various techniques and tactics. This was why I was able to retain my position as a Royal Knight despite the fact that I wasn’t yet an Awakened dragoness.

As my blade flowed together with my body, each turn of the sharp blade was done with ease, but it wasn’t efficient, there was a noticeable resistance from the air, and the only way I could break through it was with pure strength. My body was fast, but my mind was lagging behind a step or two. In combat, those moments could be seen as a weakness in my defense and end up exploited by a more cunning and faster opponent.

While I continued to train, focusing solely on the movements of my body rather than trying to perfect a skill of some sort, everyone woke up one after another, with Kataryna being the last. They made breakfast and ate, but I chose, for the time being, to ignore their calls and instead focus on my training.

“It’s rare to see her like this, we should let her be.” said Kataryna when Duchess Desterus suggest that I should stop, since we would be heading off soon.

By the time they were done, I felt as though I could almost grasp the vision of my new sword mastery form. I was not quite there yet, but I had made great progress in these few hours since I began. My control was not lacking, but it was far from being perfect. It was clear that I had grown strong without having the opportunity to settle into my new power.

However, why is it that only now I began to take notice of these flaws of mine? I wondered as I put away my sword and walked over to the carriage.

I took a seat in front of the Princess.

“Is there something troubling you?” Kataryna asked as she sat down next to me.

“Aren’t you supposed to be guarding outside?” I asked her as I looked at her in surprise.

“If bunnies and snakes can kill these soldiers, then I’m going to question the necessity of dragging with us this many useless idiots.” she scoffed and mocked the elves, or rather just those who were that excessively weak.

I silently agreed with her remark and answered “I’m confused as to why I haven’t yet realized that my skills didn’t catch up with my strength and speed.”

“Ah! That, well I’m not surprised.” she said as she let out a yawn and then leaned back in her seat.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the same sort of thing happened to Alkelios back when we were traveling towards the capital. Did you forget already?” she asked me.

“There’s no way I would be able to forget those days... So many things happened, both wonderful and terrible... My first kiss, my first rejection... I felt terrible when Alkelios didn’t want to embrace me that night and...” I noticed Kataryna’s stare, she was narrowing her eyes at me.

“Not those parts...” she pointed out.

“Then...?” I tilted my head to the left.

“Sigh... Alkelios’ training, the times you sparred with him, how he acted in battle, those times.” she made it a bit more specific for me.

“Ah!” I realized what she meant, and I lowered my head in embarrassment.

I could not really say that those moments left a deep impression on me. For the most part, they felt as though I was exchanging blows with a beginner knight in the army of his Majesty, but as I began to recall how Alkelios moved and fought, I was slowly starting to realize what Kataryna wanted to point out.

“Back then, he used too much strength in his attacks and wasn’t careful enough when he dodged or moved around. His lack of proper control led him then to show clumsy movements in contrast to how Draejan fought. Back then, he could barely withstand any of my attacks in my Unawakened form.” I said.

“It’s not only you who has grown strong, both of us have, but you at a faster rater than me.” Kataryna explained and then looked into my eyes “You haven’t learned any new attacks recently, have you?” she asked me.

“...” I could reply and only lowered my head in shame.

After a moment had passed, she then said “It’s good that you realized this sooner rather than later. There are plenty of powerful draconians out there who are lacking in control and skills, but who, out of pride or simple stupidity, fail to see their own weakness and end up regretting it much later on.”

“You’ve learned new skills?” I asked her as I slowly lifted my eyes to meet hers.

“You think I went to the sea just to fish out a monster?” she showed me a smirk.

At first, I did, but did this mean that all this time, rather than taking it easy, Kataryna was doing her own kind of training?

“Let me just remind you one thing, Seryanna.” she told me as her playful expression was replaced by a serious one “Alkelios had to fight with everything he had against Kronius... Do you think you could have done the same? Personally, I don’t think I could have won against that monster, but there’s no telling how many other powerful human heroes are out there. We were lucky that we had Alkelios on our side, but next time, I don’t want to be seen as a weight that drags him down because I’m too weak to take care of myself.”

There was no way any of us could ignore the danger of meeting someone far more powerful than those two. If I were to say, then the difference between the two of us was maybe that in these past few years after the war, I became somewhat complacent about my own strength and equipment. Alkelios armor and weapons were powerful, indeed, but they were not indestructible.

This was the warning he left with me... “Don’t put too much trust in your items, they are just a projection of your true strength.”

Despite it all, I could not help but wonder if maybe that was what I did in the end.

“Hey, Kataryna, am I weak?” I asked as I looked up into her eyes.

She did not say anything for almost a minute, but when she finally opened her lips, her words struck hard.

“Yes. You are far more powerful than a regular Breakthrough-er, but you would have a lot more to offer if you could just focus on your skills wisely and had a better control over your own speed and strength. For most swordsmen out there, you would appear as unbeatable, unreachable even, but for the few of us who can track down your blade, we can see you struggling with each and every move you display.” she then let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

It was just how I thought it would be... I’m weak.... when it comes to skills and control. I thought.

“Alkelios noticed this problem of his way back when he left for the Seculiar Forest. The defeat he received from Draejan was one that pointed out his inability to effectively use his skills and in some parts lack of them. You, Seryanna, you are in a similar position...” she told me.

“...” I couldn’t retort, she was right.

“Back when I first met you, even in that enraged state of yours, you showed beautiful swordsmanship that utilized your abilities to their fullest. Then I saw you train and spar with Alkelios, there were no wasted movements, no delay between the use of your skills, a proper control of your Magic Energy, everything pointed out at a refined Knight. After your Awakening, those polished moves of yours began to show a certain degree of sloppiness. At first, I ignored it, thinking that you would come to realize your own flaws soon. After all, it was a normal thing that happened to everyone who gained a boost in power. This was why soldiers had training sessions with and without a combat boost being applied on them.” she explained.

“Hm...” I closed my eyes and tried to remember what sort of training Alkelios went through when he was in the Seculiar Forest, however, there was nothing.

Although he recounted some of his more perilous adventures, he did not mention anything too specific in regard to how he trained his control, he just did it. Maybe my husband was more of a genius than he realized or maybe he simply didn’t want to recount the countless times he failed in his training, however, this did put me in a bit of a bind.

“I don’t know how to train... Any of my old methods wouldn’t work now.” I confessed as I tilted my head to the left.

“What did you do before?”

“I fought by myself in the training field, practicing techniques against the strengthened dummies. I sparred with those who were willing, and I also had my grandfather and my old Knight Master help me out with some hints and pointers.” I said.

“Well, indeed, you can’t use that method now. As a Breakthrough-er you far surpass them all, and you also need to adapt and create your own style of fighting that best suits your innate potential. However, it’s not as if there’s no methods you could use.” she then showed me a smile.

“Such as?” I asked.

“Monster hunting.” she replied with a nod.

“Monster hunting?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. However, instead of just going for the kill, use them to sharpen your skills. They can’t really do much against you with all of your armor and physical strength, but on the other hand, you can learn how much force to exert from each attack. Afterwards, it’s only a matter of creating something by yourself.” she declared with a smile and then created a small star of ice in her palm. “I’m also working on something I’m going to call the Kataryna Arts. Who knows? Maybe you should also start working on your very own Seryanna Arts.” she winked at me and then made the ice star vanish in thin air.

“Somehow, I have feeling you two forgot I was here.” Princess Elleyzabelle said with a pout.

“Ah! Our apologies, your Highness!” we quickly declared in unison. “Cookies?” Kataryna then pulled out a bag of sweets from her [Purse] ring.

“I’m not a child!” she declared with a glare, but she still grabbed the bag.

“I’ll go outside.” I declared and then, just as I was about to step out, Kataryna told me. “Just take your time, no need to rush. Let it come to you naturally.”

I replied with a nod and then closed the door behind me.

While we traveled towards our next destination, I chose to jog on the ground instead of traveling on horseback. My mind was already filled with thoughts regarding the many ways I could employ my existing skills into new combat techniques as well as what I could do to develop or learn new ones.

Repetition was the mother of learning, but ingenuity was the spark of creation, or so they said.

The Duchess told us that today we would reach Amir’Dalla, where would be staying at the Yabur Inn. It was a relatively well-known place, but it wasn’t the best the city could offer, there was another inn, the Tendus, which was a noble’s inn. In other words, commoners and the like weren’t allowed to rest there. For the most part of the season, it was full, and the costs were too high. Lavishing luxury was not something either of us yearned for, we had more pressing matters to be concerned about.

Ever since we crossed the border, I felt as though there were less and less monsters that appeared near the highways. It was a good thing for the merchants and also the many travelers who passed by here, but at the same time, this was an uncontestable proof that the adventurers were far more active in these parts. We did hear that there were many more Human Heroes coming here from the Human Continents, but was this a result of their actions?

I could not tell, but Anui’Yahna definitely seemed more peaceful than Ledmerra. The air around these parts was also more invigorating and the nature seemed to have a strange liveliness to it.

One of the many myths I heard was also related to how the elves were far more attuned to nature magic than any other species out there. They even had specialized clans or families that were focused on certain spells, but this in itself was no different than having a draconian family specialized on blue-scale magic.

About four hours after we departed for Amir’Dalla, we could finally see the great city in the far horizon, however, rather than being welcomed by cheers and laughter, we were met with columns of dark smoke rising up in the air.

“Something’s happened.” said Duchess Desterus as she furrowed her brow and then moved to the front of our group.

It did not take long before a messenger arrived and informed us of the current situation. The expression on her face turned grave and then she rushed over to us.

“Amir’Dalla has suffered from an attack from a wave of monsters. They managed to slay most of them, however, there’s a powerful monster that’s currently laying siege on the gates, a Cyclops Tree.” she told us.

A powerful monster... Maybe... I thought as I furrowed my brow and asked her “Is this creature strong?”

“Yes, quite so. It would take at least another twenty groups of our current size to be able to take it down.” she declared as she looked back at her troops.

The soldiers were all starting to worry, especially after they heard the beast’s name.

“So, it’s strong.” I said.

“Yes?” the Duchess looked at me as if I said something strange.

“Isn’t this a good thing?” Kataryna laughed as she jumped out of the carriage. “Let’s head there and finish off that monster!”

“What are you saying, Sir Kataryna?!” the Duchess was surprised by her sudden statement.

“Well, as it happens, we are in need of a good target for some well-deserved training, so what better punching bag than a giant monster that requires hundreds of soldiers to take down?” she laughed as she started to stretch.

“Attack its right side, and I’ll attack the left side.... I want to compare damages.” I suggested.

“Sounds good. How about this, then? We’ll first attack the tendons behind the knee, a cut just deep enough to slice them and not damage the bone, then we’ll move up to a cut on the thigh, thin as the monster’s skin. From there we move up on the chest, seven stabs through its ribs, then from there, we slice the neck and stab the monster in the temple. It should be an easy kill if we time our attacks well enough!” Kataryna declared as she prepared to get out.

“First the knee, then the thigh, then the rib cage and finally, after a cut on the neck, we pierce the temple. Sounds good, but let’s cut the tendons on the arms as well just in case it tries to grab us.” I suggested after I analyzed the pattern.

“Sounds good!” Kataryna nodded in agreement.

“Beg your pardon, Sir Knights, but there’s no way the two of you could handle a monster like that!” the Duchess immediately tried to stop us when she saw us getting ready for the attack.

“Let them go. My Royal Knights will prove their worth now.” Princess Elleyzabelle reassured her with a smile.

“But...” the Duchess wasn’t convinced.

“Well, nothing we can do about that now.” Kataryna shrugged and then flew up in the air, I followed soon after.

With our swords in hand, I flew towards the left while she took the right and headed straight for the beast.

From afar, it looked like a giant that towered at a height almost as great as that of the wall itself, with a skin made out of a thick black bark, with a few leaves popping out here and there. The monster seemed furious and barely damaged by the continuous attacks of the soldiers around it. On the top of the walls, there were a several mages who focused on restoring the gate. If it fell, the monsters would lay waste to the houses of the citizens inside.

Just outside the gates, spread across the two fields on both sides of the road, monsters were engaged in a fierce battle against the groups of soldiers and adventurers. Their roars spread across this battlefield, while magic was being shot from both sides. A single mistake from either side could lead to the loss of life, but unlike the elves and Human Heroes, the monsters were simple beasts that relied on their instincts to survive.

Still, despite the chaos that spread across this battlefield, it seemed as though the one true giant here, the Cyclops Tree didn’t even put the elves in his eyes. The creature had faith in its armored skin and ignored the many attacks that were sent at it. The knights on the ground were already starting to lose hope because they were only able to scratch this beast. Their swords were useless against it even when they were of a higher grade than those of the soldiers spread across the battlefield.

From what I could see, it wasn’t as though their equipment was weak but rather the damage they inflicted couldn’t surpass the defensive might of the Cyclops Tree. His armored skin which looked like the bark of a tree, couldn’t be chopped up that easily, and there was also the matter of how much he was reinforcing it with magic.

If my judgement was right, then a quarter of my total strength was going to be enough to pierce through the monster’s armor.

I just had to remind myself the order of my attacks first, Knee... thigh, seven stabs to the chest, neck slice, then temple stab... I just have to be careful with how deep I cut. I can do it! I cheered myself up.

The soldiers and knights noticed us, but before they could ask who we were, Kataryna and I rushed in, our swords unsheathed and ready to strike.

I landed on the ground just two meters behind his leg and then sliced upwards at the back of his knee.

Just the tendons... I thought as I saw my blade connect with the bark.

The cut was deep, and I could see it moving faster than anticipated. The sharpness of my sword vastly surpassed the defensive power of the bark skin and continued to slice forward. By the time I pulled back on the handle, my sword went past his tendons and cut through bone as well. The whole leg was cut in half, but I could not stop to lament my mistake and instead jumped forward and turned around to slice at his thigh.

Again... I thought as I saw the blade slice deep into his muscles.

I furrowed my brow and moved to the chest, stabbing the seven points between the ribs, but because the blade was too sharp, I could not really tell if I struck the bone or not. It did feel at one point as if I was meeting some sort of opposition, but maybe his innards were tougher than those of an average monster? This was a Cyclops Tree, after all.

After the last stab in the chest, I sliced open the throat, this time, I did not feel as though I went past the limit. With a swift turn, the blade was then stabbed into monster’s temple and the one eye it had in the middle of his head rolled up.

I pulled out my sword and then jumped down on the ground. Kataryna was finished with her part and we both watched as the lumbering giant fell back on the ground.

Her cuts... are flawless... I thought as I looked at Kataryna’s side, each stab and slash were as deep as she wanted it to be, not even a single millimeter off.

On the other hand, my side was a mess. The left leg was cut in half, the slice in the thigh was a gorged-out slash, the stabs struck the ribs as well in a few places, and only the neck and temple attacks seemed to be similar to hers.

Seeing this difference between our skills, I could help but clench hard on the handle of my sword as I furrowed my brow at the monster.

“There’s room for me to grow...” I said as I swallowed down my frustration.

“Indeed, there is.” Kataryna nodded.

Only when we broke the silence did the people around us realized that they weren’t dreaming, we actually killed the monster who was threating to take their lives in a matter of seconds. Cheers of happiness sounded throughout the city, while the other monsters, realizing that their leader was now dead, rather than fighting to the death, they chose to flee from the battlefield, back to the forests from which they came from.