The Phantom Blade

With even greater speed and force, the Imperial Knight lunged at Elish once more, executing a vertical slash. 

~FWOOOSH!~

Elish evaded by darting backward, but to his astonishment, he felt his clothing tear once again, this time from his groin up to his collar. 

The unexpected rip left him bewildered, as he had been certain he had successfully dodged the strike.

'What is going on here…?'

Edward sheathed his sword once more and stood upright, his eyes reflecting admiration.

"I'm surprised that you managed to evade not just one but two of my slashes. If we count the one you dodged when I first arrived, that makes three. Indeed, you are quite formidable," he remarked.

Elish wasn't initially sure, but now he had no doubts.

"That blade of yours. It's a Relic, isn't it?" Elish inquired.

Edward appeared momentarily taken aback but swiftly regained his composure.

"Indeed. It is the Phantom Blade," he confirmed.

'Phantom Blade, huh?' Elish understood that the Imperial Knight told him his weapon's name because there was probably no way he could deduce any more from it.

'There's no mention of a Phantom Blade in the memories I absorbed, so that's valid.'

Following that line of thought, he decided to continue the conversation.

"I'm guessing its ability has something to do with how I'm sustaining damage even though I clearly dodged your strike," Elish speculated, rubbing his chin as he eyed the blade that the man wielded.

Even though it was sheathed, it leaked out a faint aura of energy. That was the final confirmation Elish required to conclude his hypothesis.

"That is something I cannot disclose," Edward responded, his glare increasing as he tightly gripped his sword with even more fervor.

'This man is quite shrewd. Not only does he possess a Relic, but he keeps its abilities hidden. He is indeed different from the one I faced previously,' Elish thought to himself.

Men granted some measure of power were prone to boasting. He was pleasantly surprised by the maturity this Imperial Knight displayed.

"If I were to guess, I'd say its ability is to ignore distance and land a clean hit on an opponent, regardless of their evasive maneuvers, as long as they are within your Area of Effect," Elish suggested to Edward.

The Imperial Knight simply smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not."

A brief moment of silence enveloped the two of them as they faced off, their breaths audible as the bloodied room absorbed the tension in the air.

'He's going to remain tight-lipped about it, huh?' Elish mused to himself. 

If Edward wouldn't divulge the information, he would have to discover it through combat.

Edward assumed his stance and resumed his attack. 

~WHOOSH!~

~SWISH!~

~FWISH!~

Elish, just as he had done before, evaded every one of his strikes, yet somehow, he continued to get struck. 

First, his shoulders, then his hands, and then his chest. Every time he dodged the attack, it would seem like he hadn't done anything at all. 

It didn't take long before his clothes became tattered due to the several tears they had sustained.

"You're quite skilled, for me to have missed for this long," Edward acknowledged.

His grip remained on his blade, and even though he had a smile on his face, the Knight's heart was racing slightly faster than it would have for other adversaries.

It was clear that this person he was facing was… different.

"I'll have to get serious," Edward declared, his tone bearing finality.

"Finally. Let's see what you can do." 

While he could not understand what made the enemy before him so confident, Edward was determined not to lose this time around.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sheathed blade and rushed at Elish. 

Meanwhile, Elish stood his ground, awaiting his approach as casually as anyone would. You could never think this was the action of a cornered man with tattered clothes and danger to his life.

Edward used his blade without unsheathing it, launching multiple blunt attacks at Elish, who deflected them with his arms. 

As he prepared to strike again, Elish held onto his katana, but since it was only the sheath, Edward removed his blade and delivered a strike. 

He instantly leaped away, and as usual, his attire was torn in the stomach region.

"Tch." Edward clicked his tongue, watching as Elish leaped away midair, increasing the distance between them.

He currently held onto the blade's sheath, curiosity slowly rising from his depths.

'I noticed a pattern whenever he attacks me. After executing attacks that bypass my dodges, he sheathes his blade and then unsheathes it again. Is that a condition for him to use that troublesome ability?' 

If this theory held true, then Edward couldn't utilize the ability unless he retrieved the sheath

"Check," Elish said with a smile, locking eyes with the Imperial Knight.

He had him cornered.

However… there was one factor Elish didn't take into account.

"Checkmate," Edward smiled in response to the words uttered against him.

Swiftly assuming his stance, Edward unleashed the most energy Elish had witnessed since their fight began. 

The most energy he had ever witnessed from anyone since his reincarnation.

Edward raised his katana, preparing for a clean and powerful vertical slash, his confident smile aimed squarely at Elish.

'Ahh…' It was then that he realized what the Imperial Knight had been doing all along. 

Since the start of their confrontation, Edward had intermittently sheathed his sword to create the impression that his ability depended on it. 

In reality, he could employ the power without the sheath. 

As a consequence of this deceit, Elish had let his guard down airborne, making him a perfect target.

Since the beginning of their duel, Edward had been patiently biding his time.

"[Phantom Blade: Phantom Strike]!" 

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[A/N]

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