Superiority in its Highest Form

The tension in the room elevated to unbearable levels. It was as if static danced throughout the space. Loose materials began to vibrate. Ilena's eyes narrowed as she looked at Teresa.

CLANG CLANG

Neither of them had moved, but the sound of swords clashing had already resounded multiple times. Sword scars appeared all over the entrance, where the enforcer was standing. The open door was diced into shreds as Ilena casually marched over to the smiling claymore.

"Your Quick Sword is all fine and good, but don't catch the child sleeping over there, too." Teresa spoke while rising from the chair.

This feat of exchanging moves without even acting was beyond the realm of mortals. Neither of them had unsheathed their blades, but the two claymores had already clashed over a hundred times. The sword scars grew even wider.

"Not to worry. It'll be over by the time she wakes." Ilena retorted.

In an instant, she appeared before Number 1, a clean stroke aiming for the torso. It was as if time had stopped. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

CLAANG

Teresa had effortlessly blocked the attack. The multiple sword collisions had finally stopped. Number 1 looked at Ilena with contempt, the faint smile tugging at her lips. A shocked expression could be seen on Number 3's face.

"What's wrong? It's no good if your Quick Sword stops moving." She mocked.

Their blades moved again. The constant sound of metal colliding with metal reverberated once more. Both of their arms were blurry as they moved at speeds beyond comprehension. Even as the deadly match continued, Teresa found time to speak.

"Well you've gotten better than before, but you still have a long way to go."

"...."

No more words were exchanged between them. All that was left was fighting. Either win and survive, or fail and perish. Clare had long since woken up and watched with panic. On the ground floor below them, Sophia's pacing came to a stop.

"Now then, I suppose it should be around…here!"

A powerful thrust hurtled up into the ceiling. It released an incredible pressure beam that went straight through the structure and threatened to skewer Teresa. The force gave Number 1 no choice but to leap away in order to avoid it.

"Teresa!" Clare exclaimed.

"Don't move. Stay still." She reassured calmly.

In a deadly bout such as this, it was safer to remain as motionless as possible. The little girl could easily get caught by the invisible sword beams. Teresa landed in front of the window. Not even a second later, a silhouette came into view from beyond it. Another claymore. Noel cleaved into the building with a distorted grin on her face.

BOOM

Half of the inn became rubble in only a second. Fortunately, Number 1 had grabbed Clare and accelerated out of the building in time. The human bystanders watched in fear, shock, and fascination at the horrid strength these silver eyed witches possessed.

"Damn." Noel cursed. Teresa set the little girl down with a smile.

"I swear…they sure sent a rowdy trio." She muttered.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. It was as if a new aura signature had appeared out of thin air. Teresa's heartbeat increased at the hidden aura so close to her. Upon turning around, she saw another claymore standing over her. This new arrival seemed incredibly young and had extremely short hair.

'There was one more? Impossible! I didn't sense her at all!' Teresa thought with shock.

"Greetings. We've never met. I am the new Number 2 who recently received her emblem. My name is Priscilla."

"...Number 2?" Only now did Teresa understand that Ilena had lost her position, and how strong this girl could actually be.

"Pardon my rudeness, but I'm here for your head, Miss Teresa."

In the destroyed portion of the inn, Sophia, Ilena, and Noel could be seen rubbing their temples. This damn newcomer was such a handful! What a blunder.

"That idiot!" Noel exclaimed.

"Oh, dear. The plan was to smoke her out, then cut her down from behind. But that girl is taking her on fair and square. Does she think she can win in a head-on fight against Teresa of the Faint Smile?" Sophia commented with a sigh.

"Get back, Clare." Teresa ordered.

"What? But-"

"It'll be fine. Don't worry. Trust what I say. I told you that before, didn't I?"

"...Okay." She relented before backing away. Number 1 then turned back to Number 2.

"You said your name was Priscilla? The moment I leapt out should've been your chance. Why didn't you attack me?" Teresa questioned.

"Because such an act would have been cowardly."

"What?"

"More importantly, I have a question for you. Why were you not beheaded when you were to receive your punishment? The Organization's rules are supposed to be absolute. Our role is to wipe out Yoma so people can live in peace. We chip away at our own lives to fight! And for us to kill humans…It destroys the trust that the Organization has built all this time with the people and is an unforgivable act…"

"......."

There was a moment of silence. Teresa was truly shocked at the naive bullshit this greenhorn was spouting. It was as if she was regurgitating the words of the Organization, and not her own will. A true 'hero.'

"I'm very sorry, but in accordance with the Organization's rules, I will take your head, Miss Teresa!" Priscilla finished.

"It's unbelievable…how you've been indoctrinated with logic convenient for the Organization. Well, if I had to respond…The world isn't so simple and it doesn't operate by such ideals, little missy." Teresa mocked.

Without further ado, the duel began. Number 1 took a step-or she would've, if Priscilla's claymore wasn't already so close to her face. Her movement was abnormally fast.

CLING

Sparks flew as the blades pressed against each other. Teresa's eyes were wide, realizing how much focus it would take to put her down. Using her impeccable swordsmanship, Number 1 deflected the blade and swung.

"Why you!"

Pricilla quickly circled around to her flank . Before the blade reached, Teresa had already defended her back side. Their heavy claymores connected once more. It was as if the elegant woman had eyes in the back of her head!

There was another clash of steel. Teresa threw her off with force this time. Priscilla made use of the momentum and flipped , her body now floating in midair. Their faces were only inches apart. The silver blade cleaved down onto Number 1, who narrowly shifted her head. The swipe was evaded, and the ground was torn asunder, causing a large scar.

Humans silently watched from afar. They looked out the windows of their homes and hid in quiet corners. The sound of their colliding blades was getting louder and louder, hurting their eardrums. The other three claymores watched with interest.

"She's pretty good! She's got Teresa on the defensive!" Noel exclaimed.

"...Do you know why she's called Teresa of the Faint Smile?" Ilena spoke with her eyes closed.

"Huh? That's because she's always smiling when she's slaying Yoma, right?"

"That is true for both you and Sophia too. Only Teresa has been given that name."

"Ohhh! You're right. Why is that?"

"Your agility, Sophia's strength, my Quick Sword…It's because compared to those things, Teresa has no conspicuous characteristics except her smile." Ilena revealed.

"That's because Teresa excels in all those areas, right?"

"Not quite. Your mobility, Sophia's power, and my sword speed are each superior to Teresa's abilities in those areas."

"Eh?"

CRASH

As this conversation continued, Priscilla and Teresa were leaping from wall to wall. They'd meet in the middle with their claymores at the ready. The battlefield had gone from the roadside to the air, then to the rooftops.

"The reason Teresa is the most powerful is because of her exceptional ability to sense Yoma aura. It goes beyond being able to sense the location of Yoma. She can sense the minute that aura flows within the body."

"Huh." Noel grunted, not really understanding or caring. A true musclehead.

"For those who fight using Yoma energy, their aura flows to the parts of their bodies that they're going to move. Do you understand what this means? Priscilla can fight with her Yoma aura suppressed to the utmost, and that's exactly what makes her the most difficult opponent."

The battle grew more intense, the nearby buildings shaking with each clash of steel. Shockwaves were flying in every direction. Even the claymores watching could feel the ringing in their heads. The speed of their movement had gotten to ridiculous levels. Sophia, who was watching on the ground floor, played with her hair.

"Honestly…These two are unbelievable." She muttered.

"That brat's crazy! She's fighting on an equal footing with Teresa." Noel exclaimed. Ilena shook her head.

WOOSH

After another exchange, a small cut appeared on Priscilla's cheek. This was the first time someone drew blood in this match. Things were finally getting dire.

"It should be about time. We're going in to aid her. At this rate, it'll be Priscilla who'll lose her head." Ilena ordered.

"Huh? Why? Priscilla's a better opponent against Teresa, right?"

"Ultimately, Priscilla's ability is just a smokescreen. Teresa need only fight normally instead of relying on reading Yoma aura. Her natural ability is too great to begin with." She concluded.

On the makeshift battlefield, Priscilla was beginning to take more damage. Small cuts began to add up on her body. Any slight mistakes could cost her a limb. Teresa's swordsmanship was too godlike.

'What? My movements suddenly became slower. No! She's…She's getting faster!' Priscilla thought in disbelief.

CLANG

Their blades met once more as they sped down the stone street. More sparks flew, burning the nearby grass. Teresa's expression was calm, the slight smile back in place. Number 1 had gotten used to her opponent's style of swordplay.

'Why can't I win?! I've always fought for the sake of humans! She's the villain who KILLED humans!' Priscilla's thoughts spiraled out of control.

With as much strength as she could muster, she cleaved down onto the elegant woman's form. Both of them held their swords with two hands at this point. Teresa blocked the attack , but the ground sank beneath her. A massive sword scar appeared on the ground and went further down the road.

"Ugh!" Teresa grunted from the force.

'Her latent abilities are monstrous. She will grow to become enormously powerful. Even if I manage to cut her down this time, there's no knowing what may happen next time. She must die here.' The top ranking claymore thought.

Teresa of the Faint Smile glanced at Clare, who was a good distance away. She then looked back at her opponent, whose blade pressed against her own. The smile grew wider.

"Sorry, but I can't die yet." She finally said. Her eyes grew cold.

"What?" Priscilla muttered with growing fear.

Number 1 deflected the enemy's claymore before twirling at extreme speeds. The momentum would allow for a clean chop at the neck. Right when the blade came down, another one blocked the slash.

CLANG

Ilena had arrived at the nick of time. A second later and Priscilla would be dead. The young fighter's eyes were wide with fear. Number 3 cleaved, forcing Teresa to jump back. They were now on a stone bridge.

"Wahoo!" Noel screamed while slashing down from above.

"Tch." The elegant woman clicked her tongue.

The attack was blocked without looking. Only a single hand was needed. Teresa kicked Noel in the stomach, the force sending her crashing into the door of a civilian's home. Sophia pierced with extreme precision. Number 1 only jumped over the blade, her feet landing gracefully on the weapon.

Sophia was vulnerable. Teresa wasn't one to let go of such an advantage. A quick stroke was sent to her head. Luckily, Number 4 dodged in time. A cut had appeared on her neck. Every single one of them had almost died in that short exchange to rescue Priscilla.

"Hmph." Teresa scoffed.

She was surrounded. Four of the highest ranking claymores giving her no space for air. Priscilla frowned seeing their arrival.

"This is wrong. Surrounding her like this is unfair! I can do this myself-"

"Enough. If I hadn't intervened, you would be dead right now. Our job isn't to test our skills. It's to put down a traitor of the Organization. We'll back you up. You think of nothing else but to kill Teresa with all your might." Ilena scolded.

At that moment, everyone but Teresa's eyes turned golden with slits. Platinum blonde hair waved in the air. Their teeth grew sharper.

BOOM

A massive pressure descended onto the area. The power levels had gone up. Cracks appeared on the ground in the shape of a web. Instead of small cuts, real injuries were about to occur. Teresa watched everyone calmly. Her eyes remained a beautiful silver, the faint smile irking her enemies.

"Come." She mocked.