I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 83: 0. The Absolute Being (2)

The training ground is empty, with few onlookers.

Thanks to the surprisingly quick approval, Veris and the Sword Saint were able to stand face to face in the training ground before sunset.

"I don't really need to watch the duel."

The only spectator, Lady Delia, grumbled about the duel between Veris and the Sword Saint.

"You're being childish. You still haven't come to your senses."

"...."

The Sword Saint's incredulous voice made Delia's expression quickly turn sullen.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

To quote Maria, wasn't Lady Delia usually known for her lively image?

But looking at her now, she resembled a puppy soaked in rain.

"I am someone who walks the path of a Battle Mage. I'm different from my father, you know?"

Delia, deflated by the Sword Saint's retort, finally opened up her thoughts to him.

"You know one thing but don't know the other."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the combat style of a Battle Mage."

The voice of her father, the Sword Saint. Lady Delia scratched her head with an embarrassed expression.

Battle Mages adhered to a very rare and unique combat style.

Among non-elemental magic, there exists something called a Blade.

A Blade is a type of magic with unique properties. It does not belong to the five basic elements of magic and possesses an incredibly high hardness.

Thus, the Battle Mage was born.

They are mages who have mastered magic but prefer close combat and train their bodies.

They wield magic and blades, fighting like a sword mage.

"...that's."

Delia seemed to lose her words and quickly became deflated. In a crawling voice, she murmured.

"From my perspective... this duel will surely showcase a power rarely seen in the mortal realm."

Was it uncomfortable for the Sword Saint to see his sullen late-born daughter?

He spoke in a gentle tone.

"A power rarely seen in the mortal realm..."

Delia, with a blank expression, turned her head to look at Veris.

From their first meeting, she had already sensed that he was a man with a unique atmosphere.

And she knew he was strong, having dispatched the infamous Sword Demon in an instant.

"I would like to start the duel now."

"Right, I've been wasting precious time in front of a guest."

The Sword Saint nodded. He took a few steps back from Veris and gazed straight ahead with an icy stare.

'Impressive.'

The Sword Saint revealed not even a hint of his strength. But every person has a unique aura.

To Veris, the atmosphere the Sword Saint possessed was...

'An absolute being.'

If there is Duke Evangeline in the Dalri Kingdom, then in the Empire, there is Duke Heinkel. It seemed that the existence of the Sword Saint was not to be compared.

Of course, there was a considerable age difference between the Sword Saint and the Duke, and the unfortunate Gunther was sometimes compared to the Duke.

Swish!

The black sword at Veris's waist revealed itself to the world. A sword that was entirely black from the tip to the hilt.

The pitch-black blade exuded an incredibly cold aura.

Perhaps he didn't want to be outdone in momentum.

Soon, the Sword Saint also drew his sword.

As is customary for a high-ranking noble, he would typically wield a magnificent sword, but the sword he drew had a rather rough appearance.

"I will go."

"Very well."

The Sword Saint's short voice was met with Veris's response.

─ Boom!

A faint white aura began to gather around the Sword Saint's sword.

It was something that could not be seen in the academy, leaping through space.

─ Bang!

Soaring into the air, the Sword Saint closed the distance with a thrust like a spear.

Veris calmly raised his sword. He not only reacted to the attack but also executed a perfect defense.

─ Boom!

"I can't believe you're the same age as my daughter."

The sound of their swords clashing ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) was so loud it was hard to believe. Amidst it, the Sword Saint, with a smile on his lips, said this.

"The world is vast, and there are many unique individuals."

"Haha! Is that something you would say yourself!"

─ Crackle. Swish!

The mana swirling from Veris and the Sword Saint's swords began to thicken.

The pinnacle of sword and mana. Even Veris, facing the Sword Saint, couldn't help but smile inappropriately at the situation.

'Strong.'

That was Veris's evaluation of the Sword Saint.

Having awakened mana before even taking his first steps and undergone rigorous training, Veris possessed overwhelming strength compared to others due to his status window and various passive skill enhancements.

Yet, the Sword Saint, who was now facing Veris, was undoubtedly an astonishing being.

Overwhelming talent.

The mere fact that he could match Veris with that talent was astonishing.

─ Bang! Swish!

"You are a person of wonder."

"Wonder, you say?"

The Sword Saint, having created some distance, was also astonished as he looked at Veris.

In fact, he had impulsively suggested the duel and was swinging his sword with all his might.

If all the rumors about Veris were true, the Sword Saint had thought he would be able to match him in the duel.

But the current Veris was not only matching the Sword Saint but was also filled with ease.

"I've realized that most of the rumors about you are true."

The blazing white mana, a symbol of extremely compressed mana, was now wrapping around the Sword Saint's entire body.

"Uh, how...?"

Lady Delia, the Sword Saint's daughter, was blankly alternating her gaze between the two.

As the daughter of a duke and the Sword Saint, it seemed this was the first time she had seen her father engage in a battle with all his strength.

She found Veris, who was visible to her, to be strange.

"How does he possess power similar to my father's?!"

Delia knew Veris was strong... strong enough to handle the Sword Demon with a single move.

But her father, the Sword Saint, was not someone to be compared to the Sword Demon.

─ Crackle!

The mana, responding to Veris's will, began to burst forth with an incredibly intense momentum.

Mana compressed to the point of breaking stone. The air was visibly tearing from the aftermath.

"He is a fearsome one."

The Sword Saint's evaluation, watching the scene, was straightforward.

The Sword Saint, who also wielded white mana like Veris, found it hard to believe...

That the total amount of mana they both wielded was shockingly similar.

"Haha! How on earth does someone so young handle such mana?" It was a monologue from the Sword Saint, who did not expect an answer.

The situation was clear.

After exchanging blows several times, the Sword Saint had made his judgment.

It was unbelievable. A mere academy student...

He had realized that he possessed a strength greater than that.

"Even so, there are times when a man must not back down."

Veris's aura swelled, as if it were going to swallow the surrounding air.

Now, the Sword Saint's aura looked pitiful, like a tree beneath a mountain.

But the Sword Saint did not give up. No, he was rather eager to embark on a reckless adventure.

─ Whoosh!

The Sword Saint smiled. It was the first time in his life that he had engaged in such an exciting duel.

*

─ Rumble...

"Hmm?"

Maria, who was training her mana in the mansion's backyard, tilted her head.

The sky boasted a bright summer day.

But suddenly, the thunder that echoed created an atmosphere as if rain were about to fall.

"That can't be."

Maria looked up at the sky. The sight of cotton candy-like clouds floating in the sky caught her eye.

"Maria, what's wrong?"

Cecilia, sitting in a chair reading a book, asked.

"I heard something that sounded like thunder."

"...Did you? Is it going to rain?"

Cecilia looked at the sky.

"I didn't hear it. Are you sure you heard it?"

"Is that so...."

Maria released her seated position and stood up.

The reason was simple. Arwen had come out to the backyard, approaching them with a face full of curiosity.

"Have you thought about what to do?"

It was a disjointed statement that was hard to understand at first. But Cecilia and Maria, who understood the meaning behind it, slowly shook their heads.

"I don't know what would satisfy you."

"...Me neither."

Arwen fell deep into thought.

It was only natural for them to react this way.

"How did you celebrate your birthday before enrolling?"

"There was nothing special about my birthday. I had a meal with my family and exchanged light greetings."

Veris's birthday was approaching.

On the ninth month, on the twenty-third day of the sun.

That was Veris's birthday.

"Hmm."

Cecilia rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

In fact, it was difficult to come today to secretly prepare for Veris's birthday party.

Veris, who generally preferred to stay at home and rest, was now the perfect opportunity to carry out their secret plans.

"If only he wouldn't get drunk that day."

"...."

At Cecilia's mumbling, Arwen and Maria subtly averted their gazes.

The reason they had gathered in the mansion with honey wine was indeed to discuss what to do for Veris's birthday.

Although they had all become inebriated due to the unexpectedly sweet and strong alcohol.

The biggest problem was that Veris had witnessed their antics.

Moreover, it was astonishing that the Sword Saint had come to the mansion with them.

...When they heard that he had carried his daughter, Lady Delia, out, they couldn't help but be shocked.

Anyway, the girls continued their conversation.

Thus, the operation for Veris's birthday began.