Strongest Swordman’s Re:START

Chapter 68 - Improvised Dual Wielding

This is a strange feeling.

Merc grinned as she clutched her wooden stick in her left hand and her sword in her right. She felt as if she’d stumbled upon a long-lost treasure. She was delighted, but at the same time the treasure she’d discovered seemed to be different from what she recalled.

She was a little nervous holding a sword in each hand. Her present physical strength was incomparable to what she had previously possessed. In addition, she had also previously wielded the Dungeons swords, which had enhanced her body’s abilities even more. She didn’t have them now, so she’d have to rely on the power she had as a 14-year-old to wield a sword in each hand.

“Body Strengthening!”

Merc used the support spell Body Strengthening on herself to temporarily boost her body’s capacity. With this she now didn’t feel any discomfort with wielding a sword in each hand, but it was still not ideal, so she figured that she probably wouldn’t be able to fight as she previously had.

To begin with, it was only because of those Dungeon swords that Merc had become a dual-wielding swordsman.

It had just been simpler to fight because of the synergy between the two Dungeon swords. Naturally, Merc would not have become a dual-wielding swordsman if it hadn’t been for those weapons.

If her former self saw her wielding a store-bought sword and a wooden stick, he’d undoubtedly laugh at her.

“Well then, let’s see what I can do.”

Merc cast Mana Hardening on her sword and assumed a battle-ready stance. She considered using Mana Tempering, but it was probably too early to utilize it in an actual fight against a powerful foe. If it vanished at an inconvenient moment, Merc would very certainly die. As a result, she opted to remain with the Mana Hardening that she was comfortable with.

Merc shifted her focus to the Dorus Gai and the Dorum Gai, who stood still, not showing any gaps, and stared at her. Then she rushed at them once again.

“HYAAA!”

“GAAAAA!!!”

She charged at the Dorus Gai with a cry. In response, the Dorus Gai let out a battle cry and swung its sword with its thick arm. The Dorus Gai’s powerful swing clashed with Merc’s wooden stick. Dorus Gai’s sword snapped as a result, and Merc was flung back by the impact.

Damn it! It’s strong!

Merc landed on her feet after twisting her body in mid-air. She immediately charged again, this time swinging her sword at the Dorus Gai. When the Dorus Gai saw the Merc’s attack, it lifted its unarmed left arm and tried to block it, exactly like the Dorum Gai had done previously.

Don’t underestimate me!

“HYAAA!”

Merc screamed and poured more Mana into her sword, further hardening it. A sword, unlike the wooden stick, grew sharper as it became harder. Merc’s swing easily cut off the Dorus Gai’s left arm.

The sword then went on to bury itself in Dorus Gai’s left shoulder. Unfortunately, Merc was unable to reach the creature’s heart, even with her strengthened right arm. Nonetheless, she still caused a lot of damage. When Merc turned to gaze at Dorus Gai’s face, she discovered that the creature’s eyes were burning.

It appeared to be unconcerned about its severed left arm or the sword lodged in its shoulder.

He’s not even budging!

The Dorus Gai’s unwillingness to yield wasn’t the issue. Its counterattack was. The Dorus Gai clenched and grandiosely swung its remaining right fist.

Merc was unable to move away immediately due to her blade becoming lodged in Dorus Gai’s shoulder. She let go of her blade immediately in an attempt to flee, but the Dorus Gai’s fist was faster.

“URGH!”

Merc managed to intercept Dorus Gai’s fist with the wooden stick in her left hand, but it wasn’t enough to entirely negate the blow. Despite being covered with Mana Hardening, Merc’s abdomen received a massive blow, and Merc was knocked tumbling on the ground.

“Ouch… That’s an Orange Grade for you…”

Merc immediately regained her balance and re-entered her stance, but the Dorus Gai did not pursue her. The Dorum Gai also stood by and observed her without interfering.

Although it was preferable to fighting both of them at once, Merc couldn’t escape the eerie feeling. It felt like she was fighting puppets or robots.

At least I managed to heavily wound the Dorus Gai. I’m a bit sad about losing my sword, but I can just get it back after I take it down.

Merc lifted her left hand towards the Dorus Gai, who had lost its left arm and still had the sword embedded in its shoulder, while she gripped the wooden stick in her right hand.

“Lightning Arrow!”

Merc’s left hand erupted with a torrent of lightning arrows that flew straight for Dorus Gai’s left shoulder. The arrows were visibly being lured in by Merc’s metal sword.

“GUUU!!!”

As the numerous lightning bolts struck its wound, causing it considerable pain, the Dorus Gai let out a painful howl. It fought frantically to deflect them, but with only its right arm, this was impossible.

It would be ideal if it died from this alone, but Merc knew that was impossible when dealing with an Orange Grade. Even if the arrows didn’t kill the Dorus Gai, they were more than enough to create an opening.

Naturally, Merc didn’t miss the opportunity. She once again kicked the ground and launched herself at the Dorus Gai. The Dorus Gai turned to face her, but it was too preoccupied in deflecting the arrows.

Merc believed that there was nothing else that the Dorus Gai could do. However, it was at that time that the Dorus Gai sucked in a massive mouthful of air.

?! This is bad!

“HEAL!”

“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

As soon as Merc cast Heal on herself, the Dorus Gai let forth a tremendous roar. The force of the blast passed through Merc’s ears and even reached her heart, rocking it violently.

This roar was a spell that only upper rank Gai could use. It induced an abnormal state by using voice. They were able to impact their enemies’ normal state and frighten them, occasionally freezing them in place, by imbuing their voice with Mana.

If anybody fell victim to it, they would undoubtedly miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and if they were frozen, they would be put in a position where they may be counterattacked.

Merc, on the other hand, had faced Dorus Gai before and recognized what its plan was the instant she saw it sucking in air. That’s why she’d managed to cast Heal on herself in the first place.

Merc’s Cure, which could even heal mental damage, quickly dispelled Dorus Gai’s spell, allowing Merc to resume her attack. Merc leaped up, both hands clutching her wooden stick, and swung down with all her power as she reached Dorus Gai’s head.

“HYAAA!”

Merc’s attack landed on the Dorus Gai’s head, which could do nothing else but watch, and shattered its horn, even denting its tough skull1.

“?!”

Dorus Gai’s eyes blazed with their distinct savagery for a split second. At the same time, Merc felt a surge of bloodthirst that she hadn’t felt before, prompting her to jump backwards instinctively.

Fortunately, that bloodlust faded immediately, along with the Dorus Gai’s burning eyes. It was such a brief moment that Merc wondered whether she had imagined it.

“GU… GA…”

The Dorus Gai collapsed on its back with its eyes wide open, not moving an inch after groaning something. It was dead.